FETV

[Bobbert]

I stumbled across an interesting retro station in the religious part of the Comcast lineup. It's FETV, which I learned is a cable/satellite channel that is very similar to MeTV and Antenna TV. Interestingly, it's at 386 on Comcast but not listed on the Comcast schedule that I just got in e-mail. I have the minimum Comcast package, and poor luck with antenna reception, so this was a nice find. As for its location on the dial, it has a few hours of religious programming in the morning, which I guess is enough to qualify it as a religious station.

[RingtailedFox]

is it this FETV?

https://www.fetv.tv/


If so, they have some good TV classics on there

[Bobbert]

is it this FETV?

https://www.fetv.tv/


If so, they have some good TV classics on there

Yes. It has a Perry Mason at a better time than MeTV—late afternoon and early evening instead of late night and morning.

[SolarMax]

My wife has latched onto some shows on FeTV. My issue with it is that Comcast does not format FeTV in the correct aspect ratio. FeTV's apparent 4:3 is stretched out to be fake 16:9 on the X1 box. My TV has a "wide" and "stretch" setting but not a "squeeze" so I can't correct it on my end.

[RingtailedFox]

ewww, yeah i hate Stretch-o-vision too

[Deleted User 3751]

Dish has FETV on channel 82,

[stopnswop2]

I absolutely adore FETV.
It's nice to see shows like Barney Miller and Mary Tyler Moore on TV again

[Bobbert]

My wife has latched onto some shows on FeTV. My issue with it is that Comcast does not format FeTV in the correct aspect ratio. FeTV's apparent 4:3 is stretched out to be fake 16:9 on the X1 box. My TV has a "wide" and "stretch" setting but not a "squeeze" so I can't correct it on my end.

Another technical oddity is the louder volume on FETV. I often alternate between FETV and a digital subchannel retro station, and I always have to adjust the volume.

[Bobbert]

Our enjoyment of this station might be short-lived. FETV's Facebook page includes an announcment that the station will be pulled from the Comcast lineup after 6/30: https://www.facebook.com/FamilyEntertainmentTV

[Ben Zonia]

ewww, yeah i hate Stretch-o-vision too

Stretch-O-Vision. You mean the one that makes William Shatner look like Jabba The Hut on the Sleep Apnea commercials, and makes all the women look fat?

[stopnswop2]

Are they still airing The Monkees?

[stopnswop2]

My wife has latched onto some shows on FeTV. My issue with it is that Comcast does not format FeTV in the correct aspect ratio. FeTV's apparent 4:3 is stretched out to be fake 16:9 on the X1 box. My TV has a "wide" and "stretch" setting but not a "squeeze" so I can't correct it on my end.

Another technical oddity is the louder volume on FETV. I often alternate between FETV and a digital subchannel retro station, and I always have to adjust the volume.

I don't quite understand how to access digital subchannels. Is it because I have Satellite, or do I just have no idea how to work my TV?

[km1125]

My wife has latched onto some shows on FeTV. My issue with it is that Comcast does not format FeTV in the correct aspect ratio. FeTV's apparent 4:3 is stretched out to be fake 16:9 on the X1 box. My TV has a "wide" and "stretch" setting but not a "squeeze" so I can't correct it on my end.

Another technical oddity is the louder volume on FETV. I often alternate between FETV and a digital subchannel retro station, and I always have to adjust the volume.

I don't quite understand how to access digital subchannels. Is it because I have Satellite, or do I just have no idea how to work my TV?

On satellite or cable they assign unique numbers to the broadcast subchannels so you have to locate them somewhere in the channel lineup (if they are even carried).

On cable, they are typically required (by contractual agreement) to carry all the bits that are broadcast, so they're not saving any capacity by not carrying the subchannels. Not sure if that applies to the satellite services. Cable channel numbers are also nearly all localized to a market, whereas satellite ones are not. That would complicate what actual channel number that the provider uses.

[SolarMax]

I don't quite understand how to access digital subchannels. Is it because I have Satellite, or do I just have no idea how to work my TV?

Over the Air (OTA) Digital Television (DTV) does not transmit analog pictures and sound. Since 1999, TV stations transmit data, the content of which happens to be digitally encoded pictures and sound. Stations can broadcast multiple streams of such data over its assigned 6MHz wide channel. This allows one TV station to offer many "streams" of programming simultaneously. A station's legacy "bread and butter" program channel gets the majority slice of the total 19.6MHz bit stream. Locally, stations offer from two up to twelve "streams" or subchannels.
There is a main or ".1" channel, usually 1080i or 720p High Definition. The remaining bandwidth and data streams can be divided up, and other, usually standard-definition, programming can be offered as "subchannels" by a broadcaster.
None of this has anything to do with having or not having satellite or cable. All this is available for free using a modern TV receiver, and connecting a good quality TV antenna to the "Antenna" connector. What to do next is well-explained in the TV receiver's user manual. So, yes, to some degree, you do need to know how to work your TV.
Some cable systems do carry some of the local OTA stations' subchannels, in addition to their main program streams. It is up to the stations/networks and the cable/sat providers to decide if these get carried on their systems.

[innate-in-you]

My wife has latched onto some shows on FeTV. My issue with it is that Comcast does not format FeTV in the correct aspect ratio. FeTV's apparent 4:3 is stretched out to be fake 16:9 on the X1 box. My TV has a "wide" and "stretch" setting but not a "squeeze" so I can't correct it on my end.

Another technical oddity is the louder volume on FETV. I often alternate between FETV and a digital subchannel retro station, and I always have to adjust the volume.

I don't quite understand how to access digital subchannels. Is it because I have Satellite, or do I just have no idea how to work my TV?

AFAIK, cable and satellite carriers don't use subchannels. Their channels are all integers.

Subchannels are on over-the-air TV transmitters. You need a terrestrial TV antenna - which can cost anywhere from 1/3 of a cent to $200**

If your TV is older than about 13 years, you'll need a converter box to watch the subchannels. Your major stations will have the main program as their ".1" channel (e.g., WDIV is channel 4.1, WXYZ is 7.1, and so on). Channel 4.2 is This, 4.3 is MeTV, and channel 4.4 is Cozi TV).

Subchannel stations are usually presented in SD mode (also known as 480i - the resolution we all watched for half a century. Notable exception: PBS Kids on 56.2 is 1080i HD).

** If you're within about 15 miles of a full-power transmitter site, and have a window facing Southfield, a completely unfurled jumbo paperclip, inserted in the center of the F connector on the TV set, will receive stations that transmit on the UHF channels (not Fox 2, CBET, WUDT nor WHND).