Over the Air TV

[Lazybones]

Supplementing my TV watching with Downloads I still only have OTA TV. (discuss before in another thread)

I thought others might be interested in this VERY detailed site for Canadian OTA TV. As the US is converting to Digital so is Canada. This list includes current analoge and digital stations but it also include Up comming ones that are allocated , pending, testing and approved.
http://www.user.dccnet.com/jonleblanc/Canada_TV_Stations/


There are also links on the site for forums that discuss antennas ext.

If you want a high performance INDOOR Antenna Dell actually stocks one of the best ones (Philips PHDTV3)
http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=gen&cat=prod&k=antenna&rpp=12&p=1&rf=all&nk=f&sort=K&nf=%7e3%7e1954&navla=%7e3%7e1954&ira=False&~srd=False&ipsys=False&advsrch=False&~ck=anav

I have ordered one and will let you know how it performs. If you have a house, an outdoor antenna will perform much better if you have the space to mount one.

Locally I watch CBC and Global in HD OTA, the picture quality is great the only trouble is tuning the darn antenna, I hope the PHDTV3 performs better than what I have now as I should be able to get CTV and there are other digial channels coming online in my area as well.

[Tom]

Yeah, I've been doing some research on the subject for a while. Edmonton isn't likely to get any full power digital (ATSC) stations for a couple years. CTV and another were supposed to go online this year or next, but the transmission facilities they share seem to be inadequate, so they have to do some work, and its going to take a while.

Also, Canada's switch over isn't set till 2011. So no one has to have anything up till then.

I hear there are some pretty inexpensive antennas you can get, some extra wide so you can grab signals from multiple geographically distributed towers, so you don't have to have a separate antenna to point at each one.

Some channels were trying to get out of the OTA market all together, but if they do that, they loose the status of being a "broadcaster", whatever that gives them, seems to be worth putting in place the upgrades to ancient NTSC OTA broadcasting equipment. So luckily most if not all channels will switch over, instead of going Cable/SAT only.

[Mr. Analog]

I still don't see what the benefit is to clearing the bandwidth...

And I don't know about you guys but I prefer "snow" to those horrid digital blocks if there's interference hahaha

[Lazybones]

I still don't see what the benefit is to clearing the bandwidth...

And I don't know about you guys but I prefer "snow" to those horrid digital blocks if there's interference hahaha

Where I am at the moment there IS digital HD stations and more coming. I tell you what, getting near perfect picture and audio with some cut out is some times preferable to having snow on all the stations.

Only thing that REALLY bugs me is when they rebroadcast an HD show over SD then HD again, you get black boarders on the top and the sides.

Comparing SD to HD versions of the same broadcast is stunning. The difference in colour blows my mind every time. If you watch "The Hour" on CBC those red chairs they use on the set almost jump out and smack you.

Anyway when my antenna comes I will let you guys know how it performs.

[Tom]

While there are some downsides to digital, it does free up a lot of bandwidth and solve some issues with interference. You WONT see channels overlap. And a single "multiplex" in digital gives multiple actual channels per "band". It all depends on the size of the streams. Some channels have switched to h264 (from mpeg2) to allow better quality or smaller stream size. I found a reference in google to a station in the US that broadcasts 5 different channels on one ATSC mutliplex band (same size as the NTCS channel bands).

Some channels use the extra room to "Simulcast" SD and HD streams of the same content, some use it to provide extra programming, specialty programming like 24/7 news tickers or weather, or lease extra space to other programmers (like regional or ethnic groups).

I just wish shaw would un encrypt all the basic cable channels on digital. Theres no point to encrypting it all, its being paid for, let me record it darn it. I don't need nor want your stupid recorder box.

[Lazybones]

So my PHDTV3 antenna arrived. It is highly directional but I have managed to get all 3 (CBC,Global,CTV) of the current local digital stations tuned in with strong signals.

This particular model includes an adjustable booster which I did have to used. A tip for anyone trying to tune OTA on a new TV, check if your set has a built in booster. I had to turn the built in booster off in order to tune using the external one.

Now if these digital stations only had more HD content, during prime time it tends to be really good but other than that it is surprising that other than CBC the news isn't even in HD.

[Lazybones]

Just a reminder with the BIG switch happening within the next week, there are MANY more DTV channels online... I was looking at the link for this thread and it looks like Edmonton has several active now and some approved and maybe active.

If you have a digital tuner and a UHF antenna it is worth a look. The signal strength of the stations in my area was improved over the last few moths, now the stations are very stable.

[Mr. Analog]

Oddly enough the last OTA broadcast I watched was the World Cup final last year (when my big TV was out waiting on parts) got the ol' rabbit ears out and turned the volume down to drown out the vuvuzelas.

My question is the same as when the USA did this; ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

Some great stuff (including channel lists and signal coverage!) of DTV in Canada:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_in_Canada

[Darren Dirt]

ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

Clearly the Mind Control transmissions will go full force, just like depicted in this documentary starring Adam Baldwin:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=control+factor+trailer

[Mr. Analog]

ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

Clearly the Mind Control transmissions will go full force, just like depicted in this documentary starring Adam Baldwin:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=control+factor+trailer

I thought that's what the CBC was already offering? LOL

[Lazybones]

My question is the same as when the USA did this; ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

The most common answer will likely be high speed wireless services. IE getting your Highspeed internet over the air instead of depending on Phone, Cable or Fiber in your area.

[Darren Dirt]

ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

Clearly the Mind Control transmissions will go full force, just like depicted in this documentary starring Adam Baldwin:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=control+factor+trailer

I thought that's what the CBC was already offering? LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_control_in_popular_culture#Science_fiction
In the film Control Factor, an unsuspecting "everyman" slowly realizes he is an unwitting guinea pig being used in a mind control test. If successful, the test will then expand to behavioral control of an entire population.

^ not quite the same thing as "drink Molson, eat Timmy's, and agree heartily with Don Cherry!"

[Mr. Analog]

ok the spectrum is freed up, what's going in there?

Clearly the Mind Control transmissions will go full force, just like depicted in this documentary starring Adam Baldwin:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=control+factor+trailer

I thought that's what the CBC was already offering? LOL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_control_in_popular_culture#Science_fiction
In the film Control Factor, an unsuspecting "everyman" slowly realizes he is an unwitting guinea pig being used in a mind control test. If successful, the test will then expand to behavioral control of an entire population.

^ not quite the same thing as "drink Molson, eat Timmy's, and agree heartily with Don Cherry!"

That's what they want you to think!

[Lazybones]

Time to rescan your local stations.

Looks like some local analog stations did a strait flip tonight and some already boadcasting stations may have moved.

[Lazybones]

Well I now have 8 digital stations at least with my current antenna.
One is French and one only has sd aspect ratio content but other than that I think I am liking the switch. Ether the interference decreased or they busted power because the signal strength of the existing stations increased significantly.

[Lazybones]

Built my self a coat hanger db 4 antenna and put it out side. Now I have a much more stable signal than my amplified indoor one.

[Thorin]

lol

Coat hanger antenna for the win!

So you don't have cable, just over-the-air signal?

[Lazybones]

lol

Coat hanger antenna for the win!

So you don't have cable, just over-the-air signal?

Well a little more complex of a coat hanger...
http://www.tvantennaplans.com/
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/01/maker-workshop-dtv-antenna-steadyca.html

I have not had cable / satellite since I moved from Edmonton 2007. Just OTA and what I find online..

FYI you should check this site out, under the tools section it has a map tool that calculates what stations you should be able to get based on elevation data.

http://www.tvfool.com/

Now the Switch JUST happened but according to the site Edmonton had 3 active Digital stations and now or soon will have up to 11... Not bad compared to basic cable, and they won't be compressed and the equipment is REALLY cheap.

I have 8 currently with my $1 antenna, but if I purchased a nice big high gain one for my attic I might be able to pull in close to 15 stations.

[Mr. Analog]

Man, I just threw out an old 1960s antenna that looks exactly like what the guy built there on MAKE.

If I wasn't a slave to baseball/hockey/soccer I'd probably switch to OTA signal, I dumped everything but barebones + HD package on Cable

[Lazybones]

Looks like Wikipedia has the most up to date info at the moment...

This is what should be active as of today in the Edmonton area, 7 stations isn't bad even if one is french.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_television_in_Canada#Status_of_Digital_Television_Transition

CBXFT-DT (SRC)
CBXT-DT (CBC)
CFRN-DT (CTV)
CITV-DT (Global)
CJEO-DT (Omni)
CKEM-DT (Citytv)
CKES-DT (CTS)

[Mr. Analog]

Omni - Multi-cultural programming
CTS - Religion programming

So really, it's the big four Canadian networks worth watching (IMO):
-CBC
-CTV
-Global (Shaw)
-CityTv (Rogers)

Though, with the exception of CTV2, it's pretty much the same as Vancouver I take it.

[Lazybones]

ctv 2 adds a bit and omni has lots of normal syndicated content it just also happens to have news in several other languages.


With a better antenna setup I might be able to pull in an independant Victoria station and several big us networks from just over the boarder. I have been checking out several ota forums and it sounds as simple as mounting a good quality antenna in the attic.

With all of the Canadian big networks you do get a decent amount of programing.