Hey guys,

Not really radio related, but how many of you pay attention to TheTube and its format of music videos on broadcast tv?

With the recent addition of Skippy and Doug in the mornings on Charlie, I found myself looking for something I could get some easy listening/rock songs. I plugged in my 20 dollar HDTV antenna and got the pleasure of getting this free station over the air. It really limits the amount of rap and R&B out there, getting bands like Counting Crows, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, etc.

Just was wondering opinions and if you guys keep your tv's on just for the background music.

Question...do you have to have a HDTV to recieve and what channel???

Are you talking about The Tube Music Network 303 on comcast?If you are,I find it a breath of fresh air.Of course,I don't like every song but I do enjoy the fact they play a lot of old school videos.

On Comcast, There is Music Choice that some may get, I know that not all do, but check the 900 channel's; a selection for all is there if you get it...

The Tube comes over on HD channel 32.2. It comes to my house over the air, but Comcast also includes it on some packages.

They show primarily rock videos with very few commercials. I'm not a fan of music videos because the are generally awful, but my wife enjoys it. They play a good mix of music, but, like most music video channels and radio stations, the playlist is limited. If you turn it on with any regularity you are likely to hear the same thing day after day.

Larry,

It's somewhat true, but I've seen them add new stuff here recently, so it's a playlist that is built upon.

Yes, you do need an HDTV receiver for it, or get it on digital cable.

Huh.....I thought 12, OTA had the Tube.........

Been a while since I have seen it tho so it probably has changed since then.

Even standard definition TVs 27" and larger, sold after Jan 1 should have built-in ATSC tuners for the digital OTA channels. The Tube is broadcast in standard definition (480i), so nothing is really lost by viewing on a standard TV. Digital Ch 32-1 (1080i HD) and 32-2 are actually broadcast on UHF Ch 33, so a UHF antenna is needed.

Some of the videos are very strange... for example, one combines video of the Doors "Riders on the Storm" with the Blondie video for "Rapture"..."Rapture Riders". Fun Stuff!

The Tube is great. No commercials, No RAP!! I really like it. Do any of you get the annoying audio drop outs though?? It's like every 10-15 seconds on my system the audio disappears for a split second. And it's not intermittent. It happens all the time. Very strange. It's refreshing to have a video music channel that actually plays videos. MTV ceased being MUSIC television years ago.

Bhone2000:
Seems clean tonight, but I have heard the split second audio dropouts in the past. Signal strength is pretty good tonight, running 80-90 (out of 100).

Agree about MTV, but those first few years with Mark, Martha, JJ, Nina and Alan were pretty special, IMHO.

Jr tech, thanks. I totally agree. I mean the original intention of MTV was to play MUSIC videos. Now it's game shows and reality shows and stupid "100 greatest moments in trailer trash History" with loser star wannabe's making stupid comments between clips. That's why The Tube is such a breath of fresh air. It's back to the Music. And they play alot of videos that I never saw even WHEN Mtv was good. Good to have on in the background when doing household stuff and "honey-do's".....;-)

Doesn't MTV2 still play just music videos? I think that's what it's called.

I think they do but I don't get it on my cable. I think there's a VH1-2 channel as well but you have to pay for it in your cable package.

MTV was quite a hoot when it was still experimental (remember "Fish Heads"?). But that's been 20 years now. I also miss Night Flight (wasn't it on USA Network?).

I kinda dug New Wave but I lived in Seattle then (where everything seemed a bit different). It appears to be scorned back home here in stumptown (nearly as much as disco).

I'm still leery of Comcast (I dumped cable as soon as they took over AT&T, after glancing at their eerie TOS). Having suffered fuzzy rabbit-eared TV for a couple years was about to break down and order ultra-basic (air channels only) until I saw DTV tuners now down around $80 on-line, and learned here that analog TV would probably not come via cable very much longer than over the air.

Paradoxically, a computer TV tuner card (including ATSC) is less (around $65); having always wanted a second monitor but simply no room on my desk (with a TV on it), I can now justify the cost of another tuner card (no post-9x drivers for the early one I have).