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KXAS to get new subchannel

A

arnoldevns

Story in Broadcasting & Cable says KXAS will get a new subchannel - I think called "DFW Nonstop" around the first of the year. It's some kind of lifestyles/news type of channel. I can't really make heads or tails out of what it is. Looks like it will repurpose a lot of stuff from NBC stations around the country. I suppose they're just going to add it as 5.4? Here's a link to the story:

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/ar...NBC_Local_Media_Sets_Nonstop_Launch_Dates.php
 
I assume this will be SD, so it won't be as tight a squeeze as WFAA's proposed new HD subchannel ... but still, with one HD channel, three SD subchannels (two full-motion), and mobile DTV, isn't that 19.2Mb/s pipe getting rather full?

Of course, NBC could do the same thing we discussed for Belo - putting the new subchannel on co-owned KXTX instead - but that approach has its own problems. Still, it might be the best solution. Videophiles won't be pleased with these ever-increasing compression ratios.

The ultimate solution is probably a new, better compression method like MPEG-4 - but would that mean another whole round of converter boxes? If so we aren't likely to see that for several years.
 
I don't see a particular problem with it from a technical standpoint. Lots of stations do 1 HD and 3 SD without much trouble. The other possibility is that they'll kill off NBC+ and put Nonstop on 5.2.
 
Yes, it will be on 4-2, just like it is in New York and will be in Chicago and everywhere else NBC owns English-language station.

- Trip
 
(you meant 5.2) :) Thanks though. That explains it. It also means this channel should be widely available on local cable systems since the current programming on 5.2 is already there.

So we know that in the next few months we're going to get at least 3 new subchannels that might be worth watching:

33.2 Antenna TV - Classic TV shows
8.? or 52.? Live Well TV - something ABC has run on a number of their O&O stations
5.2 DFWNonstop - still don't quite understand what it is, but it looks like a kind of news/lifestyles channel.

Regardless, I view these new options as a good thing.
 
Looks like NBC and ABC are going the same direction as Ion by adding these lifestyle channels. I hadn't heard about Antenna TV comming to 33.2 before now, but it makes sense. Classic TV (RTV, cable's TV Land, etc.) seems to be growing in popularity.

I'll miss the weather on 5.2, though. I never really liked 8.2's weather - it's too small on anything less than a big-screen TV, the screen is cluttered with ads for ABC shows, and much of the time it's replaced with traffic maps.

Any chance that they'll move the weather to KXTX, or that KDFW will bring back the weather channel they once had?
 
tested said:
I don't see a particular problem with it from a technical standpoint. Lots of stations do 1 HD and 3 SD without much trouble.
Click to expand...

Well, I probably worry too much. My understanding is you can do pretty much anything you want if you dial up the compression enough. But I use these rules of thumb for "reasonable" compression levels:

  • One RF channel can host 4 SD channels, or 5 if there's not too much motion
  • One HD channel is equivalent to about 3 SD channels (a bit less for 720p)

So running 1 HD + 3 SD seemed like a bit of a squeeze, particularly since 5.1 and 5.3 both carry sports. But the weather probably compresses a lot, and I don't know how much bandwidth Mobile DTV takes. So it might have worked out OK.

Anyway, it seems that Ion, NBC, and particularly ABC have decided to go with more content, while CBS and FOX aren't broadcasting a single subchannel, apparently leaning toward maximum video quality instead.

On balance, I'd rather have the extra content. Most viewers wouldn't care about losing some picture quality unless it were really severe. But I know folks who complain about sharing HD bandwidth with even one SD channel ;)
 
well darn 5.2 was the last full time weather we had.

4 dropped its weather
11 dropped its weather
21 dropped its weather...

all that's left is 8.2, which might die in its own right to go for that lifestyle thing.

someone has to pick up the weather ball.

Cool about 33 picking up antenna TV, maybe they can pick up CoolTV while they're at it too.
looks like I'll have to adjust my antenna.

on that subject,
that will rank up our Classic TV channels to 5.
31-3, 31-4, 33-2, 52-1, 8-3
 
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