What's on DTV in NYC?

[Gregg]

We're still 1 1/2 months away from the end of analog TV. So I suppose some TV stations will be adding subcarriers to their DTV line up over the next few weeks. (Is subcarriers the right word for additional video feeds?)

Anyway, here's what I see when I scan by converter box...

2.1 - WCBS (The only major TV station with only one signal.)

4.1 - WNBC
4.2 - NBC Weather Plus (What a cheap service. No meteorologists or any text, just maps and a chart of high and low temps for various communities in the viewing area with jazz playing in the background. Didn't they use WNBC weathercasters originally?)
4.4 - Universal Sports (In case you want to watch European women compete in the luge. If you don't have a kid aspiring to be in the Olympics, would you watch this channel?)
I suppose someday, 4.3 will be the new WNBC all-news channel?

5.1 - WNYW Fox
5.2 - WWOR My Network

7.1 - WABC
7.2 - WABC News Now (Basically repeats of the most recent newscast, plus some locally produced public affairs shows that usually air only on Sunday mornings. Also some infomercials. Oddly they don't use any feeds from the ABC News Now channel, which has some interesting news segments. My cable system carries ABC News Now as basic cable.)
7.3 - WABC+ (Weather updates from Accuweather with inserts from WABC weathercasters. A better weather channel than NBC offers.)

9.1 - WWOR My Network
9.2 - WNYW Fox (I wonder if 5 and 9 will continue this duplication after Feb. 19?)

11.1 - WPIX CW
11.2 - LATV (Spanish music videos and a few bilingual low budget TV shows.)

13.1 - WNET PBS
13.2 - Kids Thirteen (24 hours of PBS Kids shows.)
13.3 - V Me (PBS science and travel shows dubbed in Spanish and some original Spanish language programming)

25.1 - WNYE (Mix of PBS daytime shows and some locally produced non-commercial evening shows plus some ethnic programming)
25.2 - City Drive Live (Continuous 5 second shots from numerous cameras on major highways and avenues around NYC. They used to have models tape segments, reading street closures for construction but they stopped that a few months ago.)
In announcements leading up to Feb. 17, WNYE says it will have several programming feeds when the change-over occurs.

31.1 - WPXN Ion
31.2 - Qubo (24 hour children's educational programs, some previously seen on PBS)
31.3 - Ion Live (Mix of some low budget travel and lifestyle shows with infomercials)
31.4 - Worship (Religious music videos and some preaching shows.)

41.1 - WXTV Univision

47.1 - WNJU Telemundo

50.1 - WNJM New Jersey Network/PBS
50.2 - NJN-2 (Alternate NJN Programming) These channels come and go. Sometimes there's a children's programming feed as well. Either my converter has trouble picking the signal up or they're still working out the bugs.

63.1 - WMBC (Another channel I get sometimes. Mostly infomercials and Korean programming in the evening.)

68.1 - WFUT Telefutura

For the most part, the DTV promise isn't delivering much. Most of the alternate channels are shoestring budget productions that I doubt many viewers will watch. Maybe if you don't have cable, having the WABC weather feed is a good substitute for The Weather Channel. And someday WNBC's all-news channel will be a good substitute for NY-1. I suppose Qubo and Kids Thirteen might be good if you have pre-schoolers.

But that's about it.






Gregg
[email protected]

 

[tripinva]

"Subchannels" rather than "subcarriers." Otherwise this looks pretty accurate.

In some parts of the market, WLIW and WRNN are available. WLIW probably has the best subchannels of any station in the market, including the ones you listed.

21-1 WLIW
21-2 Create (airs cooking shows, painting, how-to, etc)
21-3 World (reruns of PBS programming, plus late airings of News Hour, NBR, and WorldFocus)

48-1 WRNN
48-2 TBN
48-3 FUNimation (airs anime)

- Trip

 

[ansky212]

1) Wasn't NBC WX Plus supposed to be off the air by the end of 2008? From what I have read it did go off in many markets.

2) It would be nice to see RTN on a NYC subchannel.

3) WNYE 25-2 is virtually unwatchable. There is a ton of static in their camera feeds.

4) WLIW 21-x must be very weak. I get no signal from them at all from my home in Jersey City.

 

[tripinva]

The "LI" in WLIW stands for Long Island, and it's pretty low relative to other stations in the area. I don't know that the signal even makes it to New York City. Now that WLIW is owned by WNET, I'd hope they try to move the DT-21 signal to the future Freedom Tower. World and Create are excellent services based on their schedules; I have World locally where I live and I love it.

The national NBC Weather Plus stuff is gone. Some local stations are still using the equipment to do local weather, some even kept the WeatherPlus branding. No more national programming feed though.

- Trip

 

[neo11]

In Queens, I can barely get WLIW with a pair of rabbit ears...most of the time there's no/low signal. I'm wondering if they are operating at reduced power, just as sister station Thirteen has been to save money prior to the switchover. On analog I would usually get a static-filled but consistent signal from 21.

WMBC has four subchannels, each with various ethnic programming, usually Korean or Spanish-language.

There's also that digital LPTV on Channel 3, Cornerstone Television, but I've never managed to receive it, though my converter's signal bar always shows a low signal on that frequency.

I've also received WFME-TV on Channel 29, with its 10 or 11 subchannels with various audio content, mostly Family Radio feeds and even NOAA Weather Radio.

NJN has varied from one to three subchannels...in recent weeks it's just been one plus the main channel.

I never understood what the point of 5 simulcasting 9 and 9 simulcasting 5 on the DTV signal is. I know they are co-owned, but wouldn't they be better served using the full bandwidth for the respective main channel, if they don't plan on adding any new subchannels?