Got my new TWC HD box! My review: (1 Viewer)

[Dave Poehlman]

After the usual struggle with Time Warner's customer service, a technician visited me Saturday to deliver my new HD capable box and plugged it into my new Toshiba 50HDX82.

He programmed the box to give me all of the movie channels for the weekend to try things out.

I was a little dissappointed in the amount of HD programming. HBO-HD, Showtime-HD, and PBS-HD. (I haven't had a chance to check out the network HD broadcasts... I'm not sure if my local networks even support them!) But, what I did see was like crack cocaine to me! Especially the "full-blown" HD programming. Films upsampled to HD looked nice, but about the same as DVD to me. However, native HD shows like the PBS-HD demos were amazing.

The whole HD experience to me seems a little clunky and awkward (having to switch inputs on my TV, screen size, etc..) but, this is still pretty new technology... I'm sure things will become more streamlined and automated in the near future.

I just had to spew out my 2¢

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Apparently my CBS affiliate doesn't support HD... at least I don't think so. Maybe someone can help me out. Last night, during halftime on Monday Night Football, I flipped over to CSI:Miami which, according to TitanTV, is broadcast in HD. So I switch over to the HD component output on the cable box and I don't see an HD picture.
What does this mean? My CBS affiliate doesn't carry HD? (TitanTV said it did) Or is it broadcast on a completely separate channel on my cable box? (like HBO-HD or Showtime-HD) Is this how my box is supposed to work?
I'm confused.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Here in austin the nbc station is in hidef, but timewarner cable doesn't carry it. They only carry HBO and Showtime HD and thats it. It might be the same thing where your at. You can get it over the air, but not through TWC's feed.

 

[Kevin Eckhardt]

Dave,

Here in Durham, NC we've got HD channels for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS. These are all on separate channels than the non-HD feeds. Here the HD channels are located in the low to mid 200's (except for HBO and Showtime). You might want to look on your local TWC website for a channel listing, or just punching in numbers to see what you get. Here the HD channels aren't listed in the programming guide, though the secondary channels are ( ie the DT-2 thru DT-4 channels, but not the main DT-1 channel ).

Kevin

 

[Dheiner]

Dave,
I've had the TW HD box for a while now. The HD has always been in the 700's. The only HD available now on Milwaukee TW are Showtime, HBO, and the one PBS feed. Recently there was an announcement that TW would be carrying Channel 4's NBC feed in HD by the end of the year. I suggest you check out www.milwaukeehdtv.org they seem to have some pretty accurate info.

 

[Lew Crippen]

In Dallas the only way to get network HD is OTA. Each local affiliate telecasts both an analog and a digital signal, on separate channels.

 

[Lew Crippen]

You can check out local OTA options at the National Association of Broadcasters here.
Milwaukee stations telecasting in digital are:
WDJT
WITI
WTMJ
WMVS

 

[GregY]

Yep,
They have it right. When they installed my TWC HD STB they said I would get all the HD channels if they were being broadcast in HD. Nope, wrong, nada... Maybe they should train their employees a little better on that one.
You only get HBO HD (721), Showtime HD (731), and PBS HD (710). The locals are in negotiation with TWC on getting their HD feeds on cable. All the HD channels will be in the 700 channel series.
NBC coming possibly after the beginning of the year.

 

[Michael Reuben]

After several months with my TW-HD box, I find that we've pretty much stopped watching shows or movies in HD. The reason? So many dropouts, momentary blackouts and image break-up that it's too distracting to watch. My wife officially decreed that we had to stop watching The Sopranos on HD because she didn't want to lose any more dialogue.

M.

 

[Lew Crippen]

After several months with my TW-HD box, I find that we've pretty much stopped watching shows or movies in HD. The reason? So many dropouts, momentary blackouts and image break-up that it's too distracting to watch. My wife officially decreed that we had to stop watching The Sopranos on HD because she didn't want to lose any more dialogue.

And I thought that everything was better in the ‘Big Apple’.

Even though I live in the only part of Dallas that has cable service with HD, I went with a satellite service, as I was skeptical on cable really stepping up to the digital challenge. Here neither cable nor satellite has any local HD—that is only available OTA. I do expect to switch in the upcoming years, as cable could have the amount of bandwidth necessary for a lot of HD channels.

Don’t know about anyone else, but my DirectTV feed has HBOHD just fine. So I have no mandate on the Sopranos. But it would come quickly were there problems.

 

[John Berggren]

I get no dropouts on any HD channel save for NBC. NBC is VERY spotty. So it's not TWC for me, it's specific channels.

Which boxes does everyone have? I'm waiting for TWC to get a box with ieee outputs.

 

[Michael Reuben]

And I thought that everything was better in the ‘Big Apple’.

Not TV reception. It's always been a problem.

I'm no expert on the subject, but I suspect that TW-NYC is significantly overcrowding the system. Too many channels, too much compression, etc. Even some of the non-HD channels can be almost unwatchable at times.

If it were up to me, I'd drop the cable and install a satellite dish on the rooftop. Unfortunately, that's not something individual apartment-dwellers can do on their own.

M.

 

[Dheiner]

I quote:

 

[Jason_Els]

Keep in mind that the NYC HD transmitters are now in New Jersey in a less than ideal location. All but one of them was lost on 9/11. :frowning:

 

[Mike-NC]

Kevin/John,
I have to say that we are very lucky here in the Raleigh-Durham area as far as the HD goes. WRAL should be commended for everyhting they've done to push everyone along. TWC has all the major networks and I've had almost no problems with the exception of NBC as you mentioned (and the crappy 2 channel sound NBC always seem to broadcast). On top of it all, TWC doesn't even charge extra for the HD boxes. Lets see the satelite salesmen rationalize that away.

PS-No I don't work for TWC or WRAL.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

When they installed my TWC HD STB they said I would get all the HD channels if they were being broadcast in HD. Nope, wrong, nada... Maybe they should train their employees a little better on that one.

Yeah, everyone I talk to at TWC tells me something different. At first they told me I couldn't even have an HD box unless I bought HBO & Showtime. I realize now that what they meant was that they only offer HBO, Showtime & PBS in HD. I've learned now that the local ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates brodcast OTA HD... but TWC doesn't support them yet. I could get an HD decoder and an antenna for the OTA HD stuff... but, I was trying to avoid the extra box by getting TWC's HD box.
Not that I watch that much broadcast television anyway. I'll just have to wait for TWC to get off their arse. (I'll probably just watch PBS-HD most of the time anyhow... those nature shows look incredible in Hi-Def!)
Thanks for all the info guys! Maybe I should hire myself out and become a training consultant for TWC service reps.
SIDE NOTE: I didn't realize we had so many Wisconsinites in here... much less Milwaukeeans. It's good to see the dairy state getting equal representation on the HTF.

 

[Bill Slack]

Michael:

If you have a window facing the right direction and are adventuresome, it can be done. I had Dish Network in my form room one year, shooting through a window I replaced with plexi-glass. Cable wired through an entire college campus comes out looking pretty piss-poor, so I just bypassed it...

Dave:

I don't watch a ton of TV (well, I do right now because I'm unemployed AND just had surgery, so I'm not too busy or active, these days!) -- but since getting a HD tuner my viewing habits have really changed. I used to watch all sorts of sports, the Daily Show, and Seinfield re-runs, along with athe history channel. I didn't watch any new network dramas or sitcoms. Now I really look forward to watching things like CSI and Hidden Hills. It is a better and more immersive experience in HD.

If you can get DirecTV that might be better since the boxes have OTA tuners, plus you could get ShoHD, HBOHD and HDnet (and presumably ESPN-HD when it exists.) Of course, if TWC is planning on adding the networks soon, then that's a bit of a waste. Somehow I doubt they wourld (could?) supply you with any time table though.

I lived in New Berlin, WI the Summer of 2000 and worked at GE Medical Systems (CT Systems, also in New Berlin, at the time.) So I'm briefly a former Milwaukeean/Wisconsinite. I miss Sprecher (the beer was quite good, but the root beer is the best I've ever had!) and especially Culvers. YUM!

 

[Michael Reuben]

If you have a window facing the right direction and are adventuresome, it can be done.

I have the windows, but there are tall buildings on the other side of them. This town exists more in the vertical dimension than the horizontal.
I have seen a few do-it-yourself satellite setups on apartment balconies, mostly on 5th Avenue where there's more open space because Central Park is across the street. But those situations are rare in my neck of the woods.
M.

 

[MarcS]

Michael, you mention all those problems with HD--have you considered that your box is bad? I had the exact same problems ONLY on the HD channels with TimeWarner and the Scientific Atlanta 2000 box--I missed the last 1/2 hour or so of the season ending Six Feet Under...

How they totally screwed up on getting me a replacement box is another story, but I'm getting Dish hooked up this afternoon--which is my answer to TW's problems (at least locally).

 

[John Berggren]

I visited TWC at Southpoint on Sunday. They are still using the Scientific Atlanta 3100HD boxes. I really need an ieee upgrade. Of course nobody there knows what I'm talking about.