Loudo38,

Obviously, you're back in God's Country. Welcome!

Dana

Thanks, we needed some cooler weather and sure got it. :)

Here in the Bangor area I'm showing a qam channel showing a red hat login prompt.

Here in the Bangor area I'm showing a qam channel showing a red hat login prompt.

I remember seeing that one also, but didn't include it on the list.

Can someone with satellite TV (either provider) give me a break down of the taxes that appear on your bill?

Can someone with satellite TV (either provider) give me a break down of the taxes that appear on your bill?

The DirecTV line item "Taxes" amount varies with the amount of the bill. The statement issued on 4/20/09 has an amount of $1.80 for "Taxes." The "current charges and fees" line item is $101.97 with adjustments and credits of $11.00 then deducted. The total due is $92.77.

Dana

Does it break down the taxes?
Do you have:
Maine Service Provider Tax
Franchise Fee
Public Access fee
FCC reg fee
Connectme fund

This is what TWC charges. I'm guessing that you only have the Maine Service Provider tax? Your total for taxes was only $1.80 on a $92.77 bill?

Does it break down the taxes?
Do you have:
Maine Service Provider Tax
Franchise Fee
Public Access fee
FCC reg fee
Connectme fund

This is what TWC charges. I'm guessing that you only have the Maine Service Provider tax? Your total for taxes was only $1.80 on a $92.77 bill?

That's correct. The tax line item is not detailed.

Dana

That's correct. The tax line item is not detailed.

Dana

Wow, that means that they are only passing on part of Service Provider tax to subs. The tax is 5%, but that doesn't have to be passed onto the consumer. It's not like sales tax.

Anyone with Dish Network who could look at their most recent bill and post up the tax data?

I have Dish Network. For my bill posted 5-15 to 6-14 on a bill of 118.99 -

Sales Tax Adjustment - 0.50
State/Local Sales Tax (Gross Receipts) 6.10

I have Dish Network. For my bill posted 5-15 to 6-14 on a bill of 118.99 -

Sales Tax Adjustment - 0.50
State/Local Sales Tax (Gross Receipts) 6.10
Maine satellite taxes are a deal. Mine is $16.77 a month on 136.00, in Florida.

Don't worry, we're still one of the most taxed states in the entire US. We just get reamed in other ways.. :)

Don't worry, we're still one of the most taxed states in the entire US. We just get reamed in other ways.. :)
I noticed that.

I have Dish Network. For my bill posted 5-15 to 6-14 on a bill of 118.99 -

Sales Tax Adjustment - 0.50
State/Local Sales Tax (Gross Receipts) 6.10

That is interesting. Dish is pushing more of the tax onto the sub than DirecTV is.

Can someone with satellite TV (either provider) give me a break down of the taxes that appear on your bill?

There are no taxes on my Dish bill. But then I am in NH.

John

There are no taxes on my Dish bill. But then I am in NH.

John

Ah! Then these taxes are all state imposed. Interesting.

Dana

Ah! Then these taxes are all state imposed. Interesting.

Dana
They vary from state to state. I see there was a banner on channel 203 earlier this week for residents of Vermont to call their legislative representatives, to encourage them to vote against the doubling of the satellite sales tax. Today channel 203 has one up for Nevada residents.

What ever taxes are imposed should be the same for satellite as cable. Looks like the satellite taxes are coming from the local cable companies that are supporting the local candidates.

Since we mentioned earlier on this thread that the NFL Network carriage on Comcast cable was in jeopardy, I thought it appropriate to note that the parties have settled. The story is here. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/05/19/network-comcast.ap/index.html


Story Highlights
The NFL and Comcast cable have settled on a long term deal regarding NFLN
The NFL Network will remain available to Comcast customers under the new deal
Comcast will move NFLN to a tier in which subscribers pay for content

A better story is here (www.nytimes.com/2009/05/20/sports/football/19nflnetwork.html?_r=1&em).

Dana

When I switched back to D* in the fall 2007 (go back to pages in the 70s on this thread for more details) the only "fly in the ointment" was the installation process. It was somewhat haphazard. Fortunately, AccidenT had given us the local install company phone number in Portland (see below) so we bypassed the national D* 800 number/staff and got better service in so doing.

After sitting through yet another Red Sox ballgame on NESN on Sunday when I thought the commercials took more time than the actual game did, I decided to upgrade my HD H21 receiver to a HD DVR so I could manage to skip them. I placed my order Monday morning with the Customer Retention staff and asked what discount I might get to offset the $199. upgrade cost. (Senior staff work the best hours i. e., 9 AM-5PM weekdays so call in that time frame to get the most experienced CSRs.) I did get $75. off which I thought was fair.

Skipping over the details, I was able to schedule an installation for the same night!!! When the installer came, however, he didn't have the latest and greatest model HD DVR which of course I wanted. No problem. He told me to reschedule my appointment on line and in the notes, indicate "Cust requests HR23-700." That's what I did and set up an appointment for today 8 AM - 12 Noon.

The installer called me mid-morning today to apologize, saying he was just finishing up a job five miles away and he'd be at my house shortly. He did confirm that he had the HD DVR I wanted on his truck. About 15 minutes later, a pleasant sounding lady called from the office to report the same thing. Very nice.

The installer did arrive about 11:30 AM still within the time frame I'd selected and got right to work pulling a second line to the new HD DVR location, changing lots of outdoor connectors to a new type, etc.. He lives in the mid-coast himself and has been with the company since Christmas. He was outstanding! I tipped him accordingly. I called his supervisor to provide positive feedback.

In the course of this upgrade I learned that a company called Multiband (multibandusa.com) has acquired all of the former Direc Tech assets in Maine and elsewhere. The local office contact number in Portland remains the same 878-3322 and Claire is still available at x1 to confirm installation appointments, report on whereabouts of installers, etc. But, the phone is now answered as "Multiband." A Google search indicates that it is a large company hqtrd in Minnesota that does about 20% of all residential installations for D* nationally.

Based on my experience today, I would say that D* has eliminated the "fly in the ointment."

Dana

I see WCSH is airing HD promos now... I recorded this last night during Medium:

I see WCSH is airing HD promos now... I recorded this last night during Medium:
Sure would be nice if they could catch up with the rest of the country and give us local news in HD.

Anyone notice we lost HDNet and HDnet movies?

They replaced them with Rural HD and Smithsonian HD.............WTF?

Smithsonian is going to be OK, but Rural??

Steve

Anyone notice we lost HDNet and HDnet movies?

They replaced them with Rural HD and Smithsonian HD.............WTF?

Smithsonian is going to be OK, but Rural??

Steve

http://www.multichannel.com/article/232772-Time_Warner_Cable_Dropping_HDNet_Channels_Nationwide_May_31. php?rssid=20059


By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 5/18/2009 9:32:23 AM MT

Time Warner Cable confirmed Monday it will stop offering HDNet and HDNet Movies across all of its systems effective May 31.

The move by Time Warner Cable, which has 8.7 million digital cable subscribers, is a blow to the Mark Cuban-backed HDNet, which was among the first HD services available to cable and satellite operators.

Asked why the company was dropping HDNet's services, Time Warner Cable director of corporate public relations Robyn Watson said, "There's a limited appeal for the programming. In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough. We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."
...


I can't possibly imagine that Rural HD has a less "limited appeal."

I'd be angry right now if I didn't have D*. I just watched the Godfather trilogy on HDNet Movies, and I'm currently watching HDNet's episode-per-day re-air of "Arrested Development"

Anyone notice we lost HDNet and HDnet movies?

They replaced them with Rural HD and Smithsonian HD.............WTF?

Smithsonian is going to be OK, but Rural??

Steve

i'm very upset about this as well. i actually just started working at twc, and cancelled my hd tier. not about to spend $5 for universal hd (with their commercials and editing of shows like six feet under) and mgm hd (with their 4.1 surround sound and commercials as well). because i know i would never watch rfd and rarely watch smithsonian.

the only saving grace is that more hd channels are coming this summer. several good ones very soon.

HDnet had MMA fighting on it that I watched, and they had some other good shows that were broadcast in great HD feed.

The more TWC f's up, the more and more I really see the need to go to Direct or Dish.

Steve

I don't blame you Steve. I went to Dish when the cable company was Adelphia here (now TWC). TWC is still getting HD channels I already had years ago. The last straw for me with Adelphia was when they forced me to digital in order to keep my HBO. That change brought me up to around 100 a month. I did that for about 3 months and left.

TWC is a top 3 cable carrier, but they sure don't act like it sometimes.

EDIT: I was also a former DirecTV customer. I'm pretty sure I'd rather have some sort of potentially deadly parasite than ever be their customer again. A story for another day though.

I spotted this news about TWC nationally dropping HDNet and HDNet Movies a few days ago but didn't post it here because I wasn't sure that it would affect TWC Maine viewers. I should have known better.

My experience with Comcast after it took over the SusCom Brunswick system taught me that these big cable outfits are multi-layered bureaucracies driven from the top down. There are so many layers between the decision-makers high atop their towers - literally in the case of Comcast in Philadelphia - and their customers are so scattered in various operating units as to be invisible to the corporate types. No feedback from the bottom up wanted. That was made very clear to me by the Comcast area V-P. The decisions will be made from on high.

My impression in dealing with D* is that it is much flatter. There are no intermediaries between corporate and its customers. D* involves its customers in beta testing new equipment and firmware; you can actually volunteer to become a beta tester! In other words, it listens to its customers. You can actually talk to reps who are in "customer retention," who actually try to please the customer! Try that with a cable company.

D* recently made a decision to put another new satellite in the sky this year, one that originally was to be a spare. Basically, D* said we'll use it to provide more channels, deliver better service NOW. This attitude is reflected in its customer growth numbers.

Nothing is perfect. D* is a large corporation with millions of customers. But, it is in the direct customer service delivery business. It doesn't operate through powerless intermediaries. Cable cos are driven by financial considerations and have investments in many venues outside of the cable business that stroke the egos of their corporate moguls. Sports teams, arenas, race cars, you name it. Arrogance is what I call it.

That's my take for what it's worth. I urge all those who are disaffected with TWC to give D* a try. I'll never, ever go back to cable.

Dana

PS. D* carries HDNet, HDNet movies and Smithsonian HD. ;)

i'm very upset about this as well. i actually just started working at twc, and cancelled my hd tier. not about to spend $5 for universal hd (with their commercials and editing of shows like six feet under) and mgm hd (with their 4.1 surround sound and commercials as well). because i know i would never watch rfd and rarely watch smithsonian.

the only saving grace is that more hd channels are coming this summer. several good ones very soon.

OK, Skippy, you're on the inside, ............. tell us what you know! What new HD channels have you heard about? When? Can you find out if all the systems have switched digital video installed, yet? I am in the Augusta system and have cablecard on one of my sets and will have to get one of the free HD boxes when SDV is implemented.

Thanks for whatever info you can share.

OK, Skippy, you're on the inside, ............. tell us what you know! What new HD channels have you heard about? When? Can you find out if all the systems have switched digital video installed, yet? I am in the Augusta system and have cablecard on one of my sets and will have to get one of the free HD boxes when SDV is implemented.

Thanks for whatever info you can share.

i'll tell you what i know, which is not much. lol.

hd channels: coming soon (june i believe, although i don't have an exact date. and they won't be rolling out to all head ends in june. i think just SDV.) usahd, scifihd, spikehd (i think?) sorry, i can't remember them all. just made note of the ones i was psyched for.

SDV: also something i'll have to check on. i don't recall if augusta has had SDV rolled out yet. but if you are getting all your channels on cable card without the tuning adapter (which is what i assume you mean by "free HD box"), then you aren't on SDV yet. i have no clue as to a time frame.

i know that's not telling you much, but i'll try to check a little more this week.

i'll tell you what i know, which is not much. lol.

hd channels: coming soon (june i believe, although i don't have an exact date. and they won't be rolling out to all head ends in june. i think just SDV.) usahd, scifihd, spikehd (i think?) sorry, i can't remember them all. just made note of the ones i was psyched for.

SDV: also something i'll have to check on. i don't recall if augusta has had SDV rolled out yet. but if you are getting all your channels on cable card without the tuning adapter (which is what i assume you mean by "free HD box"), then you aren't on SDV yet. i have no clue as to a time frame.

i know that's not telling you much, but i'll try to check a little more this week.

Thanks, any info would be appreciated. My thoughts on SDV are simply that, perhaps, an implementation date might not be that far off. It's too bad though that it will not work with cablecard because cablecard allows a person to avoid the much dreaded "box." On the other hand, the box for HD is free, now. (I have never bothered with digital channels and my wife is perfectly content to watch QAM channels for Maine stations on her HD set.)

My interest in new HD channels rests, primarily, with the news channels. My idea of tv heaven would be CNN, FNC, MSNBC, CNN Headline, CNBC, CSPAN 1, 2 & 3 and NECN, all on adjacent HD channels. Throw in the Red Sox and Patriots and a very few network shows like 24 and I'm good to go.

I called engineering at WMTW-DT Channel 8 in Portland. They tell me that the frequency switch to VHF 8 for their digital signal will be at 9 am on June 12, 2009.

They weren't sure of that time and said it was subject to change.

Remember to do a channel scan that day for those of you who get OTA TV.

Yes, I'm hoping for an improved signal.

Skippy,

There's a discussion on the Bangor thread about what plans Time Warner has in Maine for their analog service. I'd heard six-12 months ago that Time Warner had no plans to significantly modify the service. Other folks believe there is a timer ticking away after which Time Warner will be digital-only.

Do you have any insights into this topic?

Thanks,

Joe

Well, hopefully there is more HD coming to the Portland area soon. I just spent 20 minutes chatting with one of the on-line reps, and they weren't able (or willing) to give any information. I was trying to express my displeasure in the removal of HDNet and HDNet Movies (and the ridiculous addition of RFD), but they never do anything other than give you the same canned "your feedback is important to us" type of lines.

On a related note, will any of the southern Maine area Dish or DirecTV installers come out to see if you can even get service at your home PRIOR to ordering? I'm in a pretty dense area near 295 in South Portland, and not sure if I have any shot at getting a signal - there may be one or two dishes on my street and the ones on either side of me. I've been far more patient than I should have been with Time Warner of the past couple of years.

Thanks -

Dan

...

On a related note, will any of the southern Maine area Dish or DirecTV installers come out to see if you can even get service at your home PRIOR to ordering? I'm in a pretty dense area near 295 in South Portland, and not sure if I have any shot at getting a signal - there may be one or two dishes on my street and the ones on either side of me. I've been far more patient than I should have been with Time Warner of the past couple of years.

Thanks -

Dan

I suspect that an installer won't be dispatched without an installation order. That way the installer and the contractor get paid for the trip. You can always call Multiband, the Portland area install contractor for D* (the abbreviation on the AVR Forum for DirecTV) at 878-3322, Claire at x1 and ask.

But, on new installs and especially if there is any question, you can be sure that the installer will check that there is access to D* satellites low on the southwestern sky before he does anything else. The installer will tell you where he plans to put the dish. Even if there is a signal available, you can cancel the installation without obligation.

I can't speak from experience but I assume Dish Network (abbreviation E* for EchoStar) is the same.

Dana

Skippy,
There's a discussion on the Bangor thread about what plans Time Warner has in Maine for their analog service. I'd heard six-12 months ago that Time Warner had no plans to significantly modify the service. Other folks believe there is a timer ticking away after which Time Warner will be digital-only.

Do you have any insights into this topic?


imagine, if you will, the lowest guy on the totem pole. i look UP to that guy. meaning that i don't know any more than your average csr would if you call in. however, i will be honest with you guys and not necessarily "tow the company line".

to answer your question, i honestly don't. i know we want to be all digital (and implement more SDV) as quickly as possible. time frame is above my pay grade, however. heh.


Well, hopefully there is more HD coming to the Portland area soon. I just spent 20 minutes chatting with one of the on-line reps, and they weren't able (or willing) to give any information. I was trying to express my displeasure in the removal of HDNet and HDNet Movies (and the ridiculous addition of RFD), but they never do anything other than give you the same canned "your feedback is important to us" type of lines.

there is definitely more hd coming to the portland head end. basically the scientific atlanta markets. the ones i mentioned above (usa and scifi, i was wrong about spike), fuse and fx. as i said before, this summer, hopefully june. and supposedly more over the next few months. don't know the channels yet.

as for the hdnet debacle... i totally agree. the company line is that hdnet wanted us to move them to a non-premium hd tier. but "we" felt that the nets were premium content. but as "the home of free hd" it couldn't be more obvious what should have been done: no hd tier period, and move the hdnets to standard hd tier. i wouldn't mind having smith and even rfd in hd, but i sure ain't payin' for them!!!

honestly i'm hoping that they realize the error of their ways and get the hdnets back. a couple of the editors (including harry) over at aintitcool are livid about the drop. and pissing off the owner/editors of one of the biggest geek sites on the web is not really the smartest move.

SpeedHD and SpikeHD are the 2 that I'm waiting for............and now of course I want my HDnet back as well.

Steve

Tomorrow night would be a great time to add USA HD, in time for the new season of Burn Notice. But not likely to happen according to two different CSR's I talked to. One said that nothing will change until fall at the earliest, and another guy said that they are required to notify customers 30 days ahead of time for any channel additions, deletions and dial changes. Those are posted on the Time Warner website, and as of now nothing is there, so we won't be getting anything new for at least 30 days.

SpeedHD and SpikeHD are the 2 that I'm waiting for............and now of course I want my HDnet back as well.

Steve

actually now that you mention speed, i'm fairly certain that was on the june list.

Tomorrow night would be a great time to add USA HD, in time for the new season of Burn Notice. But not likely to happen according to two different CSR's I talked to. One said that nothing will change until fall at the earliest, and another guy said that they are required to notify customers 30 days ahead of time for any channel additions, deletions and dial changes. Those are posted on the Time Warner website, and as of now nothing is there, so we won't be getting anything new for at least 30 days.

csr one is just pulling stuff out of the air. the channels may not appear until fall, but that's certainly not what we've been told. as i said, the channels i mentioned are supposed* to be coming this summer, possibly as soon as this month. that's straight from company communications.

csr two is wrong as well. we're required to notify of deletions and changes. NOT additions. so unless they did away with, as an example, tnthd in lieu of usahd (or put usahd on tnthd's channel and moved tnthd) they wouldn't have to give any notice. these are posted in the paper (legal ads section) on the first and third wednesdays of every month.

*of course if i've learned anything in my short time there, it's that TWC stands for Things WILL Change.

Since we have recently been reminded that what affects TWC nationally can have repercussions in Maine, I thought Maine TWC subs might want to read the article above-captioned here. (http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/03/tivo-has-no-beef-with-cox-comcast-and-directv-but-everyone-else/14989/)

In short, don't fall in love with your present TWC DVR software until the fallout from the latest favorable court ruling that TiVo has obtained against E* gets sorted out.

Dana

well, folks... we got informed today that due to "upgrading our network" the proposed hd editions won't be here in june after all. they're supposed to update us by july 1st as to possibly when. sorry.

well, folks... we got informed today that due to "upgrading our network" the proposed hd editions won't be here in june after all. they're supposed to update us by july 1st as to possibly when. sorry.

Not surprising - when I called yesterday and canceled my HD Tier, the CSR would only go so far as to say that they had no information about anything being added in the immediate future, but that they would be adding more channels ... by the end of the year. After being pressed further as our conversation went on, he added that there were "some great things coming, but that's all I can say" and that the recent reorganization of channels was designed to free up bandwidth. How can you claim that you have no knowledge of future plans, and then a moment later act like you know but can't say anything? Just annoying.

The CSR doesn't want to provide information that would get posted online and then people call and whine to them if it doesn't happen. They decided to provide an 'off the cuff' remark to promote the fact that things are happening behind the scenes, without giving much substance.

I could only hope companies shut up more often really. I work for a satellite radio dealer and the CSRs often aren't in this country (or any country where satellite radio covers) and spread the wildest things.

I now have 8 as strong as 6 and 13, and with a CM 4228.

Hopefully this is weather related. Everything was fine Friday and yesterday (Saturday June 13, 2009). I was getting TW QAM (CW, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, FOX, PBS World, PBS Create, NewsCenter Weather Plus, and a few others). I'm in Rumford, but we're part of the Augusta system. All channels still appear on the scan with 90+% signal strength just as before, but when I tune in, I see video and sound for a second or so, and everything freezes. All channels are the same. I called TW, CSR didn't know much, said I need to get their cable box. Right... I've been using the same HD tuner since late 2007, and everything was working just fine with regards to QAM. Anyone else having this issue since the switchover? Thanks

Tried a different video decoder and all is well ! Channels are back !

:)

Is WMTW still broadcasting digitally on both channels 8 and 46? They were for a few hours Friday morning before I left town for the weekend.

Is WMTW still broadcasting digitally on both channels 8 and 46? They were for a few hours Friday morning before I left town for the weekend.


No channel 8 is broadcasting their over the air DT signal on VHF8 exclusively now. The temporary DT signal on UHF 46 has been shut off.

Hi,
I am in Auburn and have TW HD DVR -Motorola model. I have had a series recording of Sports Tonight on CSN scheduled for months and it worked fine. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the show was no longer being recorded. It still showed up in My Series recordings but it would not show the red dot on the guide, indicating it was to be recorded. When I click on the show in the guide, it asks if I want to modify the series recording I have set for the program, indicating it does recognize my series recording. I have deleted the series recording of the show and added it back on, same issue. When I do add it back, the programming takes 2x as long as normal and does not alert me of any potential conflicts. This happens when I try to series record either the HD or SD version of the show. I called TW and got no real help there other than sending bullet to box. I was going to return box for new one until I noticed that I was having same issue with our other HD-DVR except it was on a different program (the other DVR records series of Sport Tonight just fine when I programmed it in there).
Has anyone else experienced similar issue and if so, any advice you can send my way?

Thanks,
Kevin

You can always try the standard "pull the plug" on the offender and see if it cures the box. I find a soft reset does not always cure the problem. Also, leave the plug pulled for about 10 minutes.

You can always try the standard "pull the plug" on the offender and see if it cures the box. I find a soft reset does not always cure the problem. Also, leave the plug pulled for about 10 minutes.

I second that suggestion. I have had similar problems and only unplugging for a few minutes seems to fix them.

I second that suggestion. I have had similar problems and only unplugging for a few minutes seems to fix them.

And, if that doesn't work, I have read of instances where pulling the plug overnight does. Something to do with transistors releasing their stored up energy over time. About which DrJoe knows more than I do ...

Dana

Something to do with transistors releasing their stored up energy over time.

Dana

Usually capacitors. They hold a charge for a while, so you want them to discharge.

Usually capacitors. They hold a charge for a while, so you want them to discharge.

You are sooo right. :o

Dana

Two mornings in a row (Wed and Thurs) channel 8 news was not available on direct. Got a - the problem is with them so don't call us- screen.

Anyone else have an early am problem with 8? Maybe a digital transition hiccup. All other channels were fine.

Can someone post up the in-the-clear QAM channels on the Portland Time Warner Cable system?

Can someone post up the in-the-clear QAM channels on the Portland Time Warner Cable system?


Here is the latest as of today 6/21/09:

81-1 Create (172 on a cable box)
81-2 PBS World (173 on a cable box)
81-3 WMTW-DT (508 on a cable box)
81-4 WPFO-DT (507 on a cable box)
81-5 News8now (165 on a cable box)

82-11 WCSH-DT...remaps to 6-1. (506 on a cable box)
82-12 MPBN (170 on a cable box)
82-13 MPBN 2 (171 on a cable box)
82-16 MPBN-HD (510 on a cable box)

83-1 WPME-DT (517 on a cable box)

84-1 WPXT-DT (512 on a cable box)
84-2 WGME-DT (513 on a cable box)

Note: NBC WeatherPlus is encrypted

Please post when you're done scanning what you find with your QAM tuner as well as the tuner brand.

Beware that different QAM tuners may resolve the sub channel numbers differently or not see a particular channel at all.

For example: my Panasonic QAM tuner sees 81-3 WMTW-DT as "81" and does not tune the other channels in the 81 series. WGME-DT is seen as 84 instead of 84-2 and I can't tune 84-1 WPXT-DT.

My Phillips QAM tuner sees the 82 series as
82-1 MPBN (170 on a cable box)
82-2 MPBN 2 (171 on a cable box)
82-3 MPBN-HD (510 on a cable box)

Note that WCSH-DT is not found or tunable on the Phillips tuner. I'm on TWC hub number 10 in the Stroudwater section of Portland.

I use TWC only as a backup for the DT broadcast channels now. I have a small outdoor master antenna for the local DT signals. For over the air, the picture quality is superior to cable, and to satellite as well,when viewing an HD network program. TWC can't seem to get it's act together with clear QAM. Their frequent clear QAM issues drove two more neighbors and long time TWC customers to Dish in the past month.

I have lost channel 8, ABC, on direct. Get a "no need to call us..." screen. All else is fine. Anyone else have the problem?

I have lost channel 8, ABC, on direct. Get a "no need to call us..." screen. All else is fine. Anyone else have the problem?

Same here. It must be an uplink issue.

Dana

Chiming in to note that my signal strength for KGW OTA went way down sometime between 1:30am and 5:30 am this morning so that it was unwatchable.

Sounds like I'm not alone.

I have lost channel 8, ABC, on direct. Get a "no need to call us..." screen. All else is fine. Anyone else have the problem?

Same here. It must be an uplink issue.

Dana

I get the SD version at least on an SD DirecTV box. Havent checked and HD box though.

WMTW has finally stopped dropping to SD for station IDs! Victor Garber and I are amazed!

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/4418/wmtwhdid.jpg

Yay! Just in time to watch...ah...is ABC showing anything good this summer?

Now, if only WMTW would stop blasting their volume relative to other OTA stations in the market. It's particularly obnoxious on TWC Classic. Are they trying to start a loudness war? Dynamic range on TV audio is bad enough as it is...

well, folks... we got informed today that due to "upgrading our network" the proposed hd editions won't be here in june after all. they're supposed to update us by july 1st as to possibly when. sorry.

Well it's July 1st, are the "upgrades" finished yet? When are we getting more HD?

What is with the two translators listed in that ID? Are they analog stations?

Well it's July 1st, are the "upgrades" finished yet? When are we getting more HD?

sorry... they haven't mentioned it again. i'll let you guys know when i hear anything. believe me, i want new hd as well.

What is with the two translators listed in that ID? Are they analog stations?

They're two analog repeaters.

So it has been over 2 months since time warner reclaimed all of the bandwidth associated with removing close to 10 channels worth of analog, and no new hd yet? They clearly do not care about their customers. I really wish I had a choice, I would drop cable so fast to switch to satellite!

I'm going to switch in August or September if no new HD is added by then. It's going to be a challenging install given the rules my landlord sets, i.e. no holes can be drilled, and dish cannot be attached to building. But if I can find an installer up to the challenge, Time Warner will lose my business!

In Aug or Sept the NFL Sunday ticket will probably be a promo on Direct. I took it and loved it, but the games are in SD, not HD. You might try some haggling about getting HD. They are very good about wanting to hook you. I eventually ended up with the NFL HD package at no additional cost. If the promo is the same you get a lot more, such s sports package and premium channels (HBO, etc).

I got the package that includes HD and the DVR and have more now and paying less for it than what I would have with CC. The only thing I miss is local weather on the 8s with the weather channel, but my computer is fine for that and I do not have to wait through 8 min of commercials.

I also shifted to GWI for phone and internet and have been very happy with their service compared to CC/Suscom and verizon/fairpoint. I had to re-set my router about once a week with CC and have never done so with GWI. Happy camper.

So it has been over 2 months since time warner reclaimed all of the bandwidth associated with removing close to 10 channels worth of analog, and no new hd yet? They clearly do not care about their customers. I really wish I had a choice, I would drop cable so fast to switch to satellite!

My experience with Comcast in Brunswick left me with the same conclusion. It is a self-serving, top down driven business model. My experience with D* has been much different aka better. I think the contrast in business models is often overlooked in discussions about relative merits of cable vs. satellite.
---
Added afterthought. I think the fundamental difference is that cable companies have a relatively fixed capacity (bandwidth) delivery system. So, they feel the need to maximize profitability within that constraint. And, they continue to have the mindset that cable is a local monopoly. It's only in areas where there is FIOS that cable execs panic. Notice the ads lately that portray FIOS in such a terrible way? All I can say is "Look who's talking."

Satellite on the other hand has the ability to increase bandwidth by adding more birds in the sky. So, their business model is quite different and more inclined to be customer driven. They have no monopoly and feel the need to be competitive.

Just my 2¢.

Dana

In Aug or Sept the NFL Sunday ticket will probably be a promo on Direct. I took it and loved it, but the games are in SD, not HD. You might try some haggling about getting HD. They are very good about wanting to hook you. I eventually ended up with the NFL HD package at no additional cost. If the promo is the same you get a lot more, such s sports package and premium channels (HBO, etc).

I got the package that includes HD and the DVR and have more now and paying less for it than what I would have with CC. The only thing I miss is local weather on the 8s with the weather channel, but my computer is fine for that and I do not have to wait through 8 min of commercials.

I also shifted to GWI for phone and internet and have been very happy with their service compared to CC/Suscom and verizon/fairpoint. I had to re-set my router about once a week with CC and have never done so with GWI. Happy camper.

I did the same. DirecTV and GWI from TW and Verizon. Couldn't be happier.

Sinclair Broadcasting Group Inc. reportedly (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/315207-Sinclair_Eyes_Chapter_11.php) could be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The story in a trade publication web page says:

A miserable advertising market and crippling debt burden may force the Baltimore-based broadcaster into Chapter 11.

WGME-TV channel 13 CBS in Portland is owned and operated (http://www.wgme.com/sections/station/index.shtml) by Sinclair. It isn't clear to me what affect this situation will have on the local station if any.

Sinclair Broadcasting has been known in the past to withhold carriage of its stations - it owns 58 of them including 20 Fox affiliates - as a negotiating tactic with cable companies. SusCom cable in Brunswick never did carry the station in HD. When SusCom was bought out by Comcast in 2006, one of the early benefits was the immediate appearance of WGME-TV in HD on its Brunswick cable system because Comcast had signed a national agreement with Sinclair.

Dana

A parallel story from the Baltimore Sun (http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.sinclair14jul14,0,2332940.story) indicates that Sinclair's problem in part is a decline in auto-related advertising.

Automobile advertising has historically represented about a quarter of the company's ad revenue. But that percentage fell to less than 14 percent in the first three months of this year, the company said.

Dana

Anybody else in the Portland / South Portland area having problems with HD channels on Time Warner?

For a little over 2 weeks I've had an issue where it would play for about 3-5 seconds and then the screen would freeze for a couple ... and repeat that endlessly (only on HD channels). Makes it impossible to watch anything in HD. For some odd reason it didn't do this at all this past weekend, but it was right back to freezing Monday.

I suspect it's actually an issue with the box (SA 8300HD), as previously ok recordings on the DVR were doing the same thing. I've had the same box for 2 years without issue, but maybe it's just it's time. I've tried resetting the box by unplugging it for a while and starting it back up, but it doesn't seem to clear up the issue. I would hate to have to swap the box out because I still have about 10 hours of stuff on the DVR I haven't watched yet.

I have had that happen before and it is usually a signal strength issue. Where I live they have had issues with amplifiers to cover whole neigborhoods (like earlier this summer) and at times we have had problems with the line to our house.

I have had the best luck by calling and asking them to read my signal strength at the DVR and if it is low to have them check on whether there is a neigborhood issue or whether they need to do a truck roll. Once the signal strength issue is resolved, the freezing and blocking goes away.

I have had that happen before and it is usually a signal strength issue. Where I live they have had issues with amplifiers to cover whole neigborhoods (like earlier this summer) and at times we have had problems with the line to our house.

I have had the best luck by calling and asking them to read my signal strength at the DVR and if it is low to have them check on whether there is a neigborhood issue or whether they need to do a truck roll. Once the signal strength issue is resolved, the freezing and blocking goes away.

Thanks - makes sense, but I wouldn't think that shouldn't affect playback from things already on the DVR. I tried calling earlier today but got placed on hold for 5 minutes and then my daughter needed my attention - I'll try again in a bit.

If you are saying that live HD feeds look fine and it is only when you play back a recording that you have a problem, then it sounds like you have a bad box.

If that is the case you may want to just swap out the box rather than spend a lot of time on tech support.

If you are saying that live HD feeds look fine and it is only when you play back a recording that you have a problem, then it sounds like you have a bad box.

If that is the case you may want to just swap out the box rather than spend a lot of time on tech support.

No, it's any HD - recorded or live - that I try to watch. I suspect that swapping the box is the answer either way, but I was just hoping to not lose what I've got recorded and haven't watched - oh well.

If it is stuttering on both live and recorded, then I think my first response would apply (signal level problems). However, if you recorded something that you know was clean and when played back, it broke up, froze, etc., it would be more likely to be a box issue.

Your problem sounds exactly like the one I had which was corrected by better signal strength (although there are some channels that are more finicky than others).

I'm in South Portland and I'm not having any significant problems with the unencrypted HD channels on Time Warner. There's some rare random glitching, very brief in duration (< 1 sec), but I am not sure if that is a source, reception, or network throughput issue from my HDHomeRun tuner.

Our local market is making progress. I noticed WCSH is airing some local ads in HD now. They seem to be in 14:9 (I guess) aspect ratio for some reason.

Actually, the NFL Network intends to rebroadcast all 65 Pre Season Games in HD. So, if you're a fan of an out-of-this-market team, you can still watch your favorite team's pre-season games in HD. The schedule is here (http://www.hdsportsguide.com/news/2009/nfl-network-to-broadcast-all-65-pre-season-games-in-hd/).

They are also going to have 12 live games that will be broadcast in HD as well including the first ever triple header on Saturday August 15.


Not coincidentally, this raises the issue of which cable/sat providers carry the NFL Network in HD. It is carried on D*. Comcast Brunswick may carry it on its Digital Classic tier by August 1. (http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/05/19/nfl-and-comcast-reach-agreement-nfl-network-switches-to-digital-c/) Not sure whether in HD. Other providers in this DMA?

It was just a few years ago that we were starved for HD in this market. Now, "The worm has turned." (http://salmonriver.com/words/nancy/wormturns.html)

Dana

What is the newest HD DVR and cable modem (with no phone) that TWC is giving out? Do they have the new Cisco 8550HDC or is the old 8300HDC?

Get the Tivo HD instead. The cost is similar and the product is vastly superior and has OTA tuning as well.

What is the newest HD DVR and cable modem (with no phone) that TWC is giving out? Do they have the new Cisco 8550HDC or is the old 8300HDC?
My brother-In-Law had cable Internet added last Saturday and TWC installed a SA DCP2100 modem.

Get the Tivo HD instead. The cost is similar and the product is vastly superior and has OTA tuning as well.

I would like to and yes I know Tivo blows the junky old fashion SA stuff away, but as soon as DirecTV gets their act together and starts adding more HD, a switch will be in the works (especially if the new HD DirecTivo is available). Tivo still has too high of an up-front cost and their monthly service charge is way over what TW charges.

I would like to and yes I know Tivo blows the junky old fashion SA stuff away, but as soon as DirecTV gets their act together and starts adding more HD, a switch will be in the works (especially if the new HD DirecTivo is available). Tivo still has too high of an up-front cost and their monthly service charge is way over what TW charges.
I get a little chuckle out of your comment, when you are reluctant to go to DirecTV because of their HD offering. When TWC currently offers about 32 HD channels and DirecTV currently offers over 130 channels in HD.

I used to be a TIVO junkie when I had my older DirecTV receiver, and was very disappointed when DirecTV came out with their own HR2X series of receivers. But, after using the HR20 for a while I like it as well if not better than my old HR10-250 TIVO receiver. As a matter of fact I prefer the menu system of the HR2X receivers over the TIVO menus on the HR10-250.

If D* wasn't missing Travel-HD, we would already be a sub. We could care less about all their sports programming junk, PPV and movie channels.

If D* wasn't missing Travel-HD, we would already be a sub. We could care less about all their sports programming junk, PPV and movie channels.
Got to agree on Travel Channel HD, I can't believe DirecTV is dragging their feet on this one, when so many customers are asking for it.

It's possible that D* has just about max'd out its present capacity. In that regard and since other posters have sought out info on upcoming changes in channel carriage by TWC in Maine, I thought I'd mention that an additional D* satellite D12 is expected to launch in "Late September" 2009 to provide the capacity for over 200 national HD channels and additional HD Local-in-Local's (LIL's) to more than 92% of households.

There's a thread here (http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=134248) with more info. I hope this means D* will start carrying MPBN HD in our DMA. The Bangor DMA now has it.

Dana

SpeedHD and SpikeHD are the 2 that I'm waiting for............and now of course I want my HDnet back as well.

Steve

It is rediculous the amount of time TWC is dragging their AZZ on Speed in HD. I've called a half dozen times (think I've posted on here before) and their answer is always, "we're in negotiations with them" or, "they are not willing to provide HD" blah, blah. I talked with one of the Speed guys at NHMS a few weeks ago, he said it was BS and TWC simply blows. Which I agree. I've not pulled the D trigger yet, fear of installation, dish on my house, etc. However, it's killing me to watch Nascar without HD. You can get SpeedHD "on demand" but not regular? WTF?

Ps - USA should be in HD also with TWC.

Now that it is August, the 2009 NE Patriots pre-season (aka practice) games aren't far away. I had assumed that since the Patriots have switched to WBZ-TV (CBS) as its flagship TV station in the Boston DMA, that "local" pre-season games might be shown here by WGME-TV (CBS) channel 13 in this market.

WRONG! According to information posted here, (http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/preseason.htm) that's not the case. WMTW-TV channel 8 is listed as one of the 2009 New England Patriots Preseason TV Network stations.

I've emailed WMTW-TV to confirm.

These "local TV" games are Aug. 13 (@ Eagles), Aug. 20 (Bengals) and Sep. 3 (Giants) at 7:30 PM. Note that they are all Thursday nights.

The Aug. 28 Friday night game (@ Redskins) will be on CBS nationally - WGME-TV (CBS) channel 13 here - and starts at 8 PM.

In this day and age, I assume (!) all games will be in HD.

GO PATS! :p

Dana

NBC starts the show by airing Buffalo @ Tennessee next Sunday evening. Is that the Hall Of Fame game? Miami's pre-season game at Tampa (Thursday, August 27th) will be on FOX. The other games usually air on WFOR-DT (CBS) in Miami.

As for the Pats, I'm not sure who in Hartford/New Haven airs them. Their radio home is WCCC-FM 106.9 of Hartford (Active Rock).

Now that it is August, the 2009 NE Patriots pre-season (aka practice) games aren't far away. I had assumed that since the Patriots have switched to WBZ-TV (CBS) as its flagship TV station in the Boston DMA, that "local" pre-season games might be shown here by WGME-TV (CBS) channel 13 in this market.

WRONG! According to information posted here, (http://www.allthingsbillbelichick.com/preseason.htm) that's not the case. WMTW-TV channel 8 is listed as one of the 2009 New England Patriots Preseason TV Network stations.

I've emailed WMTW-TV to confirm.

These "local TV" games are Aug. 13 (@ Eagles), Aug. 20 (Bengals) and Sep. 3 (Giants) at 7:30 PM. Note that they are all Thursday nights.

The Aug. 28 Friday night game (@ Redskins) will be on CBS nationally - WGME-TV (CBS) channel 13 here - and starts at 8 PM.

In this day and age, I assume (!) all games will be in HD.

GO PATS! :p

Dana

If you miss the local games here is the NFL Network schedule. They claim they will air EVERY pre season game this year.
http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2009/07/nfl-network-set-to-air-every-preseason.html

NBC starts the show by airing Buffalo @ Tennessee next Sunday evening. Is that the Hall Of Fame game? Miami's pre-season game at Tampa (Thursday, August 27th) will be on FOX. The other games usually air on WFOR-DT (CBS) in Miami.

As for the Pats, I'm not sure who in Hartford/New Haven airs them. Their radio home is WCCC-FM 106.9 of Hartford (Active Rock).

Yes, that Sunday August 9 event is the HOF game (http://www.profootballhof.com/events/event.aspx?F_y=2009&F_m=8&F_d=08%2f09%2f2009&eventId=33) and starts at 7 PM.

The enshrinement of Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, Jr., and Rod Woodson in the HOF is on Saturday night Aug. 8 at 7 PM. ESPN and the NFL Network will carry it live. Rich Eisen will emcee. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16924557#post16924557)

The link I posted above indicates WCTX-TV – Hartford/New Haven, CT. is the PATS Preseason Network affiliate there.

Dana

If you miss the local games here is the NFL Network schedule. They claim they will air EVERY pre season game this year.
http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2009/07/nfl-network-set-to-air-every-preseason.html

Stop stealing my stuff! :D I posted that on July 17. But, maybe you don't read my stuff. :eek:

Anyway, a good note. The Pats practice games on the NFL Network will be rebroadcast - they are not live. The live presaeason games on the NFL Network don't include the PATS games.

The followup question is who gets the NFL Network in Maine.

Dana

Stop stealing my stuff! :D I posted that on July 17. But, maybe you don't read my stuff. :eek:

Anyway, a good note. The Pats games on the NFL Network will be rebroadcast - they are not live. The live presaeason games on the NFL Network don't include the PATS games.

Dana
Sorry Dana, I remembered reading it, just forgot it was here. My bad.

Sorry Dana, I remembered reading it, just forgot it was here. My bad.

Of course you know I was KIDDING!!! But, did you notice how I refrained from commenting on that part of KML-224's post when he mentioned the Dolphins? I mean, after all.

May I assume you don't root for the 'Fins when you are back in Melbourne?

Squish the FISH! :p

Dana

Of course you know I was KIDDING!!! But, did you notice how I refrained from commenting on that part of KML-224's post when he mentioned the Dolphins? I mean, after all.

May I assume you don't root for the 'Fins when you are back in Melbourne?

Squish the FISH! :p

Dana
No Dolphins for me, 100% Pats fan, even after living down there for 35 years. I am a Marlins and Rays fan, and my hockey team is the Panthers, but no football fish for me.

Announcers for the upcoming "local TV" PATS pre-season games apparently will again be Don Criqui on play-by-play with Randy Cross as color commentator. Sideline reporter will be WBZ reporter Steve Burton.

Criqui was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003 with the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award.

Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti will again handle radio.

I say "apparently" because the PATS haven't yet put out a press release. My source is here. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Patriots#Radio_and_television)

Dana

Of course you know I was KIDDING!!! But, did you notice how I refrained from commenting on that part of KML-224's post when he mentioned the Dolphins? I mean, after all.

May I assume you don't root for the 'Fins when you are back in Melbourne?

Squish the FISH! :p

Dana

I won't bite about the comment about my beloved Dolphins. I heard it all the time in my two years at Old Orchard Beach High School, including when the Patriots beat us to get into Super Bowl XX. We were 1-15-0 in 2007 and did I switch teams? HELL NO! Been a "Fish" fan since 1983. We play at Foxboro on Sunday, November 8th (CBS) and host them on Sunday, December 6th (NBC).

I just wonder...do the Giants still have any fans in Maine? I seem to remember WGME carrying them a lot, back when CBS had the NFC package in the 1980s.

I won't bite about the comment about my beloved Dolphins. I heard it all the time in my two years at Old Orchard Beach High School, including when the Patriots beat us to get into Super Bowl XX. We were 1-15-0 in 2007 and did I switch teams? HELL NO! Been a "Fish" fan since 1983. We play at Foxboro on Sunday, November 8th (CBS) and host them on Sunday, December 6th (NBC).

I just wonder...do the Giants still have any fans in Maine? I seem to remember WGME carrying them a lot, back when CBS had the NFC package in the 1980s.

I apologize. As a genuine Mainah, you're entitled to root for any team you want. I thought maybe you were trolling.

As far as the Giants are concerned, as you say they were very popular in Maine if not all over New England at one time. I can remember that the Giants came to Bangor for a pre-season game when Andy Robustelli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Robustelli) was on the team, a personal favorite. Maybe late '50s - early '60s. They sold out. I rooted for the Giants long before the PATS existed.

One problem with rooting for the Patriots in the '80s is that you never knew if the game was going to be on TV since they rarely sold out Foxboro Stadium by mid-week. I think Bill Parcells had a lot of credibility when he took over as coach for the PATS because he was successful with the Giants. And of course Bill Belichick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Belichick) spent 12 years with the NY Giants. He has been known to say that when the PATS play at the Meadowlands, he feels like it's a homecoming. Lots of nostalgia for him.

Finally, lots of Giants fans showed their colors locally when the PATS played them in the final regular season game in 2006 and of course in the 2007 Super Bowl which I don't like to talk about. There are family traditions that run deep.

Dana

Thank you for understanding! You can root for your Pats and I'll root for my Dolphins. The NFL sure knew about the rivalry we have with both the Patriots and Jets. Why else did they keep us in the AFC East when we easily could've been moved to the AFC South? Getting back to television, I don't have a copy of Super Bowl XX. from NBC. I do have much of Super Bowl XXI from CBS, recorded off of WGME back in 1987, but the quality isn't too good. Half of the player intros and nearly all the post game is missing. Like NBC and CBS in the day, my videotape was scarce back then.

In more modern times, I was told that Super Bowl XXXIV, telecasted by ABC in 2000, was the first Super Bowl in high definition, while Super Bowl XX, telecasted by NBC in 1986, was the first Super Bowl in stereo. It's going to be interesting as to what effect the networks have on the ratings, now that the full-powered analog stations are gone?

Back when I lived in Old Orchard Beach, I only had an indoor antenna and a flimsy UHF loop that Shaw's supermarkets sold for $1 at the time of WPXT-TV's sign on in 1986. WCSH-TV (NBC) channel 6 was easily my best signal, followed closely by WMTW-TV (ABC) channel 8, depsite coming off of Mount Washington, NH. WGME-TV (CBS) was watchable, but not always perfect. Thankfully, they came in well enough that cold and light snowy day in January 1987 to record Super Bowl XXI. The generic "WGME 13- Portland" ID shows up somewhere in the second quarter on playback, if I'm not mistaken. I didn't record any commercials and it's still the only thing I ever recorded off of WGME that I still have today.

In closing, as it relates to the NFL and FOX, how is the WPFO-DT (FOX) signal into York County? I can't imagine it being that good, with their transmitter being up in Litchfield, ME (My reception of analog PBS channel 10 from Augusta was always snowy at best).

I attended that Bangor Giants game in 1958. It was difficult to believe that professional football was to be played here in Maine. My girlfriend and, later, wife was no where near as impressed as I was, but that was understandable.

The Giants on local tv may have started in the Fall of '54. I went off to school in Boston and was quite cut-off from this area for extended periods of time.

A childhood neighbor and friend of mine, David Cloutier, had a season in 1962 as a defensive back with the Pats when they were first getting started. Coverage of the Pats was spotty for a while and taped presentations were part of what was available.

So, until the early to mid 60's, the Giants were there and adopted by New England. I think most still have a soft spot for the organization that brought them their very first football Sundays.

Stan,

That's very cool. Thanks!

No word back yet from WMTW-TV but Zap2it does show the station carrying the PATS @ Eagles pre-season game on Thursday Aug. 13 7:30 - 10:30 PM in HD. :cool:

Dana

ABC/8 carried Patriots All Access last year. Is anyone locally carrying it this year? I see it is on WBZ in Boston.

ABC/8 carried Patriots All Access last year. Is anyone locally carrying it this year? I see it is on WBZ in Boston.

Hey Beekeeper,

Apparently not being carried locally according to this info (http://www.patriotsdaily.com/2009/07/patriots-all-access-tonight-at-700/) posted last Friday. :(

Patriots All Access returns tonight at 7:00 p.m. on WBZ-TV. If you’re outside the Boston area, you can watch the show at 7:30 p.m. right on Patriots.com. If you’ve got Verizon FiOS On Demand, the show will be available to watch any time.


Dana

Apropos of our conversation here about New England being NY Giants territory long before the PATS were respectable, the superb football writer for the Boston Globe, Mike Reiss, has a swell article (http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2009/08/04/patriots_humble_beginnings_were_anything_but_super/?page=full) in today's edition reflecting on the PATS' humble beginnings. Here's some comments related to our own recollections and impact on TV coverage:

... Then there was “The Duke,’’ a.k.a. Gino Cappelletti, who would take part in training camp in Amherst, then drive east five nights a week to anchor WBZ television sportscasts. Broadcasting helped supplement his $7,500 salary.
...

When Cappelletti arrived in 1960, it was his first trip to Boston. He played at the University of Minnesota and had little idea of what he was walking into.

“I did not realize that New England was New York Giant territory, but I found out in a hurry,’’ he said. “The Giants and their players were household names in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, especially Connecticut. In a way, that turned out to be our toughest opponent.’’

The Giants, in the already-established NFL, had their games broadcast across the East Coast every Sunday. The Patriots would initially play on Friday nights...

Dana

Dave Able from WMTW-TV channel 8 has confirmed its carriage of PATS pre-season football. :cool:

Dear Dana:

News 8 WMTW will indeed be carrying the Patriots Pre-season non network football games this summer. As you mentioned, the games we have scheduled are 8/13, 8/20 and 9/3.

Dana

Quarterly figures are in for both Comcast and D*. Both cite the recession as having an impact on their business. Which one did well and which one didn't?

According to a wire service report, (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN0630954720090806) "Comcast lost more than 214,000 basic video subscribers during the second quarter, sending its total video customer base below 24 million." Its CFO cites the weak economy as the major factor.

A trade journal report (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3idb676dc68387c3ad70be05f4daf009d7) says that D* meanwhile had a net subscriber growth of 224,000. While D*s total subscriber base in the USA is now 18.3 million, if you include Latin America its total sub base totals more than 24.2 million making it the world's largest pay TV provider. Apparently the economy has primarily affected its premium channel demand and pay-per-view buys.

No way to break out figures for Maine but my guess is that in the 11 community mid-coast Comcast service area, the trend might be similar. Comcast has made no effort to increase carriage capacity of the former SusCom MSO and it was rumored to be up for sale a year ago.

Dana

Since TWC is the dominant cable provider in Maine, I dug out the latest comparable info for it as reported here. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iX66C5jQyeWlJgyxYMv0fuDUOWPwD99OB5G01) "It ended the quarter with 14.65 million customers, down from 14.74 million a year ago."

Dana

Finally, a wire service report (http://apnews.excite.com/article/20090810/D9A01MUG0.html) about E* (= Dish Network on the AVS Forum). It added about 26,000 subs nationally and made a modest profit in the 2Q.

No info on its success here in Maine. Those interested can read the full report. Just a note of caution to folks who might be inclined to subscribe because of its well-regarded HD DVR STBs. It is in litigation with TiVo.

In a worst-case scenario, Dish's court battle with TiVo could force Dish to yank its digital video recorders over patent claims.

Of course money usually resolves such disputes. ;)

Dana

3 months since the analog bandwidth reclamation, still no new hd from time warner! how incredibly lame of them...

Reception via D* of WMTW-TV's broadcast of the Pats-Eagles pre-season game in HD last night looked great. The only thing that seemed out of place was the station's own 4x3 ID screen. Oh well.

Dana

As for that 4:3 ID screen, does WMTW-DT still drop to 4:3 if a severe weather scroll or breaking news pops up on the screen?

As for that 4:3 ID screen, does WMTW-DT still drop to 4:3 if a severe weather scroll or breaking news pops up on the screen?

A post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16736513#post16736513) on this thread back on 6/28 shows that the station did use a 16x9 ID overlaid a network feed. And I did see a scroll at the bottom of a 16x9 screen last night advising where to find the program regularly scheduled for the time slot. It carried the "News 8" logo. So, maybe it can ride the network feed with its own ID or scroll.

What I saw was its own 4x3 ID with black side bars on my 16x9 HD screen indicating that it still can't originate an HD signal in the absence of a network feed. It's been a long-standing issue.

Dana

Not to interrupt the cable and sports discussion here, but I'm seeking someone who is using OTA and either has a computer tuner, or has a 32-bit Windows computer that they could hook up to OTA if provided with a tuner. I require some information about area stations that is provided by that gear, and would like to know if someone would be willing to help me out.

Thanks for your time. :)

- Trip

Trip

I'm on the NH/ME border and have pc and tv over OTA.

Trip

I'm on the NH/ME border and have pc and tv over OTA.

After consulting baud via PM, I still need someone who can get WPXT, WPME, WPFO, and any of the Maine PBS stations (I don't have a preference, I just need at least one of them).

Thanks. :)

- Trip

The ATI HDTV Wonder at work computer can receive those. PXT and PME return here when the leaves drop. WMTW comes in great now that it's 8vhf.

Quarterly figures are in for both Comcast and D*. Both cite the recession as having an impact on their business. Which one did well and which one didn't?

According to a wire service report, (http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSN0630954720090806) "Comcast lost more than 214,000 basic video subscribers during the second quarter, sending its total video customer base below 24 million." Its CFO cites the weak economy as the major factor.

A trade journal report (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3idb676dc68387c3ad70be05f4daf009d7) says that D* meanwhile had a net subscriber growth of 224,000. While D*s total subscriber base in the USA is now 18.3 million, if you include Latin America its total sub base totals more than 24.2 million making it the world's largest pay TV provider. Apparently the economy has primarily affected its premium channel demand and pay-per-view buys.

No way to break out figures for Maine but my guess is that in the 11 community mid-coast Comcast service area, the trend might be similar. Comcast has made no effort to increase carriage capacity of the former SusCom MSO and it was rumored to be up for sale a year ago.

Dana

Hi Dana, I have not been on for a while, everything has been great with D*:) I've working in a new capacity with Best Buy which has me customer's homes designing their home theater. I couldn't believe it when I went into a customer's home and saw that Comcast has not added a single new HD channel since I left them a couple of years ago! Even worse, they gave this customer a box with only a DVI output and then gave them a hard time swapping for one with an HDMI. They also told them that it would 2-3 years before they would be upgrading. Funny, didn't Mary tell us that they would be fully upgraded by the end of 2007 :D I tell all my customers that they need to switch to D* to get the most out of their new system even though we are no longer partnered with them

A football note- (Directv) the pats game on 8 was in 720i (pats announcers) while the game on nfl network was in 1080i and philly announcers. Obviously done by the teams networks (kraft network for pats, no idea for phillies) but was very interesting to watch both shows to get the home town perspective. Sideline work was concentrated on the owners team. Field work was shared.

It appears the nfl network preseason games are home team productions, so will be interesting to see what next week brings including if it is 1080i on the nfl network while 8 is still 720i.

A football note- (Directv) the pats game on 8 was in 720i (pats announcers) while the game on nfl network was in 1080i and philly announcers. Obviously done by the teams networks (kraft network for pats, no idea for phillies) but was very interesting to watch both shows to get the home town perspective. Sideline work was concentrated on the owners team. Field work was shared.

It appears the nfl network preseason games are home team productions, so will be interesting to see what next week brings including if it is 1080i on the nfl network while 8 is still 720i.
It would be interesting to see what the Boston station had it in. I don't think I have ever seen anything in 720i, only 480i and 1080i.

It would be interesting to see what the Boston station had it in. I don't think I have ever seen anything in 720i, only 480i and 1080i.

It was in 720p which all ABC and Fox affiliates broadcast in. The game was on channel 5 in Boston which is also ABC. NFL network broadcasts in 1080i, if they pick up a game from a local channel using 720p they will then convert it to 1080i for their broadcast.

It was in 720p which all ABC and Fox affiliates broadcast in. The game was on channel 5 in Boston which is also ABC. NFL network broadcasts in 1080i, if they pick up a game from a local channel using 720p they will then convert it to 1080i for their broadcast.
I watched it live on channel 8 and again on NFL Network, and really didn't see much difference between the two, PQ wise.

You may not see a difference between 720p and 1080i on your television set in any case. Many (most) sets have a "native" resolution to which all signals are internally converted. Wth high def sets, this is most often 1080i/p or 720p.

Joe

Hi Dana, I have not been on for a while, everything has been great with D*:) I've working in a new capacity with Best Buy which has me customer's homes designing their home theater. I couldn't believe it when I went into a customer's home and saw that Comcast has not added a single new HD channel since I left them a couple of years ago! Even worse, they gave this customer a box with only a DVI output and then gave them a hard time swapping for one with an HDMI. They also told them that it would 2-3 years before they would be upgrading. Funny, didn't Mary tell us that they would be fully upgraded by the end of 2007 :D I tell all my customers that they need to switch to D* to get the most out of their new system even though we are no longer partnered with them

Bob,

I'm delighted to hear from you, Bob! You were such a helpful contributor in "the old days" aka just two-three years ago.

Not long before I left Comcast, I wrote Mary (Comcast area V-P) asking if the former SusCom system was just an orphan being neglected up here in the woods. I thought sure it would provoke some sort of response but it didn't. No defense. Not long after, we saw the rumor that it was up for sale. I think that means I was close to the truth; it's frozen in time.

Dana

Just a note that, even though I'm down here in Wakefield RI (south coast of the Ocean State), I've been getting WMTW quite well after midnight, both 8.1 and 8.2. Strong signal! Goes away during the daytime, but there must be something going on with the atmosphere because I've been getting it repeatedly over the last week late at night.

Just a note that, even though I'm down here in Wakefield RI (south coast of the Ocean State), I've been getting WMTW quite well after midnight, both 8.1 and 8.2. Strong signal! Goes away during the daytime, but there must be something going on with the atmosphere because I've been getting it repeatedly over the last week late at night.

That reminds me of the old pre-cable days of the 50's. At first, Maine only had WABI out of Bangor, so if you had a good outside antenna and wandered up and down the dial each night, you would, fairly frequently, encounter a station "blowing in" from out of State. Usually, it would be the Boston stations more than 150 miles away for us. Sometimes, it was from some other location.

One night in '53 or '54, my father and I were sitting there and an Illinois station suddenly pushed a rather low powered channel 6 aside and gave us a minor league baseball game for a while. We could hardly believe our eyes and thought that was just about the best thing we had seen. When the stations appeared like that due to atmospheric conditions, the picture was usually far superior to anything we saw from the weak Maine stations.

I can remember watching the Jackie Gleason Show from the Boston station under unusual weather conditions. It seemed like such a great treat. Now, I demand my 80 to 90 stations all the time, rock solid and in high definition. ............ On the other hand, it used to be so much more fun!

Still getting WMTW tonight on the south coast of RI -- watching the 11pm news right now! :)

Stan -- it was fun back then, eh? I don't date back as far as you but I also have some fond memories. My most memorable as in the early '90s, when I was in high school, and we had the rooftop antenna watching the Noon news during the summer. Whatever local station it was went out due to interference from another signal, and for a period of about 20 minutes we had local news....with orange grove commercials and a weather forecast only showing the state of Florida! The audio was in and out but the picture was strong enough for us to know the local news we were watching was from Florida somewhere...I will never forget that, obviously! Anyway, strange things can happen along the coastal waters, and that was proof positive of that.

Getting Maine down here happened in the old days too -- but this is the first time I've gotten anything strongly with a digital signal. Several days running now, and once the sun goes down, Channel 8 has popped up with no break up. Maybe it has something to do with the atmosphere, who knows, but it's fun! :)

It looks like TWC is taking the plunge into switched digital video in the Central Maine area beginning 9/15. The list of channels going to SDV include a number of SD digital and HD digital channels (looks like all except local) as well as Movie Plex, HBO, Showtime, Starz, TMC, Sports Tier and Sports Package channels.

The important thing for me is that my cablecard will no work after almost 4 years of great and inexpensive service. They will provide one basic HD converter in exchage for the card and at the same monthly price for at least a year.

I suspect that we will see some more channels on 9/15, however, I am pretty much satisfied with what we have now. It will be great, though, if we end up with all of the news channels in HD.

It looks like TWC is taking the plunge into switched digital video in the Central Maine area beginning 9/15. The list of channels going to SDV include a number of SD digital and HD digital channels (looks like all except local) as well as Movie Plex, HBO, Showtime, Starz, TMC, Sports Tier and Sports Package channels.

The important thing for me is that my cablecard will no work after almost 4 years of great and inexpensive service. They will provide one basic HD converter in exchage for the card and at the same monthly price for at least a year.

I suspect that we will see some more channels on 9/15, however, I am pretty much satisfied with what we have now. It will be great, though, if we end up with all of the news channels in HD.

Where did u see this information...furthermore what area are you located in?

As mentioned earlier on this thread, this is the time of year - NFL football getting started - when D* rolls out its best offers for new subs. Today's PPH (and possibly other sister papers, the KJ and the WS) carries a flyer from D* with various offers. FYI.

Dana

Where did u see this information...furthermore what area are you located in?

A letter dated 8/14 arrived 8/20. I'm on the Augusta TWC system.

I should clarify what I have said by noting that I received information from TWC only due to the fact that I am a cablecard user. Otherwise, I would just be another uninformed member of the TWC community.

Yesterday, I called to leave a message that will result in TWC making an appointment to come to the house and hook up a damned converter and take away my precious cablecard that has served so well.

I should clarify what I have said by noting that I received information from TWC only due to the fact that I am a cablecard user. Otherwise, I would just be another uninformed member of the TWC community.

Yesterday, I called to leave a message that will result in TWC making an appointment to come to the house and hook up a damned converter and take away my precious cablecard that has served so well.

Well, I hope it works out for you, Stan. I think the CableCard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CableCard) was anathema to cable operators right from the get-go. A response to the FCC mandate "... to allow non cable company provided devices to access their networks" might have placated the FCC at the time, but the reality is that the cable operators make lots of $$$ renting their STBs so it was never in their best interest to make it work - or make it well-known.

I wonder how this will affect TiVo units. Don't they require CableCards?

Dana

The Pats were 720p on 8 and 1080i on nfl network again (directv). But the NFL was the Cincinnati feed, so it is not the home team but probably the fact that the feed is 1080i and fits with the HD in NFLHD. I realize 720p is also HD but 1080i/p is the real seller for HD sets.

The Pats were 720p on 8 and 1080i on nfl network again (directv). But the NFL was the Cincinnati feed, so it is not the home team but probably the fact that the feed is 1080i and fits with the HD in NFLHD. I realize 720p is also HD but 1080i/p is the real seller for HD sets.

Of course as DrJoe noted, any signal you input to your display that isn't its native resolution is upconverted by the display. So, although the feeds apparently were in different resolutions, you watched them in whatever resolution is native on your display. Since I have a 1080p LCD display, that's how I see everything. (I actually have the D* HD DVR convert everything to 1080i so the display just does the deinterlacing.)

Dana

WCSH Bill Green's Maine Now in HD :)

A letter dated 8/14 arrived 8/20. I'm on the Augusta TWC system.

what boxes are they deploying and are they using I-guide or navigator.

FYI, I noticed yesterday that D* is carrying the HD feed of WCBB (aka MPBN) in the Portland DMA. I'm pretty sure that's a very recent addition. I haven't watched anything off of it to see if the quality is any better than the terrible quality I remember seeing on that channel the few times I got a stable enough OTA signal for it. It probably all depends on whether D* gets it from a fiber uplink or via an OTA antenna, since they multi-cast.

FYI, I noticed yesterday that D* is carrying the HD feed of WCBB (aka MPBN) in the Portland DMA. I'm pretty sure that's a very recent addition. I haven't watched anything off of it to see if the quality is any better than the terrible quality I remember seeing on that channel the few times I got a stable enough OTA signal for it. It probably all depends on whether D* gets it from a fiber uplink or via an OTA antenna, since they multi-cast.

Woopie! Great news. Must be very recent. Now I can start watching "History Detectives" again.

My guess is that it's not OTA. According to a directory of Local Receive Facilities (LRF) (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=P1400108) on the D* website, its Portland-Auburn, Maine LRF for HD is at 338-340 Cumberland Avenue, Portland, ME 04101. (Looks like a storage building on Google.) For SD it's at 99 Danville Corner Road, Auburn, ME 04210. (That's the location of WMTW-TV.)

So, it's "got to be" a cable connection if these two locations serve all of the Portland-Auburn DMA. Right?

Dana

I had to reboot my D* HD DVR and now I'm getting it, too! The Guide info is somewhat screwed up. It says the source is WCBB-DT Bangor! The Bangor DMA MPBN DT TV station there is WMEB Orono Channel 12. So, who knows.

The station ID on the current program says MPBN-HD and it fills my 16x9 screen although the quality of the picture suggests otherwise. Maybe an upconversion of a SD program. Hard to know what they are doing. I'll wait for a network HD feed to judge.

Dana

Is there something wrong with channel 6? Since last night it's been out on DirecTV and my antenna no longer picks it up.

edit: nevermind, they are having issues. http://www.wcsh6.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=108419&catid=112

WMTW-DT has applied to the FCC for a UHF translator to be placed on the time and temperature building in Portland. This is in response to viewers complaints about reception issues after the final transition from UHF 46 back to VHF 8 on June 12th. The new translator will broadcast on UHF 26 and improve coverage for WMTW in the Portland area. :)



http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=LD1327758.html

I was surprised to see that both satellite providers pick up channel 6 with an antenna. I thought they were wired in like the cable company.

I was surprised to see that both satellite providers pick up channel 6 with an antenna. I thought they were wired in like the cable company.

How did you come to that conclusion? :confused:

Dana

How did you come to that conclusion? :confused:

Dana

If they had a fiber connection then the transmitter issue channel 6 had wouldn't have affected DirecTV, Dish, cable, etc. Just antenna viewers.

WMTW-DT has applied to the FCC for a UHF translator to be placed on the time and temperature building in Portland. This is in response to viewers complaints about reception issues after the final transition from UHF 46 back to VHF 8 on June 12th. The new translator will broadcast on UHF 26 and improve coverage for WMTW in the Portland area. :)



http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=LD1327758.html

I wonder if just staying with their UHF channel, and not going back to VHF, would have saved this step.

If they had a fiber connection then the transmitter issue channel 6 had wouldn't have affected DirecTV, Dish, cable, etc. Just antenna viewers.

It would have helped if I'd read the channel 6 report on the link Valve1138 provided. :o

Somehow, I can't imagine it either. Maybe it's a microwave radio relay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_radio_relay) involving parabolic reflector antennas. There's got to be more to it than hoisting a TV antenna from RS. :rolleyes:

In any event, doesn't it undercut the claims the cable industry promotes about how unstable satellite is compared with cable - when they both acquire the station signal the same way? :p

Dana

Can I ask why WMTW-DT left channel 46 in the first place?

Of course as DrJoe noted, any signal you input to your display that isn't its native resolution is upconverted by the display. So, although the feeds apparently were in different resolutions, you watched them in whatever resolution is native on your display. Since I have a 1080p LCD display, that's how I see everything. (I actually have the D* HD DVR convert everything to 1080i so the display just does the deinterlacing.)

Dana

I understand that it is up-converted, but when you get above a 32" screen, there is a difference in pq between native 1080i and 720p. Just check the difference with a 540 signal up-converted to our 1080i screens.

It is the amount of information provided, not the display resolution, so more info (1080 lines) gives better pq than 720 or 540 as the size of the screen increases with a 1080i/p set.

I have a dvd recorder which up-converts 540i to 720p HDMI out. My 1080i/p Visio does a better job.

Can I ask why WMTW-DT left channel 46 in the first place?

Not sure if it's their reason but costs less to transmit VHF, particularly low VHF.

Is there something wrong with channel 6? Since last night it's been out on DirecTV and my antenna no longer picks it up.

edit: nevermind, they are having issues. http://www.wcsh6.com/news/breaking/story.aspx?storyid=108419&catid=112

Earlier the site reported they were borrowing an "exciter" from Fox 23 as a temp fix.

It would have helped if I'd read the channel 6 report on the link Valve1138 provided. :o

Somehow, I can't imagine it either. Maybe it's a microwave radio relay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_radio_relay) involving parabolic reflector antennas. There's got to be more to it than hoisting a TV antenna from RS. :rolleyes:

In any event, doesn't it undercut the claims the cable industry promotes about how unstable satellite is compared with cable - when they both acquire the station signal the same way? :p

Dana

Some cable providers acquire channel 6 via antenna and some do not. I think Time Warner Cable is directly wired in.

My wife's HD set is 720p, so a 1080i signal is down-converted to 720p. Our set in the playroom is 1080p, so the 720p and 1080i signals are up-converted to 1080p. It probably more reasonable to say that the broadcast signal is simply "converted" to the native resolution of the display being used.

One other thing, some technical folks claim that 720p is as good as 1080i. They base this on the fact that 1080i is 540 (lines of information) in 2 quick bursts for a total of 1080. The 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc. lines are in the first burst and the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc. lines are in the second burst. Most people see the info as one steady picture, but some people claim they do not and observe a flicker. ABC and FOX chose 720p because they believed it was better for sports. Personally, I can't tell one from the other, although I am pretty critical of the quality of a tv picture.

Dr. Joe or someone else might want to take issue with my comments regarding 720p and 1080i. God knows I sure ain't no expert.

I wonder if just staying with their UHF channel, and not going back to VHF, would have saved this step.

Yeah, it turns out VHF is rather problematic for digital OTA reception. The coverage was much better on UHF 46. However, WMTW on VHF is running 29.8 kW instead of 1000 kW on UHF 46. The new translator on UHF will run 6.2 kW. overall, a big savings on their power bill.

I'm glad to see WMTW is adding a UHF translator. I tried getting them once after they moved back to 8 and as expected I had to extend the rabbit ears. I can see the Time & Temperature building from my apartment across the river, so I should get a great signal from that. I'd really love to dump cable and rely on internet and OTA for TV.

I wonder if WMTW will have any issue's with that translator. 511 Congress St, to the left of them, has a some tall metal walls surrounding the air conditioning equipment.

Check it out on google maps, you'll see what I mean.

So what channel is this WMTW-DT translator going to be on? Is it going to be on channel 8 as a booster, 46 or neither?

Here in Hartford/New Haven, WTNH-DT (ABC) of New Haven is on channel 10. It is the lone VHF digital station on a commercial license in the market. I usually get them well in New Britain, but had big issues with them yesterday. Their sister station, WCTX-DT (MY), is on channel 39 and they come in fine (and transmit from the same site).

Here is what's listed for their specs:

Channel 10 Contour Range 54 Miles
1122' 20.5 kW DA (H)
(8.26 kW TPO + 5.31 dB gain = 20.5 kW ERP)
800' AGL
N 41° 25' 22" (41.423), W 72° 57' 6" (-72.952) (S)

KML-224,

"So what channel is this WMTW-DT translator going to be on? Is it going to be on channel 8 as a booster, 46 or neither?"

According to the FCC filing linked above, the answer is "neither" :D (or more accurately....UHF Channel 26). :)

Be skiing you,

h2osports

Although most of my HDTV's are set up for OTA reception, I do have one hooked up to a TWC SA 8300HD DVR box.

Over the past couple of days, when tuning in a number of the HD channels (usually 550 and higher); a blue screen comes up saying "Initializing....please wait," then the screen goes blank and finally a "This channel is unavailable" screen appears.

I've tried unplugging the DVR from the AC wall outlet twice, but this hasn't seemed to help.

The HD channels that are unavailable vary, but are usually the higher-numbered ones. All the analog and digital SD channels appear unaffected, though I never watch them.

Any suggestions?....Other than calling TWC :), which I intend to do from home tonight.

Be skiing you,

H2osports

Directv still does not have the CW or MNT in HD yet (although they continue to add them in other markets throughout the country). I live in Mechanic Falls can't quite seem to get an OTA signal from a regular indoor antenna (I don't have access to the roof, I live on the second floor) and I am on top of a hill. 6,8,10,13, and 23 all come in fine. I have tried antenna web but I would have better luck reading spanish. Is there an antenna that can pull these in? Would an AM-21 for my DVR help at all?

hey everyone. i haven't posted in a while because i haven't had any twc related news... until now.

beginning next week, we will begin adding new HD channels every week.

next weeks additions include some channels you guys (and i) have been clamoring for. there are around ten coming next week, but i'll hit you with a couple just to whet the appetite:

scifi (i refuse to call it by the new name. heh)
speed
fx

please keep in mind that the roll out schedule or lineup are not set in stone, nor are they in all areas. for now, they will roll out in SA areas, with the moto areas to follow supposedly in the fall.

hope you're all as psyched about this as i am!

hey everyone. i haven't posted in a while because i haven't had any twc related news... until now.

beginning next week, we will begin adding new HD channels every week.

next weeks additions include some channels you guys (and i) have been clamoring for. there are around ten coming next week, but i'll hit you with a couple just to whet the appetite:

scifi (i refuse to call it by the new name. heh)
speed
fx

please keep in mind that the roll out schedule or lineup are not set in stone, nor are they in all areas. for now, they will roll out in SA areas, with the moto areas to follow supposedly in the fall.

hope you're all as psyched about this as i am!

Skippy, SDV begins 9/15 on the Augusta system and, since I am a cablecard user, TWC is sending an HDTV converter to replace the card. During a telephone call with TWC to make arrangements, the man I was talking with said a few HD channels would be launched on the Augusta system on the same date. ............... Do you know what they are? He did not have the list in front of him at the time. ....... FOX news, perhaps?

Is anyone in the Lewiston/Sabattus area, with TWC, getting QAM channel 107-7 (Channel 13)? A friend says it has been off for 3 or 4 days now.

Directv still does not have the CW or MNT in HD yet (although they continue to add them in other markets throughout the country). I live in Mechanic Falls can't quite seem to get an OTA signal from a regular indoor antenna (I don't have access to the roof, I live on the second floor) and I am on top of a hill. 6,8,10,13, and 23 all come in fine. I have tried antenna web but I would have better luck reading spanish. Is there an antenna that can pull these in? Would an AM-21 for my DVR help at all?

I'm not the best one to answer your question, but here goes. The local stations for these two networks (http://www.ourmaine.com/contact.html) are sister stations WPXT-TV/DT and WPME-TV/DT. Their antenna is located at 75-99 Eagle Nest Rd., South Gray,
ME 04039. (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.851778,-70.327333&spn=0.002,0.002&t=m&q=43.851778,-70.327333) My experience with OTA reception reminds me of the old real estate cliché - the three most important things are location, location, and location. In this case, your antenna, the station(s) antenna and the terrain in between.

The AM-21 (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=AM21) is an OTA dual tuner add-on for the D* HD DVRs that came after the HR-20 which was equipped with OTA tuners. Since you already get other channels OTA fine, I don't think the AM-21 would help. Probably the single best thing you could do is to mount an outdoor antenna on the roof, but since you don't have access, it looks like you're stymied.

Dana

I'm not the best one to answer your question, but here goes. The local stations for these two networks (http://www.ourmaine.com/contact.html) are sister stations WPXT-TV/DT and WPME-TV/DT. Their antenna is located at 75-99 Eagle Nest Rd., South Gray,
ME 04039. (http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.851778,-70.327333&spn=0.002,0.002&t=m&q=43.851778,-70.327333) My experience with OTA reception reminds me of the old real estate cliché - the three most important things are location, location, and location. In this case, your antenna, the station(s) antenna and the terrain in between.

The AM-21 (http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=AM21) is an OTA dual tuner add-on for the D* HD DVRs that came after the HR-20 which was equipped with OTA tuners. Since you already get other channels OTA fine, I don't think the AM-21 would help. Probably the single best thing you could do is to mount an outdoor antenna on the roof, but since you don't have access, it looks like you're stymied.

Dana

Geez, if it's in South Gray I should be able to pick it up, I am only 30 miles or so away, ha ha ha. Thanks Dana.

Skippy, SDV begins 9/15 on the Augusta system and, since I am a cablecard user, TWC is sending an HDTV converter to replace the card. During a telephone call with TWC to make arrangements, the man I was talking with said a few HD channels would be launched on the Augusta system on the same date. ............... Do you know what they are? He did not have the list in front of him at the time. ....... FOX news, perhaps?

i know sdv is coming in augusta, but i havent seen or heard of any new hd channels in that area. sorry. the info about the new hd channels over the next few weeks was just put out yesterday, so... really not sure what he was referring to.

hey everyone. i haven't posted in a while because i haven't had any twc related news... until now.

beginning next week, we will begin adding new HD channels every week.

next weeks additions include some channels you guys (and i) have been clamoring for. there are around ten coming next week, but i'll hit you with a couple just to whet the appetite:

scifi (i refuse to call it by the new name. heh)
speed
fx

please keep in mind that the roll out schedule or lineup are not set in stone, nor are they in all areas. for now, they will roll out in SA areas, with the moto areas to follow supposedly in the fall.

hope you're all as psyched about this as i am!

That is awesome news, thanks for the info! I'll hold off on switching to Dish and see what we get. I guess TruTv, Headline News, and TCM just launched HD channels, so I hope those are on the list for upcoming additions. So how many weeks will they be adding channels? Any idea how many total we will have when all said and done?

That is awesome news, thanks for the info! I'll hold off on switching to Dish and see what we get. I guess TruTv, Headline News, and TCM just launched HD channels, so I hope those are on the list for upcoming additions. So how many weeks will they be adding channels? Any idea how many total we will have when all said and done?

TCM is on next weeks list. is Tru-tv the same as Crime and Investigations? if so, that's next week too.

they're looking to have 100+ hd channels by the end of the year. so it seems like they'll add at least a few each week through the end of the year.

Geez, if it's in South Gray I should be able to pick it up, I am only 30 miles or so away, ha ha ha. Thanks Dana.

No problem. These stations are broadcasting in digital (http://www.ourmaine.com/digital.html) but, are you sure these stations are broadcasting in HD? D* may be getting all they are sending at the moment. All these stations are available on D*.

Dana

skippy...............does that news apply to York County?

I'm excited for this.............it's been a long time since we've seen any new HD channels.

Steve

OTA WPXT 1080 and WPME 720 when I can get them. :(

skippy...............does that news apply to York County?

I'm excited for this.............it's been a long time since we've seen any new HD channels.

Steve

as far as i know, it should be all SA areas. which includes york county.

What is a SA area?
What is a moto area?


Do you know when this week they are adding them?

What is a SA area?
What is a moto area?


Do you know when this week they are adding them?

sa = scientific atlanta cable boxes
moto = motorola cable boxes

i believe its supposed to be tuesday.

Cool..........I'll have to keep an eye out for the changes.

Steve

Directv still does not have the CW or MNT in HD yet (although they continue to add them in other markets throughout the country). I live in Mechanic Falls can't quite seem to get an OTA signal from a regular indoor antenna (I don't have access to the roof, I live on the second floor) and I am on top of a hill. 6,8,10,13, and 23 all come in fine. I have tried antenna web but I would have better luck reading spanish. Is there an antenna that can pull these in? Would an AM-21 for my DVR help at all?

Hi bwell316,

There are problem areas in Mechanic Falls, especially along the river. If you Private Message me with your street address, I can look up and see if I can tell you more precisely.

FYI, I noticed yesterday that D* is carrying the HD feed of WCBB (aka MPBN) in the Portland DMA. I'm pretty sure that's a very recent addition. I haven't watched anything off of it to see if the quality is any better than the terrible quality I remember seeing on that channel the few times I got a stable enough OTA signal for it. It probably all depends on whether D* gets it from a fiber uplink or via an OTA antenna, since they multi-cast.

I don't watch much on MPBN, but below is a sample of the picture I get from them on Time Warner Cable. I suppose MotorWeek is an upconvert. One can even see the MPBN logo for the 4:3 feed cropped off at the bottom of the frame. Still, even for an upconvert, what's with the purple/green fringing on everything? The other shots are from the July 4th concert and were in real HD but with tons of compression artifacts.

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3457/mbpncrap1.th.png (http://img91.imageshack.us/i/mbpncrap1.png/) http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9011/mbpncrap2.th.png (http://img216.imageshack.us/i/mbpncrap2.png/) http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3167/mbpncrap3.th.png (http://img177.imageshack.us/i/mbpncrap3.png/) http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8550/mbpncrap4.th.png (http://img136.imageshack.us/i/mbpncrap4.png/)

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9163/mbpnjuly41.th.png (http://img210.imageshack.us/i/mbpnjuly41.png/) http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3646/mbpnjuly42.th.png (http://img521.imageshack.us/i/mbpnjuly42.png/) http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/3959/mbpnjuly43.th.png (http://img521.imageshack.us/i/mbpnjuly43.png/) http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4593/mbpnjuly44.th.png (http://img168.imageshack.us/i/mbpnjuly44.png/)

skippyrulz was right on!
New HD channels for Time Warner Cable York County:

567 - Cartoon Network
577 - AMC
578 - Turner Classic Movies
581 - Crime & Investigation
584 - USA
585 - SciFi (or if you prefer Syfy)
586 - Speed
587 - FX
588 - ESPNU
589 - Fuse

hope these additions continue, still a long way to go but a good start. I am really excited to have AMC, USA, SciFi and FX in HD!

I have an SA box, but apparently my area of York County isn't in the York County area but in Sebago. We get nothing. Incredibly bummed.

I have an SA box, but apparently my area of York County isn't in the York County area but in Sebago. We get nothing. Incredibly bummed.

Nothing in the Portland area as of 8am either. Hopefully they will be there when I get home from work.

Nothing new to report in Portland area as of 5pm.

Nothing in the Portland area as of 8am either. Hopefully they will be there when I get home from work.

the cumberland co. headend isn't getting them until thursday. and they're not getting the same ones. for instance: the YC headend got cartoon net hd today, but we (CC) won't get that this week (as far as i can tell). it looks like maybe they're testing them on the YC headend first and then CC will get those channels the next week. i dunno. we'll see what happens.

this week is kinda weird, as they say they're adding them every thursday. but this week they're adding channels on tuesday AND thursday in YC and some in CC on thursday.

sorry for the confusion. i'm just as bummed as you guys are, since i'm in CC. but they ARE coming, so...

WooHoo..........finally, new HD channels.

Now................where is my Spike HD??

What about getting PPV events in HD, when is that going to happen?


What channels are we getting Thursday?

Steve

WooHoo..........finally, new HD channels.

Now................where is my Spike HD??

What about getting PPV events in HD, when is that going to happen?


What channels are we getting Thursday?

Steve

spike isn't on the list for this week. but as i said, we're adding some every week from now through the end of the year, soooo... i'm betting it'll show up soon.

and now that you mention PPV, that was actually on this week's list when i first posted about it. but it's not on there now. so maybe next week, but know it IS coming.

i'm assuming you're in YC? thursday you guys are getting e!, MLB, fox news, IFC and a couple of others.

Awesome news! I am really looking forward to MLB Network in HD!

When we get together to watch the UFC PPV fights, it sucks to pay $50 and have to watch it in standard definition. Even more so now that they advertise that it's available in HD.


Any news on getting HDnet back?

I can't believe we have the Rural/Farm net work in HD..........what a useless waste of bandwidth. I can watch a cattle auction in Texas in HD...........WOW!!

Steve

the cumberland co. headend isn't getting them until thursday. and they're not getting the same ones. for instance: the YC headend got cartoon net hd today, but we (CC) won't get that this week (as far as i can tell). it looks like maybe they're testing them on the YC headend first and then CC will get those channels the next week. i dunno. we'll see what happens.

this week is kinda weird, as they say they're adding them every thursday. but this week they're adding channels on tuesday AND thursday in YC and some in CC on thursday.

sorry for the confusion. i'm just as bummed as you guys are, since i'm in CC. but they ARE coming, so...

Any word on Sebago area? Not sure why I'm in Sebago anyways (being right near the York County seat), but any news would be appreciated.

When we get together to watch the UFC PPV fights, it sucks to pay $50 and have to watch it in standard definition. Even more so now that they advertise that it's available in HD.


Any news on getting HDnet back?

I can't believe we have the Rural/Farm net work in HD..........what a useless waste of bandwidth. I can watch a cattle auction in Texas in HD...........WOW!!

Steve

don't get me started on the whole hdnet thing. i'm still pissed off about that. and the main reason they added RFD was imus!!! and his show's been cancelled!! i'll admit... i do kinda dig the Smithsonian channel, but it is in no way a replacement for the hdnets. if they want a premium hd tier, it's gotta be better than those 4 channels. mgm and universal are both decent, but UNI edits the hell out of stuff, AND shows commercials.

/rant

Any word on Sebago area? Not sure why I'm in Sebago anyways (being right near the York County seat), but any news would be appreciated.

all i can tell you for sure is that we're looking to have 100 or more hd channels in the majority of our service area by the end of the year. the only ones they've given us info on so far are the CC and YC headends.

i agree with the sebago HE though. i have family that lives in windham and their HD offerings are slim and none right now. the way i take the info i've been given is that more WILL be coming to that HE. maybe not as quickly, as often, or as many as CC and YC, but still more.

Kennebunk would still be part of legacy Adelphia, that is why they are on the Sebago head-end. I believe the TW Y.C. HE is actually run out of Portland. The former TCI (Biddeford/Moody) and MediaOne (Saco/OOB) channel line-ups have been united.

Back in 94 I had a private tour of the HE in Portland by the Director of Engineering, at the time. They were just starting to add fiber to the plant. They were still called Public Cable until that summer.

all i can tell you for sure is that we're looking to have 100 or more hd channels in the majority of our service area by the end of the year. the only ones they've given us info on so far are the CC and YC headends.

i agree with the sebago HE though. i have family that lives in windham and their HD offerings are slim and none right now. the way i take the info i've been given is that more WILL be coming to that HE. maybe not as quickly, as often, or as many as CC and YC, but still more.

Sincere thanks for the reply. Kind of bummed that the "former Adelphia" locales are still getting hosed as bad as when it was Adelphia, but it is what it is. I truly hope that TW can step it up and bring the Sebago HE more in line with our neighbors. We aren't paying less, after all.

Until then, I'll just be jealous.

Copy that list of channels and post it here............we need full details.

Steve

all i can tell you for sure is that we're looking to have 100 or more hd channels in the majority of our service area by the end of the year. the only ones they've given us info on so far are the CC and YC headends.

i agree with the sebago HE though. i have family that lives in windham and their HD offerings are slim and none right now. the way i take the info i've been given is that more WILL be coming to that HE. maybe not as quickly, as often, or as many as CC and YC, but still more.

I hope that's true. But, I wouldn't get too hopeful too quickly. Heavily populated York County is undoubtedly a prime market for TWC recruiting new customers/keeping its present subs. It's likely no conincidence that 'tis the season when D* rolls out its best offers along with its "NFL Ticket" so TWC could be doing a promotion to keep competitive there.

My bitter disappointment with Comcast's Brunswick system it acquired from SusCom is that it has no connection - none - to the Comcast cable system in Kittery and the Berwicks. The York County CC system has a lot of HD channels. Brunswick doesn't.

Dana

Is Thursday when they are planning on adding MAV-HD?

Last night was interesting. I installed my newly supplied cablebox that I must use to replace my cablecard because it will not work with SDV. The box had been mailed from Portland and, after I fired it up, I began to wonder what I had. I clicked my way through the channels and found that the cable company channel identifications did not match with the actual channels. Further, I noticed that it was showing premium channels and I do not subscribe to any. After awhile, I observed that the local broadcast channels were Bangor stations rather than Portland.

Although the box seemed to give me premium channels and, perhaps, some HD channels that I didn't know TWC was putting out, I realized that I would never be comfortable with what appeared to be a rather messed up bunch of channels and channel information.

So, at 10:30 pm, I called the Portland service number and a very capable young man listened and quickly understood the situation. He sent a signal down the line to me in Farmingdale that changed the box setup to go with the Augusta system. Within seconds, the box was humming smoothly with the normal lineup, plus I picked up the standard digital channels that I did not have with cablecard because I didn't want to pay for something that I didn't really care about.

One thing that I did come to recognize is that, above all, I want the Portland channels for the networks. Even the premium channels hold little attraction if I don't have all of the network channels from my home area. Secondly, come the news channels and the Red Sox channel. The other channels don't amount to much, although every now and then I find something.

Oh yeah, the Adelphia legacy provides the HDTV tier at no extra charge. This includes MGM HD, Smithsonian HD, RFD HD (big deal) and Universal HD. They're not all that great, but I'm glad that they're there.

Is Thursday when they are planning on adding MAV-HD?

mav?

Last night was interesting. I installed my newly supplied cablebox that I must use to replace my cablecard because it will not work with SDV. The box had been mailed from Portland and, after I fired it up, I began to wonder what I had. I clicked my way through the channels and found that the cable company channel identifications did not match with the actual channels. Further, I noticed that it was showing premium channels and I do not subscribe to any. After awhile, I observed that the local broadcast channels were Bangor stations rather than Portland.

Although the box seemed to give me premium channels and, perhaps, some HD channels that I didn't know TWC was putting out, I realized that I would never be comfortable with what appeared to be a rather messed up bunch of channels and channel information.

So, at 10:30 pm, I called the Portland service number and a very capable young man listened and quickly understood the situation. He sent a signal down the line to me in Farmingdale that changed the box setup to go with the Augusta system. Within seconds, the box was humming smoothly with the normal lineup, plus I picked up the standard digital channels that I did not have with cablecard because I didn't want to pay for something that I didn't really care about.

One thing that I did come to recognize is that, above all, I want the Portland channels for the networks. Even the premium channels hold little attraction if I don't have all of the network channels from my home area. Secondly, come the news channels and the Red Sox channel. The other channels don't amount to much, although every now and then I find something.

Oh yeah, the Adelphia legacy provides the HDTV tier at no extra charge. This includes MGM HD, Smithsonian HD, RFD HD (big deal) and Universal HD. They're not all that great, but I'm glad that they're there.

is your box a motorola or Scientific atlanta. Im in north texas and our local system cluster is 870MHz. Im wondering if SDV works with Iguide. North texas has deployed the motorola DCX3432.

4-5 of the new HD channels are not even working for me..............I tried rebooting the boxes, and they are still not working.

Steve

Steve, call tech support. I had the same issue, and they were able to send a signal to my box and that fixed it for me.

Just called them, they reflashed both boxes and now they are working fine.

He said there is 7 more channels coming Thursday, and he heard that Spike HD is on the list for later.

Steve

is your box a motorola or Scientific atlanta. Im in north texas and our local system cluster is 870MHz. Im wondering if SDV works with Iguide. North texas has deployed the motorola DCX3432.

Motorola

Motorola

can you see what software version of I-guide your area uses go to menu->setup->cable box setup. It should start with 74.XX or 75.XX

9 More HD channels just added to Time Warner York County:

574 E!
576 Hallmark Movie Channel
579 IFC
580 Encore
589 MLB Network
593 CNBC
594 Headline News
595 MSNBC
596 Fox News

By my count, that brings the total number of available linear HD channels to 72...not too shabby!

So we added this morning:
577 AMCHD
578 TCM HD
581 C&I HD
584 USA HD
585 Syfy HD
586 Speed HD
587 FX HD
588 ESPN U
589 MLB HD
597 Fuse HD

I'm even getting pictures on most of them. I'll try power cycling the box but I may have to call to be "hit."

Kevin 120: The Cumberand and York county parts of the New England division still run the SA SARA software. I know Cumberland County runs @ 750MHz, but the amps are spaced for 1 GHz. If they wanted to, they could just upgrade the electronics in them for added capacity without adding/moving them.

It only took TWC three years, but my dream is now a reality. Jeff Gordon's commercial now actually makes sense. Nascar in HD! Thanks TWC, I now have much less desire to switch to *D. ;)

9 More HD channels just added to Time Warner York County:

574 E!
576 Hallmark Movie Channel
579 IFC
580 Encore
589 MLB Network
593 CNBC
594 Headline News
595 MSNBC
596 Fox News

By my count, that brings the total number of available linear HD channels to 72...not too shabby!


Yup, just checked and they are all working too...............don't have to call tech support again.

28 more to go for 100..............let's see what we get next.

HDnet and Spike..............bring them on!!

Steve

500 HBO HDTV East
501 HBO HDTV West
502 Cinemax HD East
505 HD On Demand
506 WCSH 6 HDTV NBC
507 WPFO FOX HDTV
508 WMTW 8 HDTV ABC
510 MPBN
512 CW HD
513 WGME 13 CBS HDTV
517 MYTV HD WPME
518 Biography HD
519 The Movie Channel HD
520 Showtime HDTV East
521 Showtime HD West
525 Starz HD East
526 Outdoor Channel HD
527 New England Sports Network
528 Comcast SportsNet HD
529 TBS HD
530 The Golf Channel HD
532 Smithsonian Channel HD
533 Rural TV HD
534 ESPN-HD
535 Universal HD
536 ESPN2 High Definition
537 NHL Network HD
538 GAME HD
540 MGM HD
541 ESPN News HD
542 Disney HD
543 Toon Disney HD
544 ABC Family HD
545 Discovery Channel HD
546 TLC HD
547 Animal Planet HD
548 Science Channel HD
549 Versus HD
550 Discovery HD Theater
551 TNT HD
552 Palladia
553 A & E HD
554 The Travel Channel HD
555 History Channel HD
556 Food Network HD
557 HGTV HD
558 Lifetime Movie Network HD
559 National Geographic HD
560 CNN HD
561 Fox Business Network
563 Tennis Channel HD
564 Weather Channel HD
565 Bravo HD
567 Cartoon Network HD
569 Planet Green HD
574 E!
576 Hallmark Movie Channel
577 AMC HD
578 TCM HD
579 IFC
580 Encore
581 Crime & Investigation Network HD
584 USA HD
585 SyFy HD
586 SPEED HD
587 FX HD
588 ESPNU HD
589 MLB Network
593 CNBC
594 Headline News
595 MSNBC
596 Fox News
597 Fuse HD


That's the list of current offerings for York County..............looking good.

Steve

mav?

It on the legal adds, MAV HD.

skippyrulz do you know anything about the bangor markets?

It on the legal adds, MAV HD.

skippyrulz do you know anything about the bangor markets?

ok. but do you know what it is? you're asking about when it's added, so i assume it's something you're waiting for. it doesn't ring any bells for me, so i don't know what to tell you. the legal ads are for channel moves and deletions, generally.

depends on what you wanna know. what's your question?

Now if TWC can get a cable box that displays PnP down in the corners, not where it does now, we'd be set! It displays the PnP like it was a standard TV, but, dur, its an HD box!

Update for Portland, just called TWC, his was out also.

577 AMCHD - not showing
578 TCM
HD581 C&I
HD584 USA - not showing
HD585 Syfy - not showing
HD586 Speed
HD587 FX - not showing
HD588 ESPNU
HD589 MLB
HD597 Fuse

They'll work the kinks out soon I hope.

That's what mine was doing too...........same channels weren't working. I called tech support, they sent a signal to my boxes, and now they are working fine.

Steve

skippyrulz
do you know if the Bangor market is getting sdv this month? Although we have had USA HD for a month we still don't have the number of HD channels that southern
Maine has.

You have more than Sebago!

Isn't it possible that these different "districts" of TWC have different MHz capacities? That was the excuse given by the Comcast area V-P about the Comcast Brunswick (formerly SusCom) cable plant. "Bandwidth constrained" has been the constant excuse for not providing more HD channels.

Dana

It would seem to me that once a cable provider has negotiatiated and paid for additional HD program sources, they would not be very interested in finding an "excuse" to not deliver those sources to actual and potential customers.

It is difficult to attract customers unless you can deliver the goods. I have even heard rumors, however difficult it may be to believe, that some people actually terminate service from their cable company if it does not deliver the goods. .......... Such a thing can't be good for the bottom line of a company's operating statement.

(Wish I could remember just who it was that I heard terminated service due to the cable company failing to deliver. )

It would seem to me that once a cable provider has negotiatiated and paid for additional HD program sources, they would not be very interested in finding an "excuse" to not deliver those sources to actual and potential customers.

It is difficult to attract customers unless you can deliver the goods. I have even heard rumors, however difficult it may be to believe, that some people actually terminate service from their cable company if it does not deliver the goods. .......... Such a thing can't be good for the bottom line of a company's operating statement.

(Wish I could remember just who it was that I heard terminated service due to the cable company failing to deliver. )

You rascal you. That would be me! ;)

But, the Comcast V-P possibly was telling the truth. The Brunswick system likely is bandwidth constrained. The Comcast V-P said that "120± miles of 550 MHz cable" was a constraint on adding channels. But, what she didn't tell me, I found out by reading SusCom's 10K reports on line. SusCom had upgraded most of its 850 wire mile plant before Comcast bought it. So, the 120± miles of 550 MHz cable choking the midcoast system was what was left to be upgraded after Comcast acquired it. And Comcast wasn't willing to finish the job. It apparently wants to sell the systm as is.

As regards TWC, I'm just speculating that not every one of its several district wire plants has the same capacity as those in York Country that have just expanded the number of HD channels. So, TWC may not be able to offer the same lineup everywhere in Maine. It's not one giant system, it's a Balkanization of many systems as I understand it.

Dana

Oh yeah, I guess that was you, wasn't it? What a coincidence!

When I got the letter about exchanging my cablecard for a box, I got the impression that a number of new HD channels would be added when SDV begins on 9/15. Now, I believe that will not be the case. The newspaper notice says MAV HD will be added and I won't be surprised if it appears 9/15 but I would be surprised if there is anything else. The girl at the TWC counter told me that they have had several different dates for when channels will be added. Most recently, they were told "by the end of the year." They said TWC wants to get the cablecards out and the boxes in before they make the tests to determine how many channels they can add without problems.

For the most part, it's difficult for me to work up much genuine interest, anyway. I am looking forward to FOX NEWS HD and MSNBC, however. Also, FX would make a good entertainment channel to have available. Beyond that, I can't get excited. Wish I could, but can't. Too old, I guess.

I have surfed through all of the digital channels that came with the box about 3 times. That's enough for me. I noted a couple that I might check occasionally. As I recall, they would be the Fox Movie Channel and the Major League Baseball Channel. Hundreds of channels available and only about a dozen (or so) drops to drink ............ or something like that.

hey stan54

can you post your software version for Iguide? I posted how to find it in a previous post. Im wondering how your area is getting SDV with iguide. It has to be A25 or A28 for it work with SDV. A25 is 75.xx and a28 is 78.xx. Im stuck on a24 version 74.54-4003.

...

Hundreds of channels available and only about a dozen (or so) drops to drink ............ or something like that.

I'm with you. I have the same attitude about Blu-ray. I love the technology but ultimately it's all about content. It's the same for Dolby Digital surround sound. Wonderful. But, do I listen to music I don't like because it's in surround sound. No.

Dana

That's what mine was doing too...........same channels weren't working. I called tech support, they sent a signal to my boxes, and now they are working fine.

Steve

Yes, just did the same, took a split second and boom, all HD working!

hey stan54

can you post your software version for Iguide? I posted how to find it in a previous post. Im wondering how your area is getting SDV with iguide. It has to be A25 or A28 for it work with SDV. A25 is 75.xx and a28 is 78.xx. Im stuck on a24 version 74.54-4003.

We don't have SDV until 9/15 and I'm not sure if I would recognize iguide if I saw it. I haven't spent much time pushing buttons and testing what the box has. In my earlier posting, I referred to the channel identification and information banner that came up with each change of channel. It does look as if I can do demand programming, but this may change when they switch the system to SDV.

You will have to educate me if you want accurate information because I'm not confident that I have much of a handle on this, yet. Let's see what the box does on 9/16 and then I'll get down and crawl around on the floor to see what the box model is, if it is still of significance. It may turn out that the iguide (if it's there, now) and the demand feature (that I will probably never use unless it's something free) may be gone.

I'm with you. I have the same attitude about Blu-ray. I love the technology but ultimately it's all about content. It's the same for Dolby Digital surround sound. Wonderful. But, do I listen to music I don't like because it's in surround sound. No.

Dana

My wife would go out and rent 4 or 5 DVD's once in a great while, so I thought I could please her by buying her a Blu-ray player for her birthday. After a few months, she realized there just wasn't that much she wanted to watch, so she pulled it out and gave it to me to dispose of. (No, she didn't say what you're thinking.)

I don't watch many dvd's either. The Blu-ray provides a beautiful picture, but I just never seem to get around to shopping for a movie that might be a little entertaining. Actually, I guess I'm afraid I might miss something on the news channels if I'm sitting around staring at a movie. ........ Couldn't let that happen.

We don't have SDV until 9/15 and I'm not sure if I would recognize iguide if I saw it. I haven't spent much time pushing buttons and testing what the box has. In my earlier posting, I referred to the channel identification and information banner that came up with each change of channel. It does look as if I can do demand programming, but this may change when they switch the system to SDV.

You will have to educate me if you want accurate information because I'm not confident that I have much of a handle on this, yet. Let's see what the box does on 9/16 and then I'll get down and crawl around on the floor to see what the box model is, if it is still of significance. It may turn out that the iguide (if it's there, now) and the demand feature (that I will probably never use unless it's something free) may be gone.

you have all the same features as all other digital cable subscribers so you wont lose ondemand when SDV starts. I have attached a picture of the main Iguide menu you wont lose Iguide it is the IPG.

how to get to software version press menu (x2) ,scroll down to second page select setup, and scroll down to cable box setup and hit ok on the remote, then scroll down to the select to display option and hit ok on the remote and it should bring up a page that says software version 75.xx or 78.xx .

hey everyone. i haven't posted in a while because i haven't had any twc related news... until now.

beginning next week, we will begin adding new HD channels every week.

next weeks additions include some channels you guys (and i) have been clamoring for. there are around ten coming next week, but i'll hit you with a couple just to whet the appetite:

scifi (i refuse to call it by the new name. heh)
speed
fx

please keep in mind that the roll out schedule or lineup are not set in stone, nor are they in all areas. for now, they will roll out in SA areas, with the moto areas to follow supposedly in the fall.

hope you're all as psyched about this as i am!

I guess that is good but moving here from the Northern Viriginia Area leaves a lot to be desired in the HD Cable field...Heck, we got Sci-Fi/Speed etc almost a year ago there...

you have all the same features as all other digital cable subscribers so you wont lose ondemand when SDV starts. I have attached a picture of the main Iguide menu you wont lose Iguide it is the IPG.

how to get to software version press menu (x2) ,scroll down to second page select setup, and scroll down to cable box setup and hit ok on the remote, then scroll down to the select to display option and hit ok on the remote and it should bring up a page that says software version 75.xx or 78.xx .

When I clicked the link I only saw one little picture that did nothing to help. The link referenced 9 views, but I only saw that one little stinker sitting dead in the water in the upper left hand corner.

Anyway, I will copy your instructions and give it a try whenever I turn the set on again.

The MST today carries a column by sports writer Steve Solloway "The night to never forget." (http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=281519&ac=PHspt) It's all about the notable football game between the NY Giants and (surprise!) the Green Bay Packers in Bangor on what is now Cameron Stadium, née Garland Field.

Fifty years ago to the day, the Green Bay Packers played the New York Giants in a preseason game on this very field. It was the first time two professional football teams played in Maine and it very well may be the last.

A brief observance was held yesterday before Skowhegan HS played Bangor HS on the same football field.

And, our own Stan54 was there 50 years ago! (I was in the state, living/working in Gardiner at the time but didn't go, much to my regret.)

We touched on this game on this thread a few pages back when recalling how all of us rooted for the NY Giants in those days, before the PATS were even a team.

Something tells me the game was televised. I have memories of black & white images on a dimly lit field. Maybe just old newspaper photos.

Dana

The MST today carries a column by sports writer Steve Solloway "The night to never forget." (http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=281519&ac=PHspt) It's all about the notable football game between the NY Giants and (surprise!) the Green Bay Packers in Bangor on what is now Cameron Stadium, née Garland Field.



A brief observance was held yesterday before Skowhegan HS played Bangor HS on the same football field.

And, our own Stan54 was there 50 years ago! (I was in the state, living/working in Gardiner at the time but didn't go, much to my regret.)

We touched on this game on this thread a few pages back when recalling how all of us rooted for the NY Giants in those days, before the PATS were even a team.

Something tells me the game was televised. I have memories of black & white images on a dimly lit field. Maybe just old newspaper photos.

Dana

Dana, I, too, was living in Gardiner with my parents on Central St. and working for the State in Augusta, however, I took my girlfriend (wife) in my 1950 black Studebaker convertible to that most unusual professional game in Bangor. I remember how odd it seemed, even though I had seen the Celtics play exhibition games a couple of times in the State (Waterville and Lewiston). Those games, also, seemed out of place in such a remote location, but didn't involve so many players, support staff and so much equipment. Besides the Celtics had only just reached the end of their climb to major status and of course, there was the Boston connection as opposed to New York.

I wish I could remember the details of the game. It was dimly lit, but the tv images you saw were probably on the evening news. One of my few memories is of most people having sort of strange look on their faces as if, ......... What the hell are these guys doing here? Even the players seemed to have that look on their faces. ............ My girlfriend had the look of, ......... What the hell am I doing here? .......... No amount of talk could convince her that this was a once in a lifetime event that she wouldn't want to miss. ........... (You know, she had the same look 23 years later at her first college football game when the University of Maine played a game with the most overtime periods in the history of college football. This was due to some temporary fluke in the rules that allowed a team to tie the game after a score against them. My wife never forgave the NCAA for that.)

The professional game in Bangor was indeed a once in a lifetime deal. You can be sure that, even after another 50 years have passed, it won't happen again. And if, by some peculiar concurrence of events it should happen, there is absolutely no possibility that my wife will be in attendance even if she should receive a special engraved invitation with honored seating next to the coach.

I live in Randolph. When I turned on my tv Saturday morning, I had a message to rescan. Once the full scan was completed, I began receiving channels from the Boston area. I have never received any of these before. After about 1/2 hour of checking out the new local HD broadcast of these Boston channels, the signal was lost. Any answers to why I would all of sudden receive and then lose these signals?

There's many things about cable television that I don't understand. For instance, I don't understand why Boston channels or Bangor channels (other than WABI) would running through the Augusta system at all, even if they are hidden. It would seem as if they would use up bandwidth.

Perhaps, our inside man, Skippy, can get to the bottom of this.

I live in Randolph. When I turned on my tv Saturday morning, I had a message to rescan. Once the full scan was completed, I began receiving channels from the Boston area. I have never received any of these before. After about 1/2 hour of checking out the new local HD broadcast of these Boston channels, the signal was lost. Any answers to why I would all of sudden receive and then lose these signals?

http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html

Although the Boston towers must be 150+ miles from you, tropospheric conditions must have been working in your favor. Typically it will last no more than a couple hours after sunrise. About 3 weeks ago I watched KYW morning news from Philadelphia for more than 2 hours and that is 300+ miles from me. The link above is a pretty good forecast of tropo conditions.

Drew, when you said you had a message to rescan, my first thought was that the message was from a cablebox. If you're on an antenna, you were getting a bounce from the ionosphere, as many of us so much enjoyed once in a while decades ago.

Thank you for the replies.

Yes, I am using an antenna. It's an indoor terk antenna. I picked up WBZ again this morning for about 15 minutes.

you have all the same features as all other digital cable subscribers so you wont lose ondemand when SDV starts. I have attached a picture of the main Iguide menu you wont lose Iguide it is the IPG.

how to get to software version press menu (x2) ,scroll down to second page select setup, and scroll down to cable box setup and hit ok on the remote, then scroll down to the select to display option and hit ok on the remote and it should bring up a page that says software version 75.xx or 78.xx .

version is 78.XX

well kids... uncle skippy here with your weekly hd additions. looks like CC headend will be getting the same channels this thursday that YC added last week. cartoon, msnbc, encore, e!, fox news, hallmark movie chnl, headline news, ifc, and cnbc.

YC additions are mostly in the premiums. a couple of the "extra" showtimes, starz, and hbos. as well as g4 and style.

version is 78.XX

can you post the full version info.

A28 it is. It looks like your area is the first to get the tru2way version of Iguide.

it should have folders for DVR shows.
shows that a HD channel is available if a channel is in HD

plus actor and tittle search and more.

you have all the same features as all other digital cable subscribers so you wont lose ondemand when SDV starts. I have attached a picture of the main Iguide menu you wont lose Iguide it is the IPG.

how to get to software version press menu (x2) ,scroll down to second page select setup, and scroll down to cable box setup and hit ok on the remote, then scroll down to the select to display option and hit ok on the remote and it should bring up a page that says software version 75.xx or 78.xx .

Kevin, sorry it took so long.
78.40 - a28.s5.r-5

The letter that said SDV starts 9/15 and offered an HD converter in exchange for the cablecard included the following sentence:

"This basic HD converter will allow you to receive programming delivered using SDV, but not our other interactive features (such as the Electronic Programming Guide, Video On Demand, and other two-services that, by design, UDCP's cannot access)."

............ I think they meant to say "two-way services."
UDCP = one-way cablecard equipped retail device (tv set)

well kids... uncle skippy here with your weekly hd additions. looks like CC headend will be getting the same channels this thursday that YC added last week. cartoon, msnbc, encore, e!, fox news, hallmark movie chnl, headline news, ifc, and cnbc.

YC additions are mostly in the premiums. a couple of the "extra" showtimes, starz, and hbos. as well as g4 and style.

Well Encore will be a nice addition. Lots of commercial free classic movies in HD will be great! Hopefully the channel stays free and Time Warner doesn't decide to add it to the "movie plex" or "HD Tier".

10 More HD channels just added to Time Warner York County:

483 - TMC Xtra
485 - Starz Kids & Family
486 - Starz Comedy
488 - ActionMax
494 - HBO 2
497 - HBO Comedy
522 - Showtime 2
568 - G4
570 - Style
571 - WE

Although the Boston towers must be 150+ miles from you, tropospheric conditions must have been working in your favor. Typically it will last no more than a couple hours after sunrise. About 3 weeks ago I watched KYW morning news from Philadelphia for more than 2 hours and that is 300+ miles from me. The link above is a pretty good forecast of tropo conditions.

Thanks again for the information. I've been doing a lot of reading about these conditions. Great night last night....I did an 'add-on scan', picked up 21 OTA Channels. WBZ and the Retro Channel out of Boston were both coming in with a 70% signal strength.

Is there any way my indoor antenna could be assisted by a neighbors roof top antenna and/or a cell tower that is about 1/4 mile from my house?

10 More HD channels just added to Time Warner York County:

483 - TMC Xtra
485 - Starz Kids & Family
486 - Starz Comedy
488 - ActionMax
494 - HBO 2
497 - HBO Comedy
522 - Showtime 2
568 - G4
570 - Style
571 - WE

Not really excited about any of those, but I'm not complaining either.

HDnet and Spike...........those are the 2 that I'll get excited for.

What about MTVHD............I'm surprised we don't have that yet, as popular as MTV is.

Steve

Thanks again for the information. I've been doing a lot of reading about these conditions. Great night last night....I did an 'add-on scan', picked up 21 OTA Channels. WBZ and the Retro Channel out of Boston were both coming in with a 70% signal strength.

Is there any way my indoor antenna could be assisted by a neighbors roof top antenna and/or a cell tower that is about 1/4 mile from my house?

You're very welcome and as you have learned can be fun to find any new channels. I really do not think your neighbor or the cell tower has any influence. Enjoy

well kids... uncle skippy here with your weekly hd additions. looks like CC headend will be getting the same channels this thursday that YC added last week. cartoon, msnbc, encore, e!, fox news, hallmark movie chnl, headline news, ifc, and cnbc.

YC additions are mostly in the premiums. a couple of the "extra" showtimes, starz, and hbos. as well as g4 and style.

Certainly impressive additions that make the Comcast Brunswick cable system lineup look pathetic - as indeed it is. If they priced their service according to HD channels available, they'd be giving it away. :rolleyes: I think they offer 10 HD channels not counting a few subscription ones like HBO.

Not much news lately about additions to the D* lineup but I did find this info (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirecTV_satellite_fleet#Future_satellites) recently.

DirecTV plans to launch DirecTV-12 in late 2009. It is a Boeing BSS-702. After it is fully installed, DirecTV will have the ability for 200 national HD channels. Specific information about which new HD channels subscribers will see, and exactly when they will be added, is unknown.

Elsewhere on the same web site, the launch date is given as "late September 2009." That remains to be seen.

While I'm all in favor of choice, the reality is that I can only watch one channel at a time so I'm not sure what I'd do with 100 or 200 HD channels. Maybe watch too much TV. ;)

Dana

well kids... uncle skippy here with your weekly hd additions. looks like CC headend will be getting the same channels this thursday that YC added last week. cartoon, msnbc, encore, e!, fox news, hallmark movie chnl, headline news, ifc, and cnbc.

I was off on vacation last week when the first wave of additions came, but I was following the progress and was quite pleased (this week too) to see them actually adding worthwhile channels. I very much appreciated the heads up and info from you - seeing as there is never much of any advance notice officially from Time Warner.

I did have to call and get the 4 or 5 channels working correctly last weekend, as it seemed quite a few of us did - and I'm convinced that it's all just a scam to get customers on the phone and try to sell digital phone service, as that's all the guy would talk about while waiting for my box to reset ... or maybe that's just the cynic in me ... :)

Again - thanks for the info, skippyrulz - can't wait to see what else may be coming, although there are really only a couple channels now that I'd like that we don't have.

Dan

Not really excited about any of those, but I'm not complaining either.

HDnet and Spike...........those are the 2 that I'll get excited for.

What about MTVHD............I'm surprised we don't have that yet, as popular as MTV is.


cosigning on mtv. that's among the four or so channels that i'm still hoping for. i'd lay money that mtv, spike, vh1, comedy central are all coming. hopefully sooner rather than later.

and as much as i want the hdnets back, i ain't holdin' my breath! :rolleyes:


I did have to call and get the 4 or 5 channels working correctly last weekend, as it seemed quite a few of us did - and I'm convinced that it's all just a scam to get customers on the phone and try to sell digital phone service, as that's all the guy would talk about while waiting for my box to reset ... or maybe that's just the cynic in me ... :)

Again - thanks for the info, skippyrulz - can't wait to see what else may be coming, although there are really only a couple channels now that I'd like that we don't have.


no problem. i'll keep you guys in the loop as much as i can.

for some reason a lot of people had issues with the additions last week. including myself. i had to call and have the box hit last thursday and everything worked after that. this week's channels were good to go, however. no clue what the diff is, as you could fit my technical/engineering knowledge of this stuff in a thimble. heh. :D

A respected Wall Street analyst has suggested that Comcast should buy TWC. (http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2009/09/10/will-comcast-buy-time-warner-cable/) According to the story, "an FCC rule limiting cable companies to 30% U.S. market share has been struck down by a federal court." This is apparently plausible on a nationwide basis. Comcast really is that rich.

Locally, I figured the only salvation for the little ol' Comcast Brunswick MSO and its remaining subs was to have TWC buy it, finish upgrading it and integrate it into the TWC system that surrounds it. But, maybe Comcast will have to spent its own bucks to upgrade the former SusCom cable plant it now owns after all. Ha!

I'm not holding my breath.

Dana