Flash cutting from analog to 5 digital channels? oh boy....

[Mr Tony]

Just read this...this is a station here in Minnesota

The "Northland's NewsCenter" has announced that "Range 11" (KRII Chisholm-Hibbing) will carry five channels once it flash-cuts to digital on Jan. 6: NBC, CBS, CW, My Network TV, and a weather channel. KRII is currently analog-only because its initial construction permit was granted after the FCC alloted digital companion channels. It signed on in 2002 as a satellite of NBC affiliate KBJR/6 (Superior, WI), which now controls the other network affiliations in the market listed above. Meanwhile, new PBS station WRPT-DT/31 (Hibbing) is expected to sign on in early 2009. WRPT-DT is expected to act as a satellite of WDSE-DT/8 (Duluth); if WRPT-DT carries four channels as WDSE does, the Iron Range will have eleven channels from three digital stations, including the two channels currently offered by ABC affiliate WIRT-DT/13 (Hibbing). Several Iron Range translators of FOX 21 (KQDS-TV Duluth) are expected to flash-cut to digital at a later date.

GOOD GOD.....5 subchannels and 4 networks on one channel?????
For the uninformed, in Duluth there is CBS with CW on subchanel, NBC with My & NBC Weather on subchannels...NBC runs CBS. IN NE MN also called the Iron Range there is a full time NBC (above) and ABC...CBS has translator stations....still part of the market but too far away form the main stations

I wonder what that will look like come Jan 09 when they flash cut in a month?? Obviously no HD on there

 

[Pepper]

That's easy. It will look like crap.

 

[jessshaun]

O. M. G. The picture quality would be absolutely horrid.

Our local PBS has 4 digital subchannels and the HD looks bad on 16.1.

I don't think I could imagine how much worse the quality would be with another subchannel added.

 

[boba]

If no HD channels are planned splitting the bandwidth for 5 channels should be better than 1 analog channel and worse than HDTV. So far I have a religious broadcaster offering 5 sub channels and their analog channel is worse than their 58.1 digital channel. None are HD quality but all are very watchable.

 

[Mr Tony]

I dont think any channel will be HD...I think its 5 SD channels

But considering that area until 2002 had one channel (WIRT 13 Hibbing) and maybe a translator station of Fox having a digital picture of all the nets soon would be nice.

I was kinda shocked they added the weather channel (but probably doesnt take up much) but the My & CW.....CW is a CW100+ channel and that My Channel has alot of news rebroadcasts and stuff.

 

[Pepper]

boba is probably right, as long as they don't try to put HD on any of them, 5 SD channels should look ok. I guess I'll retract my "will look like crap" comment.

 

[jegrant]

It might look like crap compared to HD, but it also looks like it's going to offer a reasonable alternative to cable or satellite for those want free over the air TV in that area.

I think something like this should be done in all "truly rural" areas, but with the provision that these SD networks should not be allowed to block area residents from receiving HD signals from the same networks (even if distant) via satellite. This would be a great way to provide some level of digital service even to the "last mile" of viewers out in the wilderness.

 

[kb7oeb]

TBN does 5 channels and they look fine, if the weather channel runs at a lower bitrate they can give the rest over 4Mb.

I wonder if they will do 16:9?

 

[truckracer]

It will probably look like youtube videos with a video scalar on a 60" tv - horrible
Or better yet a lot like D* or E* sd channels .....Most people won't know the difference

 

[jayn_j]

I dont think any channel will be HD...I think its 5 SD channels

But considering that area until 2002 had one channel (WIRT 13 Hibbing) and maybe a translator station of Fox having a digital picture of all the nets soon would be nice.

I was kinda shocked they added the weather channel (but probably doesnt take up much) but the My & CW.....CW is a CW100+ channel and that My Channel has alot of news rebroadcasts and stuff.

That's where I was thinking. It's a better solution than NOTHING, which is what they would get otherwise. The weather channel feels like a must on the UP or Lake Superior region.

 

[Mr Tony]

actually the weather thing is NBC Weather +

 

[reddice]

The main reason why I don't like sub channels. 480i crap. I have a 1080p TV and 480i looks like crap.

 

[truckracer]

480i looks like crap on my toshiba lcd's too.

 

[reddice]

I also have a Toshiba TV. A 32" 1080p.

 

[goaliebob99]

FYI weather plus ends in january.

 

[Mr Tony]

yeah but they are creating their own "northland's news/weather center" which will show weather and news broadcasts through the day

 

[truckracer]

I have a 42 or 46" 120 hz 1080p LCD. It does so so on SD but really shines on some of the HD feeds from the pansat 9200 with s-2 pansat tuner board.

 

[jegrant]

FWIW there is a situation almost the same in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One group, branded as "Indiana's News Center" - operates the affiliates for ABC, NBC, My, and CW. ABC & NBC are primary/HD stations (each on their own DTV channel). My is a sub of the NBC, and CW is a sub of ABC. CW is the CW 100+ feed AFAIK. They used to carry NBC WX+ on the 3rd sub of the NBC DTV channel, but have now replaced it with their own in-house "Indiana's News Center NOW" aka INCnow. INCnow is streamed online Indiana's NewsCenter: Fort Wayne WPTA-TV, WISE-TV, CW, and My Network | INCnow .
I noticed that the national news for INCnow is provided by MSNBC. Apparently a version of the "MSNBC NOW" broadcast that sometimes (?) runs at the top and/or half of each hour on MSNBC is available to local stations as the "MSNBC 120" - literally, a two minute national news update (120 seconds).

 

[snathanb]

If no HD channels are planned splitting the bandwidth for 5 channels should be better than 1 analog channel and worse than HDTV. So far I have a religious broadcaster offering 5 sub channels and their analog channel is worse than their 58.1 digital channel. None are HD quality but all are very watchable.

I don't know if I'd call them watchable, at least not a 65" screen. Looks a lot like SD channels from DISH, back when I had an 811.

 

[Mr Tony]

FWIW there is a situation almost the same in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One group, branded as "Indiana's News Center" - operates the affiliates for ABC, NBC, My, and CW. ABC & NBC are primary/HD stations (each on their own DTV channel). My is a sub of the NBC, and CW is a sub of ABC. CW is the CW 100+ feed AFAIK. They used to carry NBC WX+ on the 3rd sub of the NBC DTV channel, but have now replaced it with their own in-house "Indiana's News Center NOW" aka INCnow. INCnow is streamed online Indiana's NewsCenter: Fort Wayne WPTA-TV, WISE-TV, CW, and My Network | INCnow .
I noticed that the national news for INCnow is provided by MSNBC. Apparently a version of the "MSNBC NOW" broadcast that sometimes (?) runs at the top and/or half of each hour on MSNBC is available to local stations as the "MSNBC 120" - literally, a two minute national news update (120 seconds).

jegrant...sorry for not responding sooner

its the SAME thing....here in MN Malara Broadcasting "owns" CBS/CW and Granite owns NBC/My.....the reason I put owns in quotes is Malara bought the station and Granite runs it....your group is the same thing....same owners but I forget who owns what. That's why everything you typed kinda matches mine

info on Malara

On April 23, 2004, Malara Broadcast Group entered into agreements to purchase KDLH and WPTA. This marks Malara's first action as a company. These purchases were completed in early March of 2005.

On March 8, 2005, Malara Broadcast Group entered into a credit agreement with Granite Broadcasting Corporation. This agreement gave Malara Broadcasting $48.5 million and a revolving credit line of $5 million, which it used to purchase KDLH (from former owner New Vision Television) and WPTA, from Granite. In addition to this agreement, Malara also entered into a second agreement with Granite, under which Granite would operate, promote, and sell advertising for the two Malara stations. This is known as a local marketing agreement.

Malara Broadcasting files its financial results to the SEC jointly with Granite, leading many to believe that it is simply a shell corporation for Granite. If this is true, Granite and Malara would be in violation of the FCC's rules on duopolies. Neither Fort Wayne and Duluth have enough full-power stations to legally permit a duopoly. Fort Wayne has six stations while Duluth has five, and FCC regulations require a market to have eight unique station owners once a duopoly is formed--effectively restricting duopolies to markets with at least nine full-power stations.