High Def PBS Stations

[MetroNY]

Any word if local HD PBS stations will become available?

[harsh]

Any word if local HD PBS stations will become available?My local PBS station has been broadcasting in high definition for a couple of years now. KOPB was the first to do HD in the state and the first (and still the only) to go to a 24 hour format with HD.

If you're looking for retransmission on a satellite or cable system, you would do well to use the search function using the keyword "PBS".

[MetroNY]

I should of been more accurate - I meant not OTA. Sorry.

[Nick]

Plenty of ongoing discussion - search for PBS within your provider forums.

[Steve]

I could be wrong about this, but I'm sure I read somewhere that PBS insists that carriers broadcast the PBS digital sub-channels along with the main PBS HD channel. Apparently this is an unmeetable demand for many carriers, due to bandwidth limitations. /s

EDIT: More on this here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=88289&highlight=pbs). Check out texasbrit's posts on page 2.

[harsh]

The important reference in texasbrit's post: http://www.apts.org/news/dbs_carriage.cfm

[miedwards72]

If you go to the Houston PBS website it explains everything. Sorry not sure how to do links. www.houstonpbs.org

[harsh]

www.houstonpbs.orgThis is a good start, but the best way to do the link is to highlight the entire URI for the page in question in your browser's address bar and press ^C (copy) and then when you are composing your message, press ^V (paste). Using a web browser with "tabs" makes cutting and pasting a whole lot easier.

I took a quick look around the site and couldn't find anything about carriage of the digital channels via DBS. I did see that they are going to mulitplex in more subchannels.

[Cholly]

Any word if local HD PBS stations will become available?

:You'll have to contact your content provider. You didn't say whether you are a cable or satellite customer.
Aside to other folks posting replies: note that he's in Westchester County, New York. Comments about PBS stations other than New York Metro are of no use to him.

[Hound]

Any word if local HD PBS stations will become available?

Channel 13 broadcasts OTA out of Northern NJ, but the signal is so weak,
it is very difficult to pick up. The only way to get 13 HD is through cable or
Verizon in Westchester county. I get 13 HD with my local cable subscription.
It is an excellent channel. Nature, Nova, American Experience is in HD.
Mystery and Masterpiece Theatre are not in HD. Plus there are many other
special shows in HD such as Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa.

[Steve]

Channel 13 broadcasts OTA out of Northern NJ, but the signal is so weak,
it is very difficult to pick up. The only way to get 13 HD is through cable or
Verizon in Westchester county. I get 13 HD with my local cable subscription.
It is an excellent channel. Nature, Nova, American Experience is in HD.
Mystery and Masterpiece Theatre are not in HD. Plus there are many other
special shows in HD such as Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa.I am fortunate to be able to pick up this station very well OTA in lower Westchester County on 13-1, but it's the PBS national feed, not the local WNET feed I normally get on NY 13. Lots of great shows in HD, but not too many of them, and often repeated over and over. /s

[Hound]

I am fortunate to be able to pick up this station very well OTA in lower Westchester County on 13-1, but it's the PBS national feed, not the local WNET feed I normally get on NY 13. Lots of great shows in HD, but not too many of them, and often repeated over and over. /s

The 13-1 feed is different than the regular OTA SD feed on 13. You are correct
that it is the national feed. Channel 12 out of Philadelphia is the same way.
12-1 is the national HD feed. The SD channel feed has different programming
than HD channel. E.G., Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery do not appear on 13-1,
but are on 13. 13-1 has 24 hour HD programming. 12-1 out of Philadelphia does
not. The Philadelphia station has limited HD programming during the week. The HD programming does repeat a lot. It is similar to the repeating nature of the Dish Network Voom channels.

[lwilli201]

Here is another link from Feb 07, TvPredictions:

http://www.tvpredictions.com/pbs021207.htm

PBS locals will have to divide their bandwidth by the number of sub channels, so quality will be less than stellar. So D. may be able to put all the Local PBS sub channels in the bandwidth of one full bandwidth HD channel. PBS seems to be more worried about quantity, than quality.

[Steve Mehs]

I could be wrong about this, but I'm sure I read somewhere that PBS insists that carriers broadcast the PBS digital sub-channels along with the main PBS HD channel. Apparently this is an unmeetable demand for many carriers, due to bandwidth limitations. /s

EDIT: More on this here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=88289&highlight=pbs). Check out texasbrit's posts on page 2.


Interestring, I get none of my PBS' subchannels on cable, only the HD feed.

[lwilli201]

Interestring, I get none of my PBS' subchannels on cable, only the HD feed.

PBS is not real happy about that. That is why PBS is pushing must carry of all the sub channels not only on sat but also cable. If PBS wins all locals will want the same thing. The sad part is that quality will be deluted. Each sub channel a station adds, the less bandwidth each sub channel has to use. Of course the cable cos and sat cos will be blamed for the reduced quality.

[MetroNY]

:You'll have to contact your content provider. You didn't say whether you are a cable or satellite customer.
Aside to other folks posting replies: note that he's in Westchester County, New York. Comments about PBS stations other than New York Metro are of no use to him.

Thanks, Cholly for looking out for me. I thought I was in a Directv HD Programming forum thus my original question. That's my service provider. I'll repost in the proper forum. Thanks to all.

[SatelliteJim]

Here in Detroit, Comcast carries the local PBS, channel 56 in HD plus, two sub channels.

In fact, I'm watching the HD channel now and they're showing a great program on guitarist Les Pauls life.

[tzphotos.com]

PBS HD is nothing special. Here in Chicago WTTW - DT splits the signal into for stations.

11.1 HD Programming
11.2 Simulcast of 11 analog
11.3 Create TV
11.4 A PBS Spanish language channel.

The 11.1 looks bad. The fact that they are dividing the bandwidth up really degrades the picture quality. There is a lot of blocking and the pictures seems very soft compared to ANYTHING I get from DirectTV HD or OTA Networks.

It's pretty sad they steal the bandwidth for the sub-channels.

I don't understand why Create TV and the spanish PBS aren't broadcast on the other Chicago PBS Station (Channel 20) since they don't do HD.

[bidger]

PBS HD is nothing special.

That's your opinion, but some of us beg to differ. I like to watch both Austin City Limits and Soundstage in HD and regularly watch Rick Steve's Europe and Rudy Maxa's Travels, plus all the other unique and usually interesting programming they offer. I can't say the same about most of the programming on the other broadcast networks.

And unlike the unfortunate situation you face in Chicago, the PBS in my area bit-starves the sub-channels, not the HD channel.

[n3ntj]

I watch my local PBS station's HD channel often (OTA) and it looks awesome..as good as Discovery HD via D*!