TimeWarnerCable may pass satellite in HD channels

[ignatius]

TWC has moved to a format called switched digital video that allows more channels by only broadcasting the one that is watched.  KC is one of the first markets to get it.  It should allow up to around 500 HD channels if I understand right.  I don't think satellite has enough capacity for 500.


~40 HD channels before...
999 HD INDEMAND PPV
1024 Music HD
1045 Discovery HD
1052 Food Network HD
1054 HGTV HD
1275 Expo TV On Demand
1276 Driver TV On Demand
1277 Movie Trailers On Demand
1278 Find It On Demand
1279 Journey TV On Demand
1401 - 1402 KCPT
1403 KCPT Create
1404 KCPT Kids
1411 WDAF - 4 Fox HD
1421 KMBC 9 ABC HD
1422 KMBC First Alert Weather
1431 KCWE The CW HD
1441 KSHB-41 NBC HD
1442 KSHB Action Weather Plus
1451 KCTV 5 CBS HD
1460 TNT HD
1461 National Geographic HD
1462 History Channel HD
1471 My KSMO TV HD
1496 Fox Sports Midwest - Kansas City
1497 ESPN-HD
1498 ESPN-2 HD
1499 A&E High Definition
1500 HD Theater
1501 MOJO
1503 HD Net
1504 HDNET Movies
1506 Universal HD
1550 Movies on Demand HD
1555 HD Showcase On Demand
1700 HBO East High Definition
1720 Cinemax HD East
1740 Showtime High Definition
1760 Starz HD East

Another 11 recently online...
1014 TBS HD
1023 Science HD
1040 The Learning Channel HD
1044 CNN HD
1050 Travel HD
1055 Golf HD
1057 Animal Planet HD
1060 Fox News HD
1202 Outdoor HD
1217 Biography HD
1226 Planet Green HD

Another big chunk will by coming by the end of the year, which is when they could potentially pass satellite...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=652328

[KC0KEK]

SDV is great technology, as is DOCSIS 3.0. But none of it makes up for the fact that most of what's marketed as HD is actually upconverted SD, which looks like sh!t compared to content that was shot in HD.

[LenexatoKCMO]

I wish they would hurry up and get ESPN News HD - they changed the format a couple months ago and the standard def version only displays about half the data.  

[lock+load]

But none of it makes up for the fact that most of what's marketed as HD is actually upconverted SD, which looks like sh!t compared to content that was shot in HD.

Exactly, especially the channels that stretch SD, turning everyone into a fat ass.  I'd rather just watch the grainy old SD.

[ignatius]

Yeah, there may be content stretched in HD, but they are still HD broadcasts.  It will take years for 100% of content to be true HD.  And any old content that is rerun obviously would not be.  No big deal to me but it does annoy me when they stretch 4:3 content to 16:9.

The bottom line is that broacasters are indeed doing HD, it just depends on the content.  Would rather have the HD broadcast than none at all.  TWC will likely lead satellite by next year.

[KC0KEK]

Exactly, especially the channels that stretch SD, turning everyone into a fat ass.  I'd rather just watch the grainy old SD.

Or NBC Nightly News, which alternates between Brian Williams in widescreen and the correspondents' reports in 4:3. Annoying. And some affiliates have the problem that their weather alerts wind up dropped right on Brian's face.

[DaveKCMO]

CNN! yay!

[ignatius]

Using HDMI/DVI connections does help in autoformatting the ratio, but it doesn't always work if it's transcoded to a different ratio.

The topic is about HD channels though, not HD content.

[KCPowercat]

Yes, more HD....bring it on.....can they downgrade my DVR software while they are at it?

When they got FoodNetwork in HD, I became much more happy.

[KC0KEK]

The topic is about HD channels though, not HD content.

But you can't have an HD channel unless you've got HD content -- unless you're selling it people who don't understand the difference between upconverted SD and true HD, which seems to be most consumers. Just look at all of the surveys (e.g., from CEA) showing how many people believe that buying an HDTV automatically renders all of the content as HD.

[ignatius]

But more HD channels means more possibility for HD content.  All channels at least do some content in HD and some channels do nearly 100% HD.  Why so half glass empty about it?  Bottom line, more HD.  Nothing to bitch about.  It will take years to make all content 100% HD and old content/movies can never be, yet upscaling is better than SDV.  Are you saying you don't want extra HD channels now? 

[KC0KEK]

But more HD channels means more possibility for HD content.  All channels at least do some content in HD and some channels do nearly 100% HD.  Why so half glass full about it?  Bottom line, more HD.  Nothing to bitch about.  It will take years to make all content 100% HD, are you saying you don't want extra HD channels now? 

I've had a couple of HDTVs for about three years, but I've never subscribed to HD. I've always taken on the free HD tier that comes with being a digital sub. Why pay extra for, say, HGTV HD when it doesn't look much better than regular HGTV?

[ignatius]

Then don't buy an HDTV and create an HDTV sucks thread.

[KC0KEK]

Then don't buy an HDTV. 

I bought both because I wanted a really big screen, in the size range where SD or even ED weren't options. In other words, all of the models were HD. When there's more true HD content available, I'll watch it. But House Hunters in upconverted SD? No, thanks.

[KCPowercat]

How could more HD channels be turned into a bad thing?  I'm confused.  To me, anything on HGTV (HD or SD) isn't worth watching but I'm not complaining I now get their HD channel.

[ignatius]

Well you got to have the infrastructure before the content, and TWC is finally getting its act together.  I'll take it as it comes rather than not have it at all.

[lock+load]

I understand that old content has to be upconverted but don't jack with the aspect ratio. Rachel Ray really doesn't need the extra pounds. Let joe blow who feels the need to have every picture fill the entire screen stretch it himself and spare the rest of us.

[KC0KEK]

How could more HD channels be turned into a bad thing? 

Lots of reasons. It can be bad if your HDTV makes upconverted SD look worse than regular SD. It can be bad if cable ops, sat providers and telcos pad their HD line-up with upconverted SD so they justify a rate hike. It can be bad if some of the equipment, such as MPEG encoders, introduces blockiness as a result.

Among programmers, it's generally agreed that upconverted graphics look like crap compared to those in native HD -- basically an admission that upconversion is something you do when you don't care about quality.

[phuqueue]

It will take years to make all content 100% HD and old content/movies can never be, yet upscaling is better than SDV.

This is only half true.  Old movies can definitely do HD.  Film is an analog format, so you can't really directly compare it to digital HD, but the level of detail captured (and thus the theoretically possible resolution of the digital image) by 35mm film stock far surpasses digital 1080p.  Old TV shows that were shot on video are doomed to an eternity of blurry, grainy SD hell, but anything that was shot on film can absolutely be remastered in true HD.

[KCLofts]

SDV is bad if you have HD Tivo.  It can't get the SDV channels.  Supposedly they are working on some kind of external dongle to get around this.  However, the cable consortium is in charge of the developement and it's moving very slowly.