KTVX Channel 4 ROCKS Utah! "The Cool TV" is coming to 4.2

You're So Cool, Channel 4!

UPDATE: KTVX 4.2 Became The Cool TV on 4/15/2011

In my last post, I told you that Channel 4, KTVX, had added CW30 as a subchannel at 4.30, allowing all of us in areas that don't have a dedicated translator station to watch the CW. Now, they are poised to become one of the coolest channels in Utah.

My sources at Rabbitears and TVnewscheck have confirmed that Newport Television, the owners of KTVX 4, have agreed to carry TheCoolTV multicast network in 10 of its 22 markets.

The 10 markets: Harrisburg, Pa.; Seattle-Tacoma; Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.; Jackson, Tenn.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Ark.; Salt Lake City, UT; Tulsa, Okla.; Wichita-Hutchison, Kan.; and Memphis, Tenn.

CW30 On Air in Cache Valley as KTVX Subchannel 4.30 - Permanent, or only Temporary (update: PERMANENT!)

When I turned on my DTVpal converter box Friday, March 11th to look at the program guide, I was surprised to find a new channel popped up on the guide at channel 4.30. Showing as KUCW-SD on the EPG with no programming info, it's CW-30 from Salt Lake City. What? Could it be that Cache County has decided to finally put CW30 on air, perhaps as a subchannel of KTVX until Cache Valley's translator for CW30 is built?

A little digging turned up that Franklin County's KTVX translator is also showing CW30 on 4.30. And it appears as though KUCW in Salt Lake has added an SD copy of KTVX on their channel, at 30-4, also. One thing you should know about CW30 and KTVX-4 is that they are "Sister Stations" - that is, they are owned by the same company. In the past, Channel 4 carried CW30 as a subchannel until CW got their own digital transmitter up and running. I wonder if this is a "backup" for their transmitters, or is it due to people who say "there's one channel I just can't get"?

I've contacted engineering at KTVX-4 about the situation, and am waiting for a reply. I'll post a response when - and IF - I get one.

So for now, at least, we can watch CW in Cache Valley. And I won't have to waste valuable internet bandwidth for my daughter to watch "Vampire Diaries".  And I also won't have to wait a day to watch "Saturday Night Live". I can watch it LIVE on CW30! So up yours, NBC-KSL 5! How dare you decide for me what programs I can watch! Who made you the moral judge for NBC in Utah?

UPDATE 3/12/2011: KTVX has confirmed they intend to continue broadcasting CW30 (in SD) on channel 4.30! And CW30 will simulcast KTVX (SD) on 30.4 for the foreseeable future.

Guide to Internet Streaming Devices - The Pros and Cons of Internet Streaming Devices

The Pros and Cons of Internet Streaming Devices
by EscapeVelocity (originally published March 6, 2011 on DTVUSAforum)

Internet streaming of video has gone mainstream, and you want to get in on the action, but with so many devices out there to choose from which one is right for you? This guide seeks to bring you information to help make good decisions.

Announcing The Free TV Store.

    After answering hundreds of questions about "what antenna should I buy" and "Where can I buy a..." I have hand selected some of my favorite antennas, tools, supplies, and electronics from Amazon.com at The Free TV Store.


    Many of you are aware that I manufacture and install my own antennas, but they are only available for pickup here in Cache valley, UT, or if I install them in Northern  Utah or Southern Idaho, due to the high shipping costs. These are some of the best antennas available, but for those of you who live further away, I have selected several of the best rated commercial antennas for different locations and I will soon add cabling, grounding, and mounting supplies.  I'll be adding converter boxes, remote controls, and items like DVRs, media computers, and internet connected devices for streaming internet TV soon.

Everything you need to CUT THE CABLE!

KUTA Channel 8 adds Sub Channels - Telemundo 8.2 and CACHVLY 8.3

 KUTA Channel 8, Logan, Utah's America One affiliate, added 2 Sub Channels last weekend - Telemundo 8.2, and  CACHVLY 8.3.

Antenna TV: A Review.

I've been getting the new "Antenna TV" network for about a month now, and for the most part, I'm liking what I see. But as with any new channel - if a channel that shows only old retro programming could be called "NEW" - there are a number of rough edges that could use some polishing. I get Antenna TV locally on Fox13Now.com Salt Lake City - KSTU on their upper sub-channel, 13.2, since mid January. 

Does OTA TV have a Program Guide Like Cable? ( YES, it does! )

DTVpal converter box program guide. A number of former pay TV users have lamented the lack of a program guide when they switched to free OTA TV. The problem doesn't lie so much with OTA Digital TV as much as it does with the manufacturers of televisions and converter boxes. You see, the Digital TV standards provide for a rich set of features, including an EPG - an electronic program guide. Most TV stations broadcast their EPG info, which is embedded in the DTV signal. The information they provide includes the time, program name and a description. Some stations are very good at providing EPG info, while others fail miserably. Some stations will provide several days of EPG with detailed descriptions, while others provide only a few hours of program names or nothing at all. The worst offenders are LPT - Low Power Television - and independent TV stations. PBS stations generally do the best job with their EPGs.

Be Prepared: A TV for Use in Power Outages and Emergencies.

Q: Will my old portable DC TV work after the digital transition?

I was recently asked this question, so I set about doing some research about what options are available if you need a TV for use on a power outage.

A: Do you mean, an old analog portable - battery operated - TV? The short answer, in most cases, is NO.

However, do have a number of options that will get you TV in an emergency, even when nobody else has power or TV. You can even get that old analog TV to work if you have time (and money) on your hands. 

Read on...

Missing In Action: Channel 9 KUEN from Mt. Pisgah, Cache Valley

Sometime on weekend of January 8, 2011 , KUEN-TV 9 - broadcasting on Cache County Translator K46JK-D disappeared. It's still down as of today, 01/12/11, with no services and no signal. But I think I have a clue: I now have 3 instances of channel 5, KSL. One is the original KSL 5 signal from Mt. Pisgah, and one is from the Franklin County Translator District. And now - there's a third. I am assuming - because as usual, nobody here knows anything, so I am making this up as I go along - that somehow KUEN's translator got switched over to broadcast KSL's signal. I have also been having issues with FOX13's signal breaking up, both on the Cache and Franklin transmitters. The problem is more pronounced on the Cache translator, rendering it unwatchable at times. I will try to contact the county about this, but I don't expect them to be of much help. I'll let you know if I do get any information.

UPDATE: I did a rescan on my TVs on 1/18/2011, and channel 9 is back up, after a one and a half week outage. And nobody at the County offices could tell me a thing about it.

Fox 13 announces AntennaTV starts Jan. 5, 2011

Fox 13 Utah tonight announces (officially) AntennaTV on it's 13.2 subchannel:

SALT LAKE CITY —

Coming Wednesday, FOX 13 will air "Antenna TV" so viewers in the area can view classic American television shows.
It will be a step back in time for nostalgia t.v. viewers. Benny Hill, Three's Company, Sanford and Sons, these are some of the series titles Antenna TV viewers can see starting at 1 p.m. MST Jan. 5.
"It's all about family friendly television," says KSTU FOX 13's General Manager, Tim Ermish. Ermish says that although Antenna TV in not affiliated with FOX, it is a digital sub-channel that KSTU got licensed to air.

The cost? Antenna TV is free for cable subscribers.
For Comcast subscribers the channel will be 1-06 and will switch to channel 1-1-1 Jan. 20.
Other cable providers will have Antenna TV on channel 13-2.

Satellite customers will not have access, for now.

 

Notice no mention in the print article that it's also FREE OTA with an ANTENNA, what? And if you have satellite, you can add an OTA antenna to your dish setup and get not only antennaTV, but a bunch of other channels you can't get on cable or satellite!

Simplify Your Life With a Universal Remote!

Dad, tell me again how when you were my age you had
to walk all the way across the room to change a channel?

So, you finally got that ginormous big screen TV you've been drooling all over. And an awesome network enabled Blu-ray player. After a week in wiring hell, you've finally got it all hooked up with your antenna, network cables, Xbox, PS3, the cable or satellite box, surround sound system and DVR. And here's what you've got sitting on the arm of your La-Z-Boy recliner: 7 remote controls that completely won't get along, much like your totally dysfunctional family on Thanksgiving. Everybody hates you, and it's all your fault. The only time they even talk to you is when they want to change the channel - because you're the only one that knows exactly which remote does what.

 Fear not, for the solution to your woes is as near as your favorite electronics or discount store, or or online retailer. It's a  universal remote control, and it can cost you less than $20 for a basic learning remote up to several hundreds of dollars for a remote that will do everything but mow your lawn.

But before you rush out and buy something, here's a few things you should know...

Make Your Own TV Antenna

If you want to try free OTA digital TV, but don't want to spend a lot of money, here's a project that will only cost you a few dollars and about a half hour of your time. Keep in mind that this antenna is NOT for outdoor use, but it is great for mounting in a closet, in your attic, or it could even be hidden in a picture frame with a little modification. It's also a great way to see how many TV channels you can get for free before investing in a commercial antenna.

You could easily re-design this antenna using durable materials to make it suitable for outdoor use.

Watch the video here: