TWC Senior VP says SDV is the key to more HD channels

[gparris]

From tvpredictions, the following interview with TWC Corporate:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/tw030907.htm

Looks like TWC Milwaukee will have to get Switched Digital Video to obtain bandwidth for more HD channels, among other questions on some folks minds about TWC.

I wonder what the hold-up on SDV is in Milwaukee as I thought it was supposed to occur about six months ago?

[4runnergusto]

No wonder there is poor HD selection. She does'nt even have her own HDTV, and she's negotiating the contracts for TWC. Perhaps when she, (or more likely her Husband) sees the difference, she will actually understand what her customers are trying to tell her.

[gparris]

Yes, I thought it was sort of odd, but that is the way corporate America does things, sometimes a "slot" is open and the larger companies fill it "internally".
She doesn't know much it seems about the available HD channels, attempts to know something about HD, but doesn't own an HDTV with her income...really?

She was probably a good negotiator for the contracts pending and upcoming with the various TWC channels and someone up high thought she was a "good fit".

I was taken back by the 15 HD channels with log burning reference, however, as most HD channels DO offer a variety of HD and SD programming, depending on the time of day, what is available and so on.
Even TNTHD, their corporate-owned HD channel offers some real HD, but not often enough for most, but at least its there.
Why CinemaxHD is not available - until now - with some TWC locations - is beyond me...it's their TW channel, too.

[MDR]

From my reading on the AVS Forums, Passport won't support SDV. Therefore we will have to take the bad to get the good and wait for them to roll out Navigator here in  Milwaukee.

[gparris]

In the locations like the Carolinas, Texas and NY, SDV works, this coming from AVS'ers that have it from what I have read.
Maybe this is what she meant about getting that bandwidth back to add more HD channels to areas like ours that don't have SDV yet.
But she should care more about the nearly 20 percent of her customers who subscribe to HD programming.
This is the same group who is paying for many of the programming tiers including the PPV and HD DVR's.
I think it could be a ratio of twenty percent or close to it, those that  are subscribing to HD (look at all the boxes on backorder waiting for delivery) and these are the subs that could equate to what is double the revenue for TWC, if not at least a third to forty percent of the business for TWC, IMO.
TWC will continue to start to lose these high-end customers to Satellite, FIOS and U-verse if the HD channels don't appear soon enough.
Then TWC will figure out they can't afford any new upgrades to keep these subs, as these higher end customers leave them with their subscription dollars.
Suddenly those "all in one" packages will not make the revenue and profit margins that they assumed would happen as the higher-end revenue streams have gone elsewhere.
The whole thing that bothers me is that Milwaukee, or the Wisconsin region that includes the NE Wisconsin area now, seems to be last on the list for SDV and this includes why we have had no HD channel additions in over a year.
Does TWC here think it will keep its better customers (those with HDTVs) as the other providers keep adding more HD channels, better pricing and so on?
I think not...it is time TWC here "woke up".

[RLJSlick]

That's a very good article, we get so little real information from Time Warner, it's good to hear it from the horses mouth.
I also think they will start losing their high end users, just talking to some of the pepole at the college I work all planning to switch from TWC to other AT&T or Direct TV. I'm still on the fence, but I'm getting close.

[gparris]

At my home, one HD DVR wouldn't  be a such a problem since you can stop the playback at one HD set and go to the next one and pick up where you left off.

But if you wanted to (or had to) record two HD programmes at the same time due to recording conflicts, it would be a big problem for me.

It will be great once they can do 2 or 3 HD streams, whenever that is.

[gparris]

In the locations like the Carolinas, Texas and NY, SDV works, this coming from AVS'ers that have it from what I have read.
Maybe this is what she meant about getting that bandwidth back to add more HD channels to areas like ours that don't have SDV yet.
The whole thing that bothers me is that Milwaukee, or the Wisconsin region that includes the NE Wisconsin area now, seems to be last on the list for SDV and this includes why we have had no HD channel additions in over a year.
Does TWC here think it will keep its better customers (those with HDTVs) as the other providers keep adding more HD channels, better pricing and so on?
I think not...it is time TWC here "woke up".

About that "waking up" part, looks like some locations actually care to.
SDV may not be the "key" everytime, just eliminating an analogue channel or two and placing into the digital channel area, with permission or contractual okay, of course:Here TWC decided to take what was the National Geographic Channel in the analogue lineup (which is our analogue channel 69) and placed in the digital subscriber realm to add more space for HD channels (because they value their HD subscribers).
This found in the avs forum area for HDTV programming:

"National Geographic Cable Channel Missing in Syracuse

March 14, 2007

By WSYR-Syracuse News Channel 9 (DT17)

What happened to Time Warner Cable channel 66?

It used to be the National Geographic channel, but now your TV just skips from channel 65 to 67, and you're wondering why.

First of all, if you have a digital cable box, you'll now find the National Geographic on channel 126.

Time Warner Cable says they took National Geographic off its analog tier so they could add four new high-definition channels.

They say there's an increasing demand for hi-def, and they're responding to that demand. "

Reviewing TWC-NY's HD channels, they already have more than we do, have added some the past year so the avs'er asks what HD channels are next?
If TWC in NY can do it, because national channels allow for specific carriage requirements by contracts, so can TWC-Wisconsin...but WILL they?