It should be interesting once they power up as they are right after WHEC in my future dtv fool list.

Just announced on tonight's news cast that CFPL received their digital antenna today. It was a short clip unloading the antenna.
During the segment, they also mentioned that the newscast will remain broadcasting in SD (digital) for the time being. So the only local programming on the station won't upgrade to HD for a while longer.

Lots of capital required this year to put the CTV2 network origination in HD, upgrade to HD distribution and install DTV antennas and transmitters into mandatory markets. Nothing left for smaller markets to get HD origination.

This in not unusual. Look at Buffalo, NY, still only one commercial station originating news in widescreen format. Other commercial stations have no local HD origination and in the case of WKBW, no ability to record and replay syndication shows like Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune in HD.

In the case of WKBW, they can't even air commercials in HD. All their syndicated stuff, no HD, even if it's available in HD. Too bad they are too cheap

This Fall, TV in Canada will be like TV was in the US 10 tears ago. Very little local HD programming, limited HD for syndicated programming and no HD or digital TV in smaller markets. I'm so glad I live in such a technologically advanced country. :rolleyes:

In the case of WKBW, they can't even air commercials in HD. All their syndicated stuff, no HD, even if it's available in HD. Too bad they are too cheap
LOL They even play the same jingle to their news programming that they did back in the 70's.

This Fall, TV in Canada will be like TV was in the US 10 tears ago. Very little local HD programming, limited HD for syndicated programming and no HD or digital TV in smaller markets. I'm so glad I live in such a technologically advanced country. :rolleyes:

My understanding is that all broadcast networks (at least in Ontario) including TVO--will be capable of HD broadcasting.

Most networks in Canada have centralized Master Controls, so I don't think there will be any issue with "syndicated" programming. (Actually, I don't think there is any syndicated programming on CTV, Global, or Rogers, because with the exception of Lloydminster, Thunder Bay, St Johns and the Pattison stations, there are no affiliates. only O&O stations served by Master Control.) You're right that it might take time before all local news is converted to HD.

LOL They even play the same jingle to their news programming that they did back in the 70's.So the only thing missing is Irv Weinstein and Rick Azar in HD! :D

The Vancouver example is a good one of how the big 3 networks' stations change over to local HD news like dominoes if the market is a major, competitive one: once CTV BC switched to an HD set with HD ENG and saturated their advertisements, banners, and on screen cards with the buzz about it, it wasn't long before Global BC followed suit, which makes CBC Vancouver a real let-down because local news and ENG is in upscaled SD, albeit mostly in 16:9.

As GeorgeMx is clarifying for us, the cupboard seems to be bare for CTV to have many of their smaller market DTV transitions include local HD programming.

This Fall, TV in Canada will be like TV was in the US 10 tears ago. Very little local HD programming, limited HD for syndicated programming and no HD or digital TV in smaller markets. I'm so glad I live in such a technologically advanced country. :rolleyes:
Your memory of 2001 is failing you. 10 years ago the major market stations like Detroit were having a hard time getting network HD on the DTV transmitter at the right time. Long time DHC readers will recall all the complaining when Detroit stations routinely forgot to switch from the SD upconvert to the HD feed. Nobody had any local HD origination capability. In some cases, the US network affiliates didn't even bother to put local commercials into the HD feed. Anybody remember the CBS HD promos that ran where local commercials should have been aired? Local HD capability in the US major markets has developed over the last 5 years and is still absent in many smaller markets.

In reality, many places in Canada will have no change to OTA at the end of August because analog transmission will continue. In the mandatory markets, most stations will be HD throughout the day because they are owned by the networks and are fed programming and commercials from centralized HD master controls. Only the local news will be SD.

Canada has always planned for the DTV transition to lag the US by about 2 years. For smaller markets, the US delay plus the Canadian lag has resulted in better HD production equipment becoming available at lower cost. Once the DTV transmitter expenditure has been completed, the networks will be able to convert their local news production to HD.

Yes there were some technical glitches but I remember a lot more problems with some Canadian BDUs than with the stations themselves. That's why I switched to Bell when they expanded their HD service to full time HD channels from Boston and Seattle. Was that 2003? By that time there were very few glitches in those HD signals. What did exist were often due to Canadian BDUs or unusual conditions such as blizzards, hurricanes or digital network interruptions. There wasn't much local HD production but we are talking about individual stations with those. How many local CTV and CTV2 stations will have HD production facilities in September? CTV Toronto and one or two major regional facilities will but that's it.

Maybe I exaggerated a bit. Does 8 years behind sound closer? The jury is out until we see how well, or how badly, the transition goes in September. And don't forget, Canadian networks have access to HD equipment that is cheaper and 2 or 3 generations newer than US networks and stations had 8 or 10 years ago. I seem to recall that Global took two years to get the sound right on their Toronto transmitter and CTV had so many glitches with some shows up until last year that they were unwatchable. That was about 7 years after major US stations had solved similar issues. Most Canadian stations haven't even tried to do HD yet. Flash cutting dozens of stations at the same time is a sure recipe for disaster.

In reality, many places in Canada will have no change to OTA at the end of August because analog transmission will continue.
And that leaves Canada where the US was 8-10 years ago, CTV and CTV2 included. Maybe should I say especially CTV and CTV2 since no schedule or deadline has been set for converting the rest of CTV and CTV2 stations. All US network stations were transitioned two years ago. The CRTC's deadline simply moves CTV, CTV2 and the rest of Canada up to the point the US was at in 2003, some 8 years behind the US.

How many local CTV and CTV2 stations will have HD production facilities in September? CTV Toronto and one or two major regional facilities will but that's it.

In fairness to CTV, at least they did a "complete" upgrade of their Toronto facilities to HD--including digital media storage/editing and HD remote facilities. They recently upgraded their helicopter camera equipment to HD as well. Global TV went with a staggered upgrade approach, which I found unfortunate.

The jury is out until we see how well, or how badly, the transition goes in September.

Indeed. My one concern--and this relates directly to CTV/CTV2, as many of their stations will be on VHF--will lessons learned in the US regarding low ERPs on VHF be adopted here?

My one concern--and this relates directly to CTV/CTV2, as many of their stations will be on VHF--will lessons learned in the US regarding low ERPs on VHF be adopted here? all signs point to no

I think CTV and CTV2 will be OK as to VHF-hi ERP. The VHF station here applied for a modified signal to approximate most of their analog coverage. CTV has also applied for some new transmitters to increase coverage. (Not enough IMHO but a move in the right direction.) My main concern is with another network that has decided to go with channel 6 in some areas and has accepted the very low ERP assignments provided by IC.

The only reason CTV,Global are spending any money on OTA digital is because of simsub rights.Therefore they will only spend as little as possible on transmitters.But spend for HD newscast studios for HD on their BDUs.

The CRTC's deadline simply moves CTV, CTV2 and the rest of Canada up to the point the US was at in 2003, some 8 years behind the US.

I can't agree with your assessment of the current state of Canadian or US DTV. The US transition didn't occur until June 2009 and as I have pointed out in previous posts, many US markets still lack local HD. I have been watching HD since 2001 via BDU and off-air, and I know that the Canadian networks are not 8 years behind the US. I watched both Detroit and Buffalo stations stumble through their initial efforts with switching HD and SD to the DTV transmitters, and a few years of stereo audio before they implemented 5.1 encoders. Canadian broadcasters had problems too but they resolved them. The Toronto stations' HD services have been quite stable for the last 4 or 5 years. CTV is as good as any of the HD broadcasters available in the Toronto/Buffalo market and better than some of them. I can't relate to your comment that CTV was unwatchable up until last year at all - it doesn't reflect my experience with CFTO at all.

/A\ channel or CTV2 is certainly late to the HD party but the reasons are understandable as CTV was planning to sell or shut it down. Now that the future of the stations is much clearer, spending money on HD and DTV makes sense. I expect that CTV2 will come up in September in HD without significant problems.

I just got this from Don Mumford VP of A Channel

By the way, spoke to the engineer about multiplexing and the numbers you provided all add up. We’re going to be broadcasting in 1080p. In order to multiplex we would have to move to either 720p or 1080i plus then the SD channel(s). Still, that’s the same resolution as you get on cable or satellite so might be an option down the road.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that would be the first 1080p ATSC station, would it not?

CFPL will be broadcasting 1080i just like all the other CTV owned stations will be.

That is what I thought to. I will clarify his statement again.