Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Updated: Time Warner Cable Dropping HDNet Channels Nationwide May 31 - 2009-05-18 15:32:23 | Multichannel News

Am I the only one here furious with this move?

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

You know, the channels weren't really worth having to pay an extra tier subscription fee considering the number of HD channels that are being carried these days. We were paying $6/month for the HD Pack which was basically HDNet, HDNet movies and Universal HD (now it also includes MGM HD). We cancelled it back in February as a cost-cutting measure, and honestly we haven't missed it one bit.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I'll miss them for the live Space Shuttle launches but not much else. They had lots of great movies and stuff, but I never found myself actually watching them very often. That being said, I'm always sad to lose any HD channel. Hopefully there are some good additions soon. But I wouldn't count HDNET out yet. I wouldn't be surprised if Cuban makes a deal to keep them around on TWC.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

They show many good concerts, and, Sex God Rock n Roll with Stuart Davis late late late night on Sunday is good too. Maybe they just need to change their name to "The Concert and Music and occasionally volleyball Channel" or something. "HDNet" sounds like a web channel more than a cable channel anyway. They need a name that conveys their programming.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

C'mon down here to Florida, I watch these things every chance I get!

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

While it's nice to see the images in HD, I generally watch NASA TV (either on cable or online) and for the last 2 launches SpaceFlightNow.com's online coverage. They do live streaming with tons of guests and it's anchored by former CNN space and aviation correspondent Miles O'Brien. Best shuttle launch coverage I have ever watched. Knowledgeable anchors, big-time guests and serious interviews, as opposed to the softball questions that get asked elsewhere.

Then again, about 50 seconds after a launch I can go outside and see the shuttle as it rises above the treeline in my neighborhood. Even though it's 150 miles away, it still makes me feel closer than any HD coverage ever could.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I guess in the long run having a channel named "HDNet" would be along the lines of having a "Color TV Network". It served a purpose to give early HDTV owners something to watch but it'll probably have to evolve to stay relevant.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

GET OUT!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

"Man, that's just MEAN. That's MEAN, man."

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I watch HDNet movies all the time, but I'm into classic films so that channel appeals to me and my viewing habits.





Crawdaddy

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I am SO jealous! That's one thing I've always wanted to see in person. Time's running out. Been to Florida (and KSC) numerous times, but never been lucky enough to time it with a launch. Back in 1978 on a family vacation, we saw the Atlas Centaur 51 launch at night. That was spectacular, but no where near the power of the Shuttle. A few years ago we were in Orlando and got to hear the sonic booms as the Shuttle flew over head on its approach to KSC for a landing. Did I mention I was jealous?

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Agreed. That's why this bothers me.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Sorry David, I didn't mean to offend you.

The Shuttle isn't the most powerful Launch Vehicle, the Atlas V in its Maximum Configuration (Five Boosters) and the Delta IV-Heavy are more powerful. The Closest you can get to the Shuttle is about six miles (From the north end of Titusville) and the Closest you can get to the Delta IV and Atlas V are seven and nine miles, respectively. The LOUDEST launches are the Delta II Rockets, you can get to within 2 1/2 miles from these launches at the city park (Called Jetty Park) located at the inlet of Port Canaveral. At this distance you not only see and hear these babies, but FEEL THEM as well!

Sadly, they plan to phase out the Delta IIs in 2011.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I watched HDNet quite a bit a couple of years ago, back when it was one of the only non-prime time HD channels my service carried, but I don't watch it much any more. If they replace it with Sci-Fi HD in time for me to watch the new Stargate and maybe Cartoon Network HD in time for next season's Clone Wars, I'll be okay with it. If they just drop the number of HD channels carried or put another damn Disney HD or something, I'll be sorry about it.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just keep rubbing it in I'm used to it.

I got a 3 year post grad appointment in Gainesville starting Summer 1986 right about the time of the Challenger accident. Went from expecting to be within driving distance to see a few launches to being stuck with no launches until my last few months.

A friend who worked for NASA Huntsville got some Base Passes for STS-30 in April 1989 at a site which was supposed to be the closest allowed other than the Family Press Viewing area -- couldn't have been more than 3 miles from the Pad. Sure enough 30 seconds and they scrubbed the launch for some sort of computer glitch so I NEVER got to see a live launch.

Now due to security you can't even get near to that area during a launch and my friend no longer works for NASA. The closest I ever got was a Dawn launch when I was at Disney and you could barely see the Plume just above the treeline and hear a distant rumble. One of these days I swear I'm going to be in Florida during a live launch.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Just discovered this tonight and I'm livid. HDNet movies was my fave channel. I can't believe TW and their BS.

Harry at AICN has the troops all fired up...

Fuck You TIME WARNER AUSTIN! I want HDNET & HD MOVIES back like yesterday!!! -- Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

Where we live in NYC, TWC is the only option. Apt. building, no FIOS, no Dish, DirecTV possible. Grrrr.... Time to cancel the additional HD tier. Smithsonian channel? MAV channel...???

Since MMA is a HUGE and growing sport, I think was a big mistake on the part of TWC... Alot of those viewers will switch if they can.


Yep, tonight MAV is showing some show called STAG and Smithsonian has "street monkeys" on later. And HDnet is showing "The Godfather"...


Thanks TWC....

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I agree, Dave. In Indy, our Brighthouse network has taken away the HDnet channels and replaced one of them with Smithsonian. It's too soon to say if I'm going to like the Smithsonian channel, although current programming looks to be very inferior to World News Reports, Dan Rather, movie trailers (in H.D.!) and the great selection of concerts, movies and InFocus travel shows that I loved. This change is a big mistake, no doubt fueled by some financial benefit to Time Warner but at the consumers' expense. I've called Brighthouse, and was told to send an e-mail of complaint to their website at the "contact us" link, but the customer service person frankly stated that she doubted all the complaints would change Time Warner's decision. I don't see myself going to the trouble of changing to DishNetwork, which is an option, but I'm sorry to lose the HDNet channels, for sure.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I'd say 8 of the last 10 movies I've watched were on HDNet, but part of that is getting them off my DVR as opposed to having a DVD sit on a shelf.

Cool Hand Luke
Little Big Man
The Girlfriend Experience
Excalibur
Ronin

in the past month or two.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Wow. This sucks. I sure will miss the movie channel. Wonder if my cable bill just got cheaper?

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I still have HDNet and HDNet Movies, but they just added something called Mav TV. It looks pretty lame so far.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

In place of MavTV, I got Rural TV HD added to my area.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

FWIW, I emailed TWC in NYC to express my disappointment.
I'll be dropping the HDXtra tier. Poker in HD just doesn't do it for me.
MGM HD is OK, but not worth the expense.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I have to give HDNet more credit than I did above. It turned me on to Dead Like Me and Joan of Arcadia, and I got to watch some killer concerts like Godsmack and Robert Randolph. And, of course, there were Katie Daryl's breasts. I stopped watching when my service added the Discovery familiy of channels to the HD tier, but the things mentioned above did open me up to things I am still enjoying today.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I just loved watching some good, classic uncut, commercial free movies. And they only popped their logo on very subtly every 15 minutes or so unlike some channels where it's on all the time with inane things like "SUMMER OF MOVIES!!!" or some crap above the station bug like MGMHD.

This is just some of the stuff...

June 2009 Programming Highlights *All times listed are Eastern Standard Time

HDNet Movies Sneak Preview – Experience exclusive broadcasts of new films before they hit theaters and DVD

Surveillance Premieres Wednesday, June 24th at 8:15pm, followed by encore presentations at 10:00pm and 11:45pm. Starring Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell James. Written by Jennifer Lynch and Kent Harper. Executive Produced by David Lynch. Directed by Jennifer Lynch. When Federal Officers Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman) arrive at Captain Billing’s office, they have three sets of stories to figure out and a string of vicious murders to consider. One zealot cop, a strung out junkie and an eight year old girl all sit in testimony to the roadside rampage, but as the Feds begin to expose the fragile little details each witness conceals so carefully with a well practiced lie, they soon discover that uncovering ‘the truth’ can come at a very big cost…

SPOTLIGHT FEATURES – Highlighted feature films airing on HDNet Movies

Army of Darkness – premieres Friday, June 12th at 8:00pm

Be Cool – premieres Saturday, June 13th at 10:00pm

District B-13 – premieres Tuesday, June 9th at 10:15pm

Get Shorty – premieres Saturday, June 13th at 8:05pm

Happy Gilmore – premieres Saturday, June 6th at 8:00pm

The Life of David Gale – premieres Saturday, June 27th at 8:00pm

Reservoir Dogs – premieres Saturday, June 20th at 9:30pm

Waking Up in Reno – premieres Saturday, June 6th at 9:35pm

HIGH DEFINITION PREMIERES – Films broadcast in High Definition for the first time on television See program schedule or HDNet Movies for complete listings of dates and times

The Accidental Tourist

Boys on the Side

Creepshow

NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY – HDNet Movies presents American Films selected by the Library of Congress for historical and cultural preservation. For more information on film preservation, visit National Film Preservation Board (Library of Congress) and National Film Preservation Foundation See program schedule or HDNet Movies for complete listings of dates and times

Annie Hall

Lawrence of Arabia

Rebel Without a Cause

The Wild Bunch

In Retro – Memorable Classic movies airing Sunday Nights

The Guns of Navarone – Sunday, Jun 7th at 6:15pm

Force 10 from Navarone

The Spirit of St. Louis – Sunday, June 14th at 7:15pm

Rio Lobo – Sunday, June 14th at 9:35pm

Lawrence of Arabia – Sunday, June 21st at 6:30pm

The Getaway – Sunday, June 28th at 6:00pm

The Wild Bunch – Sunday, June 28th at 8:05pm

Jeremiah Johnson

ART HOUSE CINEMA – Independent films, foreign films and documentaries airing Tuesday Nights

Cold Mountain – Tuesday, June 2nd at 8:00pm

Red Violin – Tuesday, June 2nd at 10:45pm

Bloody Sunday – Tuesday, June 9th at 8:15pm

Shall We Dance? – premieres Tuesday, June 16th at 8:00pm

Kinky Boots – Tuesday, June 16th at 10:05pm

Matewan – Tuesday, June 23rd at 8:00pm

Lone Star – Tuesday, June 23rd at 10:15pm

Eve’s Bayou – Tuesday, June 30th at 8:15pm

The Magdalene Sisters – Tuesday, June 30th at 10:05pm



sigh.... Creepshow, in HD...! sigh....

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Really upset about this move, I absolutely loved all the HD presentations of classic movies and concerts. These channels are why I pay for an HD tier that I guess I can now drop. I'm moving soon and this is making me seriously consider switching to satellite when I do.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

I emailed my Bright House system as well:

"I am writing to express my extreme displeasure with the decision to remove HDNET Movies from the HD Pack. I had made the decision to subscribe to the HD Pack two days before the removal of this channel, almost exclusively for the impressive selection of films on HDNET Movies. I question the reasoning of paying extra for most of the remaining channels like MAVTV and Hallmark Movie Channel. And it is particularly offensive to pay a premium for Universal HD which edits films and interrupts them with commercials. I will take the rest of June to evaluate the HD Pack channels to see if my first impressions are unfounded. However, I suspect that without the return of HDNET Movies, I will be removing the HD Pack from my service. I urge you to reconsider the choice to remove HDNET Movies to bring value, quality and selection back to the HD Pack."

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

In the canned response to my message I recieved, they indicated:

"We at Bright House Networks are doing our best to secure an agreement
with HD NET so that we can once again offer these channels to our HD
Pack customers. You are a valued Bright House Networks customer and we
don't want you to miss out on any programming. Our hope is that we will
quickly come to an agreement with HD NET that is fair to our customers."

Not sure if it's just a bunch of BS or if they are trying to get the channels back.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Blame Cuban, not Time Warner. Cuban got greedy and wanted the channels moved to the basic tier. Time Warner said no. Cuban wouldn't sign a new carriage deal if they weren't moved to the basic tier so Time Warner had no choice but to remove them since the existing carriage deal expired. With the recent launch of TCM HD, there isn't really much of a need for HDNet Movies and I expect it will fade into obscurity like VOOM.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

Thanks for this, Derek. I emailed Brighthouse in Indy also. Hope it helps. "Limited appeal?" More limited than "Smithsonian Channel?" We knew there had to be more to it than that.

Re: Time Warner to drop HDNet and HDNet Movies, says there is "limited appeal"

You're serious about this. I have Time Warner Cable and I don't see an HD version of TCM. I need to watch all my HDNet Movies recordings so I can clear my DVR.

I didn't even think they had HD masters for a lot of their stuff.