[mythtv-users] Fox Chicago (WLFD) OTA HD - Nearly unwatchable

[Kevin Kuphal]

matthew.garman at gmail.com wrote:
> I'm trying to record over-the-air HD via a pchdtv-5500.  It
> generally seems to work, except with Fox (WFLD).  In particular, my
> girlfriend's "American Idol" recordings are almost too lousy to
> watch.  The recordings will have a lot of "jumps" and studdering.
> Immediately prior to and following one of these blips is a lot of
> blocky pixelation and artifacting of the video.
>
> During playback, my CPU is only at about 30%.  Also, the problem
> areas are not random---i.e., if we rewind/rewatch the recording, the
> problems are always the same and in the same location.
>
> The first time we recorded this show, these problems only happened a
> few times throughout the video.  The most recent recording, though,
> had this problem every couple minutes or so.
>
> As far as we can tell, we haven't had this problem with other
> channels.  But even within Fox, we haven't had these problems with
> the animated shows we record ("The Simpsons", "The Family Guy").
>
> According to antennaweb.org, we're 17.5 miles from *all* broadcast
> towers (I believe all stations are broadcast from atop the Sears
> Tower).  Unless Fox's signal strength is lower than its peers, it
> seems like we should have this problem with all channels.
>
> Our antenna is a cheap "rabbit ears and circle thing" sitting on top
> of a speaker.  I believe we have an older version of this:
> http://tinyurl.com/2asujb
>
> I'm not really sure where to start debugging this: new antenna,
> mythtv, etc.  I'm hoping someone on this list has experience with
> this and/or some more insight into Chicagoland Fox.
>
> FWIW, below is the frontend log creating during playback of
> "American Idol", somewhat edited for brevity (the original log is
> 700+ lines long!).
>
>   
I record of Comcast Chicago with QAM and don't have any Fox problems 
(watched 24 Monday night), but have you checked antennaweb.org to see 
what kind of antennas they recommend for your range?  Maybe the rabbit 
ears aren't enough...

Kevin