Time Warner QAM channels

[bk]

Hi,

I just got my first HDTV (Sharp Aquos 32in 720p). I have basic cable from TWC (analog channels 2-25, 76+77). After doing the channel scan with my new tv I get the following digital channels:

4.23 VarietyTV (23.2)
5.54 WNYT-DT
18.6 WRGB-HD
18.8 WXXA-HD
18.10 WTEN-HD
18.11 WMHT-HD
18.13 WNYT-HD
18.90 WTEN-DT
18.96 WRBG-DT

I also get a whole slew of blank digital channels from 78 through 120 (I'm assuming those are the SDV slots). Occasionally I'll find something being broadcast up there but it doesn't last long.

My only concern is that I can't find the CW HD channel. I thought TWC was legally required to carry all OTA channels in this market? Are there any other channels I'm missing?

Thanks.

[mattbanks]

Could be a dumb question, but do you need a QAM tuner to get these HD channels? I have a Samsung HL-S5097W that has an NTSC/ATSC tuner, which I think can tune digital channels. If I just plug the cable into my HDTV, will it be able to find and tune these HD channels?

[hurnik]

bk said:

Hi,

I just got my first HDTV (Sharp Aquos 32in 720p). I have basic cable from TWC (analog channels 2-25, 76+77). After doing the channel scan with my new tv I get the following digital channels:

4.23 VarietyTV (23.2)
5.54 WNYT-DT
18.6 WRGB-HD
18.8 WXXA-HD
18.10 WTEN-HD
18.11 WMHT-HD
18.13 WNYT-HD
18.90 WTEN-DT
18.96 WRBG-DT

I also get a whole slew of blank digital channels from 78 through 120 (I'm assuming those are the SDV slots). Occasionally I'll find something being broadcast up there but it doesn't last long.

My only concern is that I can't find the CW HD channel. I thought TWC was legally required to carry all OTA channels in this market? Are there any other channels I'm missing?

Thanks.

I know when I had my MythTV box, it wouldn't find 1815 either for some reason. But it shows up on my Toshiba and "element" Tv's on the QAM scan, so I know it's there.

Otherwise, that looks like the right set of clear QAM channels

[ProTuber]

bk said:

My only concern is that I can't find the CW HD channel. I thought TWC was legally required to carry all OTA channels in this market? Are there any other channels I'm missing?

Thanks.

WCWN-HD and WRNN are there. Normally they will be discovered as 18-15 and 9-1. They are on channel 74. If your TV allows it, you might try manually adding that channel.

The problem might be that cable channel 74 is in the frequency range of 522-528 MHz which is exactly where channel 23 analog is OTA. Sometimes if enough off-air signal mixes in with the cable signal (either because of a leak in the cable or insufficient shielding in the TV itself), the tuner will be confused and not discover WCWN.

[ebo]

CW HD is on cable channel 74, along with WRNN. I just checked and they're still there, but two of my receivers have trouble locking onto them, while a third has no problem and reports a strong signal. Normally all three receivers can get these channels.

One possible problem is that the frequency range of cable channel 74 (522-528 MHz) is nearly the same as that of broadcast channel 23 (524-530 MHz). If 23 leaks into your cable it could make reception difficult. I had that problem when I was using a cheap RF switch with poor isolation to switch between cable and antenna on a receiver with a single input. It affected all receivers on my system, not just that one.

Cable companies are not required to carry all broadcast channels in their area. A station can either invoke the must-carry rule, whereby cable must carry it but doesn't have to pay to do so, or it can negotiate a deal for carriage. However, any local stations that are carried must be available to all subscribers including Basic, which means they can't be on trapped-out channels and the digital ones must not be encrypted.

mjbanks: You need a QAM receiver to get unencrypted digital cable channels. If the receiver has a CableCARD slot, you can rent one from the cable company to get other channels you subscribe to. An ATSC receiver only gets off-air channels. Unless you're sure you have no chance of getting the local broadcasts with an antenna, you should try it. People who have been put off by less-than-ideal analog reception might be pleasantly surprised by their digital reception. There are a few subchannels cable doesn't carry.

[ebo]

And I took so long writing my previous answer that ProTuber beat me to it, and with fewer words!

[bk]

Thanks guys. I tried to manually add the channels and got "Failed to recieve broadcast" errors. I'm using a cheap splitter to run cable to the TV and cable modem, I suspect that may be the problem.

Thanks again for the informative responses.

[bruces]

Other than the similar frequency problems already mentioned, your splitter might be causing your problem for another reason.

Every time you add a splitter to your cable, the strength of the signal drops. To find out whether this is causing your problem, try removing the splitter and running the cable directly to your TV.

If you can receive the additional channels that way, you may want to replace your splitter with a powered one. I found one at Radio Shack that solved a similar problem for me. If I remember correctly, it was around $10,

[Skaggs]

My Mother-in-law has the $10+/- TWC "basic" service and uses the built-in QAM tuner to get the digital channels available OTA. She said that channel 104-xx is WMHT and it says it is in HD, but it is obviously not HD. Not having a HDTV set up to use a QAM tuner, I was hoping someone here could explain what she sees and if it actually available in HD. Thanks.

[ebo]

WMHT-HD is on TWC channel 104-3 in 1080i along with WRGB, 104-4, also 1080i, and several SD channels including WMHT2 (104-18) and WMHT3 (104-19). Like all other broadcast stations, much of their programming is not HD. They say if it is or not at the start of each show.

When I just checked, their bitrate on TWC was about 10.5 Mbps while their OTA bitrate was about 13 Mbps.

You can see what's available in digital OTA or unencrypted cable anywhere in the country on SiliconDust's Channel Lineup at www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/channels_us.

[adam]

Is WNYA My4 no longer Clear QAM? The yankees are playing on it now but Windows 7 Media Player cannot find the channel. I remember seeing it before...


Edit: Nevermind, I used the link above to find it. It is 98.9 and 256 qam.