The CW DNS on Ch. 385

[FireMedic8039]

My local CW, WTVX. Only broadcasts in digital format. Never had an HD show yet. When WWE was in HD Friday night. I did a search and found CW DNS on Ch.385. Although it says the ole 721 message. I looked at all the Channel Listings for all packages. And did'nt find the channel. Anyone know the reason why we dont get that channel? Or is it hidden in a package. I have HD Plus Extra. Thanks.

[Jtaylor1]

My Local DMA doesn't have the CW OTA. Channel 385 is the CW channel from WNUV Baltimore MD. You have to subscribe to the Distant Locals.

[FireMedic8039]

Well i did some research and found on CW's message boards these quotes....

0"When I called DirecTV they stated that there is no current time frame that the CW network has shared towards adding HD programing to be broadcast through their services."

"I would be nice if they did it soon. Not for nothing, being owned by CBS and Warner they do have the backing to do it. Also, The age group they target their broadcast to (18-34) are also the same that are probably out there the most grabbing the latest in TVs... You know "The Gotta Have The Coolest Gadget" crowd."

So much for CW HD in the near future. I e-mailed the network and still waiting an answer

[tim81]

considering cw was the combination of two sinking/bankrupting networks (upn/wb) i'm not sure how much extra cash they have to dole out to upgrade their programming/equipment etc. to hd.

i'm sure in the future they will, but considering their financial history i wouldn't expect them at the head of the pack.

[inkahauts]

Not sure where you got all that (what CW boards). Almost everything that isn't a reality show on the cw is broadcast in HD. The problem is that your affiliate doesn't do it, so Directv doesn't have a source to pull an HD feed from anyway, assuming you have HD LIL. 385 is for DNS for sd, not HD. No one has heard if Directv will broadcast a CW HD DNS, but there is no reason technically that they couldn't start doing it today if they wanted to.

[FireMedic8039]

Those quotes were copied and pasted from an HD thread on the CW website. I dont make things up. Im happy you got CW HD. Why bother posting stuff when you have a question. And get questioned where it came from. Read my sig Einstein.

[SamC]

In any event, channel 385 is Washington, DC's CW channel and, like the NY and LA major network channels, are available only to people who have no access to the network via a local station. And it is an SD channel.

[jamieh1]

My CW is a digital sub channel of my local CBS station. Directv carries it in my locals package.
But I also get The CW dns feed on channel 385 . Im not being charged for it.
I wish they would add the CW HD dns feed, because the my local CW is in SD as the CBS station is on the HD channel.

[stlcardsblues]

My CW is a digital sub channel of my local CBS station. Directv carries it in my locals package.
But I also get The CW dns feed on channel 385 . Im not being charged for it.>>>>>

I have distant channels (waiver) and when they added CW (on 385) I did not get it. Same with PBS.

[inkahauts]

Those quotes were copied and pasted from an HD thread on the CW website. I dont make things up. Im happy you got CW HD. Why bother posting stuff when you have a question. And get questioned where it came from. Read my sig Einstein.

First off, sorry if I offended you, and in no way was I trying to imply that you were lying. I was implying the information you received is, at least to me in the way it was worded, questionable. Let me see if I can be more clear.. I'm not sure who posted that information. Was it a representative of CW? The way it was stated it was about the CW and Directv as a whole, not just your local station. That would make the quote wrong. As I mentioned, there are 11 LIL in the country right now for CW in HD being broadcast by directv, and I am sure that list will be growing, probably exponentially, especially after D11 gets launched. I have a feeling, that barring technical (actually receiving the signal) and contractual reasons (like lin being a pain in the %#$^%#), most of the LIL for ABC CBS NBC FOX CW PBS MYTV and at least one additional local station will be in HD in most markets within a year on Direct. That was pretty much their stated goal when they announced D10 and D11 and the capacity to deliver 1500 HD LIL channels. That would give 187 markets 8 HD channels, and I am sure some markets wont have a local in HD....

As for DNS, I wouldn't be surprised if they don't pop one up in HD at some point, but frankly, you'll probably see it in HD via your local first, and based on the fact that you can get the OTA broadcast, I doubt your local would grant you a wavier to get a HD DNS feed anyway. I am curious as to what your local networks excuse is... Hopefully they will reply to your email with a time frame that will be encouraging for you.

[FireMedic8039]

I just dont understand why a national network does not have HD being broadcast across the country. My local CW is the crappiest looking channel. The main CW primetime shows I was under asumption would be in HD. Thats all. And then when local stuff is on my local CW it would be the usual crappy looking SD.

[Jon Ellis]

IIRC, The CW on channel 385 is only available in markets 100+ (the original poster lives in market #38). 385 is included with locals packages in those markets and remapped to another channel (14 in my town). I'm not sure if it's also available in markets without locals.

Availability of the CW national feed is a completely different issue than whether the local affiliate is carried in HD. The reason it is not is because the law doesn't yet require DirecTV to carry ANY HD signals, so they can choose which channels they want to carry in HD. In most markets it's just the big 4 networks, with PBS to be added.

[Marvin]

Im in market 147 and we dont have locals and I cant get 385.

Id like CW in HD since its only available here via cable as far as I know, or it may not even be in HD on cable, but its a subchannel OTA just like FOX is and FOX is in HD on cable here and I can get FOX HD from NY, so I would assume Id get CW HD if/when they decide to go ahead and add it. I wanna see Smackdown in HD, it was painful to watch in SD last friday and its the only one of the 3 (RAW/ECW) that I cant watch in HD. ugh

[FireMedic8039]

Marvin you hit the point I was trying to make. I could understand PBS not being national since it is viewer supported. Ive learned CW is in a selected few markets in HD. I just dont understand why a station would put all the money and effort in HD and not show it on a national basis. They must have a great CEO.

[Paul Secic]

considering cw was the combination of two sinking/bankrupting networks (upn/wb) i'm not sure how much extra cash they have to dole out to upgrade their programming/equipment etc. to hd.

i'm sure in the future they will, but considering their financial history i wouldn't expect them at the head of the pack.

I don't watch nonsecile netoworks as Mynetv or CW. It's rubish!

[Jon Ellis]

I just dont understand why a station would put all the money and effort in HD and not show it on a national basis.

You are confusing two very different issues. It's not that your local station isn't broadcasting in HD, it's that DirecTV has chosen not to carry it in HD. You may be able to receive the HD signal using an antenna.

Also, most CW affiliates are run by other companies, not CW. This is the case for all networks except ion. WTVX is owned by Four Points Media Group.

[inkahauts]

IIRC, The CW on channel 385 is only available in markets 100+ (the original poster lives in market #38). 385 is included with locals packages in those markets and remapped to another channel (14 in my town). I'm not sure if it's also available in markets without locals.

Availability of the CW national feed is a completely different issue than whether the local affiliate is carried in HD. The reason it is not is because the law doesn't yet require DirecTV to carry ANY HD signals, so they can choose which channels they want to carry in HD. In most markets it's just the big 4 networks, with PBS to be added.

385 would only be available if Directv didn't carry the local CW channel and the sub can get a wavier from the local channel to allow them to receive the national feed.. Everyone else who gets the CW in their LIL packages should be getting their local channels rebroadcast of the channel, which would not be the same as 385.(unless your in 385's originating DMA) The only possible exception to that would be in DMA's where the CW is an O&O station, and even then I seriously doubt it. You never screw with local ad revenue.

As for the CW in HD on a national feed it would probably be useless to most people... As I said before, first your local station has to broadcast an HD feed, and then Directv needs to pick it up and rebroadcast it. You just won't see any station allow Directv to broadcast an SD version of its local channel and send its subs the HD version from a DNS feed. (if you can receive the digital feed OTA) It would hurt their ad revenue. Again the only exception might be if it were an O&O station.

If your local station isn't broadcasting an HD signal OTA, thats the first battle that must be won... As I recall Directv plans to get more LIL DMA's rebroadcasting Digital signals than they do analogue signals by the time they get all their bandwidth filled up after D11 is launched.

As for why the CW doesn't have a national HD feed on Directv... I wonder if it isn't in part to help protect local ad revenues.... and I also wonder how many people would actually qualify for it. The rules for HD DNS are a lot stricter than they are for analogue DNS... I'm guessing it would be less than 1% of Directv's subs... and then you have to ask, is there a cost benefit to setting it up and using the bandwidth for it. I say yes there is a benefit... but then I'm a believer in getting signals out there and telling bean counters where they can shove it....:D

[inkahauts]

Im in market 147 and we dont have locals and I cant get 385.

Id like CW in HD since its only available here via cable as far as I know, or it may not even be in HD on cable, but its a subchannel OTA just like FOX is and FOX is in HD on cable here and I can get FOX HD from NY, so I would assume Id get CW HD if/when they decide to go ahead and add it. I wanna see Smackdown in HD, it was painful to watch in SD last friday and its the only one of the 3 (RAW/ECW) that I cant watch in HD. ugh

Do you have a wavier from your local fox station? Is it an O&O station? Also, have you tried to get a wavier for the cw DNS feed?

[juventuz]

My local CW can only be found on cable, not even OTA so when I switched over I explained it to the rep and they gave me channel 385 without any questions. I didn't need to apply for any waiver.

[inkahauts]

My local CW can only be found on cable, not even OTA so when I switched over I explained it to the rep and they gave me channel 385 without any questions. I didn't need to apply for any waiver.

Maybe because it is known that it is not available via OTA in your area. Do you know, is the cable version a DNS feed, or are you just to far from the stations transmitter to receive the signal?

[juventuz]

Our cable version is local, it's owned by our local CBS affiliate. They don't broadcast it OTA, cable only.

What's funny is that our local CBS affiliate only broadcasts their HD signal OTA, it's not offered on the local TWC.

[jdspencer]

I'd like to know why the Washington CW (in SD) doesn't use letter/piller boxes for some shows like the Baltimore version did. I noticed this with Smallville and Supernatural lately. Then I could stretch and expand my HDTV to fit the screen.

Of course an HD version from DirecTV would fix that problem.:)