Diana,

Any updates on when the program guide will reflect what is a new episode or a repeat? I watched a demo on the Scientific Atlanta website, and it was stated that the E8000 could record new episodes only. Obviously, this is not yet available on the TWCSC system.

Nope - I will certainly provide you a wealth of information on all the aspects associated with the 1.1 download as soon as it is put on the calendar - Promise.

What is an E8000?

They have started to refer to their dvr equipment on their site as E8000 (explorer), which I think covers their SD and HD DVR . Just their new way of referring to by saying E8000.

From their site:
Q. Can the E8000 record and playback High Definition programs?
A. Yes, if you have the E8000 HD version settop, you can record and playback HD programs.

Originally posted by kevinivey
They have started to refer to their dvr equipment on their site as E8000 (explorer), which I think covers their SD and HD DVR . Just their new way of referring


Well that's great - I'm SURE it won't lead to any confusion at all.....


Just spoke with my Engineer on the download. He reports that the 1.1 has run into difficulties and is at least a couple weeks out.... The goal is to have 1.1 include enhanced functionality features as well as the DVI, S-Video, Composite output activation. However, they are not necessarily tied, if either aspect becomes bug-free we will go with one without the other.

Has anyone in here been following the controversy with US DTV starting up operations out west. I read a news article that said there is a new company forming to be a competitor to US DTV and they already have agreements with 11 broadcasting companies to lease their unused portion of the digital spectrum to broadcast OTA a pay t.v. service with about 20 channels and HDTV for about $25/month. What this does is preclude the local stations from then broadcasting any HDTV OTA because their isnt enough bandwidth leftover to do HDTV after what they have leased to USDTV or their competitors. I think this really sucks. Does anybody here know what broadcast companies own the local affiliates here in Columbia?

Here is a list of broadcast companies that have already agreed to do it:
"In addition to Emmis, Mr. Smulyan said, 11 other broadcasters are on board with the initiative. They are: Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Scripps, Clear Channel, Sunbelt Communications, Prime Cities Broadcasting, Meredith Corp., Raycom Media, Media General, Citadel Communications, Fisher Communications and Barrington Broadcasting Co."

If anybody wants to read the article here is a link to it:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=395782

WIS -- Liberty Corp.
WLTX -- Gannett Company
WOLO -- Bahakal Communications
WACH -- Raycom Media
WBHQ -- Columbia Broadcasting, Inc
WRLK -- SC ETV Commission

Diana,

Is TWCSC going to carry TNT-HD when it goes on-air in a few weeks? The date is May 19-21 depending on the NBA playoff schedule. I hate the NBA but supposedly TNT-HD is going to be showing Law&Order, ER, and NYPD Blue reruns in HD since the Primetime versions of those shows have been in HD for sometime now. Really I'm just ready for another HD channel, it seems like we've been stagnant for a while now, no new news on FOX, ESPN-HD, StarzHD, etc.

There will be an announcement shortly. We appreciate your patience.

Early Tuesday morning SARA 1.52.6.1 was pushed out in our area. Any words on what's fixed or what functionality has been added with this rev?

The infamous popping and some lip-sync issues. This download is limited to the 3250.

Never had popping, or lip sync issues with the SA3250HD, but I have many issues with the SA8000HD.

I had had it occur occasionally only on the digital channels.

I also have been having some problems, 1- setting the 8000HD to record something and getting back home to watch the program and the screen is blank. 2-having to unplug and plug the dang thing everday to be able to record programs. Does anyone else have this problem??????? I think I may have to exchange this unit!!!!! If I do it will be the 4th one.....
Later Mitch

Originally posted by Mitchell B.
I also have been having some problems, 1- setting the 8000HD to record something and getting back home to watch the program and the screen is blank. 2-having to unplug and plug the dang thing everday to be able to record programs. Does anyone else have this problem??????? I think I may have to exchange this unit!!!!! If I do it will be the 4th one.....

have you had them come out and check the line to your house? if not i would consider that first.

Mitchell, my problem is that it continually drops scheduled recordings for no reason. This happens on programs that I have "season passes", but it especially happens with manual recordings. It may record the first week, but then after that there is less than a 50/50 chance it will record the show. And I am setting it up properly. In fact the program will still show in the scheduled recordings. For example right now in my scheduled recordings it still has 3 manual recordings showing from this past week that it just did not tape. I am on my 3rd different box and every one of them have done the same thing, so I do not know if it is the box or just a problem in general. It has caused me to miss several programs I wanted recorded though.

Originally posted by Mitchell B.
Does anyone else have this problem???????

I have the 8000HD, have had it for less than a month. Mine has worked great so far (knock on wood). Its funny because when I picked it up, I posted in here that it looks as if its been through WWII, its so beat up and scratched and just looks ragedy, but so far its worked great. I havent used it to record a whole lot of HD, mostly just used it to record the RedSox-Yanks games that weekend and a few other programs in SD. The only thing that has happened is the other night, Tuesday I think, right in the middle of recording a program it freezes up for about 3 mins and then all of the sudden the display on the box says something like "boot" and then it reboots itself and takes like 5 mins to comeback on and it doesnt finish recording the movie I was trying to record. That kinda ticked me off, but I dont think it was the box I think TWC sent some kind of command to it or something. And what I was recording hasnt been on since then. So I kinda got screwed on that, but no big deal.

The other night I was watching a baseball game and there was a close call so I hit pause and rewind and then slow-motion and kept going back and forth like that about 5 or 6 times then when I hit "Live" to go back to reg TV there was no sound, I had to turn it off and turn it back on to get the sound back. But all in all I have been very happy with it. I wish I would have picked one up sooner.

Mitchell B, I would do what Scruffy says and get someone to come out and check your signal strength and check the lines first before returning it. If thats your 4th box its gotta be something else, I could see one box being a lemon but 4?? I doubt that. Especially since each one gets checked out after it is turned back in and given back out again.

Originally posted by foz32
Mitchell, my problem is that it continually drops scheduled recordings for no reason.

When I had the 8000SD, I did notice that the one time I set it to record a season pass it didnt work. I think I tried to set it to record the whole season of The Simple Life (No jokes please :p ) and the second week it never recorded for some reason so from then on I just manually set it one week at a time and it worked fine. I havent tried any season passes with my new 8000HD so I cant say either way. But the only time I tried it with the SD version it failed so I never tried it again, I didnt want to take a chance on missing something I wanted recorded. But if thats the extent of the problems, to me anyways, thats just a minor nuissance.

Originally posted by foz32
Mitchell, my problem is that it continually drops scheduled recordings for no reason. This happens on programs that I have "season passes", but it especially happens with manual recordings. It may record the first week, but then after that there is less than a 50/50 chance it will record the show. And I am setting it up properly. In fact the program will still show in the scheduled recordings.

I have the exact same problem. I'm on my second box and it's still doing it. Not as bad as the first box, but just last night it didn't record Survivor and it missed the new episode of Friends, though it did manage to record the rerun episode. Like you, the first week or two the recordings go thru without a hitch, after that, it's a probably less than a 50% chance it'll do what it's supposed to.

The scheduled recordings still show up in the "To Do" box and I've set the thing up properly--numerous times now. I've noticed also that it will say it's recording a show, but when the show is over, it will never appear in the Recorded programs list.

Very frustrating to say the least. This DVR is costing me upwards of $15/month and it's even less reliable than a VCR. Makes me wonder whether the continued investment is worth it. I'm sorry to say the quality of the SA8000HD DVR isn't even in the same league as the old DirecTiVo I used to have, the HD aspect not withstanding.

Well..enough of the ranting. Time to go do something more useful. :D

Well at least I'm not the only one having problems. I still like the 8000HD
even though It's still got some problems. Later Mitch

Wis has chosen not to show the Kentucky Derby in HD today. I called the newsroom and they said "there is nothing that we can do about it"... goodbye.

Why was the Kentucky Derby not in HD on channel 810 TWC?

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
Why was the Kentucky Derby not in HD on channel 810 TWC?


Channel 805 on TWC is a mirror of WIS-DT. Wis chose not to pass the HD feed from NBC. WIS is the one totally at fault. Time Warner Cable would never pass anything else other than what the local is passing. I called WIS and the person that answered the phone was totally clueless as to what the heck I was talking about.:o

I meant channel 805.

Well, that would explain why it wasn't in HD on channel 810!

What is the Federal schedule for complete cutover to digital TV?

Maybe then the people who prefer to watch the digital service will be treated like they mean something...

Per FCC rules, analog will continue to be broadcast until May of 2006. After that time stations will be required to "turn off" their analog system; at that time you will have to have the new equipment to receive the digital signal. The 2006 cutoff date is under discussion, but the FCC is sticking to that date at this time.

Remember it just has to be digital ,and not HD. I am still waiting on a response from WACH about if they have plans to broadcast HD in the fall.

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
I meant channel 805.
One of those 8's. Whatever. The point is it was not in HD and I want to know why since I am paying TWC plenty for it.

Originally posted by kevinivey
WACH about if they have plans to broadcast HD in the fall.

They "should", especially if they are currently doing widescreen. The FOX
Splicer system makes the network HD pass thru extremely easy, and
relatively foolproof.:)

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
One of those 8's. Whatever. The point is it was not in HD and I want to know why since I am paying TWC plenty for it.
I am not sure blaming TWC for a problem cause by your local NBC station is appropriate but maybe it will somehow help. BTW, who is the station on your Ch 805? (WIS?). They are the ones you should should be complaining to about their lack of proper support of HD from the network.

Wis-DT has been off the air since the first storm, about 3:30.

Noticed a bit ago that WIS-DT was back on the air and now WRLK-DT is off the air. Presume the weather continued to play havoc this afternoon.

Originally posted by kevinivey
Per FCC rules, analog will continue to be broadcast until May of 2006. After that time stations will be required to "turn off" their analog system; at that time you will have to have the new equipment to receive the digital signal. The 2006 cutoff date is under discussion, but the FCC is sticking to that date at this time.
Too bad that means two more years of whatever lame service we can get out of them.

I watch WIS digital in the morning, but since they don't bother cutting over to the news at 7:25 I have to switch to the analog channel to avoid watching Katie record some lame intros or whatever.

Maybe they can afford to show an entire "Saturday Night Live" by next year. Too expensive now to make the schedule go the extra half-hour. Nobody important is watching that version, I guess...

Well, so far I haven't watched all the stuff recorded on my 8000HD so I haven't turned it in. Two weeks in a row of Cold Case start to finish in glorious HDTV. Tonight I would have thought with the bad weather and wahtnot there would be problems. Actually, our power was out until 6:00PM and cable service out until a little after 7:00 but everything was ready to go by 8:00.

If this keeps up I would tend to conclude that Dan has made improvements to the staffing and/or system problems that were messing up the switchover on Sunday evenings...

I think that WIS-DT is the worst by far of the stations that we have here in Columbia. During the week in primetime it seems like there's only about a 50% chance that they will be passing the HD feed for shows that are supposed to be in HD according to NBC. I just dont see what their problem is. I couldnt care less about the Derby, but that is just typical of them. I dont see what their problem is. They had the digital station on why not at least pass the HD content through on it? I wish we had an engineer from that station in this forum. Although he probably wouldnt stay long with how bad their service is.

No sense in bashing TWC for what WIS is at fault for. And the channels in the 800's are free to anybody who has an HD box. I think the HD box is 9.95/month and the regular digital box is 8.95/month. So you're really not paying anything to get the locals and DiscoveryHD in HD.

Originally posted by D-rock0030

No sense in bashing TWC for what WIS is at fault for. And the channels in the 800's are free to anybody who has an HD box. I think the HD box is 9.95/month and the regular digital box is 8.95/month. So you're really not paying anything to get the locals and DiscoveryHD in HD.


and I DO appreciate that.

One note on the converter costs - All Digital Converters are the same price:

Standard Digital Converter - $9.95
HD Converter - $9.95
Converter aspects of the SD DVR and HD DVR - $9.95 [add $4.95 for DVR functionality to both to get the final $14.90 price]

Thanks

Originally posted by D-rock0030

No sense in bashing TWC for what WIS is at fault for. And the channels in the 800's are free to anybody who has an HD box. I think the HD box is 9.95/month and the regular digital box is 8.95/month. So you're really not paying anything to get the locals and DiscoveryHD in HD.
I don't know how you think that amounts to free. When I added the HD DVR it cost me an additional $14.90 per month for the box and what few HD networks I get. Regardless who is at fault the bottom line is I could not even see the Kentucky Derby in HD.

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
I don't know how you think that amounts to free. When I added the HD DVR it cost me an additional $14.90 per month for the box and what few HD networks I get. Regardless who is at fault the bottom line is I could not even see the Kentucky Derby in HD.
And the fact remains if you had been watching WIS-DT OTA (on hardware that might have cost you several hundred dollars to buy I might add) you still would not have seen it in HD. It is that simple. Stations could (should) provide more engineering support during the evenings and on weekends to fix switching errors or reset hardware and such but that takes financial resources. And there are none yet from DT broadcasting. Our forum used to have the support of the former engineer from WIS, John Augustine (now retired). Unfortunately his replacement does not participate. Suggest complaints be addressed to the higher-ups at LIBCO and the print media as well.

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
I don't know how you think that amounts to free. When I added the HD DVR it cost me an additional $14.90 per month for the box and what few HD networks I get. Regardless who is at fault the bottom line is I could not even see the Kentucky Derby in HD.

As Dianna said above, a regular digital cable box is 9.95 per month and the standard HD cable box is 9.95/month. Thats no extra cost per month to get the channels in the 800's. Isnt that free?? I cant help it you have the HD DVR and pay an extra 4.95 per month for that. So what I was saying is that if you were a basic digital cable customer and you wanted to get the Locals and DiscoveryHD in HD then it doesnt cost you anything extra per month to do it. Thats basically as free as free gets. And as Bruce pointed out above if you were getting the digital signal over the air you wouldnt have seen the Derby in HD anyways, WIS screwed up (as usual with them) and didnt show the HD feed. Even after all the advertising that NBC had out for "Triple Crown coverage in HD" WIS is the one that dropped the ball not the cable company.

Programming Update for the Columbia DMA only:

WLTX will be showing the Final Round of the HP Classic Golf Tournament from New Orleans, today from 3 to 5pm.

THIS PROGRAM WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE IN HD ON CHANNEL 810,

WLTX will have their regularly scheduled programming on channel 9 during this time frame.

Sorry for the short notice - we just got the call

Guess I'll have to play hooky from work this afternoon and go home and watch that, I think I'm starting to feel ill, cough cough ;)

I filled out a complaint on the WIS website this morning and actually got a response, here it is:

Mr. Anderson:

Sometimes even the best plans run into unexpected trouble. That was the case Saturday when a power failure at the WIS transmitter site knocked our digital broadcasts off the air from about 4 p.m. to 6:20 p.m. We were certainly disappointed that viewers like you with HD capability were unable to see the Derby in digital and high-definition. The future of digital television is certainly bright, but NBC has experienced some problems in getting top-quality video and audio to its affiliates. We've been working with the network on several of our concerns about the HDTV feeds, which we know have disappointed our digital viewers from time to time. We're determined to make sure that in the future we deliver the best possible signals to this growing segment of our audience.

Thanks for your e-mail and for watching WIS-DT.

Barry Ahrendt
Director of Marketing and Programming
WIS Television
Columbia, SC

Originally posted by D-rock0030
As Dianna said above, a regular digital cable box is 9.95 per month and the standard HD cable box is 9.95/month. Thats no extra cost per month to get the channels in the 800's. Isnt that free?? I cant help it you have the HD DVR and pay an extra 4.95 per month for that. So what I was saying is that if you were a basic digital cable customer and you wanted to get the Locals and DiscoveryHD in HD then it doesnt cost you anything extra per month to do it. Thats basically as free as free gets. And as Bruce pointed out above if you were getting the digital signal over the air you wouldnt have seen the Derby in HD anyways, WIS screwed up (as usual with them) and didnt show the HD feed. Even after all the advertising that NBC had out for "Triple Crown coverage in HD" WIS is the one that dropped the ball not the cable company.
I look at it as a package - $14.90 for the box and the programming is what it costs me. If I lack one of them I don't get HD. So, no that isn't free. There is no HD OTA in the Myrtle Beach area. I know people who have tried and failed miserably.

Also, I guess we now have a better explanation of why we did not get the Kentucky Derby in HD. I was going by the explanation posted here that the station had "chosen" not to broadcast it in HD.

I record All the new Law and Orders, and ER with the HD dvr. I have had exactly 2 episodes NOT in HD.

"We were certainly disappointed that viewers like you with HD capability were unable to see the Derby in digital and high-definition."

Sorry, Barry I saw it in digital. Wis-DT was never off the air on Saturday. They were off the air 5 hours yesterday afternoon during the storms...

Something doesn't seem right about their excuse.:eek:

I got the same repsonse from my email inquiry.

I know for a fact that when TWCSC first got WIS they were terrible. Law&Order is my fav show, I have seen every one and most like 3 or 4 times. When they first came on cable it took me about two weeks before I was able to finally see one in HD. The main reason TWC got WIS was for the Daytona500 and there were problems with that. I know for a fact that there have been some nights when I tune to 805 that it was just a black screen, WIS-DT was not even on the air. WIS has been getting better recently until the other weekend and people were posting complaints in here. I forget what the reason or occurance was. NBC doesnt have that many good shows on anymore so I dont watch it a lot. Once Frasier and Friends are over they may only have the Law & Order shows to even attract any viewers period. I dont know what happened but I thought NBC used to own primetime now it seems as though they just dont care, starting to become a half-network like FOX.

A black screen was common place for WIS-DT for over a year. This is when local commercials were to be inserted and were not. The show usually came right back after a couple of minutes.

Originally posted by kevinivey
"We were certainly disappointed that viewers like you with HD capability were unable to see the Derby in digital and high-definition."

Sorry, Barry I saw it in digital. Wis-DT was never off the air on Saturday. They were off the air 5 hours yesterday afternoon during the storms...

Something doesn't seem right about their excuse.:eek:

I got the same repsonse from my email inquiry.

Thats what I was thinking. I thought that they just refused to pass the HD feed but it was still in digital. I wouldnt have watched horse racing if it was in HD and everything else was in black and white, I'm just tired of WIS always seeming to have some kind of problem.

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
I look at it as a package - $14.90 for the box and the programming is what it costs me.
I see the $4.95 extra for the DVR as a bargain compared to buying a TiVo ( or Replay if they still exist) and trying to make it integrate with a cable box.

By the time I paid for a really good TiVo at $4.95 per month, it would be obsolete. Meanwhile, if a better DVR comes from TWC, I can just trade for it.

I read about a new 4-tuner DVR with special hi-speed hard disk technology that uses multiple read/write heads to keep up. Sounds like a good deal if the cost stays in line with today: $10 a month for the cable box I don't want to BUY, and maybe even $6 a month for the DVR capability...

After a period of reasonable HD audio, WLTX audio issues seem to have returned tonight. CBS HD audio seems particularily annoying tonight (analog and digital outputs).

Originally posted by mikepaul
I see the $4.95 extra for the DVR as a bargain compared to buying a TiVo ( or Replay if they still exist) and trying to make it integrate with a cable box.

I agree. With Tivo you have to buy the Tivo unit itself and then you have to pay a montly fee that is more than 4.95 just to get it to download the program guide so you can even record programs. I think you can pay by the month or buy a lifetime agreement for something like $299. What a ripoff Tivo is compared to 4.95 extra for the DVR. And like was pointed out if a new and improved one comes out you just trade it in at no expense.

There are benefits to both tivo and twc's dvr. However, for the time being I'm sticking with my DTivo because it's easy to use and the WAF is very high. Personally, I have yet to find a DVR that can match tivo's simplicity and ease of use. My wife is very anti-technology but with the Tivo its a different story, I've never seen her take to a tech product like she has with the DTivo.

I tried the twc dvr out about a year ago and was really disappointed with the following items, can someone here tell me if they've fixed these?

1. While watching show that is buffered (ie your watching the first 10-15 minutes of the show but it's acutally just minutes away from ending) when the twc dvr got the the end of the show it would automatically take me to live tv. Does it still do this?

2. When watching a prerecorded show and I stop in the middle of a 1 hr show and decide to watch it another day. When I resume the show the next day it does NOT remember where I stopped the show at the previous day I have to FF to the point where I left off. Does it still do this?

Thanks

Originally posted by summerall
<snip>... can someone here tell me if they've fixed these?

1. While watching show that is buffered (ie your watching the first 10-15 minutes of the show but it's acutally just minutes away from ending) when the twc dvr got the the end of the show it would automatically take me to live tv. Does it still do this? ]/i]
Usually (there have a been few times when this has not happened but I cannot tell you the circumstances that might tell the why or the wherefore).

2. When watching a prerecorded show and I stop in the middle of a 1 hr show and decide to watch it another day. When I resume the show the next day it does NOT remember where I stopped the show at the previous day I have to FF to the point where I left off. Does it still do this?[/B]
Depends. If you stop watching a program and go live and don't use the DVR function to watch any another recording before returning (or go through a reboot) then it will remember where you stopped. If you watch other recordings in the interim period and then return to the stopped program then you do have to FF looking for your stopped location.

This response reflects my using a 8000HD vice 8000SD. Also, neither shortcoming seems reason enough not to move up to a 8000HD from a 3100HD or a 3250HD unless you have to have a 3250HD for another reason.

I dont record a lot of shows with my DVR but I think if you are watching a prerecorded show and decide to stop in the middle and watch regular tv or something else you have recorded, when you do come back to finish it I'm pretty sure it does start you off at the beginning again. I think if you are watching something prerecorded and just change the channel to something live then later go back to the DVR channel (341) it might remember where you were at. I'm like 75% sure of that.

I mostly use it for the pausing of live tv function. I use that feature a lot for sports or if I have to run out for a little while in the middle of a show or goto the kitchen or whatever other reason.

Originally posted by summerall
There are benefits to both tivo and twc's dvr. However, for the time being I'm sticking with my DTivo because it's easy to use and the WAF is very high. Personally, I have yet to find a DVR that can match tivo's simplicity and ease of use. My wife is very anti-technology but with the Tivo its a different story, I've never seen her take to a tech product like she has with the DTivo.

I tried the twc dvr out about a year ago and was really disappointed with the following items, can someone here tell me if they've fixed these?

1. While watching show that is buffered (ie your watching the first 10-15 minutes of the show but it's acutally just minutes away from ending) when the twc dvr got the the end of the show it would automatically take me to live tv. Does it still do this?

2. When watching a prerecorded show and I stop in the middle of a 1 hr show and decide to watch it another day. When I resume the show the next day it does NOT remember where I stopped the show at the previous day I have to FF to the point where I left off. Does it still do this?

Thanks

Yes, to all the above.

Originally posted by summerall
There are benefits to both tivo and twc's dvr. However, for the time being I'm sticking with my DTivo because it's easy to use and the WAF is very high. Personally, I have yet to find a DVR that can match tivo's simplicity and ease of use. My wife is very anti-technology but with the Tivo its a different story, I've never seen her take to a tech product like she has with the DTivo.

I tried the twc dvr out about a year ago and was really disappointed with the following items, can someone here tell me if they've fixed these?

1. While watching show that is buffered (ie your watching the first 10-15 minutes of the show but it's acutally just minutes away from ending) when the twc dvr got the the end of the show it would automatically take me to live tv. Does it still do this?

2. When watching a prerecorded show and I stop in the middle of a 1 hr show and decide to watch it another day. When I resume the show the next day it does NOT remember where I stopped the show at the previous day I have to FF to the point where I left off. Does it still do this?

Thanks

Yes, they have fixed all of the above, at least in my experience.

My wife and I watch Jeopardy every night. Sometimes dinner runs a little over and because we "play" jeopardy and keep score...we like to finish our dinner beforehand. So, we just pause it as soon as it starts and resume it when we're finished eating. Often, by skipping commercials and such, we get "live" before the show is finished...but sometimes we don't. In those cases, it does NOT go "live" and instead just allows us to finish watching into the next hour by whatever amount of minutes. This is a problem that has apparently been "fixed" because we have had the issue you described happen to us in the past.

As for your second item, as Bruce said...as long as you don't reboot or watch ANOTHER prerecorded show in between...you can start from where you left off on any show you've recorded. Just remember to stop or pause the show before you switch to something else. Btw, by "reboot" I mean a full reboot (i.e. unplugging the unit), not just turning the DVR power "off."

Hope that helps.

Anybody know a local vendor that sells the "Silver Sensor" antennae for
OTA reception? Best Buy used to sell it, but I do not believe
they sell it anymore.

Do a web search, you should be able to get one for around $20..
But don't expect to use it with WOLO-DT, it doesn't work for VHF.

Sears used to sell the Silver Sensor as did Circuit City. I can confirm what Bob said about WOLO; the SS did not work for me for Ch8 (remaps as 25.x) though the infamous UHF RadioShack Double Bowtie does a credible job with the high-band VHF. Radio Shack has brought back and renamed the DBT; it is now a "UHF Dual HDTV Indoor Antenna" and is available on the RS website by special order (mail or store pickup). See Catalog #: 930-0998 RSU #: 99300998. Cat price is under 15 bucks. The DBT does not look as high-tech as the SS but it really does work as a decent indoor antenna.

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
Yes, they have fixed all of the above, at least in my experience.

My wife and I watch Jeopardy every night. Sometimes dinner runs a little over and because we "play" jeopardy and keep score...we like to finish our dinner beforehand. So, we just pause it as soon as it starts and resume it when we're finished eating. Often, by skipping commercials and such, we get "live" before the show is finished...but sometimes we don't. In those cases, it does NOT go "live" and instead just allows us to finish watching into the next hour by whatever amount of minutes. This is a problem that has apparently been "fixed" because we have had the issue you described happen to us in the past.

i take you don't have jeopardy as a scheduled recording and are just pausing live tv? because i think that's a different situation and the only one that won't dump you out to live tv.

how's that for acronym soup...

diana,

i see that scientific atlanta is promoting a version of the 8000HD that can do HD VOD. any plans to implement such a system locally?

Originally posted by scruffy7
i take you don't have jeopardy as a scheduled recording and are just pausing live tv? because i think that's a different situation and the only one that won't dump you out to live tv.

Yes, the poster I quoted referred to the show as "buffered" which I took to mean "paused and restarted." If I misunderstood, I stand corrected.

Does anybody else's 8000HD mysteriously turn off and then the display on it show "HAL2" then "boot" I just went home for lunch and was watching tv then it did it. Thats about 5 times in the last week that it does it at random times. Then you have to turn it back on and it goes through the whole boot procedure with the blue explorer screen for about 2-3 mins then it has to reload the program guide. Its just a little annoying and it did it the other night in the middle of a program I was recording so I only got half of it recorded.

Originally posted by scruffy7
how's that for acronym soup...

diana,

i see that scientific atlanta is promoting a version of the 8000HD that can do HD VOD. any plans to implement such a system locally?


HD VOD (with or without the DVR) has been in the lab since Fall of 2002. I haven't heard that they have made much headway with the bugs. But, yes, someday it will be available.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Does anybody else's 8000HD mysteriously turn off and then the display on it show "HAL2" then "boot" I just went home for lunch and was watching tv then it did it. Thats about 5 times in the last week that it does it at random times. Then you have to turn it back on and it goes through the whole boot procedure with the blue explorer screen for about 2-3 mins then it has to reload the program guide. Its just a little annoying and it did it the other night in the middle of a program I was recording so I only got half of it recorded.

It has happen to me a couple of times when using the guide. Very few times lately, my old satellite box was much more prone to this than the 8000HD. Even my TiVo had to be rebooted occasionally or all video would be pixellated.

While we're talking about 8000HD bugs, I'll chime in to say that mine has had the "pop/crackle" audio bug more lately than before. All it takes to fix it is a quick power off/on, but it's still a small annoyance.

I only have issues with sound from WLTX-DT. Especially bad this past Monday evening, except when video switched to 4.3 briefly after a commercial break. All other times the audio was horrible. The dvr really needs the 1.1 firmware badly!

Originally posted by kevinivey
It has happen to me a couple of times when using the guide.

Yes the first few times it did it I was in the guide also. I thought maybe I had hit too many buttons to quickly and caused it to freeze up. But today I was just sitting there eating lunch when it all of the sudden just turned off and did the "HAL2" then "boot" I have had the 8000HD only since the middle of April and it just started doing this since last Tuesday night. The previous times it has done it have all been in the evening or at night before midnight. I was hoping Diana would be able to speak to an engineer and he could tell her what that code that gets displayed as soon as it shuts down means.

I havent had any issues with the sound popping or crackling other than what occasionally occurs on WLTX-DT which Dan has said is a receiver issue that they have. I'm guessing thats the satellite receiver they have for their network HD feed.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
I was hoping Diana would be able to speak to an engineer and he could tell her what that code that gets displayed as soon as it shuts down means.




He wasn't familiar with a code that would result in "HAL2"- however, since I have your account information, he is looking at your MAC address and going to let me know what he sees from there.

I was just on my way downstairs to chat with him.

Originally posted by kevinivey
I only have issues with sound from WLTX-DT. Especially bad this past Monday evening, except when video switched to 4.3 briefly after a commercial break. All other times the audio was horrible. The dvr really needs the 1.1 firmware badly!
My major audio issues seem to revolve around WLTX-DT as well. This past Monday night CBS had crackley/stuttery audio all 3 hrs of prime time. A posting here and a call to the station proved useless; problem was not resolved though I too seemed to notice one attempt. Pity the HDTV newbie who does not know how much better things really could be.

It has always said that from my intial install. Unplug, and plug back in and it says Hal2 and then boot. Why is this a problem? Bruce, not fair running in the stealth mode. (=:

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
He wasn't familiar with a code that would result in "HAL2"- however, since I have your account information, he is looking at your MAC address and going to let me know what he sees from there.

I have found that I often get a box lockup just by pushing the buttons on the remote ... generally it seems like maybe I tried to go too fast. (I suspect I could cause this to occur almost on call in a reasonably short period if I were to try). If I notice that, if the box is frozen but not yet rebooted, that if I rush to the box and quickly turn it off momentarily, that I can often avoide the HAL routine and resume normal activity without further problems. Otherwise there is a real strong likelyhood that the time the box will do its imitation of a dead cockroach and go through it's HAL/reboot procedure. Which means that all is lost for several minutes. Ain't life fun ! :) stealth? who me? <blush; oops>

I didnt watch any CBS monday night so I didnt get affected by their audio problems. I really havent noticed any audio problems in a while on any channel. CBS doesnt really have a lot of shows that I watch during primetime other than maybe the Gaurdian or if they have a good movie on. I'm not a big fan of their sitcoms. So my HD experience with them is limited to mostly just sports, NFL, NCAA basketball tourney, movies, and one primetime show. The last time I really noticed their audio "stuttering" was on Masters Sunday and it lasted all day that day into their primetime lineup.

The HAL2 reboot problems I have been having had always occurred while I was in the program guide jumping around looking for something to watch. But today at around 12:15 I was at home eating a sandwich just watching ESPN and it did it out of the blue. So I guess maybe its not just a button pushing issue as I had originally thought.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
He wasn't familiar with a code that would result in "HAL2"- however, since I have your account information, he is looking at your MAC address and going to let me know what he sees from there.

I was just on my way downstairs to chat with him.

Ok, thanks. I'd be interested to see if he finds anything. It reminds me of that other guy in here whos box would magically turn off every day at 2pm. If I recall he had an 8000HD also.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Ok, thanks. I'd be interested to see if he finds anything. It reminds me of that other guy in here whos box would magically turn off every day at 2pm. If I recall he had an 8000HD also.

There was a timer set on his converter that he was unaware of.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
There was a timer set on his converter that he was unaware of.

Yup I remember now.

Just for clarification, my crackling is not limited just to one channel, but is primarily on the HD channels, including HD content recorded on the DVR and viewed on CH 341.

It's always remedied by powering the box off and then back on again.

I havent had any problems like that (knock on wood).

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
Just for clarification, my crackling is not limited just to one channel, but is primarily on the HD channels, including HD content recorded on the DVR and viewed on CH 341.

It's always remedied by powering the box off and then back on again.

You may need to switch the box out. I assume that you tried the 3 audio outputs(digital coax, digital optical ,and analog stereo. This is not the normal operating condition for the 8000HD.

edit: I have on occasion lost audio completely on the HD, digital tier and playback channel. Most of the time the remedy is to switch to a analog channel(2-99) and back the audio returns without shutting the box completely off. It happened 3 or 4 times in the past 4 months. Once I had to completely unplug and reboot the box and then audio was correct. That was over a month ago and no audio problems other than WLTX-DT(source).

Originally posted by D-rock0030
With Tivo you have to buy the Tivo unit itself and then you have to pay a montly fee that is more than 4.95 just to get it to download the program guide so you can even record programs. I think you can pay by the month or buy a lifetime agreement for something like $299. What a ripoff Tivo is compared to 4.95 extra for the DVR.

DirecTivo > Cable DVR > Standalone Tivo

Just clarification... SA tivos are kind of pointless and expensive, I agree.

Those who have never had TiVo will never understand the difference. Just for reference, TiVo cost $0 with DirecTV premiere plus. The standalone TiVo in my closet is sadly worthless to me. Did I contradict myself enough?

I have 2 standalone Tivo's with no sub...they work just fine. I even have
a 3rd one for spare when one of these dies.. an have an ultimate Tv new
in the box as well, which no way In hades will I pay MSFT for the service.

I've never had Tivo, but if you dont pay for the subscription, then you dont get the program guide do you? I guess it would still work for pausing live tv and stuff like that.

Works fine without program guide..I don't want nor need the tivo program guide.

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
Yes, the poster I quoted referred to the show as "buffered" which I took to mean "paused and restarted." If I misunderstood, I stand corrected.

you are correct. i've never had a buffered show dump me to live tv though, even with the old 8000.

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
HD VOD (with or without the DVR) has been in the lab since Fall of 2002. I haven't heard that they have made much headway with the bugs. But, yes, someday it will be available.

their press release of the national show makes it sound like it's ready now, but they also make the 1.1 DVR release seem like a reality too. :)

while you're on the line here, is there any reason TWC does not pass the stereo audio from some analog channels (like A&E or FX)?

Sent messages today to managers at both WIS (B. Ahrendt) and WLTX (R. O'dell) concerning their audio situations and to encourage them to quickly move to the DTV standard AC-3 (DD). Seems only appropriate if they want to want to be leaders in HDTV that they support the audio side of it all! Of course we already have that from both our PBS and ABC stations now so perhaps they are the current holders of the Leader title! I did hear back from Barry Arhendt a bit ago who said they have a new chief engineer on board, one Ken Thayer. Hopefully in time Mr Thayer will join us here at AVS and participate as did his predecessor, John Augustine. Now all we need is to get WACH back on board <g>.

I'm not trying to say SA Tivos have problems, I'm just saying that they can
only record 1 input and you have to be actively sending that input which in
most cases means watching what you're recording and then not being able
to record more than one thing at a time, etc, etc.

Like kevin pointed out there is no fee for the two-tuner DTivo if you have
D*'s top package, but even at $4.99 for a lower D* package, their Tivo sub
fee is better than the $12.95 Tivo charges you for a SA Tivo. At that rate, I
wouldn't subscribe either like Bob does.

But I'd rather use a DTivo or Cable DVR where it's all tied into one nice
neat package than worry about IR emitters and having my STB tuned to
what I want to record. While a Cable DVR isn't much lower IMO than a
DTivo, both are leaps above a SA Tivo.

Well, good news! I heard back from Ken Thayer, the new Chief Engineer at WIS-DT late today and it appears that they now have plans in the works to add DD capability. He said: "just wanted to let you know that when NBC begins passing the 5.1 audio, it is going to happen at WIS. Liberty Corp, our parent company, sent us the Dolby box necessary to pass it and our engineers have been in contact with NBC engineers in an effort to get it implemented. " I don't know when NBC will start doing DD on a regular basis, but it is good to hear that WIS is moving to add that capability. Also, Ken indicated that his responsibilities extend beyond the one station (three total) but hopefully we can get him to join us here on occasion.

I now return this forum back to it's TiVo/e8K DVR discussion threads :)

1080i and DD 5.1.. There may be a new HD leader in town. Great job, Bruce! See if you can't get them to ditch their SD digital channel, especially with the Olympics coming up soon. We need and they need all the bandwidth they can come up with. Looks like over half of CBS's affliates are 5.1 capable. Maybe, this will spur along Wltx's plan for DD 5.1.

NBC: The network is testing 5.1 infrastructure to determine the feasibility of offering scripted series, movies and other programs regularly in 5.1, but the company offered no time frame for completing the tests or rolling out 5.1 if the tests are successful.

The network, which normally delivers HD content in Dolby Surround, broadcast the 2002 Winter Olympics in HD 5.1 and is currently working out the technical details to deliver the 2004 Summer Games in HD 5.1.

In the meantime, the network has been expanding its HD programming schedule, increasing the number of HD hours to 14.5 per week in the 2003-2004 season from 9.5 hours during the prior season. The programs include scripted shows and select theatrical releases. Unscripted shows are in SD. The mix of HD and SD programs will likely continue into the 2004-2005 season with possible exceptions, the company said.

By February 2004, 115 of NBC's 231 affiliates were rebroadcasting NBC's HDTV signal, and some of those stations were equipped to pass through a 5.1 soundtrack, the network said, citing an early-February survey of its affiliates. In that survey, 33 of 56 responding stations were 5.1-capable, NBC said. Another 21 said they would consider upgrading to 5.1 on the future.

taken from a story posted on 3/22/2004

Thanks for the info Kevin. So it looks like WIS will join in soon with DD; hopefully this summer for the Olympics! Now all we need is more DD audio from the networks themselves. Personally I like being able to tweak the dialog up/down a bit to separate on occasion from the surround sounds. Often easy given DD and a center channel with the dialog. But that is just me and my 50+ hearing equipment that I must use. <ahem>....

Wolo-Dt is off the air tonight. My amp decodes a 5.1 signal, but no sound or video.

WOLO-HD service (8.1/25-1) was off the air but they are up now (with noisy analog audio) and they are off the air again as I type. Looks like they are trying; the radar channel (25-2) is mostly on; the HD channel is mostly off)

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Do a web search, you should be able to get one for around $20..
But don't expect to use it with WOLO-DT, it doesn't work for VHF.
I have one, and no longer use it since it didn't work well for the UHF stations either...

I get all 9 UHF DT's perfectly here with my silver sensor..can't beat it for $20

WOLO Looks fine here "now", what Bruce describes makes no sense, I'm not sure how you have noisy analog audio on DTV.. We have been moving dishes with the FOX changes, so it's possible we've affected the ABC HD receiver's feed.

Whoever said I made sense? The audio problem might have been from the cable box in a period when there was a feed on 25-1. I know I was switching back and forth between sources at the time. I also know that I saw the Radar channel (25-2) up when the main feed on (25-1) was down a couple of times. Hopefully all is well now.

As reported elsewhere, Ken Thayer at WIS has passed along the fact that the Tonight show will not be fed in HD Monday thru Friday the week of 5/10/2004.

Originally posted by scruffy7


while you're on the line here, is there any reason TWC does not pass the stereo audio from some analog channels (like A&E or FX)?

I have the headend techs checking A&E and FX. What has most likely occurred is that after the analog receivers were initially connected, the service upgraded their audio and we simply never realized it. If we find this the the case on these services we will upgrade the audio reception. If we already have stereo receivers on these channels then we will further troubleshoot the problem.

I appreciate the fact that we should continually QC our set up in the headend for all services, but the fact remains, when push comes to shove and we are pre-occupied with our advanced technologies like HD, DVR, HSD, etc. the analog services tend to get forgotten.

Obviously whenever you notice we haven't kept up to date on a service, please let us know.

I have noticed faint rolling lines on all the analog tier channels the last couple of days. This is something that I have never seen in my two years with TWC. My setup at my home has not changed.

Originally posted by kevinivey
analog tier channels?.

By Tier, do you mean anything Analog or a specific grouping? Thanks

Channels 02-79

ok - thanks

I'll pass on to the engineers for resolution.

Hi friends,

Just a quick note, I picked up my HD TIVO today and both OTA tuner's lock all Columbia stations at a solid 96 with the exception of WOLO at a solid 86. My previous tuner was the Hughes HIRD E-86 and all stations locked at 100. With the previous tuner on windy days and most rainy days I would get some multi-path issues and will report later on the tuning of the TIVO during those conditions (boy I hope the tuner is better).

regards,
Mike

PS: Tivo preorder April 15th, Tweeter Harbison, thirty second on the list. They told me that the next shipment should be the end of the month.

So the HD Tivo has a built in OTA tuner? How much does the HD Tivo cost?

Why don't you check and let us know?

Originally posted by Gary Rhine
Why don't you check and let us know?

Who, what, where, when, how??

Originally posted by D-rock0030
So the HD TiVo has a built in OTA tuner? How much does the HD TiVo cost?

It is Hughes HR10 -250 HD DirecTV Satellite with TiVo. All HD satellite boxes have HD ota tuners. There is no HD TiVo without a DirecTV substitution. It retails for $999.00 plus tax and you have to a buy a triple LNB dish $99.00, plus a ota antenna $49.00 est.

http://www.weaknees.com/hd_tivo_special.php Free shipping and no tax.

What is the status of the DVI activation software upgrade, for the SA8000HD Cable box??? Wasn't that supposed to be out in March ???

Thx!!

- Cain

The first target date for the DVI output was March.

At last update, it is still in the lab with some bugs that have yet to be resolved.

Thx Diana.

-- Cain

Ok - you guys have a great week! I'm on my way to Montana & Wyoming and there will be NO Laptop with me.

One of my coordinators will be monitoring twcscnews@twcable.com for any questions or concerns, and certainly if you need immediate assistance call Customer Service at 866-892-7201.

I'll be back Monday the 17th!

Diana...

"Hi Ho Silver..........Awaaaaaaaaaaay!"
Have fun!

(Take camera; we will wanting pics afterwards!)

I wanted to post this letter I sent to Time Warner Columbia recently ...

Dear Time Warner Management:

It is with great distress I wish to report to you that your ADULT channels are located very close to the ETV channels in the Program Guide. These adult channels often display very explicit titles that are extremely inappropriate for young children. Ironically, the ETV channel (channel 800 and 801) are located right below these adult channels (in Program Guide). Our 7yr old son often tries to look up the program schedule for ETV shows. Needless to say, he is being exposed to inappropriate content that we take serious issue with.

There appears to be no way to remove these adult channels from the lineup. I have repeatedly called and complained about this to Customer Service, but to no avail.

I expect to receive a response from a member of senior management, regarding this issue.

http://www.wired2net.com/downloads/adult.jpg

Max

FYI ALL: The WOLO-DT transmitter is having some issues, it's unlikely that
we will be able to restore service tonight, so you'll have to enjoy Harry
in 4x3 analog..

Wow Max..That would annoy me as well.!!

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
FYI ALL: The WOLO-DT transmitter is having some issues, it's unlikely that
we will be able to restore service tonight, so you'll have to enjoy Harry
in 4x3 analog..

Well that kinda bites!!
I've been looking forward to this being presented in HD for over a month now. Especially since the trailer for the 3rd HP movie was going to be in HD as well. :confused:

Bob:
Thanks for the info on your recalcitrant transmitter and the update on the HP movie. Guess I will record it in analog and skim it later just for the trailers for HP#3 (Prisoner of Azkaban).

edit: oops. was not watching the clock; just noticed I was recording a blank screen (Ch815). Killed that process and will monitor the analog one a bit later maybe. Hope ya'll get the problem sorted out quickly.

Wis-DT has chosen not to broadcast Law and Order Criminal Intent tonight.

Originally posted by umenon
...
http://www.wired2net.com/downloads/adult.jpg

Max
On this picture the guide for ETV-1 looks like the adult titles also ;)

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
FYI ALL: The WOLO-DT transmitter is having some issues, it's unlikely that we will be able to restore service tonight, so you'll have to enjoy Harry in 4x3 analog..

I've spent the last little while composing a nastygram to WOLO's management in my head about this, but now that I see there was advance notice available I'm just mildly annoyed.

Why does it seem like ALL DT, not just WOLO, is still just a novelty item we with HDTVs can't count on? How often does the main analog transmitter go off the air for an entire evening? It's bad enough that rainstorms cause even the signal TWC sends out to break up, but service outages shouldn't be this common...

Here is a little info about ratings you might find interesting. We should track the sweeps and see if there is a trend of HD failure. We don't pay the bill cause the Nielsen service doesn't track our viewing habits yet.

"How does Nielsen Media Research PLAN to measure digital television?"

Nielsen Media Research is in the process of testing a new metering system capable of identifying analog and digital transmission. This system relies on audio and video coding technologies. We are conducting a test of this new meter in the Northeast, and we plan to roll out this technology as the digital environment unfolds.

Sweep Month Dates Number of Markets
April 2004 (1) April 8 - April 28, 2004 LPM Markets Only
May 2004 (2) April 29 - May 26, 2004 All 210 DMA's
June 2004 June 3 - June 30, 2004 LPM Markets Only
July 2004 (3) July 8 - August 4, 2004 207* DMA's
August 2004 August 5 - August 25, 2004 LPM Markets only
September 2004 (4) August 26 - September 22, 2004 LPM Only - 4 wks
October 2004 (5) September 30 - October 27, 2004 25 Markets
November 2004(5) (6) November 4 - December 1, 2004 All 210 DMA's
December 2004 (7) December 2 - December 29, 2004 LPM Only - 4 wks

I was under the impression that Bruce had said here a while back that all the local stations had their signal "piped" into TWC's headend via fiber. Why would a transmitter issue keep cable customers from getting a signal then? I was really looking forward to watching Harry Potter in HD. I have never seen that movie and was looking forward to it all week long. And then WIS refuses to show the HD version of Law&Order again, they do that all the time, really pisses me off. It does seem like HDTV is a novelty and stuff is always breaking down. Digital TV has been around for about 5 years now, these bugs should be worked out by now, it just seem ridiculous.

Sorry that failure of one of the cooling pumps caused the loss of HD on such a bright, pretty day. We'll be speaking to said pump about quitting
before such a big show. Apparrently, it wasn't a big fan of Harry Potter..
and after working 24 hrs a day for 18 months, decided it was a good time to quit.. Therefore, he'll be sent back for rehab and attitude adjustment sometime this week.. In the meantime, his stunt double will be standing
in to make the show go on.

As to fiber, only the analog is fed by fiber, not the dtv..and yes, despite popular belief, dtv is still a science project in many ways, that cost a lot of money with absolutely no return whatsoever. And the new nielsen metering system..it failed miserabley in the latest tests.

An update..when the offending pump had its breakdown, it was so distraught that it wet the floor with a very large puddle of cooling water.
At that point, the transmitter shut off to protect itself.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
I was under the impression that Bruce had said here a while back that all the local stations had their signal "piped" into TWC's headend via fiber. Why would a transmitter issue keep cable customers from getting a signal then? <snip>

Well, it appears I was given and passed along wrong information about fiber optic connectivity to TWC. I thought I confirmed my info but apparently not. To correct the record as who has what regarding fiber optic connectivity, I have tried to contact each DT station's engineering department to verify what they use. The update is still in progress but here is what I have so far for digital signal paths to TWC:

WOLO:OTA only (for now). (B. Davis)
WIS: awaiting feedback
WLTX: OTA (D. Stalnaker)
WBHQ: n/a (no DT signal in Cola or on TWC yet (Mr Smiley)
WACH: n/a (no DT on TWC yet)
WRLK: hybrid.... an RF feed pickup is taken off the transmitter and fed into fiber optic going to TWC's head-end. TWC users must still depend on the transmitter being up and operational to get SCETV/WRLK-DT's signals. A pure fiber feed into their MC is in the works but will take some time (right of way issues with the RR to work out). (H. Griffin)

re: Harry Potter: it appears ABC will have an encore presentation this weekend (Sat night 8pm I do believe).

New item: WRBJ/ Ch 47 is supposed to be a new station coming on-line possibly at end of this year. FCC Application data list station as analog, not digital which seems strange. Affiliation may be UPN (WBHQ loses UPN at the end of this year).

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Sorry that failure of one of the cooling pumps caused the loss of HD on such a bright, pretty day. We'll be speaking to said pump about quitting
before such a big show. Apparrently, it wasn't a big fan of Harry Potter..


:p :p Good one!

Is the Frasier finale tonight going to be in HD? The two Frasiers that were on Tuesday night were shown in SD on WIS-DT when Titantv and the program guide said HDTV, I hope they show the HD feed tonight.

I would assume so since it is listed as HDTV by NBC. (FWIW, both WIS and NBC came through with TWW in HD last night). Do note the starting time is listed as being 8:45pm (I have not checked the guide on TWC; recommend those recording start early and end late or programs before and after).

Thus fas, Fraser is SD...

Fraser switched over to HD when they came back from the 9pm set of commercials (was SD from 8:54 till then). Wonder if NBC timer messed up or WIS's? Hope it stays HD for the remainder of the program.

It was WIS I had to call the master controller

I can't believe how hard it is for these stations to set an alarm or something to remember to flip the switch to the HD feed. WOLO has an automated system, WIS and WLTX have manual systems. It seems to me that somebody in the engineering department or where ever should be able to once a day remember what time he has to flip the switch, its not rocket science.

Tell him. BAHRENDT@wistv.com

I have in the past, everytime I do I get the same email back. "We strive to be as good as possible, blah blah blah blah." But obviously they dont care, it never gets any better. These tv station employees always have the same response(excuse) "We put a lot of money into DTV and get no return on it" So thats supposed to make it alright to just ignore us viewers. I guess us viewers will have to wait until the mandated analog shut-off to get better service, then all the advertising revenue will be based on digital viewership.

Well by this time next week we'll be able to watch TNT-HD. The launch date is May 19th to May 21st depending on what the NBA basketball playoff schedule is. They are going to launch with the start of the NBA Western Conference finals. Some Time Warners across the country already have the feed turned on, although they are still testing bug locations and such. As far as I read they are just showing the exact same thing as on the SD station just upconverted. I was hoping that with the large quantity of HD reruns out there of Law&Order, NYPD Blue, and ER that they would show the HD version when available. But so far they havent, maybe that will change after the official launch. But besides ESPN, TNT is the channel I watch most often so this is good news to me. Although there has been no official word, Diana has told me that TWCSC will be carrying it from day one.

TW customers in SC are lucky even they probably don't realize that they have some of the best engineers in the country working on HD as well as any leading edge technology that is in the pipes to be launched or already on the system. Most people don't realize how complicated TV is let alone to add an FCC that is afraid to take a handle on getting standards in place which is one of the major reasons that HD is about 15 years behind the times since it was first pushed to be rolled out hard and the FCC failed to help get the technology going. TW takes new technology seriously and the engineers really work day and night to beta test all the software and hardware to get the bugs out as quick as possible.

TW customers in SC are lucky even they probably don't realize that they have some of the best engineers in the country working on HD as well as any leading edge technology that is in the pipes to be launched or already on the system. Most people don't realize how complicated TV is let alone to add an FCC that is afraid to take a handle on getting standards in place which is one of the major reasons that HD is about 15 years behind the times since it was first pushed to be rolled out hard and the FCC failed to help get the technology going. TW takes new technology seriously and the engineers really work day and night to beta test all the software and hardware to get the bugs out as quick as possible.

umm. ok.

:confused:

Just for the record, NBC repeated the finale of Frasier last night and, again, WIS was not able to get the HD presentation right. When I tuned in around around 8:30pm, the program was SD. A few minutes later it changed to HD. It would appear that WIS was asleep at the switch again.

WOW! NHL in HD on WOLO..WOOHOO!.. But not here on WSOC-DT..
Hopefully, all should be well for the encore of HP tonite..

NOW HD on WSOC..!

HD from the 5 pm start. Looks better than expected. Nice that WIS passed HD feed from the start through the extended coverage. Note that the NBC Olympic logo was set for a 4.3 image and then was moved all the way over to the right. They also used rotating sidebars for 4.3 SD shots. They also inserted static blue sidebars during the commercial breaks the last hour. There were a lot of handheld 16.9 SD shots as expected. The coverage for the Preakness was a lot like the golf currently being broadcast on CBS. The actual race was entirely in HD, as it should have been. Now over to" FX "with mono sound for the race.

GOOD WORK OTA Stations.

All 3 sporting event in beautiful HD (On A Saturday, No Less)

And a almost flawless prime time lineup in HD.

Thank You very much
your hard work is greatly appreciated

Looks like TNT-HD will be on Channel 840 on TWCSC systems. It has not been turned on yet, but should be by midweek. It also appears to NOT be part of the subscription only HD Tier.

Good Morning,

Back from Vacation (it was wonderful and beautiful and fun and exciting and relaxing and included plenty of snow) and full of good HDTV news!

Friday, May 21st at 9am, TNT HD will launch its new service. Time Warner Cable of South Carolina will provide the service free to all HDTV customers on channel 840.

TNT HD features an incredible array of programming from award-winning dramas like Law & Order to exciting NBA season action to original movies, series and more, all in HD with continual 5.1 Surround Sound. Friday nights programming will center around Game 1 of the NBA Western Series final between LA Lakers and the winner of the Sacramento Kings/Minnesota Timberwolves series.

Have a great week.

Sounds like good news to me. Now let's bring on ESPN-HD.

Thanks Diana !

Is TNT HD is a simulcast of regular lineup (like HBO and Showtime) ?

Also, I wonder whether HBO and Showtime plan to have a dedicated HD lineup ... so we don't have to watch 4:3 material during weekend primetime. I know thats not TW issue ... but was curious why they have not taken the cue from Discovery and seperated the lineup by now.


Max

We haven't seen the programming grid yet, so we haven't had a chance to see if it is entirely a simulcast.

I think as time goes on the premium services will certainly get to the point of having a separate HD programming grid, as evidenced by the fact that Original Programming is shot in HD. And, their studio deals will include more and more HD programming going forward. But, overall their business model is not similar to someone like a Discovery, their HD feed is added value to their primary liner service, so they will probably maintain their gradual evolution.

...snip "is added value to their primary liner service, so they will probably maintain their gradual evolution"

Wow!, is this cable speak?
:D

Diana,

Any chance of TNT-HD showing up in the extended guide before Friday?

Originally posted by jdjackson
...snip "is added value to their primary liner service, so they will probably maintain their gradual evolution"

Wow!, is this cable speak?
:D

And pretty well done if I do say so myself.....

Originally posted by kevinivey
Diana,

Any chance of TNT-HD showing up in the extended guide before Friday?

I would have had to ask the guide vendor today to get the download overnight tonight for information to show up tomorrow, so unfortunately no, it will be with the launch Friday - sorry.

Originally posted by umenon
I wanted to post this letter I sent to Time Warner Columbia recently ...

Dear Time Warner Management:

It is with great distress I wish to report to you that your ADULT channels are located very close to the ETV channels in the Program Guide. These adult channels often display very explicit titles that are extremely inappropriate for young children. Ironically, the ETV channel (channel 800 and 801) are located right below these adult channels (in Program Guide). Our 7yr old son often tries to look up the program schedule for ETV shows. Needless to say, he is being exposed to inappropriate content that we take serious issue with.

There appears to be no way to remove these adult channels from the lineup. I have repeatedly called and complained about this to Customer Service, but to no avail.

I expect to receive a response from a member of senior management, regarding this issue.

Max

Good Morning,

Time Warner Cable is very proud of the fact that our Digital Line Up is laid out in a logical 'neighborhood' fashion. The lay out is as follows:

100's - Digital Tiers (The Digital Tier, The Digital Movie Tier, The Digital Sports Tier, Sabor Latino)
200's - Premium Movie Channels
300's - Music Choice
400's - Sports Packages
500's - Sports PPV
600's - PPV (non-VOD version)
700's - Reserved for future expansion
800's - Advanced Technology offered as added value to customers (HD and Free on Demand)
900's - Advanced Technology offered for additional subscription to customers (Premium HD, HD Tier, Subscription Video on Demand)


As such, the Adult PPV channels are living in the appropriate neighborhood for the type of service they represent.

A couple of additional comments:
* No matter where we put adult channels, they will next to other channels that are not adult. Thus moving the channels would just recreate this situation for other viewers. This is not to say other viewers are more important than you or your situation, just that as a company, TWC would not resolve this issue by moving the channels.
* PPV of this type is on the road to obsolescence. While I cannot give you a specific date, we anticipate migrating all PPV to the VOD variety at some point in the foreseeable future. This is the ultimate resolution of the issue.
* There is a lot of discussion about 'upgrading' the SARA guide we utilize. Among the dream list is the ability to customize personal guides. Again, no time line, but I believe it is a probability this would be functionality we will also get to in the foreseeable future. The 'customer friendly' nature of personalized guides in a competitve environment is a no-brainer.
* Finally, moving channels is a major operational issue for Customer Service. You will notice the NVOD channels from 611 to 635 still appear on the guide, although the channels have been technically removed. This is because customers do not like to have to 're-memorize' where their favorite channels are. This is also the basis of our "Network Neighborhood Lineup" scheme. We put channels in areas with like channels so our customers can find them.


I do apologize for the negative impact this situation has in your home, that is certainly not our intent. I hope that I have been successful in presenting my response in such a manner as to reassure you of the fact that TWC recognizes you have a legitimate issue, however we are simultaneously faced with several other issues that prohibit our resolving this in a manner that is optimal for your specific situation.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions either on the Forum or at my customer email address twcscnews@twcable.com.

I'd have to disagree, Diana.

Look at it this way, children are much more likely to be looking at the program guide for, say, ETVHD or WISHD...than they are for "sports PPV." If that adult channel got moved to the beginning of the 600 series "PPV" section instead of the end, your problem would be solved.

It doesn't bother me personally, as I don't have kids...but I can certainly see why it would others. Moving it somewhere (where it's not butted directly up against a potential childrens network like ETV) would solve the problem and likely not cause any conflicts with others.

I agree with IrmoGamecoq. My wife has asked me to remove those channels from the guide and I have to explain that you can't. I believe the ultimate solution is to develop a favorites channel guide like the competition already has. I have a young child who uses the guide and I am not thrilled that she can see those titles. I do not believe those who use adult channel ppv would flood customer service if you moved the ppv "neighborhood" to a location between the sports ppv. If they do, so what, tell them TWC cares about the kids.

I agree. The titles alone are material that children should not see. In today's age of software and computers, it's not hard to do such things. All
a provider would need to do is have a simple check box in their subscriber
management system that would prevent these channels from even existing to the viewer (if desired) in any way or form. Children are technically savvy, I can see an 8 year old making an adult ppv buy quite easily. And yes, I agree parents should manage what their children see,
but we need all the help we can get.

Any word on ESPN-HD ????

I'm hoping the Gamecocks are headed to Omaha, and I'd love to see them in HD !!

-- Cain

Originally posted by Cain
Any word on ESPN-HD ????

I'm hoping the Gamecocks are headed to Omaha, and I'd love to see them in HD !!

-- Cain


Unfortunately, nothing new to report.

TNT-HD is up and running on Ch 840 (with guide info too).

uh oh; the TNT bug/logo is not good; very large and way too bright.

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
I agree. The titles alone are material that children should not see. In today's age of software and computers, it's not hard to do such things. All
a provider would need to do is have a simple check box in their subscriber
management system that would prevent these channels from even existing to the viewer (if desired) in any way or form. Children are technically savvy, I can see an 8 year old making an adult ppv buy quite easily. And yes, I agree parents should manage what their children see,
but we need all the help we can get.

I must agree with Bob, Max, Derrick and others... the adult channels that preceed SCETV's ETVHD on Channel 800 and whose titles are viewable by those are checking for the HD listings starting with PBS, are inappropriate for "family viewing." I undestand these channels are not going away, so how can their impact be minimized?

In the near term, it would seem reasonable to move those six channels either to the beginning of the 600 neighborhood or pad in a screen's page of blank channels numbers (e.g. blank lines) (and/or put in a note that redirects viewers to the new channel number). This would at least remove them from sight on the guide for those who are checking for the HD programming starting with Channel 800. A long time answer of course is a customizable guide such as is available today with DirecTV.

All input on the TWC operations are welcome and appreciated.

The current channel position of the Adult PPV channels will not be changed, however, based upon the reasons I laid out for you yesterday.

Thank you

Good Afternoon,

We are planning to have the DVR 1.1 Software download available to all TWC South Carolina DVR customers within the next 5 to 10 business days. I have included some general information below as an overview of the new features. This information is applicable to both SD and HD DVRs. I will send out an additional email when I know the download has been sent to your DVRs.

Activates:
· S-Video Out
· Composite Video & Audio Inputs

Features:

· Copy a Recorded Program to VCR Tape – allows user to copy a recording to VCR while watching or recording another channel. Customer required to purchase their own connection cables.
· Adds “Recording Space Used” status – allows customer to determine available space for additional recording.
· Auto-Erasing Oldest Recordings – allows customer to schedule new recording, even if there is not enough recording space. DVR will automatically erase oldest recording that is NOT marked as NEVER Erase in order to provide room for newest scheduled recordings.
· Copy First-Run Episodes only – allows customer to select just First-Run Episodes when All Episodes is selected on the Confirm Recording screen.
· Power Save Mode – allows the converter to power down during the time from 1:00 am to 6:00 am if there is no customer activity. Customer can avoid the power down by touching any key when they receive the power down message. While in power-down mode, converters will still execute scheduled recordings and will still receive scheduled maintenance from the headend.



On a related note, the DVI Output is now anticipated to be activated with the DVR 1.2 Software download which is not tentatively scheduled until August or September.


Have a great weekend,

Originally posted by bdenman
TNT-HD is up and running on Ch 840 (with guide info too).

uh oh; the TNT bug/logo is not good; very large and way too bright.

Cool, cant wait to get home and check it out.

Diana, thanks for the update on the 8000 DVRs.

Does the DVI output work on any model converter yet? Have a 50" plasma mounted over our fireplace and can't wait to see HD on it using a DVI input.

Does the DVI output work on any model converter yet? Have a 50" plasma mounted over our fireplace and can't wait to see HD on it using a DVI input.

It looks like DVI is now scheduled about 6 months later than the original date.

Originally posted by mb2foru at aol
Does the DVI output work on any model converter yet? Have a 50" plasma mounted over our fireplace and can't wait to see HD on it using a DVI input.


The DVI Output works on the 3250 HD, it is just not available on the HD DVR (8000 HD)

Thanks guys for the support.

I appreciate Diana contribution to this forum and would dare not alienate her :) Thanks Diana for your feedback.

Nevertheless, as a watchful parent, the situation does concern me. I hope TWSC will address this one way or another.

I have sent letters to several VPs at TW. I have received quite a few positive feedbacks. From what I am told this should be an easy fix for TW.

Adult PPV is a $$$ business for media companies and poor ETV cannot compete.

Max

TNT-HD on 840 is stretched to fit 16:9. What's up with that? Too cheap to have two broadcasts?

Is that the way it'll be from now on? I HATE stretched widescreen. Showtime shows "Bi-Dome" stretched *with letterboxing*, and that sucks only a bit more...

It looks like those old shows they have shown so far were recorded in only 4:3. Let's see how the basketball looks tonight.

,QUOTE]Originally posted by mikepaul
TNT-HD on 840 is stretched to fit 16:9. What's up with that? Too cheap to have two broadcasts?

Is that the way it'll be from now on? I HATE stretched widescreen. Showtime shows "Bi-Dome" stretched *with letterboxing*, and that sucks only a bit more... [/QUOTE]


You can change your stb to output 480i wide,and use your sets sidebars.This will result in a very clean 480i image in its correct aspect ratio. This is the best for me on my set.


corrections made

Down covert HD to SD? I don't think so.

Originally posted by kevinivey
You can change your stb to 480i and use your sets sidebars, and then press zoom on the stb.This will result in a very clean 480i image. They said they would fill the screen from their intial press release.
My RCA 38" looks better in 480p widescreen mode already, so I'll just leave it alone.

However, even with a fill warning like you mention, it's annoying to watch wide people.

Basketball looked OK...

Corrections made to my previous posting. Gary, its not HD, except the games.

On a related note, the DVI Output is now anticipated to be activated with the DVR 1.2 Software download which is not tentatively scheduled until August or September.

Arrrrghhhh !!! Thx for the update, Diana....

-- Cain

Cold Case seems to have stayed in SD after the last commercial break last night. Certainly not a big deal or anything. Just a minor switching glitch of some sort, I suppose.

As long as Alias was ok..

You da man! It would have not been good if something had gone wrong on the season cliffhanger. Damn shame that show doesn't do better in the ratings. Glad that ABC sticks by it.

Originally posted by Brent Hutto
Cold Case seems to have stayed in SD after the last commercial break last night. Certainly not a big deal or anything. Just a minor switching glitch of some sort, I suppose.

:D

The DVR 1.1 Software download will be made available to all TWC South Carolina DVR customers during the course of regular business today, May 25, 2004. If you turn off your DVR or HD DVR for several minutes during the course of the day, the converter will receive this download. The Headend staff will initiate a forced download of the new software during the regular maintenance window very early tomorrow morning, Wednesday, May 26th. This will ensure that all DVRs and HD DVRs will have received the download by start of business tomorrow.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

please, please, please, tell me this is the update that activates the composite out and the DVI...ooh! ooh! ooh!

JeffSmall - Have you not read the thread? Diana listed, in detail, all of the items included in this upgrade only a few posts ago.

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
JeffSmall - Have you not read the thread? Diana listed, in detail, all of the items included in this upgrade only a few posts ago.

I have the HD DVR and have the update. The ONLY change is the "copy to VCR" option when selecting a previously recorded show.

The composite/S-VHS/audio outputs are only active during the VCR copy.

No usage meter or record first run options either.

Maybe I got only part of the update?

Originally posted by blizz
I have the HD DVR and have the update. The ONLY change is the "copy to VCR" option when selecting a previously recorded show.

The composite/S-VHS/audio outputs are only active during the VCR copy.

No usage meter or record first run options either.

Maybe I got only part of the update?

recording space used is in the Preferences section after you press List. new recording options appear when you schedule a recording and select "all episodes" and accept; then you get the first run option.

Thanks, Scruffy7

Thanks, Diana!

Originally posted by IrmoGamecoq
JeffSmall - Have you not read the thread? Diana listed, in detail, all of the items included in this upgrade only a few posts ago.

Actually, I completely missed it. I found a reference in another thread, and for some reason, I didn't go *right* back to where I left this thread last time...apologies...bummed about the composite out...but informed...thanks.

And actually, I can add to this too, as I just got the 8000HD for the first time ever today. We got it, swapped it out, plugged it in and let it download until the "time" flashed on the front, then cut it on. We assumed it did the update download, but I have no "archive to tape" option and I don't have "record first run" or whatever that it, and we dug thru the options too...

All in all, it's okay, but I need a composite video signal out, or I won't be able to keep it very long. Can you split a component video signal? If I could split it, I'd go one to the TV for Hi-def, then one to some kind of device that could go Component Video > IN and do Composite Video > OUT. I have a modulator that my digital box connects to, and it only takes composite video input, and I now have no signal from the box to the modulator, which goes to a video distribution hub...so basically a whole video distribution system is useless...Does anyone know if you *can* split Component Video, and if so, does a product exist to allow you to plug component in, and get composite out?

If I got a new reciever to do my component video switching, would that allow me to use the monitor out feature of the reciever and go composite video out from the reciever, regardless of the source input? (Composite, S-Video, Component)...curious...

Ok Guys -

I'm headed in for outpatient knee surgery tomorrow morning at 6am - I'll be home tomorrow afternoon, but probably out of it until at least Thursday. I'm home until the 1st, but I will be checking the forum to make sure you are doing ok.

BUT, emergencies, etc - please call customer service at 866-892-7201 because I cannot guarantee at this point, I won't just be asleep for the next several days.

Have a great holiday weekend,

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
Ok Guys -

I'm headed in for outpatient knee surgery tomorrow morning at 6am

Good luck with that Diana!

Bet she'll be watching a LOT of TWC!

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Bet she'll be watching a LOT of TWC!

Yeah, but there is 250 channels and still nothing worth watching on. I find myself mindlessly channel surfing all the time :)

Gives you a bad case of remotus thumbus..

Originally posted by JeffSmall
If I got a new reciever to do my component video switching, would that allow me to use the monitor out feature of the reciever and go composite video out from the reciever, regardless of the source input? (Composite, S-Video, Component)...curious...

Basically, NO. If you run component video into the receiver then on the monitor out will be component video. Same as if you run S-video in then what you get on the monitor out will be S-video.

Diana, there was an article in the State newspaper last week on page two of the sports section that went into why TWC doesnt carry CSS and about the negotiations and such. But the article did say that TWC is adding CSTV on channel 150. What is the timeframe for that and will it be included in the standard digital tier or will it be in the digital sports tier?

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Basically, NO. If you run component video into the receiver then on the monitor out will be component video. Same as if you run S-video in then what you get on the monitor out will be S-video.

Well, I've noticed that I can send composite signals this morning, to the Modulator by using "Archive to Tape" which sends a composite signal of whatever you want to "archive to tape" out, and allows you to even continue watching a taped show *while* "archiving to tape" which basically means we can watch *recorded shows only* thru the modulator and the video network. Kinda blows, but not nearly as bad as not being able to watch anything at all.

The upside is that theoretically, now you can watch a recorded show in any other room in the house, watch *another* recorded show on the front, main TV connected directly to the box, and simultaneously record TWO more, additional shows on the DVR...it even works with HD content, as I was sending an HD show to the back room this morning and watching it fine.

I guess I can live with that...for now...

Originally posted by JeffSmall
The upside is that theoretically, now you can watch a recorded show in any other room in the house, watch *another* recorded show on the front, main TV connected directly to the box, and simultaneously record TWO more, additional shows on the DVR

I bet you can't.

Me Too. If the box can do that, I'd get two of them today. My bet is you can only record one while watching a previous recording.

actually it can. right now i've got 2 recordings in progress, playback of one program on my main HDTV and playback of another through copy-to-vcr going to another tv.

Wow! This sounds great. Looks like I'll need to invest in an extra long cable for my next house, if this is the case.

What kind of cable are we talking about here? Composite? Coax?

composite to vcr, coax to tv.

i was playing back 2 HD programs and after a while the one going out the composite got a little jerky. i tried it again with HD/component, SD/composite and it played back glitch-free.

Why is it you can have copy-to-vcr but not live-to-vcr? There are both coming from the hard disk.

Originally posted by scruffy7
actually it can. right now i've got 2 recordings in progress, playback of one program on my main HDTV and playback of another through copy-to-vcr going to another tv.

I'm doing the same thing. I'm watching an Anime special I taped off INHD in the office thru the "copy to vcr" to the video hub, the wife is out front watching a recorded show, and I know we're currently recording two 9-10 shows...I just checked. The other thing too is you have no playback control over the "copy to vcr" composite signal. You just fire it off and it plays all the way thru with no controls. No worries...Like I said, it's okay for now...

Originally posted by Gary J
Why is it you can have copy-to-vcr but not live-to-vcr? There are both coming from the hard disk.

Oh, I totally agree. I was thinking today there's only a *little* tweaking needed and you'd get almost live from the "Copy to VCR" but you can't start recording a program, then immediately hit "copy to VCR"...when you "select" the name in the List of Shows, and it's currently taping, it just takes you to the live place in the recorded show, it doesn't give you any more control than that...drat...

Originally posted by Gary J
Why is it you can have copy-to-vcr but not live-to-vcr? There are both coming from the hard disk.

i don't know, but the way they've implemented it gives you more flexibility with the ability to make a copy of one program while watching another or live tv. i'm guessing that they think the soon to be released multi-room DVR will be more of a solution for people who want to send a program to different destinations.

the big question i have is why it's taking so long to implement a way to watch a recording in progress without having to rewind to the beginning and getting dumped out to live tv if you don't catch up to the end. i was really hoping that it would make it in this release.

i'm more than thrilled with the fix for the black screen stutter. it looks like it was a playback bug because i have programs recorded with the old version that now play back flawlessly.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Diana, there was an article in the State newspaper last week on page two of the sports section that went into why TWC doesnt carry CSS and about the negotiations and such. But the article did say that TWC is adding CSTV on channel 150. What is the timeframe for that and will it be included in the standard digital tier or will it be in the digital sports tier?


Tuesday, May 25th - Digital Sports Tier

Originally posted by scruffy7
i
the big question i have is why it's taking so long to implement a way to watch a recording in progress without having to rewind to the beginning and getting dumped out to live tv if you don't catch up to the end. i was really hoping that it would make it in this release.


Part of this should be resolved with 1.2 Download - Tentative is important twice - tenetative plan to include rewind in 15 min increments in this download - Download tentatively scheduled for August - September.


The 'kicking out to live TV' aspect when you are watching a show currently being recorded..... don't know yet if that will be in 1.2


I hate crutches!

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
I hate crutches!

I don't know what CSTV is but when I tuned it INFO said U. of Arizona softball. No thanks. Better work on ESPNHD.

It was that ski trip, wasn't it?

I noticed a new channel in the guide listing, 804. What's the scoop on this new addition?

Originally posted by Gary J
I don't know what CSTV is but when I tuned it INFO said U. of Arizona softball. No thanks. Better work on ESPNHD.

It was that ski trip, wasn't it?

CSTV - College Sports Television - we have had many requests for it as well as ESPN HD.


Nope - didn't ski in Montana, just horses and hiking. This surgery was planned for a couple of months and definately planned to occur after my vacation. It is the result of 6 dislocations primarly done playing softball and volleyball.

Originally posted by courier72
I noticed a new channel in the guide listing, 804. What's the scoop on this new addition?

TWCVC - Time Warner Cable Video Conference - There was an all company video conference yesterday which was only activated on converters in the buildings for employee viewing. Lucky me, I get to watch it via DVR when I get back next week.

So, not a real channel and I'll ask the headend to take it off the guide.

Diana,

You'll hate the rehab techs more than you hate the crutches! I've had 2 knee surgeries and the rehab folks will push you to the limit. Good luck!

Back on track sortof. My neighborhood was one of the first ones upgraded in Summerville but I still don't have the additional HD channels. The website says the channels will be added as each area is completed. Has this changed and we'll get them when the whole system is finished?

Phil

Alrighty, but you know we'd have to ask.

:D

Originally posted by DianaTWCSC
TWCVC - Time Warner Cable Video Conference - There was an all company video conference yesterday which was only activated on converters in the buildings for employee viewing. Lucky me, I get to watch it via DVR when I get back next week.

So, not a real channel and I'll ask the headend to take it off the guide.

Originally posted by pcm19
Diana,

You'll hate the rehab techs more than you hate the crutches! I've had 2 knee surgeries and the rehab folks will push you to the limit. Good luck!

Back on track sortof. My neighborhood was one of the first ones upgraded in Summerville but I still don't have the additional HD channels. The website says the channels will be added as each area is completed. Has this changed and we'll get them when the whole system is finished?

Phil

Yes, the concensus I have received is I will not enjoy rehab....


The new HD channels were the HD Tier, so you would have to call to order the tier for $6.95 per month. But, you should have received TNT HD on 840 as of last Friday. If you didn't get TNT HD, please let me know - please send an email to twcscnews@twcable.com with your home number so I can have one of my staff look up your account.

Originally posted by courier72
Alrighty, but you know we'd have to ask.

:D

Yeah - as soon as I saw it was in the HD range I knew there would be questions.....

Yeah I kind of agree that the S-video or Composite video outs should be turned on all the time. I had the 3250 box and would use the S-video output for when I watched analog cable channels and the component video out for when I watched digital or HD channels because the analog channels look so terrible when run through component outputs.

We really do need the composite and s-video jacks active. I feed a Princeton PSC-1500 (I-Scan V2 rebadged) from the 3550HD's S-Video output. I would use component for everything, but the cable box does a poor job deinterlacing the majority of 480i programming in the digital tier to 480p. That's my main reason for wanting to keep the jacks active.

480i via component looks just fine on my set. I do not feed my set 480p from the 8000HD. SD just looks cleaner at 480i setting. S-video and component look exactly the same with a 480i source. Now, if I feed the set with 1080i for the sd channels then it looks like crap. I always change to 480i. I do not believe something that is labeled vcr out and set to archive to vcr was designed to feed another set or another input on our sets.. I do not believe that they it will ever be activated . Think about it?

Can anyone verify a signal on INHD1? I've got a blank screen with no sound, but my receiver says it's DD 5.1. Help!

no signal on INHD1 here, either.

This has been the norm for TWC and INHD for the last couple of games. I do not think anything would be blacked out in South Carolina. I have yet to verify in the HD programming forum that anyone is getting this game.

Since it is a Braves Game, I'm guessing TBS has the rights here because SC is in the Braves footprint. This is my best guess for tonight - I'll get confirmation tomorrow when the people I need to speak with are in the office.

No Braves on games on INHD.


http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/video/mlb_tv.jsp#blackout


There is a network that does broadcast some Braves game in HD, but that channel not even listed on my guide.;)

Diana, no need to ask. I should had checked this out before posting.

Yeah I know we are in the Atlanta Braves "area" I havent tried to watch any games on INHD1 lately are they blacking out every game or just the Braves games. We are about 250 miles outside of Atlanta why should we be forced to watch them. I cant stand the Braves. I was going to buy a D* satellite so I could get the YES Network but when I called D* and told them I wanted that channel mainly they said with me living in SC that we couldnt get that channel we were forced to watch the stinking Braves. What a crock of sh*t these blackout rules are.

After the Western Conf Finals in the NBA WTBS-DT in Atlanta is going to be using TNT-HD's production truck to do all of the Braves home games in HD, but it will be OTA-only in Atlanta.

Lets see, you hate the braves,panthers, nascar ,and gamecocks. This must be a tough place for you to live? As I stated almost all the games lately have been "black" screened. When were able to see the INHD games they were simply stunning. Oh, I really don't hate any team, but that's just me.

The last game I watched on INHD was a padres game maybe week or week and a half ago. I flipped to INHD Tuesday night to watch my team, The Yankees, play but they were in a rain delay and I later left before the game came back on so I dont know if that game was blacked out or not. I can understand why they would black out a Braves game, because WTBS and Fox Sports South have the broadcast rights for the Braves in this area, but they shouldnt be blacking out every game. The MLB blackout rules dont work like that. Games on INHD are only supposed to be blacked out in those teams market areas. The MLB blackout rules are different from the NFL's. There is a braves game on today at 7:00 that is listed on INHD so it will be blacked out, but the game thats listed for monday night at 10pm is Colorado @ San Diego. That game should not be blacked out on INHD in any area except for the San Diego area and Colorado's area. Because the local sports networks that carry those teams games have the rights for their market areas not anywhere else.

I dont hate many teams, just the shamecocks, braves, duke blue devils, and lakers. My teams are Clemson, Yankees, and Dallas Cowboys.

Braves games should be the only MLB blacked out in SC. If you guys see another team blacked out then let me know asap, if I'm not available, then call it in to customer service.

Do we know that teams besides the Braves have been blacked out on IN HD?

Diana,
I have not noticed any other games blacked out besides the Braves game last night, and probably the one tonight. But Kevin said the last few games have been blacked out, I havent watched one in about a week but before that none were. So I'm not sure.

How much is the digital sports tier? I really want to get CSTV.

NBC is rerunning one of the better episodes of Las Vegas in HD tonight. Its supposed to be the episode with all the girls sunbathing in bikinis :)Lets see if WIS-DT passes the HD feed on to us or if they just give us the SD version on the DT channel.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Diana,
I have not noticed any other games blacked out besides the Braves game last night, and probably the one tonight. But Kevin said the last few games have been blacked out, I havent watched one in about a week but before that none were. So I'm not sure.

How much is the digital sports tier? I really want to get CSTV.


Yes, if the others that were blacked out were anything other than Braves then I want to investigate the reason why.

Depending upon what you already subscribe to - monthly rate for Digital Sports Tier is:
Any one Digital Tier - $3.95
Any two Digital Tiers - $6.95
Any three Digital Tiers - $7.95
All four Digital Tiers - $9.95

Wow not one single post in 5 days. Everyone must have been grilling out or at the lake, I know I was and not watching TV :)

I just thought you guys were taking it easy on me since I was under the influence of pain killers.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
Wow not one single post in 5 days. Everyone must have been grilling out or at the lake, I know I was and not watching TV :)
Well, to me this was an unusual week. I too underwent a slice and dice experience on a knee and so spent a bit of time on pain meds. The Memorial Holiday weekend included some decent SD programming was good given the limited amount of decent HD. Add in the release of the LOTR/ROTK DVD and HD just seemed less important. Maybe next week...

And hey, the Cold Case rerun on Sunday (which we hadn't seen) looked and sounded great on WLTX-DT. Sad but true...when there's no problems there's often no reason to post here.

I do hope everyone's knees mend perfectly.

Yeah I was just making the point that must be not a lot of people were watching tv during the holiday.

Yeah I was just making the point that must be not a lot of people were watching tv during the holiday.

Originally posted by bdenman
spent a bit of time on pain meds. ...

So that explains all of those wierd viewer complaints on my voicemail..:p

I just read an article that said TWC has already signed on to carry MTV's newest network, LOGO. A gay and lesbian network that wont even launch until Feb 17th of next year. ESPN-HD has been on the air for almost 2 years and TWC still wont sign up for them, really pisses me off. Sportscenter is going all HD next monday, The Memorial golf tourney is in HD today and tomorrow on it, the College World Series will be in HD in a few weeks, but we'll miss all of it because Time Warner refused to sign up for ESPN-HD when it launched so now Disney is trying to force renegotiation of all Disney channels on TWC to get ESPN-HD and TWC wont do it. So caught up in all this corporate struggling is us viewers, we're the ones suffering. I wish Comcast was in Columbia, I'd switch in a second over to them.

CSS is going to carry the entire NCAA regional in Athens, GA this weekend. We'll be missing that too because TWC refuses to negotiate with Comcast over carriage of that channel. :(

Diana-
If TWC carries the LOGO channel, You'll lose my household as a subscriber.

Originally posted by D-rock0030
I just read an article that said TWC has already signed on to carry MTV's newest network, LOGO. A gay and lesbian network that wont even launch until Feb 17th of next year. ESPN-HD has been on the air for almost 2 years and TWC still wont sign up for them, really pisses me off. Sportscenter is going all HD next monday, The Memorial golf tourney is in HD today and tomorrow on it, the College World Series will be in HD in a few weeks, but we'll miss all of it because Time Warner refused to sign up for ESPN-HD when it launched so now Disney is trying to force renegotiation of all Disney channels on TWC to get ESPN-HD and TWC wont do it. So caught up in all this corporate struggling is us viewers, we're the ones suffering. I wish Comcast was in Columbia, I'd switch in a second over to them.
So you want Comcast Cable huh? Look at Charleston maybe as an example: They started doing HD recently and to their credit so far they have ESPN-HD, Cinemax-HD, HBO, SHO, INHD1, INHD2 and possibly ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS (have to check the Charleston thread to see how those last four are working (if) for them...). It appears they DO NOT have TNT-HD, HDNET, HDNET Movies, or Discovery HD Theater nor do they carry both coast's feeds of HBO and SHO (E and W). I might add they have no DVRs of any kind (either SD or HD). TWCSC has been doing HD for over 31/2 years and things have been progressing over time including the rollout of the HD-DVR five months ago.

So, it seems to me that if getting ESPN-HD is your one priority then you should immediately switch to either DirecTV, Dish Network or Voom and be done with it.

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Diana-
If TWC carries the LOGO channel, You'll lose my household as a subscriber.
I personally cannot recall having read that TWC is going to add LOGO though I have heard that MTV is developing such a channel. I do not know if most MSO would or would not end up adding it their lineup. It has been described elsewhere as potentially being a HD version of Bravo tempered with a bit of A&E and History Channel when it comes to programming. Its presence could well be unsettling for many and is yet another argument for having a customizable favorites menu so the user can determine what they want their family to see.

Originally posted by bdfox18doe
Diana-
If TWC carries the LOGO channel, You'll lose my household as a subscriber.

before anyone gets their homophobic panties in a wad, a quick (0.42 sec) google search would reveal that the logo channel will be on TWC only in NY, LA and 4 other major markets. somehow i don't think we're one of them.

Comments deleted. I should not be stooping to Scruffy's level.

I thought this was a local HD thread?

Well the original whine was that it is going to be local.

Good point! Guess we could return to talking about local HD. Anyone watching TV tonight? ABC's hockey looks and sounds okay here but then I am not a hockey fan...

Originally posted by bdenman
It appears they DO NOT have TNT-HD, HDNET, HDNET Movies, or Discovery HD Theater nor do they carry both coast's feeds of HBO and SHO (E and W).

So, it seems to me that if getting ESPN-HD is your one priority then you should immediately switch to either DirecTV, Dish Network or Voom and be done with it.

Well there is no HD on TNT-HD except for the NBA games. HDNET and HDNET Movies have nothing worth watching on either, at least INHD has the MLB games, and the AFL. Granted the AFL games are all replays never live so that kind of sucks, no sense watching a game two days after its already been played and knowing the outcome. And the E & W coast feeds of HBO & Showtime is just a slick marketing idea for TWC to say they have "more channels" its still the exact same content. And as far as HD-DVR's comcast is coming out with the Motorola brand in lots of their areas and are testing a newer more advanced model on the west coast.

Trust me, if I could have a satellite I would have already gone that route about two years ago. Where I live I'm surrounded by huge Oak trees in every direction except for to the North, so that eliminates any brand of satellite service, so unfortunately I'm stuck with TWC and their total lack of sports.

Originally posted by bdenman
I personally cannot recall having read that TWC is going to add LOGO though I have heard that MTV is developing such a channel. I do not know if most MSO would or would not end up adding it their lineup. It has been described elsewhere as potentially being a HD version of Bravo tempered with a bit of A&E and History Channel when it comes to programming. Its presence could well be unsettling for many and is yet another argument for having a customizable favorites menu so the user can determine what they want their family to see.

I read the article on CNN Money online. It didnt state whether it would be HD or not, I think you are thinking of the gay channel Divine-HD on Voom. The article did not say what areas TWC would be rolling it out in. I assumed, maybe incorrectly, that since it is a national cable channel that once TWC signed for them it would be added to the entire TWC system. The article did say that it would be in a higher digital tier not the basic digital tier. I would never watch it so having it on the system doesnt bother me. I was mainly saying how mad I was that TWC would be so anxious to sign a carriage agreement for a channel that is about 9 months away from coming on air but they still cant get ESPN-HD which has been on air for about 1.5-2 years, and one that probably 90% of people who have HD want. And they refuse to carry CSS fulltime. They only want certain special events and CSS, rightfully so, says if you want certain events then you must carry the channel the whole time. That would be like carrying Discovery channel only for American Chopper once a week, Discovery would never go for that so I dont know why TWCSC thinks CSS would go for it either. CSS carries a lot of Clemson and USC sporting events that Fox Sports South doesnt want to carry.

ESPN-HD is starting to really kick up their HD coverage now, golf this week, College World Series in two weeks, Sportscenter-HD, MLB games, in a few months there will be NFL games and TWC customers are practically the only people in the US that wont get to see them in HD. Believe me if there was any other possibility of me getting tv in HD I would have already dropped TWC like a bad habit without a doubt. But I'm not going to move just so I can get a dish, not yet anyways :)

Originally posted by D-rock0030
HDNET and HDNET Movies have nothing worth watching
Shouldn't this have a big IN MY OPINION with it?

Originally posted by Gary J
Shouldn't this have a big IN MY OPINION with it?


Absolutely. Hdnet is the most impressive HD shown on my set. As for ESPN-HD...;)

D-rock0030, what were they thinking? http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=409398

[QUOTE]Originally posted by D-rock0030
I assumed, maybe incorrectly, that since it is a national cable channel that once TWC signed for them it would be added to the entire TWC system.

Incorrect assumption


[QUOTE]Originally posted by D-rock0030
I was mainly saying how mad I was that TWC would be so anxious to sign a carriage agreement for a channel ....

TWC has not announced a signed deal for this service - article was speculation.


[QUOTE]Originally posted by D-rock0030
And they refuse to carry CSS fulltime.

We are in active negotiations to carry CSS full time, but when they offer us ala carte programming we take it because we know you want it.