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bgooch

11-10-06, 06:40 AM

Time Warner hooks up its new cable TV service in Simi, neighboring areas
Not everyone is happy with the switch
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

Media giant Time Warner announced it has begun rolling out new products and services for local cable and Internet customers, but not all residents are happy with the switchover from Adelphia.

Time Warner and Comcast purchased Adelphia last year for $16.7 billion when founder and CEO John Rigas and his sons plundered assets for personal use and forced the company into bankruptcy.

The Los Angeles North division of Time Warner Cable will serve 660,000 homes in the region, including communities in Simi Valley, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark.

Customers will see a new digital channel lineup, high definition stations, high speed online packages, ethniclanguage networks and other innovations.

Time Warner's new genrebased programming will group programs according to themes, such as children's programming, sports and music, said Patricia Fregoso, Time Warner vice president of community affairs.

"Time Warner's goal is to simplify digital lineups," Fregoso said. "Sports programs will all be in one block of channels. This minimizes channel surfing to find programs."

As for what customers must pay, Fregoso said basic rates haven't changed-yet. Basic packages will include channels 2 through 99, but additional tiers can be added for more money.

Even though Time Warner Cable said it is striving for simplification, the wide array of

products that is being offered has left some customers confused.

Michele and Gary Arso live in Oak Park and received a packet of literature explaining the new services, channel lineups, costs and other options.

The Arsos' packet included a letter that said their service would change on Oct. 24-but it didn't.

Gary Arso said he's worried about channels being taken away and replaced with ethnic programming that won't be useful in his household.

The channel lineup guide is also said to be confusing. There are at least 10 color codes representing stations and many of the colors are so similar that it's difficult to distinguish between them.

Michele Arso's understanding of the new cable system is fuzzy at best.

"It doesn't say to me call us now and pick your tier," Arso said. "No one has told me to do anything-they've told me to sit back and relax."

Other services on the horizon include free video on demand. For instance, if you want to see reruns of "Seinfeld," you can retrieve any episode at the touch of a button. A bank of digital movie and television programs will be stored in a server and available instantaneously without the need of additional equipment.

Time Warner also plans to launch a local program venue.

"Local edition" will allow officials and community groups the opportunity to conduct fiveminute interviews that will be aired twice an hour on CNN Headline News.

"It's going to be phenomenal," Fregoso said.

The Arsos aren't as enthusiastic.

"I want to see what they do and take it from there," Gary Arso said.

Time Warner is facing tough competition from the satellite providers, including DirectTV and DISH Network, which offer home packages that include television, Internet and telephone.

Verizon already has franchise agreements in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo.

Other telephone companies are expected to join the video bandwagon.

Time Warner has also taken a lot of heat from displeased football fans who lost the NFL Network (which is in a nasty carriage dispute with Time Warner) after the switchover.

A new law-Assembly Bill 2987-adds yet another dimension to the cable television issue. The law would eliminate the city-by-city video franchise approval process and establish the California Department of Corporations as the state's franchising authority.

The bill would speed up the competitive roll-out of new products and services to customers, lawmakers said.

Nonetheless, Time Warner officials remain confident.

"We're not the only game in town, but we're certainly the best game in town," Fregoso said.

+ Time Warner and Comcast purchased Adelphia last year for $16.7 billion, agreeing to divvy up customers in several major markets.

+ The Los Angeles North division of Time Warner Cable will serve 660,000 homes in the region, including communities in Simi Valley, Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks and Moorpark.

+ Basic rates have not yet changed.

http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2006/1110/Community/012.html

bgooch

11-10-06, 06:43 AM

The Communications Super Toll-way
Steve Stajich, Mirror Contributing Writer
Editorial

What kind of haircut did you sport back when we were referring to the Internet as the “Information Superhighway”? Some hints: Beck was singing “Loser” and Sheryl Crow had not yet begun showing up at the grand opening of car dealerships when we were getting tingly about a coming techno-revolution that would deliver learning, shopping and entertainment on a home screen.

The “Superhighway” was coming to save us somewhere around the mid-1990s. Since then, often with less fanfare than a Madonna adoption, we’ve taken on all kinds of new communications baggage. It wasn’t enough to have Internet; we had to have fast Internet. Cell phones couldn’t just be small, they had to be flat. Then they had to take pictures. Well, actually, nobody was asking for the picture thing. We just had that pushed in our faces, literally.

Radio started beaming in from satellites in space, TV delivery went digital, and in almost all things we needed high definition. Public schools were hurting, but the funds devoted to developing sharper, clearer, more life-like images of the contestants on Fear Factor were apparently limitless. Meanwhile, the quest for better, faster delivery of Internet pornography brought us software and hardware innovations that coincidentally carried us forward to our current period of YouTube videos and animated e-mail attachments guaranteed to reduce on-the-job productivity.

So, here we are. It’s all good, all wonderful. The only chore left to consumers is to figure out how to pay for it.

I have a friend who is very anxious that we’re on the eve of destruction in terms of free Internet. His feeling is that, any minute now, tolls and fees are going to be assigned to every single move we make with our mouse and that we’ll be looking back at surfing with abandon with the same nostalgic glow we experience remembering free television.

Younger readers may not recall the time in America when a family bought a television set and received “content” for free. No cable bills, no cable service problems, no boxes. And, for better or worse, your set brought you everything that was out there, without the cultural Darwinism of corporations deciding what you get access to.

Last week Mexico announced a new surcharge on international cell phone calls to Mexico, adding a minimum additional charge of 14 cents to any cell phone to cell phone call made from outside Mexico. I don’t have to enumerate for you the millions of people impacted by this, nor do I have to go to lengths to describe the whopping profit that will be realized. But the beauty part for the corporations involved is that those customers who don’t like it can just go (ring tone) themselves.

Customers in Santa Monica who had Adelphia cable TV are now serviced by Time-Warner. Since the takeover, I’ve observed two things: That Time-Warner relentlessly runs ads about free service calls, and that my video has been freezing and breaking up then going black then coming back. I observe Time-Warner trucks in my neighborhood and assume they are working on this. But I’m pretty sure I don’t have anything to say about it one way or the other.

Funny thing about the future: it often seems to arrive without invitation. I don’t recall ever requesting cell phones, roaming charges, international surcharges, digital TV delivery, Hi-Def, spam, pop-up Internet ads, cookies, new DVD technology forcing new hardware on consumers, or a per each charge for every single e-mail I send. Why do I feel like that last one is out there, waiting…?

http://www.smmirror.com/MainPages/DisplayArticleDetails.asp?eid=4274

bgooch

11-10-06, 02:08 PM

Changing channels part of Time Warner's plan
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_5126180,00.html
By Jim McLain, jmclain@VenturaCountyStar.com
November 8, 2006

Some Ventura County digital cable TV subscribers are beginning to see channel lineup changes as Time Warner Cable moves to integrate Adelphia Communications Inc.'s systems to a uniform lineup across the area.

Time Warner acquired bankrupt Adelphia on Aug. 1, adding more than 2 million Southern California subscribers, including about 173,000 in Ventura County, said Patricia Regoso-Cox, a company spokeswoman.

The channel lineup changes were scheduled to be completed by Nov. 14, but late last week the company extended the finish date to Dec. 14, she said.

Only digital channels with three numbers that require a special set-top box to be viewed are being moved, Regoso-Cox said.

Analog-channel lineups are not being altered for digital or basic subscribers. Channels 2 through 99 are transmitted using older analog technology.

About 60 percent of Time Warner's subscribers have digital cable, Regoso-Cox said, but the percentage can vary widely by area.

Nearly all Time Warner subscribers in affluent areas such as Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village have digital cable, but the percentage is often far lower in low-income areas.

Digital subscribers receive more than 200 channels, while those using analog technology can view less than 100.

Monthly cable charges vary between communities, but the cost of digital can sometimes be less than analog, even though it includes nearly twice as many channels, Regoso-Cox said.

Time Warner's basic charge for digital service is $44.95 per month with one programming "tier." Subscribers can select from among five tiers, she added, each representing different types of programming. She said the most popular is the company's "variety" tier that offers several entertainment, sports, news, children's and other channels.

Additional tiers emphasizing sports, high definition channels, Spanish-language or other programming start at $5 monthly, she said. There is an additional charge of $4.75 to $9 monthly for a digital converter box. A package including all five tiers, premium channels and all equipment is priced at $104 monthly.

Customers should check what they're paying, because some could get more channels for about what they're paying now, sometimes less.

"We're seeing that most of our customers in the legacy Adelphia footprint are actually spending less money or maybe just a few cents more if they go to digital," Regoso-Cox said. "They get a lot more for their money. Change is difficult, but when people do the comparisons they will actually get more value for either a little less or just a little bit more."

While no changes are planned in Time Warner's analog service, the company puts all its basic cable channels in its digital lineups. It also plans to group various programming genres so that viewers interested in sports, children's programming or movies can find them with a minimum of channel surfing. Children's stations like Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel, she said, will be on channels 182-191. Digital cable also includes on-demand programming as well as a number of commercial-free music outlets.

Regoso-Cox said the company will soon roll out a regionwide standardized digital channel lineup, including the genre-based programming blocks, additional high-definition channels and ethnic-language networks. The company has not announced any rate increases, she said.

Early last month, Time Warner mailed notices to the high-speed internet subscribers it inherited from Adelphia that they would be moving to its Road Runner service today, changing their e-mail addresses from Adelphia.net to one with an "rr.com" suffix.

The company decided last week to delay that until officials could be sure the transition would go smoothly, Regoso-Cox said. No date for the changeover has been scheduled, she said, but it probably will occur before Jan. 1.

Regoso-Cox said there are 255,000 high-speed internet subscribers in Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County. The company's Road Runner service, she said, will offer three products with prices ranging from $34.95 to $54.95 per month, depending on speed and capacity.

Customers opting for both cable TV and high-speed internet services, she said, will receive a $5 discount. The company also plans to offer digital telephone service soon.

Cities have limited ability to control cable TV services, said Thousand Oaks City Attorney Amy Albano. They have some control over what is offered on basic tiers, but virtually none on digital offerings.

Thousand Oaks sued in 2002 when Adelphia acquired Verizon Americast, then the city's cable TV provider, because it moved some basic channels to more expensive tiers, Albano said. The suit was settled as part of Time Warner's acquisition of Adelphia.

COMMENTS

Contrary to the statements made by Regoso-Cox for this article, the packet I received from Time Warner indicates that Turner Classic Movies and Animal Planet will no longer be available in the basic analog packet. During a phone call to Time Warner, I was told that TCM and Animal Planet would be available as of November 14 only in the digital package, which would cost about $11.00 per month more than the Adelphia analog package, including equipment costs. Contrary to Regoso-Cox's claims, I can't figure out how I will spend less money or "actually get more value for either a little less or just a little bit more" particularly when I watch only about 15 channels.

9:55:32 a.m. on November 8, 2006
SANDRA NEDER | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 7:00 am | #
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Time to get Direct TV

11:18:57 a.m. on November 8, 2006
ANDY CAPP | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 8:23 am | #
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Yep, I've noticed the price for basic has gone up, [$28 vs. 35]. And, I bet 1/3 of the channels will still be foreign language. I can't figure out why I'm paying for that[?!].
We still only have 1 cable company with no comparable competition. Satelite service requires expensive equipment and/or a long-term commitment. However satelite may be the better value...

There has been an effort to force cable providers to give customers the ability to choose the channels they want. And, so far the cable co's have been able to defeat all efforts!
Capitalism at it's best...

12:00:44 p.m. on November 8, 2006
THX1138 VTA | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 9:05 am | #
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ll I know is that the service is lousier than ever before, and I do NOT want a converter on top of my set, thank you very much. I have enough remotes already.

I should be getting a discount for every single time (which is quite frequently) that my screen gets all pixellated. The solution is NOT a converter box, but rather better quality service.

They need more competition around here. I can't wait for AT&T to do whatever it's doing with all their trucks around town.

12:05:55 p.m. on November 8, 2006
JACK H | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 9:10 am | #
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It is because we let companies speak with our dollars. Start voting for corporate limitations on spending in politics/governance.

Also, go with satellite. It's simply better, fewer inane interruptions, and tons of channels for less.

Don't forget you're TiVo either!

12:08:17 p.m. on November 8, 2006
MEGAN KNOSSIS | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 9:13 am | #
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All of the above comments don't take the internet usage into account. I'd love to change to satellite, but I need Time Warner for my broadband connection. In this area, we do not get DSL. And Verizon is sitting on their behinds with no real schedule on when, or if, they will ever offer us their high speed fiber optic service. So for the foreseeable future, Time Warner has no viable competition, and my options are stay with Time Warner for TV and Internet, or dump them and go with Satellite or just an antenna, and suffer through dial-up. Either way, it sucks, and I'm screwed.

1:32:05 p.m. on November 8, 2006
MIGUEL FERNANDE | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 10:36 am | #
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I'm in my mid-60's and don't understand all the "technical" words. All I know is that there's nothing to watch on t.v. - I'm getting carpal tunnel from the remote as I constantly change channels. Foreign language shows (including Spanish, which I don't understand), children's shows, which I don't watch, dumb reality shows, which I hate & too many commercials - which are totally annoying. What should I subscribe to????

3:47:44 p.m. on November 8, 2006
TIKVAH TIKVAH | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 12:52 pm | #
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Out here in Simi Valley, where the change has already occurred, besides the Animal Planet we also lost Home Shopping Network, The California Channel and CSPAN2 to the digital tier. The way I see it I am paying the same amount for less choice.

As for "only a few cents more...", right now I pay $46.00 (not counting fees and taxes) for analog cable service. If I went digital my initial cost may only be $44.95 but I would require three(3) converters with remotes probably at a cost of $9.00 each for a grand total of $71.95. Unless my aritmetic is faulty that would be over $25.00 a month to get basically what I am receiving now!

Bruce Harry in Simi Valley, CA

4:25:43 p.m. on November 8, 2006
BRUCE HARRY | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 1:30 pm | #
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Sandra, it is time to cut the cable and get the dish! Go with whichever one is right for you, I choose Dish and I'm glad I did and I used to work in two Direct install systems here in so. Ca. TIP: I'm not saying it makes them better but Direct does cost more, and you do pay for your equipment. With Dish, you don't pay for your equipment or when something goes wrong with it. The thing Dish makes you "pay" for when you send something back to them, is your time in packing it up and taking it down to UPS. I thought that Regoso-Cox's statement about customers spending "a little less or just a little bit more" was a little odd, too. Thats like saying "it depends on who you are and what package you already have that will determine what we charge you."

Andy, you are SO RIGHT ON THE MONEY! IN FACT IT IS BEYOND TIME.

THX1138 VTA, There will be competition I think sometime next year, I'm speaking of the new Verzion project. As for the policy on equipment, you seem to believe what they want you to believe. As stated above Direct does charge for equipment, but Dish does not and Dish does not charge if you have to send something back, too. Even if it is just to change a remote. Choosing the channels you want is called "a la carte" service and it will happen soon, too. The reason I say that is because of all the cable company consolidation in the past few years. BTW, do you remember when the basic service price was $13.00.

Jack H, As far as set-top boxes are concerned you are going to have to have one UNLESS you stay with analog or you buy a new TV equiped with Cable-Card technology. If you stay with analog, don't forget that in the future everything will go digital at some point. When that does happen, it could affect what you watch or even what you are able to watch on your analog TV with an analog cable system. The solution MIGHT be that you need a box, or it might just need to be hooked up properly, it could also be bad connections. If you in the Thousand Oaks area it is Verizon doing a new fiber program.

Megan, Agree. Agree. Not so much. Here's why: 1. I don't like that TiVo brought a lawsuit against Dish. They only brought the suit b/c Dish rebuffed TiVo in going in on a partnership of placing TiVo technology in Dish set-top boxes, when Dish was already working on it's own DVR technology. 2. I heard of this technology almost ten years ago and it was not TiVo.

Miguel, First what area are you in? Which phone company do you have? I think it was SBC that I heard that is trying to go into other areas where they do not even have customers, to offer internet service awhile back.

Tikvah, Get either of the dishes and check out basic service or the next up.

Bruce, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told the first person "Cut the cable and get a dish"!

8:48:08 p.m. on November 8, 2006
SEAN KNIGHT | Homepage | 11.08.06 - 5:53 pm | #

jeffs471

11-10-06, 02:45 PM

It isn't just the HD networks. During the last week, I've deleted three hours worth of programs that I had recorded with our Moxi. There were so many artifacts and periods of missing sound that they were unwatchable. And none of the programming was from HD channels.

I understand now why the TW rep I called 10 days ago about changing over to one of their new pricing plans advised me to wait until they had dealt with software problems. Adelphia was never this bad.

As much as I loath adelphia I will admit and this will be a rare moment that in the past few weeks I have never experienced service so bad. I'll be watching a program and the sound continues to cut out for a second and then come back. Pisses me off because I miss a crucial word to a joke or a scene. My internet seems to pause in this same fashion where it won't be able to connect for a second than magically it comes back.

It is not my wiring or signal strength.

edit: just looked at the twc website camarillo is still holding at nov 14 but look at oxnard and ventura late January. Wow talk about a delay. Luckily Verizon just dug up my street FINALLY.

almahix

11-10-06, 03:46 PM

must be nice to live in a wealthy area where FIOS is available

It isn't the fact that I live in a wealthy area. (The people on the hill behind me live in a wealthy area, but I digress.)

The fact is that I live in a Verizon area. You live in an SBC/ATT/whatever-they're-called-now area. They've experimented with TV over IP, and may make that available someday soon.

Verizon had previously used Ventura County as a proving ground when they entered the video business with a hybrid fiber/copper plant, but soon abandoned it to Adelphia. Now they're back with a fiber to the house plant, but it has already been rolled out in many other Verizon areas across the country.

Perhaps parts of this county are wealthier than others, but they have always wired the lesser-wealthy areas as well as the aforementioned "people on the hill".

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to Verizon turning my already wired neighborhood "on", and I hope that you find an alternative to Time Warner in the near future. Competition really worked well here in the past, and I'm hopeful it will again soon.

sjj148

11-10-06, 03:52 PM

Is anyone here in the burbank/sun valley area?

The change happened as scheduled. The line-up matches what is posted. FYI animal planet is still on 71, even though it is not listed. I still have the motorola box from Comcast (not a dvr, I use 2 Tivos). I don't get the HD package, so I can't comment on those channels, do have HBO, Encore and STARZ.

I am glad they started a new ca.rr com because I was really tired of having my email id already taken when the cable company changed.....i know...get my own domain name because this is my 5th or 6th cable change. The Comcast web e-mail and home page are far superior to Roadrunner. YAHOO beta is great, I'm using that most of the time now.

Arvy

11-10-06, 06:21 PM

I vaguely recall talk about all of the TWC analog channels switching to digital soon. Is this what 'the changeover' is meant to accomplish or simply to give eveyone the same lineups/tiers? I'm in Arcadia where the lineup changes are scheduled for Dec. 19.

bruce73

11-10-06, 09:12 PM

Just got my "Welcome to Time Warner" package in the mail today. The letter is dated September 22nd. :rolleyes:

Anyway, if I do an a la carte selection of tiers, premium channels, etc. to match what I have now ($120/mo), it comes to ~$128. Still don't have Universal HD, and see no mention whatsoever of FSN-HD. I have to say, though, in all fairness, that my SD channels have never looked better and there have been no signal dropouts that I have noticed. Maybe I'm just lucky, in that Adelphia totally re-wired my neighborhood a couple of years ago.

Digital phone service will save me about $10/mo over SBC/ATT (and include free long distance within CA), and, if you can believe TW, RoadRunner standard will up my Internet download speed from 4Mbps to 6Mbps for basically the same price.

We'll see. ;)

stuckinla

11-10-06, 11:16 PM

I have some questions about FSN-HD. Does anyone in LA actually have this beast, being broadcast regualrly? How about West LA and Santa Monica? The last post that discussed this channel had stated that TW will have this channel available by this time.
If anyone does have it, can you tell me wheather the channel is in the clear or not.

My last request has to do with the Kings games. Some of you mentioned that their games are sometimes broadcast in HD on some reserved channel on your cable boxes. Can someone please post when such an event occurs.

Thanks.
Rudy

My area was a formerly served by Adelphia. Channel 413 now appears as FSN HD. The programming information is "Off Air", except during Laker games and live events. When I try to tune to the channel, nothing happens. It basically freezes the last image of the channel I was watching and hangs.

I called Customer Service and she was clueless. Thoughts?

SPDICKEY

11-11-06, 12:49 AM

WeHoMyke

11-11-06, 02:17 AM

Lots of dates changed to late 2006 and early 2007 (!?!?!)

I wonder why the big delay here in West LA from November to January? Poor planning? Too many customer calls? Didn't get the encoders installed in the headends?

Enquiring minds would like to know.

Latest dates now posted at:
http://www.timewarnercable.com/socal/channellineups/

It looks like they are fixing the headends first before chaging lineups. I assume that, because there are not that many cities with November or December conversion dates. But I could be way wrong on that.

It would have been nice for TWC to give us another HD channel before the new January 9th (for my area) channel line up change over. Fill the HD void when they deleted NHL- HD. Universal HD or FSN-HD would be nice before the holidays. Oh please Santa :D

fredfa

11-11-06, 12:42 PM

The Business of TV
Glitches hit cable switch
Time Warner, swamped with complaints, tries to mollify former Adelphia and Comcast customers.
By James S. Granelli Los Angeles Times Staff Writer November 11, 2006

Time Warner Cable has been so inundated with complaints as it has taken over neighborhoods formerly served by Comcast and Adelphia that the company is slowing its rollout and offering discounts and freebies to mollify customers.

Viewers swamped Time Warner call centers after engineers started three weeks ago to integrate Southern California systems acquired from Comcast Corp. and Adelphia Communications Corp.

Complaints abound of canceled channels, digital TV forced on customers, Internet connections lost, e-mail accounts botched and arrogant service — once, that is, a live person finally answers the phone.

Although he's endured a number of cable TV transitions in a decade of industry consolidation, Hancock Park recording engineer Phil Braen said, "the transition to Time Warner has been, by far, the rockiest."

Recognizing that, Time Warner decided to take a few more weeks — until early January — to complete its channel lineup changes and Internet service conversion, spokeswoman Patti Rockenwagner said. The second wave of standardizing the channel lineups, which was to have begun last Wednesday, will begin a week later instead.

"I would urge customers to consider this like remodeling the kitchen," Rockenwagner said. "You pull down cupboards and move everything out, but when you put it all back, you have the kitchen of your dreams. This is not a convenient process, but with the changes, we can offer better service down the road."

The company will offer thank-you gifts over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend of 1-cent movies on demand and free viewing of subscription-only National Basketball Assn. games. Separately, the company is offering its Southern California customers lower-cost Internet and digital TV service for a year.

Time Warner joined with Comcast in July to buy properties from bankrupt Adelphia. The two companies then swapped territories to give each other larger shares of different metropolitan areas. Time Warner ended up with 1.9 million customers from Ventura to Newport Beach to Hemet — covering nearly all of the city of Los Angeles.

In exchange, Comcast took over Time Warner's customers in Northern California.

Complaints erupted Oct. 21, when Time Warner began realigning channels as it started switching 220,000 Comcast Internet customers from Comcast's system to its own. Many turned on their home computers and found they couldn't get to their e-mail accounts.

A software program was supposed to help customers reconfigure their modems to work with Time Warner equipment, but it didn't always succeed. Many customers who didn't use Comcast e-mail frequently had forgotten their passwords or had older modems that needed more attention.

Jeff Guga, a Mar Vista architect, said he was on the phone for more than five hours, frantically trying to get his new e-mail system working so he could retrieve plane and hotel confirmation numbers for a trip.

"I told the guy, 'This isn't my problem. I shouldn't have to spend five or six hours of my time just because you bought my account,' " Guga said. "The guy hung up on me."

Los Angeles officials, who monitor complaints about cable TV service, said calls surged last month. In October 2005, Adelphia customers filed 118 complaints with the city. This year, the number shot up to 206. In Comcast areas, complaints more than doubled, from 41 to 87.

Patrick David Campbell, a deputy Los Angeles County district attorney in Santa Clarita, was upset that Time Warner moved 10 channels, including Turner Classic Movies and Hallmark, from the basic tier to the digital tier, typically a higher-priced service that requires a set-top box.

"Then to add insult to injury, when you go to those channels, the screen says, 'Missing channels?' and tells you to call Time Warner Cable for digital service," Campbell said. "I've had Time Warner for 10 years, and that's the most blatant thing I've ever seen them do to get you to buy digital TV."

The digital TV offer that Campbell saw, Rockenwagner said, amounted to an increase of 5 cents to $2 a month. A yearlong promotional rate announced this week shaved $5 a month off the basic digital TV package.

Digital service is a key growth area for all cable companies because it is the platform for a host of new products, including telephone service and video on demand.

Calls to Time Warner about changes in its offerings, aimed at making channels uniform throughout the area, came mainly from customers who hadn't read mail the company had sent and didn't know the change was coming, Rockenwagner said. Typically, customers wanted to know where to find their favorite programs.

The company acknowledged that the more serious problems involved lost Internet connections and e-mail issues.

David Levinson, a screenwriter in Hancock Park, still is dealing with erratic e-mail service.

One day, friends and colleagues can't get messages through to him. Another day, he gets 200 e-mails from a local store. Then the e-mail server goes down completely. His fall-back has been his company e-mail system, which doesn't rely on Time Warner.

"I haven't called their computer tech people because I've been too busy and too lazy to do it," Levinson said. "But I also know I can't reach anybody anyway. Reaching a person is not possible. Everybody has been telling me that."

Rockenwagner said the e-mail changes were inconvenient but necessary.

"We see this as a one-time problem that doesn't spill over to customer service issues down the road," she said.

Based on the glitches, the company sent notices to about 400,000 former Adelphia Internet customers in recent days saying that the e-mail transition scheduled for this week would occur sometime in December.

Time Warner expects that transition to be somewhat easier than the Comcast changeover, even though twice as many customers are involved. That's because the company bought Adelphia's servers as well, so customers won't be moved to other hardware.

Time Warner also plans to send e-mail notices with user names and passwords along with other information to help navigate the switch. And it's beefing up its five Southern California customer service centers and one in Colorado Springs, Colo., to handle more complaints and help requests. The company recently added 350 agents to its force of 1,200 and plans to add 150 more.

The company has improved its once-poor customer service. A customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Power & Associates in August showed that Time Warner ranked above average in three regions of the country but below average in California and 15 other Western states.

Industry analyst Charles Golvin of Forrester Research Inc., also a Time Warner customer who has had service problems, said customer service agents simply weren't tuned in to individual problems. They often suggest, for instance, that customers check out the company's online help — even after being told that they can't get online.

"Not a very good start," Golvin said, "considering that [Time Warner] has been pitching high-quality customer care."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cable11nov11,0,1547620,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

SirJW

11-11-06, 04:32 PM

Beach Cities are back to a November 14th change, fingers crossed...

markt170

11-11-06, 10:14 PM

jasonvr

11-11-06, 11:14 PM

Well I just called TWC about FSN-HD showing up on HD Special Events and the fact that 413 shows up as HD pay per view instead of HD special events. She said that there is a glitch they experiencing with the Moxis with respect to channel lineups (hard for me to believe since it updated autmatically when the lineup changed almost 3 weeks ago). She said the only way to fix it was to power cycle the box. I was reluctant to do it since the SC game was on (and it takes so long), but tried it anyways. She wasn't even willing to stay on the line while the box power cycled. This is after waiting 40 (!) minutes on hold to even talk to someone. After the box came up, it still shows HD pay per view on 413 and I still don't have a 431 which is where HD pay per view should show up.

She also said something to the effect of "It could take up a month for all these lineup changes to work themselves out". What the heck kind of statement is that? If they're going to change everything around, they dang well better know what is going to happen when they do it. It should not be a trial and error process!

Grrrrrrrr! :mad:

SPDICKEY

11-11-06, 11:45 PM

When TWC says "all digital," what will happen to my two little tv's which have no cable box but which have the cable go directly into the tv and receive channels 2 to 78? Am I going to have to get cable boxes for them?

They will be dual feeding analog channels with digital feeds. So if you have a digital box the 2-99 channels will be remapped to digital numbers (alias channels not shown to the end user). The analog line-up will remain in place for those who connect analog tv's to the cable.

SPDICKEY

11-11-06, 11:53 PM

Time Warner Cable has been so inundated with complaints as it has taken over neighborhoods formerly served by Comcast and Adelphia that the company is slowing its rollout and offering discounts and freebies to mollify customers.

Viewers swamped Time Warner call centers after engineers started three weeks ago to integrate Southern California systems acquired from Comcast Corp. and Adelphia Communications Corp.

Complaints abound of canceled channels, digital TV forced on customers, Internet connections lost, e-mail accounts botched and arrogant service — once, that is, a live person finally answers the phone.
...

Complaints erupted Oct. 21, when Time Warner began realigning channels as it started switching 220,000 Comcast Internet customers from Comcast's system to its own....

Calls to Time Warner about changes in its offerings, aimed at making channels uniform throughout the area, came mainly from customers who hadn't read mail the company had sent and didn't know the change was coming, Rockenwagner said. Typically, customers wanted to know where to find their favorite programs.
...

it's beefing up its five Southern California customer service centers and one in Colorado Springs, Colo., to handle more complaints and help requests. The company recently added 350 agents to its force of 1,200 and plans to add 150 more.

Its mostly the vast amount of calls coming in asking where channels are and complaints from people who don't read their mail that is swamping the call centers. Its better to spread out the changes and let the call centers catch up before hitting another 400,000 subscribers (and thats about 1 million people) with the changes.

This same thing happened when I worked for a cable operators (CommuniCom in Hollywood-Wilshire) when we changed around channels on our 36 channel system (I know that dates me). 25% of the people just can't be reached (or don't bother to read) with notices in the mail, so they call. L.A. always responds this way, more so than in other markets.

cvbcvb

11-12-06, 04:35 AM

Its more than just the MAC ID, it is also the descrambling hardware contained inside the box that the cable ops don't want sold on the open market. Descrambling is handled inside the CableCard, that is owned by the cable ops.

So if I bought one of the Motorola 6416’s on the “open market” are you saying it will not include the descrambling hardware necessary to work with TW in Santa Monica?

TIA,

CVB

anilanne

11-12-06, 04:46 AM

Kracko

11-12-06, 12:34 PM

So if I bought one of the Motorola 6416’s on the “open market” are you saying it will not include the descrambling hardware necessary to work with TW in Santa Monica?

TIA,

CVB

If you're going to buy an HD DVR, why not just buy a Tivo Series 3?

almahix

11-12-06, 02:27 PM

If you're going to buy an HD DVR, why not just buy a Tivo Series 3?
Interesting that you should bring up the Series 3. I am a long time Tivo user, with 2 in service upstairs and the 3rd back in the box since I bought a HDTV and got the Moxi downstairs. I would love to dump the Moxi!

I have been pondering the S3, and had it not been for the outlandish price tag I might already have one, despite the absence of the Tivo2Go and sharing program capability. But now I'm reading that cable operators may be introducing switched video, or whatever it is called, to improve bandwidth. The current crop of cable cards is not going to work with that if and when it comes about, and the S3 won't be capable of using the next type of cable cards which will.

What do do, what to do..

dagware

11-12-06, 05:47 PM

Interesting that you should bring up the Series 3. I am a long time Tivo user, with 2 in service upstairs and the 3rd back in the box since I bought a HDTV and got the Moxi downstairs. I would love to dump the Moxi!

I have been pondering the S3, and had it not been for the outlandish price tag I might already have one, despite the absence of the Tivo2Go and sharing program capability. But now I'm reading that cable operators may be introducing switched video, or whatever it is called, to improve bandwidth. The current crop of cable cards is not going to work with that if and when it comes about, and the S3 won't be capable of using the next type of cable cards which will.

What do do, what to do..
Regarding Switched Video: The thing that strikes me about this technology is that it only makes sense for the cable companies to do this with channels that aren't watched all that frequently, as well as VOD and PPV (I *think*). Since VOD and PPV aren't possible with the Series 3, you may want to decide if you're likely to want to record things from channels that aren't all that popular. That might help you make a decision.

OTOH, I could be wrong. :p

-Dan

twelvepbrs

11-12-06, 06:24 PM

Yes, I called their tech support complaining about the exact same issue, because I wanted to the see the SC game on the HD special events channel. I was told that they have to send some tech repair guy to come see if something is wrong with my service. I told them that there is nothing wrong with my service and that its on their end. Either way, the guy is scheduled to come and fix it, so we'll see how that goes.
That sounds excellent, i'm sure the tech will show up when something is actually scheduled to be on FSH-HD, call them back and tell them they're idiots, i've been watching FSN-HD off and on since around May (all MLB until college football got started), however TW's system checks to see if there's HD content coming from FSN is quite flawed, and they don't bother to try to figure out when something will actually be in HD (it doesn't help that FSN doesnt list the college football games on their HD schedule http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSWest), they did actually show the USC-Oregon game, but it wasnt listed in the guide (i was worried they werent going to show it, at least they got around to listing NBA and NHL games in the guide, hopefully by baseball season they'll actually have the guide fixed) i'm curious to see how they'll carry the HD games from the MLB Extra Innings package although i might not stick with TW that long, but last year it took them like two months (and a phone-call every couple days) to start carrying the games

jasonvr

11-12-06, 07:15 PM

That sounds excellent, i'm sure the tech will show up when something is actually scheduled to be on FSH-HD, call them back and tell them they're idiots, i've been watching FSN-HD off and on since around May (all MLB until college football got started), however TW's system checks to see if there's HD content coming from FSN is quite flawed, and they don't bother to try to figure out when something will actually be in HD (it doesn't help that FSN doesnt list the college football games on their HD schedule http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSWest), they did actually show the USC-Oregon game, but it wasnt listed in the guide (i was worried they werent going to show it, at least they got around to listing NBA and NHL games in the guide, hopefully by baseball season they'll actually have the guide fixed) i'm curious to see how they'll carry the HD games from the MLB Extra Innings package although i might not stick with TW that long, but last year it took them like two months (and a phone-call every couple days) to start carrying the games

Does your HD Special Events channel show up as such (and not HD Pay Per View) in your channel guide? From the sounds of it, you are in an area that has always been TWC (since you've been watching for 2 months) which may explain why your service is behaving "properly", if you can call having to harass TWC for content "properly" :rolleyes:

cvbcvb

11-13-06, 04:19 AM

If you're going to buy an HD DVR, why not just buy a Tivo Series 3?

Because it’s:

- Very Expensive
- Requires a TIVO Monthly Subscription
- Can’t record PPV and VOD
- No Firewire Out

CVB

bgooch

11-13-06, 03:47 PM

Customer Disservice
By Catherine Seipp
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDNmOWVkZTE2MDY4N2E3YmQwOWM3MTM2YjQ1ZWE4Mjg=

(Excerpt) My worst experience lately though was with Time/Warner Cable. Even though all my friends have suggested I switch to satellite TV, largely out of habit I made an appointment for the cable guy to come and “upgrade” my cable TV service to digital. The appointment was from 5 to 7 P.M., and I was careful not to leave the house during that time for even a minute. But at 6 P.M. I picked up a 5:55 P.M. voice mail message from the cable technician saying that he was sorry I wasn’t home and to call and reschedule.

Not only had I been home, I hadn’t even stepped more than a few yards away from my front door! What happened was the same situation when I had to make four appointments for the phone company to come and fix the static on my phone line recently: Time/Warner now has what they term a “pre-call” policy, which means the technician is no longer expected to peel the seat of his pants from his truck upholstery and actually walk to the door and ring the bell. Not even when lights are clearly on in the house, and cars are in the driveway, indicating that indeed someone is home.

Instead he now can just lazily call from his cell phone. If you’re on the phone with someone else just then, or you don’t hear the ring and the call goes to voice mail, too bad. He’s allowed to just assume you’re not home and drive merrily away.

So that’s why, even though I’ve been a loyal cable TV customer for years, I plan to try satellite TV rather than reschedule with Time/Warner cable.

twelvepbrs

11-13-06, 04:18 PM

Does your HD Special Events channel show up as such (and not HD Pay Per View) in your channel guide? From the sounds of it, you are in an area that has always been TWC (since you've been watching for 2 months) which may explain why your service is behaving "properly", if you can call having to harass TWC for content "properly" :rolleyes:
it shows up as "Events" but before our change over the name would change every once in a while

SPDICKEY

11-13-06, 05:15 PM

If you’re on the phone with someone else just then, or you don’t hear the ring and the call goes to voice mail, too bad. He’s allowed to just assume you’re not home and drive merrily away.

So that’s why, even though I’ve been a loyal cable TV customer for years, I plan to try satellite TV rather than reschedule with Time/Warner cable.

If the Cable Guy can't find you home by telephone during the time you said you would be home, he will cancel your call and go on to the next customer who is home. Verifying that you are home before he drives out there is common in many service industries, including satellite installers. And remember you will pay to fix your dish system if it goes out, including repositioning that dish if the wind should knock it out of alignment, or the dog chews the cable.

stuckinla

11-13-06, 05:58 PM

Yes, I called their tech support complaining about the exact same issue, because I wanted to the see the SC game on the HD special events channel. I was told that they have to send some tech repair guy to come see if something is wrong with my service. I told them that there is nothing wrong with my service and that its on their end. Either way, the guy is scheduled to come and fix it, so we'll see how that goes.

Let us know how it goes with the tech guy.

They offered to send someone to me as well, but I'm almost 99% sure he would just come and stare at my TV for a bit and maybe unplug the box, turn it back on, jump on his walkie talkie cell phone, wait... wait...reset the box.... maybe even go outside "to check the wiring", come back in, go on his walkie talkie, spit out some numbers to the walkie talkie, then even go as far as offer a new box, then after an hour or so, he'll say that cust service told him its not the box or the wiring, and that an issue with the channel lineup ... give it a couple of days and if its not fixed, Call back and wait on hold for 45 minutes and schedule another appointment for him to come back and perform the same routine.

Oh, and im not bitter.

bgooch

11-13-06, 06:03 PM

If a subscriber is not advised the appointment they are scheduling is subject to cancellation and to expect a pre-call to confirm someone is home, and then the appointment is canceled because someone didn't answer the phone - that is bad customer service.

Calling five minutes before the two hour appointment window is about to expire to tell the subscriber it will be at least another hour before the technician can make it to your house - is also bad customer service.

Needing to reschedule the appointment after the technician arrived just moments before the two hour window is set to expire without a replacement cable box, after the subscriber went to great lengths with customer service to describe the problems with the cable box - is bad customer service.

anybody considering satellite TV might be interested in also purchasing the DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN for just $5.99 a month. (http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=900030)

rovision

11-14-06, 10:53 AM

Since yesterday I've lost my INHD channels, all 4 of them. Also, for the past 2 weeks or more, they weren't updated with the programming schedule.
Called the local TW office, after about 20' of waiting was able to get through a rep.

Checking my account, he noticed that for whatever reason, they changed the "coding" of my account, and this loss would be a repercussion of this change. "OK, how can we get them back? "

He basically told me that it wouldn't be possible, since TW has these "new channel lineups" that don't match my older Adelphia packages. When I insisted that this is not my fault and I'm paying extra for these channels, he tried to walk me through a reboot "sometime the channels come back!"

He also offered to re-align my channels according to the new TW lineup, even if this is not officially implemented yet! Actually, today was the date that they "promised" that the new lineup will take place! I mean, this was the second "promised" date!

From his remarks it was clear that they are NOT ready yet to deploy this new lineup as of today! [ East Ventura Co.]

I was running out of time, so the issue remains unsolved as of this morning. Will try to get in touch with them again later today.

Video Engineer

11-14-06, 12:30 PM

twelvepbrs

11-14-06, 02:35 PM

Chase265

11-14-06, 03:24 PM

I called CSR twice..and both times i got different answers. One said the change to Time Warner for my Brea area would be this week, and the other said it was sometime in December with no specific date. On top of that, I got different prices both times for my equivalent package with Adelphia for after the switch.

Do they bother training these people with the same information...

SirJW

11-14-06, 11:29 PM

barrnet

11-15-06, 02:19 AM

Right now I have Moxi and want to get the Moto 6416 so I’ll have more hard drive space for recording shows. Anyone who has had both boxes can you tell me the Pros and Cons before I ask for the change?

Hi SirJW,
Here's my experience after having the 6416 for two months. The Moxi cons for us was the noisy fan in a previously slient bedroom, slow response times with the UI, not so great SD quality and small hard drive.
All those were eliminated with the 6416. All's great now, right? Not so fast.
The 6416 has been quirky beyond belief. Of course, TW gives you no documentation other than a booklet for the remote control that's pretty useless. Here's an invaluable resource: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_use_a_Motorola_DVR

There is a "Power" button that I read only controls the signal to the tv, the unit itself stays on. There are times when turning it on there's a blank screen. One has to access the DVR menu, play a recorded show and then Exit to the tuner to get a live show. If a show is recording when you turn the unit on, the Mute function from the 6416 is active and you get no sound. So it's been recommended to just leave it on all the time. Programming it to record two shows at the same time is very tricky. Oh yes, I get 3 Daily Shows a day, even though "First Run Only" has been selected in Series Options.

The above website has directions for programming a 30 second skip command. A way to program a dedicated DVR mute/un-mute button and a tuner-swap button to facilitate recording two shows at once. I've had trouble getting the TW remote to do the mute/un-mute trick; but the others work fine.

I'm a pretty geeky computer-savvy guy and it's been bumpy transition. I'm open to suggestions if other 6416 users would like to enlighten me with other workarounds or let me know what I'm doing wrong.
I do hope you have an easier time, if you make the switch. The picture quality is excellent.
Best regards,
Barry

SirJW

11-15-06, 03:16 AM

Barry, thanks for your quick reply. How many HD hours can you record?

DSperber

11-15-06, 03:27 AM

Barry, thanks for your quick reply. How many HD hours can you record?Depending on the program, and bitrate transmitted by the network, HD typically takes 6-7GB/hour of show.

So the 6412 (120GB) capacity is around 18-19 hours of HD (usually about 5% used per hour of HD recording, after the first one and its special overhead).

By deduction, the 6416 (160GB) would have around 25 hours or thereabouts of HD recording capacity.

DSperber

11-15-06, 03:50 AM

There is a "Power" button that I read only controls the signal to the tv, the unit itself stays on.True, but the "30 minute buffering" (to hard drive) of content from both of the tuners is also inhibited in this state since both tuners are inactive when the box is powered off. If you leave the DVR powered on forever, the hard drives are being used continually... forever.

There are times when turning it on there's a blank screen. One has to access the DVR menu, play a recorded show and then Exit to the tuner to get a live show.This is an anomaly, and is a "should not occur" symptom. No real explanation for why it starts happening other than bugs in the software.

I've had it maybe once or twice in the 2 1/2 years I've owned my 6412-II, and in both cases it never went away once it started happening. I had to use your workaround technique as a "solution".

But the real fix is just to pull the power plug on the box, let it rest for a minute (to reset), and then plug it back in (and wait 2-3 days for the Guide to re-populate!). This cold power reset definitely "repairs" the problem, whatever caused it in the first place. It should not occur again (at least it shouldn't).

If a show is recording when you turn the unit on, the Mute function from the 6416 is active and you get no sound. So it's been recommended to just leave it on all the time.More effective solution, as you point out below, is to program the "mute/un-mute" function to an unused button on the remote. I personally don't like to leave electronic devices with moving parts powered on forever if I don't have to.

Programming it to record two shows at the same time is very tricky.Can you be more specific?

All you have to do is look at the Guide, navigate to the proper cell where the show is that you want to record, and press OK/Select to begin the recording dialog (easily completed with a few more navigates and clicks of OK/Select). You can repeat the process and set up a recording for a second show at the same time. No problem.

Only problem is if you want to record THREE programs at the same time (you can't), or if a show (like is common on ABC) runs an extra minute or two (seems intentional, specifically to defeat DVR's and require you to choose their program as a priority) and thus runs into the next hour when two other shows are also desired to be recorded (thus effectively requiring THREE shows at once, which is impossible... thus requiring you to "compromise" somehow). But this isn't the fault of the 64xx... it's caused by the networks who pull this crap.

The use of the programmed "SWAP" button to swap tuners (bringing the other tuner to the "foreground" and in control of what data gets sent to the HDTV and out the firewire port) is only needed for that purpose. It does not affect the ability to set or perform two recordings at once, nor is it necessary in order to set that second recording event. When the time arrives for either or both tuners to start recording something, the DVR will use one or both of the available tuners as it sees fit. By default, the "background" tuner is always selected for one recording if the unit is powered on so as to give you full freedom to continue watching whatever you're watching through the "foreground" tuner (even if it happens to be the same channel as what was scheduled to be recorded). The "foreground" tuner is only required if you have two programs scheduled to be recorded at the same time, in which case the DVR has no choice (although I believe it will offer you the option of changing channels to begin your programmed recording or not, thereby indicating you want to cancel one of your scheduled recordings, if you're currently tuned to some other channel when both tuners are needed for previously scheduled recording two shows at once).

Also, if two recordings are going on at the same time, you can use "SWAP" unrestricted to flip what appears on your HDTV/firewire without affecting the two ongoing recordings. Similarly, during this 2-tuners-recording state you can also watch a third program from your recordings list by pushing the MyDVR button (while watching the content of either actively recording tuner) and selecting a program from the list, and then pushing OK/Select to begin the play dialog. Now you're watching a third independent recording (which might even be the beginning of either show currently being recorded by your two "live" tuners), again totally independent of what's being recorded by the two tuners (and which are totally unbothered by your watching of some recorded content and which will continue to record as they have been instructed).

Oh yes, I get 3 Daily Shows a day, even though "First Run Only" has been selected in Series Options.Blame TV Guide who delivers the Guide info upon which the DVR software is based. If the Guide data says "(new)" for all three occurrences (which they do!!!), even if we both know they are re-broadcasts of an earlier genuinely new first-time-this-day presentation, the DVR can't tell that they are not new. You have the same result on HBO/SHO series that show multiple times throughout the week. They will all get scheduled to record.

As irritating as it might be to deal with this, you have four "solutions" available (lacking a TV Guide data enhancement to address this, such as a new "truly first-run" flag): (1) continue to let the DVR record the extra shows and just delete them manually the next day when you finally get around to watching TV, or (2) go into your Scheduled Recordings each day and mark the extraneous scheduled recordings as "do not record this program", or (3) go into the Guide each week or two and run through COM for Monday through Thursday of each week, pushing OK/Select (and performing the recording dialog) on the one and only time each day you want your recording to occur (4) set up a "manual recording" for COM channel at the allotted first-run time for :30 each day Monday through Thursday.

The third method has the advantage of getting recording list entries which show "The Daily Show". This method also must be performed every week or two, in order to schedule the complete set of "one-shot" recordings, but as you're going through the Guide you can see when a show is a true "repeat" (for a week or two) and thus you don't have to set it up to record.

The last method has the downside of not showing up in your recordings list as "The Daily Show", but rather as its date/time/channel (like an old VCR recording). But this method only has to be programmed once, and lasts forever, though it will pick up true repeats which is undesirable.

I personally use method (3) when dealing with HBO and SHO series (e.g. to record the first Friday or Sunday or Monday showings only). Manual though it may be, it is the least annoying approach and results in a named entry in the recording list.

Sorry... there's no silver bullet on this one until TV Guide adds "truly first-run" to their INFO descriptions.

DSperber

11-15-06, 04:11 AM

Right now I have Moxi and want to get the Moto 6416 so I’ll have more hard drive space for recording shows. Anyone who has had both boxes can you tell me the Pros and Cons before I ask for the change?Biggest PRO for the 64xx box: an active 1394/firewire output port for archiving DVR recordings to D-VHS tape if that's important to you, if you want to develop a D-VHS tape library of HD content or even just to temporarily unload some recorded HD content to D-VHS for timeshifting/viewing at some later date... if you are running low on HD capacity and can't watch enough right now to clean things out.

rovision

11-15-06, 10:24 AM

Since yesterday I've lost my INHD channels, all 4 of them. Also, for the past 2 weeks or more, they weren't updated with the programming schedule.
Called the local TW office, after about 20' of waiting was able to get through a rep.

Well, surprise, surprise, TW did actually deploy the new channel lineup as promised, yesterday! I've got all my channels back as well. [E.Ventura Co.]

DJRobX

11-15-06, 10:27 AM

If you're going to buy an HD DVR, why not just buy a Tivo Series 3?I bought my mother a nice shiny new TiVo series 3 for her birthday. It's been useless for over two weeks now because TiVo refuses to update the lineup to match TWC's changes. I've emailed TiVo's lineup support but nothing gets done.

sakaike

11-15-06, 12:35 PM

The channel The channel re-alignment was successful today in The South Bay and the new tiers are up and running but I had to call and get the new price package in order to for Universal HD to work for me.

Right now I have Moxi and want to get the Moto 6416 so I’ll have more hard drive space for recording shows. Anyone who has had both boxes can you tell me the Pros and Cons before I ask for the change?
Can you tell me where in the South Bay you're located? I'm in North Redondo Beach (zip 90278), and called today to add the HD-Plus Tier (to get ESPN-HD), and was informed that that service is not yet available in my area. The guy said "maybe by the end of the year."

I'm wondering if this is true, or if I got a stupid CSR and should call and wait on hold for an hour again to get a better rep. Thanks!

SirJW

11-15-06, 01:56 PM

I'm in Hermosa Beach. We've had ESPN-HD & ESPN2-HD from Adelphia before TWC took over this past summer. TNT-HD was added a few days after the merge last summer and we got Universal HD last night only by changing the service plan.

I do recall Redondo Beach had always been a separate system from Hermosa and Manhattan Beaches during the Adelphia days but I thought TWC had combined them. Good Luck.

gotmoxi

11-15-06, 01:57 PM

Well, surprise, surprise, TW did actually deploy the new channel lineup as promised, yesterday! I've got all my channels back as well. [E.Ventura Co.]

Lucky you, We (Oxnard) were supposed to cut over to RoadRunner Internet on November 8 and they sent a fly-er in the mail on the 9th saying it was delayed until further notice. Our TV re-alignment was scheduled for November 14th and on the 14th I was left a Voice-Mail message saying it will now happen on January 23, 2007 (This is the second delay for that as well). I am glad to see that TWC is living up to there seamless transition (NOT).

SirJW

11-15-06, 02:01 PM

Digital Puppy

11-15-06, 04:13 PM

I'm in Inglewood (90305) and just got off the phone to see when my channel lineup is supposed to change. The CSR said December 5th for me. Since I've already "switched" over to RoadRunner internet cable as well as the TWC pricing tier for TV, the CSR told me that there is no action for me to take until then. We'll see.

almahix

11-15-06, 09:29 PM

almahix

11-15-06, 09:33 PM

Well looks like Camarillo switched over to the new channel lineup. I called TW this morning to see about adding HDNET, ESPN HD etc as part of the HD plus tier and was told they couldn't because they had not been given the proper code to put in their computers.

I was originally told that we (the original Ventura County GTE Americast) aren't getting those additional HD channels yet. I'd be pleased to see them activated in the near term but I don't have a lot of confidence in Time Warner, though I'd love to see them prove me wrong!

barrnet

11-16-06, 02:42 AM

for your detailed response. It has made me concentrate on how to solve these issues and I have made progress. Here's an update.
Blank screen on start-up.
But the real fix is just to pull the power plug on the box, let it rest for a minute (to reset), and then plug it back in (and wait 2-3 days for the Guide to re-populate!).
I will give this a try.

DVR mutes tv when turned-on while recording.
More effective solution, as you point out below, is to program the "mute/un-mute" function to an unused button on the remote. I personally don't like to leave electronic devices with moving parts powered on forever if I don't have to.
What now works is using Method 4 - Disable Volume Lock (Atlas 5 DVR Remote) on the Wikibooks page. I can now press the CBL button to un-Mute the box. and press the TV button for normal use.

...or if a show (like is common on ABC) runs an extra minute or two (seems intentional, specifically to defeat DVR's and require you to choose their program as a priority) and thus runs into the next hour when two other shows are also desired to be recorded (thus effectively requiring THREE shows at once, which is impossible... thus requiring you to "compromise" somehow). But this isn't the fault of the 64xx...

Can you be more specific? (about recording two shows at once) The use of the programmed "SWAP" button to swap tuners (bringing the other tuner to the "foreground" and in control of what data gets sent to the HDTV... It does not affect the ability to set or perform two recordings at once, nor is it necessary in order to set that second recording event.
"Programming" was the wrong word to use. You're right that's not the problem and possibly the ABC situation you describe above has happened. Here's a better example: I'm watching a live show that I decide to record, press REC (rec shows on the dvr, and it begins recording. Now, I want to change the channel...I get a warning screen: "Your recording is in progress. Changing the channel will stop this recording." There are two options: 1. Cont. recording, don't change the channel. 2. Stop recording and change the channel. That screen has also popped up when two recording times have overlapped.
How can you continue the recording and change the channel without using the Tuner Swap function? That does work and you can then start recording the 2nd channel also.

Sorry... there's no silver bullet on this one until TV Guide adds "truly first-run" to their INFO descriptions.As for multiple recordings of the same show, I just periodically go through and delete, we haven't come close to filling up the dvr yet.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond so thoroughly! Now, if you can get us FSN-HD, KTLA-HD and 6MB RoadRunner speed in W.L.A. you'll really be a miracle worker!
All the best,
Barry

SirJW

11-16-06, 09:45 AM

I live in Camarillo and we cut over yesterday, but my Tivos aren't getting updated, so I ran the guided setup and it went very smoothly on both.

What menu did you go to on the TiVo to do this?

joker77

11-16-06, 10:31 AM

Just recently, my Comcast digital cable service was replaced w/Time Warner. Since this conversion the audio occasionally cuts-off. I can easily bring the audio signal back by changing the channel than changing it back. I can't determine whether this is an issue w/ my PDP or something else. Do you guys think its an incompatiblility issue with Time Warner's digital feed from the box (Motorola 6412 dual tuner DVR) to the unit? Or is this a symptom that the audio channel on the PDP is going out?

sjj148

11-16-06, 11:15 AM

For those of you who have already had the realignment, how long did it take TiVo to adjust to your new system? I have a Series 2 on my SD system and it has not recognized the change even after I’ve reconnected the box w/ TiVo (the box calling the TiVo home base).

Tivo is creating a new lineup called Digital Rebuild Extended. I have a series 1 and a series 2 and it was much easier to get the new cable lineup on my series 1 - just pick cable lineup and change. I had to do a reset on the series 2 (twice) because the first time TIVO selected the wrong lineup, well, let's just say the low number channels it asked questions about have the same answer on all the cable lineups, the changes occur in numbers over 100. The trick to choosing the cable lineup myself was to answer no to all the questions, I just guessed at the time, hoping I would finally get to a question that had different answers... what a nuisance since it also made me redo the cable box setup each time.

I had to report the changes myself and it took a week (5 working days) to get it fixed. I pointed them to the TW link, so I don't know if they will be proactive about the changes in other areas, I'm in Sunland/Tujunga.

sakaike

11-16-06, 11:46 AM

What menu did you go to on the TiVo to do this?
From the main Tivo menu, go to Settings. From there, select Restart Tivo. In this submenu, select Repeat Guided Setup. From there, follow the prompts and you should be good to go.

I had the same problems as the original poster, and learned about the need to do this from a thread on the Tivo Community Forums. Worked great.

DSperber

11-16-06, 04:46 PM

Now, if you can get us FSN-HD, KTLA-HD and 6MB RoadRunner speed in W.L.A. you'll really be a miracle worker!Sheepishly, I report that I (as a former Comcast subscriber) have always had KTLA-HD and 6MB internet.

Now back to the DVR...

(1) Regarding solving the MUTE/UN-MUTE need through a button on the remote, I think I follow what approach you used. But personally, for me, I prefer the single-click dedicated button approach, rather than unlocking the MUTE (and VOLUME) buttons from TV and thereby requiring a 2-click method that requires pressing CABLE or TV first, before using MUTE or VOLUME.

Since the buttons down in the PIP area of my silver remote have no current utilization, they're essentially spare buttons. So by allocating one of them (I chose the "+" button on the right) to MUTE/UN-MUTE for the DVR specifically, it now becomes a dedicated button for that purpose and no matter what mode the rest of the remote is in that "+" button still serves to MUTE/UN-MUTE the DVR. Only a single click does the deed.

I feel that the downside of unlocking MUTE and VOLUME from the TV, thereby allowing the TV or CABLE mode button to influence what MUTE and VOLUME control, causes confusion for me... at least I know it did on my sister's 6412-III where VOLUME for the DVR has been facilitated (as it also is on the 6416, I would assume). Frankly, I think line-level audio outputs from the DVR should always be line-level and should not be controlled by a DVR-related volume control. Your external receiver/speakers have their own amplification volume control and that's where that function should be located (in my opinion).

So by placing the remote in TV mode (thus tying MUTE and VOLUME to the TV), you lose other buttons on the remote which are only associated with the DVR and are only functional when the remote is in CABLE mode. Many things now always require two clicks to accomplish, or to guarantee that you're in the right mode before pushing the button you really want to push.

Anyway, maybe my life is simplified because I have a 6412-II and the silver remote.

(2) I now understand what your problem was regarding pushing the REC button to start recording something you were watching, and then wanting to change channels to watch/record something else while the first recording proceeds.

Yes... you're right. This will NOT work unless you first push the SWAP button, but what else would you expect the device to do (other than perhaps offering you a new choice to let you swap tuners through the dialog)? You're watching a channel using the "foreground" tuner, and then you place the "foreground" tuner into record mode by pushing REC. So now that tuner is in use recording. Any button now pushed on the remote must be interpreted as a new request to communicate with that tuner (e.g. maybe you changed your mind and wanted to stop recording)... unless you first SWAP to the "background" tuner (flipping it to be the "foreground" tuner and reverting the currently recording tuner to go into the "background") to indicate to the DVR that you'd like to do a SECOND totally independent thing, using the other non-recording tuner.

This makes perfect sense to me. Your desire to watch something else while the first recording proceeds is just that... a SECOND totally independent thing. That's precisely what the second tuner is for, and all that's required is for you to start talking to it... which is what the SWAP button does.

I think you now fully understand what's going on.

lakings04

11-16-06, 05:16 PM

Being a Moxi user, what is the deal with the 6416's? I have been trying to go back in the threads to see how people are receiving them. Is this a model that TW is replacing only from service calls (broken Moxi's) or can we request this new model in exchange for the Moxi?

Thanks.

I had a Moxi and was told the same thing by TWC. I then set up a service call to have them look at a non-moxi related issue. I hadn't even complained about the MOXI nor expected that it would be switched out. Low and behold the service tech comes to my door holding a 6412 and exchanges it for the MOXI for no reason!

lakings04

11-16-06, 05:26 PM

Two issues with my 6412/Dual Tuner that I need help with.

1) The Moxi had the capability of skipping forward 15 minutes. Does the 6412 have this feature? Can it be programmed into the remote? (I have the black remote).

2) With the Moxi you could record on the fly and change channels (so long as you don't have a second program recording simultaneously). The 6412 will not permit me to change channels when I record on the fly. Is there a setting I need to correct in order to be able to get around this issue?

I have to say, even with all of its shortcomings, the MOXI was more user friendly than the 6412. From a performance standpoint, however, the 6412 seems to be much faster, although I will get the occassional slow down and freezing during channel changes, which was all too common with the MOXI.

pyser

11-16-06, 07:05 PM

i dont think i can put into words just how much i absolutely DESPISE the 6416, compared to the moxi. but ill try.

1 - i hate that it turns my tv on, with that annoying mute deal. yes, i programmed the dedicated unmute button, but whats even worse is when i come home, see the tv is on, start watching something else previously recorded, and then the box turns everything off when its done recording...while i was watching something else entirely.

2 - the guide sucks. i dont care who feeds the info. with moxi, i could record new simpsons - you know, the new one that airs on sunday night. not the 40 freakin other episodes that air a week.

3 - the "all on" button is just a mess. i hit it, sometimes the tv turns on, sometimes the box was already on. then i have to sit there and figure out whats on and whats off, and why my screen is still blank. it takes me way too long to just turn on a cable box and television.

4 - no way to search by actor or keyword. i have the center ice package, and cant just search by a team name (not to mention how much info moxi's gave us with who starred in what, even who directed and produced).

5 - 15 second rewind. twice as long as it needs to be.

6 - no 15 minute jump ahead or jump back. takes forever to jump to a certain point in a recorded show, even fast forwarding or rewinding at 4x speed.

7 - the swap button. funny, the moxi had 2 tuners and could figure out how to switch channels without me having to tell it which tuner to switch with.

8 - cant turn the box off while its recording, leading to all those problems the next morning when i want to just turn the tv on.

9 - the audio drops out frequently when i hit the 15 second rewind on a previously recorded show. only comes back when i turn off the box. sometimes comes back if i switch channels.

10 - ive had the box for a month or so, and it still hasnt downloaded any new firmware updates, even though i know newer versions exist.

11 - the guide takes 48 hours to load. sure was fun when the cable went out on its own 3 days ago, and i still just barely got info back.

for faster menus and a bigger harddrive, i just couldnt give a crap less. i begged TW for the moxi back, but they said no. the remote is clumsy, too (silver), compared to Moxi.

i cant recommend people enough to stay the hell away from this 6412 or 6416 or whatever they want to give you.

it was programmed and designed by retarded monkeys.

pyser

11-16-06, 07:15 PM

and as a nice F you from TW, my cable is out again right now (Silverlake/Los Feliz).

DSperber

11-16-06, 08:40 PM

1) The Moxi had the capability of skipping forward 15 minutes. Does the 6412 have this feature? Can it be programmed into the remote? (I have the black remote). No. There is no similar capability. Sad, but true.

However you can program a 30-second advance function into an unused button, which is useful for skipping past commercial pods (e.g. 6-8 pushes of the button is usually right, followed perhaps by 1-2 15-second rewinds if you overshoot).

Yes, it would be nice if there were a 15-minute or 30-minute or "skip to the end" function, for navigating through a program (e.g. when you're trying to find some place within the program that you want to share with someone)... but there is not.

Of course if you were watching a show previously and stopped somewhere in the middle, a "bookmark" is automatically saved to remember that point. The next time you get back into that recording from the MyDVR selection list, if you use the regular "play/resume" icon (as opposed to "start from the beginning" icon), you will pick up exactly where you left off with no manual intervention required on your part. There's no need to fast-forward/skip to that point from the beginning, since you will not be placed at the beginning on any subsequent replay unless you choose the "start from beginning" icon.

With the Moxi you could record on the fly and change channels (so long as you don't have a second program recording simultaneously). The 6412 will not permit me to change channels when I record on the fly. Is there a setting I need to correct in order to be able to get around this issue? While the "foreground" tuner is doing the recording you asked it to do (when you pushed the REC button while watching a program), you are still watching the output of that tuner on your TV. Any commands or button pushes on the remote are communicating with that "foreground" tuner, so if you want to change channels TO WATCH A SECOND PROGRAM WHILE THE FIRST PROGRAM CONTINUES TO RECORD it is just like you're asking the "foreground" tuner to do something else, other than what it is currently doing. And that it can't do... two things at once. It can record what you previously asked it to record, or it can change channels and let you watch something else, but it (by itself) cannot do TWO things at once.

However that is exactly what the SECOND TUNER in the box is for... to handle your SECOND request, which is to change the channel you're actually watching on TV (through the SECOND tuner instead of the first tuner) while allowing your earlier RECORD request to continue uninterrupted. All that is needed is to activate the second tuner through the SWAP button, bringing that second tuner into the "foreground" and flipping the first tuner (currently handling your earlier RECORD request) into the "background". And now that your second tuner is in charge of the "foreground" you can tune to any channel you want, and can even fire off a second RECORD function if you want... totally independent of what's still going on in the "background" with the first tuner.

Two tuners, two totally independent live-view/record capabilities, called Tuner1 and Tuner 2. You talk to either one through the SWAP button, which toggles which of the two tuners are in the "foreground" and in control of what you see on your DVR display and what you see on your HDTV. It's not one tuner which handles RECORD functions and can also tune to something else you want to watch... it's two totally separate tuners that handle your two separate needs.

This is really exactly like opening two windows in (or two instances of) your web browser on your computer, or opening two windows in your email program, or even two separate program windows, etc., to accomplish different things on your computer. Each of those windows deals with one thing... viewing, playing, composing, whatever. And that's all that single window can do... one thing (yes, I do realize that some programs are more sophisticated than this). Just like each single-function tuner of the DVR.

If you (as the commander of your computer) want to do something else, then open up another window, or start another program! You can now do whatever else you want in the second window, totally independent of whatever's still going on in the first window. Want to go back and forth between windows... navigate through clicks on the taskbar or window edges, just like pushing the SWAP button on the remote for the DVR.

Whichever window has "the focus" (i.e. is in the "foreground"), that's the one you're really talking to (e.g. through the keyboard). But the background windows are still fully functional and active, doing something else.

The two tuners of the DVR work the same way. Use the SWAP button to navigate between them if you want to do two things at once.

lakings04

11-16-06, 08:41 PM

and as a nice F you from TW, my cable is out again right now (Silverlake/Los Feliz).

I feel your pain. I'll give TWC until February to get their act together (which ironically is when my monthly bill is slated to jump from $64 to something like $90). Otherwise, Directv here I come.

lakings04

11-16-06, 08:45 PM

No. There is no similar capability. Sad, but true.

However you can program a 30-second advance function into an unused button, which is useful for skipping past commercial pods (e.g. 6-8 pushes of the button is usually right, followed perhaps by 1-2 15-second rewinds if you overshoot).

Yes, it would be nice if there were a 15-minute or 30-minute or "skip to the end" function, for navigating through a program (e.g. when you're trying to find some place within the program that you want to share with someone)... but there is not.

Of course if you were watching a show previously and stopped somewhere in the middle, a "bookmark" is automatically saved to remember that point. The next time you get back into that recording from the MyDVR selection list, if you use the regular "play/resume" icon (as opposed to "start from the beginning" icon), you will pick up exactly where you left off with no manual intervention required on your part. There's no need to fast-forward/skip to that point from the beginning, since you will not be placed at the beginning on any subsequent replay unless you choose the "start from beginning" icon.

While the "foreground" tuner is doing the recording you asked it to do (when you pushed the REC button while watching a program), you are still watching the output of that tuner on your TV. Any commands or button pushes on the remote are communicating with that "foreground" tuner, so if you want to change channels TO WATCH A SECOND PROGRAM WHILE THE FIRST PROGRAM CONTINUES TO RECORD it is just like you're asking the "foreground" tuner to do something else, other than what it is currently doing. And that it can't do... two things at once. It can record what you previously asked it to record, or it can change channels and let you watch something else, but it (by itself) cannot do TWO things at once.

However that is exactly what the SECOND TUNER in the box is for... to handle your SECOND request, which is to change the channel you're actually watching on TV (through the SECOND tuner instead of the first tuner) while allowing your earlier RECORD request to continue uninterrupted. All that is needed is to activate the second tuner through the SWAP button, bringing that second tuner into the "foreground" and flipping the first tuner (currently handling your earlier RECORD request) into the "background". And now that your second tuner is in charge of the "foreground" you can tune to any channel you want, and can even fire off a second RECORD function if you want... totally independent of what's still going on in the "background" with the first tuner.

Two tuners, two totally independent live-view/record capabilities, called Tuner1 and Tuner 2. You talk to either one through the SWAP button, which toggles which of the two tuners are in the "foreground" and in control of what you see on your DVR display and what you see on your HDTV. It's not one tuner which handles RECORD functions and can also tune to something else you want to watch... it's two totally separate tuners that handle your two separate needs.

This is really exactly like opening two windows in (or two instances of) your web browser on your computer, or opening two windows in your email program, or even two separate program windows, etc., to accomplish different things on your computer. Each of those windows deals with one thing... viewing, playing, composing, whatever. And that's all that single window can do... one thing (yes, I do realize that some programs are more sophisticated than this). Just like each single-function tuner of the DVR.

If you (as the commander of your computer) want to do something else, then open up another window, or start another program! You can now do whatever else you want in the second window, totally independent of whatever's still going on in the first window. Want to go back and forth between windows... navigate through clicks on the taskbar or window edges, just like pushing the SWAP button on the remote for the DVR.

Whichever window has "the focus" (i.e. is in the "foreground"), that's the one you're really talking to (e.g. through the keyboard). But the background windows are still fully functional and active, doing something else.

The two tuners of the DVR work the same way. Use the SWAP button to navigate between them if you want to do two things at once.

-DSperber:

Thanks for the detailed and very helpful response. I'll try out the swap feature tonight.

Thanks again!

jeffs471

11-16-06, 09:24 PM

well my cable has just been plain sucking since the switch. Constant audio dropouts and pixelation on my moxi. Now I read the new DVR is trash too. Great. Hurry up and activate my fios verizon.

DSperber

11-16-06, 09:43 PM

1 - i hate that it turns my tv onMy guess is that you have your TV plugged into the back of your DVR. This is obviously inappropriate for your needs. Why not plug your TV into the wall directly, making it thereby immune to whatever state your DVR is in?

Or, why not configure the DVR to have the AC power socket as "unswitched"? Did you know that the AC power outlet can be configured as a switched or unswitched outlet?

To set the AC power outlet to "unswitched", press the MENU button on the remote twice, to enter the MAIN MENU. Then navigate to the "SETUP" icon and push OK/Select. Then navigate to "CABLE BOX SETUP" and push OK/Select. The resulting display will have an "AC OUTLET" item, with choices of "UNSWITCHED" or "SWITCHED". Navigate to "UNSWITCHED" and push OK/Select. Then EXIT, and you should have what you want... an unswitched AC power outlet so that your TV (presumably still plugged in to the DVR's power socket) remains powered on or off independently of the DVR.

with that annoying mute deal. yes, i programmed the dedicated unmute buttonCan't solve this for you other than what you've already done. That's the way Motorola/TVGuide programmed the box, and that's what we have to live with.

Like you, I certainly cannot justify why waking up the DVR (from power-off state) to do a timer recording has anything to do with why its audio state should be "MUTE" at this time, nor would I have designed it that way had I been in charge. Nor can I even rationalize why this "feature" might make sense to someone, but it's too late now.

Just use your new MUTE/UN-MUTE button if you need to and let's move on.

but whats even worse is when i come home, see the tv is on, start watching something else previously recorded, and then the box turns everything off when its done recording...while i was watching something else entirely.This is because the box was in a power-off state when the timer recording awakened it... but only for the amount of time it needs to be awake to complete the recording. It just happens that it has a second (and actually third) tuner in it, which can also be used to watch other things while the DVR is in this "semi-alert" state and primarily involved with your timer recording.

This is like what a regular VCR does when it wakes up for a timer recording, and allows you to watch what's being recorded (although generally every other button on the face of the VCR is totally disabled during this timer-recording state, so as to guarantee you will not accidentally changes channels on its tuner or push some other button which might lose your timer recording). Once the timer event completes the VCR powers itself off and shuts down all audio/video outputs, even if you wanted to keep watching the channel that happened to be displayed during the recording.

I don't think of this as a major inconvenience (though it is a surprise the first time this happens, since you think the mere fact that you advised the DVR you were present by pushing buttons on the remote should perhaps have inhibited the device from powering itself back to sleep at the completion of the timer recording) but rather only as a very minor annoyance that only happens on those rare occasions when you pop in during a timer recording and want to watch something else, and are actually watching something that doesn't end coincident with the end of the timer recording (when the DVR goes back to sleep).

So just leave the DVR all the time, and this will not happen. If this happens so often that you're constantly fuming, don't turn the DVR off and you'll never see this symptom since it will never be sleeping when the next timer event arrives.

NOTE: if you are in this situation of watching something else from your MyDVR recordings list in the "foreground" while a timer recording is going on in the "background" and the DVR had powered itself on from sleep state in order to perform the timer recording, when the DVR does power itself off at the end of the timer recording (thereby interrupting your watching of the MyDVR recording which had been going on in the "foreground" during this time), a "bookmark" will automatically be placed where you were on the recording you were watching before the DVR powers off. So if you then (with much exasperation) power the DVR back on again in order to continue watching that recorded program which you were just watching and which was just interrupted by the DVR's powering itself off, if you use the "play/resume" icon and OK/Select you will automatically be restarted exactly at the point of the power-off interruption, exactly at the point in that program you were last at. At least this is a "graceful recovery" that is painless to you, other than obviously having to push the power on button on the DVR and navigate through MyDVR again.

2 - the guide sucks. i dont care who feeds the info. with moxi, i could record new simpsons - you know, the new one that airs on sunday night. not the 40 freakin other episodes that air a week.Agreed, that this is juvenile.

But until and unless that Guide data is changed to indicate "truly first run of the week/day" and not just "(new)", there's no way the software can pick out your one Sunday night premiere of Sopranos or Simpsons or anything else.

3 - the "all on" button is just a mess. i hit it, sometimes the tv turns on, sometimes the box was already on. then i have to sit there and figure out whats on and whats off, and why my screen is still blank. it takes me way too long to just turn on a cable box and television. The "all on" button has absolutely no idea what state all of the devices it's trying to address are in. They could be ON or OFF at this moment, and the remote has no idea.

The remote simply sends out the proper IR version of "POWER" command, which is interpreted by all IR-sensitive devices as a "power on/off toggle" command. Whatever state they're in, they change to the other state. Period. End of story. There is no "POWER ON" or "POWER OFF" IR-command, nor is there any difference in the IR command sent out by the "all on" button if it is pressed repeatedly. Each time it is pressed the identical IR command is sent: "power on/off toggle". It's not the fault of the "all on" button that you have some of your devices on while the others are off, and that all of these devices simply "toggle" their power state in response to the IR "toggle" command... perhaps then placing some of them in exactly the opposite state you now want, namely all on or all off.

I have addressed this issue myself by never using the "all on" button. I simply push the remote's CABLE button and then POWER, and then the TV button and then POWER, if either of those devices is currently off and needs to be powered on. I deal with this problem through this very simple "manual solution" of powering on the two devices as needed, with two pairs of two-pushes. Hardly the end of the world.

Again... this is not the fault of "all on". It is because you decided not to keep all of your devices either on or off all at the same time so that each "power on/off toggle" command seems to be accomplishing the wrong result for some devices.

4 - no way to search by actor or keyword. i have the center ice package, and cant just search by a team name (not to mention how much info moxi's gave us with who starred in what, even who directed and produced).Can't argue with you here.

But this particular weakness in software (and possibly the amount of detail provided by the Guide info) is not very meaningful or significant to me, though it obviously is very annoying to you. I only search on titles of programs, with no need to search on sports team names or actor/directors in movies. However I can see how other people would feel strongly about this.

How about a Tivo S3 to solve this need for you? I believe, however, that this solution would bring in its own new set of "deficiencies"... since it, too, is not a MOXI.

5 - 15 second rewind. twice as long as it needs to be.This one sets your hair on fire??? Sorry, but this one is not adjustable. That's the function. Period.

Did you know you can adjust the number of seconds that the on-screen displays appear (such as the fuel-gauge at the bottom of the screen when you push the PLAY button)? Now that particular item IS adjustable, from something like 1-10 seconds.

6 - no 15 minute jump ahead or jump back. takes forever to jump to a certain point in a recorded show, even fast forwarding or rewinding at 4x speed.Agreed. This would be a nice addition, as would "jump to end" (or some number of minutes before the end).

Incidentally, fast-rewind and fast-forward can go at up to 5X speed, not just 4X.

7 - the swap button. funny, the moxi had 2 tuners and could figure out how to switch channels without me having to tell it which tuner to switch with.Well this software (like Windows) can't.

You've got two independent tuners, and the complete set of remote buttons and functions applies to both tuners. There's no built-in "implied switch to the other tuner" that is imputed to any particular button. For example when you push a channel-change button while RECORDING the DVR asks you which you want to do WITH THAT TUNER... change channels or continue recording, but why is that problematic? That makes infinite common sense to me.

Obviously you would like it to have understood that your pushing of the channel-change button means you want it to automatically push the currently recording tuner into the background and bring the other tuner to the foreground, in order to then facilitate your channel change request. But I ask you... what if your other tuner was busy recording at that moment? What would you have the DVR do then? What if the other tuner was previously tuned to a different channel than the recording tuner is tuned to... what channel should be presented in response to your channel-change request?

I submit that "keep it simple" is the RIGHT solution. The box provides two simple-minded single-threaded straight-ahead tuners, with the remote and its buttons dedicated to controlling whichever tuner is in the "foreground" at the moment. Period. No confusion.

You want to do a second thing? Fine. You can. Just SWAP to the other tuner and bring it to the "foreground". If it's recording at the moment you'll have to decide what to do as your solution. If it's on whatever other channel it previously was tuned to, you'll have to re-tune it as your solution. You solve the problems... the tuner is your slave.

I believe that any "intelligent" DVR (i.e. programmers who programmed it, from the designers who created the interface) is simply implementing a "most likely" solution to a problem situation, but one that might not necessarily be 100% correct or acceptable or appropriate depending on the specific situation and the user's goal. And "problem deferral" is inherent in such "best guess" interfaces.

8 - cant turn the box off while its recording, leading to all those problems the next morning when i want to just turn the tv on.You can first push the STOP button to stop the recording, if you really want to stop the recording. Then you will be able to power the box off. If you don't actually want to stop the recording, just forget about it and the box will power itself off when the timer recording is done (assuming it was in sleep-state when the timer event started and it powered itself on to do the recording).

Unlike other DVRs, this box must come out of its power-off "sleep" state in order to perform timer recordings. It does not record while in power-off state.

However I think if you solve your TV power problem by programming the AC Outlet to be "unswitched", you will have many other problems eliminated automatically.

9 - the audio drops out frequently when i hit the 15 second rewind on a previously recorded show. only comes back when i turn off the box. sometimes comes back if i switch channels.Never heard of this problem (i.e. glitch, should-not-occur anomaly, bug, flaw, "feature", etc.) before now.

Are you using HDMI from DVR to HDTV and are you using the TV's speakers (fed through HDMI audio)? Optical output from DVR to your receiver/system? Analog audio output to TV or receiver/stereo system? Perhaps this is an HDMI issue.

10 - ive had the box for a month or so, and it still hasnt downloaded any new firmware updates, even though i know newer versions exist.This is not the box's fault. Your cable company is in 100% complete control over "push" of software/firmware upgrades to the field.

Complain to your cable company, but I suspect you'll get new updates just like everyone else in your area... when your cable provider is ready to do that.

11 - the guide takes 48 hours to load. sure was fun when the cable went out on its own 3 days ago, and i still just barely got info back.I am in 1000% agreement on this one. There is simply no rational explanation why it takes so long to populate the Guide for 2-weeks worth of text data, even with 1000 channels!

Hell, the internet speed to my house is at 6MB (same coax that delivers cable TV)... just figure out how long it might take for 1000 channels and 48 slots per day (at 30 minutes per slot) to populate 1000 characters per slot (super-generous amount of text data per program). Even if uncompressed that would be:

1000 * (48 * 14) * 1000 * (8 bits/char) / 6MB = 896 seconds = 15 minutes... TOPS!

They don't have 1000 channels, and each Guide cell has less than 1000 characters. And chances are any intelligent download approach would truncate all blank characters on the right and not transmit for unused channels, so in the real world we're talking about much less data to be transmitted than even the above formula postulates. Obviously there is NO REASON for a 48-hour time-to-populate.

Programmers and product managers should be embarrassed about this problem.

DSperber

11-16-06, 10:05 PM

Otherwise, Directv here I come.Have you read any of the discussion on HD bitrates and picture quality from D*? You may end up being sorry after going through the pain of changeover.

If HD quality is one of your criteria, I think cable is the best bet at the moment. D* and E* bitrates and high-recompression is a very common complaints of HD watchers on the satellite services.

No solution seems completely free of problems and complaints by its subscribers (e.g. has some channels but not others, more or less expensive, DVR with firewire for archiving to D-VHS or not, etc.), nor do I think FIOS will provide all the perfect answers either (although I, too, am waiting for Verizon to hopefully bring it into my area for TV and Internet).

It's a jungle out there. Let's be careful.

pyser

11-16-06, 10:16 PM

dsperber

thanks for the reply. i know there are certainly ways around all of these issues (namely plugging the tv into the wall, for example), but my point was that NONE of these were issues with the moxi. just give me a moxi with a bigger harddrive, and my world wouldve been perfect.

i didnt even go into other 6416 stuff, like when you are in search menu for too long, and then it freezes, and you have to exit out of everything and start over just to choose a program by title to record.

also, an "all on" button should work absolutely fine in theory, if the box itself didnt keep turning itself on and off. if i turn everything off, when i come back and hit "all on", thats what should happen. a moxi didnt have a power button, and thats really what the 6416 needs. i could care less if that means its buffering on 2 tuner constantly. TW has enough money. give me a new box when it breaks in a few years.

and a tivo s3 is out of the question, unless someone donates one. im not paying $800 or whatever for what i can rent for, what, $15 a month?

im not looking for solutions here. im just very upset about the box switch, and want others to know the drawbacks if they are considering a switch as well.

DSperber

11-16-06, 11:02 PM

thanks for the reply. i know there are certainly ways around all of these issues (namely plugging the tv into the wall, for example)This is not the only solution. As I described above, if you configure your AC Outlet to be "unswitched" then you will have exactly what you want... a TV that is powered on or off only from the TV remote or DVR remote, and not when you power the DVR on or off.

I'm sure from your problem description that your DVR is currently configured to have AC Outlet set as "switched". Change it to "unswitched" and this problem, at least, will go away.

but my point was that NONE of these were issues with the moxi. just give me a moxi with a bigger harddrive, and my world wouldve been perfect.Hey... I could argue the other way too, say from the SA8300 side of the story as well, where they are jumping for joy that there is now a "bookmark" capability to restart the playback of a recording at exactly where you left of when you pushed STOP. The SA8300 does not have that ability, and every time you start watching a recording you have to start at the beginning! You have to use fast-forward to skip over the portion you have previously watched, to get to where you really want to be... unlike what happens with the 64xx where the "bookmark" gets you where you want to restart automatically.

I could argue that the 64xx Guide/DVR interface shows a red "to be recorded" icon when program has been scheduled for recording, whereas the very expensive Tivo S3 does not!

So every alternative device has its pros and cons. Unfortunately, with only one cable company in an area and their providing only a single type of DVR for your location we don't have the ability to evaluate the pros and cons of these potential choices. In fact, we have no choice.

We can only learn to live with it, and make the most of it, and learn how to work around any problems or deficiencies. As for me, the fact that the 64xx has a working 1394/firewire port (while the MOXI does not) makes my choice simple. I MUST have D-VHS archiving, and could not do it with any other DVR at this time.

also, an "all on" button should work absolutely fine in theory, if the box itself didnt keep turning itself on and off.Granted, the "all on" button will only work (even if all external devices are kept on or off together) if the DVR does not on its own take itself out of the network by powering itself off when a timer event completes (if it was in sleep state to begin with when the timer event began).

But if you do power the DVR off when you're not watching, and thereby fully expect it to power itself on and off automatically in order to perform timer recordings knowing full well that this will cause problems later with "all on", why do you insist on using "all on"? Why not just use the other POWER buttons on the remote (i.e. device mode button followed by POWER) for manual on/off of your individual devices?

Or why not just leave the DVR on all the time, as you apparently did with the MOXI which had no POWER button at all anyway?

if i turn everything off, when i come back and hit "all on", thats what should happenAs I described above, there is no "POWER ON" or "POWER OFF" IR command. It is "POWER on/off toggle", reversing the power state of all IR-sensitive devices to which it talks.

To be honest, this "all on" concept is weakly designed, dependent on bunches of assumptions, and primarily intended for those who can't set the clock on their VCR. As you've pointed out, in truth this function cannot work 100% reliably 100% of the time given all of the external variables which might come into play, not to mention the added complication caused by the automatic power on/off of the DVR for timer recordings from sleep state.

Not to be facetious, but I recommend you solve this problem by just not using "all on" at all, thereby avoiding all of the problem situations and hence your complaints about its flawed behavior. Instead I recommend that you just manually power your various devices on and off when you want to with the appropriate individual power on/off buttons on whatever appropriate remotes you have nearby.

Forget "all on". Or, at the very least leave your 6416 on forever and it will never power itself on/off automatically so that at the very least that particular complication will disappear.

a moxi didnt have a power button, and thats really what the 6416 needs. i could care less if that means its buffering on 2 tuner constantly. TW has enough money. give me a new box when it breaks in a few years.Well, then don't turn the 6416 off! Make believe there's no POWER button for it.

What did you do before you had this "all on" feature? You manually turned your TV and audio receiver on/off manually.

im not looking for solutions here. im just very upset about the box switch, and want others to know the drawbacks if they are considering a switch as well.Apparently MOXI users don't have a choice. They are going to be replaced sooner or later.

Be patient, as upcoming in the next year or so will be another global software upgrade (probably into the very 64xx/SA8300 boxes we currently have) for all of us this time, to the new OCAP-compliant infrastructure/headend-independent "answer to all the world's problems". I suspect that at that time we will again be hearing many complaints from users who have become accustomed to what they currently have and don't want to change to what they're again being forced to change to.

And if they take away my 30-second skip, even I will be screaming.

pyser

11-17-06, 12:11 AM

thymej

11-17-06, 01:38 AM

DSperber

11-17-06, 03:17 AM

i think youre getting hung up on the difference in "all on" on moxi vs now. the moxi came with a remote with one power button. it only controlled the television, because the moxi itself never turned off. if it was plugged in, it was on. end of story. always on. absolutely no way to turn it off, except unplug it. so the power button only controlled the tv, or monitor, if you will.Well the designers of the MOXI box decided to leave it on forever, so the rest of their user-interface design was based around that underlying fact. The 64xx boxes were designed under the concept that the DVR could be powered off or left on, and so its user-interface design was based around that underlying fact.

Whether the remote has one power button dedicated to TV, or multiple conceptual power buttons (through a 2-click approach, selecting the device first and then POWER), or even an "all on" (with its quirks and prerequiste assumptions), all of these assumptions about what the remote will look like imply what the user-interface and button-pushing sequences must accomplish.

The remote for the 64xx can control up to three devices (counting the DVR, TV, and AUX) which the MOXI remote cannot. So I would give that feature plus marks for that remote and the MOXI remote minus marks. We can continue in this vein forever, but what we're really discussing is not the DVR itself but the remote, and the user-interface architecture that remote requires. Your complaints regarding power on/off sequences and methodologies all pertain to the remote, which is independent of the DVR itself (as proven by the fact that numerous different remotes have apparently been given out for the Motorola 62xx/64xx/34xx boxes, all of which have slightly different layouts and characteristics).

If you're not happy with the remote that comes with the 64xx (because of its "weak" power on/off design) you might investigate acquiring a 3rd-party remote, say from Harmony. I can't speak firsthand about it but many 64xx owners have written about it on the forum. Perhaps it will better meet your needs as far as turning your equipment on and off.

with the 6416, even if i ignore the all on button, and left the cable on all the time, id have to
1) push "tv"
2) push "power"
3) push "cable"

now, if the cable is off, it turns into:

1) push "cable"
2) push "power"
3) push "tv"
4) push "power"
5) push "cable" again, to control the cable box for all tv viewing.

is it the end of the world? of course not. is it terribly designed? i think so.

bottom line is the 64xx's work. they are functional. but they arent user friendly, and they are extraordinarily badly designed. they've turned a 1 step process (push power) into a 3 step process, or even a 5 step processAgreed, but I wouldn't agree with your assessment that "it's extraordinarily badly designed".

Any remote that purports to support multiple devices must have multiple "mode" keys (to select the device first, in anticipation of using multi-use buttons) or multiple similer dedicated single-device buttons, and then possibly multiple sections of buttons on the remote that are specifically labeled or shaped or organized to make your use of the remote as easy and intuitive as possible. Sometimes buttons have multiple uses, depending on device selected, and sometimes buttons have dedicated assigned purposes no matter what mode is selected. Remote designers have to compromise between a gigantic number of segregated dedicated single-device buttons and common purpose multiple-device buttons whose use must be preceded by a device-select key. This is not something new.

In the case of the 64xx remotes, they support up to three devices (counting DVR), and that means there needs to be a way to indicate to the remote which device you're talking to when you push certain buttons... and POWER in particular is one of those multi-purpose buttons. The MOXI remote was more simple-minded and cannot control as much (and also didn't have to worry about MOXI box on/off state), so its POWER button could be dedicated to the TV and you consider that the "right" way to do things. Yes, it does appear much simpler and more straightforward than the 3-click or 5-click needs of the 6412 remote, but then I feel the 64xx remote to be more "powerful" and don't mind pressing the device button before POWER (as I'd have to do with ANY OTHER MULTI-DEVICE REMOTE as well).

i appreciate your help and your insight, and i certainly know we dont have a choice. but that doesnt mean im gonna sit here and act like this piece of crap box is fine, because any decent programmer should be able to use it for 10 minutes and have a double digit list of fixes that could probably easily be implemented.I'm in agreement with you.

If you look at the "official 6412 w/iGuide" thread (in the HDTV Recorders forum, that goes back several years) you will find that all of us, when we 64xx users around the country first came in contact with the box, could not understand why the programmers who built its interface did what they did and didn't do what Tivo programmers had done. After all... shouldn't all DVR's be exactly like Tivo?

And how in the world could those programmers be so dumb? Didn't they even try out their own invention? Didn't they see the foolishness and clumsiness of some of these controls that they had built? Well of course they must have, so why didn't they fix things to make them "better" or "easier" or "less flawed" or "more Tivo-like"? Who knows? But we're not the programmers, nor did we design the user-interface, nor will we really be able to influence its current state or future evolution (only the cable companies who buy the hardware from Motorola and pay TV Guide or whoever to do the programming can influence the design, perhaps based on subscriber's comments and complaints). So all we can really do is comment and not fix.

Anyway, after a few months of this hysteria and anger in that thread (and you can follow along over that time period, observing when things began to quiet down and people became more familiar with the unit and learned how to use it more effectively and began actually sharing their discoveries) the complaining settled down, and we realized that we simply had bought a certain brand of car... say a Cadillac... which was not another brand of car... say a Mercedes. Both devices are cars, both do the job that any car should do, each car works differently while basically being the same deep down. Yes they smell different, they feel different, they look different, and they have different buttons and controls. But they both have A/C, a sound system, an engine that runs on gasoline, seats in the front and back, a trunk for cargo, carpeting, tinted windows, a transmission, etc. But there's no denying they are DIFFERENT cars, from different companies, and are NOT IDENTICAL!

The difference in the current discussion is that with Cadillac and Mercedes cars we really do have our personal choice in which one to buy, based on our own evaluation of the pros and cons of each offering and our own criteria in deciding what's most important to us since both cars are clearly different. But in the case of these cable companies and DVRs we don't have a choice, so we're stuck with what we have been given and simply must make the best of it.

Yes, all of us can easily come up with perhaps a sizable list of significant complaints of user-interface "deficiencies" (in our own personal opinion), from what we might have designed had we had control. But in any list I think the greatest influence would be based on your own prior experience and what you got used to when using a previous similar device (e.g. either MOXI or Tivo or SA8300 before moving to the 64xx). However in a discussion of each feature and complaint about each device, I'm sure there would be something both good and bad said about everything. Obviously, the manufacturers settled on some final design for whatever reason, and now that's that.

I'm sure the Tivo S3 designers thought they were solving all of the world's HD DVR problems with their new latest and greatest invention, and yet the discussion over on that thread is quite extensive with complaints about bugs and defects and surprisingly overlooked interface techniques that "could have been done better"... whatever "better" means to the author of that post. Clearly, some indication its Guide cell that a timer recording for that program is scheduled seems like the most basic common sense need... and yet it's not there, even on this latest incarnation of the Tivo!

Anyway, enough editorializing. For me, the fact that the 64xx is the only DVR with a working 1394/firewire output makes it undeniably the BEST device available... for my needs. End of story. I would never trade mine even if I had that option, specifically because making D-VHS tapes for my HD library is very important, to me. Consequently I live with all the other pains and nuisances. After all, it's just TV.

alaindelon

11-17-06, 03:40 AM

momusu

11-17-06, 02:02 PM

well my cable has just been plain sucking since the switch... Hurry up and activate my fios verizon.
Mine's been bad too here in wla. Not to mention my email is screwed up.

I also await the verizon fios overlords, but I worry they too will manage to give us plenty to moan about.

dylan24

11-17-06, 02:50 PM

While i'm sure the long involved postings about various Moxi/Dvr issues are interesting and helpful,i humbly suggest that there are specific forums for these topics as this forum is for TW cable subscribers and many of us do not have these dvr's.
True. . . but, I've actually received a lot of good info from DSperber's posts. If someone's not interested, they can choose not to read them, or just pick and choose what parts to read. I appreciate the posts because many of us just got the 6416s and it's a little too unwieldy sometimes to go through all the pages in the specific DVR forums.

Thanks DSperber.

pyser

11-17-06, 03:36 PM

dsperber

our discussion devolved into a remote argument, which wasnt the point. but ill add one more thing:

the reason im having problems with the box at all, and to a further extent the "all on", is not because of a bad remote design, but because the box itself keeps turning itself on and off, when im alseep, or when i get home and start watching something. it all comes back to the box design.

and the car analogy is all well and good, but TW customers dont have much of a choice here, do we? unless you have $800.

anyway, my point to everyone is this: I much prefer the MOXI, and given the choice, would never have switched to a 6416. others who are on the fence about switching boxes, i hope, will take something from my posts, and something from other peoples posts, and make up their minds.

dagware

11-17-06, 04:27 PM

anyway, my point to everyone is this: I much prefer the MOXI, and given the choice, would never have switched to a 6416. others who are on the fence about switching boxes, i hope, will take something from my posts, and something from other peoples posts, and make up their minds.
Don't you just love us HT geeks? When we first get something, we love it. Then we start to notice its warts, and after a while we hate it. Then we move to something else, and wish we had the old thing back. :rolleyes:

Thanks for your posts, by the way (and this is the real reason I'm replying). Often times, the grass is *not* greener on the other side of the fence. After reading your (and other's) posts on the subject, suddenly I'm not as easily aggravated by the Moxi's shortcomings!

-Dan

DSperber

11-17-06, 05:02 PM

the reason im having problems with the box at all, and to a further extent the "all on", is not because of a bad remote design, but because the box itself keeps turning itself on and off, when im alseep, or when i get home and start watching something. it all comes back to the box design.And just one more response to close out this discussion...

I don't see why you don't just leave the 6416 powered on? In that state it will never turn itself off (and on when needed for timer recordings and off again when done) under any conditions (as long as you don't use "all on" on the remote). It will remain on forever, just like the MOXI. So leave it on, and don't use "all on".

If powering it off (an option you never had with the MOXI) wreaks havoc with your viewing habits or power on/off habits with other devices, then why turn it off? If it is on forever, then it will never turn itself off when you get home and start watching something (if it happened to be doing a timer recording from sleep state when you walked in), just like the MOXI. So leave it on.

Yes, there's no denying that because the 6416 remote supports multiple devices through its "soft" POWER button (rather than the single "hard" dedicated TV-POWER button on the MOXI remote that did not influence the rest of its remote's buttons which were dedicated to the DVR) that you are required to first select the device key and then POWER in order to power on/off one of its supported devices (if the remote is not already in the mode of that device).

And there's no denying that this then requires you to push the CABLE device key [last] to get back to the primary use of the remote buttons (thus implying 3 clicks minimum to get things powered on if you do leave the DVR on forever but turn your TV off when not in use, or 4 clicks if you also turn the DVR off when not in use... TV, POWER, CABLE, POWER). No getting around this.

But that's because of the remote (not the 6416, which can be left on forever) and your wanting to use the 6416's remote to power on your TV (admittedly, a convenience to use one remote for two or more devices). What if you picked up your TV's remote to power it on/off, and never used the 6416's remote for anything other than DVR functions?

You never described your setup, and whether you use the VOLUME control on the remote to control your TV's speakers (I'm guessing not, or maybe it's "locked" to the TV and not influenced by the mode of the remote), or whether you have an external receiver/sound system for audio and not controlled by the 6416's remote (I'm guessing yes, but if the VOLUME button is "locked" to the TV that's irrelevant).

But as a compromise solution to the "problem" (for you, not for me who never got used to the MOXI and its remote) I'm suggesting (1) that you use the TV's remote for its power on/off control so that you never have to use the TV+POWER sequence on the 6416's remote, (2) leave the DVR on forever so that it never turns itself on/off when timer recording and you never ever have to use the CABLE+POWER sequence on the 6416's remote.

This will let you leave the 6416's remote in CABLE mode forever, and just forget completely about using any of its POWER buttons. Now you're down to a mere 1 click (on the TV's remote) to power the TV on off just like you were with the MOXI, and the 6416's remote becomes "dedicated" to the 6416 functions, and the 6416 is always on and never turns itself off when you least expect it.

With the exception of requiring the TV's remote for its power on/off, this is pretty much like MOXI behavior. No?

And don't use "all on".

moeronn

11-17-06, 05:25 PM

Whats with CW HD lately:

For the last two weeks, there have been problems with the HD broadcast on the CW. I record Smallville in HD, and the last two weeks there has been a problem with the aspect ratio. On 11-9 Smallville-(Rage) started out okay as 16:9 but close to 2/3rds through the episode, the aspect ratio changed to 4:3 with block bars on top, bottom, left, and right. On 11-16-(Static), the aspect ratio for the whole episode was somewhere between 16:9 and 4:3 and the picture was somewhat squeezed.I have been having problems with CW in SD. TW just sent out the channel line up (which is supposed to be effective 12/7/06) and KTLA HD was noticably absent from the listing. What happened here? It was listed on the web site about amonth ago when I checked online.

BriW

11-17-06, 10:25 PM

Just got the channel change packet for Westchester/Hollywood (& Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, and part of Marina del Rey). The HDnet's and Universal HD aren't listed in the channel listing. At the bottom of the channel list next to those stupid colored dots they have Digital Classic, Digital Plus, and Digital Sports Tiers among others. Then you open the "Important Price and Programming Changes" card and all those are listed under the discontinued header. The channel listing does not say anything about Choice, Variety, Movie, Sports, and HD Plus tiers.

Anybody call and find out if we are still getting the 2 HDnets and Universal HD channels as part of HD plus, not to mention why the shiny new glossy channel list for Westchester/Hollywood doesn't match the new pricing packages? I hate to sit on hold if someone has already got a good answer.

DSperber

11-17-06, 10:58 PM

Just got the channel change packet for Westchester/Hollywood (& Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, and part of Marina del Rey). I got mine today as well.

Not surprisingly, the information sent to us is just as confusing and misleading as the "channel lineup" website was. It fails to make crystal clear that the included "channel lineup" pamphlet (effective December 12 for our areas) is really just the "IF YOU DO NOTHING" channel lineup. Legacy programming is what you'll get, at legacy pricing, if you change nothing and don't make a call to TWC.

However, if you actually do want new channel groups and optional tier pricing, including the HD Plus Tier (which, of course, is not mentioned at all in the "Important Price and Programming Changes" second included pamphlet) you must call TWC and give up your legacy arrangement, and buy into the new TWC configuration/price options. This has been discussed extensively over the past month or two.

Yes... if you want new channels (different from what they showed in the "do nothing" channel lineup pamphlet) you'll have to give up your legacy arrangement and call them to go with a new TWC plan. Then if you choose the HD Plus Tier, the Hollywood/Westchester/Marina old Comcast subscribers can get the following HD channels:

Universal HD •419
HDNet •420
HDNet Movies •421
INHD •422
INHD2 •423
ESPN HD •424

Other "HD Broadcast" and "HD Basic" (i.e. complimentary, no charge I'm guessing) HD channels are:

KCBS HD (CBS) •402
KNBC HD (NBC) •404
KTLA HD (CW) •405
KABC HD (ABC) •407
KTTV HD (FOX) •411
KCET HD (PBS) •412
HD Special Events •413
TNT HD •415
Discovery HD Theater •416

This page (http://www.timewarnerla.com/channellineups/CLUPDFs/WOW/Hollywood_Westchester_WOW.pdf) is where you should go to see the true after December 12 potential channel/group/tier offerings if you decide to give up legacy packages and go with new TWC pricing (if you live in the old Hollywood/Westchester/Marina Comcast areas).

BriW

11-17-06, 11:52 PM

Thanks.
Why didn't I think of that. I've been around for the whole discussion. I guess my brain just didn't accept that they'd screw this up the same way twice. It should have been the first thing I thought of.

We switched to the TW plan when our HD TV got here a few weeks ago.

As I type this the wife is on hold to see what the status of the outage is. Went down at around 8:15 and Las Vegas starts in ten minutes.

Arvy

11-18-06, 12:39 AM

I'm bumping this problem from the HDTV Recorders forum in case someone has an answer for me. The Motorola 6216 firewire port isn't recognized by either of the 2 PCs it was setup and working with about 1-2 weeks ago. I think it happened just after TWC did a reset on the box from the tech center for an unrelated issue. What happenes is CapDVHS doesn't see a connected device. Since both PCs once captured feeds, I believe the STB is to blame and have a serviceperson coming out tomorrow, but I don't hold much hope he/she will have a clue about firewire. Also, under the assupmtion the drivers were corrupted, I went about reinstalling them to no avail since the New Hardware Wizard in XP2 doesn't even see the device. On a last ditch hope, I pulled the STB's plug despite losing all channel listings, but that ddin't help either. Could the STB's firewire ports be fried to a crisp? Is my best bet to demand a replacement box and test it when the serviceperson is here? Am I missing something with the drivers and XP2 like a firewall setting? TIA

taconugget

11-18-06, 04:04 AM

almahix

11-18-06, 12:13 PM

Starting today on NBC HD I can no longer fast forward or rewind with my HDMOXI. I get the following message:

"Operation not available on this channel"

It only happens on this one HD channel, not on any other SD or HD channels? It also happens during any recording on NBCHD as well. Is this something implemented by NBC or is this some bug in the system since the Time Warner takeover??

I am in the Eagle Rock area of the now dead SoCal Adelphia. We are now Time Warner as of a couple weeks ago. NBC is ch 404. can anyone test this out and see if they have the same issue??
I just tried it and got the same result. Who's screwing with us now?

SirJW

11-18-06, 02:19 PM

No FF in Hermosa Beach on NBC-HD on my Moxi for L&O last night...

SirJW

11-18-06, 02:20 PM

FYI for TiVo Customers this is the email I got from them:

Dear Valued TiVo Customer,

Thank you for contacting TiVo’s Channel Lineup Department. To
resolve your channel lineup issue, please complete a small Advanced portion
of the Guided Setup by following these steps:

Go to:

- TiVo Central (by pressing the TiVo button on your TiVo remote)
- Select Messages and Settings
- Select Settings
- Select Channels
- Select Channel List
- Press the ENTER key

You will be prompted to repeat a portion of the Guided Setup. Follow
the onscreen instructions until you get to the screen titled
"Cable/Satellite Channel Lineup".

When you get to the Cable/Satellite Channel Lineup screen, press the
ENTER key on your remote to enter the Advanced Setup (as indicated in
white lettering at the bottom of the screen). You will now see the Select
Cable Lineup screen.

On the Select Cable Lineup screen, select the Digital Rebuild Extended
Basic Lineup. You will be asked to confirm that this is the correct
lineup. Please continue to follow the onscreen instructions to complete
the Guided Setup process.

We suggest that you also revisit the Channel List screen to make sure
that all of the channels you receive are check-marked.

If you have any further questions, comments or concerns, please contact
TiVo Customer Support at 877-367-8486 and refer to case number 5561861.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are
open 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM Pacific time everyday.

Thank you for choosing TiVo!

Best Regards,
TiVo Lineup Specialist

bgooch

11-18-06, 02:25 PM

Re "Glitches hit cable switch," Nov. 11

The Times' exposure of the shoddy service provided by Time Warner Cable is long overdue. Time Warner's promises of better service and picture and more choices are overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge of the telephone service staff, picture breakup and a pricing plan that could have been devised only by a former Internal Revenue Service staffer. Getting through to an operator is impossible. E-mailing the website is a waste of time, as there's no response.

For company spokeswoman Patti Rockenwagner to compare the cable transition to remodeling a kitchen is laughable. At least you can talk to a responsible person when your kitchen is being remodeled to get precise information.

As usual, the cable companies don't seem to care as long as they have a monopoly in an area. Time Warner Cable service is the dream commercial for the dish companies. RON GREGG, Marina del Rey

Thank you for publicly exposing Time Warner Cable's disastrously incompetent takeover of Comcast's cable service. I knew I wasn't alone, but it's some small consolation to see it in print. I have endured days of no Internet service and lost e-mails, and spent countless hours on hold, only to be connected to the wrong department, hung up on or never have the call answered at all, without any offer of compensation of any kind. I will continue to tell everyone I know to avoid Time Warner Cable at all costs. STEPHANIE LOWRY, Culver City

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-le-saturday18.1nov18,1,1445563.story

radiskull

11-18-06, 02:28 PM

Can you tell me where in the South Bay you're located? I'm in North Redondo Beach (zip 90278), and called today to add the HD-Plus Tier (to get ESPN-HD), and was informed that that service is not yet available in my area. The guy said "maybe by the end of the year."

I'm wondering if this is true, or if I got a stupid CSR and should call and wait on hold for an hour again to get a better rep. Thanks!

I'm in the 90278 zip. I just got the HD tier. I'm receiving everything that the promo packet lists except INHD2 and ESPN2 HD. The HD Special Events = FSN HD.

bgooch

11-18-06, 02:29 PM

Time Warner customers irritated
By Jim McLain, jmclain@VenturaCountyStar.com
November 18, 2006
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/business/article/0,1375,VCS_128_5152965,00.html

Many upset several channels moved to digital service only, Internet issues

Steve Morsa of Newbury Park was peeved when he demanded Time Warner Cable send someone over immediately this week to change his TV service.

He did it shortly after learning five channels were moving to the digital tier and a customer service representative told him, apparently incorrectly, that his monthly bill would soon be $10 more.

"They're moving five channels to digital, then it looked like they were going to boost the price on that second level of analog from $39 to about $49," said Morsa. "For me, to take away five channels plus that $10, it just wasn't worth it. Given how low priced the basic system is, that meets our needs."

Morsa, a real estate broker, pays $12.80 per month now for Time Warner's basic service, which provides about 30 broadcast and public access channels. He'll miss stations like CNN and MSNBC, but he felt Time Warner was pushing him to order digital cable. He didn't like it. Morsa's new service costs $27 a month less than what he had with Adelphia Communications, putting $324 a year back in his wallet.

Morsa's experience is typical of many subscribers as Time Warner moves to integrate its system serving 2.9 million Southern California customers that it inherited in August with the acquisition of cable operations from Adelphia and Comcast Corp., a company spokeswoman said.

Moving popular stations like Animal Planet, Turner Classic Movies, Travel Channel, Speed and C-SPAN 2 to digital cable, as well as problems with converting high-speed Internet users to its Road Runner program, have generated hundreds of angry calls. Phone lines are so jammed that spending 20 minutes or more on hold is not unusual.

The company, with about 173,000 Ventura County subscribers, decided to delay completion of its new service rollout to late January and is offering some discounts to make amends. And officials are promising things will get better.

"We're in a transition phase, where we're essentially remodeling our cable system," Time Warner spokeswoman Patti Rockenwagner said. "While we're going through it, it's cumbersome, but when it's finished you'll get a brand new system with really the products of your dreams."

Not her dreams, said Naomi Stephan, a former professor of German and music who lives in Ojai. C-SPAN 2, a public service channel that covers the U.S. Senate gavel to gavel and offers programs on nonfiction books all weekend, moved to digital Friday. It is one of her favorites.

So is the Classical Arts Channel, scheduled to go digital in December.

"C-SPAN is the one thing you can get where you don't have to hear talking heads screaming at each other," Stephan said. "You can get a non-spun view of things and make up your own mind."

Time Warner tells customers that digital cable is a value offering about 200 channels, twice as many as traditional analog service. It starts at $44.95 per month, Rockenwagner said, less than the $46 monthly charge for analog expanded basic service in Simi Valley and the $50 Ventura viewers pay, but more than Oxnard's $39 monthly bill.

It's no bargain, though, for Kate McDermott, who pays about $15 monthly for cable at Camarillo's Rancho Adolfo Mobile Home Park. What Time Warner isn't forthcoming about, said Stephan, is that digital requires a set top box for each TV set at a cost starting at $5 each.

"That's a little devious," she said.

The company has mailed brochures to all its customers to clearly outline its charges, Rockenwagner said. They are also explained on Time Warner's web site, http://www.timewarnercable.com/socal.

Charges for analog will not be increased, she said.

She said she believes customers who have to pay a little more for digital will like it. Among its features are an interactive program guide that allows people to get details on what movies, sports events or children's programs are playing without channel surfing.

A "Video on Demand" service that can instantly launch any of some 3,000 hours of programming with rewind and forward functions is included.

"It kind of replaces the videotape," she said. "You don't have to have 100 videotapes sitting around. You have shows that are refreshed, that you can look at at your convenience and they're free."

Contractual obligations with programmers and spectrum-space limitations prevent Time Warner from keeping the channels being moved to digital on its analog system, she added.

Matthew McGuire, C-SPAN's account executive, confirmed that, saying its contract allows cable companies to move channels to digital once 70 percent of customers are on that service. It's very likely, he said, that Time Warner met that requirement shortly after the Adelphia merger was completed. He knows, though, that C-SPAN's viewers don't like it.

"We've been getting e-mails and calls about Time Warner from all over Southern California," McGuire said. "We just tell them they'll have to contact Time Warner because there's no reason for us to fight them on it. It's in our contract."

Digital Puppy

11-18-06, 05:31 PM

Time Warner customers irritated

Many upset several channels moved to digital service only, Internet issues

[snip]

Perfect timing on this article....as I type there is a total outage in Inglewood (90305). I can see over the air channel with my Moto box, but it's like watching a snowstorm. Called TW and they said they are aware of the problem (of course) and hope to have things fixed "soon". Whatever. :mad:

joe221

11-18-06, 05:47 PM

Perfect timing on this article....as I type there is a total outage in Inglewood (90305). I can see over the air channel with my Moto box, but it's like watching a snowstorm. Called TW and they said they are aware of the problem (of course) and hope to have things fixed "soon". Whatever. :mad:

The Power of You! They really need to halt those commercials for awhile! :(

bruce73

11-18-06, 06:09 PM

The HD Special Events = FSN HD.
I'm a little confused by this whole FSN-HD thing. Channel 413 finally had a game on today, which I discovered by chance, but it's the first I've seen on it other than the color bars. The FSN-HD schedule on its site didn't list anything for today, so I don't know what's going on. Was this a promotional thing? It clearly listed FSN on the INFO bar.

Bottom line: are we going to be able to see any Lakers/Clippers games on this channel? Are we going to be able to see anything on this channel? And, if so, will be able to know in advance? :rolleyes: :confused:

dylan24

11-18-06, 07:27 PM

I'm a little confused by this whole FSN-HD thing. Channel 413 finally had a game on today, which I discovered by chance, but it's the first I've seen on it other than the color bars. The FSN-HD schedule on its site didn't list anything for today, so I don't know what's going on. Was this a promotional thing? It clearly listed FSN on the INFO bar.

Bottom line: are we going to be able to see any Lakers/Clippers games on this channel? Are we going to be able to see anything on this channel? And, if so, will be able to know in advance? :rolleyes: :confused:
Bruce, your guess is as good as mine. TW probably doesn't know what's going on with this channel. Just out of curiosity, what game did you see on there today? I've been avoiding even clicking to that channel because the last time I did, I lost all picture on all the HD channels (which I was able to "revive" by switching to a standard def channel and then back to the HD channels).

bruce73

11-18-06, 08:19 PM

Hey, Dyan. It was a football game, but I forget now who was playing (I'm a basketball junkie, not football...). The INFO bar just said Off Air/FSN-HD as it always does. Anyway, it was around 11am.

The color bars are broadcast in 420p (or 480i, I'm not sure) not HiDef, which is probably why you have to switch to a SD channel and then back (I output through my Yamaha receiver which does the switching automatically).

Digital Puppy

11-18-06, 08:28 PM

The Power of You! They really need to halt those commercials for awhile! :(
....And, HD is back on just in time for the SC kick-off.......the power of me calling to complain and asking for credit due to loss......

Marc Alexander

11-18-06, 09:33 PM

I'm a little confused by this whole FSN-HD thing. Channel 413 finally had a game on today, which I discovered by chance, but it's the first I've seen on it other than the color bars. The FSN-HD schedule on its site didn't list anything for today, so I don't know what's going on. Was this a promotional thing? It clearly listed FSN on the INFO bar.

Bottom line: are we going to be able to see any Lakers/Clippers games on this channel? Are we going to be able to see anything on this channel? And, if so, will be able to know in advance? :rolleyes: :confused:
FWIW, I've had all the football games on FSN HD this season (but I have always been TWC). Lakers, Kings, and Ducks are also shown here. Here is a link to the schedule (usually updated monthly) - http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSWest

jeffs471

11-19-06, 12:14 AM

No FF in Hermosa Beach on NBC-HD on my Moxi for L&O last night...

no fast forward in camarillo.

Talk about going downhill VERY VERY fast.

markt170

11-19-06, 02:54 AM

Rutgers game was horribly pixilated, so was INHD1, but INHD2; strange.

tenthplanet

11-19-06, 06:36 AM

Whats with CW HD lately:

For the last two weeks, there have been problems with the HD broadcast on the CW. I record Smallville in HD, and the last two weeks there has been a problem with the aspect ratio. On 11-9 Smallville-(Rage) started out okay as 16:9 but close to 2/3rds through the episode, the aspect ratio changed to 4:3 with block bars on top, bottom, left, and right. On 11-16-(Static), the aspect ratio for the whole episode was somewhere between 16:9 and 4:3 and the picture was somewhat squeezed.
There is a problem at the source. I was watching this OTA and noticed the same problem, maybe they hired the same guy who kept forgetting to flip the switch over at NBC. So (for once?) the cable co. is not to blame.

tenthplanet

11-19-06, 06:57 AM

no fast forward in camarillo.

Talk about going downhill VERY VERY fast.

Same problem with Las Vegas Fri night. Being NBC is troublesome OTA as well as cable I suspect the data stream to the Moxi was corrupted. The audio and video were way out of sync also. The fact you can't FF would make one think they don't want us to go through commercials but you can't rewind either and the time bar shows zero. This will shake out, a DVR is a computer that records TV corrupted data in...well you know how it goes.

bryankeithg

11-19-06, 10:41 AM

KCBS HD (CBS) •402
KNBC HD (NBC) •404
KTLA HD (CW) •405
KABC HD (ABC) •407
KTTV HD (FOX) •411
KCET HD (PBS) •412
HD Special Events •413
TNT HD •415
Discovery HD Theater •416

This page (http://www.timewarnerla.com/channellineups/CLUPDFs/WOW/Hollywood_Westchester_WOW.pdf) is where you should go to see the true after December 12 potential channel/group/tier offerings if you decide to give up legacy packages and go with new TWC pricing (if you live in the old Hollywood/Westchester/Marina Comcast areas).

Does anyone know what the channel number is for these HD channels if you don't use the TW set top, if you have a cable ready TV? In Brea.
I found
NBC 404 at 93.501
ABC 407 at 94.504.
Can't find the rest and I have been through all the channels, must have missed them.
Bryan

RudyG

11-19-06, 04:30 PM

Does anyone know what the channel number is for these HD channels if you don't use the TW set top, if you have a cable ready TV? In Brea.
I found
NBC 404 at 93.501
ABC 407 at 94.504.
Can't find the rest and I have been through all the channels, must have missed them.
Bryan

Hey Brian.
Most TVs/Tuners offer an option to do an auto scan or auto program, so that the TV will find all available channels for you. At least at that point in time. Check the manual or simply go through the menus of your unit.

Rudy

Marc Alexander

11-19-06, 04:51 PM

bryankeithg

11-19-06, 07:12 PM

Hey Brian.
Most TVs/Tuners offer an option to do an auto scan or auto program, so that the TV will find all available channels for you. At least at that point in time. Check the manual or simply go through the menus of your unit.

Rudy

Rudy,
I did the autoscan however my Mits finds every channel, even encrypted channels so I have to go through several hundred and delete all the non viewable ones.
Bryan

bryankeithg

11-19-06, 07:15 PM

Every area's QAM lineup will likely be different. Some areas have the locals encrypted. Here is what I have in Garden Grove (unencrypted):

104-84 Fox-411 720p
104-85 ABC-407 720p
105-86 CBS-402 1080i
105-87 KCET-412 1080i
105-88 NBC-404 1080i

Thanks I will check these. Are these what they have been or have you been through a reallignment?
Bryan

dylan24

11-19-06, 07:22 PM

bryankeithg

11-19-06, 07:26 PM

Every area's QAM lineup will likely be different. Some areas have the locals encrypted. Here is what I have in Garden Grove (unencrypted):

104-84 Fox-411 720p
104-85 ABC-407 720p
105-86 CBS-402 1080i
105-87 KCET-412 1080i
105-88 NBC-404 1080i

Marc,
Thanks. None of these are active in Brea. Will post them when I find them.
Bryan

bruce73

11-19-06, 07:33 PM

We'll see if the Laker game is on 413 tonight. The programming info shows that this is scheduled, but I've yet to see anything on 413.
All right, Dylan!! 413 is up and running!! What a treat! Enjoy the game! :D

dylan24

11-19-06, 07:36 PM

Wow, TW did something right!

jasonvr

11-19-06, 07:49 PM

Wow, TW did something right!

Ok, so this proves that Anaheim is totally messed up. My channel 413 still shows HD pay per view, the guide listing says something about NHL, and when I tune to it I get the "You do not subscribe" message (occasionally I tune to it and get color bars). I really don't feel like calling, waiting on hold for 40 minutes and then being told to reboot my box which will do absolutely nothing. I'm annoyed, but not THAT annoyed.

dylan24

11-19-06, 07:59 PM

Ok, so this proves that Anaheim is totally messed up. My channel 413 still shows HD pay per view, the guide listing says something about NHL, and when I tune to it I get the "You do not subscribe" message (occasionally I tune to it and get color bars). I really don't feel like calling, waiting on hold for 40 minutes and then being told to reboot my box which will do absolutely nothing. I'm annoyed, but not THAT annoyed.
jason, I believe the game is also on ESPN-HD.

SirJW

11-19-06, 09:32 PM

Wow! Five total HD games for the month of November for Four LA teams and three are in the same building. Thank You FSW!

SirJW

11-19-06, 09:33 PM

KTLA in HD on TWC? Not in the South Bay.

jasonvr

11-19-06, 10:21 PM

jason, I believe the game is also on ESPN-HD.

Thanks for the heads up. I wasn't planning on watching, but at least I was able to correlate something that others on TWC are getting on HD Special Events/FSN-HD that I was not receiving.

bruce73

11-19-06, 10:54 PM

jason, I believe the game is also on ESPN-HD.
Which is where I ended up watching it with its better PQ and audio. Not to mention not having to listen to Stu (sorry, but he was a lot more tolerable when Chick was around and was the alpha dog :D ).

But...I'm not bitching. It's great to have an alternative HD source.

taconugget

11-20-06, 12:59 AM

Starting today on NBC HD I can no longer fast forward or rewind with my HDMOXI. I get the following message:

"Operation not available on this channel"

It only happens on this one HD channel, not on any other SD or HD channels? It also happens during any recording on NBCHD as well. Is this something implemented by NBC or is this some bug in the system since the Time Warner takeover??

I am in the Eagle Rock area of the now dead SoCal Adelphia. We are now Time Warner as of a couple weeks ago. NBC is ch 404. can anyone test this out and see if they have the same issue??
So now that its apparent that many people are having this problem through socal does anyone know how to resolve the issue? Is this something that NBC controls? or is it a TimeWarner issue?

Any insight would be appreciated.
Calling TW customer Service is useless,
-Brad

anilanne

11-20-06, 01:14 AM

jasonvr

11-20-06, 01:30 AM

channel 413 still shows up as payperview hd, not hd special events, time warner sucks big fat monkey B*LLS

I'm not alone!! :mad:

RudyG

11-20-06, 02:28 AM

Rudy,
I did the autoscan however my Mits finds every channel, even encrypted channels so I have to go through several hundred and delete all the non viewable ones.
Bryan

:( That sounds terrible. I wonder what engeneer thought that this was a good idea? Sorry to hear that. I'm in West LA so my channel numbers will not help you at all. So good luck.

Rudy

Arvy

11-20-06, 01:10 PM

When does the 'all digital - all channels' promise kick in?

Marc Alexander

11-20-06, 02:02 PM

Thanks I will check these. Are these what they have been or have you been through a reallignment?
Bryan
Both...but we have always been TWC.

twelvepbrs

11-20-06, 02:44 PM

FWIW, I've had all the football games on FSN HD this season (but I have always been TWC). Lakers, Kings, and Ducks are also shown here. Here is a link to the schedule (usually updated monthly) - http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSWest
For some reason FSN doesn't list the college football games on their website check here
http://fsnbayarea.com/Sched_CollegeHD.jsp

RudyG

11-20-06, 09:19 PM

Well I just got off the phone with TWC with answers to my HD Tier questions and wanted to run them by you guys to see if they are at least in the ball park of being correct or consistent with others. I live in West LA (90025) and have the Broadcast Tier and am thinking about adding a HD Tier to that. I was going to wait till the flip over :) but since it got postponed, I decided not to wait. Anyway I was given the price of the HD Tier of $5 per month. I also have an option of renting an HD Box for $8.95 or renting a cable card for $1.75 per month. Lastly there is a $30 installation fee. The channels specified were the following:
ESPN
ESPN2
HDNET
HDNETMOVIES
INHD
INHD2
UNIVERSALHD
TNT
DISCOVERY

Rudy

P.S. I asked if she knew whether any new channels will be added after the switch over or if we'll lose any channels and she said no. The line up will stay the same. Which essentially means to KTLA.

Arvy

11-20-06, 11:05 PM

That's the lineup for now except we don't have Universal yet in Arcadia. I enjoy the luxury of the HD box after being raised on ReplayTVs. It's great if you're busy or out of town and I've had a minimal amount of problems with it so far (6416 III). The tech who installed HiDef for me was required to collect $30 and change so I called support afterward citing TV ads about free installation and the credited my account. The free installs must be for new customers only.

eapleitez

11-20-06, 11:56 PM

BriW

11-21-06, 11:34 AM

I am in 90066, near UCLA, and my line up is pretty different. I have Discovery, ESPN, TNT, and the locals. That's it for HD! INHD and INHD2 show up, but I don't get them. I don't see HDNET anywhere. I might technically still be recieving a Comcast lineup, so who knows. I think some kind of switch is supposed to happen in December.

If you never called to change to the TW lineup, nothing has changed from your Comcast line up. We got our first HDTV about a month ago so we called to change to the TW lineup and add the HD Tier. We now have the INHD's. The HDnets and Universal HD will come on 12/12 for us (Westchester/Hollywood). We get KTLA HD, but not ESPN2 HD. I hope that they add both for all of SoCA in the not too distant future. I fear eventually we'll all get one or the other.

eriv16

11-21-06, 12:34 PM

twelvepbrs

11-21-06, 01:36 PM

bryankeithg

11-21-06, 03:11 PM

RudyG

11-21-06, 03:14 PM

You should be getting HDnet and HDmovies when you get the new lineup (12/12) . Also, you are going to get FSN HD (mostly, LA teams games, but not 24x7 programming). Also, we have ESPNHD2 and NAtional geo HD on our Gig E transport netwok, but we are still waiting to finalize contract negociations, I think.

Huge huge thanks eriv16, this is just what I was looking for. And thanks to everyone else that has replied so far. This forum is really wonderful. FSNHD is actually the primary reason I'm adding the HD tier :). I'm a huge LA Kings fan. I wonder what channel it will be on for me with the cable card, since it definitely will not be 413. :)
The other two channels that I was interested in were National Geographic and Food Network, which are both available in HD on D*. And now that you are saying you guys are about to get National Geographic channel this makes it a must for me to upgrade. You've really made my day here with the news about NGC.
<stupid_question>
Any idea when you think NGC will be available? A real approximate ballpark will do.
</stupid_question>
I'm in a former Adelphia area of West LA so I think my line up change will happen January 9th unlike former Comcast subscibers who will get the new lineup 12/12. But that's alright, as long as I don't have to call in and bother you guys to get the new channels after the switch over.

Rudy

bryankeithg

11-21-06, 03:25 PM

OK so the call center agent refused to give me the channel numbers for the broadcast HD channels which they are required to carry by the FCC. I had him conferenced on the phone with a close friend that is a VP in the Time Warner Milwaukee Division. She is calling the engineering department in LA on my behalf to find out what their issue is because she even said those are required channels so they should be able to tell me the channel numbers.
This is just crazy!

RudyG

11-21-06, 03:26 PM

I had a very frustrating call to customer service on Sunday monring. Just wanted them to tell me the HD Digital Channels for the major networks, wanted to be able to watch the football games in HD. Customer service and their supervisor did not know the channels unless you have their cable set top. Said they would call me back on Monday. No call.

Called again Tuesday and getting the same run around. Customer service says the information does not exist what the channels are for cable ready customers, that you have to have a STB and the agent is refusing to get a supervisor on the line. On hold while he checks into it.

Hey Bryan. Just wanted to let you know that Joe and I are both in West LA, and both former Adelphia customers, but because we have different brand of televisions our channel numbers for cable channels are different, over the QAM i.e. without the cable box. So that maybe why TWC is unable to help you.

Rudy

dagware

11-21-06, 03:37 PM

I'm in Placentia, and we just got our lineup change. The only HD channels I see in the channel list are premium channels (which I don't get). Looks like they screwed up something. I'm going to call right now. I'll report back.

-Dan

dagware

11-21-06, 03:58 PM

bryankeithg

11-21-06, 04:14 PM

Hey Bryan. Just wanted to let you know that Joe and I are both in West LA, and both former Adelphia customers, but because we have different brand of televisions our channel numbers for cable channels are different, over the QAM i.e. without the cable box. So that maybe why TWC is unable to help you.

Rudy

Rudy,
So you think your TV set is assigning the channel numbers? I would think you must be on different plants to get different channel maps. The channel numbers I used to get were widely known and the same to everyone regardless of the TV type they had as long at they were on the same physical cable plant.
Bryan

dagware

11-21-06, 04:17 PM

eriv16

11-21-06, 05:02 PM

fbrito

11-21-06, 05:50 PM

OK, mystery solved. I had to go to the Channel Setup menu on the Moxi and re-enable the HD channels (which are now in the low 400 range). I have no idea why the CSR didn't think to check this. There are some HD channels that don't come in yet -- channels I didn't get prior to the lineup change, so I'm hoping to see them RSN.

But at least I don't have to panic. :rolleyes:

I notice that some channels are duplicated. USA, for instance, is in the 60's (I think), and also 105. They look exactly the same -- same PQ, everything. I have a Moxi, and I thought I read somewhere that the channels in the 100's are digital, and they're automatically re-mapped to the analog channels when you have a Moxi. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

-Dan

Dagware, the reason you don't see some of the new hd channels is that you are probably not subscribed to them. TW requires you to subscribe to their new "tiered" service, and add the HD tier to see them. Some of the ones you should be able to see, without the tier, are cbs, nbc, abc, fox, pbs, tnt and discovery. Other ones you can't see until you resubscribe are espn Hd (which I believe was free before right?), Universal HD, HDnet and HDnet movies and InHD. unfortunetely, we still don't have KTLA-HD, though they have no programming I would watch. we don't have foxsports HD or espn2HD either. I'm in Fullerton by the way, off associated Rd. go here to see our lineup http://www.timewarnerla.com/channellineups/CLUPDFs/WOW/Buena_Park_WOW.pdf

JoshM75

11-21-06, 05:53 PM

Well, I just spoke with the CSR, and she said we won't be getting HD channels until the lineup change is completed in our area, and she wasn't sure how long that would be.

Can anyone else from this area (Fullerton office) tell me if they've got the same problems? Thanks.

She also said I should order new packages, I went to the web site, and they show that you can add "tiers" like "variety", but I can't find anything that indicates what these contain.

-Dan

I can confirm this. They said that they have not added the HD Tier in our region. I was pretty upset, as Adelphia was giving me issues and couldn't add ESPN HD due to contract issues. I was assured that with this switch, they were going to add these channels, but now I called today and they are not planning on upgrading our area (Fullerton) until next year. It is ridiculous that I got a mailed channel guide that had these channels as an option. After talking awhile, I did switch my plan (From old Adelphia) and saved some money, and she gave me some discounts and such for my trouble, but I would gladly give them up for ESPN HD. Looks like no Monday Night Football in HD this year for me. Ugh.

bryankeithg

11-21-06, 06:04 PM

brian, I can give you the channel numbers if you are part in the former comcast system (I can also get them for the former adelphia, but that would take me more time), just tell the area. basically, you need the EIA channel and the Mpeg number, am I right? e.g. in the new lineup Kcbs hd would be 101-501 for the west LA area. I just ask because I do not have a TV with a QAM tuner, and because most our plant is HRC, so we work with center frequencies.

I am in Brea 92821 which was an Adelphia system. The channel reallignment happened on Thursday of last week. Since then I can't find Fox, CBS or PBS. I did manage to find NBC at 93-501 and ABC at 94-504.

I don't know what the EIA or Mpeg is. Just looking for the channel numbers you tune to. I did not know that the channel is made up of EIA / Mpeg.
Bryan

RudyG

11-21-06, 06:09 PM

Rudy,
So you think your TV set is assigning the channel numbers? I would think you must be on different plants to get different channel maps. The channel numbers I used to get were widely known and the same to everyone regardless of the TV type they had as long at they were on the same physical cable plant.
Bryan

Hey Bryan.

You are probably correct about the plant part. I'm in no way an expert. :) Certainly our OTA numbers are the same but that is using the ATSC tuner, not QAM. It just seems odd that we live so close to one another, less than 6 city blocks and be on different plants. But it's entirely possible. Anyway, eriv has replied to you so all your problems are now taken care of. :) :D

Rudy

sakaike

11-21-06, 07:36 PM

I'm in the 90278 zip. I just got the HD tier. I'm receiving everything that the promo packet lists except INHD2 and ESPN2 HD. The HD Special Events = FSN HD.
Thanks for the heads-up. I called back today and was able to add the HD Tier, and now have the same channel line-up as you.

While it's possible that something changed in the last week, I suspect I just got an idiot CSR the first time around.

eriv16

11-21-06, 08:02 PM

yarrumc

11-21-06, 08:17 PM

When does the 'all digital - all channels' promise kick in?

I am curious also. All the non HD channels still look like crap analog on my HDTV set. I would expect all digital channels to look like the non HD programming does on the HD feeds. I still use a Moxi and my lineup was updated earlier this month.

bgooch

11-21-06, 11:42 PM

Customers Churning Over Cable Service

By Christi Anne Corpus
Signal Staff Writer
Tuesday November 21, 2006

Andy Stewart, a 20-year resident of Valencia, said he was tired of spending hours tracking down a customer service representative from Time Warner Cable Inc. only to be told there was little a service operator could do to help fix the malfunctioning On-Demand feature of his cable subscription.

"They said they hadn't received enough complaints from my area to make it a priority call and the earliest they'd come out to my home was Dec. 1," Stewart said. "They came out five weeks ago for the same issue and said they couldn't do anything because it was a system-wide problem.

"What they're telling me is I'm not important enough to merit an urgent call. I feel I'm getting lousy service," he said. "They won't acknowledge they have a big problem."

Patricia Fregoso-Cox, Time Warner's vice president of community affairs, insisted miscommunication most likely led to Stewart's troubles and emphasized that the impact of Time Warner's recent acquisition of Adelphia Communication Corp. and Comcast Corp. is felt throughout the Los Angeles region.

"The change has been a lot and we recognize that. We realize we're handling a lot of customers in different areas at one time," Fregoso-Cox said. "Our customers have been patient, but I don't know if it resonates to them how huge this process is."

Stewart said he was able to get a Time Warner representative to go to his home after speaking directly with Fregoso-Cox. However, the many other residents who share Stewart's frustrations with the cable company's operations are continually referred to Time Warner and local franchise authorities.

Since September, the city of Santa Clarita has received more than 200 phone calls, e-mails and letters from residents complaining of cable and Internet service problems, ranging from an unclear picture to a complete service outage, said Kevin Tonoian, technology services manager for the city.

"In their rush to work through this migration, it is apparent that Time Warner wasn't fully prepared to manage the technical and customer service issues that have resulted," he said. "Time Warner will tell their subscribers they have the opportunity to file complaints with their local franchising authority but unfortunately most residents are not aware of the limitations Santa Clarita has in terms of regulating area cable service."

On its part, the city works to put residents in direct contact with Time Warner representatives or have service representatives contact residents.

"That is really the extent of what the city can provide," Tonoian said. "It is extremely frustrating for us as a local government because we have no control."

Changes made to the 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act deregulated the cable industry and essentially freed cable operators from any authority the Federal Communications Commission or other agencies might have with regard to what operators charge subscribers for cable services.

Furthermore, the city has no franchise agreement with Time Warner and is uncertain a new one will be negotiated due to the fact the recently-signed Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act would establish a statewide franchising procedure for service providers and would pre-empt local governmental franchise authorities.

"We are required to let our customers know who their local franchising authority is. But it's not our practice to refer them to the city," Fregoso-Cox said.

She maintained that Time Warner has extended its deadline to standardize a region-wide digital channel line-up and rates in order stabilize the volume of calls coming into call centers and give the best service to customers.

"To get to this end has been very imposing on our customers," she said, "but our job is to make sure they understand why changes are occurring and what would be best for them."

http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=34477&format=html

ZippoMan

11-21-06, 11:46 PM

jeffs471

11-22-06, 12:01 AM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.

jasonvr

11-22-06, 12:19 AM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.

Still fine in Anaheim on my Moxi. At least the "virus" isn't spreading. Is anyone who doesn't have a Moxi (i.e. someone with a 6412 or 6416) also having this problem, or is it localized to Moxi's on certain headends?

dagware

11-22-06, 12:35 AM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.
I'll repeat what someone else mentioned: If you have this problem, try starting a recording of the show and watch it from the recording. Apparently that fixes the problem. I don't know because I haven't had the problem, but this sounds like a reasonable solution.

-Dan

dagware

11-22-06, 12:39 AM

Well, since they switched the channel lineup today, the guide for G4 shows the wrong times for shows. It shows the east coast time. This means I can't record anything on this channel (for me, that means ST:TNG) -- at least, not easily.

Boy, TW is doing such a great job. I can't wait to see what else the f**k up.

-Dan

DSperber

11-22-06, 12:45 AM

I upgraded to a Motorola 6416 from a Moxi. A feature that I miss is how the Moxi would rewind 10 or 15 seconds once you stop "Fast Forwarding". This is nice because generally you are several seconds into the program by the time you hit Play. Is there a way to turn this feature on, on my Motorola 6416?The only semi-equivalent is to use the "up arrow" button (above the OK/Select button) to resume playing from FF mode, instead of using the actual "play" button (up near the top of the remote).

Using "up arrow" will backup up about 3-4 seconds or so from the instant you push it. Not the 10-15 seconds of backup you were looking for, but it's pretty good and provides a smaller replay so that you don't have to sit through too much of the tail-end of a commercial.

Of course if this 3-4 seconds is not enough and you really do want to actually back up 15 seconds, just press the "15-second rewind" button at that point. There are actually two of them: (1) the true 15-second rewind button (counter-clockwise curlicue), or (2) "page down" button (not documented, but it works just like the other button and on my silver remote is in a much more user-friendly ergonomically pleasing location).

jmalara

11-22-06, 01:26 AM

I am also unable to fast farward NBC. The problem seemed to have started on Monday. I'm in Redondo Beach 90277. I hope this isnt a sign of things to come.

taconugget

11-22-06, 01:27 AM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.
I still have this problem on my moxi in eagle rock. wish TW would fix this already.... its been a week now....

Its only on NBCHD both recorded shows and live.

bryankeithg

11-22-06, 01:46 AM

Brian, It seems that the are using the following settings in the former adelphia:
Kcbs hd eia 93 mpeg 501
knbc hd 93 502
kabc hd 94 504
kttv hd 94 505
fsn hd 100 507
kcet hd 94 506
ktla hd 62 3
See how that works out for you. I am using our setting but these frequencies should work in your area. Everything else in HD is encrypted, so your QAM tuner wont be able to see these other channels.

Thanks for the info but these are not working in my area.
NBC is 93.501 and 93.502
ABC is 94.504
I can't tune to any of the other channels. There is no signal when I try to tune to them using those EIA/Mpeg. Maybe they are off the air and these are part of an outage in my area to go along with the channel reallignment.
Bryan

anilanne

11-22-06, 01:56 AM

sakaike

11-22-06, 02:30 AM

so has anyone been able to get time warner off their worthless asses to get channel 413 to correctly show up as HD SPECIAL EVENTS, and not this stupid HD PPV crap. Thats two lakers games missed in HD now, I had to sit through the KTLA-HD feed, and let me tell you I won't take another second of Mr. "BINGO!!!!" LAWLER for one more second.
Here in North Redondo Beach (zip 90278), the Lakers game was indeed shown in HD on 413 (FSN-HD). This was extra cool for me since I had only enrolled in the HD Tier a few hours before game time.

DSperber

11-22-06, 04:20 AM

I am also unable to fast farward NBC. The problem seemed to have started on Monday. I'm in Redondo Beach 90277.Just to weigh in with another experience...

Here in Marina Del Rey (90292) in a former Comcast area, my 6412-II has no problem whatsoever fast forwarding NBCHD on either live or recorded content. Situation totally normal.

bryankeithg

11-22-06, 02:08 PM

almahix

11-22-06, 02:11 PM

Just to weigh in with another experience...

Here in Marina Del Rey (90292) in a former Comcast area, my 6412-II has no problem whatsoever fast forwarding NBCHD on either live or recorded content. Situation totally normal.

My Moxi is handling NBCHD well once again. It has been broken since Friday but is OK as of Wednesday AM.

anilanne

11-22-06, 05:13 PM

Well isn't that just great for you. I guess TWC seems to like to screw over only a certain part of their consumer's and pretend like problems don't freaking exist. I swear this company is pathetic.

bgooch

11-23-06, 11:15 AM

Time Warner Cable sued
By James S. Granelli, Times Staff Writer
November 23, 2006

Former Comcast and Adelphia customers sued Time Warner Cable Inc. on Wednesday, alleging disruptions and other problems when their cable TV and Internet services were converted to Time Warner's network.

The suit comes as Time Warner works to move 1.6 million customers to its system.

"This widespread disruption made a mockery of [Time Warner's] promises that these cable services would not be interrupted as a result of the migration," the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges. The plaintiffs are seeking class-action status.

Time Warner said it had not read the allegations and could not comment.

Dozens of customers have told The Times about problems with Internet and TV interruptions and blocked e-mail service. Some assert that Time Warner reduced the number of cable channels as a ploy to force customers to upgrade to digital service.

In July, Time Warner and Comcast Corp. bought Adelphia Communications Corp. and traded territories to give each bigger shares of major markets. Time Warner ended up with 1.9 million Southland customers.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cable23nov23,1,5851012.story

twelvepbrs

11-23-06, 02:13 PM

so who's ready to start calling TW about the NFL network? I figure their lines will be flooded when all the clueless sheep out there realize that they can't see the KC-Denver game, and i'm sure TW has a full support staff working on thanksgiving...

bryankeithg

11-23-06, 03:10 PM

TimeWarner customer service is refusing to give out the channel numbers. They finally agreed to transfer us to someone in the Technical dept. Chris, no last name said that all HD programming is now encrypted and they pass nothing through and if we want the programming we need to get the digital tier and their set top box. When asked point blank about broadcast only HD channels he said those have to be paid for. Since we are not getting anywhere with TWC we called the Brea Franchise Tax Board. They will pass our complaint along to the office of the president of TWC. Hopefully this will get things resolved.
Bryan

Finally got a call from a person that handles complaints that go to the office of the presidnet last night. He said yes I am supposed to get HD off air channels in the clear but said he would have to check into what the channels are. He made a call to the headend but no one was there that could answer the channel question. They assured him the off air HD channels are not encrypted and in the clear. He will get back to me on Friday with the channel numbers. Glad they are working on it, but the family over is not happy watching the games today in standard def.
Bryan

tenthplanet

11-23-06, 07:39 PM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.
I'm in the Sherman Oaks-Van Nuys area of the San Fernnando valley and my Moxi is behaving itself again. No problem with the Medium recording from last night or live TV. New recordings are fine but recordings say from Mon. night have the FF problem. If you have this problem say on Friday try e-mailing TWC.

jasonvr

11-24-06, 02:19 PM

I went over to my girlfriend's parent's house last night for Thanksgiving in Cerritos. Oddly, they are serviced by a small cable op called Wave Broadband. Wave still contains NFL Network and NFL HD. However, her dad still couldn't watch the game. Eventhough the channel was there, apparently they have an agreement to carry the channel without showing any of the live NFL games. (see here (http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=%22wave+broadband%22+%22NFL+network%22&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.wavebroadband.com/art.php%3Fid%3Dfootball&w=%22wave+broadband%22+%22nfl+network%22&d=LX7Q75IFN1NZ&icp=1&.intl=us) ) If you think TWC customers are mad, at least it was quite obvious that we wouldn't see the games on Thanksgiving. For him, he tuned to the channel and saw a banner across the screen saying that the cable operator had chosen not to show the live games.

I wonder if TWC considered that as an option. I know it wouldn't help at all because you'd still miss the NFL games, but you wouldn't miss the few college bowl games and the European NFL stuf...

Mogur2

11-25-06, 12:05 AM

jeffs471

11-25-06, 12:16 AM

Hi,
I was at Ken Crane's in Encino this week. I was told that since I get cable via TimesWarner, I will not be able to receive 1080 P, the highest quality would be 1080i.

Is this true? I live in Santa Clarita.

Thanks

no cable system currently offers 1080p, some 1080i can be converted back to the progressive signal but that is getting more technical.

DSperber

11-25-06, 03:35 AM

Hi,
I was at Ken Crane's in Encino this week. I was told that since I get cable via TimesWarner, I will not be able to receive 1080 P, the highest quality would be 1080i.Is this true? I live in Santa Clarita.There is NO broadcast source carrier of any kind (OTA, satellite, or cable) for 1080p content.

In fact, no network broadcasts digital content in higher than 1080i resolution. Some are 720p, the rest are 1080i. This is true regardless of whether the carrier for that content is a channel on OTA, satellite or cable. 720p and 1080i are the two HD resolutions available today, from any broadcast source.

No matter where you live, and no matter how you get your broadcast HDTV (OTA, satellite, or cable), you can get no better than 1080i today. You are not being victimized because you live in Santa Clarita nor because you're on TWC.

The only true 1080p source devices available today are not in the broadcast world, but are the HD-DVD and BluRay HD players. And they will only deliver 1080p from the newest high definition DVDs (not from the old ED 480p DVDs), and then only through an HDMI connection to the newest HDTVs which support 1080p INPUT. If the HDTV cannot accept 1080p INPUT via HDMI, these new HD DVD players must be set to deliver 1080i to the HDTV.

bryankeithg

11-25-06, 09:42 AM

So here is the deal. Since the channel reallignment in Brea on Th the 16th. We can't find all the HD broadcast content. After speaking with some reps from the office of the president they got me the channels numbers. The only problem is that the content for the channels is not where it is supposed to be.

According to TWC this is what they say they are broadcasting.
CBS 93-501
NBC 93-502
ABC 94-504
FOX 94-505
PBS 94-506

However what my Mits QAM Tuner finds after a complete channel scan on HRC (nothing) and IRC is this. Have done two scans.

NBC 93-501
NBC 93-502
ABC 94-504
ABC 94-505
ABC 94-506

Before the channel reallignment we found the channels with the correct content. The TWC rep said he would take the feedback to his techs and suspected there is something to learn from my situation.

Any suggestions? Don't want to miss another weekend of football in HD.

Bryan

jasonvr

11-25-06, 12:59 PM

Any suggestions? Don't want to miss another weekend of football in HD.

Are you too far behind the hills to get OTA reception there in Brea? I know I was when I was in Yorba Linda, but now that I am in AH, I can get OTA reception which would get you everything you need except ESPN/ESPN2. I have a cheapo RCA inside antenna. This of course assumes you have an internal HD tuner like my Mits has (55-511).

bryankeithg

11-25-06, 01:16 PM

Are you too far behind the hills to get OTA reception there in Brea? I know I was when I was in Yorba Linda, but now that I am in AH, I can get OTA reception which would get you everything you need except ESPN/ESPN2. I have a cheapo RCA inside antenna. This of course assumes you have an internal HD tuner like my Mits has (55-511).

Unfortunately I back right up to a hill in Brea. Can't get any LA stations. I put a monster antenna on the roof. I have it pointed at San Diego and get CBS and ABC but not reliably. I have that antenna feed going to my Media Center HTPC. I used to live in an area where I could get every station solid. Not since we moved to Brea. Joked with the wife that we will need to check the antenna signal before we move again.

jasonvr

11-25-06, 02:01 PM

Joked with the wife that we will need to check the antenna signal before we move again.

You joke, but I did it. When I bought my house, I temporarily bought a portable TV to check for analog reception outside. Then I bought the antenna I thought I'd be using to check for reception using the TV the prior owners still had in the house for display purposes to check for indoor reception. As a final check, I checked antwennaweb.org. I got really fed up of not having OTA reception in YL.

earthsong

11-25-06, 02:18 PM

Experimenting with QAM channels for first time on my new Panny plasma that has builtin QAM tuner. Has anyone posted a list of what's broadcast, in LA-Ventura, on each QAM channel? Of course, I could just walk through each multi-decimal-place number and jot down notes, but an already-existing list would be simpler. In particular, I'm trying to find out if there's any QAM-channel versions of things like ESPN, CNN, Bravo, TBS, TNT etc. If this list is already up on another thread, please direct me, thanks.

Mad Mac

11-25-06, 03:20 PM

earthsong

11-25-06, 09:15 PM

No Mad Mac, I don't see anymore than you do.
I didn't even know about QAM til another forum dude mentioned I could get a lot of over-the-air HDTV broadcasts within the QAM tuner section. Sounded great, went thru every QAM multi-decimal-place channel from 79.1 to 124.9, essentially found very little.

A bunch of "music Choice" stations, a few random simulcasts of ABC and ESPN, and nothing I wasn't already receiving in the channels below 36. All the channels from 37 - 99, like MTV, CNN, ESPN, TMC, TBS, Bravo, etc. are all encrypted and not available thru QAM, so the whole thing of your built-in QAM tuner being a viable substitute for a cable set-top-box, to the point where you could eliminate the STB completely, is ludicrous. Unless all you want is 5 or 6 major networks in HD feed. Or unless I'm missing something...

yarrumc

11-26-06, 12:38 PM

dagware

11-26-06, 01:36 PM

Is TWC 100% digital yet? If they aren't , what channels are digital and or when are they deciding to do this? It seems like anything that is not HD, looks horrible, which leads me to think the channels are analog. The picture is slightly blurry with some ghosting. I have have a 1080p set and it is calibrated. I have the moxi , connecting it to the tv via hdmi. I have my resolutions on the moxi set to 720p and 1080i.
When I allowed the Moxi to up-convert 480i, it resulted in a blurry picture. This leads me to believe that to get the best picture for 480i, you should let your TV do the upconversion. Unfortunately, I think this means you can't use the HDMI cable when viewing SD content.

Try it yourself by hooking up component cables and viewing an SD program with 480i enabled on your Moxi. Then disable it, and compare the results.

-Dan

Mogur2

11-26-06, 01:38 PM

Hi,
I live in Santa Clarita. The new lineup has many analog channels duplicated in the digital area, 101 to 399. On my Sony 36" HD I don't see any difference.

HD channels are in the 400s. I see a new channel, 413, but nothing is showing up yet.

My main gripe is that many shows, both live and recorded, have digital artifacts and sound blocks.

I tried this past week to call their support lines. What an exercise in frustration. 5 minutes hearing their sales pitch only to be told they were too busy, then cut off. One time I was on hold for about 25 minutes when another came in, so I had to hang up. I thought Comcast had only fair service. So far TW is poor!

Is TWC 100% digital yet? If they aren't , what channels are digital and or when are they deciding to do this? It seems like anything that is not HD, looks horrible, which leads me to think the channels are analog. The picture is slightly blurry with some ghosting. I have have a 1080p set and it is calibrated. I have the moxi , connecting it to the tv via hdmi. I have my resolutions on the moxi set to 720p and 1080i.

almahix

11-26-06, 02:31 PM

My Moxi has been repeatedly crashing and restarting, now has no channel info or guide info. Called TWI, they are sending a replacement on Thursday. I've read that the Moxi is being replaced by the Moto 6400 series, so I don't know what box to expect.

Has anyone in Ventura County (Camarillo) had a new DVR installed lately? What are they using now?

Too bad our Verizon FIOS isn't activated yet. The install is done, but we still can't order.

bcwaller

11-27-06, 01:23 AM

is anyone able to fast forward NBC hd. My Moxi is still telling me this operation is unavailable.

Yes and No. Maybe I should say No and Yes. I'm in 90277. I first noticed this problem Sunday the 19th while trying to watch Sunday Night Football. We had recorded it and could not pause, fast forward, or rewind. When pausing and then resuming, the show would resume as if we skipped ahead, and the sound was off. After suffering though half a game like this, I stopped and checked out other channels. I tried going back to the game, but I could only start back at the beginning of the game - no fast forwarding. I could not do anything but start from the beginning. Total loss of the show.

I unplugged the Moxi and let it reboot. Back to football for the end of the game. Still no fast forwarding, pausing, etc. The problem persisted and I called support. After 45 minutes on hold I got an operator who said there had been lots of calls about this and that it was the signal from NBC and they could not do anything about it, but would call me in the morning to let me know status. I also got a credit for a day of service.

I never got the call, and service was still bad the next day. I called again and got an operator after another 45 minutes on hold. This one told me I was the first one to call about this and she knew nothing about this problem and that I must be the only one. She said it was NBC and that TW could do nothing. I complained and she asked me what I wanted her to do about it. I told her that they should fix it or not offer a DVR service that promised that I could watch what I want when I wanted. She them put me on hold.

After about ten minutes on hold, I was connected to tier 3 support. Great! Or not, as I was connected to TIer 3 support for HSI. He tried his best but was unable to do anything and had to put me back in the queue for support. That put me back on hold for 45 minutes before I got a tech who said he had lots of calls about this. He recommended I reset the Moxi, which did not help. I expressed my extreme displeasure at having a service that was not useableand he told me that my account had been credited $10. I told him I thought it was hardly compensation for the 3 hours I had already spent on hold and he offered me a $10 credit for the next 12 months.

By Thursday the service was working normally, but it stopped by the weekend. I got to watch ER and the rest of the Thursday night shows I watch, but Sunday night football was screwed again today. I think I only watch NBC on Monday, Thursday and Sunday, so I may be screwed again tomorrow unless they fix it.

I wrote a letter to the Editor of the Daily Breeze while on hold the second night. Maybe if all of us wrote a letter to their papers telling them that TW is not fulfilling their service and to ask for refunds for the affected days, as well as filing complaints with their city's franchising office, maybe something would get done about this