In this area, WVIA-DT on Ch 41 is on the air with 24hrs of how DTV was meant to be. During non-HD times, WVIA-DT runs four channels. One is the dupe of the analog. Another is Childrens programs. A third is a PBS loop and a 4th is a block of WVIA produced shows. In the evening, when PBS has a HD program, these channels are replaced with the HD feed on 44-1. . WNEP-DT16-1, 16-2 and 16-3 are on the air,  with ABC programming and HD when available on 16-1, Comcast and Service Electric  feed and Penguins games on a multiscreen format with Doppler Radar is on 16-2 in SDTV and in lower resolution. The actual channel is ch 49.

WBRE-DT and WYOU-DT went on the air in SDTV only on Wednesday, December 4, 2002. WBRE-DT28-1 is on ch 11 and WYOU-DT22-1 is on Ch 13. In November, 2005, both went full power and passing network's HD. They are identified by ch 28-1 and ch 22-1. 

Fox56 is on with full  power and carry sub channels of the WB and Cw channels.

WB and Pax are also on. WB is on in two ways, one as 56.2 and the other, low power in Scranton, as WB-DT , 38.1.

To pick up all stations with an outside antenna (for best picture, better than cable and, when available, will be better than satellite local HD) you need a combo UHF/VHF antenna and possibly a rotor as PAX and one WB are in Scranton and the others are on Penobscot Mountain. Use http://www.antennaweb.org to plug in your zip code and find your location.

Pictures of WNEP, WBRE and WYOU DTV  are here and so is  WVIA . Check the pictures at my location by clicking here.

A short history:

Digital TV will be replacing the TV we have all known in a few years.  Digital Broadcast TV can be as low of a resolution as DBS is today, or higher, in a 16x9 High Definition TV (HDTV) format. As it becomes alive, more and more network programming is in HDTV during prime time. Currently, none of the local stations program locallay or syndicated programming in HD, but upconvert all programming to the HD format  with black panels to complete the widescreen transformation. Some cqble/satellite networks fool viewers into thinking all they send is HD, where it is simply SD stretched to make the wide screenviewer to do on their TV or receiver. 

Today's Analog TV is destined to be turned off by February 19, 2009 

Why are some stations VHF and others UHF?  That is simple. The FCC assigned these channels, unlike in the past when the broadcaster could search and file for any open channel.  The reason for this was that ALL TV stations in the nation had to change, and having one clearing house to lay this out was much more efficient than hundreds of individual stations doing it themselves, not knowing what the other guy was doing. There are advantages and disadvantages to both UHF and VHF.  First, cost of operation is much different. UHF requires more power and that costs about 10 times that of a VHF station for the same coverage and signal quality. Where a V may cost in the hundreds of dollars per month, a U can cost anywhere from several thousand to almost $20,000 per month in electrical bills. 

In USA television markets, the 54nd market is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. There are currently 7 TV stations in this area. In the table below the current channels and their digital assignments are shown. Note, while this is currently a all UHF market, under DTV, there will be 3 VHF stations and 4 UHF ones. One channel, Ch 24, is still open and may be used in place of any of the ones shown. Below are the OFFICIAL FCC assignments. On air now are WVIA-DT (41) in HDTV, WNEP-DT (49), WBRE(11),  WYOU and FOX56. WNEP is using 2 of its channels: Actually on channel 49, its ID is 16-1 and 16-2. 16-1 has their main ABC programming when in HD and 6-2 has their news feeds, the same feed they send to Comcast and Service Electric cable.  

Top of Page

Formats have been proposed by the broadcasters and computer groups. Basically, the broadcasters have 18 formats, and the computer group has one base format with several subsets. The broadcasters have a mix of interlaced and progressive scan formats while the computer group has progressive scan mostly. The formats are shown in the table below: Note that there is only one format the computer group has that the broadcasters do not. (I is for Interlaced Scan and P is for Progressive Scan. The Digital team uses Progressive Layering).

In April, at NAB'97, Microsoft, Intel and Compaq Corp. announced the formation of the Digital TV Team (The DTV Team) and laid out what they think the digital television scene should be.

When the FCC announced their technical standard in December '96, they did not mandate the video format portion of the standard. This was due to a compromise reached between the broadcasters and the DTV Team, leaving pixels per line, scanning lines, aspect ratio frame rate and interlace or progressive scanning and to leave this decision to market forces. Previously, Broadcasters and television set manufacturers had agreed on a set of 18 optional formats that covered a range documented in the ATSC Standard. Manufactures pledged to make products that would work for any of the ATSC formats, converting any higher resolution that it could not display, and because of this agreement, the lack of a FCC standard did not bother them.

The DTV Team proposal could lead to receivers, other than computers made by the DTV Team, that could not receive the signals. This is because the receiver manufacturers have already started to build sets based on the ATSC agreement. The Digital Team proposal calls for three phases of format support. In the HD0 phase scheduled by the end of 1998, the formats in red would be supported. In the HD1 phase, scheduled by the end of 2000, and shown in green, would be supported, and the final phase, HD2 at the end of 2002, and shown in silver would be added. Other formats in the table, shown in blue would not be supported. The DTV Team refers to the HD0 formats as the "base layer" formats and would always be sent. Enhancement fields, shown as HD1 and HD2 formats, would be achieved by sending enhancement information in addition to the "base layer" and have specified the method of doing this in their white paper.

The broadcasters state the disadvantages of this proposal are that the options for rapid offering of HDTV programs are severely reduced with no documented evidence that the transition to higher resolution in the manner suggested is feasible. The Digital Team says the 1920x1080 60P format will be invented in time, but as of 2007, it is generally not available, only in HDDVD, Sony's BlueRay DVD and receivers..

ATSC is currently studying methods to achieve 1920 x 1080 60P images using the base layer concept.

The various networks have decided on their HDTV format. NBC, CBS and PBS use 1080I, while ABC is using 720P. Stations generally follow their network and DBS and Cable stay with one of these two, generally 1080I.

How to receive

DTV can be received from Cable, Satellite or OTA (Over The Air). OTA will give you the locals. Cable might give you a local but generally some cable networks such as ESPN and HBO. Satellite generally gives the same. Both Cable and Satellite have announced they will be adding locals. All cable system in the area have the local HD's on them. Satellite will follow by 2008.

For OTA, you need both a VHF and UHF antenna, or a combination since a few signals are on VFH and most on UHF. 

To see this on your own TV, you can get a Set-Top box. Once source for this is here. Many HDTV ready sets require such a box to pick up OTA. You can also use a digital Cable box for cable. For satellite feeds, both DirecTV and Dish Network has HDTV packages. 

Top of Page

These pictures are of WVIA-DT and WVIA (NTSC) taken within minutes of each to compare the two. Both transmit antennas are on the same tower, with the NTSC on mounted several feet higher. The receive antenna was a Radio Shack Bow-Tie and the receiver a RCA DTC-100 with latest flash software. WBRE picture was with an outside antenna. 

 WVIA - DT Ch 41

WVIA -Ch 44

WBRE -TV Ch28 (analog)

WBRE -DT Ch 28-1 (Ch 11)

WNEP-TV Ch 16 (Analog)

WNEP DT-1 Main HD Channel 16-1 (ch 49)

WNEP DT-2 Ch 16-2 (Ch 49), The Adelphia channel.

WNEP DT-3 Ch16-3 (ch 49) Lo Res Radar

WYOU - TV - 22 

WYOU-DT 22-1 (Ch 13)

Home Top of Page

1/5/07