ABC HD in DFW Market

[MurphieNB]

I'm not complaining about being in that market. I'm just aggravated that WFAA and DirecTV don't work out their differences...and that I can't get the waiver that WFAA says that I should qualify for.

In the meantime, I do get very nice reception of KLTV in Tyler with my simple attic antenna. Before I got the new H20 receiver, we could just get grainy reception of KLTV. But the OTA tuner in the H20 is unbelievable.

 

[charper1]

I'm not complaining about being in that market. I'm just aggravated that WFAA and DirecTV don't work out their differences..

To add some more clarity, there isn't anything for DirecTV to get ironed out, they can only enforce what rules by law they are given by zip code. If you want to TRY to make a change, you need to contact the FCC, NAB, and your local reps to explain your thoughts and ideas on how they can make it better for the end users. Like putting an end to the DMA system.

 

[Happy Camper]

WFAA is the only Dallas DMA digital station broadcasting HD which is not a network owned and operated station for the purposes of national agreements with DirecTV, and it is, most unfortunately, the only Dallas DMA digital HD station broadcasting on a VHF band channel (channel 9), making it difficult to receive.

We only live about thirty miles from the transmitter, but in a peculiar digital TV hell part of northern Dallas county and WFAA HD is hard to get, and the first station to pixilate out at the slightest provocation. I am told by a reliable friend (a broadcast engineer at a competing station who has pals at WFAA) that the situation is very unlikely to change. You would think that WFAA would WANT it's local signal to be rebroadcast in order to reach as many households as possible!

Because ABC HD over the air is hard to get, D*'s ability to rebroadcast it on the satellite would be about the ONLY attraction to MPEG 4 for me if we could get it on the sat, but, alas, it is not to be. All the other HD stations are good over the air, so the attraction of MPEG 4 in our market seems fairly limited to this one issue.

Fortunately, most of ABC's programming sucks, so it's no big loss.

We continue to keep D* as the least bad choice in our market, but Comcast is making a serious run at D* and E* in quality now, especially in those areas where they have installed fiber optics.

We think that Verizon's FIOS may ultimately be the best choice of all-and we really want them to wire our area soon.

In this one case, the problem is WFAA, not DirecTV. WFAA will not agree for the area to get the national ABC feed, and it will not agree to have it's digital transmissions rebroadcast on the satellite. I am not a defender of D*, but they aren't the villains on this one.

 

[MurphieNB]

I found out from DirecTV that it was KLTV that denied the waiver. I'm probably not going to push the issue anymore. I live in Edom, which is only about 20 miles from Tyler. Why DirecTV considers me to be in the DFW market (which is about 100 miles away), I'll never understand. But I'm grateful for that because I have been receiving "local" programming for years through DirecTV that I wouldn't have been able to receive by being part of the Tyler market. And now, except for ABC, I can get HD "local" that I couldn't get by being in the Tyler market.

And with a simple antenna in my attic, I get unbelievable reception through my H20 receiver. I'm afraid if I make too big a fuss, KLTV will make an even bigger issue with it and claim that I can't receive any WFAA (HD or otherwise), which may lead to me lose all DFW stations. Rules... gotta love em!

 

[charper1]

I found out from DirecTV that it was KLTV that denied the waiver. I'm probably not going to push the issue anymore. I live in Edom, which is only about 20 miles from Tyler. Why DirecTV considers me to be in the DFW market (which is about 100 miles away), I'll never understand.

Again, its NOT DirecTV; they only enforce what they are told based on your zip.