Time Warner to add National Geographic and History HD March 6th
Submitted by captjc on February 10, 2008.
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Before the month is out Time Warner will add The History Channel and National Geographic in HD. I look forward to seeing these channels in HD.
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what dept do you work in at
what dept do you work in at time warner.
Wow this is great news! I
Wow this is great news! I hope they arrive sooner rather than later as I really can't wait much longer. I'm honestly watching Modern Marvels "acid" in SD right now. Sure would look better in HD, or even upconverted onto the HD channel.
This is great and all but
This is great and all but what is taking them so long to add HD channels. It would be nice to have USA, TLC, FX, etc.. in HD as well. The new episodes of Monk on USA are about the size of a postage stamp now that they must be filming it in HD.
I just checked the Time
I just checked the Time Warner Cable - Oshkosh channel lineup online and saw that 723 (National Geographic HD) and 724 (The History Channel HD) were listed. I check this on a daily basis and they were not there yesterday. I am at work, so I can not confirm whether the channels are on or not, but will do so on my lunch hour.
They are listed on the Fox
They are listed on the Fox Cities / Green Bay lineup today as well. I can't verify this first-hand as I still haven't gotten my HD receiver.
Here in Ashwaubenon, there
Here in Ashwaubenon, there is nothing at 723 or 724. I also reset my box to make sure that wouldn't kick the channels in. My cable isn't cutting out either, which was typical when they added the last little bit of channels. I might just be too early though, I don't have to be into work until 3, so I'll check again later.
I'll have to check tonight
I'll have to check tonight when I get home. I just got my HD DVR at the office this afternoon so hopefully it'll be there when I install the thing later on.
As of 2:15, nothing sighted
As of 2:15, nothing sighted yet.
EDIT: I thought this would reply under my original comment, but it didn't. Sorry
Be patient people. As I said
Be patient people. As I said before you will have the new channels by the end of the month.
new channels will be coming
new channels will be coming 2/29/08 leaked from twc
I just hope it won't be only
I just hope it won't be only on Leap Year days that we'll see new HD channels.
[[sarcastic cough]]
Interesting note here, Time
Interesting note here, Time Warner has removed History HD and Nat Geo HD from their online line-up listing. Either they had problems adding the channels and had to push it back or someone goofed and added the channels too early to the online line-up.
I'm guessing someone pulled
I'm guessing someone pulled the trigger too early putting it on the website.
On a side note, they still haven't listed WPNE's subchannels on their channel listing (I believe they're in the 750 range)
What about CW, USA, and Sci
What about CW, USA, and Sci Fi????!!!!!
These new channels are
These new channels are AWESOME!!!!
(sarcastic cough)
I dont know whats worse.... getting more sub-par channels in HD or getting news of recieving more sub-par channels in HD by the end of month and not recieving them!
What "above-par" HD channels
What "above-par" HD channels are you thinking would be better to add?
Where are these new
Where are these new channels? Its the end of the month and they are still not here!
where are these channels?
where are these channels? Its the end of the month and they still are not here! Cant wait until i graduate from uw oshkosh and move and finally get DIRECT TV!!!!
Well, personally, I'm very
Well, personally, I'm very happy to have these channels. NGC is among my most-wanted, along with the Discovery network simulcasts. I'm disappointed that they haven't shown up in the guide yet. I thought for sure they'd be here by the time I got home from work...
As far as "above-par" is
As far as "above-par" is completely based on what you watch. I dont watch National Geographic or History Channel so to me they are "sub-par"
Its kind of like when TWC handed out HGTV-HD and TBS-HD. I was like "cool" but "big deal". I checked them out a bit and have not goon to them much since.
If I had a preference:
Science Channel HD
Sci-Fi HD
WLUK-HD
CW-HD
but these are my choices and what I consider worthy of getting HD sooner rather then later, simply because I watch them the most. Would I like to get History Channel and Nat Geo in HD? SURE! I want every channel in HD if I could. Are they my first preference? No. Are they my favorite channel? NO. Does it suck we got word this was gonna happen by the end of Feb. Yes!
Let me put this a better way. Its kind of like pushing for a $10,000 a year salary increase, being negotiated to $1,000 and then they forget to add it to the next paycheck even though you were told it would be.
From what I've heard, some
From what I've heard, some of these new "HD" channels are only stretch-o-vision simulcasts like TBS HD still is.
WLUK-HD on cable or satellite is, in my estimation, a pipe dream for the foreseeable future, no matter what corporate spokespeople tell you. Someone has to budge, and I doubt it's gonna be Time Warner. Sure as heck isn't going to be LIN if past precedence holds.
CW-HD is probably more a function of WIWB not being technically prepared to do it than Time Warner being able to pass it along. Being a CW affiliate, I doubt they have as much leverage for retransmission fees as any of the Big Four do, especially having just lost WWE programming. WIWB has had enough problems just running their digital transmitter in past (I still can't pull a usable signal where I live, not that I watch a great deal of CW programming to begin with).
If I was aiming for channels, I would most like to see:
Food Network HD
Big Ten Network HD (and I barely watch sports!)
Discovery HD (the real thing, not the "HD Theater")
MGM HD
Science Channel HD
Weather Channel HD
USA HD
I know for a fact Time Warner has rights to carry some of those channels, but the local branch just hasn't put them through yet. As I always say on this subject... here's hopin'...
I Had hoped that perhaps
I Had hoped that perhaps this time we'd see a little benefit from TWC. But Alas, I guess it wasn't meant to be. I just wish I didn't have to pull teeth to get anything that even resembles a glimmer of hope for new channels. A little information can go a long way. I'm going to hold out hope that perhaps, we'll see more than two channels in the next addition, as appears to be common with a number of other Time Warner systems. But only time will tell.
Wow, I am truly disappointed
Wow, I am truly disappointed with TWC after this most recent example of TWC’s un-commitment to HD. Several weeks ago I spoke with the local Marketing Manager for TWC about why we do not have nearly as many HD channels as other markets in the country do. He said it was entirely a bandwidth issue and that if they had more bandwidth to use, we’d have more HD channels. He also said that they had recently moved a few channels over to switched digital, which freed up room for 2 new channels in February and also 2 or 3 more in March. He confirmed that the 2 for February were History and National Geo, and that the proposed date to flip them on was February 19, they were just waiting to hear back from the Tech guys to confirm this. Looks like someone, or everyone there dropped the ball this month, or just flat our forgot that they run a cable network in addition to their digital phone service. I strongly urge everyone to e-mail Steve Slocum, Marketing Manager at Time Warner Cable - steven.slocum@twcable.com - and tell him how disappointed you are that these new, or any new channels are not being seen. On top of that, let him know that we’re frustrated by the lack of communication from Time Warner Cable. (The website hasn’t been updated in months, it still says ESPN is on the Premium HD Tier for crying out loud. “Subscribe to premium channels like HBO HD, Showtime HD, ESPN HD, HDNet Movies, INHD and INHD2”) I was actually able to talk with Steve on the phone for about 15 minutes on HD channels and such. Afterwards I actually felt that he and TWC cared about HD and wanted new channels for us. He was extremely polite and informative on the phone, and answered every question I had, and I can’t thank him enough for that. The more people that e-mail him, however, the more I think he will put pressure on the local branch to add these channels in a timely fashion. We’ve got to let them know that we really do care about our HD!
How is the bandwith issue
How is the bandwith issue being corrected? Is the best solution just to move channels around or delete them completely? They sit and advertise their great and powerful "fiber network", what is up with this? If they have to completely move or delete channels to catch up with DirecTV this is going to take FOREVER or it is just plain not possible. After this last round of broken promises I am more happy then ever to see that VRAD going up two blocks from my house. Seriously when I read the article on this site a month or two ago about TWC saying they are going to be agressively adding an HD line up over the next few month I dropped the thought of ATT UVERSE all together. Not anymore.
The sooner I drop TWC the better
They are, supposedly,
They are, supposedly, deploying a system called "switched digital video," that works somewhat like how AT&T has their U-Verse system set up. AT&T has even less bandwidth into your house, which is why only one TV in your house can watch an HD channel at a given time. (This is supposedly being bumped up to two sometime this year)
Here is an article explaining about how it works:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switched_video
No system is "unlimited" on its own. You can fit a lot of water through a water main, but when you need to fit more through than the main will handle, you have to come up with a way to adapt to your needs. DirecTV has to keep launching satellite after satellite to increase its capacity. AT&T's IPTV is always going to be limited because they refuse to connect homes directly with fiber, rather using the copper already connected to your house. Cable companies, though they have a good deal of bandwidth over coax, are still limited and as the number of channel/service options grows, the need for something like switched video for them was inevitable.
When I talked with Steve he
When I talked with Steve he confirmed that TWC here is already using switched digital. He said it was just a matter of selecting less viewed channels and putting them on switched to make room for always on HD channels, (which would probably he watched more than BET or ShopNBC). Apparently this takes lots and lots of time....
Did he say that all of
Did he say that all of TWC-Wisconsin is using SDV, or just here in the Fox Valley? It seems to me that TWC-SE Wisconsin and TWC-NE Wisconsin are operating as pretty much the same entity these days. When HGTV-HD and A&E-HD showed up, they showed up down south at the same time as up here. It wouldn't surprise me if up here we're all ready to run with SDV, but TWC-SE Wisconsin is still working on getting the kinks out of their system, so we're stuck waiting so that a combined TWC-Wisconsin can introduce new channels together with both divisions.
I believe he said that TWC
I believe he said that TWC Green Bay/Fox Cities was SDV and that Milwaukee/Racine was about to get it. They're a little further behind us for some reason. It's crazy to thnk there are actually regions in a worse spot than we are.
It's even crazier that they
It's even crazier that they are behind us considering that down in Milwaukee, there is already competition from ATT U-Verse. Instead of up here, where we're still waiting for it to launch.
I heard, somewhere, that
I heard, somewhere, that Appleton/Green Bay was the number two Time Warner market in the country. I don't know if that's true, but that might explain why we got SDV and Milwaukee hasn't.
I was 80% sure we were already SDV but never got "official" confirmation on it before. It would certainly make sense though.
I'd hate to be a TiVo Series 3 owner in this market, though.
The new target date for
The new target date for National Geographic and History in HD is Thu. March 6. Hopefully it happens this time. Personally I would rather they wait to make sure they are working properly than to put them on and have problems. For those out there that have a Time Warner cable box, there are currently 15 channels that are switched digital. They can be found between 1500 to 1731. While we don’t have Fox 11 in HD we do have it in digital on 1500.
Does having it in switched
Does having it in switched digital mean FOX 11 is one of those "lesser-viewed channels?"
(Just kidding)
Thanks for the update.
Is there any information on
Is there any information on when more HD channels will be added besides National Geographic and History?
Just got an e-mail back from
Just got an e-mail back from Steve at TWC, he confirmed Thursday is correct for our new channels!
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