Sunday, December 16, 2007

WMTW finally launches the all news channel - DTV 8.2 Portland Maine

For those of us who receive high definition over the air (no cable, no satellite), we have known that the WMTW (Porltand, Maine Channel 8) has been working on "something" for their digital subchannel 8.2 for some time. For many, many months now, they had been broadcasting, on channel 8.2, a live dopplar radar feed (zzzzzz, snore,zzzzz) and an audio feed to accompany this radical, edgy broadcasting with the latest available news broadcast. So it was possible to be watching channel 8.2 at say 4:30 pm, with the slow, sweeping radar spokes moving every so slowly around the screen (it was like watching grass grow), while listening to what could only be termed as "old news" in the background. And their motto is "where the news comes first".

Well a few weeks ago they finally launches their final version of the channel which includes weather, sports, and news updates. It's not bad. I wish it was broadcast in better quality because to be quite frank, the quality is like TV from the 1960's. This channel was launched to coincide with the ABC network's ABC News Now cable channel and their online ABC News Now on ABC affiliate channels and the ABC Network feed of the same ilk.

I give them kudos for putting their digitial subchannel to good use. WCSH has been doing it for a while but only with weather updates. The downside is that if you don't subscribe to a cable or satellite provider that offers these channels, you won't see it. Unless of course you receive digital/HDTV over the air like I do (for free) with an HDTV antenna and a High Definition TV (or separate HD receiver I guess) you won't receive it either.

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