CW 30 and BYU 11 Update

After trying to get CW 30 and KBYU 11 on my portable Eviant TV using its built in rod antenna, and failing miserably, I did a Google search that confirmed my suspicion that both transmitters are NOT located on Mt Pisgah! Nope, they're on Clarkston Ridge to the West!

KBYU11 arrives in Cache County

KBYU (11.1),  BYU-TV (11.2), and Create (11.3) have been available to Cache county resident for some time - IF you're able to pick it up from the Franklin County translators to the North. This has left a whole bunch of people - notably, those East of Main ST (Rt 91 / Rt 165), especially those on the east bench without their BYU "fix". Not to fear, Cache County has come to the rescue! KBYU (PBS, 720p), BYU TV (BYU, 720P), and CREATE (PBS, 480i) are now available for your viewing pleasure. If you aren't currently getting channel 11.1-11.3, please select "re-scan" or "add new channels" from your TV or converter's menu.

For those of you unfamiliar with KBYU 11, it is operated by Brigham Young University in Provo, UT. It is a PBS affiliate (on 11.1) and LDS religious channel (on 11.2), along with PBS Create (on 11.3)

ENJOY!

CW30 and TCN arrive in Cache Valley

CW30.1 and TCN 30.2

A few months back, I posted that CW30 was available in Cache county - and Franklin county, also - as channel 4.30. Unfortunately, 4.30 is an SD subchannel of channel 4, and NOT in wide screen. This makes watching Saturday Night Live on CW30 rather annoying, especially during Weekend Update, since the right and left side of the screen are cut off. (Click "Read More" below to see photo) For those of you that are thinking, "Wait, isn't SNL on NBC?", why yes it is! But here in Utah, our local NBC affiliate, channel 5 KSL, is owned by the LDS church. And the LDS church has made the decision for all Utah residents that SNL is inappropriate - because, you know, you can't make that decision for yourself, as your TV set is not equipped with a channel selector or "off" button. (Yes, that's sarcasm!)

Save Money at Walmart on Clearance Electronics

Walmart announced last month that they are reducing the size of their electronics departments by an average 2000 square feet per store. Wal-Mart will also resume sales of fabric and crafts products. The retailer said it was also restoring 8,500 products to store shelves and kicking off an ad campaign in a bid to lift sales.

What does this mean for you, the savvy shopper?

The Country Network comes to Salt Lake City's CW30.2

The Country Network On CW30.2

As an update to my post about The Cool TV coming to KTVX 4.2, Trip at www.rabbitears.info has informed me that CW30 is now broadcasting The Country Network on CW30's 30.2 subchannel.

The Country Network, or TCN, is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music broadcast television network. It began life as the Artists & Fans Network (AFN) on January 7, 2009, airing the Kid Rock video "All Summer Long" as its inaugural broadcast. On June 15, 2010, the company was renamed "The Country Network".

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.