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Five new premium HD channels land on TWC in Albany, New York
One thing is for certain about this -- those holed up in Manhattan clamoring for more HD from Time Warner Cable will only be screaming louder after hearing that the capital city has received yet another dose of high-definition before the state's most notable city. Yep, just a month (and a few days) after Albany received a small bucketful of new HD channels, subscribers in the area are reportedly able to tune into HBO West HD, Cinemax HD, Cinemax West HD, Starz HD and Starz West HD, provided they pay extra for the Premiums, of course. As tipster Mike N. so eloquently puts it: "Not bad for Smallbany!" [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Mike N.]
HBO on Broadband shown on video, arrives to Wisconsin customer
For HBO subscribers, HBO on Broadband sounds like a pretty sweet deal on paper. Unfortunately, the service is currently restricted to Time Warner cable and broadband subscribers in Wisconsin, but that hasn't stopped a video from surfacing showing off the service's capabilities. A clip over at Multichannel News shows it being demonstrated on an LCD TV, and while there's nothing really out of the ordinary -- it's an online viewing portal for peeping HBO programming, pretty simple -- it's still something to keep you satisfied 'til it rolls into your town. Speaking of which, we've found that discs are already arriving at homes of certain Wisconsin residents, and although a pair of Macs are used to advertise the service on the packet, there's a complete lack of OS X support on the discs themselves. Reportedly, the service worked "just fine" in Parallels, but this doesn't seem to be good news for those working sans any flavor of Windows. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Ken C.]
Time Warner Cable adding more HD in Central Texas
Now that U-verse is rolling into town, Time Warner Cable is looking to give current customers a few more reasons to stick around. According to a sidebar at News 8 Austin's website, the provider will be kicking out seven new additions on January 31st across Central Texas. More specifically, users in the area can expect to see National Geographic HD, The Movie Channel HD, Versus / Golf HD, Fox Business News HD, History Channel HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD and Weather Channel HD tossed in at month's end, and while Austin-area residents will see these slotted in the 1,600s, Waco, Temple and Killeen-area subscribers will need to look in the 1,000s. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Jay]
Arbitrator orders Time Warner Cable to carry MASN
It's been a nasty battle between Time Warner Cable and Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, with the latter even going so far as to buy airtime on local North Carolina radio stations pleading for consumers to prod the carrier until MASN appeared on its lineup. Thankfully for fans of the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals (among other squads), an FCC-appointed arbitrator has finally ordered TWC to carry the network after finding that it "deliberately discriminated" against the station. What has yet to be determined from the decision, however, is whether or not customers will be forced to pay extra to receive it, and more importantly, whether or not this presumably lucrative outcome will push MASN to finally make the leap to HD (if TWC doesn't appeal and win, that is). As it stands, the O's and Nats are two of only a few MLB teams with a home channel that doesn't air any of its games in high-definition, but if you're impetuously determined to see your Birds in HD, you could always find an empty seat (or ten) at Camden Yards. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Via The Wolf Web, image courtesy of Nasty Nats]
Time Warner Cable brings more HD to Queens, New York
Not even a month after Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) dished out a healthy serving of high-definition offerings in New York's capital city, it appears as if the vast majority of those (along with a few others) are making their way into Queens. According to Matt, Woodside (a neighborhood in Queens, NY) residents can now fetch CNN HD, M HD, History Channel HD, A&E HD, Food Network HD, Lifetime Movies HD, HGTV HD, TMC HD, Versus HD and... NFL HD. No need to wipe your eyes -- as you can see above, NFL HD is indeed situated on channel 795, though we're hesitant to believe that this is the first indication of TWC and NFL Network working out their issues. For customers in the area, why not fire up your STB and flip through the new additions, and while you're at it, drop us a line in comments with what exactly shows up on 795.Update: Apparently, the Staten Island TWC lineup is the same as Woodside's, and in that locale, channel 795 is NHL HD rather than NFL HD. An unfortunate typo, indeed. Thanks, UnnDunn![Thanks, Matt]
"HBO on Broadband" to offer free downloads, live feed
Being an HBO subscriber is about to get a lot more appealing, as the Time Warner-owned pay channel giant is set to roll out a new service that allows subscribers to both download select content as well as view live feeds, all on their PCs. "HBO on Broadband," as the feature is called, will give HBO on Demand customers on Time Warner's Roadrunner network access to both the live east coast feed as well as numerous TV episodes and Hollywood films, although downloads expire after 12 weeks or less, and you can't natively transfer any of this video swag to a portable device. Mac support is also conspicuously absent here, but seeing how the offer is confined to Time Warner cable and broadband subscribers only in Wisconsin for now, anyway, it's quite possible that an OS X client (and 64-bit Windows one) will become available as more regions get switched on. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Judith]
Time Warner Cable to trial consumption-based internet billing
If you thought Comcast's alleged data throttling caused a ruckus, get a load of this. Reportedly, Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) is gearing up to trial "consumption-based billing with subscribers in Beaumont, Texas later this year," which it hopes will "reduce congestion of its network by a minority of consumers who pay the same monthly fee as light users." According to a company spokesman, just five-percent of TWC customers suck up "more than half" of the bandwidth, but such a billing scheme could have some very nasty consequences. It's no secret that fetching television from the 'net is becoming entirely more mainstream, and with Apple pushing out "HD" rentals through its Apple TV, streaming video becoming more viable and Netflix freeing up its Watch Instantly feature, even consumers not considered lords of P2P could be hit with unexpected fees. 'Course, no prices have been divulged just yet, but seriously, does this not reek of paying for mobile time by the minute during the early 90s? Talk about taking two steps back.[Via The New York Times, image courtesy of JupiterImages]
Oceanic TWC finally gets CBS affiliate in HD
Now that thousands more Hawaiians are rocking HD DVRs from Oceanic Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget), we'd surmise that the cries for more HD offerings is getting nothing but louder. Thankfully, Oceanic TWC and KGMB-9 just finalized an agreement that brought the last local channel to its lineup in HD, just in time for all the NFL playoff action. Furthermore, Oceanic president Nate Smith implied that "as many as 20" more high-definition options could be available to islanders before 2009 dawns.
Comcast starts testing, deployment of "Start Over" service
Comcast has a timetable for its already-mentioned "Start Over" service, with plans to have it in place in select markets by the end of 2008. The service will allow customers who come late to an already-started program to restart viewing from the beginning of the content. Comcast is in talks with Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) for licensing rights to the name "Start Over." But whatever the name ends up being, Comcast plans to start testing the service by the middle of 2008 and deploying to customers by January 1, 2009.
Time Warner Cable adds A&E HD, History Channel HD in Nebraska
For those who call Nebraska home, Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) is giving you two more reasons to stay on the couch this New Year's Day. Reportedly, the operator has added A&E HD and History Channel HD to its digital lineup, but we've no idea if any others are slated to follow suit. Anyone else notice the newcomers? If so, drop your location in comments.[Thanks, Cody H.]
Royal Rumble to be WWE's first HD pay-per-view event?
Apparently, the WWE will finally be rolling out a major pay-per-view event in high-definition some 12 months after UFC did the same. According to a tipster, Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) is gearing up to offer the WWE Royal Rumble PPV event in HD when it airs on January 27, 2008. Of course, this shouldn't be too surprising considering that WWE was already planning to switch Smackdown to HD next month, but for fans of the sport, we're sure they'll be delighted to have the PPV matches in 1080i, too. We'll let you know if we hear anything official.[Thanks, DG]
Oceanic TWC orders up 6000 HD DVRs for Hawaii vs. Georgia bowl game
Sure, the University of Hawaii has a legitimate gripe for not being in the BCS Championship game -- you know, considering its undefeated record and all -- but islanders are apparently just as stoked to have their Warriors in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Oceanic Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) announced that it ordered up (and received) some 6,000 HD DVRs in anticipation of a spike in demand stemming from the upcoming bowl game. Reportedly, over 3,000 subscribers have been on a waiting list since December 1st to get their box in time for the New Year's day matchup, and Oceanic also noted that it would be extending business hours for O'ahu residents to get their hands around a box in time for the tilt. Of course, users not on said waiting list will be helped on a "first come, first served" basis, so we'd get a move on if you're scouting one.
Time Warner Cable adds new HD offerings in Albany, New York
Hot on the heels of reports claiming that Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) added six new HD channels in Maine comes a note that eight new offerings have emerged in New York's capital city. Reportedly, residents of Albany can now kick back and enjoy programming on History Channel HD, CNN HD, HGTV HD, The Weather Channel HD, Food Network HD, Golf Channel HD, National Geographic HD and Outdoor HD. Of note, our tipster mentioned that he had to reboot his HD DVR in order to actually receive the newcomers, so give that a go if you're running into issues viewing the aforementioned channels.[Thanks, Daniel S.]
Time Warner adds six new HD channels in Augusta, Maine
There's been an awful lot of HD expansion mentioned lately, but Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) has been sorely absent from the fun. Thanks to a tipster up in Maine, we've now learned that TWC has apparently added six new HD channels in Augusta without so much as a whisper. Customers in the area can now look forward to receiving CNN HD, HGTV HD, National Geographic HD, Food Network HD, Lifetime Movie Network HD and History Channel HD, but we've no idea if these options will make their way into any other surrounding regions.[Thanks, Jim Johnson]
Simple "hack" yields extra resolutions from Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR
If you're relying on a Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR, and you're not totally against having a little behind-the-scenes fun, a few new resolutions are awaiting you. Apparently, users can access an advanced setup mode by simply holding down a couple buttons and navigating through a few simple menus, and once that ordeal is over, they can select from 480i standard / widescreen, 480p standard / widescreen, 720p and 1080i output formats. Quite frankly, this is one of the easiest "hacks" (we're being generous, we know) we've seen to date, so even if you're far from being a seasoned DIY veteran, we're confident you can handle six brutally easy steps. Check out the read link for the how-to, complete with photos and a reassuring voice to calm your nerves should you need it.[Thanks, Om M.]
Comcast, Time Warner not interested in 700MHz auction
In what is surely a sign that the mania around the upcoming 700MHz auction is reaching absurd levels, cable operators Comcast and Time Warner Communications both issued press releases today confirming that they would not be bidding in January's auction. You might recall that both Time Warner (which is owned by Engadget's parent company's parent company) and Comcast are part of SpectrumCo, which snapped up 137 licenses covering 20MHz of spectrum the last time the FCC put airwaves on the block, so there was some speculation that the venture might ante up again this go 'round -- especially since TWC CEO Glenn Britt was running around making vague proclamations about it. Still, it looks like Sprint's exit from the alliance was enough to shelve any such plans, so it looks like the big players are still Google and Verizon. Good thing too -- with this much hype over Good vs. Evil, the racket over Good vs. Evil vs. More Evil vs. Frustratingly Incompetent would be deafening.
FCC treats apartment dwellers to cable competition
We realize what day it is, but we're pretty certain the FCC isn't messing around on this one. Right on cue, regulators have "approved a rule that would ban exclusive agreements that cable television operators have with apartment buildings, opening up competition for other video providers that could eventually lead to lower prices." The move was apparently "unanimously approved," and Chairman Kevin Martin went on to say that there was simply "no reason that consumers living in apartment buildings should be locked into one service provider." Not surprisingly, a spokeswoman for Comcast proclaimed that "many consumers were likely to wind up paying more for services if the FCC's interference in the competitive marketplace stands," but it's fairly safe to assume Verizon and AT&T see things very differently.
FCC looking to facilitate programming competition for apartments
Apartment dwellers frustrated with the outright lack of choices when it comes to selecting a content provider may soon be feeling relief, as the FCC is expected to approve a new rule that would "throw out exclusive cable television service contracts with apartment buildings and open up competition to phone companies." Supposedly, the new regulation "could significantly lower cable prices for millions of subscribers who live in apartment buildings and have had no choice in selecting a company for paid television," and of course, the execs at Verizon and AT&T are likely licking their chops at the notion of being able to steal away precious market share while potentially providing a cost savings to boot. Granted, some states already have provisions in place to prevent landlords and tenant associations from inking exclusive deals with cable providers, but for those currently stuck in a "take it or leave it" situation, all that could be changing in the very near future.[Via AP / Yahoo]
Time Warner Cable expanding HD lineup in San Antonio
It's that time again -- you know, the moment when San Antonians that rely on Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) can look forward to even more HD channels when they flip on the set. TWC has been doing its part to add a (small) number of high-definition stations of late, including a few here in the Raleigh market this month, and those dwelling in south-central Texas should now be able to view the Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), Food Network HD, HGTV HD and The History Channel HD. We know, it's not the most enthralling list of additions, but hey, we'll take what we can get.
Time Warner readying modified fast-forward functionality for DVRs
While Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) won't go down as the first cable company to modify the oh-so-lovable fast-forward feature, at least the latest hamstringing won't affect those willing to pay up. Dubbed "Look Back," the newfangled DVR feature will reportedly come "without a monthly fee," and will only allow customers to skip ahead and back in predetermined chunks of time; moreover, it will be limited to programs that are watched back before midnight of the day they air. The firm plans to test it out this October in South Carolina before "gradually introducing it around the country," and it was also noted that this -- along with the "Start Over" feature that functions exactly as it sounds -- would not require viewers to "remember to record programs," but alas, it also eliminates the ability to keep a library of stored content onboard. Ah well, so long as we diehard DVR users can keep on coughing up the dough required for a fully-functional FF button, we've no real qualms with this option joining the fray.
