... I also noticed that the Triad region will be getting the Navigator format sent down to there cable boxes. ... .

I was wondering where you heard about Navigator? I'm not saying it's not true but I was told by one of their engineers a couple weeks ago that they didn't plan to move to Navigator until early next year due to problems some franchises were having integrating Navigator into their operations. According to him they were having too many problems and the local Triad folks were waiting for the S/W to become more stable. I am also waiting for TW to get their act together because if they don't do something soon I will probably switch to satellite.

I was wondering where you heard about Navigator? I'm not saying it's not true but I was told by one of their engineers a couple weeks ago that they didn't plan to move to Navigator until early next year due to problems some franchises were having integrating Navigator into their operations. According to him they were having too many problems and the local Triad folks were waiting for the S/W to become more stable. I am also waiting for TW to get their act together because if they don't do something soon I will probably switch to satellite.

He's right.I went to the Time Warner triad website.Go to the site map.Highlight Navigator.A letter states we will in the course of the next 3 months receive Navigator.We will get a letter and phone call a few days before conversion.Did not want o belive it but it's there for all to read. Sara 1.89.24.1 Greensboro NC

I hear they already have started limited internet bandwidth to try and boost bandwidth for TV. They are trying any and everything.

If they have, I haven't noticed. My internet speed actually increased this summer. Transfers topped out around 500KB/s on a good day, now I can hit around 800KB/s. They usually make a big deal out of these speed increases, but this one seemed to lack any fanfare.

He's right.I went to the Time Warner triad website.Go to the site map.Highlight Navigator.A letter states we will in the course of the next 3 months receive Navigator.We will get a letter and phone call a few days before conversion.Did not want o belive it but it's there for all to read. Sara 1.89.24.1 Greensboro NC

Thanks for the head's-up .... as usual TW has it buried on the web site.

I see that triad time warner has changed there website around. I also noticed that the Triad region will be getting the Navigator format sent down to there cable boxes. That would be great since I think the format we have now looks like something from the early 1990's. Depending on how the DVR's react after the Navigator change will let me to decide whether to keep the TWC DVR or go to a Tivo HD.

Be careful what you wish for in regards to getting Navigator from TWC. It's been rolled out in Raleigh and it wasn't well received by the guys who blog on EngadgetHD.com who live in Raleigh. Maybe it has improved since then but they didn't like it.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/05/01/twc-gets-official-with-navigator-rollout-in-raleigh-nc-hands-o/

Our fears are true: Time Warner Cable is indeed initiating a rollout of its new Navigator interface -- at least in the greater Raleigh / Durham, North Carolina region, anyway. According to a note sent out to select subscribers in the area, it's only a matter of time before their set-top-box also becomes overcome with the Navigator. As beautiful as it may look, however, the UI is quite dreadful in actual use. Screen changes are noticeably slower, unmodifiable fade effects are utterly annoying and the black flash that occurs each time you activate / deactivate the menu screen could certainly stand to be omitted. Of course, there are a few additional Parental Control features, but really, we're finding a lot more negatives than positives in the upgrade.

Yikes, sounds like Tivo HD is the way to go. Although, I will have to wait for the tuning resolver to become available so I can see the SDV HD channels. Maybe they have resolved the issues before rolling it out in the Triad, but you think they would fix Raleigh first before pushing forward with Navigator.

Just a reminder that broadcasters have been asked to do a "soft test" of analog shutdown this afternoon between 6pm and 6:30pm. Stations are to break the analog away from the digital and run an announcement that if people are seeing the announcement, they need to do something for the transition.

We will during the 6pm news.

Just a reminder that broadcasters have been asked to do a "soft test" of analog shutdown this afternoon between 6pm and 6:30pm. Stations are to break the analog away from the digital and run an announcement that if people are seeing the announcement, they need to do something for the transition.

We will during the 6pm news.

http://www.skyreport.com/#article8

A DTV transition hiccup? On Wednesday, stations in North Carolina, including WRAL in Raleigh, conducted a soft test of their digital signals. The broadcaster said during the soft switch, DISH and DIRECTV aired the analog feed, which for that moment didn’t provide any programming. The station said the DBS services will turn on a digital signal by December

Many of the cableco's also have not switched to the digital feeds yet either. This test has caused them to get their rears in gear as well. I suspect you will see stations do more of these in the coming months to help identify the weak links.

Big Ten Network will be available to Digital Sports & Games subscribers on Sept. 25, 2008. Big Ten Network is a 24-hr channel consisting of primarily of Big Ten Conference sporting events and sports programming, as well as an amount of ancillary programming related to the Big Ten Conference member universities, their students, communities and alumni. Coverage includes live telecasts of football, basketball, baseball and Olympic sports.

* Standard Definition: Channel 189
* High Definition: Channel 571

Many of the cableco's also have not switched to the digital feeds yet either. This test has caused them to get their rears in gear as well. I suspect you will see stations do more of these in the coming months to help identify the weak links.
I thought so... I had to switch from the OTA antenna on the analog channel to the TWC on the equivalent analog channel. I only caught the last few seconds of the transmission via TWC, but it sure looked like TWC was still feeding the analog feed to the basic tier.

I'm sure it will result in a few more "converter boxes" being purchased... even if only by the TWC head-end. :)

Joe L.

TWC had called me that morning in a panic wanting to know what and how we were going to do the test for that very reason. Looks like we will be doing more of these tests leading up to Feb 17 so they have a few more times to get it right! :)

Big Ten Network will be available to Digital Sports & Games subscribers on Sept. 25, 2008. Big Ten Network is a 24-hr channel consisting of primarily of Big Ten Conference sporting events and sports programming, as well as an amount of ancillary programming related to the Big Ten Conference member universities, their students, communities and alumni. Coverage includes live telecasts of football, basketball, baseball and Olympic sports.

* Standard Definition: Channel 189
* High Definition: Channel 571

I really want to make a smart remark here about Big Ten Football but I'll refrain.

I am excited to see TWC add more sports programming in HD.

I really want to make a smart remark here about Big Ten Football but I'll refrain.

I am excited to see TWC add more sports programming in HD.

I wonder if TWC will carry the BTN HD overflow channels in HD. There are 3 overflow channels that D* carries in HD.

I really want to make a smart remark here about Big Ten Football but I'll refrain.


Given that we're in the heart of ACC country, I wouldn't throw stones. :)

(Says the man who expects to see his alma mater embarrassed by a non BCS school in person tomorrow...)

Just a couple of thoughts on the soft test this past week.

As far as our viewers are concerned, it has certainly got them talking. I am still getting calls about the test. I am not sure what the other stations did, but in our case we created two announcements, one with a red background and one with a blue background. We ran the red on the analog and the blue on the digital. The red got peoples attention. The usual first word I hear is "I saw the red screen" then followed by either I am on cable what does that mean or what do I need to do or the most common statement is, where can I get the converter box coupons. It is mostly older folks but we are hearing from late boomers as well. I have also heard from a bunch of folks who already have the converter boxes of all age groups and have questions about them. Out of all the calls, only one person didn't know what was going on. That low number did surprise me. Of the ones who commented on it, everyone was happy to hear the stations being pro active. No one was upset. I did get an email from a viewer who was digital ready that he thought the test was flawed since he was watching analog OTA and saw the red screen, even though he admitted switching over to channel 35 and seeing the blue screen. Still not sure what he is complaining about, but there you go! People are talking and that is good for all of us.

We are talking about doing this once a month until the transition to give people a chance to see their progress. More when I get more.

From what I've been reading, the converter boxes are talked up, but the antenna to go with them are not. Is it assumed that the stores that sell the boxes will tell the consumers about the antennas? (from reading the Wilminton blogs, the antenna delimma seemed to be a recurring theme)

I am thrilled that the networks are doing the tests, BTW!

foxeng - One more thing (for the guy that was "digital ready" but was watching the analog station) - on your red screen , you my want to add - "if you are on the analog channel X, please switch at this time to the digital channel Y". That may alleviate future questions.

PamW, the antenna issue is being addressed now.

I don't know if we need to get that specific on switching channels. We only have 60 seconds. The only reason we mentioned the rescanning on the digital channel was because we had some extra time. On the analog announcement, we were pushing the time limit pretty hard. The industry's and government's big concern is those with OTA only setups. My experience has been if someone has an OTA and a digital TV, they already know if they can get digital signals or not because it is a recent purchase or a conscience upgrade. They are covered and they more than likely know it.

It is the analog only people who haven't really been following things who haven't been in a big box store or paying attention to the announcements. If they are on cable that isn't a problem either, they will be served. This person had other issues beside that one. We aren't sure exactly what his point was other than to say that he didn't think we should have done a test on analog since he had digital TV and decided to watch us on analog. As I said, the bottom line was to get Joe Sixpack talking in a way that hasn't happened during this whole transition and we take that as a good sign no matter who contacts us and we do welcome all contacts.

foxeng,

Got it! You must realize that I come from a "teaching the middle /high school student" perspective - if you're going to do it, you'd better be prepared to explain it at least three different ways! :D
(overkill cannot hurt)

I have been talking to people about the transition for 7 years now. I would hope i have somewhat of a handle on most of the issues. :D

I must admit I had thought of the antenna issue being we were staying on VHF here, but I was surprised no one thought about it in Wilmington where most of the OTA homes have VHF only antennas and all the DT's were UHF. Having lived in the area down there into my early adult life, I know the area pretty well. TV for them was ABC - WWAY 3, NBC - WECT 6, CBS - either WBTW 13 or WNCT 9 depending on where in the area they lived in. That is why when WJKA 26 (now WSFX FOX) came on the air in the mid 80's as the CBS station for Wilmington, it failed within 2 years. No UHF antennas! It was the 90's before LP WILM 10 owned by WRAL came on the air with CBS for Wilmington and it only survived because cable and sat penetration had reached levels that could sustain a station that a 6 county DMA could not receive directly via OTA. Lots more there than meets the eye and I think that is why NAB and the FCC missed calculated that issue and it bit them on September 8th.

From the Myrtle Beach thread:

Big Ten Network

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlotte, NC (September 23, 2008) – Get ready sports fans! Beginning this Thursday, September 25, 2008, more college sports coverage is coming to the Time Warner Cable lineup. The Big Ten Network (BTN) will be available to Time Warner Cable digital converter customers with the Sports & Games Tier. The Big Ten Network will also be available in High Definition. A digital converter is required to receive the channels.

Big Ten Network is a 24-hr channel consisting of primarily of Big Ten Conference sporting events and sports programming, as well as an amount of ancillary programming related to the Big Ten Conference member universities, their students, communities and alumni. Coverage includes live telecasts of football, basketball, baseball and Olympic sports. Universities in the Big Ten Conference are Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern.

The Big Ten Network is available on the following channels:

o S. Carolina – 148(SD); 956(HD)
o Greensboro – 189(SD); 571(HD)
o Charlotte – 136(SD); 288(HD)
+ (Statesville/Iredell – 425(SD); 719(HD)
o Raleigh – 323(SD); 287(HD)
o Wilmington – 135(SD); 954(HD)

Any word on the substations yet. as on Directv, we get multiple bigten network feeds.

I have received the news via e mail from our local Time Warner office here in Greensboro NC that starting oct 1 and over 3 months we will receive Navigator.This is now offical.We are one if not the first sara area being switched.Will let all know how it works when I get it. Sara 1.89.24.1

I have received the news via e mail from our local Time Warner office here in Greensboro NC that starting oct 1 and over 3 months we will receive Navigator.This is now offical.We are one if not the first sara area being switched.Will let all know how it works when I get it. Sara 1.89.24.1

I'm dreading this. Every time I visit friends or family in Charlotte, Raleigh, or Wilmington and use Navigator I don't like it. It looks nicer than SARA but SARA seems much more functional. I guess I'll have to get used to it.

I was talking to the someone at TWC in the engineering department and he confirmed that TWC statewide would be moving to Navigator because they own the rights to the software, but it wasn't ready for primetime yet, and he didn't know when it would be deployed to the public. They are testing it in house now in Greensboro. Also, TWC is consolidating headends and Greensboro is taking over Charlotte and Wilmington meaning all of those signals will be controlled from Greensboro. Raleigh is taking over the Triangle and Fayetteville and areas east and each headend will back the other one up, so they have a lot stuf they are into right now as well as getting ready for the digital transition.

Our neighbors stopped us when we got home and told us that AT&T was over installing a box on the telephone pole saying that it will allow us to have cable tv/internet from AT&T. I looked it up and sure enough, UVerse is coming to Winston-Salem.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/09/22/atandt-u-verse-cabinets-pop-up-in-winston-salem-nc/

Said that it should be available by the beginning of next year. Finally, some competition to TWC since I cannot get DirectTV/Dish where I am at due to trees.

Our neighbors stopped us when we got home and told us that AT&T was over installing a box on the telephone pole saying that it will allow us to have cable tv/internet from AT&T. I looked it up and sure enough, UVerse is coming to Winston-Salem.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/09/22/atandt-u-verse-cabinets-pop-up-in-winston-salem-nc/

Said that it should be available by the beginning of next year. Finally, some competition to TWC since I cannot get DirectTV/Dish where I am at due to trees.

I don't know how many TVs you have but be aware the U-Verse has some limitations. Mainly the number active tuners that you can have. Right now depending upon how far away you are from the VRAD box (that's the big utility box) you can only get either 2 HD/2 SD streams or 1 HD/3 SD streams. What this mean is you're limited to either 2 dual tuner DVRs or 4 non DVRs or 1 dual tuner DVR with 3 non DVRs. However, the situation isn't as bleak if you have the total home dvr as that allows one more stream but it still is more limiting than either TWC or Directv and Dish. Now u-verse is trying to add one more stream but that will come at the cost of picture quality since they will have to reduce the available bandwidth per video stream. They are capped at about 25 mbps total that is sent to your house.

UNC-TV's digital services changed this morning. Click here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14737849#post14737849) for the full details.

Any idea when the Kernersville/Oak Ridge area will get Universe?

I heard that Winston-Salem is a test market and they want to get it established there before moving on.

Just a note to let you guys know that this weekend and next weekend during the football games around 2:30 pm will be the semi-annual sun outage. We will try and keep the HD in HD as long as we can before switching to SD to get past the sun outage. It shouldn't be more than 15 or 20 minutes max, we hope.

Just a note to let you guys know that this weekend and next weekend during the football games around 2:30 pm will be the semi-annual sun outage. We will try and keep the HD in HD as long as we can before switching to SD to get past the sun outage. It shouldn't be more than 15 or 20 minutes max, we hope.

You have pointed this out in past years I believe. Just curious, what phenomenon is involved and how can the timing be known to that level of certainty? And the switch to SD during the event?

Thanks,

Joe

Every spring and fall as the Earth, being 23 degrees off axis of the orbit of the Sun, moves around the Sun, the Sun crosses the plan of the geo sats and during a 2 week period, between 1p, and 3 pm local time, the Sun aligns directly behind the satellites in relation to the dish antennas on the ground and the radiation from the Sun overpowers the RF coming from the satellites and for that few minutes of direct alignment, signal is lost. It is called Sun Outage.

All networks use two satellites, one as a main and one as a backup to provide programming. Since the Sun aligns behind one sat a time during this two hour window, programming switches to the other sat not in alignment to continue program distribution. All networks have two dishes and two receivers at the stations, one aimed at the main sat and one aimed at the backup sat.

Since FOX doesn't use the method of HD distribution that the other networks do (FOX uses the splicer and they only provide stations with only one splicer that is connected to the main receiver), the HD signal is currently only available through one receiver. When that receiver goes into Sun Outage, the HD signal is lost for the duration of alignment. In order to keep programming on the air for that 10 or 15 minute period of alignment, we have to switch to the back up receiver and so on the digital channel, during that time period, we can only offer SD.

That is pretty much it in a nut shell.

Hi foxeng .... I assume from your screen name that you have some affiliation with Fox 8. I was hoping you might be able to help. I recorded the new program "Fringe" this week and when I played it back today there was a lot of audio dropouts and tiling of the video while the audio played on. I was wondering if you know whether this was a problem on the broadcast end with that particular program. I don't think it was a DVR problem on my end since other programs recorded before and after Fringe played OK. By the way I am a TW subscriber. I know there was some thunderstorm activity that night and thought that may have contributed to the problem. Thanks for any light you can shed on the subject.

mike

I had the same thing on Directv. Likely due to the storm and an outside our area distribution problem as the weather warning overlays never pixellated.

During Fringe we had a very nasty storm that effected the FOX network satellite signal and since FOX uses an all digital distribution system, if the storm is bad enough, it will pixelate and that is what happened.

During Fringe we had a very nasty storm that effected the FOX network satellite signal and since FOX uses an all digital distribution system, if the storm is bad enough, it will pixelate and that is what happened.
thanks ...

Maybe ODN was made for Sara users who are used to crappy features and MDN was made for Passport users.Any way you shake it TWC has a massive cluster frack on their hands.

Since OCT.1 was the start date for Greensboro and triad to get Navigator.Has anyone received it or got a new box with it yet?

I haven't thought about it yet. Anyone?

According to a TWC insider, it isn't ready for Primetime yet.

According to a TWC insider, it isn't ready for Primetime yet.

If it's not ready for primetime why did they tell me Oct.1 was the starting launch date.Very odd.

Marketing vs engineering?

Marketing vs engineering?

With Time Warner marketing usually wins.Get ready for Navigator ready or not.

Not yet. They have some in the field at employees homes and so far no one is happy with them.

Not yet. They have some in the field at employees homes and so far no one is happy with them.

The Lincoln Nebraka employees were unhappy with it to.They say misery loves company so ask all the other people of Lincoln why they got it.Also ask people of Raleigh,Dallas,Minnisota and bunch of other Passport folk.Think Sara people gonna be any happier.TWC will launch when they want.We all know Navigator not ready for prime time but that fact has not stopped them yet.North Carolina Time Warner is going to be one market and the powers that be had declared we and a few other sara areas will get navigator in the next three months just watch.

As I said, the TWC source told me the reason the switch was because TWC owns the Navigator software and they don't Passport or SARA. It is a cost cutting move.

As I said, the TWC source told me the reason the switch was because TWC owns the Navigator software and they don't Passport or SARA. It is a cost cutting move.

From what I have hear TWC is mergeing their divisions becomeing the Carolinas Division instead of the Charlotte division,Raleigh Division,Greensboro Division.From what I have been toldGreensboro will be the new head end siteThe two other divisions have Navigator already..The reason the triad area is the first sara area to be Navigated is that Charlotte and Raleigh are waiting for the triad to catch up to become a uniform divisionWe alrady have start up,sdv,quick clips ectI understand that once we have navigator the greensboro office will seed the other areas.I hear in the next couple weeks look back may be added here.It looks like Greensboro will be the launch site for TWC Carolinas new products..

For those of you who are following the SDV/Tivo/Tuning Adapter thread, Engadget has a post today noting that a real unit is in the wild on certain Comcast networks (http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/06/the-first-tuning-adapter-is-unleashed-by-comcast/).

Here's hoping TWC-Greensboro gets them soon as well.

Interesting. I had read elsewhere that Comcast had decided to just dump analog channels and not worry about SDV for now. Al so note that it is labeled CISCO. I would think that means its for CISCO/SA systems. Is south NJ a Moto or SA ystem?

I have heard some info that AT&T FIOS will be coming to Greensboro with a target start up date late 2009.

I have heard some info that AT&T FIOS will be coming to Greensboro with a target start up date late 2009.

Thats good news! Hopefully the price of Roadrunner will be coming down soon, or maybe we'll see a bigger speed increase. Either way, hopefully the customers will win.

I have heard some info that AT&T FIOS will be coming to Greensboro with a target start up date late 2009.

Just curious when you say AT&T "FIOS" , are you referring to U-Verse or something different? Not trying to split hairs but I haven't heard AT&T's offering referred to as FIOS, only Verizon's. Thanks.

Thats good news! Hopefully the price of Roadrunner will be coming down soon, or maybe we'll see a bigger speed increase. Either way, hopefully the customers will win.

Well, RoadRunner just raised my bill 5 bucks. I get the turbo charged RR but I don't get phone or tv from TWC so my RR bill went from 54.90 to 59.90.

Has anyone in Greensboro gotton a new box.Just wondering if it has SARA or NAVIGATOR on it.

Just curious when you say AT&T "FIOS" , are you referring to U-Verse or something different? Not trying to split hairs but I haven't heard AT&T's offering referred to as FIOS, only Verizon's. Thanks.

I don't know if it is U-Verse or not. I do know it is not connected to the service they are testing in Winston-Salem right now. The Greensboro system is completely different.

I don't know if it was the national feed or local feed but the climax of tonight's episode of CSI blacked out for about 5 minutes missing the key part of how they resolved Warrick's killer. Both SD and HD feeds were affected. :mad:

It was WFMY having issues. I talked to somebody in Raleigh's market and they didn't have any issues.

Last night on WFMY's 11pm news they did admit that they were at fault. Guess I will have to watch the episode at CBS.com

That is why I have an outside antenna. When WFMY dropped BOTH the SD and HD feed of CSI, I went to WDBJ in Roanoke and stayed through the finish of the show and didn't miss but only a few seconds. I can tell you what Nick did or didn't do on the chase!!

That is why I have an outside antenna. When WFMY dropped BOTH the SD and HD feed of CSI, I went to WDBJ in Roanoke and stayed through the finish of the show and didn't miss but only a few seconds. I can tell you what Nick did or didn't do on the chase!!

We called my mother-in-law and she told us what happen. I'll rewatch the end of CBS' website.

I went to WMFY's website and there is some mad people on their blogs and forum.

Tonight I was glad to see the Canes playing on 591. The guide still says Braves, so will this now become Fox Sports Carolinas full time? I'm hoping that is the case because in years past Mojo/INHD would be preempted for the Canes in HD would be and we are losing that channel.

Just wondering if anybody has any more information, since I can't even find an HD schedule on the Canes website.

Tonight I was glad to see the Canes playing on 591. The guide still says Braves, so will this now become Fox Sports Carolinas full time? I'm hoping that is the case because in years past Mojo/INHD would be preempted for the Canes in HD would be and we are losing that channel.

Just wondering if anybody has any more information, since I can't even find an HD schedule on the Canes website.

From the following it looks like FSN is only going to broadcast 15 games in HD.

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=384507

Is today the sun spots day or was that last week. I ask because WGHP is having problems today during the Bucs/Panthers game. First, we got switched to the Redskins/Rams game. After a few minutes of that the Panthers game came back but not in HD.

Yeah, foxeng posted a page or 2 back. At least it's back to the Panthers game.

FOX does the switching, we have no way to switch transponders and yes, today is the last Sunday effected by sun outage.

I think capping internet will backfire on them big time if they really do implement it for all customers. With more and more people wanting video online and with more and more software being distributed digitally, people are going to want more and more capacity. Much like when dial-up access was limited, once someone (AOL) came around and said, "Here, have all you want for $20", they dominated. I am sure someone else will come along and do the same thing and everyone will flock to them. I know I'll immediately switch to DSL if I have to. I'll take slightly slower internet (if it even is slower) for unlimited capacity.


I'm fairly certain they have already capped upload speeds......

I could've sworn I had upload speeds of around 1.5-3MB/s and now its only around 300KB/s per second. My Download speeds have increased which is cool, but considering I upload a lot of video and play a lot of games on my PS3, I cant really host large games or upload videos as fast as I use to just 6 months ago. It's really disturbing.



also has anyone with TWC in the area noticed the New Navigator??? I had to reset my box a few days ago and it downloaded something that took about 20+ minutes but I still have the same old scheme.

Anyone know if TWC Greensboro adding any new hd channels any time soon?Also no Navigator sightings as of yet.Anyone got Navigator yet?

I'm fairly certain they have already capped upload speeds......


I am not so worried about them capping speeds (although faster is better), but them capping overall usage.

Anyone know if TWC Greensboro adding any new hd channels any time soon?Also no Navigator sightings as of yet.Anyone got Navigator yet?

The last channel additions were ESPNU-HD and the Big Ten Network in HD (on the sports tier). The last time I checked their Programming Changes page, no new HD channels were listed.

Just a heads up for everyone. This Friday, the 17th, WGHP (the only one as far as I know) will be doing another DTV "soft test" where we split the analog and digital for 60 seconds and put up different graphics to alert viewers if they need to do anything or not for the transition. This test is currently planned for the morning news, no time yet, and no, no cable or sat, not even TWC has our digital signal on the analog yet so those watching channel 10 will see the message that they are not digital ready. In that case it is TWC that isn't digital ready! :D

I am not so worried about them capping speeds (although faster is better), but them capping overall usage.

I do a LOT of uploading......it sucks that they cap speeds.....

but if they pull a comcast and cap usage to a per month then yea I agree......this will be problematic.....


Just a heads up for everyone. This Friday, the 17th, WGHP (the only one as far as I know) will be doing another DTV "soft test" where we split the analog and digital for 60 seconds and put up different graphics to alert viewers if they need to do anything or not for the transition. This test is currently planned for the morning news, no time yet, and no, no cable or sat, not even TWC has our digital signal on the analog yet so those watching channel 10 will see the message that they are not digital ready. In that case it is TWC that isn't digital ready! :D

wont bother me because I only watch the Digital channels when I watch local because it just looks better......

I'm curious........as the MOST Watched News in the Triad why havent you guys gone HD on the news yet?? I dont even watch local news because of that......sad I know.....lol

I'm curious........as the MOST Watched News in the Triad why havent you guys gone HD on the news yet?? I dont even watch local news because of that......sad I know.....lol

Short answer, we aren't ready.

Short answer, we aren't ready.

dang that sucks....do you have an ETA as to when you all would BE ready???

I coulda sworn reading somewhere that you guys were owned by FOX and it would seem to me that would mean y'all would have PLENTY of money to get ready........lol

dang that sucks....do you have an ETA as to when you all would BE ready???

I coulda sworn reading somewhere that you guys were owned by FOX and it would seem to me that would mean y'all would have PLENTY of money to get ready........lol

Fox sold WGHP not too long ago.

- Trip

I coulda sworn reading somewhere that you guys were owned by FOX and it would seem to me that would mean y'all would have PLENTY of money to get ready........lol

July 14, FOX sold us and 7 other former FOX O & O's to a company called LocalTV, LLC.

I have a question regarding The NHL Center Ice Package as presented on TW Cable. I signed up for this package having watched it on my son's DirecTV service and liked what I saw. I knew going in that I would not have the benefit of HD games (when shot in HD) but figured that since the CI package is in the digital tier of TW cable the games would be clear, just not in HD. So far I have been sorely disappointed in the quality of the broadcasts. It seems to me that they are worse than watching a straight forward SD picture. I am not sure what the cause of this is but it seems to be a waste of $$ to lay out for a "premium service".

Just wondering if anyone else has this package from TW and what your experience might be.

This is just another reason for me to look seriously at switching to DirecTV. I keep hoping or expecting TW's service to improve but maybe that hope is misplaced.

I ... figured that since the CI package is in the digital tier of TW cable the games would be clear, just not in HD. So far I have been sorely disappointed in the quality of the broadcasts. It seems to me that they are worse than watching a straight forward SD picture. I am not sure what the cause of this is but it seems to be a waste of $$ to lay out for a "premium service".
Digital Cable "indicates that the signal has been compressed to fit 6 or more QAM channels in the space once occupied by a single analog channel. The compression is NOT lossless. In fact, depending on the bit rate, it can be pretty bad, especially in scenes with a lot of movement.

I frequently can see compression artifacts in scenes with broad areas of like colors. Normally the sky is not made up of several bands of "blue" in only two or three shades. On "digital cable" (or even Direct TV) it can be.

Even though they want you to associate "digital" with high quality, TWC really associates it with more channels in the same bandwidth, at some reasonable level of quality that people with SD displays will not object to.

As many people upgrade their displays, this "digital compression" at low bit-rates becomes more and more apparent.

Joe L.

Just to update you guys, the DTV "soft test" I mentioned earlier about will be around 8:15 AM on Friday, the 17th. We will do like we did last month, have a red background with a written and spoken message that the viewer needs to do something to continue to watch TV after the 17th of February on the analog channel and a blue background with a written and spoken message that the viewer is ready for the digital transition.

I will tell you upfront that those watching the analog channels on sat and cable will see the red background since they are not taking our digital signal and converting it to analog yet. Those watching on the digital cable channels like TWC's 510 and LexCom Cable's 510 WILL see the blue background as well as anyone watching OTA channel 35.

Just to update you guys, the DTV "soft test" I mentioned earlier about will be around 8:15 AM on Friday, the 17th. We will do like we did last month, have a red background with a written and spoken message that the viewer needs to do something to continue to watch TV after the 17th of February on the analog channel and a blue background with a written and spoken message that the viewer is ready for the digital transition.

I will tell you upfront that those watching the analog channels on sat and cable will see the red background since they are not taking our digital signal and converting it to analog yet. Those watching on the digital cable channels like TWC's 510 and LexCom Cable's 510 WILL see the blue background as well as anyone watching OTA channel 35.

I see the analog channel cable/sat issue here as another confusing aspect of the DTV transition, particularly for the older viewers. Unless this will be made very clear during this "soft test", don't you think there will be cable/sat subscribers who see the red screen who will think they need to get a converter box -- when it's actually not necessary for them to do so? It's only because their provider is not yet up to speed.

Eric

As we did in the first test last month, before the test was done, the anchors stated that cable and sat viewers would see the red background but to not worry, their provider would be ready. Those with antennas were the ones the test was targeted to. The test itself also states the same and after the test the anchors again restated that. That is the best anyone can do.

Anyone had problems recently with the SDV channels on TW?

I'm unable to tune any of the channels running SDV - with the initializing message then a channel not available screen. Anything HDTV not running SDV is ok. When I called the support line they had a message about restarting boxes because of a software upgrade - which makes me think they are upgrading all the boxes.

Fox sold WGHP not too long ago.

- Trip

July 14, FOX sold us and 7 other former FOX O & O's to a company called LocalTV, LLC.

oh ok........thanks for clearing that up......that would partially explain the not being ready........that cuts out a lot of possible funding I would imagine

Anyone had problems recently with the SDV channels on TW?

I'm unable to tune any of the channels running SDV - with the initializing message then a channel not available screen. Anything HDTV not running SDV is ok. When I called the support line they had a message about restarting boxes because of a software upgrade - which makes me think they are upgrading all the boxes.

might sound a little slow but which Channels are SDV??? all the HD Channels or just certain ones??

Hey foxeng,

Any idea on how many households in our market are strictly reliant on OTA at this point?

Joe

Hey foxeng,

Any idea on how many households in our market are strictly reliant on OTA at this point?

Joe

Strictly OTA is around 15% in this market and flucutates around that number and has for the last few years. The big change has been the ratio of cable to sat. For sat, that number has been increasing. Sat holds about 25% now up from 15% a few years ago, and cable holds about 60%, down about 10% from a few years ago. TWC by itself holds around 45% of the total households in the market. Quite a strangle hold. But that number is down from a few years ago when it was over 50%. The next highest cable is LexCom out Lexington at about 6% of the market.

We are personally working with 27 cableco's in this market on the transition. Of that 27, about 10 are small private MATV systems at apartments and mobile home parks where they count subs in the tens of units up to 150 units. We have no idea how many other small private MATV systems are out there that do not report to Nielsen, which is where we get our information from and they haven't made themselves known to us yet either. I suspect we will find out about them on February 18th! :D

So in reality it is actually a higher number than 15% when you count these small unknown private MATV systems into the mix. While they are not "OTA" per se in the terms you mean, they get their signals OTA and feed small systems so if those people on those systems don't do anything, February 18 will be a snowy day for them. We hope these "soft tests" will wake them up too.

We do plan on doing these "soft tests" every month on the 17th until the transition. We will do them during different newscasts to hit as many people as possible. We are trying to take an active role in this.

Hey foxeng,

Are you under any requirements as far as how long you HAVE to leave the analog signal up? Could you turn it off before the deadline day if you wanted to? (Just curious.)

Hey foxeng,

Are you under any requirements as far as how long you HAVE to leave the analog signal up? Could you turn it off before the deadline day if you wanted to? (Just curious.)

Not really. The FCC would rather we turn off early and the earlier the better as far as they are concerned. From now until Jan 17 we would have to ask the FCC for permission to turn off analog and as long as our post transition full power facility was ready, they say they would grant it. Typical government. Sticklers for paperwork. After Jan 17 until Feb 17, we don't need permission, just tell the FCC when we do it. We, along with all the other local stations plan on keeping the analog up right to "bitter end" even though we are the only station locally changing channels.

It is interesting to note that even though the FCC mandated Wilmington's early transition, the stations there STILL had to ask for permission to turn off the analog transmitters and couldn't until the FCC gave them permission because it was happening before Jan 17, 2009!

Hello, I'm not currently in W-S but my mother is in Ardmore and she wants me to help her switch from Direct TV to HD antenna. I'm building her an HTPC, so that's taken care of. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend what channels I can expect to pick up on a UHF antenna. After looking at antennaweb, it looks like it might be best to point one antenna up to W-S and one towards Greensboro/HP. I'm a fan of the radioshack antennas, and was thinking of a pair of U75-R UHF antennas. Do you think those would get me good reception?

Lachlan,

Your mother will need a VHF/UHF antenna since WGHP will move the digital channel from 35 back to 8 (the analog channel) post transition. From Armore, she should get all the stations with no problem. NBC and PBS are north of Winston-Salem on Sauratown Mt, the rest are south of Greensboro around Level Cross.

Thanks, I see now that they are going back to 8, but that looks to be the only one that will be VHF, so I assume I would only need the VHF/UHF for the east-pointing antenna, and a UHF-only would be suitable for the north-pointing? Are there any other channels out there (eg Charlotte) I could get/should look for?

I don't like how 45 is putting OSU/MSU game on HD channel and UNC/VA on the crappy looking SD channel. Put the SD game on the HD channel so it will at least look better.

ETA: They finally put the UNC game on the HD channel even though it isn't in HD.

ETA: They finally put the UNC game on the HD channel even though it isn't in HD.

The UNC game probably was in HD. As I recall, ABC can only send 2 HD games at once to their affiliates so UNC was the "odd game out". I hope ABC works around this limitation before next year's season. On the other hand, I can completely understand why the putrid ACC has already been the "odd man out" more than once.

From the following it looks like FSN is only going to broadcast 15 games in HD.

http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=384507

Thanks for the link ncmikey

And about your question earlier regarding center ice, I watched it extensively during the free preview and the picture was terrible. On my 32" Vizio there was alot of ghosting, especially when you would have multiple players entering the zone 3 on 2 etc. The broadcasts to me seemed extremely compressed and even worse than when the Canes are on 51.

Thanks for the link ncmikey

And about your question earlier regarding center ice, I watched it extensively during the free preview and the picture was terrible. On my 32" Vizio there was alot of ghosting, especially when you would have multiple players entering the zone 3 on 2 etc. The broadcasts to me seemed extremely compressed and even worse than when the Canes are on 51.

I agree with your assessment, so I got in touch with an Engineer with TW and he listened to my complaints and said he was going to look into the picture quality for CI. I told him that in comparison to D the picture was crap (My son has CI on DirecTV in Raleigh). He hasn't gotten back to me yet. I'll post something when he does.

And about your question earlier regarding center ice, I watched it extensively during the free preview and the picture was terrible. On my 32" Vizio there was alot of ghosting, especially when you would have multiple players entering the zone 3 on 2 etc. The broadcasts to me seemed extremely compressed and even worse than when the Canes are on 51.

I have the ESPN college football gameplan from TWC and the quality isn't that great either. I'm not quite sure why they would compress their premium content, knowing full well people are going to watch it and notice.

BTW, Go Canes!

I am sorry but this is just too ironic not to get a laugh out of. I knew the FCC was doing this and I think we even did a story on it over the weekend, but I hope this isn't an omen of things to come!! :0

FCC’s Race Car to Promote Digital TV Hits the Wall

Amy Schatz reports on the FCC and tech regulation for the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 20, 2008

Federal regulators hope this isn’t an omen. The “Digital TV Transition Ford” sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission crashed during its inaugural NASCAR race Sunday afternoon.

Car No. 38, driven by David Gilliland , hit the wall during the Tums QuikPak 500 at the Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on the 485th lap. Washington Wire wasn’t watching the race, but the NASCAR Web site says that Gilliand went “hard into the wall after contact with David Reutimann bringing out the caution (flag).”

He ended up finishing 32nd in the race.

“It’s such a disappointing way to end our weekend,” Gilliland posted on his Web site. “I really think we could have brought home a top-20 finish today for our Digital TV Transition Ford, but unfortunately we got shoved into the wall there right at the end and the damage was just too much to be able to repair in time.”

The FCC spent about $350,000 to sponsor the car for three races in hopes of raising awareness about the U.S.’s transition to digital-only television on Feb. 17. “I believe this sponsorship is an extremely effective way for the FCC to raise DTV awareness among people of all ages and income levels across the United States who loyally follow one of the most popular sports in America,” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement last week, announcing the deal.

The FCC says it’s also spending about $1 million for ads in AARP magazine.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/1...hits-the-wall/

Unbelievable, also very funny. But not surprising. Thanks

Maybe next race they can get either Ben Bernanke or Joe the Plumber in the drivers seat.

maybe next race they can get either ben bernanke or joe the plumber in the drivers seat.
roflmao!!!!!

Well the month is moveing on.After announceing Navigator will start deploying Oct.1 has anyone seen any sign of it.Guess it must have had more bugs than they thought or they are planning a massive launch at at secret date.This is another example of TWC marketing getting out ahead of its enigeering dept.If anyone has seen Navigator in Greensboro or the Triad let us know.

I was poking around on TWs site today and noticed that some of the Navigator references are gone, I take that as a sign that their field tests didn't go so well.

The good news: Oct. 29, 2008: Speed HD will launch on Channel 568 and Biography HD on Channel 576.

Interesting that Time Warner has changed the name of Navigator to on screen guide on their website.It's still Navigator directions but the Navigator name is gone.Wonder if this is a first step to rebranding Navigator with a new name.Ummmmm

yea I noticed that clicking on the 'FAQs' for navigator brings up this message: "This FAQ category is no longer available."

I was wondering WHY they did that.....

I've been to a few friends houses on various sides of town in Greensboro and have friends in Winston & High Point, and none of them have seen the new Navigator.....maybe Time Warner is BSing us and it'll be a while....

like I said tho I had unplugged my DVR for a few minutes to move it 2 weeks ago and it had a LONG 20+ minute download when it was plugged back in.....I thought it was the New Navigator then but it hasn't changed.......makes me wonder what it was taking so long to download....

Like I said earlier, my guy at TWC said they didn't like what they were seeing with Navigator in testing.

Like I said earlier, my guy at TWC said they didn't like what they were seeing with Navigator in testing.
Does your source at TWC have any new info on Navigator and it's Triad deployment.

yea I noticed that clicking on the 'FAQs' for navigator brings up this message: "This FAQ category is no longer available."

I was wondering WHY they did that.....

I've been to a few friends houses on various sides of town in Greensboro and have friends in Winston & High Point, and none of them have seen the new Navigator.....maybe Time Warner is BSing us and it'll be a while....

like I said tho I had unplugged my DVR for a few minutes to move it 2 weeks ago and it had a LONG 20+ minute download when it was plugged back in.....I thought it was the New Navigator then but it hasn't changed.......makes me wonder what it was taking so long to download....
The Navigator directions are back on FAQ today.Must have been a time warner glitch yesterday.Still wondering why Greensboro TWC is sending out mixed signals to customers about launch of Navigator here.

yea I noticed that clicking on the 'FAQs' for navigator brings up this message: "This FAQ category is no longer available."

I was wondering WHY they did that.....

I've been to a few friends houses on various sides of town in Greensboro and have friends in Winston & High Point, and none of them have seen the new Navigator.....maybe Time Warner is BSing us and it'll be a while....

like I said tho I had unplugged my DVR for a few minutes to move it 2 weeks ago and it had a LONG 20+ minute download when it was plugged back in.....I thought it was the New Navigator then but it hasn't changed.......makes me wonder what it was taking so long to download....
Oh wow.The Navigator directions were up on FAQ at 3pm this afternoon.Then at 3:50 when I checked back a total new page was up.It mentions Navigator but gives no user instructions.What is going on with TWC here in Triad?

Does your source at TWC have any new info on Navigator and it's Triad deployment.

Not yet.

Oh wow.The Navigator directions were up on FAQ at 3pm this afternoon.Then at 3:50 when I checked back a total new page was up.It mentions Navigator but gives no user instructions.What is going on with TWC here in Triad?


who knows.....would be nice if Time Warner got it together tho.......

who knows.....would be nice if Time Warner got it together tho.......

D* pretty much has it together. Just a thought.

Joe

D* pretty much has it together. Just a thought.

Joe

Direct TV doesnt have Road Runner and Digital phone tho either......lol

Direct TV doesnt have Road Runner and Digital phone tho either......lol

Yea, but I thought TW offered them separately. :)

A question, with RR what actual Down TX speed are you getting and does it vary much with the number of users at a given time?

The reason I ask is that I have had Bell South DSL for years and it has been fine until recently. Now with D* VOD and Netflix streaming from a Roku box my down connection of around 2Mbps just does not cut it. Ten hours or so for an HD movie download from D* is not what I call "on demand".

I should note that TWC has installed fiber optic in my neighborhood this summer.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks,

Joe

Yea, but I thought TW offered them separately. :)

A question, with RR what actual Down TX speed are you getting and does it vary much with the number of users at a given time?

The reason I ask is that I have had Bell South DSL for years and it has been fine until recently. Now with D* VOD and Netflix streaming from a Roku box my down connection of around 2Mbps just does not cut it. Ten hours or so for an HD movie download from D* is not what I call "on demand".

I should note that TWC has installed fiber optic in my neighborhood this summer.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks,

Joe


yea you can get it separate......but I dont want to have a Box for all 3 TVs in my house either........as of right now Time Warner doesnt require that.......
bad enough I have to have one for my TV in the living room just so I can get the Digital channels....

then on top of that it COST more to have JUST Road Runner and phone than it does all 3 services....

as for the Download speeds........I have RR Turbo and its around 11Mb/s and they have capped the upload speeds to around 500Kb/s....I hate the capped the upload speed cause I cant Host games online as much.......

but I download 3GB files often times in under 2-3 Hours if its coming from a FAST source.....i.e. PlayStation Network

http://www.speedtest.net/result/344536521.png (http://www.speedtest.net)

****OFF TOPIC****
Please pray for my niece, Anne Pressly. She is the KATV reporter in Little Rock that was brutally attcked early Monday morning. I have been in Little Rock all week with them and we really need all of your prayers. She is still listed as critical but stable. We are cautiously optimistic right now, but we also know that only a miracle will pull her through. My apologies for taking the thread off course, but since I feel I know ya'll thru AVS, I thought I'd ask.
http://cfc.katv.com/external.cfm?p=annepressly
Thank you,
Pam

****OFF TOPIC****
Please pray for my niece, Anne Pressly. She is the KATV reporter in Little Rock that was brutally attcked early Monday morning. I have been in Little Rock all week with them and we really need all of your prayers. She is still listed as critical but stable. We are cautiously optimistic right now, but we also know that only a miracle will pull her through. My apologies for taking the thread off course, but since I feel I know ya'll thru AVS, I thought I'd ask.
http://cfc.katv.com/external.cfm?p=annepressly
Thank you,
Pam

Pam,

Our thoughts and Prayers will be with you. All hope for Anne and your family.

Warm Regards,

Joe

****OFF TOPIC****
Please pray for my niece, Anne Pressly. She is the KATV reporter in Little Rock that was brutally attcked early Monday morning. I have been in Little Rock all week with them and we really need all of your prayers. She is still listed as critical but stable. We are cautiously optimistic right now, but we also know that only a miracle will pull her through. My apologies for taking the thread off course, but since I feel I know ya'll thru AVS, I thought I'd ask.
http://cfc.katv.com/external.cfm?p=annepressly
Thank you,
Pam

PamW,

Those of us in the industry always have an eye looking behind us because you never know so I understand completely. Our prayers are with you and your family. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

****OFF TOPIC****
Please pray for my niece, Anne Pressly. She is the KATV reporter in Little Rock that was brutally attcked early Monday morning. I have been in Little Rock all week with them and we really need all of your prayers. She is still listed as critical but stable. We are cautiously optimistic right now, but we also know that only a miracle will pull her through. My apologies for taking the thread off course, but since I feel I know ya'll thru AVS, I thought I'd ask.
http://cfc.katv.com/external.cfm?p=annepressly
Thank you,
Pam

wow seen this on the news. your niece and family are definitely in our prayers

Pam, here hoping to a speedy recovery for your niece.

Dear friends,

I am very sad to tell you that Anne went to be with our Heavenly Father in the last few hours. Thank you all for your prayers. A shining star has gone to Heaven and I am going to miss her brightness with all my heart...
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1008/564436.html

Dear friends,

I am very sad to tell you that Anne went to be with our Heavenly Father in the last few hours. Thank you all for your prayers. A shining star has gone to Heaven and I am going to miss her brightness with all my heart...
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1008/564436.html

Pam,

You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. May Our Lord give you the strength to get through this difficult time.

Joe

Dear friends,

I am very sad to tell you that Anne went to be with our Heavenly Father in the last few hours. Thank you all for your prayers. A shining star has gone to Heaven and I am going to miss her brightness with all my heart...
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1008/564436.html

PamW,

I am so sorry to hear that. Our prays are with you and your family at this trying time.

Anytime something of this magnitude happens in our community (broadcast community) we all feel and suffer with the family. Our community is a small one (the joke is we all work with every one every where at least once in our careers) and things like this ripple though like a 10.0 earthquake. It is a sad day indeed.

I'm sorry for your loss. Condolences to you and your family.

TWC HD Question. Is Planet Green HD part of the HD pack?

TWC HD Question. Is Planet Green HD part of the HD pack?
HD pack meaning HDNet, HDNet Movies, UniversalHD, the now Defunct MojoHD??

No.....its free just like the Rest of the Discovery Channels........

Dear friends,

I am very sad to tell you that Anne went to be with our Heavenly Father in the last few hours. Thank you all for your prayers. A shining star has gone to Heaven and I am going to miss her brightness with all my heart...
http://www.katv.com/news/stories/1008/564436.html
Sorry for your loss......senseless acts of violence are getting out of hand.

HD pack meaning HDNet, HDNet Movies, UniversalHD, the now Defunct MojoHD??


I believe that MOJO is to be replaced soon locally with MGM HD on the pack.

Pam, my thoughts go out to you and your family.

I believe that MOJO is to be replaced soon locally with MGM HD on the pack.



Would MUCH rather have USAHD.......but I understand that they want to put another "pay" channel in that tier before they give us channels that we should have BEEN had

USAHD doesn't have have much HD. Most is upconverted SD stretched.

HD pack meaning HDNet, HDNet Movies, UniversalHD, the now Defunct MojoHD??

No.....its free just like the Rest of the Discovery Channels........

My box says that Planet GreenHD is not authorized. Maybe I need to reboot or call TWC?

USAHD doesn't have have much HD. Most is upconverted SD stretched.

USA HD doesn't stretch (none of the NBC Universal channels do stretching). If it is SD content is in 4:3 mode. And they actually do have a lot of HD. Original shows like Monk, Burn Notice and Psych are HD. Law and Order SVU and Law and Order CI reruns are HD. The brand new episodes of Law and Order CI which air first on USA HD are in HD. Episodes of House, Becker, NCIS are also in HD. A number of movies on USA HD are in HD too.

Tomorrow's schedule

12am - Law and Order CI - HD
1am - Monk - HD
2am - Blue Crush - SD
4am - Law and Order CI - SD
5am - Paid Programming - SD
6am - Becker - HD
6:30am - Wings -SD
7am - Jag - SD
8am - Tin Man Part One - HD
10am - Tin Man Part Two - HD
12pm - Tin Man Part Three - HD
2pm - Monk - HD
3pm - Law and Order CI - HD
4pm - Law and Order CI - HD
5pm - NCIS - HD
6pm - NCIS - HD
7pm - NCIS - HD
8pm - Law and Order SVU - HD
9pm - House - HD
10pm - House - HD
11pm - Law and Order SVU - HD

That's 19.5 hours out of a 24 hour day in HD.

USAHD doesn't have have much HD. Most is upconverted SD stretched.

really???

I would think things like all the Law & Orders, Monk, Burn Notice, The Starter Wife, etc would be in HD.......thats mainly all I want it for......any movies that come on there I dont to much care about......

My box says that Planet GreenHD is not authorized. Maybe I need to reboot or call TWC?


yea try the reboot(unplug for 30 seconds and then let the time come on the box b4 U turn on).......

TWC getting 11 HD Channels by End of January....in OUR Area that is....
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/27/twc-adding-11-hd-channels-in-greensboro-nc-triangle-seen-fumin/
Speed HD
BIO HD
FSNS HD
Cinemax E HD
cinemax W HD
Starz! HD
TMC HD
PPV HD
Weather Channel HD
FX HD
Hallmark HD


and making a few changes.....
http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/programming/channelChangeUpdate.html

Upcoming and Recent Channel Lineup Changes

Nov. 20, 2008: Sprout will launch as part of Digital Specialty Networks on Channel 147.

Nov. 17, 2008: My Life On Demand will launch on Channel 1106.

Nov. 1, 2008: MGM will replace MOJO as part of HD Pack on Channel 560.

Oct. 29, 2008: Speed HD will launch on Channel 568 and Biography HD on Channel 576.

Oct. 27, 2008: Shopping Plus launches on Channel 490.

Sept. 25, 2008: Big Ten Network will be available to Digital Sports & Games subscribers. Big Ten Network is a 24-hr channel consisting of primarily of Big Ten Conference sporting events and sports programming, as well as an amount of ancillary programming related to the Big Ten Conference member universities, their students, communities and alumni. Coverage includes live telecasts of football, basketball, baseball and Olympic sports.

* Standard Definition: Channel 189
* High Definition: Channel 571

Sept. 24, 2008: ExpoTV On Demand will be removed from Channel 1110.

Sept. 12, 2008: ESPNU HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 570.

Planet Green HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 559.

History en Español will launch on Digital Cable Channel 170.

Daystar will launch on Digital Cable Channel 145.

Sept. 1, 2008: MHD will be changing its name to Palladia. A music-television experience so vivid you'd swear you were there. Palladia: the state-of-the-art, high-definition channel that showcases the best in music, from today's biggest artists.

Yay for Fox Sports South HD! Just give me the NBCU cable channels and BBC America and I'm completely happy!

Yay for Fox Sports South HD! Just give me the NBCU cable channels and BBC America and I'm completely happy!


yea I want those NBCU Channels too......

I wonder WHAT they are waiting on....TWC already has carriage deal with them.....

I rebooted my box and still not authorized for:

ESPNU HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 570.

Planet Green HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 559

These are NOT part of the HD pack?

Just give me the NBCU cable channels and BBC America and I'm completely happy!

yea I want those NBCU Channels too......

I wonder WHAT they are waiting on....TWC already has carriage deal with them.....

Actually TWC doesn't have a carriage deal for NBC/Universal cable channels other than Universal HD. No TWC system carries USA HD or SCI-Fi HD. The carriage during the Olympics was only a temporary thing. No word on when they will reach a new agreement .

As for BBC America, the HD channel hasn't even launched yet.

Actually TWC doesn't have a carriage deal for NBC/Universal cable channels other than Universal HD. No TWC system carries USA HD or SCI-Fi HD. The carriage during the Olympics was only a temporary thing. No word on when they will reach a new agreement .

As for BBC America, the HD channel hasn't even launched yet.


oh ok.......I thought I read somewhere a while back that they did, but guess like you said it may have been just for the Olympics......

I rebooted my box and still not authorized for:

ESPNU HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 570.

Planet Green HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 559

These are NOT part of the HD pack?
I canceled my "HD Pack" after the Olympics and I have Planet Green HD.......I dunno.....did you call TWC??? hell me having it may just be a fluke

I rebooted my box and still not authorized for:

ESPNU HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 570.

Planet Green HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 559

These are NOT part of the HD pack?

I don't receive these channels either. I think it's because I dropped the digital tier of channels when I signed up for TW digital cable and an HD DVR, saving about $10 a month for channels I wouldn't have time to watch anyway. I receive the normal analog channels, the music channels, the HD channels, on demand, etc., but not the digital specialty networks from 101 to 149. I think when TWC adds the HD version of a digital specialty network you won't receive it if you don't already receive the SD digital tier. That makes sense from their viewpoint, but they should say up front that's what they're doing rather than indicating the HD versions are available to all. I'm not expecting to received Bio HD and Speed HD when they add those tomorrow because they're digital specialty networks. On the other hand they eventually unblocked Science HD, and that's a digital specialty network, so who knows.

As for BBC America, the HD channel hasn't even launched yet.

Yeah I know it hasn't, but when it does it will be one of the 3 HD channels left I'll care about. :)

I can't believe that TWC is actually close to having a slate of HD channels that will completely satisfy me. Just a little over a year ago that was certainly not the case.

I rebooted my box and still not authorized for:

ESPNU HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 570.

Planet Green HD will launch on Digital Cable Channel 559

These are NOT part of the HD pack?

They are not part of the HD Pack. You should call cable. We have had both of those channels since early in the CFB season.

yea I want those NBCU Channels too......

I wonder WHAT they are waiting on....TWC already has carriage deal with them.....

Throw it Fox News channelhd and Scifi Channel hd and I be one happy camper.

I don't receive these channels either. I think it's because I dropped the digital tier of channels when I signed up for TW digital cable and an HD DVR, saving about $10 a month for channels I wouldn't have time to watch anyway. I receive the normal analog channels, the music channels, the HD channels, on demand, etc., but not the digital specialty networks from 101 to 149. I think when TWC adds the HD version of a digital specialty network you won't receive it if you don't already receive the SD digital tier. That makes sense from their viewpoint, but they should say up front that's what they're doing rather than indicating the HD versions are available to all. I'm not expecting to received Bio HD and Speed HD when they add those tomorrow because they're digital specialty networks. On the other hand they eventually unblocked Science HD, and that's a digital specialty network, so who knows.
Sciencehd already on our hd lineup here in Greensboro.

Throw it Fox News channelhd and Scifi Channel hd and I be one happy camper.

Amen, Crazywoody!

Just back from a 4 day mini vacation with my wife at our beach house at Emerld Isle.We have Navigator (non DVR) on a pioneer box there.I finally was able to play with it for a extended time.I am happy to report it is now a very stable fast guide.The search engine while not up to Passport which it replaced is light years if not a century ahed of Sara.If it had keyword search it would be equal to Passport.The Navigator on the pioneer box is way faster than Sara on the 8300sd and 8300hd I have at home.The interface is much nicer than Sara and has more bells and whistles.Looking forward to seeing a dvr version of Navigator when we get it here.In four days under hard use due to rain never froze or rebooted once.Guide data now loads very fast without any delay.The only minus is when in search mode when data being loaded the pip window still goes black but now you keep the audio so I gues they are still working on that.All in all Navigator has come a long way since it first replaced Passport.Beore I can give it a full thumbs up must see it work on my DVR.However on my pioneer box it now seems as stable as my old Passport guide minus keyword seach.

Throw it Fox News channelhd and Scifi Channel hd and I be one happy camper.



I'm down for the Sci-fi.....but you can have the Fox News HD.....lol

Just back from a 4 day mini vacation with my wife at our beach house at Emerld Isle.We have Navigator (non DVR) on a pioneer box there.I finally was able to play with it for a extended time.I am happy to report it is now a very stable fast guide.The search engine while not up to Passport which it replaced is light years if not a century ahed of Sara.If it had keyword search it would be equal to Passport.The Navigator on the pioneer box is way faster than Sara on the 8300sd and 8300hd I have at home.The interface is much nicer than Sara and has more bells and whistles.Looking forward to seeing a dvr version of Navigator when we get it here.In four days under hard use due to rain never froze or rebooted once.Guide data now loads very fast without any delay.The only minus is when in search mode when data being loaded the pip window still goes black but now you keep the audio so I gues they are still working on that.All in all Navigator has come a long way since it first replaced Passport.Beore I can give it a full thumbs up must see it work on my DVR.However on my pioneer box it now seems as stable as my old Passport guide minus keyword seach.


my mom stays in Raleigh and I have fooled around with the navigator at her house.....I havent really noticed any big issues with it myself....but she doesnt have a DVR either so who knows.....wonder when its going to be rolled out....

I already have all that HD with DirecTV. Have for a LONG time now! :D

dont you have to have boxes on all you TVs tho??

and can you use a Media Center PC to watch any of the channels?? lol

I already have all that HD with DirecTV. Have for a LONG time now! :D

Well, FNC, not that long. Wonder if there's a chance Laurie Dhue might come back?

Looking forward to the Mix channel on election night.

Joe

dont you have to have boxes on all you TVs tho??

and can you use a Media Center PC to watch any of the channels?? lol

If cable ever does what it should and shut down it's analog tier (this has been discussed by cable companies) to free up bandwidth instead of the less reliable SDV, then all of the TVs hooked up to cable would also needed a cable box.

Directv does a product in development called HDPC-20 that will allow a media center pc to watch TV channels but that probably won't come until Windows 7 is released.

However with Directv you can now watch programs (including HD) recorded on your HD DVR on your PC. It's called DirecTV2PC and you can watch shows on your PC while live or recorded shows are being viewed on the TV.

my mom stays in Raleigh and I have fooled around with the navigator at her house.....I havent really noticed any big issues with it myself....but she doesnt have a DVR either so who knows.....wonder when its going to be rolled out....

According to the TWC office here in Greensboro Oct.1 was the Navigator launch date in Greensboro.Awww but has anyone seen it?Nope not me or anyone I know.Just more TWC misinformation I guess.

If cable ever does what it should and shut down it's analog tier (this has been discussed by cable companies) to free up bandwidth instead of the less reliable SDV, then all of the TVs hooked up to cable would also needed a cable box.

Directv does a product in development called HDPC-20 that will allow a media center pc to watch TV channels but that probably won't come until Windows 7 is released.

However with Directv you can now watch programs (including HD) recorded on your HD DVR on your PC. It's called DirecTV2PC and you can watch shows on your PC while live or recorded shows are being viewed on the TV.


yea I know when TWC gets their stuff together then I will need a box on every TV....but my that time HOPEFULLY Tru2way will have taken off and I will have no need for a box at all.......lol...and doesnt QAM allow for most of those digital channels?? sadly I havent too much read up on QAM as I should.....and I remember hearing about the HDPC-20 a while back......didnt know the exact name of it but I remember them saying it probably wont be ready until Windows 7 was released....would be nice if I could get it would Broadband & phone service.....

According to the TWC office here in Greensboro Oct.1 was the Navigator launch date in Greensboro.Awww but has anyone seen it?Nope not me or anyone I know.Just more TWC misinformation I guess.

As I stated before, TWC GSO is testing Navigator now, but it isn't ready to deploy. No date given, but they will deploy it because they own it and don't have to lease it like the SA gear.

If cable ever does what it should and shut down it's analog tier (this has been discussed by cable companies) to free up bandwidth instead of the less reliable SDV, then all of the TVs hooked up to cable would also needed a cable box.

Not for 3 years. FCC is requiring cable to keep at least the locals in analog for that time. Everything else could go digital. During the 3 years, there is nothing stopping them from putting the analogs on a box though, but most won't to keep from running people off who don't want the boxes. It is all about the dollars and not to loose them with sat and FIOS nipping at their heels.

Not for 3 years. FCC is requiring cable to keep at least the locals in analog for that time. Everything else could go digital. During the 3 years, there is nothing stopping them from putting the analogs on a box though, but most won't to keep from running people off who don't want the boxes. It is all about the dollars and not to loose them with sat and FIOS nipping at their heels.


if Verizon ever brought FiOS to our area I'd Leave TWC the FIRST Day its offered......FiOS is a beast......

Then you have about 12 months more of TWC then. AT&T is setting up a FIOS system as we speak. An Advance Engineer was in the market Monday looking at connection points for the stations to the system. He told me that the schedule has them turning on about this time next year here in the Triad. Raleigh should be on about now and Charlotte in about 6 months and then the Triad 6 months later according to him.

On a side note, it would appear FOX will updating the whole splicer system next year and many of the issues people have with it SHOULD be taken care of like dropping back to SD for crawls and things like that. From what I have been told, it sounds like they are completely revamping the system to bring it up to date. I look forward to see how they have improved it. Now you know as much as I do.

For those with Dish, what channel number does the local stations digital signals show up on? With DirecTV, we have a SD channel 8 and a HD channel 8 and the HD receivers automatically go to the HD channel 8 when you enter "8". Do the Dish HD receivers do the same thing or is there a completely separate channel number? I saw on the Dish website that our HD channel on their system is channel 5193 and the SD channel is 8. Is that correct?

Then you have about 12 months more of TWC then. AT&T is setting up a FIOS system as we speak. An Advance Engineer was in the market Monday looking at connection points for the stations to the system. He told me that the schedule has them turning on about this time next year here in the Triad. Raleigh should be on about now and Charlotte in about 6 months and then the Triad 6 months later according to him.

My biggest problem with U-verse is the limitation with the number of HD streams and overall streams you can have in your house. With the amount of DVRs I have in my house, U-verse can't offer enough video stream to cover everything. I currently have 5 DVRs with two of them being HD DVRs.

I would much prefer FiOS but since U-Verse has laid claim to our area, that will keep FiOS out.

On a side note, it would appear FOX will updating the whole splicer system next year and many of the issues people have with it SHOULD be taken care of like dropping back to SD for crawls and things like that. From what I have been told, it sounds like they are completely revamping the system to bring it up to date. I look forward to see how they have improved it. Now you know as much as I do.

That would be wonderful. I hate losing the HD signal when a scrawl comes up. Right now WFMY is the only one that doesn't drop out of HD for a scrawl.

Then you have about 12 months more of TWC then. AT&T is setting up a FIOS system as we speak. An Advance Engineer was in the market Monday looking at connection points for the stations to the system. He told me that the schedule has them turning on about this time next year here in the Triad. Raleigh should be on about now and Charlotte in about 6 months and then the Triad 6 months later according to him.

AT&T is not, I repeat, IS NOT, setting up a FIOS type system in NC. They are trying to set up a system called U-Verse, which will use their present copper wires to transmit a "video on demand" system via DSL. U-Verse has been deployed in some other AT&T areas with less than impressive results. One of the big problems is the system has a limited channel capacity, including virtually no HD. AT&T is trying to improve on this, which is one reason U-Verse has been repeatedly delayed in NC. FIOS has it's own set of problems, especially for telephone subscribers outside the wealthy neighborhoods where FIOS has been installed. Verizon no longer feels the need to maintain those copper facilities, resulting in an almost complete breakdown of service in some areas.

.would be nice if I could get it would Broadband & phone service.....

Directv is available in bundle deals with Verizon most all other phone providers except for AT&T. But come January AT&T is switching their TV provider from Dish to Directv. So you can get a bundle that includes phone/TV/broadband Internet. However, the broadband is DSL and I'm not sure what are the max speeds available. I do have Turbo Charge Road Runner but I do pay $60 for it but I don't get phone or TV with TWC, so I'd imagine you pay a fair amount less.


I do wish we could get Verizon FiOS instead of U-Verse just for the Internet. With FiOS I could double my speed and save a few bucks a month too.

These are the available speeds/prices without Verizon phone. Each level is $5 cheaper with their phone service.

Up to 10 Mbps/2 Mbps $47.99/month
Up to 20 Mbps/5 Mbps $57.99/month
Up to 20 Mbps/20 Mbps $69.99/month
Up to 50 Mbps/20 Mbps $144.95/month

Then you have about 12 months more of TWC then. AT&T is setting up a FIOS system as we speak. An Advance Engineer was in the market Monday looking at connection points for the stations to the system. He told me that the schedule has them turning on about this time next year here in the Triad. Raleigh should be on about now and Charlotte in about 6 months and then the Triad 6 months later according to him.

U-verse is NOT FiOS.......lol......FiOS download speeds beat the brakes off U-verse all day.....not to mention there is talk of them compressing the channels more in order to get more streams per home.....

but I talked to a AT&T sales guy the other day when he came to my door and I told him I wouldnt even CONSIDER switching until U-Verse was available.....and he said that it would start being offered here in February........dunno how right he was but I do know that there are some HUGE U-Verse boxes that were installed in Winston a while back.......

On a side note, it would appear FOX will updating the whole splicer system next year and many of the issues people have with it SHOULD be taken care of like dropping back to SD for crawls and things like that. From what I have been told, it sounds like they are completely revamping the system to bring it up to date. I look forward to see how they have improved it. Now you know as much as I do.



next year??? like when the analog channels are dropped???

at least its being taken care of......that bugs the MESS out of me when I am trying to watch Prison Break, Heroes, Fringe, House, 24, or Smallville and we have a storm warning and it goes to the SD version...........thats like 30 seconds or more of crappy picture during the MIDDLE of a GOOD show........

now I hope the rest of the locals follow suit as well ASAP!!!

Directv is available in bundle deals with Verizon most all other phone providers except for AT&T. But come January AT&T is switching their TV provider from Dish to Directv. So you can get a bundle that includes phone/TV/broadband Internet. However, the broadband is DSL and I'm not sure what are the max speeds available. I do have Turbo Charge Road Runner but I do pay $60 for it but I don't get phone or TV with TWC, so I'd imagine you pay a fair amount less.


I do wish we could get Verizon FiOS instead of U-Verse just for the Internet. With FiOS I could double my speed and save a few bucks a month too.

These are the available speeds/prices without Verizon phone. Each level is $5 cheaper with their phone service.

Up to 10 Mbps/2 Mbps $47.99/month
Up to 20 Mbps/5 Mbps $57.99/month
Up to 20 Mbps/20 Mbps $69.99/month
Up to 50 Mbps/20 Mbps $144.95/month

yeah I only pay about $40 for my Turbo Charged Road Runner.......but like you already know its because I have all 3 services with them.......EVERYTIME my 12-month period is up and they are about to up the price I threaten to cancel all my services and they give it back to me........and with AT&T getting ready to offer U-verse in this area(no matter HOW crappy it is in its current state).....I'm hoping TWC gets more competitive with their pricing...


those FiOS prices would be well worth it to me.....hell I would get that 50Mbps package(soon to be 100Mbps) and set up a server in my house to host my websites and just write the monthly fee off on my taxes.....

those FiOS prices would be well worth it to me.....hell I would get that 50Mbps package(soon to be 100Mbps) and set up a server in my house to host my websites and just write the monthly fee off on my taxes.....

Most definitely against the term of service, thats what they have "Business Class" for......so they can charge you double for the same service.

Most definitely against the term of service, thats what they have "Business Class" for......so they can charge you double for the same service.

as long as you dont have a LOT of bandwidth being used I dont see where the problem would be.....I have people that can access my media server from anywhere with the web address and password.....

next year??? like when the analog channels are dropped???

I have heard sometime before football next season. That means that FOX will be changing out about 200 systems. That takes awhile. Since we are not an O & O anymore, that means we will not be one of the first as has been in the past. My guess is they will not start rolling it out until after the transition because stations just don't have the time right now to deal with it.

I have heard sometime before football next season. That means that FOX will be changing out about 200 systems. That takes awhile. Since we are not an O & O anymore, that means we will not be one of the first as has been in the past. My guess is they will not start rolling it out until after the transition because stations just don't have the time right now to deal with it.


I gotcha........thats crazy......

but yea the sooner the better......

and here I am thinking that it was each individual affiliates that was the reason that it did that during crawls.........

As I stated before, TWC GSO is testing Navigator now, but it isn't ready to deploy. No date given, but they will deploy it because they own it and don't have to lease it like the SA gear.

I understand what you are saying.My question is why Time Warner(yes I have a e mail from them stateing it)that Navigator would launch in Greensboro oct 1.Why would they announce this then forget it.TWC has had 3 years to debug Navigator.If it is not ready for prime time now it will never be.They have had Charlotte and Raleigh experience as well as the sara Brighthouse network in Florida to experiment launches with.Forgive me if I find their latest excuse unacceptable.If after 5 years of development and 3 years in the fields I say if it is not ready yet scratch it and go to Tivo as Comcast did.Comcast took 2 years to debug their version ofTivo and I hear its fine now.TWC sould just throw in the towel on Navigator if they cannot fix it.

Because marketing had one reality and engineering had another reality. It happens all the time in large companies.

Because marketing had one reality and engineering had another reality. It happens all the time in large companies.

Truer words have never been typed. :)

Truer words have never been typed. :)
I still to this day remember me asking a marketing guy
"You told the customer it could do what? You're kidding... right...???"

It was middle 1980s, Windows 3.0 was the new workstation OS (I think), the customer was a large TV network who wanted to digitize their entire film and videotape archives to have instant online access to any of it, based on any query criteria, with a sub-5-second response time.

There were nearly 3/4 million videotapes needing digitizing, and many many thousands of films from the years prior to videotape in their archives. Technology did not permit real-time capture... you had to do it frame by frame, and each took several seconds to scan and capture digitally. Each videotape was 20 minutes long, so we figured many hours per tape to digitize and catalog (mid-80s, 8086 class machines... turbo-mode was 66 Mhz clocks). That was the easy part... they also wanted each frame cataloged by visual subject, editorial subject, places, names, and dates. That meant playing, viewing, and entering data via a keyboard...

We told the marketing guy that if they managed to digitize and catalog one frame every 30 seconds, and kept up that pace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it could probably be done in about 2000 years. Or, they could hire 2000 people and get it done in about a year... if they purchased 2000 sets of equipment to do the digitization, and somewhere near 60,000 terabytes of disk storage space to put it in. (remember, mid-80s, when 20 Meg hard disks were big, and 100 Meg almost as big as you could get in a minicomputer)

The customer elected to Not proceed with full digitization, even though they knew it could be done, as they saw systems like it frequently used in movies and on TV, as they needed it done with the current year's budget, and by the end of the year. :D

No, it was not "Fox" network.

Marketing vs. reality... been there, got the "T-shirt"

Joe L.

Great story.

I still to this day remember me asking a marketing guy
"You told the customer it could do what? You're kidding... right...???"

It was middle 1980s, Windows 3.0 was the new workstation OS (I think), the customer was a large TV network who wanted to digitize their entire film and videotape archives to have instant online access to any of it, based on any query criteria, with a sub-5-second response time.

There were nearly 3/4 million videotapes needing digitizing, and many many thousands of films from the years prior to videotape in their archives. Technology did not permit real-time capture... you had to do it frame by frame, and each took several seconds to scan and capture digitally. Each videotape was 20 minutes long, so we figured many hours per tape to digitize and catalog (mid-80s, 8086 class machines... turbo-mode was 66 Mhz clocks). That was the easy part... they also wanted each frame cataloged by visual subject, editorial subject, places, names, and dates. That meant playing, viewing, and entering data via a keyboard...

We told the marketing guy that if they managed to digitize and catalog one frame every 30 seconds, and kept up that pace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it could probably be done in about 2000 years. Or, they could hire 2000 people and get it done in about a year... if they purchased 2000 sets of equipment to do the digitization, and somewhere near 60,000 terabytes of disk storage space to put it in. (remember, mid-80s, when 20 Meg hard disks were big, and 100 Meg almost as big as you could get in a minicomputer)

The customer elected to Not proceed with full digitization, even though they knew it could be done, as they saw systems like it frequently used in movies and on TV, as they needed it done with the current year's budget, and by the end of the year. :D

No, it was not "Fox" network.

Marketing vs. reality... been there, got the "T-shirt"

Joe L.

Interesting story, except for a bunch of timeline flaws.

Windows 386 came out around 1987 with the 3rd Generation of the 8086 chip - the 80386. Windows 386 did not resemble even Windows 3.0 and no one would have considered using it, especially for the tasks you describe.

Windows 3.0 started making impact in the Fall of 1990, but really did not begin to move until 1991. By this time, the 80486 based machines were available.

Obviously, 80386 machines and 80486 machines ran much faster than the original 8086 machines.

The 20 Meg HD are the large Hard Drive on the 80286 when IBM introduced it, though a 72Meg Hard Drive could be through such companies as Core, which was later purchased by Hitachi (which also purchased IBM Hard Drives).

By the end of the 80s, one could find a 320 Meg Hard Drive.

I dont think anyone would have considered trying to digitize videotapes on an IBM Windows Based System prior to Windows 95 at the earliest.

Interesting story, except for a bunch of timeline flaws.

Windows 386 came out around 1987 with the 3rd Generation of the 8086 chip - the 80386. Windows 386 did not resemble even Windows 3.0 and no one would have considered using it, especially for the tasks you describe.

It could have been as late as 1987-89, I do remember the windows OS, I think the application we wrote for them to do the data entry was done using Informix 4GL so they could still use their character based terminals. I'll bet it was windows 386.
I know I did not have a windows based computer on my desk at work.
Windows 3.0 started making impact in the Fall of 1990, but really did not begin to move until 1991. By this time, the 80486 based machines were available.

Obviously, 80386 machines and 80486 machines ran much faster than the original 8086 machines.

I might not have remembered the CPU in the box (it has been a few years), but the time it took to digitize a frame of video was not off. The marketing person had not even thought about the time it would take to play each film and videotape into the equipment needed to do digitization. They did have a "consultant" showing how a single frame could be captured... and stored... I think it was somewhere near 300K per frame at 1/4 vga resolution. Compression was not anywhere near as good as it is today.
I don't think anyone would have considered trying to digitize videotapes on an IBM Windows Based System prior to Windows 95 at the earliest.We didn't, but you would if you were in marketing... :eek::eek: But just think, you needed to digitize and catalog 750,000 tapes, and between 3 to 5 hundred more were shot every day adding to the collection.

As I said, systems like it are still commonly shown on TV and in Movies... Just watch any episode of CSI, or 24 and you will see them. :D

Today I'd still say the same thing to the marketing guy... You told them we could do what? (By now,I'll bet they have over a million tapes, 20 million minutes just to play them...38 years. Nothing I'm aware of digitizes at faster than normal playing speed)

But to put this back on topic... We still don't have Navigator.
Does anybody know if DVR recordings made with the SARA will be lost when we switch to Navigator? Does Navigator support external hard-disks on the DVR? (Guess I'll have to read the main Navigator thread to learn more)

Joe L.

I wrote sales force automation software in the late 90's. It was routine for the salesman or the non-technical VP to say that we could do something and then come back and ask us if it could be done.

I notice a lot of northern TWC divisions are getting Fox News HD bsfore the election.Wonder if we might.

But to put this back on topic... We still don't have Navigator.
Does anybody know if DVR recordings made with the SARA will be lost when we switch to Navigator? Does Navigator support external hard-disks on the DVR? (Guess I'll have to read the main Navigator thread to learn more)

Joe L.

Good question. Anyone?

I notice a lot of northern TWC divisions are getting Fox News HD bsfore the election.Wonder if we might.
doubt it.....its only 5 days away.......

hasnt been announced yet......

Does anybody know if DVR recordings made with the SARA will be lost when we switch to Navigator?

I don't have any kind of inside info on this, but I would be pretty surprised if we don't lose all our recordings (and scheduled recordings) when we get updated. That's certainly what I've told my wife to prepare for.

I don't have any kind of inside info on this, but I would be pretty surprised if we don't lose all our recordings (and scheduled recordings) when we get updated. That's certainly what I've told my wife to prepare for.

that would REALLY suck.........

my friend has a 750GB eSATA drive with TONS of stuff on it connected to his box.......and if its gonna wipe the Recordings ON the box its a chance it would do the HDD too......and if he unplugged there is a risk it would not be recognized and would have to be REformatted to work with the box.........

I've got a few hours of stuff on mine that I dont wanna see go either........

The way it is takeing so long to launch Navigator you may have time to watch your recordings.From what I have read on other sites most (not all)scheduled recordings transfer.Manual recordings and time slot recordings seem to be the ones we lose.And boy o boy I have a lot of those such as ESPN Sports Centen and certain History Channel Shows that show numerious times.

I notice a lot of northern TWC divisions are getting Fox News HD bsfore the election.Wonder if we might.

You do know that there is nothing HD about Fox News HD? Its the same 4:3 picture as the normal Fox News Channel with Wings on the right side - with 3 information boxes flashing information that you cannot possibly read and watch the main 4:3 screen at the same time?

Does anybody know if DVR recordings made with the SARA will be lost when we switch to Navigator?

Navigator has nothing to do with the file system. The recordings should stay intact "IN THEORY", at least that is what is supposed to happen. Given the Navigator issues though, anything could happen.

Navigator has nothing to do with the file system. The recordings should stay intact "IN THEORY", at least that is what is supposed to happen. Given the Navigator issues though, anything could happen.

Nice to hear. I would be pleasantly surprised if we end up getting to keep our recordings. :)

Navigator has nothing to do with the file system. The recordings should stay intact "IN THEORY", at least that is what is supposed to happen. Given the Navigator issues though, anything could happen.

Does SARA and Navigator use the exact same database? If not, their gone.

At another web-site (originally I had a link, but now it apparently is just pop-up after pop-up, so I removed it)
This is a quote from an e-mail from Time-Warner

DVR and Saved Settings
If you currently have a DVR, it is likely your saved recordings will transfer to the new Navigator, however there is a slight risk that saved programming may be lost during the upgrade. The success rate increases if your DVR is not full. Therefore, we suggest you delete unnecessary recordings to minimize this risk. Please note that if you have a third party hard drive connected to your DVR (connected to the SATA port), please make sure it is connected to the DVR at all times so your saved recordings will be transferred to the new guide platform. When Navigator is available on your Digital box, it is very important that you review all of your personalized settings as soon as possible after the change. These settings include:
• DVR Schedule (if applicable)- check to be sure the programs you want to be recorded are scheduled, particularly your series recordings.
• Parental Control- make sure all channel, rating or other parental control blocks are accurate.
• Favorite Channels- be sure your favorite channels are in place.
• HD Settings (if applicable)- be sure your aspect ratio and HD output format is set correctly.


So... there is some hope you don't have to watch all your recordings before the switch (whenever they spring it on us)

Joe L.

You do know that there is nothing HD about Fox News HD? Its the same 4:3 picture as the normal Fox News Channel with Wings on the right side - with 3 information boxes flashing information that you cannot possibly read and watch the main 4:3 screen at the same time?

I don't watch Fox News but I do know from just flipping by that Fox and Friends isn't just 4:3 with a wing. It is full 16:9 HD.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2008/10/10-17-08-fox-news-hd-direct.jpg

u must have D*

You do know that there is nothing HD about Fox News HD? Its the same 4:3 picture as the normal Fox News Channel with Wings on the right side - with 3 information boxes flashing information that you cannot possibly read and watch the main 4:3 screen at the same time?

Not quite right. FOX and Friends, The FOX Report, FOX News Sunday rebroadcast and Huckabee are all in 16:9 HD.

Ooops. uncrules bet me. Sorry.

Not quite right. FOX and Friends, The FOX Report, FOX News Sunday rebroadcast and Huckabee are all in 16:9 HD.

I thought FOX News Sunday still hadn't made the leap to 16:9 HD. Maybe only 16:9 Widescreen (via my local FOX affiliate, WHNS)?

I don't watch Fox News but I do know from just flipping by that Fox and Friends isn't just 4:3 with a wing. It is full 16:9 HD.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadgethd.com/media/2008/10/10-17-08-fox-news-hd-direct.jpg

My cousin in New York has Fox News and it is in full 16.9 HD .Do not know what other postr is seeing.Maybe poster is watching digital version of FOX.

I thought FOX News Sunday still hadn't made the leap to 16:9 HD. Maybe only 16:9 Widescreen (via my local FOX affiliate, WHNS)?

FNS went HD in August.

My cousin in New York has Fox News and it is in full 16.9 HD .Do not know what other postr is seeing.Maybe poster is watching digital version of FOX.

The FNC studios are HD. Programs that do not lend themselves to 16:9 are framed for 4:3 with the info wing on the far right such as America's Election HQ, Your Money with Cavuto, O'Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes and On the Record are all shot in HD. FOX and Friends, FOX Report and Huckabee are shot in HD and shown in 16:9, I am not sure what format Red Eye is shown in since I am not awake at 3AM to see it. FOX News Sunday is shot in Washington as well as Special Report and it is HD 16:9 on the network and on FNC. Special Report is in HD but framed with 4:3 info wing.

I do not know what FOX News used as criteria to decide which programs are shown in 16:9 and which use the info wing but they are shot in HD. Just before we were sold, they completely revamped the FNC studios for HD.

Interesting side bar note, "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet" are shot in the same studios as Huckabee but are only available to stations in SD.

Fox News adding additional HD studios.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/fox110308.htm

Haven't been impressed with the high-def version of the Fox News Channel?

Well, your view may change tomorrow night when Fox launches two new HD studios at its New York headquarters for its coverage of Election Night 2008, according to an article in today's Hollywood Reporter.

Fox News launched its high-def channel last May, but its audience size jumped late last month when DIRECTV added it to the satcaster's high-def lineup. Since then, posters at several Internet message boards (including the TVPredictions Readers Forum) have opined that the clarity of Fox News' picture does not rival other HD networks, including CNN.

But the Hollywood Reporter says Fox's election coverage tomorrow night will kick off an array of new technology features as well as the two new studios which should enhance the picture.

Fox News' election coverage will include anchors Brit Hume, Chris Wallace, Shepard Smith, Megyn Kely and Bill Hemmer.

Well TWC added new channels but I can't get them since I don't have the $10/month Digital Tier. SpeedHD, GreenHD and BioHD. Too bad they can't add them to the HD pack and then I would get that.

Well TWC added new channels but I can't get them since I don't have the $10/month Digital Tier. SpeedHD, GreenHD and BioHD. Too bad they can't add them to the HD pack and then I would get that.

I would think you're missing out on far more than those 3 HD channels if you don't get the digital tier. I find it interesting that you pay for the HD Pack and not the digital tier, as the DT is a far greater value for the money (IMO) due to the HD and SD content you get. But, to each his own.

TWC-Greensboro has finally updated their site with a link for Tuning Adapter pre-orders. They have a new SDV section on the website from which you can order.

Woot.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/products/cable/sdv/default.html

Ruling today on fate of analog TV channels as it applies to cable.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122567594743092087.html?mod=rss_whats_news_technology

Cable-television operators must continue to carry the same broadcast channels that over-the-air viewers receive once those stations make their federally mandated conversion to digital signals in February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday.

Under the Federal Communications Commission's requirement, cable operators must either switch to all-digital systems, or carry both the digital and analog signals of local stations in the first three years after the February 2009 conversion. Millions of cable customers have only the most basic service, sometimes with boxes that receive only traditional analog signals, which take up far more bandwidth than digital signals.

"Today's action preserves the commission's decision to protect consumers and prevents cable companies from either choosing to cut off signals of must-carry broadcast stations after the digital conversion, or requiring customers to purchase higher-priced packages with set-top boxes to receive the same analog channels in digital," said Kevin Martin, chairman of the FCC, in a statement.

Some cable programmers argued that the FCC's order would make it harder for them to gain access to cable systems if both analog and digital signals of local stations had to be offered. Cable operators could say there wasn't room for niche channels with the addition of bandwidth-clogging analog signals.

The programmers also said their First Amendment rights of free speech would be violated.

But in its decision Friday, the D.C. Court said the programmers hadn't met the burden of proving that they would be harmed by the mandate. In her majority opinion, Judge Judith Rogers said the programmers' case faltered because they couldn't cite an example of a cable operator who isn't either already using all-digital operations or moving in that direction. She said the FCC has found that "virtually all cable operators" ultimately will have all-digital systems, which would free up bandwidth.

My mom has been bugging me about WFMY/CBS having issues lately. It seems that the channel (HD or not) blacks out for a few moments and then comes up. It's the only channel that does this and I can't figure out why.

The issue occurs through our cable box as well as our TV that only has HD through an antenna.

Does anyone else have this problem?

I am looking for input from anyone who is a Triad TW customer and who has connected an external HD to their set top box. I have an SA8300HD DVR and I am considering getting an external SATA drive to increase the storage capacity on my DVR. My questions are:

1. what HD's have you used and how much trouble did you have? Did you use a self-contained external drive or did you buy an internal drive and enclosure separately?

2. when you connect the external drive and get it recognized by the DVR, do you lose any functionality that you had prior to installing the additional drive? I ask because I have read (somewhere) that when you add the drive you lose some functions but I can't remember whether they were functions directly related to playback or if there were other unrelated to playback DVR functions which may have been impacted.

3. I really wish the HD's in the HD DVRs were much larger because with all the crap my wife wants to record you have to be pretty punctual about viewing it or you run out of space real quick.

Any advice / suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thx

Well TWC added new channels but I can't get them since I don't have the $10/month Digital Tier. SpeedHD, GreenHD and BioHD. Too bad they can't add them to the HD pack and then I would get that.
$10/ digital tier???

I havent seen that on my bill anywhere and I have those stations.........

My mom has been bugging me about WFMY/CBS having issues lately. It seems that the channel (HD or not) blacks out for a few moments and then comes up. It's the only channel that does this and I can't figure out why.

The issue occurs through our cable box as well as our TV that only has HD through an antenna.

Does anyone else have this problem?
thats not the only station that does it.....

the CW does it on me but only during primetime for some reason.....it only happens on the HD station though.....so I don't if its a bad connection or what.....but I've lost signal for like 10 seconds or so and it irritating.......

$10/ digital tier???

I havent seen that on my bill anywhere and I have those stations.........

Are you getting channels 100+ on the digital tier?

Are you getting channels 100+ on the digital tier?
yea........all the way to 149.....

I always thought that you got those digital channels for free when you got a box...

After watching the election results on the local networks, I would have to give kudos to WXII. At least they stayed in HD and was showing the local results as well. I was watching WGHP at first, since I rather watch Fox News anyway, but was quickly turned off when WGHP started to show the local results and had to go to SD mode. Wish that TWC had FOX News HD. I had to laugh at WFMY since they did show the local results in HD mode, but to have the broadcast in a smaller screen showing the SD mode. ABC did show in HD, but they did not show any local results, so I watched WXII throughout election night.

I was stuck on CNN for the most part......that Hologram tech had me drooling...lol

I am looking for input from anyone who is a Triad TW customer and who has connected an external HD to their set top box. I have an SA8300HD DVR and I am considering getting an external SATA drive to increase the storage capacity on my DVR. My questions are:

1. what HD's have you used and how much trouble did you have? Did you use a self-contained external drive or did you buy an internal drive and enclosure separately?

2. when you connect the external drive and get it recognized by the DVR, do you lose any functionality that you had prior to installing the additional drive? I ask because I have read (somewhere) that when you add the drive you lose some functions but I can't remember whether they were functions directly related to playback or if there were other unrelated to playback DVR functions which may have been impacted.

3. I really wish the HD's in the HD DVRs were much larger because with all the crap my wife wants to record you have to be pretty punctual about viewing it or you run out of space real quick.

Any advice / suggestions are greatly appreciated.

thx

I use an external self-contained E-SATA 500 GB drive. I've never had any problems and haven't noticed any loss of functionality. Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone who uses the 8300HD wouldn't invest in adding an external hard drive. My wife and I record entire seasons of shows in HD and watch them at our leisure. We got the drive for just over $100. Worth it IMO.

I use an external self-contained E-SATA 500 GB drive. I've never had any problems and haven't noticed any loss of functionality. Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone who uses the 8300HD wouldn't invest in adding an external hard drive. My wife and I record entire seasons of shows in HD and watch them at our leisure. We got the drive for just over $100. Worth it IMO.

Thanks for the response, which drive did you get?

After watching the election results on the local networks, I would have to give kudos to WXII. At least they stayed in HD and was showing the local results as well. I was watching WGHP at first, since I rather watch Fox News anyway, but was quickly turned off when WGHP started to show the local results and had to go to SD mode. Wish that TWC had FOX News HD. I had to laugh at WFMY since they did show the local results in HD mode, but to have the broadcast in a smaller screen showing the SD mode. ABC did show in HD, but they did not show any local results, so I watched WXII throughout election night.

WXII finally has the technology in place to provide graphics in 16:9. It was used for the first time on Tuesday night. You may have noticed the station airs "snipes" that promote the 11pm newscast during primetime programming as well. Those are also in upconverted HD (WFMY does the same thing). Look for more 16:9 upconverted graphics this winter for school and church closings. Historically the station hasn't run those on the HD channel, but it will beginning this year.

WXII finally has the technology in place to provide graphics in 16:9. It was used for the first time on Tuesday night. You may have noticed the station airs "snipes" that promote the 11pm newscast during primetime programming as well. Those are also in upconverted HD (WFMY does the same thing). Look for more 16:9 upconverted graphics this winter for school and church closings. Historically the station hasn't run those on the HD channel, but it will beginning this year.

Any word on actually broadcasting the newscast in HD?

Question for Foxeng:

It sounds like the Channel Master 4228 will be able to receive WGHP once the move to VHF digital 8 takes place. Would you expect the new 4228HD to do the same? thanks.

Any word on actually broadcasting the newscast in HD?

I wish. True HD newscasts are a long way off IMO. The stations have invested so much money updating from analog to digital newsgathering that, especially with the current economic state, I would be surprise to see local stations going HD anytime soon. 16:9 upconvert broadcasts won't surprise me, however. I'd guess within the next 6 months or so we'll see a local station switch to 16:9.

I've been reading through a good bit of this thread, and have heard some discussion about receiving via QAM in the past, but not much recently. We're currently deciding whether to get an antenna or just keep basic cable and see what comes through QAM. One question I still have is: Can you get the random clear QAM stations (I've seen ESPN and Discovery mentioned) through just the "basic cable" (~$10/mo) package, or do you have to get the "standard cable" package (~$55/mo)? Thanks for any help.

I've been reading through a good bit of this thread, and have heard some discussion about receiving via QAM in the past, but not much recently. We're currently deciding whether to get an antenna or just keep basic cable and see what comes through QAM. One question I still have is: Can you get the random clear QAM stations (I've seen ESPN and Discovery mentioned) through just the "basic cable" (~$10/mo) package, or do you have to get the "standard cable" package (~$55/mo)? Thanks for any help.

I don't play with QAM very much, so I am no expert, but my experience is that the only thing you can count on getting is the locals in HD. I don't believe the QAM you get has anything to do with package you pay for. I never see any of the ESPNs on QAM.

Question for Foxeng:

It sounds like the Channel Master 4228 will be able to receive WGHP once the move to VHF digital 8 takes place. Would you expect the new 4228HD to do the same? thanks.

I haven't seen it so I don't know. If the design is similar, it should work.

Has anyone either heard or received Navigator ib Greensboro yet.I e mailed TWC about it and they sent a strange reply that to recive Navigator you call the Time Warner sales dept.I called and they had no idea what I was talking about.Another example of TWC not knowing what right hand and left hand is doing.I saw on ABC news other night that Comcast had set up a dept to monitor online Comcast sites and respond to customer complaints.They say it has improved customer satisfaction 20% so far.TWC are you listening opps it's TWC guess not.Comcast said even very unhappy customers are suprised to receive a call or e mail from them adressing their complaiints and problems.At least one large cable company listening to their customers.

Has anyone either heard or received Navigator ib Greensboro yet.I e mailed TWC about it and they sent a strange reply that to recive Navigator you call the Time Warner sales dept.I called and they had no idea what I was talking about.Another example of TWC not knowing what right hand and left hand is doing.I saw on ABC news other night that Comcast had set up a dept to monitor online Comcast sites and respond to customer complaints.They say it has improved customer satisfaction 20% so far.TWC are you listening opps it's TWC guess not.Comcast said even very unhappy customers are suprised to receive a call or e mail from them adressing their complaiints and problems.At least one large cable company listening to their customers.

Out of curiosity, do you actually want to get Navigator? From what I've read it's supposed to be reviled by just about anyone who uses it. I've used cable boxes with it, and while it looks nicer, I've never gotten deep into it so I have no idea how good/bad it is yet myself, aside from one annoying experience. I do know that in Raleigh, when you use an HDMI cable, you apparently can't fix what resolutions you want to use, and I think you're forced to watch your TV switch from 720p, 1080i, 480p, etc. (It's been a while since I experienced this, so I'm not sure if this is exactly how it worked.) If that limitation is in effect here, I will be more than a little irritated, since I prefer one fixed resolution.

Out of curiosity, do you actually want to get Navigator? From what I've read it's supposed to be reviled by just about anyone who uses it. I've used cable boxes with it, and while it looks nicer, I've never gotten deep into it so I have no idea how good/bad it is yet myself, aside from one annoying experience. I do know that in Raleigh, when you use an HDMI cable, you apparently can't fix what resolutions you want to use, and I think you're forced to watch your TV switch from 720p, 1080i, 480p, etc. (It's been a while since I experienced this, so I'm not sure if this is exactly how it worked.) If that limitation is in effect here, I will be more than a little irritated, since I prefer one fixed resolution.

The resolution via HDMI and several other smaller bugs that existed when we first got Navigator have been fixed in later versions that we have received. By no means is Navigator perfect but it is a much more stable platform that when we got it 6 months ago. Still has a ways to go but is much better. The best way to judge the stability of Navigator is to look at the Navigator forum. Months ago you couldn't go 30 minutes without someone posting a problem there. Now that forum goes days at a time without anyone posting which tells me that it is getting better. Either that or people just got tired of complaining. :D

The resolution via HDMI and several other smaller bugs that existed when we first got Navigator have been fixed in later versions that we have received. By no means is Navigator perfect but it is a much more stable platform that when we got it 6 months ago. Still has a ways to go but is much better. The best way to judge the stability of Navigator is to look at the Navigator forum. Months ago you couldn't go 30 minutes without someone posting a problem there. Now that forum goes days at a time without anyone posting which tells me that it is getting better. Either that or people just got tired of complaining. :D

I have Navigator at my beach house.It has become a stable platform.Mine is the non dvr version there.Navigator seems to lack a lot of SARA's deep recording options but has a much better search and conflict resolution features.All in all Navigator has gotton much much more stable.Also if you stay with TWC it is the wave of the future.Want it or not want it-it is comeing.

Why isn't the Panthers/Raiders game in HD?

somebody needs to hit the switch

We are having a splicer issue and are working with network now.

We are having a splicer issue and are working with network now.
Thanks for the update.

It should be fixed now. The splicer locked up and had to be rebooted and then reconfigured for the game.

It should be fixed now. The splicer locked up and had to be rebooted and then reconfigured for the game.

Fixed. Thanks :).

Any idea why this program, which is broadcast in HD, is shown on TWC on channel 500 w/ pillars at sides, top & bottom?

Channel 500 is SD Digital. Channel 501 is HDTV.

I've been reading through a good bit of this thread, and have heard some discussion about receiving via QAM in the past, but not much recently. We're currently deciding whether to get an antenna or just keep basic cable and see what comes through QAM. One question I still have is: Can you get the random clear QAM stations (I've seen ESPN and Discovery mentioned) through just the "basic cable" (~$10/mo) package, or do you have to get the "standard cable" package (~$55/mo)? Thanks for any help.


At this point, I think most of the "bonus channels" are a thing of the past on TWC-QAM. There for a brief while, we were getting ESPN-HD, ESPN2-HD, Discovery HD and TNT-HD. The ESPN channels only lasted a few weeks before they got turned off. Boy I was in heaven then!Now we are pretty much stuck with the locals and the corresponding weather plus channels.

For the last 18 months or so, I haven't seen any free bonus channels show up (besides the local affiliates). Although I must admit I grew tired of doing the channel scan and then sitting with the remote for 30 minutes looking for new channels to show up. My cable connection to my HDTV is in my basement and was one I added myself during a basement remodel. So I don't think the signal I get is as good as it could be, but I didn't want to pay TWC to come out and do it for me.

My experience was I would constantly experience dropouts due to low signal strength when watching HD channels via QAM. I eventually invested around $50-60 in two cheap antennas to put in my attic. Now I basically get all of my HD via antenna.

Getting the channels via QAM isn't bad as long as you have a decent cable connection, and don't mind surfing around for the channels. For some reason, TWC likes to change the frequencies once in a while to make it a pain for you. So you have to go find them again. But as long as you are decent with a remote, you can find them. If you don't have a great arrangement and can easily use a rooftop antenna, then QAM may not be a bad idea.

Also, it doesn't matter which analog tier you subscribe to, the QAM channel selections are still the same.

I can't remember if we've announced it here yet but there is more HD coming to TWC on the 20th:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/programming/hdadditions.html

and more changes on Dec. 8th:

Dec. 8, 2008: Versus HD and Golf Channel HD becomes two separate channels. Versus HD goes to Channel 572 while Golf Channel HD remains on Channel 569.

Does anybody here has a slingbox pro-hd that they are using with roadrunner? I want to get one of these but I'm not sure if the upload speed is fast enough in the triad region. I know that timewarner recently increased their download spead but no upgrade with their upload. I'm afraid that getting HD program with the slingbox will be problematic with roadrunner here. Thanks for the help

I dunno.......I DO know that the upload speed are horrible......people look at me crazy when I say my upload speeds use to max out at around 1000Kbps and now its just around 350Kbps

Hello, I'm not currently in W-S but my mother is in Ardmore and she wants me to help her switch from Direct TV to HD antenna. I'm building her an HTPC, so that's taken care of. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend what channels I can expect to pick up on a UHF antenna. After looking at antennaweb, it looks like it might be best to point one antenna up to W-S and one towards Greensboro/HP. I'm a fan of the radioshack antennas, and was thinking of a pair of U75-R UHF antennas. Do you think those would get me good reception?

Hi Lachlan, I use a U75-R in Walkertown with good results. I have it set on a rotor in my attic. see:http://www.waltlasley.com/attic%20antenna.htm
I have not needed a preamp as of yet and pick up the locals fine since I am about 19 miles from the towers for WXII and WUNL to the northwest. The others are about 30 miles away southeast of my location.

As it turns out, the U75-R is not as directional as some and I have a couple of sweet spots that all the channels come in without using the rotor.

I previously had this antenna outside on the back of the chimney and was pleasantly surprised when it picked up almost as well in the attic! (In fact I was stunned)

The U75-R is primarily a UHF so I plan to add a Y5 (7-13) from Antennacraft prior to FOX8's digital broadcast moving to VHF. The two can be combined with a UVSJ to get a single feed for the tv.

Just a reminder that on Monday, Nov 17 during the noon news, we will be doing another of those "DTV Soft Tests" where we split the analog from the digital and show separate colored screens denoting if the viewer is "DTV Ready." Time-Warner has been told and they have their fiber run from us to them but I see they are still taking us off air so who knows if they will have the digital feed to cable 10 or not. All of other cablecos and sats still take our analog for their analog so those viewers will see the red screen. Those with digital channels or our channel 35 off air will see the blue screen. Here is what they look like:

Digital

http://www.w4cl.net/fox/RevisedDTVMessage1.jpg

Analog

http://www.w4cl.net/fox/RevisedDTVMessage2.jpg

Does anybody here has a slingbox pro-hd that they are using with roadrunner? I want to get one of these but I'm not sure if the upload speed is fast enough in the triad region. I know that timewarner recently increased their download spead but no upgrade with their upload. I'm afraid that getting HD program with the slingbox will be problematic with roadrunner here. Thanks for the help

Having used a SlingBox Classic for several years, I had been looking forward to the SlingBox Pro-HD, but after seeing some comments like this, I am holding off: "Slinging HD video over the Internet is another matter, however. I use Road Runner cable broadband at home, and speedy though my service is, it can only manage about 500Kbps or so upstream, leaving me with just blocky QVGA video when watching SlingPlayer remotely over the Internet—watchable, but a far cry from 768p HD video. Sling Media reps say that you'll probably need at least 1.5Mbps upstream from your home broadband connection to stream HD over the Net. You can always force the SlingPlayer software to try and display HD even with middling bandwidth, but be prepared for seriously choppy video." http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/28411

I am pretty happy with the Monsoon MultiMedia HAVA Titanium fed from my TWC HD STB. It downconverts the HD signal but provides a very decent presentation on my laptop over the net and particularly on my Nokia N800 Tablet using the HAVA Mobile Player. In-house, the HAVA stream is outstanding.

Any idea why this program, which is broadcast in HD, is shown on TWC on channel 500 w/ pillars at sides, top & bottom?
Got this reply from UNCTV:

Fair enough. I checked with our engineers and found that that when we made the change in our over-the-air broadcast of UNC-TV digital to give it high-definition capability, it caused some internal technical issues at Time Warner that they have yet to resolve. Until they figure out what they want to do, apparently UNC-TV's digital channel will continue to be in standard definition format, which is why you have been seeing it with the so-called "letterbox" borders. I have no doubt that ultimately UNC-TV will be distributed in high def by Time Warner, but I'm not sure when, I'm not sure on what channel, and I'm not sure if it will have any impact on any other channels currently being offered by Time Warner, but all of those things are up in the air. We are hoping that there will be a decision forthcoming soon, though, and when we know for sure I would be happy to let you know.

Steve Volstad
Director of Communications and Marketing
UNC-TV
(919) 549-7173

Someboby at ABC 45 is asleep at the wheel, AGAIN! The UNC/MD game is suppose to be in HD but it isn't. I know for sure that Raleigh is showing the game in HD.

Why can't the people at 45 get their act together. They are always screwing up the afternoon game.

I believe UNC HD is on channel 501. If not it is in that 501-509 range.

Someboby at ABC 45 is asleep at the wheel, AGAIN! The UNC/MD game is suppose to be in HD but it isn't. I know for sure that Raleigh is showing the game in HD.

Why can't the people at 45 get their act together. They are always screwing up the afternoon game.

the last time i called to complain about master control being braindead, i was told that "she" was not a sports fan and did not know the game was on!

They finally went HD, half way thru the 3rd

Someboby at ABC 45 is asleep at the wheel, AGAIN! The UNC/MD game is suppose to be in HD but it isn't. I know for sure that Raleigh is showing the game in HD.

Why can't the people at 45 get their act together. They are always screwing up the afternoon game.


ABC 45 is terrible.......they are like that with ANYTHING that is suppose to be in HD......Good Morning America will be in HD at the start of the show, and when it comes back from commercial breaks it often times is in SD.....point blank after being spoiled by the SUPERIOR ABC 11 in Raleigh(where I stayed for over half my life) I cant understand why this ABC affiliate here aint worth NOTHING

Having used a SlingBox Classic for several years, I had been looking forward to the SlingBox Pro-HD, but after seeing some comments like this, I am holding off: "Slinging HD video over the Internet is another matter, however. I use Road Runner cable broadband at home, and speedy though my service is, it can only manage about 500Kbps or so upstream, leaving me with just blocky QVGA video when watching SlingPlayer remotely over the Internet—watchable, but a far cry from 768p HD video. Sling Media reps say that you'll probably need at least 1.5Mbps upstream from your home broadband connection to stream HD over the Net. You can always force the SlingPlayer software to try and display HD even with middling bandwidth, but be prepared for seriously choppy video." http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/28411

I am pretty happy with the Monsoon MultiMedia HAVA Titanium fed from my TWC HD STB. It downconverts the HD signal but provides a very decent presentation on my laptop over the net and particularly on my Nokia N800 Tablet using the HAVA Mobile Player. In-house, the HAVA stream is outstanding.

Thanks for the response. TWC here in GSO is just terrible. I guess there is no good solution out there right now. I was hoping to use the slingbox proHD for this coming March Madness. I wish FIOS is here in NC.

Thanks for the response. TWC here in GSO is just terrible. I guess there is no good solution out there right now. I was hoping to use the slingbox proHD for this coming March Madness. I wish FIOS is here in NC.

you and me both buddy.......

you and me both....

U-Verse is coming and will make some competition for TWC.....but its not gonna be worth the switch to me.........not U-verse in its CURRENT state anyways........FiOS is the TRUTH.....I'd drop TWC in a HEARTBEAT for that

Anyone know when TWC will add MASN? Also, will they be adding MASN HD?