That sucks... I actually watch a lot fo the concerts they have on there. Think Time Warner will replace it with another channel in the HD tier?

I have the SA8300DVR and an SA8300HDDVR. Currently I can not view Headline News(channel 33) or Weather Channel(41) on either and CBS HD(225) on 8300 has a very poor reception. Channels 33 and 41 work on all TVs w/out the boxes, and if i disconnect the boxes from those 2 TVs, the channels come through. Anyone else having similar problems? Any ideas?

Ingress with your inside wiring, call TWC for a service call.

Well the time has come to get ready to switch... Does anyone know if TWC will be adding NFL Network within the next couple of weeks.

After spending some time in the HDTV Recorders Forum, it appears that our current version of Passport Echo (2.5.066) now supports SATA expansion drives, although it's "undocumented". ;)

Has anyone tried attaching one of these to a Charlotte-area SA8300 HD-DVR? People all over the country running this combination of hardware/software are having success with this using drive sizes all the way up to 750 GB and commonly available enclosures with and without fans. But, our local TWC can "turn off" this support if they want, and there's no guarantee the next software update (or "Mystro" the rumored new operating system for SA STB's/DVR's) will continue to support this feature.

Just wanted to know if anyone around here has tried it...? I plan to.

archi - you're a little late to the party. We were talking about this back around the first of August. Check out post 2975 and the next few posts forward. :)

Yes, the eSATA port works and I have personally confirmed it with a 160GB drive. Just keep in mind that adding a drive breaks pausing/FF/Rwind of "live" shows.

Ah, ke4pym, you are correct! This thread moves so fast I had forgotten those discussions about 10 pages back. I read back thru up to this point and it appears that you're the only one who's tried an expansion drive (although 'chief17' was making noises about it). I'm interested in a bigger drive than the 160 GB model you tried, more like 400-500 GB.

Since I'm primarily going to be using the second 8300 to archive HD movies, I don't really care about the trick-play glitches. I'm going this route because they've apparently taken away firewire functionality on the SA3250 STB with the last software upgrade (firewire on the 8300 is a non-starter) so there went my method of archiving HD movies to tape. (I managed to get about 4 dozen of them plus a couple dozen HD concerts over the last 3 years, though.) I was the only one in the area doing that (!), so they never were much interested in helping me work thru the 5C problems that plagued me the whole time. It was very much hit-or-miss, but now it's gone altogether (wonder what the FCC, who mandated working firewire ports for cable customers who asked for them, would have to say about this? ;) ). So, second 8300 & expansion drive here I come!

wonder what the FCC, who mandated working firewire ports for cable customers who asked for them, would have to say about this? ;) ).


You can start by filing a complaint with the County/City cable czar. Then file with the FCC. I think there is a online form for that.

A working FW port is a mandate from the FCC. Or was - dunno if that has changed.

You can start by filing a complaint with the County/City cable czar. Then file with the FCC. I think there is a online form for that.

A working FW port is a mandate from the FCC. Or was - dunno if that has changed.

I dunno, man. I fought it for 3 years and I think I'm done fightin'. I got absolutely nowhere when I tried to just get them to look at the 5C problems I was having. Since I was the only customer trying the HD-STB > firewire > D-VHS thing, they just didn't care. You wouldn't believe all the time I spent trying to get them to look at the problem; they never would. Maybe filing a complaint with the FCC might have motivated them, but probably not. Nothing motivated them. I'm lucky HDNet Movies was working properly with the 5C flags most of the time, as that's where I got 95% of my archived films. And the current problems appear to be nationwide now; nobody with the new version of Passport Echo is having any success with firewire recording to D-VHS anymore (the SARA software folks are still okay, I believe). The problem is with Aptiva, or whoever is writing that software now. They've screwed it up. TWC doesn't care.

It's a brave, new world now. If I can successfully add a 400 GB expansion drive to a second 8300, I'll have over a terabyte of space in which to archive movies. I don't have space for those on my primary DVR which is used primarily for time-shifting. It's not a permanent solution, as D-VHS tape is, but it will last as long as that particular 8300 does. And I'll be dipping my toes in the HD optical waters as soon as that mess gets resolved. Probably time to move on....

It's a brave, new world now. If I can successfully add a 400 GB expansion drive to a second 8300, I'll have over a terabyte of space in which to archive movies. I don't have space for those on my primary DVR which is used primarily for time-shifting. It's not a permanent solution, as D-VHS tape is, but it will last as long as that particular 8300 does. And I'll be dipping my toes in the HD optical waters as soon as that mess gets resolved. Probably time to move on....

Until the hard drive fails in that DVR... I've heard (but not verified) that the external drive is bound to that device. So, if your DVR dies you'll be out of luck when you shift that external HD to a new unit.

I'd love to be wrong on this comment though.

Until the hard drive fails in that DVR... I've heard (but not verified) that the external drive is bound to that device. So, if your DVR dies you'll be out of luck when you shift that external HD to a new unit.

I'd love to be wrong on this comment though.

No, I'm afraid you're right. They're tied in together, somehow. Lose the DVR, lose the contents of the expansion drive. That's why you can't look at it as a permanent archiving solution; it's sort of a temporary archiving solution. But there's no other way right now unless one has an STB w/ firewire-out that doesn't recognize the 5C flags. The good news is the 8300 is a pretty rock-solid device that's not prone to crashing out. Knock on wood. ;)

We seem to be going backward instead of forward where HD content is concerned. :(

The good news is the 8300 is a pretty rock-solid device that's not prone to crashing out. Knock on wood. ;)

We seem to be going backward instead of forward where HD content is concerned. :(

Sorry, I had to laugh at this comment. I've had 8 DVRs now since the 8300 came out. I don't know what it is about my house, but they tend to die quite often. I've got them on a APC UPS and they have gobs of ventilation.

Just this morning I was eating my Captin' Crunch trying to watch a show. The show started, then the DVR posted "One Moment Please" with the recorded shows in the back ground. The show played for about a minute and then the DVR rebooted. It started counting down FFFF, FFFE, FFFD, FFFC, so on and so forth until it got to 0000. Usually, when I've seen this, the DVR has to be taken in because the drive is dead.

It finally rebooted again and everything seems to be there. I didn't have time to try anything to see if my shows were still there (they were in the list though). I hope the drive isn't about to die. I've got A LOT of stuff on there I've not seen yet.

You've had 7 of them crap out on you?? Wow! :eek:

Maybe I've just been lucky so far, but mine's been a real champ, and it sure gets plenty of use. (Knock on wood.) The one I plan on using for "temporary archiving" will not have the "wear and tear" of everyday time-shifting, so hopefully it will hang in there indefinitely. <crosses fingers>

I haven't had an 8300 die on me yet. I had two of the last model (8000?) die in about 6 months.

And yeah, I'd love to hook up an external hard drive but the ff/rew bug has discouraged me from that so far.

well, after years as a customer of time warner, the time has come to cut ties. They cant get their crap together and get the nfl network on in time for football games to be broadcast.


Should I go with dishnetwork or direct tv?

well, after years as a customer of time warner, the time has come to cut ties. They cant get their crap together and get the nfl network on in time for football games to be broadcast.


Should I go with dishnetwork or direct tv?

Do you want the NFL Sunday Ticket? If so, that makes your choice pretty clear. Or are you just looking for the NFL network?

nah..the ticket is not that important.














code: my wife wont let me buy it.
















hd content is the most importart thing to me

well, after years as a customer of time warner, the time has come to cut ties. They cant get their crap together and get the nfl network on in time for football games to be broadcast.


Should I go with dishnetwork or direct tv?

After learning of the NFL Network's entirely unreasonable demands and what it's likely to do to everyone's cable bills if they just automatically get what they want, I've come down on TWC's side on this one. Seems like, this one time at least, they're fighting the good fight. Lord knows, there's enough NFL football on the schedule already (once the colleges finish, they take over Saturdays as well). Nobody's going to miss a few more, especially if they're C-level matchups. YMMV.

That said, both D* & E* are transmitting HD Lite nowadays. Even with rate shaping and STB/DVR filtering robbing about a third of the potential HD bandwidth, the picture quality is still better on cable. All depends on what your priorities are, of course.

After learning of the NFL Network's entirely unreasonable demands and what it's likely to do to everyone's cable bills if they just automatically get what they want, I've come down on TWC's side on this one. Seems like, this one time at least, they're fighting the good fight.
.


care to enlighten me about this?

care to enlighten me about this?

Well, I've been following this for a couple of months now and have read a lot of articles all over AVS on this subject, which is what caused me to change my original viewpoint. I don't have the time to try to retrace my steps and provide you with all the links, sorry. If you want to get up to speed on the issue, I suggest starting with fredfa's "Hot Off the Press" thread in the HDTV programming forum and just skip to the articles on this subject, which are easy to find.

Basically, the NFL Network wants a premium price for this channel which its number of viewers doesn't warrant. In addition, they want the cable companies to put it in the "basic" tier where it can reach the largest audience. But it would charge a much higher premium to the cable companies than any other channel on the basic tier, and the cable companies would have to raise everyone's rates to cover the huge price they're asking. TWC and other cable companies want to put it in one of their "sports tiers" where they could charge the customers that want it a premium for it, which is certainly more fair. But, the NFL Network would reach fewer people on the sports tier, which affects the price they can charge advertisers. See, they're one of those channels that gets income not only from the fees they charge the cable companies, but also from selling commercials, like ESPN. It's a profitable business model.

They're trying to use their leverage as the countries' most popular spectator sport to intimidate the cable companies into paying their excessive fee to carry the channel, and insisting it go on the "basic" tier. People like you (nothing personal) who threaten to leave for satellite because of this play right into their hands.

I hope TWC calls their bluff. IMHO, there's already enough NFL football on TV and that's coming from a huge fan and a Panther's PSL holder. I won't miss the NFL Network and don't want to see my cable bill rise to pay for it. For people who want it, put it on a sports tier and make them pay for it.

Guys, quick question. I have not read this thread in a while and I was wondering if the SATA port is active on the 8300HD DVR yet? My brother just switched from satellite to TWC HD and want to hook up an external hard drive to it. I have seen the available cable in the AVS Forum sponsor banner but did not know if our market had an active port yet or not. Thanks.

I'm a huge sports and NFL fan. I'd really like to have the NFL network but that alone is not enough to make me switch carriers. But that combined with them not having ESPN2HD or ESPNU is making me seriously consider switching. I'd also like to see some more HD channels added like Starz, Cinemax, Bravo, National Geographic, etc. From what I have read in this thread it doesn't sound like TW-Charlotte is going to add any of these any time soon. :mad:

Does anyone know the extent of the Verizon FIOS coverage in Charlotte? What areas are covered now and what areas are they planning to add in the near future? All I can tell from their website (http://www22.verizon.com/content/ConsumerFiOS/) is that it is not available in my neighborhood now (Southpark area).

Guys, quick question. I have not read this thread in a while and I was wondering if the SATA port is active on the 8300HD DVR yet? My brother just switched from satellite to TWC HD and want to hook up an external hard drive to it. I have seen the available cable in the AVS Forum sponsor banner but did not know if our market had an active port yet or not. Thanks.

It is but there are bugs with it. Read just a few posts up.

It is but there are bugs with it. Read just a few posts up.

Thanks! Yeah, it wouldn't be TWC without the bugs. I tolerate it though in return for the great HD programming.

Does anyone know the extent of the Verizon FIOS coverage in Charlotte? What areas are covered now and what areas are they planning to add in the near future? All I can tell from their website (http://www22.verizon.com/content/ConsumerFiOS/) is that it is not available in my neighborhood now (Southpark area).

Verizon doesn't do land line business in this market. Don't expect FiOS here in Charlotte anytime soon. Unless VZN gets Bellsouth, or something. The major local loop carriers here are Bellsouth, CT Comm, and Sprint. VZN was, at one time in Union County, NC, but I've not seen anything from them in that county in awhile. Though, Bellsouth doesn't list them as a market that they support.


Also, FiOS as an internet service and FiOS as a TV service are two different packages. Some markets have both but most don't.

I'm a huge sports and NFL fan. I'd really like to have the NFL network but that alone is not enough to make me switch carriers. But that combined with them not having ESPN2HD or ESPNU is making me seriously consider switching. I'd also like to see some more HD channels added like Starz, Cinemax, Bravo, National Geographic, etc. From what I have read in this thread it doesn't sound like TW-Charlotte is going to add any of these any time soon. :mad:


I've been told by a high-placed person in TWC that when they implement SDV (switched digital video), it will open up lots of bandwidth for more HD channels. Whether it will actually play out that way is anybody's guess, and he refused to give me a timeline for rolling it out, but that's the official "company line", FWIW.

I've been told by a high-placed person in TWC that when they implement SDV (switched digital video), it will open up lots of bandwidth for more HD channels. Whether it will actually play out that way is anybody's guess, and he refused to give me a timeline for rolling it out, but that's the official "company line", FWIW.

I'd say our market will have it any time because the plant is full. I'd be curious to know if they could upgrade it from a 750MHz plant to say, 1GHz. Other than money, it'd be pretty interesting to know what that would take, and mean.

On a similar note, DirecTV has moved to a 2GHz pipe with their 5LNB dish systems. Which means you can no longer combine a roof-top antenna with the signal from the 5LNBs over the same cable.

NFL Network violating anti-trust laws? Maybe.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/specter111406.htm

Hi everyone. I just found this thread and it's going to be a great resource as I just purchased my first HD set. It should arrive the day before Thanksgiving. Currently I live in Statesville which is served by Time Warner. They just took over from Adelphia here. (thankgoodness)

Right now, I have their most basic service. 22 channels I think. To amend my earlier statement, this is not the first HD set I have had, I actually bought a Sony XBR and returned it. While I had it in the house, I noticed that along with my 22 channels, I also received the DTV channels from the QAM tuner. I was getting Discovery HD, PBS HD, etc off the QAM. Another "bonus" as I saw it, I received the 40 or so digital music channels off of the QAM. Is this normal?

I have been struggling with the thought of going back to the 8300 (I had it when I lived in Winston-Salem) but I don't really watch that much of their expanded cable. I would be happy with the prime time lineups from the major networks and the freebie HD channels that TA provides. I understand they have an "HD Tier" but I am not interested in them right now. I can't justify the price right now.

While I had the Sony in home I also purchased a Terk amplified antenna. I was able to pull in all of the Charlotte HD stations and a few others. I think I did even get a few from the Winston area. I am in an apartment right now, so I don't want to go all out with a rotor system, but likely will in the future. Regarding OTA in general, is it true that it is less compressed than what TA delivers through their pipe? I did see some pretty bad macroblocking on the local FOX OTA. I suppose it could have been the TV, but as I remember, it seemed a little better over TW's feed. I was under the impression that OTA was not compressed at all. I think I was misinformed.

Has anyone switched from Dish/DTV to TWC or vise versa? How does the hdtv quality compare?

I'm a huge sports and NFL fan. I'd really like to have the NFL network but that alone is not enough to make me switch carriers. But that combined with them not having ESPN2HD or ESPNU is making me seriously consider switching. I'd also like to see some more HD channels added like Starz, Cinemax, Bravo, National Geographic, etc. From what I have read in this thread it doesn't sound like TW-Charlotte is going to add any of these any time soon. :mad:

Does anyone know the extent of the Verizon FIOS coverage in Charlotte? What areas are covered now and what areas are they planning to add in the near future? All I can tell from their website (http://www22.verizon.com/content/ConsumerFiOS/) is that it is not available in my neighborhood now (Southpark area).

Tell me about it...TWC "offers" the worst HD/sports selection of any of the 4 major cities I've had experience with, and no sign of things improving here. I really wish I could install a dish at my apartment.

I hope you're enjoying the Tennis Channel and Fox College Sports Central.

Anyone in TWC/Charlotte have any idea what channel CW (from the WB/UPN 'merger') will be on when it airs? Will there be an HD version?

thanks...

WJZY

Yes it will be HD

Is anyone else only receiving CW in 480p?

Anyone else having problems with NBC's hd shows? I now have no center channel sound when watching their 5.1 shows. I have to switch the cable box to stereo to watch them :(

Is anyone else only receiving CW in 480p?
Yes. Don't know what's going on. It's been in HD since the merger up until this past weekend or so. Budget cuts, maybe?

I recently got a second 8300HD-DVR since the last software upgrade to Passport disabled the firewire ports (while enabling the SATA port; go figure), which worked, after a fashion, for the previous 3 years. I figured my only option to "archive" HD movies now is to throw 'em on the DVR (and hope they don't change platforms any time soon - the drive is tied exclusively to that particular DVR). To that end, I got a 500GB SATA drive and hooked it up to the second 8300, giving me about 600GB of storage space, or enough for about 60 HD movies, I figure. I got about 50 of them archived on D-VHS over the last 3 years. It was fun while it lasted. :rolleyes:

One advantage we Passporters have over the SARA software folks is that we can use large drives for external add-on, and they don't have to be "optimized for streaming video" (those are much more expensive). Anyway, it works! Just thought I'd file a "report" for anyone who's interested.

Shelby Time Warner --

Just got a new Sony HDTV with Qam compatible tuner, ran the scan, and only came up with 8 channels and only one HD channel (WTVI which looks pretty nice). Should I be able to get more than those? The threads from back in May/June looks like TWC may have done something that removed most of the previously available channels.

I can get most of the OTA channels from GSP-Ash and Charlotte with the antenna, but it's a pain to have to switch the Cable/Antenna menu everytime I want to change inputs.

Anyone else having problems with NBC's hd shows? I now have no center channel sound when watching their 5.1 shows. I have to switch the cable box to stereo to watch them :(

I have noticed the same. Terrible. I My Onkyo reports 2/0 and sure enough, no center audio.

Anyone else see focus problems during Monday night Football? Particularly when they were showing the starting lineups. Every time, it would jump waaaay out of focus, and then gradually come back in.

I am on a Pio 5070 set.

Anyone else see focus problems during Monday night Football? Particularly when they were showing the starting lineups. Every time, it would jump waaaay out of focus, and then gradually come back in.

I am on a Pio 5070 set.


Yep, looks terrible tonight. I am watching OTA from Union County

It's may have something to do with WSOC translating the ESPN feed because the ESPN HD broadcast isn't having the same problem. I'm not even sure that 9.1 OTA is even HD tonight it looks so soft. It almost looks like a 480 widescreen fake HD broadcast compared to the ESPN HD Sat feed.

just move to charlotte....do TWC boxes have DVI and/or HDMI?....thanks

I have noticed the same. Terrible. I My Onkyo reports 2/0 and sure enough, no center audio.

I've also noticed some weird mixing on NBC, mostly with center sound in the surrounds. But lately what I've noticed is a 3.0 DD signal. My Denon has a little graphic that shows the input channels and on NBC I'm seeing L/R/C with a distinct center channel.

just move to charlotte....do TWC boxes have DVI and/or HDMI?....thanks

One HDMI port, one eSATA port, two firewire (IEEE1394) ports (that don't work anymore :mad: ). Plus the usual composite jacks including s-video, plus coaxial-in/out.

live in statesville and have TWC. just got my new HDTV last week as well as a new 8300Hd box (noDVR). they are connected via component. every night at about 7pm i start getting bad blocking and sound drop out, by about 8pm several channels are completely black by 9pm most are black and the one that isnt is unwatchable. in the morning it is the same way up until about 8am. it wasnt like this the first couple of days. it realy sucks. i havent called TWC yet because i have been working 12 hour shifts almost 6 days a week. and when i get home i have about 1 hour to watch before it goes to crap. any ideas.

when i get home i have about 1 hour to watch before it goes to crap. any ideas.

This is a problem with your cable feed, you will need to call TWC and put in a service call.

Cr@ppy Reception,
I've had the cable repair guys out 4 times and they claim I have to live with blocking, freezes and audio dropouts. Frankly I'm a little tired of spending well over a $70 per month with TWC and not get what I except. Where can a person go to get beyond the local morons that work for TWC? I'm running a SA 8300HD which I just exchanged for another hoping the STB might be the problem. They have changed main wires on the poles, box at the pole and one connector in my basement which they missed up and I had to redo it. I won't get into what their mainline cable contractor did to my yard. I'm trying to watch LOTR's right now and it just froze out for about 10 seconds.

Cr@ppy Reception,
I've had the cable repair guys out 4 times and they claim I have to live with blocking, freezes and audio dropouts. Frankly I'm a little tired of spending well over a $70 per month with TWC and not get what I except. Where can a person go to get beyond the local morons that work for TWC? I'm running a SA 8300HD which I just exchanged for another hoping the STB might be the problem. They have changed main wires on the poles, box at the pole and one connector in my basement which they missed up and I had to redo it. I won't get into what their mainline cable contractor did to my yard. I'm trying to watch LOTR's right now and it just froze out for about 10 seconds.

Ask them to do a signal check at the pole-pedistal, your demark, and at the end of the wire that you screw into the back of your DVR. You might also want to ask if a whole house amplifier will help your situation. It should be free. However, if you have a crappy signal going into the amplifier you will just have a crappy (but stronger crappy) signal coming out of it. Then run it up the chain.

Your next best bet might be DirecTV. They should be offering locals in HD in the next few coming months. Dish could also be an option for you as well.

Your next best bet might be DirecTV. They should be offering locals in HD in the next few coming months.

Isn't DirecTV already offering locals in HD? I'm not trying to schill for 'em, but I'm considering a switch, too.

Isn't DirecTV already offering locals in HD? I'm not trying to schill for 'em, but I'm considering a switch, too.


Hrm. I punched in a Charlotte zip code and they indicate that ABC (9), CBS (3), NBC (36) and Fox (18) are available in HD. However, they do not indicate whether or not those channels are coming from the satellite or from the hook-on terrestrial
antenna.

It happens every year at this time so I am sure they will increase something. Especially since we have received so much new stuff from them this year (ha ha).

Until we get some competition nothing will change.

Ok... ok... for just one week.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/12/12/bc.fbn.nflnetwork.freev.ap/index.html

Of course, TWC isn't obligated to carry this, and I'm sure they can find several ways to screw this up. (Ok, that was a cheap shot...).

Or maybe they carry it free for the one week and still turn around and still increase rates. All right, that was another cheap shot, I'm sorry... (Maybe this can be my New Year's Resolution. No more cheap shots at Time Weenie. I gotta have something I can drop quick, at least by the 3rd.)

Ok... ok... for just one week.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/12/12/bc.fbn.nflnetwork.freev.ap/index.html

Of course, TWC isn't obligated to carry this, and I'm sure they can find several ways to screw this up. (Ok, that was a cheap shot...).

Or maybe they carry it free for the one week and still turn around and still increase rates. All right, that was another cheap shot, I'm sorry... (Maybe this can be my New Year's Resolution. No more cheap shots at Time Weenie. I gotta have something I can drop quick, at least by the 3rd.)

Where are the cheap shots at the NFL for anti-competitive and anti-trust violations? I hope TW tells the NFL where to stuff their free preview.

Where are the cheap shots at the NFL for anti-competitive and anti-trust violations? I hope TW tells the NFL where to stuff their free preview.

Good point by you. So after long, thoughtful consideration, I think it's wrong that the NFL doesn't allow cheerleaders to wear belly button rings during games! If a young, nubile, tanned and tight-bodied cheerleader wants to express her individuality via dangling jewelry, then more power to her and all of us watching in glorious 720p!















Ok, that's not necessarily a cheap shot, but I feel better for having gotten it off my chest.

Thank you!

[QUOTE=TeddyTV] If a young, nubile, tanned and tight-bodied cheerleader wants to express her individuality via dangling jewelry, then more power to her and all of us watching in glorious 720p![QUOTE=TeddyTV]


Thanks for an excellent mental picture there first thing this morning!!! :D

Good point by you. So after long, thoughtful consideration, I think it's wrong that the NFL doesn't allow cheerleaders to wear belly button rings during games! If a young, nubile, tanned and tight-bodied cheerleader wants to express her individuality via dangling jewelry, then more power to her and all of us watching in glorious 720p!















Ok, that's not necessarily a cheap shot, but I feel better for having gotten it off my chest.

Thank you!

You can do that now, in 1080i on CBS and/or NBC. Oh wait, they're not allowed to wear jewlery yet.


And why would you want a "young, nubile, tanned and tight-bodied cheerleader" *OFF* your chest??!!?? *runs for the hills*

Ask them to do a signal check at the pole-pedistal, your demark, and at the end of the wire that you screw into the back of your DVR. You might also want to ask if a whole house amplifier will help your situation. It should be free. However, if you have a crappy signal going into the amplifier you will just have a crappy (but stronger crappy) signal coming out of it. Then run it up the chain.

Your next best bet might be DirecTV. They should be offering locals in HD in the next few coming months. Dish could also be an option for you as well.

Hello there ke4pym. You and I exchanged posts back in September when I switched from TWC and their awful HD DVR to Directv. I see that you might be coming around to the idea of making the switch.

I wanted to let you know that the main 4 Charlotte locals(ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) have been available via satellite for quite some time now(at least 4 months).

It is important to note that the Charlotte locals are MPEG-4 stations and thus are NOT HD LITE like the national channels. Even the HD LITE channels look good, though.

There are 3 HD channels that TWC carries that Directv does not: the two PBS stations and InHD. Directv just enabled the OTA tuner on the HD DVR so you can now get Charlotte locals via the satelite and OTA.

I definitely do not regret making the decision and I predict that TWC Charlotte is going to lose a LOT of customers when Directv's two new HD satellites are launched in the middle of next year.

The only thing I miss is the TiVo Live style guide my TiVo used to have. Other than that I really like the HR20 HD DVR.

Other than that I really like the HR20 HD DVR.

I read on the internet (so it must be true...), that the HR20 has a function where you can view the current most popular/viewed shows or channels within your area code. Have you tried this?

Oh, and so this doesn't become a satellite dish discussion thread instead on a TWC thread... does anyone's 8300 do this?

Hello there ke4pym. You and I exchanged posts back in September when I switched from TWC and their awful HD DVR to Directv. I see that you might be coming around to the idea of making the switch.


No, fraid' not. I just wanted to look up their locals coverage for another user. I'm very happy with TWC right now. If I make any immediate switch it'll be to turn TWC off, buy a OTA HD STB tuner and go back to rabbit ear antennas.

FWIW, I was a DirecTV customer from 1996-2002 and I still have a 3 LNB dish behind my house...

Though I might consider them in a year or so when their migration to MPEG4 is complete. I'm waiting to see if they still offer HD Lite. I do prefer the not-as-compressed HD signal that TW currently offers. I also like not having to have a STB on all of my other sets for basic programming. That, and there is apparently (per DTV's site) a huge waiting list for HDDVRs.

It should be interesting to see what happens to DirecTV's DVR line up now that Rupert is giving up on DirecTV (the "turdbird" as he calls it). Now that Liberty media is getting their hands on it, maybe the Tivo will come back in favor. As well as other STB vendors. I hate that DirecTV pulled all of its receiver manufacturing back to one vendor. I always liked the older Sony receivers over about any other receiver out there.

I find the talk of TWC so funny.

1) Yes they do have a no charge for service calls (over and over and over again) and Directv/Dishnetwork does not without the warrenty you pay for every month. Yet I haven't had any problems for 3 yrs with Dishnetwork.

2) TWC Digital yes they do have digital cable (onsome channels not all some are still analog and still look bad) don't forget there chs have to go thru countless amps before it gets to your street/house. Dtv and Dishnet straight digital/hdtv feed to your dish without all the amps plus all chs are digital feed.

3) "RAINFADE" come on, yes it happens but if sat is sited in correctly with good signal it hardly ever happends. Mine happens when we get a really hard rain (the kind you really cant see through) TWC if you ever ariate your yard ther's a possibility you nick the UG line and everytime it rains a little your signal is gonna get grainy or digital will pixilate or even go out. "very Common" or it can be squirrel chews in aerial lines that cause same problem water getting into TWC mainline or drop.

4) TWC dvrs or digital boxes 9 out of 10 times TWC "serv tech" will exchange and tell you that your problem. That not it!! ask them to show you what kind of signal they have and ask what the Quam corrections are that will show you problems.

5) TWC Digital Phone why would you pay $45 a month or more if you add caller ID,voice mail and other options for there service when you can get Vonage for $25 with everything or $16.50 a month for SUNROCKET (breaksdown to, you pay $200 for a year of service up front, devide that by 12 months it's about $16.50)
If you have problem with phone break up it's not the Vonage or Sunrocket serv. it's the internet connection "TWC" ask the tech to show you the flaps on the tools server.

6) price common not much difference there either prob higher for TWC,haven't checked lately.

OK, I know peeps are asking how do I know.....

Hell I worked for them over 10 years in Charlotte, left to help brother with his wiring for RF,audio,phone surround sound and data. Less stress aahhhh

If you have any questions ask me be glad to help out get answer or what to ask you cable company....

I definitely do not regret making the decision and I predict that TWC Charlotte is going to lose a LOT of customers when Directv's two new HD satellites are launched in the middle of next year.


I doubt that. Satellite + antenna for (HD)TV is still too complicated for good ol' J6P. He likes the ease and simplicity of one box, plug it in, connect it to the TV and off you go. And D*'s & E*'s "HD Lite" still produces a worse picture than TWC's "rate shaping". Plus, if they ever get SDV implimented, there will finally be a lot more HD channels offered than the sat services will manage, I'm sure.

Plus, if they ever get SDV implimented, there will finally be a lot more HD channels offered than the sat services will manage, I'm sure.

SDV? Please explain...

SDV? Please explain...

Switched Digital Video. Basically, it means that TWC only sends out the digital channel you want to see at the time you request it. It represents a far more efficient use of bandwidth, and thus means they can theoretically have room to add a bunch more HD channels to the lineup. Most people don't realize that the "old" analog channels are the real bandwidth hogs. Unfortunately, those are the ones they keep adding (the shopping, religious, Spanish language, and other niche channels of which we apparently don't have nearly enough of).

In other words... a' la carte. I'd sing their praises if and when they'd do this. The only reason I'd keep the shopping, religious and/or Spanish language channels was if they were broadcast in glorious 1080i!!!

People think you'll have a new appreciation for football when you see it in HD, but have you ever seen a Spanish shopping channel in High-Def??? Incredible!

...and don't get me started on how it sounds in Dolby 5.1, wow!

In other words... a' la carte. I'd sing their praises if and when they'd do this.


Not exactly. Don't expect a la carte pricing. The package tiers for pricing purposes would still exist. SDV just pertains to the signal delivery method.

I doubt that. Satellite + antenna for (HD)TV is still too complicated for good ol' J6P. He likes the ease and simplicity of one box, plug it in, connect it to the TV and off you go. And D*'s & E*'s "HD Lite" still produces a worse picture than TWC's "rate shaping". Plus, if they ever get SDV implimented, there will finally be a lot more HD channels offered than the sat services will manage, I'm sure.

Archiguy,

Did you actually read my post?

1. Joe 6 pack in Charlotte can get the 4 main HD locals via Directv Satellite. These 4 channels are MPEG-4 and are NOT HD Lite. No OTA required. OTA is only required if you want the two local PBS stations in HD.

2. Directv will be broadcasting the new HD national channels, and all the current HD national channels, in MPEG-4 next year and they will not be HD Lite.

3. SDV is not coming to Charlotte any time soon.

There are legitimate reasons to go with Time Warner(the WAF of not having a dish on the house, TiVo series 3), but please stop spreading FUD.

Archiguy,

Did you actually read my post?

1. Joe 6 pack in Charlotte can get the 4 main HD locals via Directv Satellite. These 4 channels are MPEG-4 and are NOT HD Lite. No OTA required. OTA is only required if you want the two local PBS stations in HD.

2. Directv will be broadcasting the new HD national channels, and all the current HD national channels, in MPEG-4 next year and they will not be HD Lite.

3. SDV is not coming to Charlotte any time soon.

There are legitimate reasons to go with Time Warner(the WAF of not having a dish on the house, TiVo series 3), but please stop spreading FUD.

And OTA is required if you want the local MyTV and whatever WJZY renamed themselves in HD, too.

We'll see about HD Lite. Yeah, they're going to have a crapload of new bandwidth, but it'll fill up fast. I'm not betting the farm that they'll be staying "HD normal" - if you will should that bandwidth run out.

A lot of things I've been hearing/reading seem to indicate that SDV will be coming to this market and that we and RAL and a joint in California will be the test beds for it. The cable plant is full up here. So they've got to do something to stay current.


Arch->M is right. DTV, in theory, is going to have enough capacity for full bandwidth HD for 1500 local stations as well as some 300 or so "cable channels" in HD as well. So they say. Again, I'm not betting the farm or tomorrow's lunch on it. I hope they do kick butt. Someone needs to keep TWC in line.

The technology behind the new 5 LNB dishes is very interesting to me. With the old system they only used about 750MHz to 1GHz of capacity on the wire. This excludes standard OTA signals (this is why you could mesh a OTA antenna onto the same wire as the DBS signal and not have them interfere). With the 5 LNB dish it uses 0MHz through 2GHz on the wire. That, is a freak-load of channel capacity. You've even got to change the way you cable your install for the new systems. Pretty freakin cool but no more meshing the OTA antenna with the 5 LNB jobbie on the same wire.

Still not enough to get me to switch. I'm finding these days that I don't watch a whole lot of TV anymore. The shows I DVR end up getting deleted because I never watch them in time (and I'm just not motivated enough to go drop coin on a external SATA drive for it). I'm bored with HD (it's so 1999 - or in my case 2002). I'd turn it all off tomorrow, but then my company would be rather bored with no tv.

Archiguy,

Did you actually read my post?

Actually I did. Did you read mine?

1. Joe 6 pack in Charlotte can get the 4 main HD locals via Directv Satellite. These 4 channels are MPEG-4 and are NOT HD Lite. No OTA required. OTA is only required if you want the two local PBS stations in HD.

Why do you assume that everyone who has DBS subscribes to DirecTV? There's another service you may not have heard of: DISH Network. The antenna is still required for them. And you even mention that not all local channels are available thru D*. TWC has them all.

2. Directv will be broadcasting the new HD national channels, and all the current HD national channels, in MPEG-4 next year and they will not be HD Lite.

I wouldn't hold my breath. D* has been promising increased sat capacity and oodles of HD channels since, oh, the Jurassic era. Believe it when you see it.

3. SDV is not coming to Charlotte any time soon.

And you know this..... how? Intuition? My source at TWC says it's coming very soon, probably within the next 6 months or so.

There are legitimate reasons to go with Time Warner(the WAF of not having a dish on the house, TiVo series 3), but please stop spreading FUD.

Telling the truth and trying to inform isn't spreading FUD; that appears to be what you like to do, however. You called the TWC DVR, the SA8300HD, "awful". Now that's "FUD". I have 2 of them and they are superb machines, and I didn't have to pay hundreds of dollars for them either. :rolleyes:

Look, I don't care that you're a D* junkie, happy as a clam with HD Lite, but don't assume that we're all that naive. Your post was riddled with inaccuracies. I've had both sat services since the HD era dawned, and cable has its advantages, one of which is simplicity. That's all I was saying, and that's what appeals most to J6P.

With all the talk in the other forum on new channels for the years end, I decided to dig around the diagnostic mode today. I was hoping to find Starz or A&E HD but no luck. But I did find a couple on demand channels that were kind of weird. On 897 is something called Outrageous On-Demand. They have some soft adult stuff there for free like a Girls Gone Wild show and one other. Uncut mind you. And on 899 they have Here On-Demand. That's Here as in "We're Queer", the on demand selection of the new HereTV (http://www.heretv.com/).

So anyway, glad to see TWC putting all their extra bandwidth to good use......

MHD. MTV in HD.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/timemhd121106.htm

Wonder how this channel addition will work across all of the divisions.

MHD. MTV in HD.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/timemhd121106.htm

Wonder how this channel addition will work across all of the divisions.

MHD, are you kiddin' me?? It better be UHD, dangnabit!!! I'm gittin' pretty darn sick of all my AVS buds who have D* telling me how great it is to see 'BSG' and 'Firefly' in glorious HD.... Doesn't get much better than that. :(

Does TWC send something with the signal to some of their channels (e.g., AMC)? My father-in-law tried to record something the other day with his VCR and it got the sound but no picture, and he said it may have briefly showed something like a copyright notice? Does this sound right? What's going on?

Thanks!

Does TWC send something with the signal to some of their channels (e.g., AMC)? My father-in-law tried to record something the other day with his VCR and it got the sound but no picture, and he said it may have briefly showed something like a copyright notice? Does this sound right? What's going on?

Thanks!

Did he try to send it to a D-VHS recorder via firewire? Because that port doesn't work properly anymore and TWC does not support it. If he was sending it out via the composite connections, he should have no problem. The box will down-rez HD content and merrily send it out at 480i through composite.

With all the talk in the other forum on new channels for the years end, I decided to dig around the diagnostic mode today.

How exactly do you do that? I would be interested in doing some snooping myself.

On the front of the box, hold down select and exit at the same time. You will hear a tone and you are now in Diag mode. Ch 611 has info on you box. Other stuff is scattered around. Nothing shows up in the guide, but if enter a channel like 897 you can then view that channel. Restart the box to leave diag mode.

So, with all this ESPN2HD coming to TWC... is this happening in Charlotte? When?

So, with all this ESPN2HD coming to TWC... is this happening in Charlotte? When?

I read tvpredictions.com saying that MHD and A&E-HD was coming to TWC. But I missed when ESPN2HD was announced. Does TWC usually add new channels to all their cities, or select few? If the answer is the latter, how does Charlotte usually fall in the pecking order?

I'm also wondering when INHD2 is deleted in a few weeks, if we will see another HD take its place, since in theory, some bandwidth will be freed up. [wishful thinking i know].

I read tvpredictions.com saying that MHD and A&E-HD was coming to TWC. But I missed when ESPN2HD was announced. Does TWC usually add new channels to all their cities, or select few? If the answer is the latter, how does Charlotte usually fall in the pecking order?

I'm also wondering when INHD2 is deleted in a few weeks, if we will see another HD take its place, since in theory, some bandwidth will be freed up. [wishful thinking i know].

There really is no pecking order. Each market is run on its own and makes its own channel line up decisions (for the most part).

On the front of the box, hold down select and exit at the same time. You will hear a tone and you are now in Diag mode. Ch 611 has info on you box. Other stuff is scattered around. Nothing shows up in the guide, but if enter a channel like 897 you can then view that channel. Restart the box to leave diag mode.

My SA 3250HD box doesn't have a "select" button. How do I access diagnostic mode?

Any word on MHD, A&E-HD, or ESPN2HD coming to TW-Charlotte? Or are we SOL again? :(

Any word on MHD, A&E-HD, or ESPN2HD coming to TW-Charlotte? Or are we SOL again? :(

Option 4 is the big winner!!!! :D :D :D

Just got off the phone with customer service, and she said no new HD channels anytime soon. I tried several times to reach folks in the corporate office, but they're all gone. For Christmas, I think... but I didn't think anyone at TWC believed in Christmas.

This is a problem with your cable feed, you will need to call TWC and put in a service call.


thanks, cable guy came and tested the signal. i don't recall exactly how many Db i was getting but he said he could see why i was having a problem. he replaced all the connections and splitters from the road to the sets and everything is much better now even SD channels.

Effective Dec.30 INHD-2 will be discontinued and Universal HD will take its place on CH.291

Effective Dec.30 INHD-2 will be discontinued and Universal HD will take its place on CH.291

I can't believe they would add UHD and not ESPN2HD.

Effective Dec.30 INHD-2 will be discontinued and Universal HD will take its place on CH.291

Is that what TWC is telling you? Thanks, in advance, for your reply.

Effective Dec.30 INHD-2 will be discontinued and Universal HD will take its place on CH.291

I would not be pleased to lose INHD2.

Many NHL Hockey Games in HD are on that channel.

Update: I researched and this is an INHD2 decision to drop inHD2 and inHD may actually be morphing into something else.

This change is with inHD directly.

I recently requested a cablecard to go on my Sony 55 inch RP LCD TV, so we would be able to watch live programming from a third channel while our HD8300 is recording on two channels. When the subcontractor came with the card, he checked cable signal level and stated it was too low to use a cablecard. He said he'd tell TWC to fix the problem. That was about a month ago, and I've heard nothing since. Guess I'll have to make a call/visit to them to get them off their butts. I really want to go with HD TiVo in place of the 8300HD junkbox, but only have a few days left in the year to take advantage of TiVo's upgrade offer.

I am trying to connect the following to a Charlotte SA8300HDDVR with the new Mystro software this evening:

Seagate 500gb ESATA external drive

I have read in the threads this has been done with the previous Passport software, but I find no record with the new Mystro software.

After 2 tries of powering down everything and rebooting by reconnecting the power to the HDDVR, the external SATA drive is still not being recognized.

I am going to give it 3 more tries before I give up. I am following the instructions exactly as listed in the SA8300HDDVR manual.

If anyone else has done this, please let me know.

Thanks

Success ! :)

After the 4th try, the drive was finally recognized and gave me the prompt to format it. The format ran in under 2 mnutes.

I looked in the Mystro DIAG, but it does not show a 'separate drive', it just increased my clusters and free cluster dramatcially for the 500gb drive. The diag menu does not show bytes, just clusters.

Inital tests on recording and playback are without problem.

The ability to also pause, rewind and fast foward live programing appears to work also. I had read on other versions, this was an issue apparently caused by buffering issues.

I will post anything else I find.

I am trying to connect the following to a Charlotte SA8300HDDVR with the new Mystro software this evening:


What is the Mystro software that you're speaking of? I'm still running Passport on my 8300HDDVR.

What is the Mystro software that you're speaking of? I'm still running Passport on my 8300HDDVR.

It is the replacement for Passport that it being rolled out now to homes. You should get something in the mail about a week before your HDDVR is scheduled to receive the automatic upgrade during an overnight period. Then a phone call from the IVR that will notify the home number on your account that the upgrade was complete on your converter.

It is a completely redesigned interface guide and underlying software on the HDDVR and other Digital converters. You should not lose your prerecorded programs. It also offers other new functionality like caller id from your digital phone on your screen and a review of all your phone calls.

Here are the details:

Details on Mystro (http://www.timewarnercable.com/charlotte/products/cable/navigator/)

You can also tune to channel 411 to get information on Mystro.

It is the replacement for Passport that it being rolled out now to homes. You should get something in the mail about a week before your HDDVR is scheduled to receive the automatic upgrade during an overnight period. Then a phone call from the IVR that will notify the home number on your account that the upgrade was complete on your converter.

It is a completely redesigned interface guide and underlying software on the HDDVR and other Digital converters. You should not lose your prerecorded programs. It also offers other new functionality like caller id from your digital phone on your screen and a review of all your phone calls.

Here are the details:

Details on Mystro (http://www.timewarnercable.com/charlotte/products/cable/navigator/)

You can also tune to channel 411 to get information on Mystro.

Interesting. Well, maybe that'll motivate me to buy a dedicated drive for my DVR if the trick play stuff works after the upgrade. We just got done with a big upgrade this past summer that turned on the SATA port. Weird that we're getting another so soon.

Good news about the new software working well with live programming. I might look into a new HD when my box gets updated. Is there a specific kind of hard drive I need to buy?

Good news about the new software working well with live programming. I might look into a new HD when my box gets updated. Is there a specific kind of hard drive I need to buy?

As long as it's a SATA drive, you'll be golden. I'd also stick with a drive that is atleast 7200RPM.

Let us know how it works, looks like other areas of country not happy with the software.....

Let us know how it works, looks like other areas of country not happy with the software.....

Indeed. Mystro has not has "glowing reviews" so far from those who have already had it rolled out, to say the least. Most seem to feel it's an inferior upgrade to Passport, but a wash with SATA. However, if eSATA functionality remains, and especially if they can get the firewire ports to work, then I'll be happy with it.

Also am thrilled to see that INHD2 is being replaced with UHD (if that report is correct - TWC CSR's are notoriously clueless). This is exactly what I had hoped for!! :)

Is TWC Charlotte airing the NFL Network this week? I couldn't find it surfing the digital tier channels. Thx.

It came out today that TW is raising their rates. The paper says as much as 6% but TW is playing mind games with people about the real rate by spreading the increase across the entire bill if you bundle. I think this is where I'm getting off the TW train. I hardly ever watch any cable channels and I think I can learn to live without Bill Mahar on HBO.

With that said - does anyone know of any local OTA-antenna installers? I'd like to consult with one. I'm very capable of doing this project myself but I've got a few questions I need to ponder such as wind loading and proper bracing (I want this big sucker to stand up to 150MPH winds)

Also, does anyone have a Tivo Series 3? In my initial antenna design, I'm expecting to have enough sensitivy to pick up more than just the Charlotte market. Since my big screen only has NTSC tuners I'll need an outboard OTA receiver or something like a Tivo. How would the S3 handle the reception of many markets (I fully expect to pick up some, if not all of GSP, GBO and Columbia in addition to Charlotte). Does the S3 have any DRM stupidity that'll stop it from outputing HD on the component outputs?

Also, does anyone have a Tivo Series 3? In my initial antenna design, I'm expecting to have enough sensitivy to pick up more than just the Charlotte market. Since my big screen only has NTSC tuners I'll need an outboard OTA receiver or something like a Tivo. How would the S3 handle the reception of many markets (I fully expect to pick up some, if not all of GSP, GBO and Columbia in addition to Charlotte). Does the S3 have any DRM stupidity that'll stop it from outputing HD on the component outputs?
I don't think I could live without Maher :)

Anyway, I picked up a Series 3 the first day they were available and I love the thing...Almost makes me want to ditch cable, as 98% of everything I record is from OTA, and I could supplement in the summer with Netflix or the like...

Back to your questions:
Multiple markets are handled, but if you are picking up very far channels, they may not be shown as available in your zip code (unlikely). When I entered my zip, it "added" channels that were 130 miles away. The channels are listed in the channel order:
3
3-1
3-2
9
9-1
9-2
....

The component outputs work fine as well with the S3. The only other considerations right now with the S3 are:
-TiVo to Go and Multi-Room Viewing with S2's are both currently unavailable on the S3
-The eSATA port is currently disabled, making it harder to add more HD space (sad when even the 8300 has an active eSATA port).

First of my apologie if these basic questions have already been answered here.

1) Is the HDMI port on the current 8300HD fully functional now? I previously read on this forum that there have been issues with the HDMI port on the 8300hd(mainly with audio if I remember correctly).

2) Are any of the HD channels being offered in the Charlotte area coming in at 1080i?

3) Assuming the above post is correct and the sata port is now functional I really like the idea of adding a large external sata hdd....anyone have anymore tips / advice in seting this up?

Thank you!

Westy

Regarding the 8300:

AFAIK, the HDMI port is active and functioning properly in the current Passport release.

1080i Channels in TWC Charlotte region:
PBS
CBS
NBC
Discovery HD Theater
INHD
INHD2 (Thought to be soon replaced by Universal HD -- also 1080i)
HDNet
HDNet Movies
CW HD
My Whatever that worthless channel is
HBO-HD
Showtime HD

720p Channels:
ABC
Fox
ESPNHD

Sorry -- I've got nothing on the external drive support though.

3) Assuming the above post is correct and the sata port is now functional I really like the idea of adding a large external sata hdd....anyone have anymore tips / advice in seting this up?

Thank you!

Westy

There is a large thread in the HDTV Recorders Forum here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=516559). Reading through the first page, and then the last few pages, will give you plenty of options and help you get through the learning curve.

The short answer is that we're lucky to be running Passport here in Charlotte. It seems to accept even large drives (I'm using a 500GB WD drive) with no hiccups. Search for my posts in this forum and you'll find a long one a few weeks back where I describe how I set mine up.

~archie

UHD is live in Charlotte on ch. 291. INHD2 is gone. No other channels up though. Still hoping for some new additions on Monday morning.

UHD is live in Charlotte on ch. 291. INHD2 is gone. No other channels up though. Still hoping for some new additions on Monday morning.

We knew about the "bandwidth-neutral" swap of UHD for INHD2 (yea!). Have they promised any new channels in addition to that? Haven't heard any rumors...

There have been articles lately stating that certain Time Warner markets are getting ESPN2-HD, MTV's HD channel, and A&E-HD by January 2007. However the Charlotte area was never mentioned.

Personally, TWC has to start adding more channels by Mar-Apr, or I'll be checking into DirecTV...

Personally, TWC has to start adding more channels by Mar-Apr, or I'll be checking into DirecTV...

I hate to break the news to you, but DirecTV isn't exactly replete with HD programming! I've been a DirecTV customer for 10 years and have grown so frustrated with their lack of HD offerings, and VERY poor picture quality (can you say compression, anyone?) that I will probably be changing over to TWC, after I relocate to the Charlotte area! If you're genuinely interested in HD and satellite, DishNetwork is your only real option out there, today. They have, by far, the most HD channels available, anywhere on the planet! I'm definitely a bit surprised to learn that TWC doesn't offer FOX or ESPN2 in HD, as these two channels are pretty standard, everywhere. Oh well, I can only hope they add them soon.

On another note, does anyone know if the CableCard in the Charlotte area allows for viewing the onscreen program guide? I understand this feature is hit or miss, depending on what part of the country you're in. I'd like to wall-mount most of my tv's in my new house, without having to worry about where to put a cable or satellite box and still actually have an onscreen tv guide! Any and all feedback is most appreciated.

John from Boston

I'm definitely a bit surprised to learn that TWC doesn't offer FOX or ESPN2 in HD, as these two channels are pretty standard, everywhere. Oh well, I can only hope they add them soon.
John from Boston

Erm, WCCB (FOX) is available (and has been for a long time) in HD here. No ESPN2 in HD.


On another note, has anyone noticed another radar channel has fallen dark? WBTV's went offline a few weeks ago. Just noticed WSOC took theirs down too. Dunno what will happen to 18's or NBC's Weather+ thingy.

Thank your wonderful FCC for mandating that childrens programs must be run on subchannels and cannot count toward the main channel's weekly alotment of kids programming.

On another note, has anyone noticed another radar channel has fallen dark? WBTV's went offline a few weeks ago. Just noticed WSOC took theirs down too. Dunno what will happen to 18's or NBC's Weather+ thingy.
.

Both WCCB and WCNC will be countinuing the weather channels. :)

And yes, KidVid is a lot of fun, and will look quite good at the low bit rates alloted to the weather channels. :rolleyes:

Erm, WCCB (FOX) is available (and has been for a long time) in HD here. No ESPN2 in HD.




Good to know that Fox is available. According to Time Warner's Charlotte site, it is not one of the networks offered in HD. Have a look for yourself.


http://www.timewarnercable.com/charlotte/products/hdtv/hdprogramming.html


John from Boston

Good to know that Fox is available. According to Time Warner's Charlotte site, it is not one of the networks offered in HD. Have a look for yourself.


http://www.timewarnercable.com/charlotte/products/hdtv/hdprogramming.html


John from Boston

Fine print at the top of that page:

"In addition to all your local broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, UPN, Fox, and WB, as well as TNT and Discovery Theater at no additional cost, you also have access to HBO, Showtime, ESPN, HDNet, HDNet Movies, INHD and INHD2."

as well as TNT and Discovery Theater at no additional cost,."

Not quite... those two are no longer on a clear QAM like the locals are.. :(

I just noticed today that all my non HD channels are streched to 16:9 AR. I didn't change the settings on my box or TV. This just started today. Did TWC do something to stretch the picture on SD channels??? God I hope not.

I just noticed today that all my non HD channels are streched to 16:9 AR. I didn't change the settings on my box or TV. This just started today. Did TWC do something to stretch the picture on SD channels??? God I hope not.


That happens on my DVR from time-to-time. A simple power cycle fixes it 9 out of 10 times. The 10th time requires me to reset the display settings.

UHD is live in Charlotte on ch. 291. INHD2 is gone. No other channels up though. Still hoping for some new additions on Monday morning.

any idea whats going on with TWC up here in statesville? INHD2 is off air and there is no replacement. :mad:

BTW i dont sub to the digital package, ch.291 is non existant for me.

I have basic Time Warner Cable and currently am streaming HDTV over clear qam from my Sceptre 32" LCD HDTV. I can get all the local HD channels easily: Fox, CBS, PBS, ABC, NBC, and a few other channels. I cannot receive ESPN HD, Discovery HD, or TNT HD.

Should I be able to pick up ESPN HD, Discovery HD, TNT HD, INHD with a clear qam?

Will an HD antenna allow me to pick up ESPN HD, Discovery HD, or TNT HD?

Will an HD antenna allow me to pick up ESPN HD, Discovery HD, or TNT HD?

No.

Should I be able to pick up ESPN HD, Discovery HD, TNT HD, INHD with a clear qam??


No.

any idea whats going on with TWC up here in statesville? INHD2 is off air and there is no replacement. :mad:

BTW i dont sub to the digital package, ch.291 is non existant for me.

I noticed that also..... My son said he heard that INHD1 & 2 have merged their channels ? He doesn't remember where he got this information though.I am
going to their website and see if there is any mention of this there.

TW replaced INHD2 with "UHD".....

Thanks "bdfox18doe" and "ke4pym" for answering my questions.

I guess I may have to get a HDTV Cable tier. I don't mind paying $7 a month extra for a HDTV tier. We have digital cable in the main room, but my bedroom only has basic cable. I just don't want to give in and pay the $39 HDTV installation fee. I don't see the justification for this cost.

I just don't want to give in and pay the $39 HDTV installation fee. I don't see the justification for this cost.

There is none; just another "junk charge" to pad the books.

I noticed that also..... My son said he heard that INHD1 & 2 have merged their channels ? He doesn't remember where he got this information though.I am
going to their website and see if there is any mention of this there.

TW replaced INHD2 with "UHD".....

i just talked to the local place. she said she didn't know they took inhd2 off air. she had to turn their tv on to check it out. she checked in the computer and confirmed that uhd was supposed to be up on 12/30. she said she'd have to call the "programmer" and find out whats going on. she guessed that it might have something to do with us not being completely changed over to TWC from adelphia. she said they were working on it but didn't know when they would be finished making the change. she said she would call me when she found out something about uhd.

I just don't want to give in and pay the $39 HDTV installation fee. I don't see the justification for this cost.

Don't. Either threaten to leave for DBS if they don't waive the fee or go by a local office (Morehead St. or Arrowwood Rd. here in Charlotte) and tell them you want to pick up a HDDVR. Insist that you know what you're doing and leave with the box.

You -might- have to call in to support to have them activate your DVR. I've had to do it everytime I trade in my dead DVR. I guess the signal only sends for awhile and not hours. I usually go trade it in at lunch time since TW is just up the street from work. And it doesn't go on the network until 6pm or so. So I call in and ask them to reactivate it (the automagic phone thing never works).

Don't. Either threaten to leave for DBS if they don't waive the fee or go by a local office (Morehead St. or Arrowwood Rd. here in Charlotte) and tell them you want to pick up a HDDVR. Insist that you know what you're doing and leave with the box.

You -might- have to call in to support to have them activate your DVR. I've had to do it everytime I trade in my dead DVR. I guess the signal only sends for awhile and not hours. I usually go trade it in at lunch time since TW is just up the street from work. And it doesn't go on the network until 6pm or so. So I call in and ask them to reactivate it (the automagic phone thing never works).

Thats the way I do it as well. I don't think I've ever paid that fee. I walk in and trade boxes or pick up new ones. I kind of like doing that. I also never call tech support about a DVR. I just swap them out. These TWC boxes may have a clunky UI and other problems but at least I don't own them. They break, I swap. TWC comes out with a new box, I trade up. Its a refreshing change from Dish Network DVRs.

i just talked to the local place. she said she didn't know they took inhd2 off air. she had to turn their tv on to check it out. she checked in the computer and confirmed that uhd was supposed to be up on 12/30. she said she'd have to call the "programmer" and find out whats going on. she guessed that it might have something to do with us not being completely changed over to TWC from adelphia. she said they were working on it but didn't know when they would be finished making the change. she said she would call me when she found out something about uhd.

just got the call. she said it was because they havent finished changing over from adelphia. she dont know when they will be finished but they have been working on it since august. she dont know when we'll be getting a channel to replace inhd2. she dont know if they are doing the change over by node or system. and she dont know if we will have the same channel line up as charlotte. so basically she dont know spit.

Excerpt from article on tvpredictions.com:

Until now, Belo has allowed the cable operators to continue to carry the local high-def signals while negotiations continued. But the company began ordering the cable companies to pull the HD feeds this week.

The decision is affecting cable subscribers in several cities, including Fort Worth, St. Louis, New Orleans, Charlotte and Norfolk, Virginia.

Belo owns WCNC, our local NBC affiliate. Is this HD channel getting pulled??

Excerpt from article on tvpredictions.com:



Belo owns WCNC, our local NBC affiliate. Is this HD channel getting pulled??

Honestly, I hope TW tells Belo to stick it where the NFL Network doesn't shine. And I hope TW takes out a full page ad in the Observer here telling everyone where to lump their anger, squarely on Belo. If I were in charge and a local broadcaster told me to take their HD signal away or pay, I'd yank their entire signal. HD and SD a like.

It is Belo's loss if TW doesn't carry their signal. If TW doesn't carry the signal, then Belo is reaching that many fewer people - a very bad thing come ratings book (the next one is Feb 1 - 28) time.

Belo needs to goto their advertisers if they need a higher revenue stream. Not my pocket book.

Bottom line... can I watch the NFL playoffs in HD tomorrow or not?

Bottom line... can I watch the NFL playoffs in HD tomorrow or not?

Of course you can. If it has been taken off TW all you need is an antenna and a OTA ATSC tuner.

Of course you can. If it has been taken off TW all you need is an antenna and a OTA ATSC tuner.

Right... but is that now necessary? I'm not sure how strong my reception will be in God's Country (Concord), NC.

As of this moment, WCNC is still broadcasting its HD channel, although the current show is not in HD. I guess we'll know something tonight if their primetime programming is not broadcast.

I would also hope that TWC would let us know that a channel is being pulled. If not, they would face a flurry of ph*******s from confused & angry customers.

EDIT- why is the above word 'starred out' ?? The word was p-h-o-n-e-c-a-l-l-s. Is that now considered a bad word?? Weird...

I would also hope that TWC would let us know that a channel is being pulled. If not, they would face a flurry of ph*******s from confused & angry customers.

they didnt let me know about INHD2 going away. i found that out on this forum. they also didnt let me know about not turning on UHD here until i questioned them.

they didnt let me know about INHD2 going away. i found that out on this forum. they also didnt let me know about not turning on UHD here until i questioned them.

INHD and INHD2 were playing commercials on the two channels merging all month. I saw that information maybe 50 times.

Turning on UHD would be considered a positive and should not illicit a ton of angry calls.

But yea, I would 'hope' TWC would tell us about these type of issues, but we've all be let down before. :cool:

INHD and INHD2 were playing commercials on the two channels merging all month. I saw that information maybe 50 times.

Turning on UHD would be considered a positive and should not illicit a ton of angry calls.

But yea, I would 'hope' TWC would tell us about these type of issues, but we've all be let down before. :cool:

dont know how the heck i missed those commercials :confused:
BTW the rep. at the local office didnt seem to know they turned off INHD2 either :rolleyes:

what really p'ed me off was them not turning on UHD here.

i mean i only subscribe to 8 HD channels and now one of them is gone. i really miss it. i suppose if i had more than 8 channels i wouldnt miss 1.

they didnt let me know about INHD2 going away. i found that out on this forum. they also didnt let me know about not turning on UHD here until i questioned them.


ph*******s

i think what it is censoring is o-n-e-c-a-l-l, the store.

ph ******* s

In my cable bill this month was an insert saying they were increasing the price of "digital services" by a whopping $4.00 per month! And then, I think back to the battle between TWC and other cable companies against The NFL Network (and, for the record, I couldn't care less about this channel and have applauded TWC for "holding the line" on this one) about their demand for 0.70 per subscriber and how the cable companies would have to pass that through. So, what's up with the $4.00? Looks like something's going up by an excessive amount, or a whole bunch of somethings. Now I'm feeling like I got suckered on this NFL Network thing.

This is why competition is a good thing and monopolies, well, not so good. They never explain exactly why we occasionally get these massive increases in our bills, what programming is now costing more than it did a month ago. If there were real competition in the cable market, then there would be pressure to hold the line on costs all the way up the line, including the programming providers themselves. With the current structure, any increase in programming costs, or just another desire to bump up the profit margin on already-in-place equipment or services, is simply passed on to the customer with no pain to anyone on the provider end - and no incentive to hold the line anywhere in the chain.

And no, satellite doesn't provide enough real competition to the market penetration and simplicity of cable to affect the above scenario in any meaningful way. Like it or not, we have to take what they give us. And what they're giving us next month is a 4 buck hike - no explanation, no remorse. Take it or leave it.

I tried to go by a local TWC office to see about picking up a HDTV Receiver so I could avoid the $40 installation fee and install myself. They pretty much blew me off. They told me they had to send someone out to have it professionally installed. I'm not having someone come out for $40 to do something I can do. I know my TV is a strong enough to receive the HD signals because I am getting all the local HD channels through by built-in QAM Tuner already. At my old apartment, we gave in to the $40 installation fee and watched the cable guy do something we could have done. All he did was place the HD receiver on the TV stand and plug a coaxial cable from the wall to the HD receiver. He made one phone cable to inform his service center that the receiver was physically plugged in. He didn't do anything else. I'm sorry, I can't see the justification of paying $40.

Anyone have any suggestions or a more convincing line to tell TWC about installing it yourself?

I tried to go by a local TWC office to see about picking up a HDTV Receiver so I could avoid the $40 installation fee and install myself. They pretty much blew me off. They told me they had to send someone out to have it professionally installed. I'm not having someone come out for $40 to do something I can do. I know my TV is a strong enough to receive the HD signals because I am getting all the local HD channels through by built-in QAM Tuner already. At my old apartment, we gave in to the $40 installation fee and watched the cable guy do something we could have done. All he did was place the HD receiver on the TV stand and plug a coaxial cable from the wall to the HD receiver. He made one phone cable to inform his service center that the receiver was physically plugged in. He didn't do anything else. I'm sorry, I can't see the justification of paying $40.

Anyone have any suggestions or a more convincing line to tell TWC about installing it yourself?

when i got my box, just a few weeks ago, i specifically ask them if i needed to wait for someone to come out and hook it up and they told me no and handed me the box, cables and remote.

when i hooked it up it came on then lost signal after less than a minute. i called TWC and after 20 min. of being on hold before i even got to talk to a real person i was told i didnt subscribe to cable with them. then they concluded that for the past 8 years they had the wrong phone number in their system. they changed it and i rebooted the box and everything was fine.

even after all this it wouldnt be worth $40 for someone else to install it.

Take it or leave it.

I'm leaving it. As soon as I gather my stuff to put a big honkin antenna on the roof. I called this week to turn off the HD pack and HBO. To keep me around, they're giving me both free for 6 months. Soon as I can get the antenna up it's all going away.

Might just have to do without HD for awhile. I can't find any more OTA outboard tuners and I'm not paying $20/mo after dropping $800 on the Tivo S3. That's just stupid expensive.

Like it or not, we have to take what they give us. And what they're giving us next month is a 4 buck hike - no explanation, no remorse. Take it or leave it.

So no flowers? No dinner? Not even a reach-around...???!!!

I'm leaving it. As soon as I gather my stuff to put a big honkin antenna on the roof. I called this week to turn off the HD pack and HBO. To keep me around, they're giving me both free for 6 months. Soon as I can get the antenna up it's all going away.

Might just have to do without HD for awhile. I can't find any more OTA outboard tuners and I'm not paying $20/mo after dropping $800 on the Tivo S3. That's just stupid expensive.

ke4pym,

If you wait a few more weeks, then the TiVo Series 3 should drop in price once people can no longer transfer their lifetime service. In fact if you go to tivocommunity.com there are reports of people buying the series 3 for a little over $500. If you prepay for 3 years of service for $300 you will only be billed $12.95 a month after the 3 year period is over. In other words, for $800 you could have the Series 3 AND 3 years of TiVo service.

You could also join us Directv subscribers on the dark side. The Charlotte locals are not HD Lite and the new satellites go up in just a few months. :)

mforgarty is right. Join us D* subscribers here in Charlotte, I made the switch last month from TWC, and could not be happier. Will be even more happier once the new satellites go up later this year.

You could also join us Directv subscribers on the dark side. The Charlotte locals are not HD Lite and the new satellites go up in just a few months. :)

I don't necessarly consider DirecTV the "dark side". It would be about as much of a waste of coin as TW is. I really don't watch anything other than the networks anymore.

Instead of a S3, I might just get a ATSC PCI card for my computer and maybe SAGE.TV. That'll give me the same functionality. Just need to rearange the computer a little bit. Something else to ponder.

Any word on when the Mystro update will be coming down?

I want to add an additional hard drive to my box with all of the new TV shows about to get started. Would I be better off to wait until after the software has updated, or is it ok to go ahead and do it now? Can someone point me to a tutorial or a thread with onstructions on how to do this? Thanks.

Can someone point me to a tutorial or a thread with onstructions on how to do this? Thanks.

I posted on how to do it in this very thread. Back in late July, early August. Power the DVR down. Plug in the external HD with the eSATA cable. Power it up. Then power up the DVR.

Follow the prompts to format it.

Sounds easy enough. Do you know if installing it now will cause any problems with the software upgrade that should be coming soon?

Sounds easy enough. Do you know if installing it now will cause any problems with the software upgrade that should be coming soon?

There are reports over in the HDTV Recorders forum that external SATA support is still there with Digital Navigator. It'd better be!

I tried to go by a local TWC office to see about picking up a HDTV Receiver so I could avoid the $40 installation fee and install myself. They pretty much blew me off. They told me they had to send someone out to have it professionally installed. I'm not having someone come out for $40 to do something I can do. I know my TV is a strong enough to receive the HD signals because I am getting all the local HD channels through by built-in QAM Tuner already. At my old apartment, we gave in to the $40 installation fee and watched the cable guy do something we could have done. All he did was place the HD receiver on the TV stand and plug a coaxial cable from the wall to the HD receiver. He made one phone cable to inform his service center that the receiver was physically plugged in. He didn't do anything else. I'm sorry, I can't see the justification of paying $40.

Anyone have any suggestions or a more convincing line to tell TWC about installing it yourself?


I got hit with the same thing a few years ago. My neighbor just upgrade to hdtv and I told him about the bs $40 charge. He walked right in the twc office and picked up another box.

ke4pym,

If you wait a few more weeks, then the TiVo Series 3 should drop in price once people can no longer transfer their lifetime service. In fact if you go to tivocommunity.com there are reports of people buying the series 3 for a little over $500. If you prepay for 3 years of service for $300 you will only be billed $12.95 a month after the 3 year period is over. In other words, for $800 you could have the Series 3 AND 3 years of TiVo service.

You could also join us Directv subscribers on the dark side. The Charlotte locals are not HD Lite and the new satellites go up in just a few months. :)


I joined Dish back in September and I'm glad I did. I have to get my locals through an OTA, but they come in strong here in the South Park area. They will have the Charlotte locals over the Satellite this quarter.

They will have the Charlotte locals over the Satellite this quarter.

And that may be make or break time for me and TWC. I was with Dish for years before moving back to cable for the better HD selection. Now the gap has reversed with Dish having the better lineup. I really need to see TWC add these outstanding HD channels to the lineup. Well, I should say TWC-Charlotte since most of these missing HD channels are in fact available elsewhere on Time Warner systems, a fact that really gets under my skin.

Cable has its advantages for me and I'd rather stick with it, but the more they fall behind in the HD arena the more I'm tempted to switch back.

Both ESPNs and the Food Network in HD get the time in my house. I don't think FoodHD and ESPN2HD are carried in Charlotte.

And that may be make or break time for me and TWC. I was with Dish for years before moving back to cable for the better HD selection. Now the gap has reversed with Dish having the better lineup. I really need to see TWC add these outstanding HD channels to the lineup. Well, I should say TWC-Charlotte since most of these missing HD channels are in fact available elsewhere on Time Warner systems, a fact that really gets under my skin.

Cable has its advantages for me and I'd rather stick with it, but the more they fall behind in the HD arena the more I'm tempted to switch back.

I'd go ahead and order Dish, then. The plant here is full. I bet we don't see new HD channels until 2008. If then.

I'm about 90% sure I'm leaving TWC and going to DTV within the next 3 months. I'm really really trying to give TWC the benefit of the doubt.

I'd go ahead and order Dish, then. The plant here is full. I bet we don't see new HD channels until 2008. If then.

If that is true, I'm gone too. Not only are we missing a ton of HD channels, but we don't have ESPNU or the NFL Network either. If it is a bandwidth issue, I can give them a list of about 50 channels they could get rid of an no one would know the difference. How long until the cable companies have to start going all digital? A couple more years?

Oh yea, I forgot, I'm getting the NFL Network in HD too on Dish. Their "NFL Replay" show during the week is top notch. Too bad the Panthers didn't do crap this year.

I'd go ahead and order Dish, then. The plant here is full. I bet we don't see new HD channels until 2008. If then.



When you say "The plant here is full" are you speaking of TWC Charlotte? Do you work for TWC?

When you say "The plant here is full" are you speaking of TWC Charlotte? Do you work for TWC?
It's a pretty well established fact that TWC Charlotte is pretty much out of bandwidth... To add more HD channels, they would either have to drop some analog's (which is by far the best and easiest option), upgrade the plant to use even higher frequencies in the cable (not sure where they top out now in Charlotte, or if upgrading is even an option), or switch to a switched video format (ick) - which probably wouldn't help enough anyway.

I actually made the switch from DTV to TWC this year. I was a DtV customer for 10+ years. When I switched to HD, they wanted 400 to LEASE the HD DVR + another 2 year commit. Since I wasn't getting any more channels than TWC (until they move to Mpeg4 here), I made the switch, and couldn't be happier. While I do wish TWC would carry more channels, the grass isn't always greener......

I actually made the switch from DTV to TWC this year. I was a DtV customer for 10+ years. When I switched to HD, they wanted 400 to LEASE the HD DVR + another 2 year commit. Since I wasn't getting any more channels than TWC (until they move to Mpeg4 here), I made the switch, and couldn't be happier. While I do wish TWC would carry more channels, the grass isn't always greener......

I would be interested in getting your opinion as to comparing the quality of HD picture that you got from DTV as opposed to what you now get from TWC. I have a little indoor antenna and the quality of my OTA HDs are noticeably better than the corresponding picture on TWC.

Thanks for your imput.

It's a pretty well established fact that TWC Charlotte is pretty much out of bandwidth... To add more HD channels, they would either have to drop some analog's (which is by far the best and easiest option), upgrade the plant to use even higher frequencies in the cable (not sure where they top out now in Charlotte, or if upgrading is even an option), or switch to a switched video format (ick) - which probably wouldn't help enough anyway.


I've read that TWC-Charlotte is a 750MHz plant.

And no, I don't work for them.

I have a little indoor antenna and the quality of my OTA HDs are noticeably better than the corresponding picture on TWC.


That's because of "rate shaping" (due to limited bandwidth) and the limitations of the SA STB's, which according to several AVS stalwarts who have measured it, is less than 1300 lines of resolution. "Pure" OTA will always give you the best picture because it's full-bandwidth HD before the providers start to mess with it.

The ideal solution would be an OTA only dual-tuner DVR based on TiVo technology and no obligation for a monthly subscriber fee. Then, the SA8300HD-DVR for everything else. We can dream, can't we? ;)

That's because of "rate shaping" (due to limited bandwidth) and the limitations of the SA STB's, ;)


Now Archi.. TWC tells me they don't rate shape.. :rolleyes:

That's because of "rate shaping" (due to limited bandwidth) and the limitations of the SA STB's, which according to several AVS stalwarts who have measured it, is less than 1300 lines of resolution. "Pure" OTA will always give you the best picture because it's full-bandwidth HD before the providers start to mess with it.

The ideal solution would be an OTA only dual-tuner DVR based on TiVo technology and no obligation for a monthly subscriber fee. Then, the SA8300HD-DVR for everything else. We can dream, can't we? ;)

In that case I will be dreaming of the Sci-Fi channel in HD and available OTA!

Now Archi.. TWC tells me they don't rate shape.. :rolleyes:

Yeah, sure. ;) If they're as tight on bandwidth as they claim, they're probably rate-shaping like crazy. Anyway, something is softening the picture on the otherwise-terrific SA8300HD. Might be the resolution-limitation of the box, might be rate-shaping, or, most likely, a combination of both. Heck Bob, what do you think? :confused:

Yeah, sure. ;) Heck Bob, what do you think? :confused:


I have a lot of people tell me they get much better pictures OTA.

I tried to go by a local TWC office to see about picking up a HDTV Receiver so I could avoid the $40 installation fee and install myself. They pretty much blew me off. They told me they had to send someone out to have it professionally installed. I'm not having someone come out for $40 to do something I can do. I know my TV is a strong enough to receive the HD signals because I am getting all the local HD channels through by built-in QAM Tuner already. At my old apartment, we gave in to the $40 installation fee and watched the cable guy do something we could have done. All he did was place the HD receiver on the TV stand and plug a coaxial cable from the wall to the HD receiver. He made one phone cable to inform his service center that the receiver was physically plugged in. He didn't do anything else. I'm sorry, I can't see the justification of paying $40.

Anyone have any suggestions or a more convincing line to tell TWC about installing it yourself?
Before I got my HDTV I called TWC to ask how much it would cost to upgrade to HD DVR.....set-up and equipment, etc. I already had a digital box. The customer service rep gave me the rundown and SHE suggested I stop by one of their locations and swap my old digital box for the HD DVR box so I wouldn't have to pay for them to come out. I did......so when my TV was delivered I already had the HD DVR box waiting for it. The TV guys hooked it up and had me call TWC to tell them to send a signal to the box. TWC had me hit a couple of settings and that was it! BUT if I remember correctly when I got the digital box TWC DID come out to hook it up. I don't know if they HAD to or I was just intimidated by the idea of trying to hook it up myself or both.

Any idea if TWC is going to add a Multi romm SA 8300HD box?

I was on scientific atlantic's website yesterday and they had a flash demo about it.

I posted on how to do it in this very thread. Back in late July, early August. Power the DVR down. Plug in the external HD with the eSATA cable. Power it up. Then power up the DVR.

Follow the prompts to format it.

I just bought a Seagate 500Gb eSATA drive to to hook up to my 8300HD. I've done the steps you mentioned, but nothing happens. No format message pops up. :confused:

I went into DIAG mode and it looks to me like I have some older software on my unit. Here's what DIAG tells me:

ResApp Version : PASSPORT Echo 2.5.046
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.69.1sp
Driver: 1
ResApp Date: Feb 28, 2006 16:54:20
OS Date: Dec 2, 2005 6:31:08

Anyone know of a way to force it to download the newest versions?

Many thanks in advance.. :)

- Geoff

I just bought a Seagate 500Gb eSATA drive to to hook up to my 8300HD. I've done the steps you mentioned, but nothing happens. No format message pops up. :confused:

I went into DIAG mode and it looks to me like I have some older software on my unit. Here's what DIAG tells me:

ResApp Version : PASSPORT Echo 2.5.046
OS Version: PowerTV 6.14.69.1sp
Driver: 1
ResApp Date: Feb 28, 2006 16:54:20
OS Date: Dec 2, 2005 6:31:08

Anyone know of a way to force it to download the newest versions?

Many thanks in advance.. :)


- Geoff

I have an 8300HD just like you - but on SARA software - same Seagate 500GB External.

I had to connect everything up, then unplug the 8300HD (not just switch off - pull the cord) and then plug it back in. It seemed to work fine doing it that way.

Also make sure you Seagate is powered up when you plug the 8300 back in.

Did anyone else experience audio problems during the Bears-Saints football game on FOX HD yesterday?

The video would always came in clear, but audio would be choppy. My Sony receiver kept on losing the 5.1 audio feed.

I think audio might have dropped once or twice, but that was only very briefly. In fact, that might have happened during the CBS game. It wasn't significant. I had some video issues, though, during the Fox broadcast. Late in the game, the broadcast developed what seemed like a motion-effect or strobe-effect. I actually was about 10 minutes back of watching "live" so I wasn't sure if it was that way coming into the box, due to watching "delayed" off the DVR or from TWC or even Fox itself. I had no such problems with WBTV. I would have got on the board and tried bdfox18doe, but like I said, I was 10 minutes "behind" and figured it'd clear up.

I've never had problems with Fox's signal at my house, with the exception of several Panthers games where the offense appeared in slow-motion... :D

I would have got on the board and tried bdfox18doe, but like I said, I was 10 minutes "behind" and figured it'd clear up :D

I didn't watch any of the game..so I don't know. :o

Did anyone else experience audio problems during the Bears-Saints football game on FOX HD yesterday?

The video would always came in clear, but audio would be choppy. My Sony receiver kept on losing the 5.1 audio feed.

It wasn't you. I had that issue with several of the Sunday night Fox shows last night too. Random times the audio would just go -poof- into nothing.

Can anyone tell me what is most current non-DVR HD receiver that Time Warner Charlotte is handing out. I traded in one of my HD-DVR's (I had two) for a regular HD box. I was given a Pioneer Voyager. Is this the most recent box? Do they have any non-DVR HD boxes with HDMI?

Thanks,

-Tony

Can anyone tell me what is most current non-DVR HD receiver that Time Warner Charlotte is handing out. I traded in one of my HD-DVR's (I had two) for a regular HD box. I was given a Pioneer Voyager. Is this the most recent box? Do they have any non-DVR HD boxes with HDMI?

Thanks,

-Tony

Iwas given a brand new Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD at the Carolina Place facility.

Iwas given a brand new Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD at the Carolina Place facility.

I forgot to say my SA 3250 has a DVI out that is not enabled apparently......

I forgot to say my SA 3250 has a DVI out that is not enabled apparently......

The SA3250 was the model they gave out to the people (uh, person) that requested a working firewire port, per FCC mandate. With the last software upgrade, the firewire ports stopped working on the 3250, and they never really worked at all on the 8300. Maybe the digital out (DVI port) on the 3250 suffered the same fate, although it apparently works fine on the 8300 (I use the component connections, but the HDMI jack works on the DVR).

Thinking outloud...

- DirecTV is the only provider that has the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
- DirecTV is about to become the only provider to offer the MLB Extra Innings package
- DirecTV is stating that it will have 150 HD channels this year [although I doubt that], but even if they add less HD than stated, it will still be an addition.
- Dishnet already has more HD than TWC and have discussed adding more this year.

Exactly how is TWC going to respond to this? I'm fairly happy with having digital cable/internet/phone thru TWC. My only complaint is the lack of additional HD channels. The part I find odd is that TWC never even makes any noise to try and convince their customers that they will attempt to keep up. Do they realize that HD will be the deciding factor for more and more customers on what provider they will choose?

TWC's silence is deafening...

Exactly how is TWC going to respond to this? I'm fairly happy with having digital cable/internet/phone thru TWC. My only complaint is the lack of additional HD channels. The part I find odd is that TWC never even makes any noise to try and convince their customers that they will attempt to keep up. Do they realize that HD will be the deciding factor for more and more customers on what provider they will choose?


I think TWC feels like the overall percentage of their customers who have HD equipment is still such a small percentage of their overall customer base that they still don't feel the need to respond with more HD channels. At least in this area, they see more money to be made from adding spanish-language channels on the bandwidth-clogging analog side, as that seems to be their focus. What they neglect to consider, seems to me, is that their HD customers typically are their biggest-spending customers, and the ones most likely to bundle in other profitable services such as Road Runner and VoIP. You lose one of those to satellite because of lack of enough HD channels and you've lost the equivalent of several "basic-cable" customers.

At any rate, they claim they can't add more HD channels until they implement SDV. True? Who knows? That's their story and they're sticking to it.

Thinking outloud...

- DirecTV is the only provider that has the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
- DirecTV is about to become the only provider to offer the MLB Extra Innings package
- DirecTV is stating that it will have 150 HD channels this year [although I doubt that], but even if they add less HD than stated, it will still be an addition.
- Dishnet already has more HD than TWC and have discussed adding more this year.

Exactly how is TWC going to respond to this? I'm fairly happy with having digital cable/internet/phone thru TWC. My only complaint is the lack of additional HD channels. The part I find odd is that TWC never even makes any noise to try and convince their customers that they will attempt to keep up. Do they realize that HD will be the deciding factor for more and more customers on what provider they will choose?

TWC's silence is deafening...

Switched Digital video
Upgrade the plant to 850MHz or 1GHz
Split neighborhood nodes further
Fiber to the Home
Switch to MPEG4

Those are pretty much their options. Here's a little light reading on the subject (no pun):

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=115344&site=cdn&WT.svl=news1_1

Will it happen before you can switch over to DirecTV? Probably not. But they have a lot of cards up their sleeves.

I was reading an article today about what cable will do to keep up with DirecTV's push for my HD. [The article is located here: http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=nocclamp&articleid=CA6338302]

I found this quote disturbing:

More importantly, says Abraham, the channels that DirecTV says it will add aren’t likely to make HD viewers rush to change services or even add HD.

“There are a lot of people who have an HD set but don’t receive HD signals and I don’t think that those people will be convinced to go HD or switch simply because CNN is in HD,” she says.

Sure, there are some idiots who have HD sets but don't have HD service. But this quote shows how uninformed that some people are. The number of HD users is growing by leaps and bounds. These people usually spend big bucks each month for service. If cable does not provide more HD, they WILL switch to a provider that will. And to think they won't is stupidity.

Sure, there are some idiots who have HD sets but don't have HD service. y.

Sad but true.. BUT, until people actually take time to install an antenna and see what (and how much better) free OTA TV is than what they pay for. :)

Can anyone tell me what is most current non-DVR HD receiver that Time Warner Charlotte is handing out. I traded in one of my HD-DVR's (I had two) for a regular HD box. I was given a Pioneer Voyager. Is this the most recent box? Do they have any non-DVR HD boxes with HDMI?

Thanks,

-Tony

I know I'm replying to my own post but...

I'm now on my second Voyager HDTV box. The first was near DOA, and now I have a question about the second.

Is 1080i the resolution the box supports? I don't seem to be able to change the resolutions in the menu. I am able to select 480p, 720p, but the selections don't seem to stick after I exit the menu.

And...the picture seems sub par compared to the 8300HD, and the menu is infinitely slower. Do I just have a bad box or are these known issues?


Thanks,

-Tony

"Capture HDTV using your firewire-equipped cable box"
http://hdjunkie.com/tutorials.html

Anyone tried this w/ the TW HD-DVR? Could be a poor man's Tivo-to-Go.

"Capture HDTV using your firewire-equipped cable box"
http://hdjunkie.com/tutorials.html

Anyone tried this w/ the TW HD-DVR? Could be a poor man's Tivo-to-Go.

Once again, the firewire ports are functionally disabled on all of the SA STB's in TWC's inventory. I mentioned this about 7 posts back up the page. :rolleyes:

some background 1st- a month ago i had TWC come out because my HD signal was chopy and dropping out. they replaced all the splitters and connectors outside and inside the house but not under the house. the HD picture was good for about a week. I made another apointment last week which i realized later that I couldnt be there for. so i called back and rescheduled it for the following day. the tech didnt show. i talked to TWC and they said the day and time never got changed (even though i confermed it that morning) and they attempted to contact me on the day of the original apointment. so i made another apointment for tomorrow.

heres the question . if the weather is bad as they are predicting will the service tech still come out?
if not, how can i get my HD fixed before the game on sunday?

please excuse the mispellings, in a hurry gotta go.

Thinking outloud...

- DirecTV is the only provider that has the NFL Sunday Ticket package.
- DirecTV is about to become the only provider to offer the MLB Extra Innings package
- DirecTV is stating that it will have 150 HD channels this year [although I doubt that], but even if they add less HD than stated, it will still be an addition.
- Dishnet already has more HD than TWC and have discussed adding more this year.

Exactly how is TWC going to respond to this? I'm fairly happy with having digital cable/internet/phone thru TWC. My only complaint is the lack of additional HD channels. The part I find odd is that TWC never even makes any noise to try and convince their customers that they will attempt to keep up. Do they realize that HD will be the deciding factor for more and more customers on what provider they will choose?

TWC's silence is deafening...

they aren't and they won't. That's why I switched to DISH back in September. I haven't looked back. Last week DISH made the locals available over the satellite, so no need for an OTA.

they aren't and they won't. That's why I switched to DISH back in September. I haven't looked back. Last week DISH made the locals available over the satellite, so no need for an OTA.

Does this include the Locals in HD? Not just the 4 main affiliates like DirectTV. I want all the locals in HD like cable. When one of the satelites can do this I will switch the same day. And yes I have tried every antenna in the western hemispere... nothing works for me. Is the signal at Dish better than DirectTV? Do they compress the signal to the extent that DirectTV does? Football means nothing to me so that is a non issue. I watch the Panthers play and the superbowl and that is about it. TW has been great for that.

My experience with TW has been good as long as everything is working. When things break they simply do not care. Lately my digital phone has started to give me problems. I dread that service call.

So Charlotte locals in HD are now available from DISH? If so, Time Warner is getting even more competition. I still will likely keep cable until the MPEG-4 conversion occurs with the satellite providers.

Does this include the Locals in HD? Not just the 4 main affiliates like DirectTV. I want all the locals in HD like cable. When one of the satelites can do this I will switch the same day. And yes I have tried every antenna in the western hemispere... nothing works for me. Is the signal at Dish better than DirectTV? Do they compress the signal to the extent that DirectTV does? Football means nothing to me so that is a non issue. I watch the Panthers play and the superbowl and that is about it. TW has been great for that.

My experience with TW has been good as long as everything is working. When things break they simply do not care. Lately my digital phone has started to give me problems. I dread that service call.

I think the only one they are missing is PBS and I can get most of the shows that come on that channel via EquatorHD or National Geographic HD. I have no way of comparing it to DirectV as I never had HD with them. I'm just happy with the HD channels that I get and they added another one in A&E HD yesterday and my wife loves that one. It plays CSI:Miami and Sopranos reruns.

All of the companies compress their HD channel, that's why I'll still use my OTA when I can, but it's great to have the backup now when I'm having problems.

some background 1st- a month ago i had TWC come out because my HD signal was chopy and dropping out. they replaced all the splitters and connectors outside and inside the house but not under the house. the HD picture was good for about a week. I made another apointment last week which i realized later that I couldnt be there for. so i called back and rescheduled it for the following day. the tech didnt show. i talked to TWC and they said the day and time never got changed (even though i confermed it that morning) and they attempted to contact me on the day of the original apointment. so i made another apointment for tomorrow.

heres the question . if the weather is bad as they are predicting will the service tech still come out?
if not, how can i get my HD fixed before the game on sunday?

please excuse the mispellings, in a hurry gotta go.

cable guy just left. he said the problem is in the main line. called in for extra help. they checked several amplifiers on my road and checked the poll at the end of the road. they said they are getting lots of overloads everywhere they check. it's affecting the whole neighborhood and he's surprised no one else in the hood has complained. he said he made a call in for a crew to check it out later today or tomorrow and that it should be fixed in time for the superbowl. strange how its only affecting the HD channels which may be why there hasn't been any other complaints. perhaps no one else around here has HD.

cable guy just left. he said the problem is in the main line. called in for extra help. they checked several amplifiers on my road and checked the poll at the end of the road. they said they are getting lots of overloads everywhere they check. it's affecting the whole neighborhood and he's surprised no one else in the hood has complained. he said he made a call in for a crew to check it out later today or tomorrow and that it should be fixed in time for the superbowl. strange how its only affecting the HD channels which may be why there hasn't been any other complaints. perhaps no one else around here has HD.

Just be glad you got good prompt service! It's not always the case with TW. I have hope now that they can easily fix my digital phone.

they actually came back today, only about an hour after the original guys left. 3 crews in large bucket trucks. worked the whole road (cul de sac) over pretty good. they were here about 3 hours. they all stopped by the house before they left to make sure it was working OK. HD is perfect and SD is better too. I'm a very happy camper right now. :D
I'm sure the neighbors will realize a difference too although they wont know why because they were all at work while this was going on. i sorta feel like a hero or something :rolleyes:

hope they don't bill me for all that :eek:

hope they don't bill me for all that :eek:

They already are... once a month.

strutter did you by chance ask them when are area will be changed over to the twc system?

strutter did you by chance ask them when are area will be changed over to the twc system?\


i should have , but wasn't thinking about it at the time. after they left my wife said the same thing.
i did ask the ladies at the office a few weeks back. their answer was "i don't know, they're working on it".
i really wish i would have asked the techs. they would probably have a better guess being that they are the ones performing the work. if i see them around again i'll try to remember to ask.

\


i should have , but wasn't thinking about it at the time. after they left my wife said the same thing.
i did ask the ladies at the office a few weeks back. their answer was "i don't know, they're working on it".
i really wish i would have asked the techs. they would probably have a better guess being that they are the ones performing the work. if i see them around again i'll try to remember to ask.


what area are you in? The new stuff acquired from Adelphia ?? Those muni's have the right of 1st refusal and are looking at taking over service directly, if you weren't already aware. In my opinion a blatant misuse of taxpayer money to offer an inferior product. TWC has already said if they loose those systems they will just overbuild in those area's anyway...

what area are you in? The new stuff acquired from Adelphia ?? Those muni's have the right of 1st refusal and are looking at taking over service directly, if you weren't already aware. In my opinion a blatant misuse of taxpayer money to offer an inferior product. TWC has already said if they loose those systems they will just overbuild in those area's anyway...

statesville. last i heard the deal was done up here. Statesville was not one of the places wanting to take over the service themselves, last i heard.
we all got letters in the mail (i did twice) explaining that TWC was taking over.
all discussions I've had with the local office have been directed to TWC. we have one information channel that says Adelphia and another that says TWC. we don't have the TWC lineup of channels, they are still the same as Adelphia. previous conversations I've had with local CSR indicated that they haven't completed the job of upgrading the systems as TWC and don't know if they are changing over by node or system. our monthly bill says TWC.

I think the only one they are missing is PBS and I can get most of the shows that come on that channel via EquatorHD or National Geographic HD. I have no way of comparing it to DirectV as I never had HD with them. I'm just happy with the HD channels that I get and they added another one in A&E HD yesterday and my wife loves that one. It plays CSI:Miami and Sopranos reruns.

All of the companies compress their HD channel, that's why I'll still use my OTA when I can, but it's great to have the backup now when I'm having problems.

Hiya's
What #'s are Geographic HD , Equator HD do you mean the The Discovery Channel HD #280 ? and A&E HD is channel # is ? The reason I ask is I don't see these channels on my box. I've noticed 2 times that in the morning I see "36" on the display not the time, but when I turn it own it corrects the time and is ok. I'm wondering if it's trying to be flashed/updated during the night and it's not working ?

Mark

Hiya's
What #'s are Geographic HD , Equator HD do you mean the The Discovery Channel HD #280 ? and A&E HD is channel # is ? The reason I ask is I don't see these channels on my box. I've noticed 2 times that in the morning I see "36" on the display not the time, but when I turn it own it corrects the time and is ok. I'm wondering if it's trying to be flashed/updated during the night and it's not working ?

Mark
I think he's talking about Dish Network not TWC

Suprisingly, I didn't have any video/audio problems during the Super Bowl. I did notice that my internet was really slow. I think Time Warner allocated more bandwidth for HD Viewing.

Suprisingly, I didn't have any video/audio problems during the Super Bowl. I did notice that my internet was really slow. I think Time Warner allocated more bandwidth for HD Viewing.

You do know it doesn't work like that, don't you?

Suprisingly, I didn't have any video/audio problems during the Super Bowl. I did notice that my internet was really slow. I think Time Warner allocated more bandwidth for HD Viewing.


Nope, it does not work that way.

anyone order ufc ppv last saturday night? not only did we not get the hd feed but kept losing what crappy picture there was and the audio was out of sinc. Would get nothing but a blank screen for a few minutes

Interesting article that I just read on TWC's method of 'competing' against DirecTV's plan to offer more HD. I find it sad that instead of TWC actively working on getting more HD channels themselves, they would prefer to take DirecTV to court. Here's the article:


Time Warner Targets More DIRECTV HD Ads
The cable op files for a preliminary injunction to block new high-def spots.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (February 8, 2007) -- Time Warner Cable is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop DIRECTV from airing TV spots that claim it can offer more HD capacity than cable.

That's according to an article published by Multichannel News.

The publication reports that Time Warner Cable filed for the injunction Wednesday in a Manhattan federal court. The commercials, which star Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd, promote DIRECTV's plans to offer 100 national HDTV channels by year's end and up to 150 channels after that.

But Time Warner says DIRECTV's is falsely claiming that it will have three times the number of HD capacity than cable. TW says it could increase its capacity to offer more than 200 high-def channels in the future.

According to Multichannel News, the Time Warner court filing said the cable operator could expand its capacity by improving signal compression, broadcasting MPEG4 video streams and using a new technology called "switched digital video."

Time Warner also challenged whether DIRECTV will be able to carry 150 national HD channels, noting that Sea Launch, scheduled to launch one of DIRECTV's new satellites this year, suffered a rocket explosion this month that could delay the satcaster's launch.

A DIRECTV spokesman said today that "this is just another example of Time Warner's frustration that they cannot compete in the marketplace with DIRECTV so they have resorted to the courts.” Time Warner has previously sued DIRECTV over its spots saying its HD picture is better than cable. And a federal judge ruled earlier this month that DIRECTV must stop airing the commercials in Time Warner markets until the lawsuit is resolved. The commercials star Jessica Simpson and William Shatner.

DIRECTV said this week in an investors conference call that it's still on target for delivering 100 national HDTV channels by year's end -- and that it's unclear whether Sea Launch's launch of its second satellite will be delayed.

Raycom/Lincoln Financial Media will be doing the Men's tournament starting March 8th in HD. WBTV will be able to transmit the program in HD.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16664153.htm

How many cameras??? I bet you it'll be 1.

How many cameras??? I bet you it'll be 1.

And I'll bet you'll be wrong. It will be a full complement. The recent Miami-Boston College game was done by Raycom-LFS in HD as a test, which I have recorded in HD..which we downlinked, recorded, and played back as part of the test. :)
For a first-time attempt, they did a respectable job.

We'll be carrying the tournament in HD on WOLO-DT.. :)

[QUOTE=ke4pym]Raycom/Lincoln Financial Media will be doing the Men's tournament starting March 8th in HD. WBTV will be able to transmit the program in HD.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16664153.htm[/QUO
TE]


This is great news! The article didn't mention football. Let's hope this marks a steady increase in HD games for the ACC.

are any of you connecting your coax cable to a surge suppressor? if so what brand, type , model?

the cable company recommends not doing this as it could cause signal loss.
people on other threads have reported signal loss and digital drop outs with certain suppressors but no one can recommend one that doesn't.

the companies that make surge suppressors say they wont honor their warranty if everything connected is not run through their suppressor.

so, what if anything are you using and has it impacted your signal?

I'm getting my first HDTV tomorrow and I've read the last 5 -10 pages to try to get a feel for my best options in Charlotte. I've been a longtime TWC customer, but I share many of the frustrations I've read here with TWC. I currently have the digital Timewarner Cable DVR and will upgrade to the HDTV DVR from Timewarner Cable, if a better alternative is not available.

In terms of quality of the picture, what is the best HDTV alternative in Charlotte other than getting your own antenna? Also, what are the pros/cons of Direct TV or Dish Network comapred to TWC.?

I'm a total newb to HDTV as you can tell, but any information is appreciated. Thanks.

Ron

I'm getting my first HDTV tomorrow and I've read the last 5 -10 pages to try to get a feel for my best options in Charlotte. I've been a longtime TWC customer, but I share many of the frustrations I've read here with TWC. I currently have the digital Timewarner Cable DVR and will upgrade to the HDTV DVR from Timewarner Cable, if a better alternative is not available.

In terms of quality of the picture, what is the best HDTV alternative in Charlotte other than getting your own antenna? Also, what are the pros/cons of Direct TV or Dish Network comapred to TWC.?

I'm a total newb to HDTV as you can tell, but any information is appreciated. Thanks.

Ron

Ron,

Here is my 2 cents-

I have been pretty happy with TWC since I bundle hdtv cable/internet/phone to get a competitive price. Before I moved to Charlotte, I had Charter Cable at my previous home and by comparison, Charter is horrible.

TWC offers all the local channels in HD, as well as ESPN-HD, INHD, both HDNets, Discovery-HD, UHD, HBO-HD, SHO-HD, and TNT-HD. I'm pretty happy with the picture quality too. TWC has not added any new HD in quite some time. They 'added' UHD last month when they deleted INHD2, so thats an even swap.

Currently it appears that Dishnet offers the most HD since they have the old Voom channels. DirecTV has been promising they will offer 150 HD channels sometime this year, but I'll wait to annoint them HD kings until they actually do so.

One of my issues with TWC vs. satellite is upfront costs. DirecTV has advertised deals, but you still end up purchasing equipment like HD DVRs, etc. And you still pay per-box fees every month too, which always seems odd to me. With TWC you pay the same per-box fees but no upfront costs to 'buy' the box. And, if the TWC box breaks, I simply get a new one from them at no cost to me. I also like being able to plug a tv directly into a cable line to get analog channels, for the kids rooms, etc without another per-box fee. That option is not available via satellite. One more con of DirecTV is that it has been reported that they seriously compress their hd channels...I personally cannot confirm this, just passing on what I read.

That being said, if DirecTV ends up with 100+ HD channels and TWC does not, I will switch to DirecTV with no apologies or guilt.

Hope this helps...any other questions, feel free to ask.

That being said, if DirecTV ends up with 100+ HD channels and TWC does not, I will switch to DirecTV with no apologies or guilt.

Same here.

Any new info on when TWC will add all the local HD channels to the old Adelphia system in Statesville? Right now, we only have CBS-HD and Fox-HD along with HBO-HD, Starz-HD, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, and a few others. I *really* want NBC-HD and ABC-HD. If there's no new info on when we'll get all the locals, I guess I'll just have to get an OTA antenna. :(

We don't have Starz-HD in Charlotte.

I'm getting my first HDTV tomorrow and I've read the last 5 -10 pages to try to get a feel for my best options in Charlotte. I've been a longtime TWC customer, but I share many of the frustrations I've read here with TWC. I currently have the digital Timewarner Cable DVR and will upgrade to the HDTV DVR from Timewarner Cable, if a better alternative is not available.

In terms of quality of the picture, what is the best HDTV alternative in Charlotte other than getting your own antenna? Also, what are the pros/cons of Direct TV or Dish Network comapred to TWC.?

I'm a total newb to HDTV as you can tell, but any information is appreciated. Thanks.

Ron

When I first bought my HDTV I kept my TWC service and was going to get the TiVo Series 3 DVR. The problem was that the TWC CTO is pushing something called switched digital video which effectively breaks the CableCard required by the TiVo Series 3 to tune channels. It is going to be awhile before we get SDV here, but it still didn't sit well with me. I cannot stand the HD DVR that TWC provides. I have had nothing, but bad experiences with Scientific Atlanta equipment.

So I made the move to Directv so that I could their HD TiVo. Ironically, I couldn't get HD OTA in my apartment so I had to get the new HD DVR(HR20) instead which can receive Charlotte locals via the satellite.

At the time I made the switch, Dish did not have Charlotte locals available via satellite, but that has changed. In addition I think that you can get their HD DVR for free right now which is a big plus.

It also depends on your programming preferences. My wife went to school at Arizona so I pay $12 a month for the SportsPak which enables us to get FSN Arizona and see all their games. This programming is not available on TWC.

I am assuming that you are a UNC fan based on your name. UNC has had both football and basketball games on ESPNU which is not carried by TWC, but is carried by both satellite providers.

At this point you might be inclined to make a comment referencing the fact that UNC trounced Arizona this year, but you should know that I am a Hokie which should prevent you from making such a comment. :p

If you have kids you might want to stay with TWC since they have the multiple PBS sub-channels.

Personally, I am a bit annoyed that Directv has pushed through a price increase in anticipation of extra HD channels later this year. This is especially troubling in that the company that Directv is using to launch one of the two new satellites had a rocket explode on the launch pad a few weeks ago. The result is that one of the two Directv satellites might not go up until '08.

I am very happy with my decision to get Directv 6 months ago, but if I was making the decision today I would probably go with Dish because of the free HD DVR and available HD channels.

One interesting development that will be worth watching is at&t's rollout of their u-verse service. u-verse is IPTV which in theory can carry infinite channels. They have been some growth pains with the Microsoft software running the system so it will be worth watching how that progresses. It is supposed to be awhile until it is available in the legacy bellsouth area, but there was an article in the Observer a couple of weeks ago where the new woman in charge of at&t NC said she is asking corporate to roll out u-verse here.

Anyway I hope that helps.

We don't have Starz-HD in Charlotte.
We do on the old Adelphia network. I'll gladly trade it for the local HD's.

Thanks, for the information, everyone. Mfogarty, those Hokies are tough this year; however, the cream (UNC) will eventually rise to the top!

Has anyone else had recent issues with getting a scrambled signal through the TWC SA8300HD HDMI output?

Since last week, my Sony KDFE42A10 42" LCD will not display any of the HD channels unless I fiddle with the DVR's output settings.

In the past, always had 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i selected for output.

I exchanged the box today for a new one to ensure the problem wasn't due to a defective DVR box. No change.

Not sure where to go from here. I could try a different HDMI cable....

Anyone have any similar issues? Could it be there was a recent software upgrade pushed to the boxes?

Thanks

Has anyone else had recent issues with getting a scrambled signal through the TWC SA8300HD HDMI output?

Since last week, my Sony KDFE42A10 42" LCD will not display any of the HD channels unless I fiddle with the DVR's output settings.

In the past, always had 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i selected for output.

I exchanged the box today for a new one to ensure the problem wasn't due to a defective DVR box. No change.

Not sure where to go from here. I could try a different HDMI cable....

Anyone have any similar issues? Could it be there was a recent software upgrade pushed to the boxes?

Thanks

You should only have the highest resolution output your display will natively support and no others. That could be confusing things.

OK, I've searched and I can't find it. I appologize in advance if this has been asked because TWC gave me the run around. I'm getting a HD DVR today which is great because I currently have the good ole Digitial Cable DVR for years. With the HD signals comming from OTA, is it possible to record them onto your HD DVR? Or will the HD DVR only record what TWC sends to them?

Thanks, and sorry if this was asked somewhere in the previous 115 pages...

OK, I've searched and I can't find it. I appologize in advance if this has been asked because TWC gave me the run around. I'm getting a HD DVR today which is great because I currently have the good ole Digitial Cable DVR for years. With the HD signals comming from OTA, is it possible to record them onto your HD DVR? Or will the HD DVR only record what TWC sends to them?

Thanks, and sorry if this was asked somewhere in the previous 115 pages...

The HD DVR will only record what TWC is sending down the pipeline.

The HD DVR will only record what TWC is sending down the pipeline.

Thanks, just what I needed to know! =)

You should only have the highest resolution output your display will natively support and no others. That could be confusing things.

I tried changing the output settings to 720p only, but no luck.

With 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i selected, I cannot receive the HD versions of NBC, CBS, and ABC using the HDMI connection.

Called TWC and they walked me through a reboot, no change. A tech is coming out Saturday to look at the problem.

Also, has anyone had problems receiving Headline News (33) and The Weather Channel (41) when using the DVR box? I can get these channels if the cable is run directly to the TV but they will not come in when using the box. Too weird. :confused:

Any new info on when TWC will add all the local HD channels to the old Adelphia system in Statesville? Right now, we only have CBS-HD and Fox-HD along with HBO-HD, Starz-HD, ESPNHD, ESPN2HD, and a few others. I *really* want NBC-HD and ABC-HD. If there's no new info on when we'll get all the locals, I guess I'll just have to get an OTA antenna. :(


talked to the local center yesturday. all she would say is sometime this year. :eek:

Is anyone aware of anyone transmitting color bars on a semi consistent basis.

Larry

I think one of the hdnet channels does that a few times a week. It'll also show up in the program guide so you'll know when to record it.

Ah, thanks. Now I have another "excuse" to get HDNET.

Larry

INHD has test patterns every Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. It's a short program lasing about 12 minutes.

Is anyone aware of anyone transmitting color bars on a semi consistent basis.

Larry

Check HBO as well. In the early mornings you can always find one of them "Off Air". They also provide tones.

Is anyone aware of anyone transmitting color bars on a semi consistent basis. Larry

When would you like to see them? I can help you there... :D

You guys stop about these color bars!!! I set the DVR to record them, and I haven't watched yet. If you all give away the ending, I'll be pissed! :D

Geez, I ordered new service today and it's going to take a week for them to come out. It was like pulling teeth dealing with these people. I canceled my last TWC service when I moved last summer. Now I'm buying a new house and I'm ready to crank it back up. Why do they need your social security number to get cable tv? I told the guy on the phone I did not want to give that out and he said "sorry, I can't help you" and practically hung up on me. He also said I could go into any of the Pay Centers and order new service without providing my SS number. That was a lie. I went to the main office on Arrowood as it's close by to my work. The CR rep there told me that was not true. So, I gave them my bloody SS number and got service ordered thinking I was plenty early enough to schedule it for this Friday which I'm taking off of work. Not. Earliest appointment was next Tuesday in the evening. So, I guess I will have no cable or internet at the new house for a week. I knew I should have done this two weeks ago. Now how much you wanna bet the guy doesn't even show on Tuesday? I have been through this before and been left hanging several times by TWC. It's a love hate relationship really. If there was a viable alternative I would jump in a second.

Actually it's against the law for them to require you to give them your SS number. Many companies do because it's a unique number for you but if you insist that they not use your SS number to identify you then they are required, by law, to assign you a number for them to identify you.

Most people either don't know that or just don't want to fight it.

I would think maybe TWC uses the SS# to check a person's credit............a common business practice.

Actually it's against the law for them to require you to give them your SS number. (snip)

I'd like to see a reference on this if you have one handy.

I have had Charter for cable, internet and Vonage for phone. I was on a bundled deal with Charter for internet and cable but the deal is ending soon and they are also upping their rates in March. That was going to bring me from $78 to $123 per month plus $37 for Vonage.

I checked into Bellsouth and found that I can actually save money with them now! I bundled phone (unlimited long distance), DSL (1.5 down and 256 up), and Directv (choice plus with 1 DVR and 2 std boxes) for $139 per month. I save money and now I'll get NFL network! When I put my Cingular service on the same bill I'll save another $5 per month. Oh yea, I also get a free DSL modem and $480 cash back.

So for those fed up with cable's rising rates with limited service Bellsouth is now a viable alternative. Cable refusing to carry the NFL network also irritated me.

Once again, the firewire ports are functionally disabled on all of the SA STB's in TWC's inventory. I mentioned this about 7 posts back up the page. :rolleyes:

Ummm... seriously? You're telling me that TWC doesn't have a single HD STB that has firewire enabled? That sucks big time... I'm moving there in 2 weeks and I have a mythtv setup that I'm going to want to connect via firewire. They are required to comply with the FCC mandate to provide the firewire functionality, so what can be done about this?

I'm receiving a 42" Panny plasma on friday for my bedroom. Can I just go down to the TWC office to pick up a cablecard these days?

I would think maybe TWC uses the SS# to check a person's credit............a common business practice.

That's what I thought but the CR told me that's not why they do it. He said something about kids getting cable service and equipment without parents knowledge and also for tracking past customers with outstanding balances or equipment which was never turned in. Actually I'm more amped about having to wait a week for installation...

Ummm... seriously? You're telling me that TWC doesn't have a single HD STB that has firewire enabled? That sucks big time... I'm moving there in 2 weeks and I have a mythtv setup that I'm going to want to connect via firewire. They are required to comply with the FCC mandate to provide the firewire functionality, so what can be done about this?

Absolutely nothing, unfortunately. I have been trying, without success, to get them to get fully functioning firewire here for, oh, the last 4 years or so. I actually had one of their installation guys, pretty high up on the totem pole, tell me that because I was the only person in the entire area who was trying to use firewire to record to a D-VHS deck, they basically didn't care about my problems and they weren't going to do anything about it. Yes, he was that blatant. There was another guy, again pretty high up, who patronized me about it, kept telling me they'd look into it, but nothing ever happened. After 3 years of being jerked around like that, I just gave up and got a second 8300 with which to "archive" HD movies.

For most of that period, the problem was the 5C copy protection protocols that weren't set correctly. An easy fix, and one that was documented here on AVS, but they just couldn't be bothered. About half of the "Copy Once" channels and all of the "Copy Freely" channels were affected by this problem and I could never get a firewire lock on those. Now, with the latest upgrade to Passport that ironically enabled the SATA port, the two 1394 ports on the 8300 and 3250 STB's simply don't work at all; it's like they've disabled them. For further irony, it appears from the STB diagnostic screens that they're not even turning the 5C flags on any more (why bother if firewire has been functionally disabled?).

It doesn't have to be this way. People in MSO's that are using the Motorola STB/DVR's don't have this problem; firewire works fine for them. If you think you can get anywhere with TWC on this issue, please, have at 'em, but note that as far as I can tell, no TWC franchise in the entire country that uses SA STB's has working firewire anymore. I'll be rooting for you. ;)

Absolutely nothing, unfortunately. I have been trying, without success, to get them to get fully functioning firewire here for, oh, the last 4 years or so. I actually had one of their installation guys, pretty high up on the totem pole, tell me that because I was the only person in the entire area who was trying to use firewire to record to a D-VHS deck, they basically didn't care about my problems and they weren't going to do anything about it. Yes, he was that blatant. There was another guy, again pretty high up, who patronized me about it, kept telling me they'd look into it, but nothing ever happened. After 3 years of being jerked around like that, I just gave up and got a second 8300 with which to "archive" HD movies.

For most of that period, the problem was the 5C copy protection protocols that weren't set correctly. An easy fix, and one that was documented here on AVS, but they just couldn't be bothered. About half of the "Copy Once" channels and all of the "Copy Freely" channels were affected by this problem and I could never get a firewire lock on those. Now, with the latest upgrade to Passport that ironically enabled the SATA port, the two 1394 ports on the 8300 and 3250 STB's simply don't work at all; it's like they've disabled them. For further irony, it appears from the STB diagnostic screens that they're not even turning the 5C flags on any more (why bother if firewire has been functionally disabled?).

It doesn't have to be this way. People in MSO's that are using the Motorola STB/DVR's don't have this problem; firewire works fine for them. If you think you can get anywhere with TWC on this issue, please, have at 'em, but note that as far as I can tell, no TWC franchise in the entire country that uses SA STB's has working firewire anymore. I'll be rooting for you. ;)

That's very depressing to read :(

For me, this literally means no HDTV for me... Sure, I can hook it up to my TV, but why have an HTPC if it can't record the content I pay for. I'm hooked on my mythbox and I'd rather pay for SD cable than digital cable if it means I'd have to hook it directly to my TV. Crazy to some, but not to me.

I don't have the resources, but it sure would be nice if someone would do a class-action law suit against TWC. I'm sure the FCC and 1394TA would be on your side. I don't know why the 1394 trade association doesn't just file the class-action suit on our behalf.

That's very depressing to read :(

For me, this literally means no HDTV for me... Sure, I can hook it up to my TV, but why have an HTPC if it can't record the content I pay for. I'm hooked on my mythbox and I'd rather pay for SD cable than digital cable if it means I'd have to hook it directly to my TV. Crazy to some, but not to me.

I don't have the resources, but it sure would be nice if someone would do a class-action law suit against TWC. I'm sure the FCC and 1394TA would be on your side. I don't know why the 1394 trade association doesn't just file the class-action suit on our behalf.

I think it's because, with the now-common presence of HD-DVR's, nobody much cares about firewire anymore. If you look at the HDTV Recorders Forum here on AVS, just a couple of years ago there was thread after thread about firewire-to-DVHS, 169Time products, etc. We were the "early adopters" of HDTV recording technology. Now, nobody is talking about it anymore - they all seem to have moved on to "the next thing" (which is HD-DVR's). And we gearheads were the only people that cared about it in the first place. So if we're not talking about it anymore, then it's pretty much guaranteed that Joe Sixpack doesn't give a hoot. There is an ongoing thread there about firewire-to-PC, and it's doable, but it depends on the firewire ports actually working as they're supposed to. That's a software issue (Passport now and, eventually, Navigator).

I hate it. I'd love to be able to go back and create permanent archive versions of HD movies from premium channels on tape, as I did for several years. I'm not ready to take the HD optical route; let someone declare victory in the format war first. :rolleyes: The DVR solution isn't permanent, as any content recorded is tied specifically to that particular DVR. Eventually, the box will fail, or TWC will roll out a new (but probably inferior - as Navigator is to Passport) product. Either way the content is temporary. It sucks, but the only way the little guy (that's us) can fight The Man (that's TWC) is if there are a lot of us little guys making such a stink they have to respond. With the addition of you, that effectively doubles our numbers here in the Charlotte area. To two. :(

I hate to say it, but you may just want to cave and go the HD-DVR route. The SA8300 has its detractors, but IMO it's an excellent device. At least until they force-deploy the hapless and crippled Navigator software and screw it all up. ;)

I have had Charter for cable, internet and Vonage for phone.
<SNIP>
Cable refusing to carry the NFL network also irritated me.

Actually we carried NFL network for a time (Hickory Market) however their pricing and insistance on how they black out their Subscription VOD services made them a very difficult providor to work with.

Sports networks, while most desired by their fans, are also the most complained about by those who don't want them... and given their tendency to insist on high fees for coverage we have to make a call on if it's worth it to our entire customer base.

I've also noticed the new extreme in putting "premium sports packages" out there - MLB and NLH have been around forever, Dish or Direct TV (I forget which) managed to get exclusive rights on premium NFL and now NASCAR (though interest was pretty low here compared to overall subscriber rates)

While I'll agree the rates are up there, when you look at the promotions it's usually a difference of a dollar here or there depending on what services you get. You also lose Video On Demand services with Dish.

But then again, there's some people we just can't reach or if a CableCo just doesn't meed their needs. My parents are the old Adelphia territory North of Charlotte and after seeing their prices I helped them pick out a dish!

As someone else said earlier here "There's two sides to every story" I'd love to carry every network everyone out there wants... heck there are a few I want my system to have... but ultimately we're bound by transmission aggrements, payments and with those... budgets.

BTW, as long as I'm posting here -
I know Moxi (BMC9012s) have been seeing some picture lag, pauses, out of sync etc - it appears to be with our feed from ABC as I get the same issue with a DCT6416 and I've been told our normal HD boxes do it as well -

Anyone else seeing this (TWC, OTA etc)? I noticed some people mentioning ABC signal levels were not as good. We called them and they said it wasn't them, but suddenly things started improving. - Issue only seems to occur with HD programming in the evenings.

Wow, do I have the worst luck. My install appointment was between 6 and 9pm last night. Well, it actually lasted from about 6:30 until 9:30 and I still don't have service. The guy was nice enough but it was just a comedy of errors from the beginning. He mixed up the paperwork and thought he was at the wrong house for the first 20 minutes. Then he brings out an HD-DVR and a regular DVR. I ordered the HD unit but not the other. He informs me that I will still have to pay for both anyway because "it's on his work order". I say sure, fine I will just return it myself tomorrow. After 3-1/2 hours he finally brings in the two boxes to hook up to my new plasma and wouldn't you know it, the box is dead. No power, no nothing. I pick the box up myself and upon examination find that it is in really poor shape. I mean, I take care of my stuff as well as other people's stuff and I would be embarrased to send out something that looked like this. Not to mention that it was an older model 8000HD instead of the 8300HD which I have had before. We did get Roadrunner up and running so it wasn't a total loss. Now I get to spend my lunch hour going to the TWC office and getting a new HD-DVR to hook up myself. No way was I going to wait another week for an appointment. I can't believe they don't test this equipment before they send it out into the field. Unacceptable. For the money I am paying TWC I want the latest equipment and I don't want it to look like someone ran over it with a truck! Is that too much to ask? I really was not that surprised as I have come to expect this type of service from TWC. I'm sure they won't know what I'm talking about when I go in for the box today...

TWC showed up yesterday to install the cablecard for my new panny bedroom plasma. WIth the first card we tried and tried but couldn't get the premium channels. Luckily, he brought a 2nd card and we tried that and after playing with it awhile finally got all my channels. My plasma has built in tv guide too so it's pretty cool to have HD in the bedroom. I have the hd dvd in the livingroom so I don't miss the recording capability too much in the bedroom.

Well, I picked up my 8300HD box a few minutes ago and explained to the CSR the condition of the equipment I received last night. She brought out a clean box and I checked the build date which was 2/17/07 so I expect this one will be fine.

Archiguy, I thought about your Firewire conquest while I was waiting and brought it up to the CSR. I got the reaction I suspected. She said she did not think that those ports would ever be activated.

Archiguy, I thought about your Firewire conquest while I was waiting and brought it up to the CSR. I got the reaction I suspected. She said she did not think that those ports would ever be activated.

I don't suppose she knew about the FCC mandate.... ;) I mean, since they've disabled them on the SA3250's as well, they currently don't offer any box with working firewire so, technically, they're breaking the law. I would have liked to have asked her that...

I technically, they're breaking the law. .

sorry if this offends anyone but this is just the way it is sometimes.
a lot of people break the law everyday and the law turns a blind eye to it.
heck i just watched on the news about a suburban full of illegal aliens (thats right, i said aliens not immigrants) were pulled over in Burke county. the police called immigration and they said they were too crowded to deal with it. and the police said they couldn't hold them if they hadn't committed a crime. so they let them go. HADN'T COMMITTED A CRIME!! is there more than one definition for illegal in the term "illegal immigration"? apparently just because it's illegal doesn't mean its a crime or breaking the law!
and what about the guy in Charlotte who has been arrested like 20 times ranging from auto theft, burglary and even bringing an automatic weapon to a high school football game and each time he gets a slap on the wrist.

OK I'm done ranting.....moral of the story is: don't hold your breath waiting on the law to uphold that FCC mandate.

The RIAA has more power than anybody.

OK I'm done ranting.....moral of the story is: don't hold your breath waiting on the law to uphold that FCC mandate.

Oh, I haven't been. Just would be interested in hearing their response on the issue. And more interested to hear if they plan to resume support for firewire in the future. My D-VHS deck still works very well, but sits idle most of the time these days.

I don't suppose she knew about the FCC mandate.... ;) I mean, since they've disabled them on the SA3250's as well, they currently don't offer any box with working firewire so, technically, they're breaking the law. I would have liked to have asked her that...

I didn't want to press the issue with her because she seemed to be having a hard enough time just helping me with the DVR. Also, she was one of the few TWC employees I have encountered that actually had some personality and was polite. So I cut her some slack. ;) Oh, I hooked up my HD-DVR last night and HD looks great on my new plasma. I'm satisfied for now.