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Time Warner Cable's new HD channels in October
Some providers can't stop talking about when they'll add new HD channels, while others would rather keep things under wraps 'till the new programming goes live. While both strategies have their advantages, not communicating with your customers is usually not a good idea. It appears now that TWC has quite a few plans for HD expansion in October, as customers in at least one market can expect to see many of the same channels DirecTV has been touting including, TBS HD, The History Channel HD, CNN HD, Lifetime Movies HD, and Food Network HD. While TBS HD is expected to go live in time for the MLB playoffs on October 1st, the rest are expected on October 15th. We can only assume that TWC and Bright House Networks customers all over the country will see these channels around the same time, but without a specific announcement, your guess is as good as ours.
Time Warner Cable, Cisco team up on new HD website
While we've seen companies go out of their way in the past to provide customers with HD assistance, it looks like Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) has teamed up with Cisco to give consumers yet another venue to have their questions answered. A variety of flashy help buttons enable befuddled individuals to select the kind of HDTV most suited for their viewing habits, learn the definitions of commonly used high-definition terms, and of course, goes on to plug TWC HD services. Sure, it's simply an interactive advertisement at heart, but at least it's giving consumers a drop of knowledge whilst fishing for their business.[Via BroadcastingCable]
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.
US appellate court upholds order blocking DirecTV ads
The seesaw match between DirecTV and Time Warner (parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) over those blasted "superior HD" spots has reached another milestone, as a US appeals court has "upheld a lower court's decision that prohibits the satellite television operator from airing advertisements that claim superior service in markets where Time Warner Cable operates." Notably, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit did, however, "set aside part of the lower court's order, saying the way it had been worded could be construed to prohibit the unfavorable comparison of even Time Warner Cable's analog programming." Ah well, it's not like those ads were exceedingly enthralling to begin with, right?
Comcast promises 400 HD channels this year and 800 the next
Never before have we had so many options for getting HD content, but these marketing claims are getting out of control. DirecTV kicked it off at CES this year, claiming 100 national HD channels, then followed up with commercials just to make sure everyone got the word. The cable companies responded by suing, and now in what we can only call, if you can't beat 'em join 'em, a Comcast exec announced that they will have 400 HD channels this year, and 800 in 2008. Never-mind the fact that there are nowhere near that many HD channels of available content, but 800 quality HD channels would take up almost 11 Gbps of throughput (using today's technology). So in order to make this work, we presume they will need to deploy Switched Digital Video, which is great and all, but renders every CableCARD device made today obsolete.
Time Warner to deploy Switched Digital to 50% of their markets in 2007
In an attempt to obtain "virtually unlimited" HD capacity, Time Warner Cable will deploy Switched Digital Video to 50% of their markets before the end of 2007. While it is great news that TWC will have the bandwidth to provide as many HD channels as they can get carriage deals, every TiVo Series3 fan will have to live with the fact that these channels will be inaccessible by the best DVR available. It doesn't make sense for any provider to switch all their channels to SDV, but it is likely that a new HD channel you'd otherwise love to watch won't be available. The good news is that you probably won't lose any programming, but rather just be unable to enjoy new HD channels. Sure, if CableCARD 2.0 ever makes it and everyone upgrades their Series3, this will be a non-issue, but at the rate CableLabs moves we have little faith this will happen in the next five years -- if ever.
Time Warner Cable will move ESPN's HD channels off the HD tier
The road to ESPN's HD channels for Time Warner Cable customers has been a long and somewhat painful one. First they had to wait a very long time to get the channel at all, and then when it was finally added, customers discovered that they had to pay an extra fee (typically $10) since the channel was added to the HD tier. Then when TWC finally added ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD came along and then again customers had to wait some time before they could enjoy all those college football games and drag racing in HD. Now with ESPNews HD just around the corner, TWC and ESPN got together and worked up a deal that will not only add ESPNews HD to the TWC lineup, but will also move all the ESPN HD channels off the HD tier, which means that all digital cable subscribers will now get the channel for no additional fee, -- assuming they have the proper equipment. This really makes us wonder how many people will pay $10 a month for four channels including HDNet, HDNet Movies, Mojo and Universal HD? They had better add some more channels if they want to make it worth our while.
The Time Warner Staten Island Project = loads of HD
Quick quiz hot shot - What do you get if you take away analog stations? Headroom for a lot of HD stations of course. A 100% digital delivery system is the most efficient way for a cable provider to supply HD stations and that's just what the Staten Island Project is all about - kind of like what Comcast is doing in Chicago. TWC is stating that if they totally shutoff their analog stream, they can provide up to 100 high-def stations. This little experiment does require every analog subscriber to switch over to digital but TWC says only a "distinct minority" will be affected. Really? Only a small amount? Come to think of it, most or our readers probably have a digital box - or two - in their house, but what about the TV in the kitchen? Or in the garage? Do they have a box on 'em too? Also, how much is it goin' to cost subscribers to equip each TV with a digital box? We're thinking just a bit more then a "distinct minority" will be affected, but for a 100 HD stations, we might consider the payoff instead of the inconvenience.
Is hell freezing over: Time Warner Cable to add ESPN2HD?
We have been expecting this for some time and it might finally happen, according to the general manager of Bright House Networks in Tampa FL; ESPN2HD will go live tonight on channel 704. You're probably wondering, what does Bright House Networks has to do with Time Warner Cable? Because a few years ago Bright House Networks markets were Time Warner Cable markets and although they are now managed separately, they continue to negotiate carriage agreements together to increase their bargaining power. This team work does not gurantee that if one provider picks up a new channel the other will too, but we're betting they do. (It may just be wishful thinking)
Pivot: Sprint's quad-play package
Yeah, Sprint unveiled the UpStage today, but the other sorta big news is that they officially took the wraps off of Pivot, the new name for their new quad-play service bundling up wireless, voice, broadband, and cable TV as a single package (they've been offering service in a handful of markets for a while now, they're basically just rebranding everything). Sprint's partners in Pivot are a handful of different cable providers, including Comcast, Cox, and our arch-nemesis Time-Warner Cable (which is owned by our parent company's parent company -- not that it's done a damn thing for the totally awful cable TV and internet service we get at Engadget HQ). All the big telcos are pimping these triple-play and quad-play packages -- they see them as a way to lock-in subscribers by offering them lower prices than consumers would pay for each service separately -- but Sprint's big selling point is that they're also promising some intergration across services, like the ability to program your DVR box from your cellphone (which we've already seen from AT&T), check home email and voicemail from a single interface, and make unlimited calls between your home VoIP line and your mobile phone. Anyway, Pivot is currently available in eight cities now, with another 40 more set to launch this year. Pricing will vary by market. Click on for a few more shots of the cellphone/DVR interface.
The reason why Time Warner's HD lineup isn't that great
We are constantly receiving emails asking why a certain channel isn't carried by a provider and while the business behind carriage agreements is complicated, in a recent interview with TVPrediction.com we learned one possible reason why Time Warner seems to always be behind the curve. The Senior Vice President in charge of programming doesn't have a HDTV! That's right, when asked "What is your favorite show in HDTV?", her response was "Well, this one is easy. I don't have a high-def set. My husband and I are renovating a new home so I'm getting one when I move into my new house...I did see Discovery's (Planet Earth) in HD and it was extraordinary." We're glad you caught an episode of Planet Earth, but seriously isn't it your job to evaluate content for Time Warner? How can you possibly do that without an HDTV? Of course this wasn't the entire interview, she also dodged the question about why they don't carry ESPN2HD and complained that some networks upconvert and call it HD, hmm, hello TNT-HD, a Time Warner Company, just call over there and tell them to cut it out. But this interview wasn't all good news, she also explained that in order to compete with DirecTV's 100 HD channels that they will be rolling out Switched Digital Video, which we all know makes our beloved Series3 useless.
Time Warner won't provide CableCARDs for Series 3 TiVos?
Remember how TiVo recently sent that letter to the FCC and cable operators telling them to be prepared for the Series 3 rollout, partly because of reports that some providers were refusing to hook up beta testers with the necessary CableCARDS? Well now it looks like the company's concerns may be completely legitimate, as a complaint on the website ConsumerFury contends that Time Warner Cable's Raleigh division responded to a recent customer inquiry on the matter by stating that "Time Warner Cable of Raleigh does not provide support for or allow TiVo devices on our cable network...CableCARDS will only be installed on cable-ready, CableCARD-slot-available television sets." Pretty harsh, especially considering the fact that Time Warner's policy may not even be legal: federal regulations concerning CableCARDS seem to indicate that providers must support them for any unidirectional TV, set-top-box, or recording device connected to a digital cable system. We certainly understand that cable companies see TiVo as a direct competitor to their own DVR offerings, but we're not sure that alienating customers with such a hard-line stance is the best move; after all, isn't a customer who brings his/her own DVR to the table better than no customer at all?[Via TiVoBlog]
Time Warner Cable in San Antonio adding two HDTV channels
Time Warner Cable customers in the San Antonio area is getting a couple more high-def stations. NOTE: This really isn't anything super exciting but hey, more high-def stations is always nice to have. But anyway, Cinemax HD can now be found on station 182 and Starz HD on 382 in the San Antonio area if you have the high-def package with the corresponding premium stations. We would have loved to say that they were getting something like National Geographic HD or HGTV HD rather then more high-def movie stations. Even getting MTVs high-def station, MHD, might have been more exciting. But like we said before, more high-def staitons is better than less high-def stations. Right?
Auction 66 could shake up wireless industry, benefit consumers
BusinessWeek writer Olga Kharif paints an interesting portrait of the potential state of the wireless industry following the government's unprecedented sale of spectrum this summer, called Auction 66, which could see a number of new players enter the voice and data market in the not-too-distant future. Following several years of industry consolidation, highlighted by Cingular picking up AT&T and Sprint grabbing Nextel, we could soon see companies that have traditionally delivered content in other fashions -- Time Warner, MySpace-owner News Corp., or Clearwire -- offer services that compete directly with the four major carriers. Several players, including Intel-backed Clearwire, Google-backed Earthlink, and a venture between Time Warner Cable, Sprint-Nextel, Comcast, Cox, and Advance/Newhouse Communications have already expressed interest in bidding for a slice of spectrum, while other bidders, which could include a Bill Gates- and Paul Allen-backed contender, will be revealed sometime next month. Unless the established carriers snatch up all the available spectrum, which is highly unlikely, fresh blood in the industry should bode well for consumers, who will likely benefit from lower prices, more services to choose from, and less restrictions on their bandwidth usage.
