Any further Time-Warner "Navigator" software news?

[LoadStar]

Update info:  Does anyone here know when TWC is supposed to begin Navigator's roll out to DVR boxes?  I don't want to lose my saved recordings and this is what I am most concerned about.  Please post any timetables or schedules for the Navigator upgrade if known.  For those who have been upgraded, how is it working for you?

Jack

Oooh, good point. I certainly hope they don't just blast out the software without warning and blow away recordings... I have an entire season worth of Heroes to catch up on over the winter break, and if they just vanish, I'll be just a tiny bit outraged.

[gparris]

Outraged? At TWC? Come on now...they think they're "gods" among cablecos.
I got a transcript from an email from a friend of mine that got that TWC Navigator info-booklet in the mail yesterday, he's not-too-happy, to put it mildly:

"Dear Ms. Greenberg:
  Yesterday was my birthday.   I had an awesome birthday, that was until I got home and saw an announcement in the mail:  "The Arrival of NAVIGATOR"
   I have been following the release of Navigator by TWC to replace the existing Menuing System on your set top boxes for sometime, and knowing that the history of deployment of "Navigator" into other areas did not go well is an understatement by any means.   The subscribers to your products and offerings sent in many, many complaints regarding the complexity of the system, shows that were not recording, hours of programming that seemed to disappear.

   The notes from a City of Lincoln Nebraska ("http://www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/council/agenda/2007/030507/d030507.pdf") is littered with complaints regarding the failures of this system.

   Arron Barnhart's blog details the woes as well.  http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2007/12/this-is-an-upgr.html.  Anyone from any of the successful HD and TV Audio Video and Forums who has been following Navigator's roll-out can counter the hundreds of horror stories, and fear that they too would    The complaints went as high as the government some of the states.  
    Here in Kenosha we have very little choice for cable, as AT&T's new offering is not being allowed until such time issues regarding delivering and box placements (and sizes) can be worked through.  Our only other choice other than OTA (Over The Air) is Satellite (Direct TV/, Dish, etc)  While the city of Kenosha has done an admirable job in helping in this area, I hope that by including the Mayor and the City Attorney's office, that as now one of the larger cities on SE Wisconsin that they can somehow get answers from TWC before the release of Navigator to an unknowing public subscriber base..

 Before you release it to your subscriber base here in SE Wisconsin do us a favor…..Tell us what works, tell us what doesn’t.  Report the bugs and issues upfront, and give us the ability to decline to be TWC Beta Testing Center for Navigator.  But please do not make the same mistake twice.    Please don't do to Wisconsin what your did to your subscribers in Nebraska, and when you do, I'll at least have this email to say you were asked not to and did so anyway.
Thank You! "
 So first of all, now we get "Navigator" for DVR service, being the "Beta Testers for TWC as other locations have"
-Do you realize your DVR fee went up 6% for 2008, too?

Secondly,  TWC Wisconsin gives us subscribers the fewest HD channel additions as other TWC locations bask in over three DOZEN HD channels. As for other cablecos:
Comcast in the Twin Cities is adding another ELEVEN HD channels (formerly TWC).

Here is a release found in the HDTV Twin Cities website:
"ST. PAUL, MINN. – (December 11, 2007) – Comcast is adding 11 new channels to its high-definition (HD) lineup in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin, providing customers with even more HD choice just in time for the holidays. The new channels include: CNN HD, TBS HD, TLC HD, USA HD, FSN North HD, Food HD, Universal HD, Sci-Fi HD, Discovery HD, Animal Planet HD and History HD. When combined with Comcast’s HD ON DEMAND programming, the company brings customers more high-definition choice than either DirecTV or Dish Network.
“With so many households buying HD televisions for the holidays and football playoffs, Comcast customers will be able to find movies, sports and other great programming in crystal-clear high-definition format,” said Bill Wright, Comcast Twin Cities Region vice president. “We are excited that our new channels paired with our HD ON DEMAND programming give customers more HD programming choices than anyone.”
Comcast now features 33 HD channels in the Minnesota market, including all of the local broadcast HDTV stations, as well as ESPN HD, Discovery Theatre, National Geographic HD, HBO HD and many others. In addition, customers will find dozens of high-definition programming choices on HD ON DEMAND.
According to Wright, the company will add several more HD channels and additional HD ON DEMAND content in the coming months. “Comcast is committed to bringing our customers the programming they want, when they want it, the way they want to watch it,” he said.
All of the new channels will be available by December 17 to more than 1.1 million homes in the Greater Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin area. Adding high-definition programming is fast and easy for current and new Comcast customers. For more information about Comcast’s products and services in the Twin Cities, please call (651) 222-3333 or visit the company’s Web site at //www.comcast.com. "

Third,  TWC Wisconsin decides to add a price increase for 2008, just to make us all so much more "happy" with them!

BTW, Comcast is slowly delivering Tivo-type programming to its DVRs in some cities, while TWC here will be dumping "Navigator" aka "Crapagator" on us here.

So we get three things in 2008 that really bring the "joy" of TWC Wisconsin cable
(since not everyone has access to D* or U-Verse):
1) Navigator, TWC's crappy-programming DVR system
2) Few HD channels added unlike other TWC locations (much less Comcast) and to add insult to injury, (so to speak)
3) A price increase for 2008!

This is just one person irritated with TWC Wisconsin, think of how many subscribers are still silent...and switching if they can.:mad:

[LuckySe7ens]

I have a funny feeling the software is being downloaded behind the scenes onto my box right now.  I have 1 program recording, yet when I try to change the channel, it informs me that both tuners are busy.  Anyone else experiencing this?

[Jack 1000]

Some suggestions for everyone regarding the Navigator or comments about it:

Please add your city location to your profile or mention in what city you are located, or at least your closest main city. (I am in the Metropolitan Milwaukee area.) The other thing that might help is to tell us the type of box that you have, is it a DVR or non-DVR model?  How long did the upgrade take? How was the behavior of the box when it was completed?  Oh yea, for DVR users, did you lose any of your saved or scheduled shows?  What about Favorite Channels and or Pin # settings for I-Control/PPV, and Parental Control if these settings are applicable for you and your family?  How is the speed of the new Guide?

The more info we have in this regard, the easier it will be to talk about specifics of the changeover and any other help that can be provided.

Jack

[Cheesehead Dave]

Ugh. I got the card in the mail yesterday as well. (TWC Kenosha) I have several shows saved and a number of series recordings scheduled. When the downgrade happens, I'll toss in my report of the results.

[jamisonweber]

I got my card on Tuesday.:bang:

Boy am I happy I am switching to DirectTV on Saturday.:guitar:

[Kenoman]

Received my Navigator coming card in the mail earlier this week along with my property tax bill. Merry Christmas from TWC And the City of Kenosha.

Have SA8300HD

[gparris]

Received my Navigator coming card in the mail earlier this week along with my property tax bill. Merry Christmas from TWC And the City of Kenosha.

Have SA8300HD

You forgot the "Bah Humbug" or " Thank you for shafting us !":p

[gparris]

BTW, the friend of mine that sent the letter to the honorable(?) Bev Greenberg got an answer that TWC wants to have the Navigator tested with a box sent out for analysis on the HD DVR side.:eek:

I said that while it would be informative to get the search box with "Navigator"in it,this would be/should be just another HD DVR box uncharged for trial only and then the other still be fine for use in case Navigator was as sick and disturbing (rotten) as the other TWC locations have had it already.

FYI, I have tried doing a search in the box on the other TWC websites that already HAVE 30+ HD channel availablity and the search word "Navigator" does not come up.
I will assume Navigator is not even required to get more HD channels for any TWC location, its just a ploy to get their way with subs here once more.:bang:

Notice: The DVR rate for 2008 goes from $7.95/month to $8.50/month in addition to the $7.95 cable box rental just to enjoy the "joys" of Navigator, just think!

[Jack 1000]

BTW, the friend of mine that sent the letter to the honorable(?) Bev Greenberg got an answer that TWC wants to have the Navigator tested with a box sent out for analysis on the HD DVR side.

So what does this mean to us as users?  Are we going to get a delay in the rollout while the HD DVR boxes are tested?  How many boxes are considered part of the "test?"  Or is the test the actual rollout to DVR boxes?!  Uh Ohhhh!!!

What else did Ms. Greenberg have to say?

Jack

[gparris]

No, it means for those who already are knowledgeable about the crap that is Navigator, they might get a chance to play with it on the DVRs before it actually hits.
Unless you have access to U-Verse (which we are not allowed to have in Kenosha), TWC is your only hope unless you drop and run to D* or E*.

From what I can understand, Navigator is not required to give us at very least the extra ten more HD channels other TWC locations get:
A large chunk of NYC just added almost a dozen new HD channels on the 13th with no mention of Navigator like we have here on their site (correct me if I am wrong).

TWC knows that Navigator is not a requirement to us getting more HD channels because it would otherwise say so-TWC Wisconsin just doesn't care about us HD subs, IMO.
So barring any governmental interference to assist the poor consumer as in Nebraska TWC:
Navigator for your DVR will be coming to definitely "frack" up your recording experience.

Passport may have not had all the planned features TWC hoped for, but for most of us, it works fine
...so why mess up a good thing?
-Their name is Time Warner Cable Wisconsin, that's why:
-Because they can.:mad:

[kevbeck122]

Navigator is not required for HD additions.. it's the bandwidth issue and the fact that they are slow on agreements with channels to get them on their system.  My assumption, and I could be wrong, is that they are too concerned with getting the whole OCAP thing working and Navigator was the only way they could go at the time.  I think Aptiv/Pioneer was a little slow on getting Passport ported to the OCAP platform.  Plus there's gotta be cost savings for TWC doing everything in house... aren't they the ones developing it?  They don't care about customers.. they just want to save money is what I'm thinking.

The only thing I somewhat like is that the guide looks better in Navigator.  Other than that, if I'm browsing the guide or the 'Find Shows' screen I constantly get "Please Wait" because it seems like it only holds a few hours worth of the guide in memory.  The interface is just too slow.  I'm guessing OCAP and Navigator take up too much memory, and therefore there isn't enough to run the box in a fast manner... but I could be wrong.

[gparris]

Navigator is crap and TWC doesn't care about us, otherwise the guide and interface would work better and faster, period.
If Navigator requires more advanced cable boxes, TWC should rightfully offer them:
Afterall, their cable box monthly rates aren't cheap.
Better cable boxes with more memory should have occurred FIRST, if that is the problem, not after...this is bad on TWC's part...period.

Honestly, if there is a cost savings to having an in-house programming system, our cable bills do not reflect that and the new 2008 pricing for DVR use does not support that.
It's just all BS, IMO, just like those "10+ HD channels in October" crap from those TWC telemarketers.
If there are contracts, why doesn't TWC Wisconsin sign them and add the darn channels?
Why?
Because they are being cheap about it, but our new 2008 cable bills for Digital Service just went up again:
-why do they have to do/give anything for us, unless they really want to?
Looks like the SDV is out there otherwise cablecard subscribers would be able to access them and with SDV, those new HD channels are not accessable.
Assumption: Then there is bandwidth out there for more HD channels, but TWC thinks we here in Wisconsin are too ignorant to know about them, IMHO.

As for DVR service, why do us subscribers have to be the TWC "guinea pigs" or Beta Testers at $8.50/month service charge per box?
WHY? I would think the pricing should have gone down or free until it got up to "speed", literally!

At this rate, I hope everyone migrates to other providers if they insist on us being their "test subjects"!

Remember, other TWC locations don't even have to have it, so it just shows what I been thinking all along:
TWC Wisconsin doesn't care about its subscribers, especially the higher-end ones with digital cable service/HD services, definitely a better revenue customer they assumedly would want to keep, but I am thinking not, anymore.

[Jack 1000]

Yea,

It's 50% politics and 50% BS.  I guess the big $64,000 Question is, when can we expect the rollout of this "wonderful?" guide?  Us subscribers need time to watch what we have recorded on our DVR's and back up our recordings accordingly.  Did any of the mailed cards give a date for the guide to be rolled out?

BTW, I am also registered as Satch Man on the AVS Forums about Navigator.  If you aren't familiar with the HUGE thread about the trials and tribulations of this software, which has been going on for over a year, it's here: (As of this post, it's 89 pages long!)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=723830&page=1&pp=30&highlight=journal

I hope to give, share and exchange information between each of the forums, in the hopes that local experiences with Navigator will be brought to a national light, and that national experiences can also be observed at the local level.  Let's hope for SOME improvement, because even if you are in an unlikely division without Navigator problems, I really find it hard to see how this new guide is an "upgrade."

Jack

[gparris]

Thanks for your help, Jack 1000 in advance.
You know, I do like their RR and DPhone service, but always disliked the cableTV part until the HD DVRs came out vs. the HD box and SD DVR separately as it started out a few years ago.
Back then, the dish providers had DVRs, but the HD/DVR  combo box just either didn't exist or they didn't offer an inexpensive way to get it, by rental, like TWC did.

Lately, however, TWC here has had frequent price increases, but few if any, HD channel additions, as other TWC locations get more and more every month.
Any subscriber would likely see what other TWC locations are getting and comparitively, TWC here offers a lot less in HD channels for approx. the same pricing as other locations. Does TWC here think their subscribers are that ignorant? Everyone with access can find out what other TWC locations get or thru avs.

The attitude in the installs or consulting I do is :
"Do we HAVE to get cable for HD?"
The answer is no, not necessarily, but outside of dish services and U-verse, there is no more competition, unfortunately here in Wisconsin.

Now Navigator is rolling out, it is untested, poorly managed and slow as crap:
This could be the "final straw" for everyone with a DVR in Wisconsin, after the price increases and the few HD channel additions, before they try to switch to another payTV provider.