HD Locals: Seattle-Tacoma, WA

[Doug Brott]

Please post broadcast issues with DIRECTV satellite delivered HD Local Channels only

DMA: Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Established: 5/31/2006
Rank: 14

HD Locals available in this DMA

ABC - KOMO (4)
CBS - KIRO (7)
NBC - KING (5)
FOX - KCPQ (13)
MNT - KMYQ (22)


For instructions, please visit this thread (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=137643)

[seadan]

I'm having issues with some of the Seattle HD Locals:


4,7,13 show a big, blocky, pixelated screen of purplish color. No audio. There is no receiver error shown. The screen is not static, but doesn't really change much (i.e. a few blocks shift around/shift color).
5 shows a black screen. No audio, no receiver error.
This is happening on Friday September 5 at 7am Pacific.
22 seems to come in just fine.


Edited to add: As of 7:20am these seem to be back online.

[bobnielsen]

KOMO HD is missing this morning. The station was supposedly going dark for some tests earlier today, but SD version is available on Directv. I cannot receive this signal OTA, but since the digital feed is now used for both, it's not clear whether this is a Directv, station or LRF issue.

Edit (10:12 a.m.): Directv is now showing a slide saying that the station is working on the problem.

[Colby]

I'd post this to the HD Locals forum, but it appears I don't have the ability to do so.

I'm in Seattle and Komo-4 (ABC), watching Lost and it's having dropout issues. I change the channel to 13 (FOX) and it's not having any issues.

Anyone else having this problem?

Edit: Dropout issues I mean I see green blocks, stutter in picture, but no issue with audio.

[Colby]

I just switched over to the SD feed and I'm not seeing the problem now.

[Jandaria]

Yes, I'm having the same problem-checked NBC, CBS HD and they are fine-I REALLY hope we don't have to watch the new episode of Lost at 9 in SD.

[Colby]

I'm glad I'm not the only one having this problem, and it's still happening. It took me a few minutes of figuring out how to un-hide SDs when HDs are present.

[zxcvb]

Same thing here. Switched to OTA and in it comes in clear without dropouts.

[majikmarker]

Have the same issue here as well....not happy!

Was so bad I thought we must be having another crazy snow/rain storm!

[Donnie Byrd]

Moving this into the HD Locals Broadcast Issues thread. :)

[mugwump]

Whew, glad it's not just me. I just had DirecTV installed yesterday and up until I sat down to watch Lost it was working perfectly. I was worried that something was wrong with my install and was not looking forward to figuring that out. Fortunately I still get the locals in HD via cable (still have it for broadband) so we could watch it live but the wife was sure throwing some dirty looks my way over having made the switch. Hopefully this type of issue isn't a regular occurrence.

[bobnielsen]

I recorded Life on Mars last night and watched it this morning. I saw a lot of blocking as well. It wasn't there earlier when I watched Jeopardy. I'm not seeing any issues with KOMO now, however.

Mugwump, :welcome_s to DBSTalk! These problems have been fairly rare, so enjoy.

[mugwump]

I watched my recordings of Hell's Kitchen from Thursday and Sarah Connor Chronicles from Friday (both Fox 13 HD) and both of them exhibited serious breakup in the HD signal and eventually the HD shut off and the rest of the show was in SD. Did anyone else notice this and is this another problem with the transmission from the local to DirecTV?

[litzdog911]

I watched my recordings of Hell's Kitchen from Thursday and Sarah Connor Chronicles from Friday (both Fox 13 HD) and both of them exhibited serious breakup in the HD signal and eventually the HD shut off and the rest of the show was in SD. Did anyone else notice this and is this another problem with the transmission from the local to DirecTV?

It was a KCPQ problem, or maybe a FOX feed problem. I saw the same problems with KCPQ's off-air digital channel, too.

[bobnielsen]

There are some details about the KCPQ issue on the AVSForums Seattle OTA thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16044884#post16044884).

[mugwump]

Thanks for the link to the information. "24" seemed to be running solidly last night so hopefully they got things figured out.

[bobnielsen]

KOMO (4) has been off, with a slide showing. Their web site said there was an electrical fire but that the station was on the air. The SD version shows up on Directv and I thought that both HD and SD versions were using the HD OTA signal??

[levibluewa]

Thanks for the heads up. About an hour ago I was checking the QAM signals via Comcast and noticed 4.1 and 4.2 were showing "no signal". That may explain it. Just checked and the digital 4:3 (480i) is showing but not the HD feed or 4.2 (ThisTV).

[bobnielsen]

This is weird. Channel 4 SD is actually broadcasting the signal from KATU channel 2 in Portland (both are owned by Fisher).

[djpadz]

KOMO (4) has been off, with a slide showing. Their web site said there was an electrical fire but that the station was on the air.

Here's a link to the story... Apparently, the fire took out more than just KOMO...

http://komonews.com/news/local/49873927.html

[litzdog911]

It took out my Verizon FIOS internet for 5 hours this morning, too. Seems that the Fisher Plaza is a major hub for all sorts of internet services.

[djpadz]

It took out my Verizon FIOS internet for 5 hours this morning, too. Seems that the Fisher Plaza is a major hub for all sorts of internet services.

Fisher is actually one of the best facilities of its kind in the Northwest. IIRC, it houses Emergency Alert System broadcasting equipment there, among other things that require all kinds of special consideration, in terms of connectivity and power. An occurrence like this is extremely rare (especially when you consider how common vault fires are in downtown Seattle).

[djpadz]

One more thing... The slide has changed, and DirecTV has opened up channel 397 (ABCwHD), which is KABC Los Angeles.

Yay, DirecTV! You won't let us go more than a few hours without our ABC station ;-)

[litzdog911]

And they took KABC away at about 11:15pm.

[DanHo]

Anyone know if the Buick Open will be played on a different channel on DTV? It is being preempted locally by the Hydros. I know Comcast is broadcasting it on a separate channel and OTA is as well.

[bobnielsen]

I have noticed severe macroblocking and complete dropouts (black screen, no audio) on most of the Seattle HD locals at various times over the past few days. It usually only lasts a minute or less, but has currently been doing this for over 10 minutes on all of the locals except KOMO (4) and KIRO (7), which appear fine, as do the SD and national HD channels I have checked. The problem stations all looked good OTA. I suspect there may be a problem at the LRF.

[pecocus]

I've seen the same thing and looked through everything I could trying to figure out what was wrong with my system. Thanks for posting!!! :)

[DanHo]

Glad it wasn't just me. I was having a hell of a time with King on Sat while trying to watch the Seahawk's game.

[bobnielsen]

Several of the locals (KCTS, KIRO, KONG and KJZO) are breaking up badly today. The others look fine, as do these stations OTA with the AM21 hooked to my HR24. Since these stations are all transmitting from the same location, I suspect it is a LRF pickup issue.

KMYQ changed its callsign to KJZO on Sept 13. This new call is shown on the guide for 22-1 OTA, but not for the ch. 22 satellite signal.

[Renard]

Yep I had issue earlier this morning on King 5 (working fine now). Still have some issues on CW11, Q13, Kong 16, and the new Joe Tv (Mq22). As you said I don't understand why you have the new name in the OTA guide and the old one for the sat version?????

[bobnielsen]

Directv has now has a "don't call us" slide up on 9, 11, 16 and 22. 13 is breaking up a bit.

[Renard]

Directv has now has a "don't call us" slide up on 9, 11, 16 and 22. 13 is breaking up a bit.

13 is a breaking a lot now

[Renard]

All channels back

[1948GG]

KCPQ (13, broadcast channel 18, FOX) has once again gone off the air. Don't know when they dropped off.

So, that means that the only signal DirecTV is receiving is the SD via fiber, not the HD (which is via OTA at the LRF). So, today's MLB game is in SD (or letterboxed HD).

There have been no storms, little rain.

[Baldone]

I'm sittin' in sunshine approx 2 miles from their antenna (which I can see) & only getting a 16X9 SD signal that's letterboxed all the way around, as you described.:(

[bobnielsen]

I'm sittin' in sunshine approx 2 miles from their antenna (which I can see) & only getting a 16X9 SD signal that's letterboxed all the way around, as you described.:(

Likewise with 22.2 OTA (a rebroadcast of KCPQ from the KJZO transmitter site), although it is upscaled to 720p.

[1948GG]

Just goes to show that I didn't realize that KZJO (or whatever they're calling themselves this week) was doing the retrans bit, as ever since KCPQ got on DirecTV/HD (and I was able to get KCPQ OTA fairly well in Mukilteo), and despite being at the highest point in town (higher in elevation than Paine Field!) with a deep fringe roof mount VHF/UHF antenna , the only Seattle station I don't get decently is, of course, KOMO/Fisher Broadcasting, the lowest powered (digital) UHF station on Queen Anne.

Well, as long as the Red Sox wins.... I guess I can take it.

OH! while I was typing this, DirecTV managed to get the HD signal... KCPQ is still off the air broadcast wise, so either they are getting it from direct to station fiber, or where-ever. Have to wait until a commercial break to see what gives...

[Baldone]

They're (KCPQ OTA) back up in 720p 16X9.:)

[1948GG]

Still 0/OTA here, so if you're receiving anything OTA, where are you at and what level(s) are you getting. I don't know what the transmitter type/situation is there, in fact it's been several years since I did any work for any Seattle station (retired a good 8 years), so don't know what may give.

Aha! It appears that their exciter is enough to get the signal to the LRF, and to folks 'close in', as the receive level is slowly coming up here as the main transmitter 'warms up'.

[bobnielsen]

A couple of months ago, Channel 22 changed its callsign from KMYQ to KJZO. Directv finally made a change to the guide but got it wrong (KZJO).

Edit: I emailed support and it is being corrected. 22-1 OTA on my HR21/AM21 has had it correctly for several weeks.

[1948GG]

Been a long time since anything bad, but this afternoon all the local HD channels are getting 'mico-skips' with freezes, color striping, the usual kind of 'junk' one sees when something in the transmission 'chain' is having problems.

No problems in the OTA, none I can see on the SD channels. BTW, super-nice day with 'top of the line' signal strengths.

[bobnielsen]

I was out most of the afternoon, but the locals look normal to me now.

[1948GG]

By the time 'prime time' rolled around, it seemed to have cleared up.

[bobnielsen]

It's sure taking a while to get KBTC (28) back on Directv. According to the KBTC website (http://www.kbtc.org/page.php?id=531), the station has done the work necessary to reach the new LRF, but Directv (through Level 3) needs to complete their end of the job. While they are at it, a HD feed would be nice, also (this keeps the subject within the topic of this thread).

[mugwump]

And considering that KBTC's programming is usually better than KCTS's I'm anxiously awaiting its return.

[Renard]

KBTC is now in glorious HD on Directv, but with a BIG glorious problem. The picture is totally split. The top at the bottom.

[bobnielsen]

That's really weird. The SD version looks normal. I think they both use the same feed from the station so the problem is probably at Directv's LRF.

[bobnielsen]

There was a slide up earlier this morning (they must have been working on the problem) but the HD picture now looks like it should.

[bobnielsen]

The vertical offset is back but not as bad as before.