A couple of totally stupid questions so bear with me...after the new channels arrived... my guide on the OTA input will not load....who is responsible for the content it just says that it is looking for the stations and it may take up to 24 hours to load after you turn off the set...it has been 48 and still no go...second question...I just got a notice from TW announcing that the Navigator roll out will happen in January I am still happily running Passport....for those of you who have Navigator do you still have the option of turning off the hard drive when you turn off the box?...hearing a constant hum all night in my bedroom is not attractive to me and Passport allows the hard drive to turn off when the box is turned off for the night....thanks in advance...

TWC just added some more HD channels here in El Segundo - The file sizes on the local HD channels are still virtually the same as the OTA channels and the picture quality is still perfect so they're still not compressing the signal here.


I am jealous :mad: I bit the bullett and bought a DB4 antenna(great antenna BTW) so I could at least watch road Lakers games in pristine OTA quality. The difference in PQ is still VERY noticeable here in Orange County. I wish they could at least pump a little more bandwidth towards ESPN HD and FSN-HD since I watch those the most.

Does anyone with TWC get Howard TV in HD? I've seen the weekly previews in HD on Mojo (RIP), but it is in SD when viewing though On Demand. I have a Motorola DCT 6416 HD DVR. Would a different receiver get me On Demand in HD?

Does anyone with TWC get Howard TV in HD? I've seen the weekly previews in HD on Mojo (RIP), but it is in SD when viewing though On Demand. I have a Motorola DCT 6416 HD DVR. Would a different receiver get me On Demand in HD?I signed up for Howard for a year during the pre-launch promotional pricing. I subsequently canceled it because it was NOT shown in HD, even though the promos on INHD (pre-Mojo) were in HD.

For as long as I had it (not the complete year, but maybe 10 months) it was never in HD. Seemed more like an OnDemand distribution problem (possibly just with TWC, or maybe universally), as the show was clearly being shot using HD cameras.

We know that HD Showcase is available for use of HD OnDemand content (e.g. TWC recorded "Mad Men" for us in HD and made it available through HD Showcase). But that was not a "premium" channel. Maybe the "premium" channels cannot be HD with TWC (e.g. they don't provide HBO or SHO OnDemand in HD), or maybe they can't record HD and distribute through the "premium" menu.

Anyway, I never got Howard in HD either.

I thought MOJO TV died a few weeks ago.

Does anyone with TWC get Howard TV in HD? I've seen the weekly previews in HD on Mojo (RIP), but it is in SD when viewing though On Demand. I have a Motorola DCT 6416 HD DVR. Would a different receiver get me On Demand in HD?

I thought MOJO TV died a few weeks ago.

I indicated that in my post. I am just wondering if TWC provides this show in HD at all.

Hi,
I have two Motorola DVRs, 6416 and 3416. Both tend to freeze at times. Listing recorded shows can be delayed up to 10 seconds. Fast forward can lockup for several seconds. Pressing record, can be also delayed.

When one DVR was replaced a few weeks ago, (sound would disappar) the tech said that the Motorola DVRs all had this freeze problem. Is this true?

There have been times that a rewind won't stop until reaching the beginning of the recording.

Anyone else having similar problems?

Hi,
I have two Motorola DVRs, 6416 and 3416. Both tend to freeze at times. Listing recorded shows can be delayed up to 10 seconds. Fast forward can lockup for several seconds. Pressing record, can be also delayed.

When one DVR was replaced a few weeks ago, (sound would disappar) the tech said that the Motorola DVRs all had this freeze problem. Is this true?

There have been times that a rewind won't stop until reaching the beginning of the recording.

Anyone else having similar problems?

I have a Mot 3416 and this certainly happens. I just tend to "deal with it" Please let me know if you resolve this issue.

Hi,
I have two Motorola DVRs, 6416 and 3416. Both tend to freeze at times. Listing recorded shows can be delayed up to 10 seconds. Fast forward can lockup for several seconds. Pressing record, can be also delayed.

When one DVR was replaced a few weeks ago, (sound would disappar) the tech said that the Motorola DVRs all had this freeze problem. Is this true?

There have been times that a rewind won't stop until reaching the beginning of the recording.

Anyone else having similar problems?
Everyone seems to have this issue including me (I got the same box, DCH3416). Every other minute, the box freezes (except the input video) for a few seconds after pressing keys on the remote and the commands from the remote gets pass through after unfreezes (skipping channels after pressing the channel button numerous times, cant stop fast forwarding on time, etc.). Its annoying but I have no choice since this is the only available Motorola HD boxes in my area.

A couple of totally stupid questions so bear with me...after the new channels arrived... my guide on the OTA input will not load....who is responsible for the content it just says that it is looking for the stations and it may take up to 24 hours to load after you turn off the set...it has been 48 and still no go...second question...I just got a notice from TW announcing that the Navigator roll out will happen in January I am still happily running Passport....for those of you who have Navigator do you still have the option of turning off the hard drive when you turn off the box?...hearing a constant hum all night in my bedroom is not attractive to me and Passport allows the hard drive to turn off when the box is turned off for the night....thanks in advance...

anyone have the answers to my above questions....thanks...

It looks like Navigator is going to make its way to our boxes here in the South Bay in the next few weeks. I got a packet in the mail yesterday outlining all of its "features". I'll be very interested to see how this works on my old trusty 8300 Passport box, I will forever miss thee. :(

It looks like Navigator is going to make its way to our boxes here in the South Bay in the next few weeks. I got a packet in the mail yesterday outlining all of its "features". I'll be very interested to see how this works on my old trusty 8300 Passport box, I will forever miss thee. :(

is this true?

http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/2/6426.html

Avoid Navigator at all costs. Since we're not hearing a constant stream of complaints here from people who've gotten it, it may have improved, but when they introduced it in one trial market over a year back (Lincoln, NE), people were so frustrated with it that meetings were held to determine whether it constituted cause for breaking the city's contract with TWC and seeking a new cable provider. You can try to do this by specifically asking whether they can bring you an old SA8300HD and not an SA8300HDC or SA8240HDC; those newer boxes seem to be coming with Navigator installed. Of course, they can refuse the request and you can threaten to buy a TiVo HD instead .

Eventually they will probably push a version of Navigator to all of their boxes, but you can hope that they'll wait until it's nearly bug free

is this true?

http://hdtv.forsandiego.com/messages/2/6426.html

Avoid Navigator at all costs. Since we're not hearing a constant stream of complaints here from people who've gotten it, it may have improved, but when they introduced it in one trial market over a year back (Lincoln, NE), people were so frustrated with it that meetings were held to determine whether it constituted cause for breaking the city's contract with TWC and seeking a new cable provider. You can try to do this by specifically asking whether they can bring you an old SA8300HD and not an SA8300HDC or SA8240HDC; those newer boxes seem to be coming with Navigator installed. Of course, they can refuse the request and you can threaten to buy a TiVo HD instead .

Eventually they will probably push a version of Navigator to all of their boxes, but you can hope that they'll wait until it's nearly bug free

That thread on hdtv.forsandiego.com hasn't been updated in over 9 months.

I live in the area, so I have Navigator on the legacy 8300HD box. There have been several upgrades to the software since the thread was started and, while still having some issues, has kind of settled down by now. The current version I have is 2.4.4-14 (which is one revision down from TWC's latest).

Unless you get a Tivo unit, you won't have much choice - you rent the box but don't control the software. If and when TWC's system decides it's time for an upgrade - it gets pushed to you automatically. Sure, you can unplug the cable from the system, but you're just delaying the inevitable - as soon as you reconnect, the head end is going to communicate with your box and the head end will determine what needs to be done.

Passport is a dead issue. Navigator is being pushed out system-wide.

sorry for the dumb question but what are passport and navigator? i understand its the software the boxes run but does it only apply to DVR boxes?

I really hate how I get SD versions of some of these new channels (Science, Animal Planet, Travel), but I'm not authorized for the HD channels. What is this crap?

Anyone know if the MLB Network will debut in HD? That's the only channel I'll really need.

sorry for the dumb question but what are passport and navigator? i understand its the software the boxes run but does it only apply to DVR boxes?It's the software that runs on the SA8300 family of DVRs. Passport's been around a while, and Navigator is the new replacement apparently now being phased in after a very long development/test period.

The Motorola family of DVRs uses iGuide software, which has also been around a long time (actually, forever).

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks TWC for my Christmas present :mad: :
http://www.timewarnerla.com/pricingGuides/PDFs_2009/1000U-PL-0109.pdf

Digital Cable: $47.95 to $50.95
RR Internet Basic: $34.95 to $36.95

hmm.. i went to check the pricing for my area and eagle rock is no longer listed in the a la carte list. although i did do the sign up now thing through their site and after putting in my zip code it shows that the price monthly is 50.95 instead of 47.95.

Thanks TWC for my Christmas present :mad: :
http://www.timewarnerla.com/pricingGuides/PDFs_2009/1000U-PL-0109.pdf

Digital Cable: $47.95 to $50.95
RR Internet Basic: $34.95 to $36.95

Yeah, since we're paying $5 more a month, maybe they can give us those 3 HD channels in the HD tier. Haha.

Just did a scan with my Sony HDTV using the QAM Tuner. I have their Antenna Service $12 and I got 1 new channel. Telemundo HD 56.623, Anyone know if KVEA Univision HD is coming anytime soon?

It looks like Navigator is going to make its way to our boxes here in the South Bay in the next few weeks. I got a packet in the mail yesterday outlining all of its "features". I'll be very interested to see how this works on my old trusty 8300 Passport box, I will forever miss thee. :(I just posted the following in the Time Warner Cable Navigator thread:

I'm in the same small division as you (El Segundo/Torrance/Gardena/Hawthorne). I also just got a flyer in the mail saying that "The Amazing New Navigator" will arrive on all DVRs and Receivers sometime over a two-month rollout starting in late January. But the funny thing is i got the same letter back in November of 2006 (yes, two years ago) but it never happened and to this day my 8300HDs still have Passport. I had been reading so many horror stories here about Navigator that i immediately bought a Tivo Series 3 as soon as it became available (Dec 2006) in anticipation of my 8300HDs getting Navigator shoved down our throats, whereupon i'd planned to turn them in - but it never happened and they've all been working flawlessly with Passport. Maybe they're serious this time

It's not a big deal to me anymore since i use my Tivo for 98% of my viewing, but i'm more worried about my girlfriend who only has the one 8300HD. But it sounds like today's Navigator is leagues better than it was two years ago so maybe it won't impact her so much.

I happened to be channel surfing on my SD TV late last night and stumbled past Bravo, where a few episodes of "West Wing" were playing. I noticed that it was presented letterboxed on SD.

Curious about how it would be shown on the NEWLY AVAILABLE BRAVO-HD CHANNEL WE JUST GOT, I turned on my HDTV to check.

Alas... the geniuses at NBC Universal have decided to broadcast it letterboxed as well on Bravo-HD, inside of the 4:3 area. So the expected black pillar bars on left and right of the 4:3 area, plus black bars from the letterboxing on top and bottom within the 4:3 area. Nice! "Midget picture".

They either don't have the rights to the HD version of the show (seems unlikely, since it was on NBC), or they just don't want to record/broadcast HD on syndicated shows, or they're just f'n with us HD viewers who have the gall to believe that Bravo-HD should maybe broadcast HD shows in HD! Why else would they need an HD channel, if not to broadcast an HD show in HD???

Morons.

From Fredfa's "Hot Off The Press" thread in the 'HDTV Programming' section:

The Business of Television
UNHAPPY NEW YEAR! Time Warner Cable To Yank MTV, Nickelodeon & Comedy Central Off The Air In NY, LA, Everywhere
From Nikki Finke's LA Weekly 'Deadline Hollywood' Blog - December 30, 2008

What an awful way to ring in 2009. It turns out that Viacom claims it has been trying to negotiate a "fair" renewal of its prized cable channels for months and months, but reputedly Time Warner Cable has been unresponsive and "unreasonable". The nation's 2nd largest cable system operator, in turn, claims Viacom is asking for "exorbitant" increases in carriage fees which would have to be passed along to the customer. So now this fight between the two Big Media giants will hurt cable viewers. At 12:01 AM on January 1st, just after the ball drops in Time Square, Time Warner Cable's 13 million subscribers will lose 19 Viacom channels. The howling starts here, especially by parents home for the holidays with children who won't have access to their favorite shows like SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora The Explorer, and tweens/teens wanting to see new episodes of those new unreality Reality TV series The City and Bromance, and twentysomethings and older who get their news from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart or The Colbert Report.

This affects all U.S. Time Warner cable subscribers including those in New York and Los Angeles. Alex Dudley, a vice president at Time Warner Cable, the nation's second-largest cable operator, is telling reporters that the dispute with Viacom "is that they have asked for an exorbitant increase in their carriage fees and their network ratings are sagging. Basically we're trying to hold the line for our customer." Time Warner Cable claims Viacom has asked for fee increases of between 22% and 36% per channel, but Sumner Redstone's company maintains the increases would cost less than $.25 a month for the package of channels per subscriber who spend a fifth of total TV time watching Viacom shows but its fees make up less than 2.5% of the Time Warner cable bill. (Sports channels are paid the biggest cable premium). But Time Warner Cable also is complaining that Viacom's popular shows are rerun on Web sites where Viacom collects advertising revenue that it does not share with Time Warner. On the other hand, Viacom has staked much of its revenue-growth prospects on squeezing higher carriage rates out of its cable and satellite affiliates despite an ad slowdown and weaker ratings.

Such negotiation battles between cable networks and cable system operators have happened before and lasted merely hours. In 2004, for example, Viacom's cable channels disappeared from EchoStar's Dish Network for two days while both sides fought over the terms of a new contract. And Time Warner blocked ABC from its cable systems in New York during a breakdown in contract negotiations with parent company Disney. So this one will either end fast or go on forever. It probably will depend on how many subscribers start flooding Time Warner Cable with obscene calls.

This is Viacom's just issued statement:

This move by Time Warner Cable to force such channels as Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and MTV off the air is another example of a cable company overreaching for profit at the expense of its viewers.

The renewal we are seeking is reasonable and modest relative to the profits TWC enjoys from our networks. We have asked for an increase of less than 25 cents per month, per subscriber, which adds up to less than a penny per day for all 19 of MTV Networks’ channels. We make this request because TWC has so greatly undervalued our channels for so long. Americans spend more than 20% of their TV viewing time watching our networks, yet our fees amount to less than 2.5% of what Time Warner generates from their average customer.

Throughout the country, we have negotiated equitable license agreement renewals, or are in the final stages of renewals, with virtually every cable and satellite carrier. Nevertheless, Time Warner Cable has dismissed our efforts at a fair compromise and has effectively chosen to deny its customers some of the most popular TV shows on the air.

As a result, we are sorry to say that for Time Warner Cable customers our networks will go dark as of 12:01 on January 1st, denying Time Warner customers shows like Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, and The Hills.

Ultimately, however, if Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV and the rest of our programming is discontinued – over less than a penny per day - we believe viewers will see this behavior by their cable company as outrageous.

Time Warner Cable subscribers who are being handed a January 1st $3 monthly increase in Raleigh, Orange County, Los Angeles, and New York City are simultaneously facing the removal of beloved shows across 19 channels.

We find it a shame that Time Warner Cable remains unreasonable at this time. We hope its leadership will have a change of heart and will seek to negotiate a fair renewal agreement.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/happy-new-year-time-warner-cable-to-yank-mtv-nickeodeon-comedy-central-off-the-air/

Is TWC going to cut my cable bill now that I am losing 19 channels?

Bad move by TWC. I guess D* and Dish will see an influx of new subscribers. Plus Verizon will be very happy since they are getting ready to roll out FIOS in my area (Arleta/Pacoima).

Actually I'm on the side of TWC here. The cable channels are already way overpriced, and raising their rates is absolutely absurd. Do I want to pay 25 cents more for a piece of trash like MTV? Not really.

Rudy

I googled around and found a list of the channels that would be affected:

Comedy Central
CMT: Pure Country
Logo
Palladia
MTV
MTV 2
MTV Hits
MTV Jams
MTV Tr3s
Nickelodeon
Noggin
Nick 2
Nicktoons
Spike
The N
TV Land
VH1
VH1 Classic
VH1 Soul

The only ones i'd miss a little are Palladia and Spike so to me it would be worth paying an extra 25 cents per month. My bill is already well over a hundred so what's an extra quarter? TWC had no problem raising the price of the service and equipment several dollars this month, so why are they squawking about a measly quarter?

Comedy Central
E!
Encore
Flix
Fox Sports West
Fox Sports West II
Game Show Network
Great American Country
Fuel TV
GMA Pinoy
Logo
MTV
MTV Hits
MTV2
NBA TV
Nick Toons
Nickelodeon
Noggin
Palladia
Shop NBC
Spike TV
Showtime
Starz
Style
The Movie Channel
The N
TV Land
VH1
VH1 Classic
Weather Channel

Viacom should give us their Channels in HD, then maybe it would be worth the few cents for the increase.

hey guys,
viacom did the same thing to dish in like april of 2004. Dish lost their channels for about 2 days and then they brought them all back. Im not letting this scare me they'll all come back

Love the full page Viacom ad in the LA Times today, complete with a crying Dora. :rolleyes::D

Updated! From Fredfa's "Hot Off The Press" thread in the 'HDTV Programming' section:

The Business of Television
UNHAPPY NEW YEAR!
Viacom Rejects TWC Extension Offer; Time Warner Cable To Lose Viacom's MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon & Comedy Central In NY, LA, Everywhere
From Nikki Finke's LA Weekly 'deadlinehollywooddaily' blog - December 31, 2008

WEDNESDAY 10 AM: Now it's all about the PR war between these two Big Media giants. To counter Viacom's 12-hour media blitz blasting his company, Glenn Britt, President/CEO of Time Warner Cable just issued this statement about Viacom’s "threats" to pull MTV Networks from TWC customers:

Christmas is over, but Viacom is still playing Scrooge, threatening to pull its MTV Networks off of Time Warner Cable at midnight tonight unless we ask our customers to pay exorbitant price increases.

Viacom claims their demands equate to “pennies,” but that is misleading and insulting to our customers, from whom Viacom is trying to extort another $39 million annually – on top of the hundreds of millions of dollars our customers already pay to Viacom each year. That doesn’t sound like pennies to us. Demanding that our customers pay so much more for these few networks would be unreasonable in any economy, but it is particularly outrageous given the current economic conditions.

We sympathize with the fact that Viacom’s advertising business is suffering and that their networks’ ratings have largely been declining. However, we can’t abide their attempt to make up their lost revenue on the backs of Time Warner Cable customers. We’ve negotiated in good faith and made several concessions to help reach a fair and reasonable deal. We’ve asked for an extension of the current contract while we continue to negotiate. But Viacom doesn’t appear to be interested in what’s fair and reasonable for American consumers – they’re only interested in propping up their sagging bottom line, and they are poised to pull their networks from Time Warner Cable customers tonight.

Huge price increases like what Viacom is demanding threaten the ultimate value of cable TV. Time Warner Cable is a retail distributor of products we purchase wholesale. Wholesale programming costs are rising dramatically every year, and, like all multichannel distributors, we have to pass on at least a portion of the increases to our customers. Viacom’s MTV Networks are just a few of the hundreds of channels we carry. If every channel demanded huge, double-digit increases like what Viacom is trying to force our customers to pay, it would be impossible to keep the price of cable reasonable for our customers.

Time Warner Cable has reached hundreds of distribution agreements with other networks. In fact, we currently have deals with every other cable programmer. The negotiations aren’t always easy, but we work hard to reach agreements that are fair to our customers and to both businesses.

We hope Viacom won’t pull the MTV Networks from Time Warner Cable customers, and we’ll negotiate up to the last possible minute and beyond. But ultimately, it is Viacom’s decision. We implore them to join with us to reach a fair resolution or grant an extension, and we hope they won’t carry through with their threat to take their networks away from our customers tonight.

************************************************************ ***

WEDNESDAY NOON: Viacom has rejected Time Warner Cable's request for a 15- to 30-day extension on the 12:01 AM January 1st deadline when the cable programmer pulls its 19 channels off the 2nd largest cable system operator. I'm told Viacom and TWC had no contact throughout yesterday until news of the Big Media battle broke. Suddenly, at 8 PM, TWC came to Viacom with an increase offer and the extension request. But Viacom rejected both out of hand. "It was bogus. The low-ball offer was clearly an excuse to ask for an extension and then use that in their press acrtivity today," a Viacom source claimed to me. "After we've been trying to meet with them for several weeks, we won't consider an extension unless they're prepared to really negotiate and come across with a reasonable offer." Insiders say Viacom President/CEO Philippe Dauman stayed in his office most of today waiting to hear from his TWC counterpart Glenn Britt, but the situation remains stalled. This is turning out to be Big Media brinkmanship at its most brutal with 13.3 million cable subscribers caught in the middle.

Viacom has now answered the bashing by TWC's Britt:

Time Warner Cable’s continued rhetoric and posturing is disappointing and unproductive. We have made it clear that we welcome a credible and meaningful discussion that respects our viewers and the value our programming brings to Time Warner Cable. We remain ready and willing to engage. It’s time for serious talk – before the viewers become the victims.

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/happy-new-year-time-warner-cable-to-yank-mtv-nickeodeon-comedy-central-off-the-air/

Love the full page Viacom ad in the LA Times today, complete with a crying Dora. :rolleyes::DLOL i just saw that ad in our paper - i like how it says "Time Warner Cable is Taking Dora Off The Air Tonight, Along With 19 Of Your Favorite Channels!" What the hell makes them think their 19 channels are all among our favorite channels? Kinda arrogant.

I really hate how I get SD versions of some of these new channels (Science, Animal Planet, Travel), but I'm not authorized for the HD channels. What is this crap?

Anyone know if the MLB Network will debut in HD? That's the only channel I'll really need.

It should. TWC San Diego turned on MLB Network today (12/31) on channels 489 (SD) and 789 (HD). :cool:

TWC here in Orange added MLB Network today. It's 276 for SD and 470 for HD.

As for the Viacom deal, it's nuts for both companies to pull this kind of crap. I'll say this much, there isn't going to be a channel I really miss much, maybe Comedy Central once South Park starts back up, but other than that, Viacom hasn't done much to make these networks compelling...well maybe if Spike HD were available here.

LOL i just saw that ad in our paper - i like how it says "Time Warner Cable is Taking Dora Off The Air Tonight, Along With 19 Of Your Favorite Channels!" What the hell makes them think their 19 channels are all among our favorite channels? Kinda arrogant.

Marketing, man! Get the kids involved to go cry to the parents. Gotta love it! :D

Get the kids involved to go cry to the parents. Gotta love it! :D

http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/20081231060609/www.multichannel.com/articles/images/MCN/library/Viacom_TWC.jpg

Mommie, please call Time Warner! Make them stop making SpongeBob cry!!! :p

Now Sponge Bob?? This is getting cruel. Hey, if the next ad shows Jon Stewart crying, I'll make the call!! :D

Don't you just love advertisers exaggeration? Often I see mention of the movie the whole world has been waiting for.

I just accept all advertising as lies!!!

BTW, I will now check to see what Direct TV, Dish, and UVERSE will offer. Perhaps their DVRs don't freeze up for 10-30 seconds at a time.



LOL i just saw that ad in our paper - i like how it says "Time Warner Cable is Taking Dora Off The Air Tonight, Along With 19 Of Your Favorite Channels!" What the hell makes them think their 19 channels are all among our favorite channels? Kinda arrogant.

TWC here in Orange added MLB Network today. It's 276 for SD and 470 for HD.


I got it here in Redlands too. But it says Not Authorized. Hope that changes when it goes live tomorrow.

im getting MLB HD on ch 470 too in eagle rock. works fine for me. is this gonna be a part of the sports tier though? cause i dont subscribe to that.

im getting MLB HD on ch 470 too in eagle rock. works fine for me. is this gonna be a part of the sports tier though? cause i dont subscribe to that.

No, as part of the deal for the cable companies to get MLB Extra Innings, they had to agree to carry the MLB Network on their digital tiers, not a sports tier.

Did they make a deal? I'm still getting MTV, VH1, etc. Wasn't it supposed to go off at 12:01am?

Guess they did:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/viacom_time_warner_cable

Did they make a deal? I'm still getting MTV, VH1, etc. Wasn't it supposed to go off at 12:01am?

Guess they did:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/viacom_time_warner_cable

Yes they made a deal this morning at 1am...apparently they extended the deadline...Viacom was the greedy ones this time and they did not get what they wanted...they met somewhere in the middle ...so Spongebob can relax he will be seen on TW at least for a while

No, as part of the deal for the cable companies to get MLB Extra Innings, they had to agree to carry the MLB Network on their digital tiers, not a sports tier.

So what's up with this? I'm still getting Not Authorized and its 2 hours from going on the air.. is this happening to anyone else?

this is something that gives info about the Viacom-TW deal

Viacom, Time Warner strike a deal
Jan 1, 2009, 11:04 AM | by Pop Watch

Categories: Television

You want your MTV? You got it. Early this morning, Viacom and Time Warner Cable suits settled a dispute over fee hikes in which the cable company threatened to drop MTV, Comedy Central, Nick, and 16 other Viacom networks, ABC News reports. The details of the deal were not made public.

Earlier this week, the media conglomerate and the cable operator engaged in a public pissing match over how much Time Warner pays to offer Viacom's networks to its nearly 16 million subscribers. Viacom contended that Time Warner was underpaying, given the popularity of its programming; the cable operator accused Viacom of trying to pad its bottom line to make up for slow ad sales.

I googled around and found a list of the channels that would be affected:

Comedy Central
CMT: Pure Country
Logo
Palladia
MTV
MTV 2
MTV Hits
MTV Jams
MTV Tr3s
Nickelodeon
Noggin
Nick 2
Nicktoons
Spike
The N
TV Land
VH1
VH1 Classic
VH1 Soul

The only ones i'd miss a little are Palladia and Spike so to me it would be worth paying an extra 25 cents per month. My bill is already well over a hundred so what's an extra quarter? TWC had no problem raising the price of the service and equipment several dollars this month, so why are they squawking about a measly quarter?
Hey Randy.

I think you misunderstood. :) It is at least 25 cents more for each Viacom channel. And remember this is the additional cost to TWC, there's no telling to what amount this increase will amount to us.

Rudy

Does anybody get MLBHD (470)?

It's "not authorized" for me, but I don't subscribe to Sports Tier.

However it's not even shown in the channel lineup web page under Sports Tier, or any other group for that matter! It's just not shown (yet).

Anybody? And if so, what tiers do you subscribe to?

My cable and internet were both out since early in the morning until at least 3pm - 4pm. Within a couple of weeks ago my internet was out for 13 hours. No emails, no apologies, no reimbursement. Nothing. As if this is how it should be. Tomorrow Verizon will be getting a phone call from me, I really hope they have some sort of a promotion to help me sign up for DSL since it looks like FiOS will not be available in WLA in this century. :mad:
Boy I'm screaming angry. I had to work today and my boss was trying to reach me all day.

Rudy

Does anybody get MLBHD (470)?

It's "not authorized" for me, but I don't subscribe to Sports Tier.

However it's not even shown in the channel lineup web page under Sports Tier, or any other group for that matter! It's just not shown (yet).

Anybody? And if so, what tiers do you subscribe to?

I get it, but it's not listed in the TiVo guide. I get the sports tier, but I have heard that it is not part of the sports tier.

Besides the fact that both these DVRs suck, what is the difference? It seems that the 34 has a smaller hard drive?

I mentioned before that both will freeze up to 15 seconds when trying to pause, list, rewind, etc.

Now both will some how go all the way back to the beginning of a recording when all I want to do is go back 30 - 60 seconds.

Add to this the increase in rates, I am seriously thinking of checking out UVERSE, Direct TV, and Dish. I don't think anything else is available to me here in Santa Clarita (near Magic Mountain park)

Thanks for any information.

You could get a TiVo.

Just heard from my source at TWC, who's cleared this up.

MLB (SD/HD) is provided as part of Variety Tier (not Sports Tier or HD Tier).

If you already subscribed to Variety Tier, that's why you have access to the channel. Me, I didn't, hence "not authorized".

The Channel Lineup and Programming Alerts web pages will be updated in the very near future to reflect this.

As TWC seems to have abandoned HD Tier (which I do subscribe to) since all new channels added recently have SD/HD pairs and hence get placed in some other tier, I'm going to abandon it! I absolutely NEVER watch UHD, and maybe look at HDNet/HDNMV once every 4 months. I thought HD Tier meant something, but it clearly does not to TWC. And UHD was made available to everyone anyway for the 2-weeks of the Olympics, per special arrangement with NBC. I suspect they'll do that again the next time, so losing it for other than those 2-weeks means nothing to me.

As much as I'd like to support Mark Cuban (he the provider of the HD telecast of SLC Winter Olympics in 2002, as well as excellent content on his two HDNet channels... if only I were interested), I'm going to trade my $5 monthly outlay to TWC for Variety Tier, where there are clearly some channels I DO want to watch in HD.

Anyway... MLB in Variety Tier, not Sports Tier.

Am I missing something? How can SpongeBob cry? Wouldn't he absorb all his own tears? :confused:

^^ 10 points. :D

i told yall not freak out and i was right. We no longer have to worry about spongebob's absorption problems. I still hate crime warner though......

When I watch cable TV without a cable box (in my home office, for example), I get some digital and HD channels. However, those channels are numbered like 104-341, 133-185, etc. - the numbers over 77 do not seem to have much of a pattern or correspond to the "actual" channel numbers.

I can get the new MLB Network on the cable box, but I have no way of knowing what the crazy channel number would be on my office TV. The Time-Warner website is no help.

So I finally got through to Time-Warner on the phone and asked them about it.

They said that, if you do not have a cable box, you only get channels 2-99, so no MLB Network - it's on 261.

I said, "Um, no, for example, I get Discovery HD on 125-191 and I get many other such channels."

He says, "Oh, well, if you are getting those dash ('-') channels they are being picked up by your tuner from another source, not from us."

I ask, "So, those dash channels are not coming from you, i.e. not through the cable? But, I do not have an antenna - all I have plugged into the TV is the cable." (BTW, I get ALL my local channels on this TV through a dash channels (2-1, 4-1, 5-1, 7-1, 9-1, 11-1 and 13-1.)

He says, "Yes, those are not from us. Your TV is picking those up from somewhere else."


BTW, I previously had tried an "HD antenna" and it did not pick up a damn thing.

So, what gives? Does anyone know what channel MLB Network is on without the cable box?

Thanks.

MotionMan

the channels that you are getting are "in the clear" and your TVs clear QAM tuner is picking them up. normally its only supposed to be the locals in HD and a few digital channels that are included in the digital cable package. when you ask TWC about those channels theyll act clueless about it because they want you to pay more and get a receiver to receive the channels. MLB network probably isnt in the clear which is why you cant watch it without a box.

I said, "Um, no, for example, I get Discovery HD on 125-191 and I get many other such channels."Huh? What are you watching on, where the channel number displayed is 125-191?

Do you have a CableCard in your HDTV? Otherwise, I can't see how you could get anything but the OTA locals "in the clear" on QAM tuner.

That's all I get (plus a handful of tripe).

Recent channel scan from my HDTV's tuner last week yields essentially this:

67.541 NBC4.1
67.542 CBS2.1
67.543 CW5.1
74.546 ABC7.1
74.547 KCAL9.1
74.548 FOX11.1
60.551 PBS28.1
60.552 PBS50.1
60.553 MY13.1

Everything else is "encrypted" and shows as "no signal", including Discover HD, etc., which I get on my DVR as I subscribe to that tier.


Does anyone know what channel MLB Network is on without the cable box?Since MLB is in Variety Tier, which like all other tiers is "encrypted", you should not be able to get this without either CableCard in your HDTV or a standalone STB/DVR.

Same with all other channels other than OTA locals.

the channels that you are getting are "in the clear" and your TVs clear QAM tuner is picking them up. normally its only supposed to be the locals in HD and a few digital channels that are included in the digital cable package. when you ask TWC about those channels theyll act clueless about it because they want you to pay more and get a receiver to receive the channels. MLB network probably isnt in the clear which is why you cant watch it without a box.

So, I assume I AM picking these up through the cable and not from thin air.

I do not know if I am unable to watch MLB Network since I do not have a good way to try to find it. I was hoping to find out the "dash" channel number for it without having to scan through all the channels.

Is there any place anywhere that lists the cable channels that are "in the clear" (the so-called "dash" channels)?

Thanks.

MotionMan

The latest pixelation issues and the new DVR "feature" of sometimes pausing when you hit a button made me finally make the switch to Direct. The installers put it all in today and I have to say I never realized how bad the HD picture from TWC had become. Even my wife who isn't that picky on PQ said "wow that's amazing". I swear it's like when I bought my first HD set again. As much as I hate the idea of some of the things Direct does I think I hate what TWC has been doing more.

Anyone else not getting sound on channel 413, the Lakers game tonight?

Huh? What are you watching on, where the channel number displayed is 125-191?
Maybe motionman meant 125-591. That's what I get Discovery-HD on with a direct cable connection to my TV, bypassing the cable box.

Also:
125-592 (TLC-HD
125-593 (National Geographic-HD)
125-596 (Disney-HD)
87-561 (Universal-HD)

I have the Variety tier, which might explain, I'm not sure.

Anyone else not getting sound on channel 413, the Lakers game tonight?
No sound for the pre-show; it's back now.

No sound for the pre-show; it's back now.

no sound :mad:

Maybe motionman meant 125-591. That's what I get Discovery-HD on with a direct cable connection to my TV, bypassing the cable box.

Also:
125-592 (TLC-HD
125-593 (National Geographic-HD)
125-596 (Disney-HD)
87-561 (Universal-HD)

I have the Variety tier, which might explain, I'm not sure.

Yeah, typo: It's 125-591.

MotionMan

Maybe motionman meant 125-591. That's what I get Discovery-HD on with a direct cable connection to my TV, bypassing the cable box.

Also:
125-592 (TLC-HD
125-593 (National Geographic-HD)
125-596 (Disney-HD)
87-561 (Universal-HD)

I have the Variety tier, which might explain, I'm not sure.Well I'm baffled.

NGC-HD is on Choice Tier. Do you subscribe? Why would you get only this one?

UHD is on HD Tier. Do you subscribe? Again, why would you get only this one and not all other channels on this tier?

TLC-HD and Disney-HD are part of Digital Package, and should be available to all subscribers... through STB/DVR or CableCard.

I thought that other than local OTA channels everything from TWC was encrypted and thus not "in the clear", and thus could not be received by a simple connection of coax from the wall directly to the HDTV tuner.

I'm puzzled.

^ive been getting those channels in the clear too and i just subscribe to the variety tier. ive had universal HD ever since the olympics and it hasnt gone away since. i only checked them for like a week when i got another TV since i didnt have another HD box yet but i had TLC, disney, national geographic and discovery HD in the clear when i didnt have them before. ive had national geographic from the get-go though since its already included in my basic cable package.

What are the hard drive sizes in the Motorola 6416 and the 3416?

Thanks.

What are the hard drive sizes in the Motorola 6416 and the 3416?160GB. Somewhat less than 20 hours of HD recording.

i've had national geographic from the get-go though since its already included in my basic cable package.Well, NGC is part of Choice Tier. It is not part of "basic cable" or "digital" service. If you subscribe to Choice Tier that's why you're getting it, not because it's "basic". But still.. receiving it via STB/DVR is not the same as receiving it "in the clear" using an OTA/ATSC tuner in a TV connected directly to the coax and without a CableCard.

I'm going to have to re-examine what my 34XBR960 is doing during its channel scan.

Shortly after the first batch of 12 new HD channels came out over the summer, I decided to see what would show up using the "cable" antenna input to the set. And I had most (or maybe even all) of them, and even labeled them in Setup (of my HDTV).

Then, all of a sudden, most of these disappeared. I assumed it was because TWC had now encrypted them (which had obviously not been done when they first got rolled out). Even though I was entitled to many of them (e.g. CNNHD) either because they were "available to all subscribers" or because I subscribed to the containing tier, they had disappeared for me.

So I purged them from my channel lineup using Setup.

And then just last week I scanned channels again, and again still see nothing but the OTA locals. Everything else is "no signal".

I wonder if this is something unique to my MDR/Westchester (former Comcast) area. It certainly seems that other former Adelphia areas have had problems with channels that I have never had (e.g. the 720p/1080i issue on several channels), so I wonder if this "in the clear" situation is another area-specific anomaly.

I will do some more research. Very strange.

I wonder if this is something unique to my MDR/Westchester (former Comcast) area. It certainly seems that other former Adelphia areas have had problems with channels that I have never had (e.g. the 720p/1080i issue on several channels), so I wonder if this "in the clear" situation is another area-specific anomaly.

I have the HD tier as well as Variety, and have had these as long as I've had this new TV with its ATSC tuner (7 mos). Originally they were different numbers, then TW revamped the lineup a couple of months ago. CaCHooKa Man and I are in the same area, I believe (Eagle Rock).

i dont subscribe to the choice tier either. ive had NGC for a few years, even before upgrading to digital cable a few months ago. NGC HD has been available for me ever since i got my HD box and i only have the variety tier.

TWC just added some more HD channels here in El Segundo - they're in the guide on my SA8300HD but they're not showing up in my Tivo S3's guide yet (sometimes it takes a few days before Tivo catches up). Torrance and Gardena and Hawthorne are on our small network and my provider still says they have enough bandwidth for all the new channels and that they're not going to need to use SDV. The file sizes on the local HD channels are still virtually the same as the OTA channels and the picture quality is still perfect so they're still not compressing the signal here.

The newest channels are:

441 USA HD
442 Bravo HD
443 SciFi HD
444 CNBC HD
451 Animal Planet HD
452 Travel HD
456 FX HD
460 Science HD
465 FNCHD
466 FBNHDJust an update for those in the El Segundo/Torrance/Gardena division who are using a Tivo S3 or Tivo HD with CableCards - these 10 newest channels still are not appearing in the Tivo guide and they do not appear on Tivo's online channel listings or Zap2it's online channel listings. I first called TWC Tech Support about this issue and the CSR was knowledgeable and capable, and he determined that my CableCards are working properly and confirmed that my TWC division is not using SDV at all. He also said they don't foresee having to resort to SDV or signal compression since they have plenty of bandwidth on our Fiber Optic network. Nice.

So since these new channels aren't listed in my Tivo guides i'm presuming that somehow Tivo and Zap2it weren't notified of this recent addition so i officially reported it to Tivo's Lineup Department and they said these 10 new channels should be added to their lineup within 5 business days. In the meantime i'm just watching them on my SA8300HD.....

Just heard from my source at TWC, who's cleared this up.

MLB (SD/HD) is provided as part of Variety Tier (not Sports Tier or HD Tier).

If you already subscribed to Variety Tier, that's why you have access to the channel. Me, I didn't, hence "not authorized".



Why? I thought the agreement with MLB was that this channel was not to be part of any extra package, it was to be part of regular digital programming. And why would it be on the Variety tier and not the Sports tier? This makes no sense.

Why? I thought the agreement with MLB was that this channel was not to be part of any extra package, it was to be part of regular digital programming.Can you point me to the URL where this was described?

If true, then TWC's decision to put it in Variety Tier sounds contrary to what was agreed to with MLB.


And why would it be on the Variety tier and not the Sports tier? This makes no sense.I AGREE 100000%!!!

If I had subscribed to Sports Tier (which I don't), and I thus get HD versions of NHL, NBA and Tennis, I'd be plenty p-o'd if I also didn't get MLB as part of this package... especially if I did not subscribe to Variety Tier.

And yet, nevertheless... that is what I was told by "the powers that be". It is in Variety Tier where they implemented it.

I will pursue this on Monday.


Now, if enough subscribers complain wildly, maybe they'll re-think this decision, especially if the MLB agreement called for it to be freely available to all subscribers as part of the "digital package".

Can you point me to the URL where this was described?

If true, then TWC's decision to put it in Variety Tier sounds contrary to what was agreed to with MLB.




http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2741:some-mlb-network-subscribers-find-blank-screens-on-first-day&catid=48:ei-mlb-network&Itemid=82

That article talks about it a little.


A statement released from MLB Network said, “MLB Network successfully launched on January 1 in approximately 50 million homes. MLB Network is carried by most major cable and telco providers as well as DirecTV on digital basic or expanded basic. As has been widely reported, MLB Network is not carried a specialized sports tier, but does require customers to subscribe to digital basic cable or the equivalent.

I guess it depends on what basic means...

Here's another one that says basically the same thing: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081228&content_id=3729349&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp


When MLB Network launches on Jan. 1 in more than 50 million homes, it will be carried by most major cable and telco systems as well as on DirecTV on expanded basic or digital basic. Consumers will not have to pay extra for MLB Network.

I guess they consider tiers "expanded digital basic"?

I dumped my movie tier for variety to get it, at least it got me HD Science/Travel/Animal Planet with it

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2741:some-mlb-network-subscribers-find-blank-screens-on-first-day&catid=48:ei-mlb-network&Itemid=82

That article talks about it a little.Excellent. Thank you.


I guess it depends on what basic means...I don't think it should be too mysterious. TWC's own words on their "Channel Lineup" web page describes it very clearly:

"Digital Cable Package comes with Broadcast Basic, Standard Cable and your choice of one of the six digital tiers (Variety Tier, Choice Tier, Movie Tier, Sports Tier, HD Tier, or Espanol Tier)."

That's what we pay the minimum amount for to get "digital basic" service. And in my opinion that's the place MLB should have gone.


Here's another one that says basically the same thing: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081228&content_id=3729349&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jspThis is the official MLB Network press release, which is EVEN MORE CLEAR (as you quote) that the channel should NOT be for money, but rather should be for free and provided on the carrier's "digital basic" or equivalent.


I guess they consider tiers "expanded digital basic"?Sure sounds like TWC's "digital cable package" to me. That is the lowest level "digital" option a subscriber has. No ambiguity at all, if you ask me.

I think TWC's going to have to "blink" on this.


I dumped my movie tier for variety to get it, at least it got me HD Science/Travel/Animal Planet with itI understand.

I grudgingly went for Choice Tier last month to get NGC-HD (and nothing else in that tier). Tonight I even more grudgingly went for Variety Tier, for SciHD and MLBHD (for now, anyway). I decided to keep HD Tier (for HDNet and HDNMV, and to support Mark Cuban's deeds).

The CSR had apparently heard a number of complaints from others on MLB being placed in Variety Tier. I didn't realize that the MLB agreement precluded its going into Sports Tier until I read that press release you pointed to. But obviously it seems like it should have been placed in "digital cable package" and nowhere else.

I also complained bitterly about the seemingly orphaned HD Tier I pay for, which now only has three channels instead of the four it started with and looks like it will never ever get another one added.

Why not have an "all you can eat HD" package (maybe available only to Tripleplay subscribers, as a reward for their loyalty and support)? Call it "HD-Plus". Say for $15 you get ALL of the non-premium HD channels from ALL tiers aggregated together into this one new "HD-Plus" tier, assuming you don't already subscribe to those tiers. But even if you did, if you didn't need SD you could dump all the other tiers and just go with "HD-Plus" for all the HD offered by TWC. They'll need to do something new and fiercely competitive as FIOS and u-Verse become more widely available.

Anyway, the CSR was sympathetic to my please, and appreciated my "HD-Plus" suggestions, and gave me a number of months of "free DVR rental" and "free DVR service" (as a promotion), which will cover Variety Tier cost for me for a year. Much appreciated.

Well, NGC is part of Choice Tier. It is not part of "basic cable" or "digital" service. If you subscribe to Choice Tier that's why you're getting it, not because it's "basic". But still.. receiving it via STB/DVR is not the same as receiving it "in the clear" using an OTA/ATSC tuner in a TV connected directly to the coax and without a CableCard.
Actually, NGC is part of the "basic cable" service in some areas. Look at the footnote of the Choice Tier in TWC's website. You'll notice that NGC is marked with a double * and at the very bottom it says "** Included with Standard Cable in some areas."

Actually, NGC is part of the "basic cable" service in some areas. Look at the footnote of the Choice Tier in TWC's website. You'll notice that NGC is marked with a double * and at the very bottom it says "** Included with Standard Cable in some areas."Just ridiculous. Could they make it any more confusing and irritating to us?

Anyway, in my Hollywood/Westchester (aka MDR former Comcast) area it is definitely part of Choice Tier.

That still doesn't explain the mystery as to why I cannot QAM-tune to ANY of the cable channels to which I am definitely paying for and entitled to. I spoke with TWC today and they've scheduled a technician to come out on Monday, to "do something in the street" so that I can get these channels on both my DVR as well as QAM-tune with the ATSC tuner in my HDTV. They, too, feel I should be able to tune without a cable box if my HDTV has a proper tuner. No CableCard should be needed for this.

I'm currently a bit skeptical, but I'll let them run through whatever motions they want to on Monday.

Note that back over the summer when the first 12 new HD channels rolled out I WAS able to tune to them all! Then a few days later, NGCHD disappeared (turns out it was because I didn't have Choice Tier). Then a month later they ALL disappeared. I did nothing to make any of this happen.

So I'll assume it's something on the TWC side that has caused this for me, and may very well bring it back for me.

We'll see.

Orange County why is CBS 402 not in HD ???

And just like that as i was watching it went to HD hmmmm

I want to change my Movie tier to Variety tier, can i do this over the phone or must i do it in person?

I want to change my Movie tier to Variety tier, can i do this over the phone or must i do it in person?

Call over phone and will be done while you are on the phone. /Dan

Just ridiculous. Could they make it any more confusing and irritating to us?

Anyway, in my Hollywood/Westchester (aka MDR former Comcast) area it is definitely part of Choice Tier.

That still doesn't explain the mystery as to why I cannot QAM-tune to ANY of the cable channels to which I am definitely paying for and entitled to. I spoke with TWC today and they've scheduled a technician to come out on Monday, to "do something in the street" so that I can get these channels on both my DVR as well as QAM-tune with the ATSC tuner in my HDTV. They, too, feel I should be able to tune without a cable box if my HDTV has a proper tuner. No CableCard should be needed for this.

I'm currently a bit skeptical, but I'll let them run through whatever motions they want to on Monday.

Note that back over the summer when the first 12 new HD channels rolled out I WAS able to tune to them all! Then a few days later, NGCHD disappeared (turns out it was because I didn't have Choice Tier). Then a month later they ALL disappeared. I did nothing to make any of this happen.

So I'll assume it's something on the TWC side that has caused this for me, and may very well bring it back for me.

We'll see.You do know that the cable box is the unit authorized by TWC to decode the encrypted channels? No TV (without a cable card) can be "authorized" to decode channels you are paying for. So, anything being picked up directly by a digital tuner from the cable line ("in the clear" QAM channels) are not encrypted. There has been many messages on stations "in-the-clear" that were not meant to be. Eventually they usually get caught and enctrypted (FSN - HD for example) from the clear. So, be glad for anything you get extra that are not local channels no matter what you are paying for to TWC. A cable box (or cable card equipment) is needed to unencrypt after TWC authorizes it. /Dan

You do know that the cable box is the unit authorized by TWC to decode the encrypted channels? No TV (without a cable card) can be "authorized" to decode channels you are paying for. So, anything being picked up directly by a digital tuner from the cable line ("in the clear" QAM channels) are not encrypted. There has been many messages on stations "in-the-clear" that were not meant to be. Eventually they usually get caught and enctrypted (FSN - HD for example) from the clear. So, be glad for anything you get extra that are not local channels no matter what you are paying for to TWC. A cable box (or cable card equipment) is needed to unencrypt after TWC authorizes it. /Dan

I completely understand what the cable company wants from its customers, however, I find it odd (that is the best word I can think of at the moment) that the cable company sees no problem in charging you for certain channels then charging you AGAIN for the box to access those channels. The way I see it, I paid for the channels, so they should all be in the clear for me. I should not have to have a box (or card) if my TV can get the channels without it (Don't the cable ads talk about how satellite charges you by the TV but cable doesn't? Cable boxes are a per TV charge (sort of like how gov't fees are not a tax!).

I have not done ANY research on the subject, so I may sound like an idiot (it will not be the first time, nor the last) I suppose you may be able buy your own box or some other such thing, but it still seems like double-dipping by the cable company to, in effect, force most of its customers (uninformed or non-techie) to pay for a box to get the channels they already paid for.

MotionMan

I completely understand what the cable company wants from its customers, however, I find it odd (that is the best word I can think of at the moment) that the cable company sees no problem in charging you for certain channels then charging you AGAIN for the box to access those channels. The way I see it, I paid for the channels, so they should all be in the clear for me. I should not have to have a box (or card) if my TV can get the channels without it (Don't the cable ads talk about how satellite charges you by the TV but cable doesn't? Cable boxes are a per TV charge (sort of like how gov't fees are not a tax!).

I have not done ANY research on the subject, so I may sound like an idiot (it will not be the first time, nor the last) I suppose you may be able buy your own box or some other such thing, but it still seems like double-dipping by the cable company to, in effect, force most of its customers (uninformed or non-techie) to pay for a box to get the channels they already paid for.

MotionManProblem is, in-the-clear for one is in-the-clear for all whether paying or not. They need some way to limit who can view. /Dan

You do know that the cable box is the unit authorized by TWC to decode the encrypted channels? No TV (without a cable card) can be "authorized" to decode channels you are paying for. So, anything being picked up directly by a digital tuner from the cable line ("in the clear" QAM channels) are not encrypted. There has been many messages on stations "in-the-clear" that were not meant to be. Eventually they usually get caught and enctrypted (FSN - HD for example) from the clear. Well that was exactly what I thought was the case. That's why I kept questioning people who said they were receiving lots of these tier-based channels. Did they have a CableCard? No, they said. Just plugged the coax directly into the TV.

For example just last week, "I get Discovery-HD on with a direct cable connection to my TV, bypassing the cable box.

Also:
125-592 (TLC-HD
125-593 (National Geographic-HD)
125-596 (Disney-HD)
87-561 (Universal-HD)"

Now when these new HD channels first came out last summer, along with CNNHD etc., I was able to get them all via QAM/ATSC tuner, with direct coax-to-HDTV and no DVR.

Then NGC-HD disappeared, presumably because I didn't have Choice Tier. Then they all disappeared... and I didn't know why.

Then others said (and still say) that they get them TODAY... without a CableCard and without a STB/DVR box. Just direct from wall to HDTV.

But on the surface I'm inclined to agree with your analysis, that these are actually encrypted and thus need some kind of decoding box or CableCard. Over and above the obvious requirement for this additional hardware for Premium channels (e.g. HBO and SHO), you're saying the additional hardware is required to decode even the basic tier-related channels.

On the other hand, the counter-argument which is presented that you're already paying for the channels in the tier, so why are you also required to pay for additional hardware (AT EACH TV) to receive those channels you're already paying for, is a good one.

On the other hand, they get away with charging us once for the DVR and a second time for the "DVR service". So why not the same "double-dipping" tier-related program charges plus some kind of additional hardware charge to actually decode that programming?

Anyway, I'm almost certain that when the TWC technician goes home tonight nothing will have been accomplished, and I still will have only the free unencrypted local OTA channels available via QAM to my HDTV. None of the other tier-related channels for which I pay and watch through my DVR will be available directly on my HDTV via coax-direct.

Still don't know why others are "getting away with it", except by sheer accident in their area. Definitely not here in MDR (former Comcast).

Perhaps there should be a way to have a decoder as the cable comes into the house. I seem to remember a rich friend of mine years ago used to get all the cable channels (HBO, Showtime etc) come on regular TV in the house. he had a box of some kind in a closet that did all the decoding. this was about 15 years ago..

If the cable come into the house a box of some kind can do the encyption then pass all the channels to all TV's if you have a old TV you would just get the lower channels a newer digital TV would get all the channels I am sure it would not be hard to do..

I guess the issue would be we pay for one box and not one for each TV a loss of income for them

Well... it's really even worse than I expected.

I spoke with another "smarter" CSR today, and she agreed with the original position perspective that it was NOT possible to get TWC-provided channels other than local OTA channels at any TV without either (a) STB, (b) DVR, or (c) CableCard. Her position was that all non-OTA channels are encrypted by TWC and thus require decoding hardware... at each set.

So, current charges for CableCard: $2.75 for the first, $4 (I think) for second and subsequent. Tivo-capable cards are $2.75 for first and subsequent.

STB charge is $9 for first and subsequent.

DVR charge is $16.75 for first and $19 for second and subsequent.

So you need some piece of additional non-free hardware at each additional TV, if you want to watch tier-related programming at that TV.

[I didn't check the prices exactly, so it's from memory.]

That's in addition for the charge for the programming content to your account, which is a 1-shot charge no matter how many receivers you have.

We cancelled the technician's service call. It's obvious that I am getting what I'm entitled to in my MDR (former Comcast) area, and that connecting the coax directly to my HDTV is yielding only the local OTA channels QAM. Nothing else, nor should it.

If others in other former Adelphia/other areas are in fact getting selected or all tier-related channels via QAM direct to your set without a CableCard, STB or DVR, consider yourself lucky I guess. I don't think that should be happening, apparently.

So, current charges for CableCard: $2.75 for the first, $4 (I think) for second and subsequent.
So, you do see not only do you need to rent a second+ decoding box, but there is an additional TV "digital" charge (now $2 for me) for the extra TVs hooked up to digital cable. I am assuming this is because they pay for the channels based on "watchers", not households and 2 (or more) could be watching different digital channels at the same time. I held off 3 years getting a second box because of the additional charge (was $2.50 until this year). Rent for a box can somewhat be justified (free replacment if breaks, etc.).

/Dan

As of yesterday NGCHD, UHD and Disney HD are no longer viewable in the clear QAM.

Rudy

What are the advantages (or disadvantages) of having OTA service from "Crime Warner" as opposed to having it setup by yourself? I was over at a relatives house and I was puzzled to hear that "Crime Warner setup their sevice. I did not see a STB on their entertainment center so this lead be to belive that they have anteana service.

There is no such company as "Crime Warner." You can receive OTA transmissions with an antenna if your TV has a digital tuner.

What are the advantages (or disadvantages) of having OTA service from "Crime Warner" as opposed to having it setup by yourself? I was over at a relatives house and I was puzzled to hear that "Crime Warner setup their sevice. I did not see a STB on their entertainment center so this lead be to belive that they have anteana service.
There are many areas in LA that cannot see the Antannas that transmit from mount Wilson. In those cases there is no option but to get local channels for money. Also, TWC no longer transmits those channels uncompressed. So there are no advantages per se. Just a case of pure availability. At least to the best of my understanding.

Rudy

Hey guys. I'm moving back to SoCal next week and will be getting TWC in Woodland Hills for my HD TiVo. I was wondering if TWC SoCal had implemented SDV yet, and if so if they had the tuning adapters available. Thanks

UHD is officially gone for me now. ive had it free through my box ever since the olympics and it finally stopped working.

Hey guys. I'm moving back to SoCal next week and will be getting TWC in Woodland Hills for my HD TiVo. I was wondering if TWC SoCal had implemented SDV yet, and if so if they had the tuning adapters available. Thanks

No and no.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/SoCal/Products/Cable/sdv/default.html

uhd is officially gone for me now. Ive had it free through my box ever since the olympics and it finally stopped working.
+1

When is Time Warner going to fix these compression issues? For the most part it looks OK, but when there's any sudden activity the picture completely loses its composure.

http://www.djrobx.com/misc/twcabchd.png

It's been happening at my home in Valencia ever since they added the first round of HD channels. I see the same issues at my Mom's in Tujunga also.

Besides the fact that both these DVRs suck, what is the difference? It seems that the 34 has a smaller hard drive?
Thanks for any information.The only difference is that the 3416 doesn't have an (expensive) analog MPEG encoder. It's a pure digital DVR. Now that TWC has digital equivalents of everything, the analog encoder isn't necessary, so as far as you're concerned the two units will work the same.

The 16 at the end of the model number is in reference to the hard drive size (12 = 120, 16 = 160).

U-verse picture quality isn't the greatest but it is better than TWC right now. The U-verse DVRs are not feature rich by any means, but the Total Home DVR is nice and the fast channel changing is refreshing. They also have 160GB HDs but because they use MPEG-4 they store a LOT more. I keep "lifeline" TWC as a backup and to feed my Windows Media Center. AT&T gives pretty good incentives to try it ... I didn't think I would like it but we love it. The've jacked the second STB price up to $7 which I'm not too pleased with though. Still cheaper than TW but a price hike nonetheless.

That still doesn't explain the mystery as to why I cannot QAM-tune to ANY of the cable channels to which I am definitely paying for and entitled to. I spoke with TWC today and they've scheduled a technician to come out on Monday, to "do something in the street" so that I can get these channels on both my DVR as well as QAM-tune with the ATSC tuner in my HDTV. They, too, feel I should be able to tune without a cable box if my HDTV has a proper tuner. No CableCard should be needed for this.

You should be able to tune to any QAM encoded channel broadcast "in the clear" with your QAM turner without a cable card. Both SD and HD. These would include any local broadcast channels and their HD equivalents, any digital channel provided to all subscribers without an extra charge (CSPAN3 would be an example)

Also, any channels the engineers forget to turn on the "scrambled" setting on the digital encoder. Thus the confusion.

So this would preclude your receiving without a cable set top box, or an installed cable card device any channel not offered in the lowest level tier. For Time Warner this would include all the digital tiers (Choice, Sports, etc), premium channels (HBO, Showtime etc) PPV channels and PPV channels. All of these channels need to be accessed conditionally (on the condition that you pay) using the above conditional access devices.

So don't expect to get "channels that you pay for" without the cable card or set top box, nothing a tech coming to your home will change the conditional access system available to your set.

Well... it's really even worse than I expected.

I spoke with another "smarter" CSR today, and she agreed with the original position perspective that it was NOT possible to get TWC-provided channels other than local OTA channels at any TV without either (a) STB, (b) DVR, or (c) CableCard. Her position was that all non-OTA channels are encrypted by TWC and thus require decoding hardware... at each set.

So, current charges for CableCard: $2.75 for the first, $4 (I think) for second and subsequent. Tivo-capable cards are $2.75 for first and subsequent.

STB charge is $9 for first and subsequent.

DVR charge is $16.75 for first and $19 for second and subsequent.

So you need some piece of additional non-free hardware at each additional TV, if you want to watch tier-related programming at that TV.

[I didn't check the prices exactly, so it's from memory.]

That's in addition for the charge for the programming content to your account, which is a 1-shot charge no matter how many receivers you have.

We cancelled the technician's service call. It's obvious that I am getting what I'm entitled to in my MDR (former Comcast) area, and that connecting the coax directly to my HDTV is yielding only the local OTA channels QAM. Nothing else, nor should it.

If others in other former Adelphia/other areas are in fact getting selected or all tier-related channels via QAM direct to your set without a CableCard, STB or DVR, consider yourself lucky I guess. I don't think that should be happening, apparently.

With your QAM turner connected directly to TWC coax you should get the following. All analog channels (2-99) unless you subscribe to limited basic, and then its 2-36 or so. They will install a "trap" to cut the higher channels from entering the home, the trap is either on the telephone pole, an underground vault or the junction box if you live in a mult-unit dewlling.

You should also be able to receive with the QAM tuner any digital channel TWC is sending you without the conditional access "flag" effectively scrambling them for you. The channels you should get in digital are the HD equivalents of many LA broadcasters, digital duplicates of the local over the air channels and a few others the engineers screwed up and didn't turn on the scrambling. You also will get in digital several different sets of the TV Guide channel customized for different areas, and several sets of public, educational and governmental access channels from the different cities in the TWC area including Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Culver City, etc.

So you get a lot more with TWC and no box than just the over the airs.

It is now 6pm and I do not have any sound on channel 443 the ScifiHD...anyone else have this problem...

^^^Sound here in Los Feliz/Eagle Rock.

Recently, I did an experiment where I wanted to see my OnDemand selection over my TV's QAM tuner (112-## to 115-## in the Thousand Oaks area). When I choose an HDNet selection and get "info", the result says 1080p. As far as I can tell, the other HD OnDemand channels say 1080i.

My TV only can do 720p, so for me it's just an interesting curiosity.

Does the automatic payment system on their website not work for anyone else? God. Money due yesterday, the site says I'm on recurring payments and that the payment will be applied on the due date, but it's still not taking my money until I do it manually. TAKE MY MONEY PLEASE.

hmm.. it looks like my recurring payment didnt go through either. it was due the 29th and apparently it didnt pay. i guess im just gonna cancel recurring payments.

I asked this question before but got no responses so will try one more time.

About a month ago the two subscription HD sports channels, GAMEHD and TEAMHD (732 and 733 for me) stopped coming in. These channels require you to be a subscriber of either NBA League Pass or NHL Center Ice (and MLB Extra Innings when the season is on). Basically, if you subscribe to any sports package, you get one game a day in HD, broadcasted on one of these channels. For whatever reason, both channels just give me the message, "to receive this channel call customer care.." starting a month ago and TWC is absolutely no help. I subscribe to both Center Ice and League Pass and neither channel is coming in, only the SD versions. So, I was wondering if this is an issue for anyone else? Is anyone here who subscribes to either package able to access these channels? I really miss watching my daily HD games.

:DThis morning Seal Beach finally got the new HD and nba/nhl channels. Only took 4 months longer than originally promised.

:confused:In the meantime, Fios is coming, with what looks like a $99 package for tv, internet and phone. Any experiences with Verizon vs TWC?

Do it and never look back...(period)

Anyone have any information on the Big Ten Network in LA (eagle rock specifically) on Time Warner? They have a deal on TWC in the midwest so will we eventually get it as an option on a sports tier? I'd pay for it tomorrow if it was to be available.

:DThis morning Seal Beach finally got the new HD and nba/nhl channels. Only took 4 months longer than originally promised.

:confused:In the meantime, Fios is coming, with what looks like a $99 package for tv, internet and phone. Any experiences with Verizon vs TWC?

Let's see.

20 Mbps vs. 6 Mbps

102 HD Channels vs 20 or so (when I left TWC)

I switched on November 11, and have no regretted the decision.

Of course, I haven't had a billing issue nor had to call tech support for anything yet. I heard Verizon is pretty bad, but since I haven't had to use them I don't really know.

I HATE the guide on FiOS, and I have some issues with the Home Media DVR. I did sign up when they were offering the HM DVR free for one year, so they have 10 months until I need to decide on TiVO. Maybe by then, So Cal will have the m cards available.

According to my latest bill, the charge for Cable Cards has increased from $1.75 each to $2.75 each.

Just out of curiosity does TWC support Multistream 2way cable cards? I have relitive who is looking into a retail Moxi.

AFAIK, they do support multistream cards, but I don't think two way cards exist.

Had a Cisco/SA M-Card installed in my HD TiVo last Thursday so they are definitely supported.

From the OC Register (http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2009/01/21/wsj-figures-out-how-to-lower-cable-tv-bill-ask/9020/):

WSJ figures out how to lower cable TV bill: Ask!

Posted: 21 Jan 2009 05:19 PM CST

As mentioned in this blog last fall, the simplest way to get a lower TV bill is to ask. The Wall Street Journal writes about this tactic today and mentions how one man got nearly 50 percent off his bill for a year because he did just that.

The WSJ adds analysis about why TV providers may be more willing to listen today than, say, last October when I mentioned this (which, of course, is a tactic that is nothing new for many consumers).

Says the WSJ:

Under intense pressure from Wall Street to keep subscribers as the economy sags and competition intensifies, many carriers are bent on retaining customers even if it means offering big price breaks.

“The key is to hang on to every possible customer right now,” says Alex Dudley, a spokesman for Time Warner Cable, the country’s second-largest cable operator by subscribers, after Comcast Corp. “They are our lifeblood.” Mr. Dudley says that Time Warner Cable is also more receptive to giving stretched customers a discount during these tough times.

Read the WSJ story here.

And don’t stop with your TV bill. Call up and ask for a lower rate from your telephone, cell phone, Internet and other monthly service company. (For customer service numbers, check my handy guides to cell-phone services and TV services in Orange County.)

In Orange County, TV competition is pretty heated. Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse are expanding and offering TV service to customers who only thought cable or satellite was an option.

From my October story on this tactic, Time Warner’s Patricia Fregoso shared tips on how to get a lower bill. Keep in mind, she said, discounts aren’t handed out because a customer complains that their bill is too high. But Time Warner does have a “retention package.”

“Yes, of course our customer service reps do have latitude and often times, there are packages available that we can move folks to. Sometimes it works, sometimes not,” Fregoso said at the time.

“They are also trained to ask customers what their viewing habits are too. Maybe they’re not in the right-sized package… . Of course we have retention packages but we are doing it in a reasonable way so that we can pay our own bills.”

Likewise, Cox Communications told me it rewards loyal customers with bundle discounts. The more services the customer takes, the greater the discount — from $5 to $25 per month. Details about the bundled discounts are HERE.

I will try next month when FOIS is in Seal Beach, & see which gives a better deal

FIOS is the better deal even if you have to pay more.

ive tried asking. twice. twc basically told me to go to hell

hurry up verizon. we are waiting in the eagle rock-ish area (according to how twc divides the city, anyway)

Watching CNN HD its like a bad chinese movie dub the lips are not in sync with the video :(
oh Time Warner you are starting to loose me. with the constant sound drop out and frozen pictures you pushing me away

why oh why

Hi,
From Sunday to Tuesday morning, I was unable to receive the HD channels above 443. Finally, this morning it was fixed. Did anyone else have this problem?

I live in Santa Clarita.

Mogur2

fsn hd looks worse than usual tonight. every few seconds the picture blurs with slight macroblocking.

fsn hd looks worse than usual tonight. every few seconds the picture blurs with slight macroblocking.
No kidding. All motion shots look "dirty" (don't know how else to describe it). This is the worse I've seen on FSN.

FSN-HD was bad. Lakers were even worse. I guess Pau was due for a bad game. LO again Odumb - stupidly overhelping when Charlotte needed a 3. PJ taking out Bynum with 2 mins left in the first OT. Ugghh. The Horror.

:D:D Yeah, what the hell was Phil smoking, pulling Bynum out? I couldn't tell, because of all the compression (just to keep this on topic, ;)).

I'm now into my second day of MAJOR download performance degradation for Internet connectivity. Talking about 290-980kbps instead of the usual 10,200kbps, as reported by both DSLReports and Speakeasy. Upload speed seems unaffected.

TWC tech support acknowledges the problem in my area (or connection node) but has not yet resolved it. I continue to request (and get) daily credits of $4 for each day this persists.

Anybody else in the same boat? Likely that just Hollywood/Westchester and MDR (former Comcast) neighbors would have this problem as opposed to other areas of LA.

Grumble...

heres some examples of how bad fsn was last night

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/3285/fsn1eb0.th.jpg (http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fsn1eb0.jpg)http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/258/fsn2ue0.th.jpg (http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fsn2ue0.jpg)http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/3235/fsn3pu9.th.jpg (http://img230.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fsn3pu9.jpg)

I'm now into my second day of MAJOR download performance degradation for Internet connectivity. Talking about 290-980kbps instead of the usual 10,200kbps, as reported by both DSLReports and Speakeasy. Upload speed seems unaffected.

TWC tech support acknowledges the problem in my area (or connection node) but has not yet resolved it. I continue to request (and get) daily credits of $4 for each day this persists.

Anybody else in the same boat? Likely that just Hollywood/Westchester and MDR (former Comcast) neighbors would have this problem as opposed to other areas of LA.

Grumble...

I've had this problem now for over a month...I've had them out twice now and they obviously haven't done anything about it except swap modems a couple time...It is really really annoying and I so wish we had an employee on here who could take care of these issues for us. The zombies that pick up the phones and the techs they send out are so utterly clueless its laughable.

BTW, I'm on the 6Mb connection and have been seeing downloads in the 100kb area and as low as 25kb!!! We're talking about close to dialup speeds here people...

^^^ Boy I was thinking about changing over from my Verizon phone/ DSL service to TWC Road Runner but your reports make me pause. I have TWC cable and was thinking about changing my internet to them. I've had my Verizon DSL for years and never have problems but would like faster speeds. I keep thinking Fios might get to my area and I would use that for internet but they seem to be dragging their feet here.

Jim

I've had this problem now for over a month...Just in passing, I point out that they finally did get things repaired by the third day of my problem (several days ago).

So I'm back in business and functioning normally again, thankfully. But for those three days it was worse than old-fashioned dial-up, because of its intermittent speed status.

I asked this question before but got no responses so will try one more time.

About a month ago the two subscription HD sports channels, GAMEHD and TEAMHD (732 and 733 for me) stopped coming in. These channels require you to be a subscriber of either NBA League Pass or NHL Center Ice (and MLB Extra Innings when the season is on). Basically, if you subscribe to any sports package, you get one game a day in HD, broadcasted on one of these channels. For whatever reason, both channels just give me the message, "to receive this channel call customer care.." starting a month ago and TWC is absolutely no help. I subscribe to both Center Ice and League Pass and neither channel is coming in, only the SD versions. So, I was wondering if this is an issue for anyone else? Is anyone here who subscribes to either package able to access these channels? I really miss watching my daily HD games.

I'm currently having the same issue. We subscribe to NHL Center Ice and have been getting GAMEHD (732 for me as well) fine. Last Tuesday we started getting the "not authorized" message on 732, but 733 was coming in fine. Five calls to various level of CS/Support and one tech visit later, it's still not coming in. When the techs were talking to their support, they first said the channel was broadcasting fine and that it was probably a rate issue on my account...by the time they were leaving, that same support person was saying that the channel was offline. However, this morning the "not authorized" message changed to "this channel will be available shortly", so who knows.

Anyone have any idea when Cartoon Network HD is going to be available in Northridge?

Anyone have any idea when Cartoon Network HD is going to be available in Northridge?

not anytime soon. if your city isnt on the list for the second group of HD channels then youre SOL at this point.

Available Now:
Artesia*, Athens, Baldwin Hills, Bell Gardens, Bell, Bellflower, California Oaks, Canyon Lake, Carson, Compton, Corona, Covina, Cudahy, Culver City, parts of Cypress, Downey, El Cerito, Glenn Ivy, Harbor, Lomita, Hawaiian Gardens, Hollywood, Homeland, Horsethief Canyon, Inglewood, La Mirada, La Palma, Ladera Heights, Lake Elsinore, Lakewood, Lennox, parts of Los Angeles, Lynwood, Maywood, Menifee, parts of Murrieta, Murrieta Hot Springs, Paramount, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Pomona, Romoland, parts of Riverside County, San Pedro, Santa Fe Springs, South El Monte, South Los Angeles, The Farm, parts of West LA, Westchester, Wild Rose, Wilmington, and Wilshire.



Available in January 2009:
Parts of Costa Mesa, and Tustin.



Available in February:
Claremont*



*Cartoon Network HD not available

I just checked the TWC website and are supposed to receive the following channels:

451 Animal Planet HD

452 Travel Channel HD

453 Planet Green HD

454 The Weather Channel HD

456 FX HD

457 BIO HD

460 Science Channel HD

461 Toon Disney HD

462 Cartoon Network HD

465 Fox News HD

466 Fox Business Network HD

467 ESPNU HD

468 Speed HD

469 Versus HD

470 MLB Network HD

471 NHL Network HD

473 The Tennis Channel HD

475 Lifetime Movie Network HD

476 Hallmark Movie Channel HD


But the only one's I do receive are 456,465 & 469.Very strange.Are others in Eagle Rock-Hollywood Hills area receiving all these?
I do get everything else from 401-444.

you might not subscribe to the necessary tiers to receive some of the channels. im in the eagle rock coverage area and we only get the first group of new HD channels (Fox News HD 465, Fox Business Network HD 466, FX HD 456, Animal Planet HD 451, Travel Channel 452 HD, Science Channel HD 460, NHL Network HD 471, USA HD 441, Bravo HD 442, Sci Fi HD 443, CNBC+HD 444, and KVEA HD 401) as well as the MLB network. most of those channels require the variety tier.

you might not subscribe to the necessary tiers to receive some of the channels. im in the eagle rock coverage area and we only get the first group of new HD channels (Fox News HD 465, Fox Business Network HD 466, FX HD 456, Animal Planet HD 451, Travel Channel 452 HD, Science Channel HD 460, NHL Network HD 471, USA HD 441, Bravo HD 442, Sci Fi HD 443, CNBC+HD 444, and KVEA HD 401) as well as the MLB network. most of those channels require the variety tier.

I do have the variety tier and i get Animal Planet,Travel & Science channels in SD but not in HD.I also don't get NHL ,MLB or Fox Business in HD.But my point is that TWC shows all the channels listed above as available right now for 90068(Hollywood Hills) so i wonder if anyone on the Eagle Rock head end gets any of those.

anyone with the Center Ice Package not getting 733 GAMEHD for HD games? the channel seems blacked out, and all the customer service reps either have no clue or give me the run around. I seem to get 732 TEAMHD for NBA games, but I couldn't care less about basketball. My channel lineup should be City of Los Angeles 90066 zip code

I'm seriously considering getting a TivoHD to replace my TWC supplied Motorola DVR. How big of a headache is it going to be to get a Multiple-stream cable card successfully installed from TWC in Culver City?

I'm seriously considering getting a TivoHD to replace my TWC supplied Motorola DVR. How big of a headache is it going to be to get a Multiple-stream cable card successfully installed from TWC in Culver City?

I can't speak for Culver City, but I'm in Redondo Beach (serviced out of the Hermosa Beach office), and had an M-Stream card installed flawlessly in my TivoHD several months ago. Works like a dream. Since it was so long ago, I've got to believe that all of the SoCal offices have M-Cards readily available. Call ahead and ask first.

Did anyone else with cable cards get a letter from TWC asking for information about the cards? They sent a letter explaining what they need and a post card asking for the Unit Address, Host ID, and data number by 2/21 or service could be interrupted. Does this mean that TWC misplaced a few cards? Oh, and they gave a link to do it online as well: https://ecare.timewarnerla.com/CableCardLink_MS/

I've received the notice three times over the past few months and responded each time.

Anyone else not getting a lot of programming info on their guide? I've got a lot of "To be Announced." This started yesterday and the info should have filled up by now.

I'm in Eagle Rock head end w/ a Moto 6416.

I've been having that problem for at least a week. It's obnoxious.

Anyone else not getting a lot of programming info on their guide? I've got a lot of "To be Announced." This started yesterday and the info should have filled up by now.This has been going on for me for quite some time.

I kept thinking the box (Moto DCH-3416) was being sent re-boot commands overnight for some reason, as TBA in the majority of Guide cells is a symptom that the 2-week information has not yet fully repopulated (a process that normally takes a good several days for absolutely no valid technical reason, as we know!!).

But that's not the case. And in fact, information starting out a week from now seems to be 100% populated. But more immediate information, say this weekend out through next Saturday, is LARGELY TBA. Why would that be? And we're talking major channels here (on the HD channel list Guide subset), not tiny ones.

It is easily seen on the list of upcoming DVR recordings, which now show TBA where they originally showed the proper program info. In other words, information went from valid and complete to now TBA.

Also, you can't set new upcoming DVR recordings off of the Guide (even though you know when the upcoming show is to start) because TBA in a cell prevents that.

I suspect it is somehow the Info provider who's at fault, rather than TWC. Strangely I saw very much the identical symptom just yesterday on TitanTV.com which I'd gone to in order to obtain upcoming show information for "Amazing Race" which starts tomorrow, Sunday. TWC's Guide shows TBA for all HD Channels pretty much across the board Sunday night!!! Remarkably, TitanTV had very similar look!!!

Today, TitanTV seems to have recovered but TWC's Guide has not.

Very strange. But apparently likely system-wide (based on your report as well as mine), and more long-standing than just the past few days.

I'm on the phone [hold] now with TWC about this.

Spoke with TWC about the widespread TBA problem on the Guide, widely seen on both HD and non-HD channels for this evening, Sunday, and well on into next week (through next Saturday and even beyond!).

Primetime looks largely TBA (e.g. no American Idol, no Amazing Race, no CSI, no Lost, etc., 80% TBA) for most of the week. But TBA is widespread even outside of primetime hours, and even on premium channels like HBO, SHO, ESPN, etc. Obviously this is a major problem.

These cells WERE properly filled in at one time, but have been "updated" with empty/invalid information and now appear as TBA. Previously set upcoming DVR recordings that provided show names now appear as TBA, indicating again that they have been "updated" with empty/invalid information.

The source of the problem, most likely, is iGuide or TVGuide or whoever provides "updated" Guide info to populate the 2-weeks of cells. Personally I see them as the culprit and TWC/us as the victims. But who knows.

Anyway, TWC on the phone with me was able to look at their own in-office TV and Guide info, and they too have exactly the same problem. They say they were unaware of it before now, but now are aware and have fired off messages to the appropriate department[s]. They've promised to follow up with a call back on Tuesday (sure... I'm holding my breath).

So just to be sure they really do get made aware of the issue, can everybody else who sees this problem (and I would imagine EVERYBODY does)... on both HD and non-HD channels... please call TWC tech support and complain. If they have a few hundred calls for the same problem they might take it for a higher priority issue.

my guide is working fine. it has 2 weeks of programming available. i dont have a DVR though. just the motorola dch-3200.

my guide is working fine. it has 2 weeks of programming available. i dont have a DVR though. just the motorola dch-3200.That would be interesting and helpful information.

Just to be sure we're clear, looking at the Guide right now (3:20PM on Saturday) for Sunday evening 8PM information, I show TBA on 402, 404, 407, 409, 411, 412, 414, 415, 416, 417, etc.. It goes on and on vertically for many channels, and horizontally for many hours... and many days!

You don't see that? Or do you?

Thanks.

nope.. my guide has all the programs showing for the next 2 weeks

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2277/picture001jc2.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8819/picture002sv1.jpg
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/300/picture004gq8.jpg
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/5972/picture005gl8.jpg

And I can add that I'm not seeing any problems with my ancient (or is that "legacy") Moto 6200 here in Los Feliz (Eagle Rock).

Hmmmm... very interesting.

Don't know whether the issue is my area (MDR, former Comcast) or the software in the DCH-3416 DVR or the TWC feed to the DVR which is distinct from its feed to a non-DVR.

But dylan24 in Eagle Rock with a 6416 (also a Moto-family DVR) has the same problem I do. And the TWC tech on the phone was able to confirm the same problem on his DVR's Guide (don't know what kind).

Anybody else with a Moto DVR vs. Moto STB? How about someone in a former Adelphia area with a SA8300 DVR?

I have the same exact problem you guys are describing I'm in west hollywood and have TWC's newest Motorola DVR.

I called TWC. He just did the typical re-boot and then wanted to have someone come out. I told him that it appeared to be a system problem. He then checked his TVs over there and he said there wasn't a problem where he was. He was in Hollywood and claimed that it was a Moto 6416. Strange because I have a 6416 and DSperber noted that when he called the csr did see the problem.

Anyways, he said he would make a note of the problem.

I rebooted last night, hoping that the forced re-population of the Guide info would clear things up. Normally I'm skeptical of reboots doing anything, but sometimes they help.

And, suprisingly, this time it has... mostly, for now. It still hasn't finished the 2-weeks of data (naturally! that will take a few more days!) but at least tonight at 8PM+ looks mostly correct now.

There are still some TBA but nothing like it was, and since it hasn't been 4 days since reboot yet I can't tell a "legit TBA" from a "not yet filled TBA" (which can occur anywhere over the 2-week period during the 4-day repopulation process following a reboot).

On the other hand if I now see correctly populated Guide for the 8PM+ primetime cells Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and if those cells with valid info today mysteriously and subsequently change to TBA as this week moves on (seems to happen sometime overnight, usually), I will be more convinced than ever that something's absolutely wrong (which I already believe) during the "normal ongoing daily refresh" of Guide data with new/updated cell information.


Anybody with a SA8300 DVR, would you please chime in here.

Do you see this problem too? Or not? Ever seen it before?


The fact that so far 3416 DVR users in the former-Comcast Westchester/Hollywood see it, and others (e.g. those with non-DVR STB-only boxes even in the same neighborhoods) do not, is an interesting and probably very helpful obvservation.

I was wondering if a re-boot would help. Of course, I won't know for sure until a couple of days from now.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. bruce73 is in my area and doesn't have the problem. The CSR I called claims to be in Hollywood and with a Moto 6416 but doesn't see the problem. Yet, jonathank is in West Hollywood but does have the problem.

DSperber, I know in the past you've had pretty good success getting to the people who actually know something. Maybe we can find out how TWC gets and deploys its guide system. Is it an outside service? in-house? Do they utilize TVGuide?

What do non-STB-DVR customers out there think of the latest Mystro Navigator program guide?
Here in Hawthorne I just received an SA 4250HDC that is tied to it. When it isn't rebooting (often) the guide seems responsive, HOWEVER the reduced functionality is a major letdown.
- I relied on the Passport 'VCR timer' to change the channel automatically to my preferred shows and music (regardless of whether I record them). Looks like an anticompetitive feature omission to me :( .
- The MN search facility is way awkward to use - I just liked the old 'sort by title' function by pressing C on the remote.
- In the program guide the Favorites key doesn't jump to the next 'favorite', it changes the channel. Huh?
- To add insult to injury, MN can't even remember to return you to the Last channel after a reboot (only channel 0).
And HEY, why can't the new STBs cache more than two days of program guide? Volatile memory is dirt cheap these days.
Misery, thy name is Mystro Navigator :( .

I just checked with a buddy who lives in Sherman Oaks - East SFV head end.

He's having no problems with the guide info with his Moto 6416.

I'm happy to report that the reboot seems to have cured the problem. So anyone else with this problem, I would try rebooting. Hopefully, it doesn't come back.

I'm happy to report that the reboot seems to have cured the problem. So anyone else with this problem, I would try rebooting. Hopefully, it doesn't come back.Agreed... correctly populated Guide cells seem to be holding up.

I wonder if they actually did FIX something, once the problem was brought to their attention?

Fingers crossed.

I rebooted last night, hoping that the forced re-population of the Guide info would clear things up. Normally I'm skeptical of reboots doing anything, but sometimes they help.

And, suprisingly, this time it has... mostly, for now. It still hasn't finished the 2-weeks of data (naturally! that will take a few more days!) but at least tonight at 8PM+ looks mostly correct now.

There are still some TBA but nothing like it was, and since it hasn't been 4 days since reboot yet I can't tell a "legit TBA" from a "not yet filled TBA" (which can occur anywhere over the 2-week period during the 4-day repopulation process following a reboot).

On the other hand if I now see correctly populated Guide for the 8PM+ primetime cells Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and if those cells with valid info today mysteriously and subsequently change to TBA as this week moves on (seems to happen sometime overnight, usually), I will be more convinced than ever that something's absolutely wrong (which I already believe) during the "normal ongoing daily refresh" of Guide data with new/updated cell information.


Anybody with a SA8300 DVR, would you please chime in here.

Do you see this problem too? Or not? Ever seen it before?


The fact that so far 3416 DVR users in the former-Comcast Westchester/Hollywood see it, and others (e.g. those with non-DVR STB-only boxes even in the same neighborhoods) do not, is an interesting and probably very helpful obvservation.

Chiming in...I have a full guide...everything is normal no interruptions...I am running Passport on all 3 DVR's...yes three...don't judge..LOL :D

For the record, I have a Motorola DCT6412 III. The problem was getting worse (shows that correctly showed this morning were being replaced with junk data), so I just decided to reboot the box like you guys suggested. I'll let you know if it works.

[Update] It's still loading (it's only up to about 9pm), but it appears to have fixed my box, too.

Time Warner Cable apologizes for 1-cent movie mess
February 15th, 2009, 1:28 pm · 55 Comments · posted by Gadgetress

**UPDATE, Monday, Feb. 16, 2009** Darryl Ryan, Time Warner’s director of media relations wants to hear from customers. See, “Hey ‘anonymous cowards’ - Time Warner wants to hear from you“

Time Warner Cable’s Valentine’s Day 1-cent-movies promotion attracted three times more viewers than the company anticipated, creating a major nightmare for customers and Time Warner this weekend. As some readers who had planned to spend Saturday night at home discovered, many of the movies were unwatchable due to pixelation or the inability to access them.

“We totally exceeded the number by 3-times the amount. It was hugely successful. But a lot of people used it at peak times, which overloaded the system,” Darryl Ryan, the company’s director of media relations, said Sunday. “For any inconvenience we caused for customers, we do apologize.”

Customers who call Time Warner’s customer service, at 1-888-TWCABLE, can get one coupon good for a 1-cent movie-on-demand. But you must call in to get this. Ryan also pointed out that once purchased, the movies last for 24 hours. Movies that couldn’t play last night should still be available and working today. Also, subscribers can order movies today and watch them up to 24 hours later through Monday.

This, of course, may not be enough for some customers to forgive yet another strike against the cable company.

Several readers left comments (fixed link, thanks 10ACGirl) about the poor viewing experience. One reader, Shamrockmom, may have summed it up best: “Just a tip, TWC–Don’t promise what you can’t deliver!”

Ryan, with Time Warner, said that the issue was due to excessive demand in Orange County. The 1-cent promotion was only offered to Southern California subscribers in the Los Angeles and Orange County viewers. Other parts of the region had few complaints.

“This wasn’t a widespread problem. It just happened to affect readers in your area. This was limited to SoCal but it didn’t affect other parts of the region. It mainly affected people in Orange County,” Ryan said.

This doesn’t bode well for video on demand, which Time Warner has been offering to customers for years. While the ability to watch a movie or TV show whenever you want is appealing, the bad experience will likely turn off some customers forever.

“Brian in HB,” a reader who left a comment, said past on-demand experiences have been disappointing. “I have had problems with their system in the past and I haven’t used it since. This weekend just pointed out they still aren’t ready for primetime with the video on demand.”

http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2009/02/15/time-warner-cable-apologizes-for-1-cent-movie-mess/10656/

55 Responses to “Time Warner Cable apologizes for 1-cent movie mess”

1. daryl Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm

go to satilite , it`s cheaper!!!
2. normbaits Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 1:58 pm

“For any inconvenience we caused for customers, we do apologize.”
—————————————————————-
For canceling your inferior services, I do not apologize.
3. ThisIsNotAnExit Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Even with out it going in and out of color and suddenly turning purple, I expected “Burn after Reading” to be better.
4. casm Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

All that publicity for a promotion that was too good to be true…oh, it was and Time Warner knew it. Go to Sat TV. We were gone two days and still getting caught up on what we want to see.
5. Chuck Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

Besides the ridiculous pixelation of the on-demand movies last night that we had to stop watching after 5 minutes, other channels were affected also. On Spike, the Star Wars movies were off-synch with sound to the picture. It looked like we were watching a foreign film. We pay a lot for super-speed internet and a large package and the overall quality we’ve had for months now is inferior. The pixelation problem happens regularly, not just last night. Yes, it was totally unwatchable, but don’t make it sound like it’s an isolated problem when it’s not. The worst thing a company can do is be dishonest about issues. The quotes here from the company sound like they are just flat out liars or so out of touch with their product they don’t deserve to be in business. TWC, please show some courage and integrity and just be honest. Your not fooling anyone but yourselves.
6. john h Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

The TWC Video on Demand fails at least every third time I use it. I have paused movies to make popcorn and come back to find their system has overloaded. Working in Technology, the load balancing and capacity at Time Warner is completely amateur hour and has been for years. They are a joke.
7. 10ACGirl Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Regular cable was also pixelating all night last night, too. Very frustrating! Hope at least that part is cleared up!

(BTW, your link to the previous comments goes to another article.)
8. Mike Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

I’d like to ask Mr. Ryan what he feels the relevance is that it only affected our region. That’s like responding to a customer that it’s only their house that’s affected. Why should a customer care that your equipment is allegedly functioning 60+ miles away if it’s not working in their living room?

DirecTV alone has over 20,000,000 subscribers growing at a rate of over 2,000,000 per year. Cable tv is for people who don’t have line-of-sight.
9. johnb Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:46 pm

I’m in Corona, watched 4 movies yesterday with no problems. This must be a problem only in OC and LA.
10. Kim Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Yep internet was up and down and still is all weekend. Also I like the free movies on TCM. But most of the time they don’t work either.
11. Yorbo Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

I’ll give TWC another chance; I surely do not want one of those ugly satellite dishes on my rooftop.
12. SarcasticSweetheart. Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

Well, I didn’t know about this in the first place, but I would suppose that you should have thought ahead. Your servers should have back ups, at least 4 back up systems, incase one fails. It’s almost ridiculous. However, I don’thave Time Warner, so there’s my opinion.

Oh, Direct TV sucks too, but the server hasn’t been overloaded as long as I’ve had it.

Enjoy.
13. Veronica Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

Actually, in order to get a coupon for a free movie at a later date, you need to go to http://www.timewarnercable.com/socal click on contact us then click on, “send us an email,” Fill out the necessary info and on the feedback section type in, “one cent promotion.”

My screen has been fuzzy green all day long! We should get a refund for the day!!
14. NOcableHERE Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 3:29 pm

THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CONTINUE TO OVERPAY FOR OLD TECHNOLOGY!!!

These must be the same people who have rotary dial phones.
15. calltheball Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

I don’t get pay-per-view for movies because I already PAY-PER-VIEW
(usually a pixilated version)
16. Cletus Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

This is typical time warner style. It happened when they launched road runner. The network was not but it was still launched, it happened with digital phone as well. Being a one stop shop is nice for consumer, but you need to deliver on what you promise. By the way, I have satellite and I have not had a rate increase in 3 years. Enjoy your 5% rate increase TW customers, the only thing to look forward to is another 5% increase next year, not better service.
17. Imbroke Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

That’s why I have been with DirecTv for years and always will be! I only have Time Warner for Internet and that sucks! I have problems with it all the time, and customer service tells me its my computer! I dont think so! I work with computers for a living! Time Warner is trying to hard!
18. Dudeman Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 4:12 pm

Time Warner SUCKS!!!! I am calling Directv Monday and signing up!
19. Bob Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 4:53 pm

I experienced terrible pixelization during the Super Bowl and had to switch to analog without the box. Is this what happens everytime there is great demand.
20. ration alley Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

AT&T U-verse the way to go. Nationwide unlimited long distance and local calling, faster internet, and FIOS TV. Free installation, and box (small) for less than $100 mo. Techs are great.
21. 1cent- joke Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

Wow thanx TW you’re offering 1 free movie at a later date for our inconvenience –BiG DEAL
22. ration alley Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

Also AT&T makes a household wireless for multiple PCs. And compliments wi-fi for laptoops at many locations around OC.
23. Crumpet Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

How do you run a successful business when you have to apologize every month? Time Warner you should get it right the first time.
24. Crumpet Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

Verizon Fios is the way to go. Good customer service and my internet has not gone down in the 2 years I have had it.
25. Peter J Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

All the complaints about the poor service aside, the selection of 1c movies offered was sub-par at best.

Folks, you didn’t miss anything.
26. Jessica Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:45 pm

I had no problem when I watched “House Bunny” around Midnight Friday, but last night it was pixely and went from color to B&W and back again, but I didn’t care cause my husband was watching “Wanted” and I wasn’t interested anyway.
27. sof Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

another tw scam
28. Enlightenment Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Satellite TV is fine, except during heavy rain and snow which can pixilate or drop out, oh you spoiled SoCal people wouldn’t know about this most of the year.

Fios then cable modem then DSL is best order for internet, Satellite internet is too limited and only useful if you are live in rural areas.
29. oc3watch Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

Time Warner, if you’re truly sorry, instead of offerring a lame 1 cent movie sale for a bunch of sub-standard pictures, offer a customer apology/appreciation promotion.
How about one free pay per view movie of our choice good for the month of March….I know, I’m not holding my breath….
30. Eliz Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:51 pm

There just ain’t no free lunch!
31. MikefromAnaheim Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

I’ll give TWC another chance; I surely do not want one of those ugly satellite dishes on my rooftop.

Are you kidding me, get out now while you can, lol. TWC is crap, i went to Directtv, and it is awesome. You might pay the same for directtv as you do for TWC, but you will get sooooooooo much more with directtv then you do with TWC. Please ppl, make the switch, and get rid of TWC for good.
32. Sayonara TW Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 8:07 pm

I thought this deal was hilarious when I saw the list of movies that would be available for 1 cent…. this mess I am hearing of just makes it a whole lot funnier! I switched to ATT Uverse 2 weeks ago and have been loving it since. Time Warner had the nerve to ask why I was canceling my service, hmm let’s see: high price, low quality, poor customer service, ancient receivers???? Switch to Uverse, way better value (especially if you don’t like the sat dish on your roof). Sayonara Time Warner!
33. ed Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 8:09 pm

# Yorbo Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 2:53 pm

I’ll give TWC another chance; I surely do not want one of those ugly satellite dishes on my rooftop.
______________________________________________________
Yorbo: “Ugly satellite dishes”???? That’s the West Virgnia state flower you’re talking about. Go wash your mouth out!!! We used to get the same crappy service with our old cable TV “service.” Been with DirecTV for over 15 years and no regrets!!
34. Kimberly Sanchez Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

One more time TWC has proved that THEY SUCK!!!! I don’t know how many countless hours I have spent on the phone w/ their techs or just their sales departments for nothing!!! Crappy part is they have monopolized the area in which I live so I have no other choice for cable TV!!! WAY TO GO TWC… you have just ticked me off even more!
35. What's New Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

The worst customer service, poor choices in cable TV and a poor excuse for their mistake. TWC never takes ANY responsibility for their mistakes. Rather than hope their customers “find” this article and find the time to call, why not make it right and include a free movie in with their bills…without them asking. Hmmm, let’s see, that might be something called “servicing your client!”.
It’s always something with TWC. Yeah, I’ll call, probably get some crappy service with no apology and wait weeks to get the coupon. I just don’t trust them nor do I have any faith in the company.
Limited to TWC in my area otherwise I would switch in a heartbeat.
36. Temecula customer Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 9:47 pm

TWC should be out of business soon! They DO NOT care about there customers. I suggest everyone to switch to another provider. TWC always has an excuse why their systems is not working. I have always wondered how they stay in business. I have never seen a company ran so poorly and remain in business. direct tv here I come.
37. Temecula customer Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 9:58 pm

Mr. Ryan please tell the truth when reporting problems. It was not limited to just OC. We had the same issue here in Temecula which is not in the OC incase someone didn’t tell you. This is the problem with TWC they NEVER tell the truth.
38. Kat Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 11:40 pm

It’s almost midnight and On Demand is still screwed up. So much for ordering a $.01 movie and watching it tomorrow like suggested in the article. I bet On Demand will be up again about one minute after midnight when the promotion ends. I called and they said they are sending free movie coupons to me. I’ll believe it when I see it. And it’s not just the $.01 movies that aren’t accessible, I can’t even access HBO On Demand or anything else On Demand. So frustrating.
39. Marsupial Says:
February 15th, 2009 at 11:41 pm

We didn’t have a problem with the 1 cent movies in Corona, but we have had a pixelating problem tonight.

As for DirecTV… seriously? Is that a joke? We had DirecTV for years until we realized that other people, not on DirecTV, could get REAL VoD services. Wanna watch Top Gear? Cool, which episode? Bang — on — instantly. DirecTV’s idea of VoD is about 15 movies that start every half-hour. Wow — what selection. The further we got away from DirecTV, the more we realized what suckers we were for all those years. Obsolete doesn’t even being to describe their system. TWC is far from perfect, but having DirecTV is like having cable tv in 1990. You get some stations, but…. that’s about it.
40. Joe B Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 5:11 am

Direct TV has real VOD now and it is download based.
41. oc peeps Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 9:57 am

IT WASN’T “THANK YOU CUSTOMERS” IT WAS F U CUSTOMERS!
Thanks for Nothing Time Warner
42. Kelly Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 10:04 am

I live in Cypress watched 4 movies and had no problems. I thought 1 cent movies were a great idea. And for the complainers you get what you pay for
43. normancay Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 11:27 am

weird…all weekend was fine only last night had a bit of a problem…
44. Linda Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

I live in Chino Hills we watched movies on Saturday and Sunday with no problems………………..
45. Uberman Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

Funny that Mr. Ryan actually thinks the inability to deliver services as contracted for is “HUGELY SUCCESSFUL!” This is absolutely unbelievable. This company must be run by a bunch of idiots! THEY KNOW NOTHING about customer service. Consider the following:

The CATV service offering is rank with fraud and decepttion. Any other business would be shut down for this kind of abuse and fraud. But since TWC and the other CATV operators are in bed with the FCC they are insulated from civil, criminal or attorney general prosecution, because they are really just SHILLS for government agendas, public propoganda campaigns and doping America into stupidity. Forget about national security issues, we don’t even have personal security, as you can’t make a 911 phone call with their digital phone when the power is out or because you didn’t pay your bill, even if your child were dying! Just like you can’t access the internet or TV when the power is out during a storm to receive weather alerts, or get safety information if a hurricane or tornado is heading your way! And, you might as well forget the fact that they derive huge financial benefit’s and profits from all sorts of free local TV under the guise of “Free To Air” rebroadcast / retransmission agreements that they actually charge their customers for content that steal from over the air broadcasters. IF ABC, CBS and NBC can’t fight them you certainly can’t! Yet they want us all to believe that “cable theft as a crime…” LOL Only in America! The disgusting thing is we actually buy this *%$ # !

Time Warner’s and the rest of the CATV industries media monopoly will soon be over. A new technology called Wi-MAX will spell the end for all the CATV BS we stomached for years. Yes their little Triple Play conspiracy “Bases Loaded - Triple Play - Home Run” scheme to extort money from consumers just got caught at the fence, the runners are OUT, GAME OVER, GO HOME TWC! You Loose!

You can cacel all your captive trash ad campaigns you sell to your existing customers because in case you didn’t know… unless you asre already a customer, you can’t see those trashy diatribe low budget ads hawking your crappy service! What idiots you are! Your mafia style credit -collection schemes and fraudulent debt collection racketering enterpirse days are over!

Soon your financial statements will have to carry the same sort of message that our set top boxes have when we are late paying our bill and can;t call you on our digital phone to arrange payment thatmight read like this:

“Your Subscriber Base has been terminated due to poor business practices. Since it is now impossible to restore consumer trust after 30 years or more of corrupt business practices. Less you forget who actually paid your idiot “overpaid arrogant executives”? It’s probably way too late to save your customers, they have resorted to a better service. Please arrange to come and pick up your worthless hardware and remove your cables from my home, before I start charging you for allowing your service equipment to be installed on my property!”

Your Former Customer!
46. Darryl Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 1:22 pm

I am writing this because I care, and want to resolve any issues that our customers are facing.

Time Warner Cable values each and every customer. Whenever there is a problem, no one ever feels good about it, and we at Time Warner Cable take it upon ourselves to amend any issues that our customers may face.

We believe in you, our customer, and we want you to trust us, believe in us, and know that we do and will continue to work extremely hard to make sure that you get the best products, services and customer support.

To our customers, we appreciate your loyalty and commitment, and we value what you bring to our company. For this loyalty and commitment, we will continue to work each and everyday to improve the customer experience.

So, to anyone affected by this past weekend’s VOD situation, I ask that you reach out to me, and I, along with the rest of my colleagues at Time Warner Cable, will work to resolve the issue. Or if there are other issues you have, simply contact me, and provide me with insight as to how or what we can do to make your experience better.

I can be contacted at darryl.ryan@twcable.com
47. Swest Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

I had a relative visiting from out of town. I live in an ”old” 40 year old house and she couldnt believe” the archaic cable wiring that we still use ‘from TW.

As for the 1 cent movies Im not surprised they were crappy movies anyway.
48. Chad Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 2:54 pm

Too bad I missed this latest Time Warner fiasco. After years of crappy service I had FiOS installed on Friday and couldn’t be happier. I not only now have channels I never knew existed, but I have some of those same channels in HD. It took forever for TWC to expand their HD lineup and even then it was rather pathetic.

You would think that instead of running ads instilling FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) about Uverse, FiOS, and sattelite that TWC would actually improve their service so that it would be on par with their satellite and phone company competitors.
49. Just Me Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

I knew this was going to happen, I told my wife. The sad part is how the internet got affected. I work from home and am dependant on internet from Time Warner (for now).

It is highly reckless to promote such a silly marketing scheme that could potentially redline local bandwidth. This is a textbook example of a marketing dept being out of control. These type of stunts only hurt companies like this.
50. MonkeyGirl Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

Well…just as long as they apologize :|
51. Corinne Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:11 pm

I am so glad we switched to ATT Uverse when I did. TIme warner really is the worst cable company ever!
52. Warren Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:14 pm

Every since the outage a one or two months ago my TWC telephone line has static in it. Soon I’ll drop TWC phone service. I’ll just use my cell phone or go back to Vonage. I’m also thinking about dropping the video service too. Less TV means more reading.
53. mario Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

I’m going back to aerial reception. Channels 2-13 wtih a few UHF stations! Just like the old days.
54. crs Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

I am such a slave….I cannot stand time warner cable, but I do nothing about it. Somebody help me.
55. socal Says:
February 16th, 2009 at 8:11 pm

What Time Warner needs to do is drop the phone service and concentrate on getting their Cable & Internet up to speed on the quality! Time Warner offering Phone Service is like going to a Pizza Joint and asking for a Hamburger. It just shouldn’t be… Time Warner getting out of the Phone Business will free up bandwidth and then maybe they wouldn’t have all this Tiling or Video on Demand issues… Just a thought…

February 16th, 2009, 3:02 pm · 39 Comments · posted by Gadgetress

UPDATE: The term ‘anonymous cowards’ is often used to label commenters who choose to remain anonymous. I chose to use it that spirit– not to be incendiary. But alas, it backfired because this is apparently not as commonly known as I had thought. Time Warner did not use these words at all. Feel free to leave me a nasty comment about my poor choice in headlines.

In a bold move, Darryl Ryan, Time Warner Cable’s director of media relations, has asked readers to contact him directly if you have complaints about the service. Ryan offers his e-mail: darryl.ryan@twcable.com – it’s the same one I use to contact him.

I didn’t ask Darryl to do this. He just left a comment on yesterday’s post regarding the past weekend’s unfortunate 1-cent movie fiasco the company offered to subscribers (Read “Time Warner Cable apologizes for 1-cent movie mess.“)

Now, I know it’s easy to post mean-spirited comments when you don’t have to leave your real name or real e-mail address. I get plenty myself from people who I like to think are socially repressed or just can’t stand me because I … wear glasses.

BY THE WAY, I’m using ‘anonymous cowards’ in tribute to other tech sites that use the term as a default to commenters who choose to remain anonymous. Sorry to mislead anyone into thinking Darryl said this. He absolutely did not.

But if you can make valid complaints to a man who appears to be listening? Take a chance, people!

It gives me renewed hope that Time Warner really is trying to fix itself and become a cable company we can rely on. As I’ve mentioned before, despite all the issues Time Warner has had (and yes, there have been a lot in recent months), the company always responds to my questions and concerns.

They are listening. Hopefully, they will really hear what we have to say and do something about it. To get us started, I’ve added a poll with my own suggestions plus readers can offer their own tips on what Time Warner needs to do. And don’t forget to e-mail the man (feel free to cc: me at thegadgetress@ocregister.com):

———————–
What should Time Warner Cable fix?
cast your vote: http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/2009/02/16/hey-anonymous-cowards-time-warner-wants-to-hear-from-you/10729/

Is anyone else having persistent problems with your DVR recording reruns throughout the week - when you have it set to only record new shows?

HBO and Showtime seem to be the worst offenders. It's driving me nuts - and I can't figure out a way to stop it other than to manually set them to "Don't Record."

Posting tonight using my Verizon Wireless aircard. As usual Time Warner is providing the least reliable internet service in history. Here in Camarillo I am seeing internet malfuctions an average of 2-3 nights a week.

Same here, been dealing with slow internet speeds for a couple months now, sometimes it seems ok, and sometimes it just crawls. The download speeds across the board though are horrible, I've been as low as 25kb, and yesterday afternoon was at 150kb. No where near the 600kb I was getting before. I'm beginning to think they just have major capacity problems on their network and just can't handle all the people on at one time and all the bandwidth. Sad, I can't wait to get uverse here or move and get FIOS, TWC is dead to me.

For the last couple of months, my RoadRunner has started going down every morning. Sometimes it also goes down during the day. Yet other times it will disappear for a stretch of 12 - 16 hours.

Rudy

When I had service with Adelphia my internet would be down MAYBE a whole 2 hours per year.

Is anyone else having persistent problems with your DVR recording reruns throughout the week - when you have it set to only record new shows?

HBO and Showtime seem to be the worst offenders. It's driving me nuts - and I can't figure out a way to stop it other than to manually set them to "Don't Record."
If the show is designated as "new" in the guide, it will continue to record it even if it's not the first run. You can try to save the show in your DVR for the week. This should prevent it from re-recording.

This is one of the reasons why I manually record things like the Daily Show because otherwise it will continue to record it over and over.

Mine has been going down for about the last three days. I checked the lights on the modem and they all go off except for the power.. and then a few minutes later they would all fire back up
after three days of this I called the first thing the do is schedule a call and tell me that if the problem is not there i will have to pay $50 an hour for a call? anyways i told her to reauthorize the modem and for the last day its been fine i am holding the appointment to see if it stays up

Claremont's time has FINALLY come! As of this morning we have all the new HD channels (and I mean all of them!) and I don't even need a tuning adapter to see any of them. Everything from all three rollouts is live here (nearly 70 channels) and it looks good, MUCH better than it does at my friends house watching over DirecTV. :D

My ONLY gripe is that these channels are all the east coast versions, so everything is 3 hours off. But I literally have to try and complain about something to complain about that.

Mine has been going down for about the last three days. I checked the lights on the modem and they all go off except for the power.. and then a few minutes later they would all fire back up
after three days of this I called the first thing the do is schedule a call and tell me that if the problem is not there i will have to pay $50 an hour for a call? anyways i told her to reauthorize the modem and for the last day its been fine i am holding the appointment to see if it stays up

Update: After i called the decided to send someone out and of course i had to wait 4 days but i asked her to just reauthorize the box again and that worked i am not sure they even try anything there response is send someone out to everything ?

Got a letter today informing me that the rates will once again be raised across the board.

Rudy

Got a letter today informing me that the rates will once again be raised across the board.

Rudy

Is this in addition to Jan 1 price increase or did we get our letter already a couple months ago? /Dan (City of Orange)

If it is another price hike...just call in and tell them you want to cancel, that you are loading up on services from vonage, Dish, and DSL. Have prices ready to tell them how much you can save. They were able to give me the new customer price for all-the-best @ $89 for a year. Good luck...

Is this in addition to Jan 1 price increase or did we get our letter already a couple months ago? /Dan (City of Orange)
This is in addition to the January price increases.
If it is another price hike...just call in and tell them you want to cancel, that you are loading up on services from vonage, Dish, and DSL. Have prices ready to tell them how much you can save. They were able to give me the new customer price for all-the-best @ $89 for a year. Good luck...
They could not possibly care less about me as a customer. In the five years that I have lived in this apartment I've canceled my cable service and internet service with them, and never have they tried to retain me as a customer. This is the reason for the sky high rates and the atrocious service and lack of HD offerings. There is no pint in complaining, they don't care. I need to find an alternate situation and move on. :(

Rudy

Hmmm...worked for me on the first try last month. Just go through the phone menus to "cancel". But when you get the operator, say something like "I have noticed the price increases lately and am thinking on going to other providers for xxxx amount." Mention Vonages $24.99 rate. Dish's $30 rate and your DSL providers rate. This is what I did and when she asked how much the total would be for these three, I gave it to her and she came back and said, "this is what I can do for you". Then gave me the new customer rate for the all-the-best. Wouldn't hurt.

This is in addition to the January price increases.

RudyI am not trying to be negative, just can't believe TWC would put another price increase this close after the previous increase since they have to plan these in advance. You sure it is not the same one reiterated, or some local add-on? I hope I don't see another letter, but I am locked in through the year with December rates but will see the new ones some day. /Dan

Has anyone else noticed that TV has become boring?

My silly Moxi in Thousand Oaks has had no guide since the weekend.
Any info?

My silly Moxi in Thousand Oaks has had no guide since the weekend.
Any info?

You have a Moxi box? TWC told me they no longer lease Moxi.

Its a legacy box. I'll dump TWC before I'd switch to their crap.

Its a legacy box. I'll dump TWC before I'd switch to their crap.

My Moxi died last Saturday; got the standard Motorola-whatever-it-is on Monday.

Now researching FIOS and TIVO.

pj

Hmmm...worked for me on the first try last month. Just go through the phone menus to "cancel". But when you get the operator, say something like "I have noticed the price increases lately and am thinking on going to other providers for xxxx amount." Mention Vonages $24.99 rate. Dish's $30 rate and your DSL providers rate. This is what I did and when she asked how much the total would be for these three, I gave it to her and she came back and said, "this is what I can do for you". Then gave me the new customer rate for the all-the-best. Wouldn't hurt.
Thanks slickshoes for the encouraging words. I have tried what you are suggesting over the past month at least three times. However, in my area there's no FIOS and no plans for it in the near or distant future. They know they have me by the "huevos" and come back to me with published rates each and every time.
I am not trying to be negative, just can't believe TWC would put another price increase this close after the previous increase since they have to plan these in advance. You sure it is not the same one reiterated, or some local add-on? I hope I don't see another letter, but I am locked in through the year with December rates but will see the new ones some day. /Dan
The letter details the price increases by service. But just to give you an idea the "all three services" package now goes from being $99 per month to being $105.

HTH.
Rudy

Damn, sorry to hear that Rudy... :(

Time Warner: Americas most unreliable internet provider.

After 45 minutes last night and 20 minutes and a know-nothing rep tonight I'm ready to switch to DTV or FIOS.

They are sending someone out tomorrow and if they can't fix my problem, they are toast.

After 45 minutes last night and 20 minutes and a know-nothing rep tonight I'm ready to switch to DTV or FIOS.

They are sending someone out tomorrow and if they can't fix my problem, they are toast.

I spent quite a bit of time researching FIOS and Tivo yesterday.

Gotta tell you, Ken, FIOS and Tivo is looking like a hands-down winner in terms of performance, channel choice and pricing.

pj

FIOS for sure...their internet speeds alone should make you switch, they keep upping the speed with no end in sight.

The letter details the price increases by service. But just to give you an idea the "all three services" package now goes from being $99 per month to being $105.

HTH.
Rudy
Maybe you had a promotion ending. Has it been a year since you first signed up? I do not have all three (no phone with my cable and Earthlink) and I can get all three for $99 for 12 months ($105.50 with the box) then $120+box regular price after the year is up (these are January 1 2009 prices). /Dan

Time Warner: Americas most unreliable internet provider.

I guess it's no surprise that after 5 years the TWC thread as 6400+ posts while the DBS thread has less than 100 over the same time frame.

- T

The cable guy was here earlier. Tried to make me take an el crappo Motorola box. I kept the guideless Moxi. Although he denied it, I bet they cut the guide. Now hat he is gone, I'me going into the low level menu to see if I can force something. Verizon is appealing, but so much bait and switch its disgusting. Since I already have phone with them, they make it harder. I'm thinking of DTV as well. Time to price some things out.

Does FIOS have a bandwidth restriction?

I suspect that the problem started with my cable modem. They gave me a new one two weeks ago promising better performance (not). The new one wasn't provisioned and they had to reprovision it. They probably de-provisioned something in the Moxi at the time. My guess is that the guide is done through DOCSIS but authorization is done by cable traffic.

In the process of provisioning the modem they screwed up the Moxi. I'm probably screwed since they will never fix this.

The new modem is no faster.

<snip>
Verizon is appealing, but so much bait and switch its disgusting. <snip>
Does FIOS have a bandwidth restriction?

What exactly do you mean by "bait and switch"?

Good question re the bandwidth restriction - I don't know. But, I don't use a whole lot, so it's not really a consideration for me as I am not a gamer or running a server, etc.

pj

By bait and switch they offer a dscounted bundle but the discount drops as you add things like ExtremeHD, higher Internet speed, etc. Also the discounted bundle requires that they use their STB if you order over the Internet.

I'd like to get Netflix downloads so BW could become a big deal.

Have all of you been experiencing the slow down for Cable? For the past week its been pretty much unusable at night.

The TWC DNS servers are garbage. I've noticed much faster results witn OpenDNS

Does anyone know if the Motorola TWC DVR Box can be tuned using a Firewire connection?

I'm thinking of using a HD-PVR and BeyondTV with one for archiving without using up the Motorola Hard Disk.

Have all of you been experiencing the slow down for Cable? For the past week its been pretty much unusable at night.

Are you talking about cable internet? I haven't noticed a slow down, but for the past week at night I have been getting a lot of page load errors (both with Firefox and IE7). Not across the board, but with many sites I visit regularly. But the speed I normally connect to my Usenet providers has remained constant (~10Mb). Seems like a problem with TWC's DNS servers. No problems tonight, however.

Maybe you had a promotion ending. Has it been a year since you first signed up? I do not have all three (no phone with my cable and Earthlink) and I can get all three for $99 for 12 months ($105.50 with the box) then $120+box regular price after the year is up (these are January 1 2009 prices). /Dan
The letters I have received were not addressed to me personally. :) These were standard flyers with the new rate printed on them as well as printed outside on the envelope. So no it is not a promotion ending, it is definitely a rate increase. On the detail page just about every service will see the hike.
The cable guy was here earlier. Tried to make me take an el crappo Motorola box. I kept the guideless Moxi. Although he denied it, I bet they cut the guide. Now hat he is gone, I'me going into the low level menu to see if I can force something. Verizon is appealing, but so much bait and switch its disgusting. Since I already have phone with them, they make it harder. I'm thinking of DTV as well. Time to price some things out.

Does FIOS have a bandwidth restriction?
Dude I'm sorry if this comes off harsh. But one would have to be crazy to stay with TWC if they had a FIOS option available. If you were offered a brand new Ferrari, would you rather pick a 20 year old Huynday?

Sorry if this comes off rude, just filling you in.
Rudy

Have all of you been experiencing the slow down for Cable? For the past week its been pretty much unusable at night.
It's actually been a little longer than a week, but yes, every evening the DNS goes to the Outhouse and does not come out until morning.:rolleyes::mad:

Rudy

>"Have all of you been experiencing the slow down for Cable? For the past week its been pretty much unusable at night."<

Yeah, Time Warner has been under attack. I gave up trying to use it in the evening this past week. Part of the e-mail Time Warner Cable sent me, fwiw. . .

"During the past week, hackers have launched a series of attacks on Time Warner Cable's servers. Time Warner Cable is working with law enforcement agencies to resolve these crimes.

As a result of these attacks, you may have experienced a temporary "outage" when attempting to surf the Web, including an intermittent "page cannot be displayed" error message. The outages did not result in services being 100% unavailable; and were limited to sporadic timeouts which appeared to be random events. Some users may have experienced a total disconnect. These types of attacks are not uncommon, especially for a network as large as ours. We suspect that the attackers are using "zombie computers," or hijacking unsuspecting subscribers' machines to perpetrate the attack without its owner's knowledge. "

Tonight it seems it's back to normal surfing speed... no DNS problems.

By bait and switch they offer a dscounted bundle but the discount drops as you add things like ExtremeHD, higher Internet speed, etc. Also the discounted bundle requires that they use their STB if you order over the Internet.

I'd like to get Netflix downloads so BW could become a big deal.

Bait and switch is when they offer a deal but when you call they tell you that you can't have that deal and try to sell you something else. You changed the deal, so the switching was your doing.

Kablemodem, Semantics
All providers have their issues. I don't like moving from the frying pan to the fire.
In my book, offering you something cheap with a discount as an incentive to get you into something much more expensive without any real discount is bait and switch.

It's called upselling.

apparently according to the Orange County Register the TW servers were hacked....this happened last week and they are still trying to get things back to normal...

Did TWC remove Animal Planet? Its not showing up for me anymore (Its been a while since I lasted watched it though). It goes from channel 67 directly to 70 on my guide.

It's been moved to the digital (Variety?) tier, Channel 216 (SD) and 451 (HD).

I haven't seen anything re another increase from TW as yet, but it seems something similar is going on in New York:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22006061-TWC-Rate-changes

I haven't seen anything re another increase from TW as yet, but it seems something similar is going on in New York:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22006061-TWC-Rate-changes
Yup, as I mentioned above, I've now received 3 of these notices. 2 stand alone letters and one came in my bill.

Rudy

I haven't seen anything re another increase from TW as yet, but it seems something similar is going on in New York:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r22006061-TWC-Rate-changes
OK, looks like they are standardizing on prices. Our rates (Orange 'city of') went up Jan 1 to the prices that original poster (West LA) are listed as starting April 1. I looked at the "a la carte" pricing lists and it looks like they are now identical. You maybe are not original TWC and they are bringing you up to the same prices in two steps. /Dan

From Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" monologue (3/10/09):

'And Monopoly is 76 years old this week. Monopoly. It was a game invented by Parker Brothers but of course perfected by Time Warner Cable' (dead silence, no laughs). :p

Just wondering if anybody else had this problem. I'm in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood area and have had it as a series recording for since the season began with no problems. Thanks for any responses!

Just wondering if anybody else had this problem. I'm in Beverly Hills/West Hollywood area and have had it as a series recording for since the season began with no problems. Thanks for any responses!"Lost" was a repeat tonight.

"Lost" was a repeat tonight.

I'd checked the Times listing and it didn't say "Repeat" and from the synopsis I wasn't sure, given the convoluted storyline, if it was. Thanks, again, and maybe you can solve one of the great mysteries in my life (please see my next post).

We have a Moto 6416 III upstairs and a 3416 downstairs, the 9xx music channels stopped working upstairs months ago after being fine for a few years. Both are hdmi connected and I've tried an analog connection on the 3416 and pulled the power plug/rebooted it several times without success; still getting the "This channel will be available soon" message. Any thoughts?

one of my boxes that I had for a long time gave me the same error message when I would try to watch anything on OnDemand...I too had tried a soft reboot...hard reboot....I even chanted over it ..LOL and it still gave me the error message...then I replaced it with a new box...viola problem gone...they just wear out....they start to be buggy when you get into the upper channels...

As for Lost...it was one of their "enhanced" repeats last night....I too thought that my DVR was messing up when I noticed that the red light did not come on...I tuned in and varified it was last weeks episode with captions like pop up video....so you're ok...

I'm wondering. Is anyone in Time Warner Cable Southern California getting the Pac 10 Men's Basketball Tournament on FSN HD? Down here in North San Diego County, for whatever reason, we're not getting it in HD, but we are getting it on FSN West standard def. Is this a FSN broadcast issue or a Time Warner Issue. If anyone can answer this, that would be greatly appreciated.

Bev. Hills/W. Hollywood has Pac 10 in HD.

my cable box has taken to recording random shows ive never even heard of. any ideas why?

Another Kings home game in standard definition. :( :mad:

Rudy

my cable box has taken to recording random shows ive never even heard of. any ideas why?

This happened to me too but then I noticed that last minute programming wigs out the guide...for instance I like 20/20...sometimes it will be a special report in that timeslot...it will still record as 20/20...also I have accidentally recorded something that is above or below what I want to record on the guide...also mistakes can happen if you are recording something you are watching...for some reason it can also wig out guide...luckily it all these things rarely happen but then again I am lucky enough to still be running Passport on my SA8300 boxes...don't get me started on the other boxes....

my cable box has taken to recording random shows ive never even heard of. any ideas why?

Secret TiVo upgrade? ;)

Another Kings home game in standard definition. :( :mad:

RudyYah, the Ducks have also not been shown in a while. Basketball seems to be bumping the hockey from FSN HD. /Dan

>
Yeah, Time Warner has been under attack. I gave up trying to use it in the evening this past week. Part of the e-mail Time Warner Cable sent me, fwiw. . .
"During the past week, hackers have launched a series of attacks on Time Warner Cable's servers. Time Warner Cable is working with law enforcement agencies to resolve these crimes.

As a result of these attacks, you may have experienced a temporary "outage" when attempting to surf the Web, including an intermittent "page cannot be displayed" error message. The outages did not result in services being 100% unavailable; and were limited to sporadic timeouts which appeared to be random events. Some users may have experienced a total disconnect. These types of attacks are not uncommon, especially for a network as large as ours. We suspect that the attackers are using "zombie computers," or hijacking unsuspecting subscribers' machines to perpetrate the attack without its owner's knowledge. "

How about changing your primary DNS setting to OpenDNS? If you are using internal TWC services e.g. email you might have to hard code the IP address for that.

IIRC my digital cable box (!) uses a DNS server for something; if that server is Internet accessible someone incompetent needs to be fired.

Yah, the Ducks have also not been shown in a while. Basketball seems to be bumping the hockey from FSN HD. /Dan
I could understand that if something was on 413 at the same time. But there wasn't. It just sat there with those color bars throughout the entire Kings home game. Just like last year. :confused: Ohhh well.

I almost wish that they would not televise these, unless they are in HD.:mad:

Rudy

I'm here in Northridge. I'm pumped about the NCAA Tourney. If you have room for 1 more bracket, try to join the Bracket Busters group over at yahoo.

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/register/joinprivategroup_assign_team?GID=56924

...Part of the e-mail Time Warner Cable sent me, fwiw. . .

"During the past week, hackers have launched a series of attacks on Time Warner Cable's servers. Time Warner Cable is working with law enforcement agencies to resolve these crimes.

As a result of these attacks, you may have experienced a temporary "outage" when attempting to surf the Web, including an intermittent "page cannot be displayed" error message. The outages did not result in services being 100% unavailable; and were limited to sporadic timeouts which appeared to be random events. Some users may have experienced a total disconnect. These types of attacks are not uncommon, especially for a network as large as ours. We suspect that the attackers are using "zombie computers," or hijacking unsuspecting subscribers' machines to perpetrate the attack without its owner's knowledge. "Just the fact that this is possible with Time Warner internet service is reason enough for me to not get my internet through TWC. I've had Earthlink DSL service for about 10 years and i have never had an outage due to a hack-attack.

does anyone get the nhl hd channel? mine is still not authorized. is it part of center ice? or what tier?

Yes, I'm getting it, after adding the variety tier. Don't ask how, according to their site, it isn't even in that tier.

I get the NHL HD Channel. Not sure which tier, I have all of them except the Spanish one.


I WISH Fox Sports would get a full time HD channel. Having to watch Kings games in low quality is utter nonsense.

Just the fact that this is possible with Time Warner internet service is reason enough for me to not get my internet through TWC. I've had Earthlink DSL service for about 10 years and i have never had an outage due to a hack-attack.I have Earthlink through TWC (even get the bundle price now), but it is not a TWC only issue on DNS hacking. Earthlink or Open-DNS or ? DNS servers could get hacked too if someone wants to do it. /Dan

I WISH Fox Sports would get a full time HD channel. Having to watch Kings games in low quality is utter nonsense.I think it would not matter. I don't think they are taking the equipment to the games. As you noted and happened again last night (Ducks on, but color bars on 413), even when they have the channel available they do not always use it. Fox does not even update their listing anymore. Nothing listed for us all month (FSN-West, Primeticket) even though basketball games have been on at times.
http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSPrime
/Dan

I WISH Fox Sports would get a full time HD channel. Having to watch Kings games in low quality is utter nonsense.

And when they did show HD games this year, they used those ice level cameras which made it impossible to watch. I'm a seasoned hockey TV viewer and I couldn't follow the games.

I think it would not matter. I don't think they are taking the equipment to the games. As you noted and happened again last night (Ducks on, but color bars on 413), even when they have the channel available they do not always use it. Fox does not even update their listing anymore. Nothing listed for us all month (FSN-West, Primeticket) even though basketball games have been on at times.
http://msn.foxsports.com/name/HD#FSPrime
/Dan

Well then DAMN Fox. If this was 2-3 years ago, I totally understand for not broadcasting everything in HD. But HD is pretty much THE standard now. When the food network (which I love, BTW), broadcasts in HD, there is absolutely no legitimate or acceptable reason for Fox not to do so.

And when they did show HD games this year, they used those ice level cameras which made it impossible to watch. I'm a seasoned hockey TV viewer and I couldn't follow the games.

Couldnt agree more. The ice level concept was a good idea, but POORLY executed. What they SHOULD have done was show the game using the "normal" angles, with occasional switching to the ice level camera's... showing an entire game from ice level was just dizzying.

I don't think it's entirely FSNs fault. I don't watch hockey but TWC doesn't have dedicated channels for FSN west and prime ticket like directv and other providers have. I can only speak for basketball but sometimes there are clippers games on that aren't shown on channel 413 but I ask my friend and they're being shown in HD on directv. They probably don't show much hockey because this is a lakers and dodgers town but that still doesn't explain why they don't show it when nothing else is on. I guess they just don't see a high demand for it.

They don't even show all of the Dodgers games in HD. If the Dodgers and Angels are playing at the same time they usually show the Angels game. Sometimes there is no programming conflict and they still don't show it in HD. And the SD version is particularly craptacular.

They don't even show all of the Dodgers games in HD. If the Dodgers and Angels are playing at the same time they usually show the Angels game. Sometimes there is no programming conflict and they still don't show it in HD. And the SD version is particularly craptacular.At least Dodgers and Lakers get local channel HD usually. Angels rarely get some local (looks like Sundays only, but HD unknown on KCOP), but hockey gets none. Hard to figure out who to complain to. I guess to the individual teams and Fox Sports seems to be the most likely at this time. /Dan

Is AMC-HD available in California yet? I know other states have it now so I'm wondering when we might get it?

Well the Friday and Sunday Ducks games were in HD. I guess with the Lakers (and Clippers?) and Kings out of town Fox decided to take their equipment over to Anaheim. /Dan

The guide is becoming worse and worse. There are more TBA entries all the time and searching for future shows by channel has less and less descriptions. HDNET is particularly bad. I'm annoyed. 1888TWCABLE.

new design and right now i cant even change channel my DVR lists all the shows but has a value of ) percent used. but none of the shows work.. I rebooted now i can even get the guide to show up and it takes 15 seconds to change channel? even using the buttons on the 8300hdc

what have they done?

No new Navigator in E. San Fernando Valley...yet -- just a bunch of TBA entries.

Well it looks like the never version has stopped my E-sata external drive working. that means the 50 hours of video i had on it is gone. I cant even get my 8300hdc to see the drive for formatting.
also i have a other 8300HD that did not take the update its still showing the old menu

I live in fountain Valley


way to go Time warner this has put me on the edge of quitting

Well it looks like the never version has stopped my E-sata external drive working. that means the 50 hours of video i had on it is gone. I cant even get my 8300hdc to see the drive for formatting.
also i have a other 8300HD that did not take the update its still showing the old menu

I live in fountain Valley


way to go Time warner this has put me on the edge of quittingLooks like Navigator finally coming to SoCal. Go to the "8300HD and External SATA - It Works!! " AVS group. The latest Navigator the rest of the country is getting broke the eSata again. I am not sure, but you also may need to reformat when you change from Passport to any Navigator. I have been waiting to go external until Navigaor is here and stable with eSata. Last couple months looked like things were going to be fine until last week. /Dan

Looks like Navigator finally coming to SoCal. Go to the "8300HD and External SATA - It Works!! " AVS group. The latest Navigator the rest of the country is getting broke the eSata again. I am not sure, but you also may need to reformat when you change from Passport to any Navigator. I have been waiting to go external until Navigaor is here and stable with eSata. Last couple months looked like things were going to be fine until last week. /Dan


I already have Navigator that supported E-sata its the new version of Navigator that has removed the E-sata support .. seems like they have disabled it so no more external Drives :(

There is no vbi data on the specially allocated channel 94 for the last several days making anyone with tv guide equipment unable to see the guides and/or making recordings.Of course no one at customer service has any clue what this even means.

We just got MGM HD in Thousand Oaks

Also on in Camarillo.

We just got MGM HD in Thousand Oaks

What channel?