I know I'm not the first to mention this, but if everyone had to vote, wouldn't TCM be at or near the top of channels we'd like to see in HD? Are there any plans? Is the problem that the library is so vast (and good) that it would take forever to convert to HD? Seems like since tnt has gone hd, the ownership is hardly adverse to the idea.

I thought they were supposed to go HD in 2006, there was something on their FAQ about it.. I could be thinking of another channel though...

Actually that "By the end of the year" quote in their faq was first found in 2004.

I've stated before that TCM-HD is one channel I would pay a premium for (but I don't want to say it too loud because I'll gladly take it for "free" as part of my cable package).

Even if they only had a limited slate of true HD films with other upconverts for most of the lesser older films, it would be a good start.

I've stated before that TCM-HD is one channel I would pay a premium for (but I don't want to say it too loud because I'll gladly take it for "free" as part of my cable package).

Even if they only had a limited slate of true HD films with other upconverts for most of the lesser older films, it would be a good start.

Ditto.

Any other Turner networks going HD soon??

Ditto.

Any other Turner networks going HD soon??
CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network...

As long as they dont have that horrible distortion that TNTHD has.

CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network...


Word around the Dept. of Homeland Security is that the Risk Level will go up to High or Severe in anticipation of their promos for the roll out of these HD channels. :p

Will TCM ever go HD?Yes. The only question is when.

I've stated before that TCM-HD is one channel I would pay a premium for (but I don't want to say it too loud because I'll gladly take it for "free" as part of my cable package).

Even if they only had a limited slate of true HD films with other upconverts for most of the lesser older films, it would be a good start.

Totally agree with you here.

Yes. The only question is when.

Ask a dumb question...

It would be good if the European TCM network moved to 16:9 SD. It is incredibly annoying that they broadcast all of their films in OAR (not at all annoying in itself) - but in 4:3 rather than 16:9 - which means the large number of viewers with 16:9 sets have to zoom (and get a really soft picture), or put up with windowbox/postage stamp floating images surrounded by black on all sides.

I've told family, friends and co-workers that if/when TCM goes HD they're going to have say goodbye to me for at lest a week or two, maybe more. FilmfestHD supplies the occasional fix, but it's nothing like the real thing.

Fox Movie Channel is another service I would like to see in HD. They show a good number of movies in letterbox format.

It's my most desired HD channel. FMC is another good choice, ProTuber. I'd also like to see IFC when they decide their channel bug doesn't have to stay on the screen throughout the whole program.

This is my most-desired HD channel as well. Besides the usual difficulties involved in launching an HD channel, what are the specific hurdles TCM must confront to make this happen? Is their catalog HD ready, or would everything have to be rescanned at HD resolution? If the latter, it could be ages until we see TCM HD.

And count me as one of the people that would be perfectly happy watching pillarboxed OAR classics alongside the widescreen ones. It looks like Universal HD is pulling its HD broadcasts of Northern Exposure because they got complaints that it wasn't "real" HD because it didn't fill up the screen, which is a shame. If the content that is shown is HD resolution, I don't care if it takes up my whole screen or not. I want the OAR.

This is my most-desired HD channel as well. Besides the usual difficulties involved in launching an HD channel, what are the specific hurdles TCM must confront to make this happen? Is their catalog HD ready, or would everything have to be rescanned at HD resolution? If the latter, it could be ages until we see TCM HD.Yes, everything has to be converted to HD, but I'd bet they are well along with the process. It would not surprise me in the least if they go HD before the end of the year, but this is only my speculation and not 'insider' info.

And count me as one of the people that would be perfectly happy watching pillarboxed OAR classics alongside the widescreen ones. It looks like Universal HD is pulling its HD broadcasts of Northern Exposure because they got complaints that it wasn't "real" HD because it didn't fill up the screen, which is a shame. If the content that is shown is HD resolution, I don't care if it takes up my whole screen or not. I want the OAR.Agreed 100%. The beauty of Gone With The Wind & The Wizard Of Oz in HD & 4:3 OAR (On TNT HD!!!) was like seeing the films for the first time.

As long as they [TCM HD] dont have that horrible distortion that TNTHD has.
Fear not, TCM habitually shows ALL its widescreen movies OAR. Thus, I am certain we can rely on them to continue doing so when their HD feed goes online. They would be the last people on earth to stretch 4:3 films to 16:9, it seems to me.

Let me add to what seems to be the unanimous opinion of posters to this thread: TCM would be my first choice as the next channel to be added to any HD lineup.

Ditto!!!

I've told family, friends and co-workers that if/when TCM goes HD they're going to have say goodbye to me for at lest a week or two, maybe more. FilmfestHD supplies the occasional fix, but it's nothing like the real thing.

You are correct about FILMFEST. FILMFEST is a gem, but is a well kept secret. I've never seen a film that was not OAR.:)

Agreed 100%. The beauty of Gone With The Wind & The Wizard Of Oz in HD & 4:3 OAR (On TNT HD!!!) was like seeing the films for the first time.
That’s right! I had forgotten that TNT didn’t stretch “The Wizard of Oz” for HD. I think that was the way to go. Despite my earlier confessed preference for TNT’s practice of stretching old ‘90s TV shows that were filmed in 4:3, it’s better that they didn’t meddle with a classic.

I have a vested interest in TNT’s practice of stretching 4:3 TV shows because my TiVo Series3 HD DVR won’t allow me to change the aspect ratio on any HD channel. Bummer, but there it is. Oddly, the SA 8300HD DVR, which I rent from Cox for my other TV, does allow stretch, zoom, and 2x zoom, even on HD channels, despite its incredible weaknesses in most other areas.

This would be an awesome HD channel. I would gladly watch 4x3 OAR movies pillarboxed in HD. Heck, TCM SD does a great job of providing the most up to date, clean film prints or transfers in OAR.

Bring it on!!

This would be an awesome HD channel. I would gladly watch 4x3 OAR movies pillarboxed in HD. Heck, TCM SD does a great job of providing the most up to date, clean film prints or transfers in OAR.

Bring it on!!
Yep - for example, TCM's shown many movies letterboxes that later came out on DVD - in pan & scan only - meaning TCM was the only way to see the OAR.

I'll always be grateful to them for that.

And count me as one of the people that would be perfectly happy watching pillarboxed OAR classics alongside the widescreen ones. It looks like Universal HD is pulling its HD broadcasts of Northern Exposure because they got complaints that it wasn't "real" HD because it didn't fill up the screen, which is a shame.

Yeah, that is a shame.

All people have to do is push the Display or Info button on the TV remote and if it's says 720p or 1080i, it's HD even if it is framed for 4:3. WS doesn't always equal HD.

Yeah, that is a shame.

All people have to do is push the Display or Info button on the TV remote and if it's says 720p or 1080i, it's HD even if it is framed for 4:3. WS doesn't always equal HD.

Upconverted SD programs on HD channels will also say 720p or 1080i.

TCM-HD would be awesome!

Does anyone have any info about MGM-HD (one of the channels in the upcoming D* HD lineup)? Could this be a variation/subset of TCM given that Turner owns the MGM film catalog?

I agree, TCM would be my first choice to see go HD.

IFC would be nice, too, but they seriously need to expand their library. I'm really tired of seeing the same films listed over and over and over and over.....

A lot of these old movies were barely restorable for DVD releases. I have trouble believing that they'd go through the expense of creating new HD masters for one channel. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.

A lot of these old movies were barely restorable for DVD releases. I have trouble believing that they'd go through the expense of creating new HD masters for one channel. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.Considering that these "old movies" are the studio's greatest asset, they probably would go through the trouble of transfering them to hd.

I'm thinking every channel will be HD within the next five years.

Maybe I should have said they all will be technically capable of showing HD .. it isn't HD if it doesn't look HD.

--- CHAS

A lot of these old movies were barely restorable for DVD releases. I have trouble believing that they'd go through the expense of creating new HD masters for one channel. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.

You must not watch TCM much. Most of what they show looks fantastic already considering that alot of these films are 60-70+ years old.

It would not surprise me in the least if they go HD before the end of the year, but this is only my speculation and not 'insider' info.



I, on the other hand, would be VERY surprised if TCM went HD before the end of this year. I'd even go so far as to say that this has zero chance of happening this year. Then again, this is just my speculation. ;) Let's hope that you're right and I'm wrong.

A lot of these old movies were barely restorable for DVD releases. I have trouble believing that they'd go through the expense of creating new HD masters for one channel. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.

I assume you don't actually watch TCM. If you did, you wouldn't make the claim you made. If you do watch, please give some examples.

I'd even go so far as to say that this has zero chance of happening this year. Then again, this is just my speculation.

Even speculation should have some basis in fact. Can you give us the basis for your "speculation"?

Even speculation should have some basis in fact. Can you give us the basis for your "speculation"?

Well mainly because there are just 3 1/2 months left in the year and, with all the channels rumored to be going to HD at some point soon, TCM is not among them. If it was going to happen by the end of THIS year, I strongly believe we would have heard something by now. A rumor or some talk, but nothing, not a peep.

BTW, shouldn't you be asking Ken H. the same question? Why just pick on me? :confused:

Well mainly because there are just 3 1/2 months left in the year and, with all the channels rumored to be going to HD at some point soon, TCM is not among them. If it was going to happen by the end of THIS year, I strongly believe we would have heard something by now. A rumor or some talk, but nothing, not a peep.


Well, OK. You may be on to something there. But I hate rumors and speculation and prefer to just wait and see what happens. Makes like a lot easier.


BTW, shouldn't you be asking Ken H. the same question? Why just pick on me? :confused:

You're correct. Ken should have some facts to back up his "speculation".

Yes, everything has to be converted to HD, but I'd bet they are well along with the process. It would not surprise me in the least if they go HD before the end of the year, but this is only my speculation and not 'insider' info.
Ken,
In a recent thread in the silent movies newsgroup about whether TCM would ever start showing commercials, someone who talked with a TCM programmer mentioned that short term profitability is a big issue with the people who run the Turner channels. If TCM is profitable, the channel gets "left alone" by the people who are currently running (some would say ruining) the other Turner channels. The ability to be profitable becomes a problem for a small channel that has to transition to high def. Also the programmer mentioned that the channel might turn to high def ppv as a first step. So it sounds like it might be a while before we get HD TCM.

You're correct. Ken should have some facts to back up his "speculation".

Boilerplate:

AVS is not your garden variety Internet forum. We are the most popular home theater forum on the Internet, with well over 40 million unique page views per month. I have been the principal HDTV Moderator for over 6 years. In that time we have become known as 'the place to be for HDTV', referenced frequently by home theater magazines, other A/V & HT web sites, and the mainstream press. I have been contacted for comments on HDTV related articles by newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many others. In addition to having direct participation by industry members ranging from local TV engineers to HD network owners on the forum, I also receive information on a regular basis about HD networks and program providers that I'm asked to pass along to the forum. This information comes from TV industry members, including those at the highest levels of the industry. AVS directly influences television decision makers by discussing HD issues on these forums.

Ken,
In a recent thread in the silent movies newsgroup about whether TCM would ever start showing commercials, someone who talked with a TCM programmer mentioned that short term profitability is a big issue with the people who run the Turner channels. If TCM is profitable, the channel gets "left alone" by the people who are currently running (some would say ruining) the other Turner channels. The ability to be profitable becomes a problem for a small channel that has to transition to high def. Also the programmer mentioned that the channel might turn to high def ppv as a first step. So it sounds like it might be a while before we get HD TCM.Thank you for the information.

I, on the other hand, would be VERY surprised if TCM went HD before the end of this year. I'd even go so far as to say that this has zero chance of happening this year. Then again, this is just my speculation. ;) Let's hope that you're right and I'm wrong.

Nothing like sitting on the fence huh? And on both sides of it too.

Boilerplate:

AVS is not your garden variety Internet forum. We are the most popular home theater forum on the Internet, with well over 40 million unique page views per month. I have been the principal HDTV Moderator for over 6 years. In that time we have become known as 'the place to be for HDTV', referenced frequently by home theater magazines, other A/V & HT web sites, and the mainstream press. I have been contacted for comments on HDTV related articles by newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and many others. In addition to having direct participation by industry members ranging from local TV engineers to HD network owners on the forum, I also receive information on a regular basis about HD networks and program providers that I'm asked to pass along to the forum. This information comes from TV industry members, including those at the highest levels of the industry. AVS directly influences television decision makers by discussing HD issues on these forums.

Thanks. That what I was looking for, and expecting. BTW, my comment was somewhat in the spirit of fair play in response to the other comment.

Nothing like sitting on the fence huh? And on both sides of it too.

Huh?

You must not watch TCM much. Most of what they show looks fantastic already considering that alot of these films are 60-70+ years old.

I watch it a lot, even the silent pictures on Sundays.

Of course they look fantastic in SD. The question is how much better they'd look in HD. I've seen several films in HD like the Seven Year Itch that looked no better than the DVD.

I can handle TCM running commercials in between the movies.

But I, too, love this channel and would hate to see them start chopping up the great old films.

I no longer watch AMC because of the way they have incorporated commercials into the programming.

Perhaps the holdup on TCM going HD has more to do with their legacy licensing agreements and whether or not they encompass HD versions or not.

For example, if "The Seven Year Itch" is available in an HD version, and HDNet has the exclusive right to show the HD version, should TCM-HD not show the film at all because they only have rights to the SD versions? Or should they show an SD movie on an HD channel a la TNT? Tough call. I think the situation is more complicated than it appears on the surface.

With Fox Movie Channel and MGM HD breaking out it seems the balkanization of TV continues. We originally got cable to get more channels but now more choice = price hike. And price hike = more channels. It is a death spiral that makes OTA look better and better.
Big 10 and SEC networks seem to end the need for ESPN.
Each studio having their own channel kills the need for TMC and AMC.

With Fox Movie Channel and MGM HD breaking out it seems the balkanization of TV continues. We originally got cable to get more channels but now more choice = price hike. And price hike = more channels. It is a death spiral that makes OTA look better and better.
Big 10 and SEC networks seem to end the need for ESPN.
Each studio having their own channel kills the need for TMC and AMC.

I could be wrong but I read somewhere that Turner owns all of MGM's movies that are pre 1985. He probably has the rights to tons of older movies. AMC has a much smaller library and has commercials so I hardly ever watch it. TCM will always be THE older movie station.

Originally Posted by Tybee
And count me as one of the people that would be perfectly happy watching pillarboxed OAR classics alongside the widescreen ones. It looks like Universal HD is pulling its HD broadcasts of Northern Exposure because they got complaints that it wasn't "real" HD because it didn't fill up the screen, which is a shame.
That's too bad about Northern Exposure. That was one of my favorite shows when it orginally aired. I just can't figure out how some people just don't get it. I refuse to stretch any 4:3 programming. I watch everything in its OAR.

A lot of these old movies were barely restorable for DVD releases. I have trouble believing that they'd go through the expense of creating new HD masters for one channel. Someone please tell me I'm wrong.

If they were mastered for a DVD release fairly recently (meaning within the past 5 or 6 years), they were almost certainly transferred to an HD master prior to the DVD conversion.

Also with HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, VOD, etc. there's a lot more reason to own an HD version than just "one channel".

- LoopinFool

So is this ever going to happen or not? I'm dying to watch all these movies in HD.

So is this ever going to happen or not? I'm dying to watch all these movies in HD.

Wish list stuff again.

If there was even the slightest hint of this happening, there would be a new thread. There would be a sticky. There would be balloons. There would be canons going off. Champagne would flow. Caviar would be in abundance.

No, there is no new news of any substance. Only wishes and dreams.

A bigger question to ask is...will TCM's sister channel TBS ever go HD considering they have been in existence for five months now and haven't shown any HD programming since the playoffs and one FrankTV and one Ellen show. While we're on this topic, TNT sucks too. What makes anyone think that TCM would have an HD channel that had HD programming or upconverts that weren't stretched and distorted. They need to fix what they have now before they add anything new to the Turner Network lineup of HD channels.

I'd pay a significant monthly rate - the HBO rate or better - for an HD channel of TCM. That would be wonderful.

Wish list stuff again.

If there was even the slightest hint of this happening, there would be a new thread. There would be a sticky. There would be balloons. There would be canons going off. Champagne would flow. Caviar would be in abundance.

No, there is no new news of any substance. Only wishes and dreams.

Sorry, I don't frequent this board much. :rolleyes:

I was just looking through the TCM listing and hoping that all these great movies were in HD.

TCM in HD would look sensational. But I have to agree with one of the posts that expressed concern about this channel due to the less than stellar pictures from TNT and TBS. In my opinion, TBS doesn't deserve to be in HD. TNT is not too bad. Maybe it's me, but I don't see as many programming in stretch-o-vision as I had before on TNT. The folks behind TBS ought to be ashamed of themselves. Baseball and a couple other shows just won't cut it.

IF and when TCM HD hits the airwaves, I hope that the movies meant in 16x9 true HD will come to fruition. Just as well, the movies meant in 4:3 better not be stretched.

TNT: WE KNOW INTERRUPTIONS
TBS: VERY FUNNY LOOKING
NBC: National Boredcast Company

I have another one:

TCM HD=Terrible (stretchovision)Crap Movies
TCM=Trashing Classic Movies

Can't resist:
NBC= Nothing But Crap
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Although TCM HD may be OK. Since they show many older movies that may be 4:3 OAR, TCM HD may keep them OAR. The two 4:3 OAR movies shown on TNT(Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind) were OAR on TNT-HD. Who knows, it looks like Turner MAY have a clue when it comes to the classics.

A bigger question to ask is...will TCM's sister channel TBS ever go HD .... Good question. Which will go HD first? TBS-HD or TCM-HD?

Good question. Which will go HD first? TBS-HD or TCM-HD?
Since TBS did show a few events in HD (just nothing recently), they already beat TCM. Now, if you're asking which channel will show the next HD program, then we'll have a real contest... ;)

I have another one:

TCM HD=Terrible (stretchovision)Crap Movies
TCM=Trashing Classic Movies

Can't resist:
NBC= Nothing But Crap
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Although TCM HD may be OK. Since they show many older movies that may be 4:3 OAR, TCM HD may keep them OAR. The two 4:3 OAR movies shown on TNT(Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind) were OAR on TNT-HD. Who knows, it looks like Turner MAY have a clue when it comes to the classics.

That's unfair. Anyone who has been a fan of TCM for any length of time knows it is an entirely different animal than TBS and TNT, even though they technically share the same ownership. If and when TCM goes HD, they'll do it with class. Even before the advent of HD, TCM was putting TNT and TBS to shame, eschewing commercial interruptions, showing movies unedited in their OAR, and providing intelligent, well-researched intros and outros.

I have no doubt if TCM wanted to do a rush-job and piss all over their library as TNT and TBS have, they could have done it long ago. Once they have a sufficient library of HD transfers, they will launch an HD channel and it will show everything in its OAR (and will probably include a series of interstitials explaining why they're doing so, just as they currently run to explain why they show movies letterboxed).

Looks like this is still far out in the future. Any news?

Looks like its one of those things that we just don't talk about anymore. I hate to say it, but if its not in HD, its pretty much off my radar screen now. Its been that was for a few years now, so many of these SD channels are pretty much falling out of my memory. So I have pretty much forgotten about TCM to even wonder when they will be HD.

I have watched many great old films on TCM but have stopped watching anything there in recent years because of TCM's failure to embrace HD. As much as I admire what TCM does I still think that their decision to stick with SD, even at this late date, is horribly, horribly ill-advised.

I have watched many great old films on TCM but have stopped watching anything there in recent years because of TCM's failure to embrace HD. As much as I admire what TCM does I still think that their decision to stick with SD, even at this late date, is horribly, horribly ill-advised.

Given their content and the fact that at least half of what they show is academy ratio, and much, much less of it is available in HD from studios, I don't think it's ill-advised at all.

If TCM had gone HD there would be complaints here about how it was nothing but upconverts.

A better question is, given the existence of MGM HD if Fox Movie Channel will ever go HD since at least it has studio support…

Huh? Academy ratio in HD looks awesome. Pillarboxes are even less obnoxious than letterboxes.

Have you seen the blur-ray or HD-dvd of Casablanca? Or some of the stuff on MGM HD like Hitchcock's Sabotage? YMMV, but I found these to be very compelling.

And, of course, many of the "classics" on TCM are from the 50s 60s and 70s and are widescreen.

and much, much less of it is available in HD from studiosWell, I don't know to what extent that's true. I'm sure there'll be a decent percentage of upconverts, but if a movie's on DVD now -- especially if it's been reissued in the past 5-7 years -- there's almost certainly a high-def master floating around. That's been standard practice for quite a long time now.

TCM-HD would seriously consume every moment of my spare time and then some. Part of me's glad it doesn't exist just because I wouldn't be able to get anything done anymore. :)

Not to be piling on here but it's clear to most of us that HD does a LOT for every film, regardless of its aspect ratio. Casablanca is a classic example. Its PQ on BD is nothing short of thrilling. Even DVD quality video looks much better on HD than SD because an SD channel can only transmit its images at 480i, which is less than a DVD's 480p. Thus, TCM's stubborn refusal to join the 21st Century and shift to HD is indefensible.

Heck, I'd be thrilled if they simply upconverted everything.

With the academy ratio issue I simply meant that lessens the demand to immediately go HD; I bought The Day the Earth Stood Still on Blu-ray, so I'm well aware of how good a non-widescreen film can look in HD.

As far as studios having HD masters, it all depends. Just because there's an HD master in the vault doesn't mean that it's either in a format that could be distributed or that it looks good enough to be acceptable by HD viewers today.

Downconverting an HD master to 480i/p hides a raft of sins that become obvious in 1080i.

Finally as a commercial-free channel, Turner may have done the research and may have found that cable and satellite companies aren't willing to pay the higher carriage fees that would inevitably need to be charged for TCM HD to make financial sense, and that cable and satellite companies may not be willing to devote bandwidth to TCM HD.

I agree that it's almost certainly a financial decision -- that the increased appeal of an HD channel wouldn't increase their revenue stream enough to justify the expense of migrating their operation over to HD.

That said, even if all they could afford was to be an HD-upconverting station half the time, that would still be miles better than where they are at.

That said, even if all they could afford was to be an HD-upconverting station half the time, that would still be miles better than where they are at.

Right, but that's only half the battle - cable companies and satellite providers would need to be convinced that TCM HD deserved to be allotted HD bandwidth, and I suspect that might be the tougher sell.

I suppose that might be a factor for some carriers, but with DISH and DIRECTV sitting on idle bandwidth, and COMCAST converting analog tiers to digital (each analog channel uses enough bandwidth for an HD channel) and thus freeing up lots of bandwidth, I'm guessing that'll be a red herring going forward, and the stumbling block will be any push by TCM to increase their fee now that they are "HD".

http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/157858-ciel-2-tracking.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11594570

I suppose that might be a factor for some carriers, but with DISH and DIRECTV sitting on idle bandwidth, and COMCAST converting analog tiers to digital (each analog channel uses enough bandwidth for an HD channel)...

Actually each 6 MHz analog channel has enough room for two HD channels without excess compression or three HD-lite channels with Comcast's current spectrum management policies.

Even a TCM HD channel that offered largely upconversions (and absolutely no Turner-style stretching) would be a dramatic improvement over the current SD TCM. DirecTV knocks SD channels down to 480 by 480, resulting in a notably blurrier picture. Check out the Comedy Central HD thread for some great pictures by AVS forum member videojanitor that compare the Colbert Report on the regular SD Comedy Central channel versus an upconverted show on Comedy Central HD. The difference in picture quality is striking, even though it is just an upconvert. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15617081#post15617081

Even if TCM cannot get ready access to the HD studio masters of many of the classic movies, there's no reason that they shouldn't be able to broadcast at least DVD quality video. Content is king, but it sure would be great to see some of these classic Cinerama movies and well shot black and white movies in a fair approximation of their big screen glory. At the very least, with a component video signal path we can see the beautiful film grain of a classic black and white movie without the annoying rainbows and moire pattern of composite video.:cool:

I suppose that might be a factor for some carriers, but with DISH and DIRECTV sitting on idle bandwidth, and COMCAST converting analog tiers to digital (each analog channel uses enough bandwidth for an HD channel) and thus freeing up lots of bandwidth, I'm guessing that'll be a red herring going forward, and the stumbling block will be any push by TCM to increase their fee now that they are "HD".

You're living in fantasyland if you think the satellite carriers have "idle" bandwidth.

They're continuing to turn up the compression on their SD channels and PQ on their HD channels isn't getting any better.

I could list the HD channels neither satellite carrier already carries but they're easily enough found on other websites.

Bottom line is I doubt either satellite carrier would carry TCM HD, at least not without dumping TCM SD.

From the satelliteguys podcast updates and their forum: both of the major providers have space for more HD channels, but due to licensing negotiations, that space is going empty right now.

I cannot speak to what they are doing with their SD channels. I stopped subscribing to them and am on an HD-only package.

Not to be piling on here but it's clear to most of us that HD does a LOT for every film, regardless of its aspect ratio. Casablanca is a classic example. Its PQ on BD is nothing short of thrilling.

But how many old films have been fortunate to be cared for and restored by a studio like Casablanca? Most of them will be like The Third Man -- slightly improved but nothing that will surprise you.

Isn't it a bout time to call HD SD and SD renamed to LOW Definition? or Low Res?

But how many old films have been fortunate to be cared for and restored by a studio like Casablanca? Most of them will be like The Third Man -- slightly improved but nothing that will surprise you.

I thought the Blu-ray of The Third Man was very impressive. Casablanca quality? No, but better than any print I have seen, and of course it was shot on location and under less ideal conditions than Casablanca -- so was always grainier etc.

I thought the Blu-ray of The Third Man was very impressive. Casablanca quality? No, but better than any print I have seen, and of course it was shot on location and under less ideal conditions than Casablanca -- so was always grainier etc.

See the comparisons in the Blu-ray Software forum. It is an improvement over the DVD but a very slight improvement. I bet if it aired on an HD channel, people would claim it was just an upconvert.

It wasn't entirely shot on location. They actually recreated some of Vienna's sewers in a studio.

These are the same guys who color crayoned with a computer on some of the world's best artistic accomplishments.

~~Give me a breaK!

Turner has a hard time of getting through their thick heads they our stewards not owners of some of the world's best and most important historic culture. All people who truly live in freedom must own their own culture or be force to watch it disappear with their freedom.

If they can not continue to present it with the dignity it deserves we need to demand they give it back!

These are the same guys who color crayoned with a computer on some of the world's best artistic accomplishments.

~~Give me a breaK!
What, pray tell, does Ted Turner's benighted colorizing scheme have to do with TCM? I know that Turner created TCM but have no idea whether he is still involved. In any event, TCM has NEVER show a colorized movie and carefully preserves the OAR of all of its presentations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turner_Classic_Movies

It might be a good idea to learn the salient facts before launching your next rant.

It frustrates me that TCM refuses to go HD but they are entitled to high marks otherwise for the great care they take to show films as they are meant to be seen in a theater.

These are the same guys who color crayoned with a computer on some of the world's best artistic accomplishments.

~~Give me a breaK!

Turner has a hard time of getting through their thick heads they our stewards not owners of some of the world's best and most important historic culture. All people who truly live in freedom must own their own culture or be force to watch it disappear with their freedom.

If they can not continue to present it with the dignity it deserves we need to demand they give it back!

While I'm not normally one for rabble rousing collectivism, this does show the downside to almost limitless copyright term extensions.

I think our society historically has done a pretty good job of balancing a limited monopoly for the creator of new intellectual property against society's gain by having increased public knowledge; the most recent extensions to the copyright term go too far.

Why should a cure for cancer be entitled to only 20 years of patent protection (less after the FDA actually approves the cure) yet a cartoon rat remains out of the public domain with copyright term extension after extension?:confused:

(I know, I know, Mickey Mouse has also acquired trademark status for his close association with the Disney brand. Nevertheless, the stories that appear on Masterpiece Theater generally are in the public domain. The moving picture depictions of those stories should enter the public domain too after some reasonable, limited amount of time.)

See the comparisons in the Blu-ray Software forum. It is an improvement over the DVD but a very slight improvement. I bet if it aired on an HD channel, people would claim it was just an upconvert.

It wasn't entirely shot on location. They actually recreated some of Vienna's sewers in a studio.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1107010

I've got both the DVD and Blu-ray and if this is a "slight" improvement, I'd like to have all my classic films "slightly" improved, please! :)

All kidding aside, I'd gladly pay to upgrade all of my favorites in this manner. All of the video artifacts are gone, and the resolution gets you accurate film grain. For my viewing habits, that's quite significant.

OTOH, I can definitely see why some people wouldn't feed it's worth the expense / effort / etc.

All kidding aside, I'd gladly pay to upgrade all of my favorites in this manner. All of the video artifacts are gone, and the resolution gets you accurate film grain. For my viewing habits, that's quite significant.
To me the BD looked like how the original DVD should have looked which already looked very good. I don't watch The Third Man to observe its film grain.

As I've said before, I don't agree with Ted Turner's politics, but thank God for his love of classic cinema.

As I've said before, I don't agree with Ted Turner's politics, but thank God for his love of classic cinema.

Amen!

I'm starting to think we will never actually see TCM in HD. The reason? They haven't been doing well financially (and are probably doing much worse now, along with everyone else). As a result, I think we'll see them drop out of business before they have the chance (or financing) to go HD.

Before I upgraded to HD, I used to watch something on the channel about once a week. Now, especially combined with my Netflix account, I almost never tune in. Between HDNet, MGMHD and my Netflix account, I can see a lot more classic movies as close to the way they were meant to be seen as I'm going to get any time soon.

Heck, even standard DVD blows away the overly compressed SD channel as it's being presented on most carriers. I'll take DVD over cable or satellite SD any day - and since the discs come to my house almost that often, I actually can.

Sorry, TCM, but your product is available elsewhere in better quality.

Before I upgraded to HD, I used to watch something on the [TCM] channel about once a week. Now, especially combined with my Netflix account, I almost never tune in. Between HDNet, MGMHD and my Netflix account, I can see a lot more classic movies as close to the way they were meant to be seen as I'm going to get any time soon.

Heck, even standard DVD blows away the overly compressed SD channel as it's being presented on most carriers. I'll take DVD over cable or satellite SD any day - and since the discs come to my house almost that often, I actually can.

Sorry, TCM, but your product is available elsewhere in better quality.
That's remarkably similar to my experience. Before I upgraded to HD I watched a bunch of stuff on TCM but after I got an HDTV and as HD movie offerings got better and better I stopped watching any SD channels, TCM included. Now that I have joined the BD revolution and subscribed to Blockbuster, I don't watch many movies on TV anymore, even those in HD. I would drop my HBO and Showtime subscriptions in a New York minute were it not for series such as Dexter, Weeds, True Blood, Big Love, and several more. Those shows make my subscriptions to those channels worthwhile, although overpriced.

I don't watch The Third Man to observe its film grain.

Of course one doesn't watch the Third Man for the film grain.

But visible film grain in a film that has real film grain is a litmus test for whether the transfer and medium are reproducing the resolution detail in the original film.

That is, accurate visible film grain indicates the medium can handle the detail. (counter example: the lack of grain on the Third Man DVD is a reminder of the limited resolution of DVD)

And accurate visible film grain indicates that post-processing was kept in check. (counter example: the lack of fine detail on the Patton Blu-ray).

TCM does have lots of movies that Netflix doesn't carry. Just watched the original "Brewster's Millions" this week. I do enjoy having Netflix though.

Then there are films like The Trouble With Angels, which TCM shows letterboxed but which Columbia decided to release on DVD only in 4:3 pan & scan.

I can add something to this discussion, but I'm afraid it's not great news. A good friend of mine, through various circumstances, was invited to cohost a film with Robert Osborne as part of their anniversary celebrations. Several fans and friends of the network took part in this (the segments were recorded in November and will be screened next month). Anyway, at the end of the filming, they had a nice dinner for everyone, and my friend, knowing I'm a fan of TCM, invited me along.

I got to dine with Mr. Osborne and spend a lot of time talking with network staffers. I spoke the longest with their head of programming, and at one point mentioned how wonderful it would be to have TCM in HD and wondering aloud if it would be coming anytime soon. He was not optimistic, saying that there were an array of factors making it difficult, pretty much all the stuff we've been rehashing here. But he said they wanted it to happen and not to give up hope.

I may see him again next month as my friend is having a viewing party for her segment (incidentally, she's introducing "The Maltese Falcon" on April 17), and some TCM folks may be there. If any are, I'll see if I can get a status update.

Tybee -- Thanks for your interesting report about your dinner with Robert Osborne and TCM's head of programming. The prospects of TCM going HD anytime soon do indeed seem pretty remote. If more viewers felt about SD in this day of HD as most of us here do, see Post #86, TCM would move heaven and earth to shift to HD at the earliest possible time. As it is, though, I fear that average viewers clearly are not as hostile to SD as many AVS Forum members are. Maybe I am wrong because TCM's viewers really care about classic films shown in their original form and want to see them with the best resolution possible. I hope so.

I may see him again next month as my friend is having a viewing party for her segment (incidentally, she's introducing "The Maltese Falcon" on April 17), and some TCM folks may be there. If any are, I'll see if I can get a status update.

Since TCM HD isn't on the horizon, it would absolutely fantastic if the folks at TCM could work on mandating that cable and satellite providers carry the original, unaltered SD feed rather than a resized, filtered, and recompressed version based on the original feed.

It may be worthwhile to suggest this if you run into those TCM folks again. :)

there were an array of factors making it difficult, pretty much all the stuff we've been rehashing here.

Thanks for sharing this story. Any additional details about which factors are key would be most interesting.

As it is, though, I fear that average viewers clearly are not as hostile to SD as many AVS Forum members are. Maybe I am wrong because TCM's viewers really care about classic films shown in their original form and want to see them with the best resolution possible. I hope so.

I'm guessing it's not about what viewers want. (If viewership were the criterion, how could viewers of the Hallmark Movie Channel, which is in HD, be more eager to see HD movies than viewers of TCM, which isn't in HD?)

I'm guessing it's about the bottom line. I hope it's not just about profit margins being bigger by staying with SD, and the knowledge that they have exclusive rights to many titles, so there will be no HD competition to worry about.

Tybee -- Thanks for your interesting report about your dinner with Robert Osborne and TCM's head of programming. The prospects of TCM going HD anytime soon do indeed seem pretty remote. If more viewers felt about SD in this day of HD as most of us here do, see Post #86, TCM would move heaven and earth to shift to HD at the earliest possible time. As it is, though, I fear that average viewers clearly are not as hostile to SD as many AVS Forum members are. Maybe I am wrong because TCM's viewers really care about classic films shown in their original form and want to see them with the best resolution possible. I hope so.
I wouldn't call it hostility so much as the the very real viewpoint that, as more channels (and viewers) upgrade to HD, channels that don't will be left severely behind.

I would submit, at this point, viable channels MUST upgrade to remain so.

I don't know what it will take for TCM to make the jump, but perhaps they need to become more creative in their thinking to get it done. Maybe the pursuit of grants from preservation and arts centers would do it. Who knows.

This actually is a golden opportunity for them, since most likely equipment manufacturers and installers will probably be getting desperate to make a sale at this point. Now is the time to make those upgrades instead of when the economy is humming along and everything is selling at a premium. Further, this is a time when more people are seeking entertainment choices at home, rather than go out. What will they do when they come across the channel on a slow Saturday night? Will they go "that looks like crap" or say "wow, I never knew old movies could look so good"?

Either way, they've essentially lost me as a viewer with all the other choices for classic movies that don't require me to squint at a blurry postage stamp in the middle of my screen.

Alas, TCM's in no position to mandate anything to cable companies or satellite providers.

If TCM pulled the "full SD" stunt the carriers would simply drop them.

I got to dine with Mr. Osborne and spend a lot of time talking with network staffers. I spoke the longest with their head of programming, and at one point mentioned how wonderful it would be to have TCM in HD and wondering aloud if it would be coming anytime soon. He was not optimistic, saying that there were an array of factors making it difficult, pretty much all the stuff we've been rehashing here. But he said they wanted it to happen and not to give up hope.As one would expect, until they are actually ready it would be very unlikely to hear anything to the contrary. Especially since they had a blurb on their website years and years ago, saying they'd be going HD 'soon'.

I don't think much can be read into the comments you were given.

As one would expect, until they are actually ready it would be very unlikely to hear anything to the contrary. Especially since they had a blurb on their website years and years ago, saying they'd be going HD 'soon'.

I don't think much can be read into the comments you were given.

Probably not, but he was very candid, and most of the lack of detail in my account comes from this being close to four months ago and the memory being a bit fuzzy. Didn't help that I was just coming off three months of chemo at the time and that was my first time out in public.

I remember being under the impression that one of the holdups was the time and expense of converting their vast library to HD, but he said no, that in fact a lot of it already had been restored/remastered in HD both for preservation purposes and in anticipation of the inevitable broadcast switch (kind of like how Criterion started doing HD remasters long before they ever considered putting out Blu-Rays, and just downconverting it for DVD). I remember him saying that the cost of the HD transmission/broadcast equipment was the biggest barrier, and the money men weren't ready to drop that big chunk of change. I can only imagine that's even more true now with them hurting financially. I think he also mentioned that they'd have to do all new introductory segments, since the old ones are obviously SD, which would be another big expense.

I do have his business card and could e-mail him directly, but probably wouldn't be cool to harass him, especially about something with which he's not directly involved. But if you have actual programming requests, I might be able to pass those along!

I remember him saying that the cost of the HD transmission/broadcast equipment was the biggest barrier, and the money men weren't ready to drop that big chunk of change. I can only imagine that's even more true now with them hurting financially.

From someone else in your vicinity, all I can say is I'm just glad TCM exists at all. For some reason in their early existence the Atlanta area couldn't get them at all. It wasn't until I moved to Memphis I was able to see them.

I have wondered how they make money. It might just be that TCM is one of Ted's hobbies. I would dread to see them go the way of AMC, splitting movies up with commercials. We might better just count our blessings.

I have wondered how they make money. It might just be that TCM is one of Ted's hobbies. I would dread to see them go the way of AMC, splitting movies up with commercials. We might better just count our blessings.

Ted hasn't had anything to do with the Turner networks since 1996 or so; they're all owned by Time Warner.

TCM likely only makes money in that it's included in carriage agreements with the rest of the Turner networks.

That and, more recently, through their release of TCM-labeled DVD box sets.

Probably not, but he was very candid, and most of the lack of detail in my account comes from this being close to four months ago and the memory being a bit fuzzy. Didn't help that I was just coming off three months of chemo at the time and that was my first time out in public.

I remember being under the impression that one of the holdups was the time and expense of converting their vast library to HD, but he said no, that in fact a lot of it already had been restored/remastered in HD both for preservation purposes and in anticipation of the inevitable broadcast switch (kind of like how Criterion started doing HD remasters long before they ever considered putting out Blu-Rays, and just downconverting it for DVD). I remember him saying that the cost of the HD transmission/broadcast equipment was the biggest barrier, and the money men weren't ready to drop that big chunk of change. I can only imagine that's even more true now with them hurting financially. I think he also mentioned that they'd have to do all new introductory segments, since the old ones are obviously SD, which would be another big expense.

I do have his business card and could e-mail him directly, but probably wouldn't be cool to harass him, especially about something with which he's not directly involved. But if you have actual programming requests, I might be able to pass those along!

I know this is last minute, but tonight is the night my friend is co-hosting on TCM (It's "The Maltese Falcon" at 8:00 EST....be sure to tune in!). I'm going to a viewing party at her place and several TCM staffers, including the aforementioned director of programming, will be there. So if you have any questions you'd like me to ask, get 'em in quick! Will check the site on my iPhone later.

Well, as this topic title suggests, we're all dying for TCM in HD. In fact, I'd pay as much for it as one has to pay for a premium channel like HBO or Showtime.

I'm sure I'm in the minority with that opinion, but that's really the big question: When / what are the barriers to TCM in HD?

Other questions might be:

Since so much of the catalog appears to already be in HD (according to your previous reports), are there any plans for TCM-branded Blu-ray releases?

--

Not exactly related but interesting: Any plans to sell / stream movies in HD online? Perhaps via Hulu or Apple or Netflix?

--


Oh yeah, and enjoy the party! Sounds like fun for sure! :)

I too would pay for a TCM premium channel... in HD.

Too bad in Houston we lost the next best thing to TCM in HD...HDNet Movies got pulled off our lineup in Dec.

I know this is last minute, but tonight is the night my friend is co-hosting on TCM (It's "The Maltese Falcon" at 8:00 EST....be sure to tune in!). I'm going to a viewing party at her place and several TCM staffers, including the aforementioned director of programming, will be there. So if you have any questions you'd like me to ask, get 'em in quick! Will check the site on my iPhone later.

When will they go HD?
This year?
Next year?
Some year?

Also, and this is a big one, will they continue to be dedicated to accuracy in film presentation? Meaning OAR, no censoring, no editing for time, etc.

Bump. Any hot info?

Bump. Any hot info?

Nope. I'd be willing to bet TCM HD is a long, long way from ever becoming a reality, which is unfortunate. With the lousy economy and all the cutbacks, I can't see this happening anytime in the near future.

Be aware that broadcasting in HD and having HD media are two different things. Too many stations now in HD still broadcast programs and movies in SD.

I would absolutely watch this channel. No question.

As Warner does HD masters of its old films, this channel should be possible. Indeed, I would guess that they probably have enough to start now.

Be aware that broadcasting in HD and having HD media are two different things. Too many stations now in HD still broadcast programs and movies in SD.

Very true. But since many majors have been doing HD mastering for DVD releases for the past few years, even for catalog titles, there wouldn't be a dirth to choose from. Are those masters good enough for Blu-ray? Perhaps not. Are they good enough for broadcast / cable HD? Hell yeah, especially if those few we have seen on Voom HD and HDnet Movies are any indication.

As for all the films that have NOT been mastered in HD: Even a good upconvert from an SD master would look loads better than what TCM shows, now.

Possible, but no carrier is going to devote the bandwidth to TCM HD, and none would pay the increased carriage costs TCM would need to charge.

That's the general problem - cost at TCM, cost for carriers, and bandwidth.

TCM may not do it, but then someone else will eat their lunch. They're just playing a game of chicken, right now, assuming the barrier to entry is too high.

Possible, but no carrier is going to devote the bandwidth to TCM HD, and none would pay the increased carriage costs TCM would need to charge.

That's the general problem - cost at TCM, cost for carriers, and bandwidth.

can't speak about the others, but fios carries live well hd. i think they can spring for tcm hd.

can't speak about the others, but fios carries live well hd. i think they can spring for tcm hd.

Yeah, I think the carriers are really scraping the barrel's bottom for "HD" channels. In some cases, business arrangements are tough to implement (eg, Dish and Viacom). In some cases, clearly they have so much bandwidth that anything that is cheap will get pushed out to viewers, regardless of whether there is any HD content, or, for that matter, anything other than a niche audience.

So I don't buy the bandwidth limitation argument much. Industry watchers have documented how cable operators and the two satellite companies are not finding bandwidth the limiting factor with HD expansion.

That said, perhaps TCM's carriage price would quadruple if it went HD, and I can see where some short-sighted carriers would balk at that. Personally, for example, Dish has a silly $10 premium HD tier with thing like MGMHD. My feeling: Bump that tier up to $12 and add TCMHD and be done with it.

Oh but TCMHD doesn't exist. Well, the bandwidth problem is not significant, the carriage costs are readily surmountable, and there is content to be shown -- so what's left? The internal costs of converting TCM's infrastructure to HD.

That's not a trivial expense, at all, and is probably the chief bottleneck. Aren't they in the same facility as CNN? One would hope they could piggy-back on some of that infrastructure.

TCM may not do it, but then someone else will eat their lunch. They're just playing a game of chicken, right now, assuming the barrier to entry is too high.

And they're basically right -- anyone who tried to launch an independent classic movie channel in HD would find themselves struggling for years to get decent carriage for their channel. Look how long it has taken Mark Cuban to get good coverage for HDNet, and he's been pushing that channel for over five years now. And consider that even now, HDNet Movies is lagging in carriage versus HDNet.

As for the programming -- well, I suspect that TCM has the cable rights tied up for a huge portion of the really great classic movies, which means that a new classic movie channel would be struggling with obtaining programming, as well as with getting carriage.

Someone looking to launch a classic movie channel in HD might do better to launch it as an OTA service, since station prices are relatively cheap right now. OTA broadcast rights are often sold in parallel with cable rights, and carriage could be taken care of via must carry.

Of course, that means no subscriber fees -- which means that the movies *would* be interrupted by advertising in order to pay the way for the channel to exist.

Sadly, I suspect that Time Warner has pegged the business environment pretty well in terms of not being worried about new competition for TCM.

Sadly, I suspect that Time Warner has pegged the business environment pretty well in terms of not being worried about new competition for TCM.

It's not that they're not worried, it's just if they could figure out a way to make the numbers make sense, they would.

But if they can't with all the good will TCM has among viewers and likely among cable and satellite companies, it's not very likely anyone else could either.

Look at what has happened to the studio-owned Universal HD and MGM HD.

The former is now little more than a shadow of its former self, airing films sliced to bits by commercials and edited for time and content, and the latter has started "limited commercial interruptions."

If the studios can't keep a dedicated HD channel going with "free" access to content, it's even more difficult for TCM.

Meanwhile I'm thankful for HDNet Movies every day, I only wonder how long Mark Cuban will be willing to lose money running it.

I used to watch 2-3 movies a week on TCM but when I bought my 1st 52" HDTV in October I havn't watched it since. I've tried to watch, but I can't stand the inferior picture surrounded by black bars. I feel the same way about Fox Movie Channel.

Netflix is now my source for movies. I keep my eye on the classics released on Blu-ray and throw 'em in my que. Blu-rays just arrived in the mail: "The Searchers," "Rio Bravo," & "The Cowboys."

I use Netflix too but I still watch a lot of movies on TCM. Sometimes I record a movie to DVD and then watch it on an upscaling player. That seems to look a lot better but too much of a hassle for frequent use.

Said it before: I would pay EXTRA each month for this channel in HD. I would gladly pay more for this channel than I currently pay for HBO, Starz, or Showtime. I would pay extra if this channel got moved into the MGM/HDNM tier of channels.

Do you hear that TCM? I WOULD PAY FOR IT.

+1

Said it before: I would pay EXTRA each month for this channel in HD. I would gladly pay more for this channel than I currently pay for HBO, Starz, or Showtime. I would pay extra if this channel got moved into the MGM/HDNM tier of channels

Yes, but would enough other people to make it financially viable?

I have my doubts.

Sounds like we need a poll...

Sounds like we need a poll...

Why?

What would a bunch of AVS Forum users have to do with the aggregate viewing audience?

If we were listened to at all HBO/Cinemax and Starz!/Encore would stop showing movies in HD cropped to 16:9…

+1

Perhaps. On the other hand we are the creme of the *ahem* provider's crop.

Sooooooooo I got some very exciting news. Apparently pigs are aloft. Another source has confirmed, but no details or even a press release to pass along yet.

EDIT: As confirmed by a source inside TCM, the channel launched in HD on Monday (June 1). Of course, that just means it's available for satellite and cable companies to pick up. Who knows when they actually will?
Man, that would be WONDERFUL! TCM shows so many classic movies, using OAR yet, but I have seldom watched them since the advent of HD. Even if TCM HD showed them with 480p resolution, upconverting that to 1080i, or even 720p, should make them look dramatically better than they do now.

Man, that would be WONDERFUL! TCM shows so many classic movies, using OAR yet, but I have seldom watched them since the advent of HD. Even if TCM HD showed them with 480p resolution, upconverting that to 1080i, or even 720p, should make them look dramatically better than they do now.

I agree. But with my HD-only package from DISH, I'd be content to have it any way I can get it!

This is great news! I reiterate: I would PAY for TCM-HD. D*, are you listening? Come and get it!

This is great news! I reiterate: I would PAY for TCM-HD. D*, are you listening? Come and get it!

+1

I would gladly pay more to receive TCM in HD. I even wrote to them a few months ago expressing my desire to pay more for their channel in HD.

This is one of the few channels I enjoy even in their 'low def' format now on Directv.

Has anyone seen a press release of this news?

Sooooooooo I got some very exciting news. Apparently pigs are aloft. Another source has confirmed, but no details or even a press release to pass along yet.

EDIT: As confirmed by a source inside TCM, the channel launched in HD on Monday (June 1). Of course, that just means it's available for satellite and cable companies to pick up. Who knows when they actually will?

:cool: Can't wait! Keep the good news coming.

Makes my day. Heck, I might switch providers, if DISH doesn't pick it up.

There's no sign of it on Lyngsat yet, nor is there any mention of it on TCM's web site, so if anything it must just be up for testing purposes only.

If it was a full launch they'd at least mention it on their website to try and drive demand ("Call your cable company and ask for TCM HD!")

There's no sign of it on Lyngsat yet, nor is there any mention of it on TCM's web site, so if anything it must just be up for testing purposes only.

If it was a full launch they'd at least mention it on their website to try and drive demand ("Call your cable company and ask for TCM HD!")

I agree. What's the point of having an HD channel if nobody knows it exists. Come on TCM, start promoting this!

I agree. What's the point of having an HD channel if nobody knows it exists. Come on TCM, start promoting this!

Well it may be like TBN HD, which has been "coming soon" for over a year as they work out the technical issues (it's uplinked but hasn't been for normal consumption.)

Just because it's on the bird doesn't mean the signal is available for customers to downlink and distribute.

Checking.

Time Warner cable should pick up TCM-HD immediately to at least partially compensate for their recent removal of the excellent HDnet-Movies channel.

Checking.

Confirmed.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1152849