TWC Digital Simulcast

[kevbeck122]

I haven't seen any news or talk about it recently, but I was wondering when we're gonna get 2-99 in digital form?  Also, will they be available in the clear?

[gparris]

Yes, that was something I read about last year, that by October, 2006 (a target date) we were supposedly should have had this (by now).

Other locations in the country seem to have had this done, but not here.
TWC-Milwaukee is very slow to change, note we are the last in the country to have HD channel additions of any kind, too.

I think it all plays down to what the local bosses at TWC desire to do vs. what other locations actually do - TWC corporate allows them free reign on choice.
TWC - Milwaukee is not obligated to offer anything - it can do what it wants, period.
The "mindset" of the local TWC managers is somewhat backward, IMO.

If a contract is signed to do anything like what you are asking and the other locations do it, it doesn't necessarily mean your location gets that HD channel or simulcast setup.

Aren't monopolies fun?

[Tom Snyder]

Hmm... I'm enjoying all those channels in crystal clear digital quality... oh wait, I have DirecTV. :wave:

[gparris]

Hmm... I'm enjoying all those channels in crystal clear digital quality... oh wait, I have DirecTV. :wave:

Sure Tom, rub it in, same for subs with Dishnetwork, too, but I wonder if the compression artifacts are worse for SD with DirecTV as with Dishnetwork.:confused:

Watching CW18 on analogue TWC (since it refuses to add the channel in HD, even with the new SBG agreement in place) is almost sickening...digital copy maybe would have been a slight improvement, but no.

[kevbeck122]

I mainly want the simulcast so I can get rid of my analog tuner in my computer.

[Mark Strube]

Sure Tom, rub it in, same for subs with Dishnetwork, too, but I wonder if the compression artifacts are worse for SD with DirecTV as with Dishnetwork.:confused:

In my experience, DirecTV has less compression (better picture) on the SD channels compared to DishNetwork.

Analog cable SD Vs. Digital SD is a tossup for me, it depends on the analog signal strength in your area and how much you watch those channels. Digital SD's will give better results when recorded on TWC's DVR's, since it is then essentially "ripping" the digital video stream, not taking the analog video and audio and converting it to digital MPEG2 "on-the-fly." However, there's some digital stations on both satellite and cable that look god-awful since they're so bit-starved.

I think the simulcast will start happening once they implement their new style of content delivery (the name escapes me at the moment), where bandwidth is only used for channels that people are actually watching at any given moment. So, instead of ALL of the digital channels being pushed through the line to your house at the same time no matter what, only the channels that people in your house are actually watching (or recording) are using up bandwidth in the cable network. This will do wonders for the amount of channels cable will be able to carry. The tech that was over here a few weeks ago told me that should happen sometime this year, but who really knows.

[kjnorman]

I think the simulcast will start happening once they implement their new style of content delivery (the name escapes me at the moment), where bandwidth is only used for channels that people are actually watching at any given moment. So, instead of ALL of the digital channels being pushed through the line to your house at the same time no matter what, only the channels that people in your house are actually watching (or recording) are using up bandwidth in the cable network. This will do wonders for the amount of channels cable will be able to carry. The tech that was over here a few weeks ago told me that should happen sometime this year, but who really knows.

Its called SDV - switched digital video.  I understand the business logic behind it and it is sound, but it obsoletes cable card there by allowing TW to continue to charge you for cable boxes and so in that respect I do not like it.  Also I can not run a Series 3 Tivo with SDV.

Personally I think SDV is the wrong way to go.  I think if cable needed to come up with a new tranmission process they should have gone the route of IPTV like AT&T's U-verse.  Considering the bandwidth that is available via a copper coaxial, imagine the service that would have been possible!  And TW would not have even needed to wire for Fiber like FIOS, or be bitrate starved like U-verse.

Oh well.... Hindsight is a great thing..