TWC's CEO Glenn Brit on High def...

[jeffski]

Did anyone catch TWC's CEO Glenn Britt in  Cuprisin's column yesterday ?( Dec 18th) Here's an expert from it:
\Those competitors market their offerings as better than cable. DirecTV is targeting high-definition viewers with 85 high-def channels, many more than Time Warner.

"I will admit they've done a wonderful job of marketing this," said Britt. "I would also say they are, if you look at the fine print, they are advertising a whole lot of channels that don't exist in high-definition yet."

But Britt said his company is dedicated to more high-def.

"We are putting in technology where we will essentially be able to have unlimited high-definition," Britt said. "In the next several months, we're going to be adding them rapidly."

"I'm a big believer in high-def, by the way," he said.



(insert Pinochio emoticon here) :rolleyes:


Here's the rest of interview:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=697502

[gparris]

Did anyone catch TWC's CEO Glenn Britt in  Cuprisin's column yesterday ?( Dec 18th) Here's an expert from it:
\Those competitors market their offerings as better than cable. DirecTV is targeting high-definition viewers with 85 high-def channels, many more than Time Warner.

"I will admit they've done a wonderful job of marketing this," said Britt. "I would also say they are, if you look at the fine print, they are advertising a whole lot of channels that don't exist in high-definition yet."

But Britt said his company is dedicated to more high-def.

"We are putting in technology where we will essentially be able to have unlimited high-definition," Britt said.
"In the next several months, we're going to be adding them rapidly."

"I'm a big believer in high-def, by the way," he said.



(insert Pinochio emoticon here) :rolleyes:


Here's the rest of interview:
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=697502

Mixed signals in quotes:
"But Britt said his company is dedicated to more high-def."
 AND...
"We are putting in technology where we will essentially be able to have unlimited high-definition," Britt said.
Then....
"In the next several months, we're going to be adding them rapidly."
And then...
"I'm a big believer in high-def, by the way," he said.

You've got to be kidding right?

If TWC locally, was "a big believer in high-def" and so "dedicated":
-Then where are the other 10+ HD channels other TWC locations already get that TWC Wisconsin's HD subs don't??

Why don't all the TWC locations (besides Wisconsin) get them, too?
"Adding them rapidly"

...Where? :huh?:
 
FYI, TWC Wisconsin's "track record" is poor in this department, Glenn.

BTW, talk is cheap, Britt, and TWC's cable prices are NOT!:bang:

[brewguru]

If Cuprisin actually cared about Southeast Wisconsin, he would have asked these questions himself.

[RLJSlick]

Well it's interesting at least, probably not a bit true, but at least you can tell that they have been getting the pressures from the HD companies.  
Getting more bandwidth before adding more HD make sense, specially after going over my buddy house and seeing his Direct TV HD, and how they have compressed the hell out of those channels to add more channels. Some of those channels looked awful.

[gparris]

Most of the Directv HD channels that are broadcasting HD like HGTVHD, Smithsonian HD and other MPEG4 channels, are excellent.
Maybe the channels you watched were stretched or offering no real HD programming, or they had the SD channel on, then these will look awful, period.
Some of the legacy HD channels are still on MPEG2 from what I read, so that could be a problem for some or maybe, just maybe, the HDTV setup was not good to begin with.

-My brother's 50" HDTV @ 8 feet with H20 and Slimline dish offers some of the best HD I have ever seen and I know its been set up right.

Recently, friends and I are cancelling any premium channel that is not HD that TWC in other locations DOES offer, in "retaliation".
CinemaxHD and The Movie Channel HD look really, really good on Directv and it's not like we're asking for both the east and west HD channels of them, or even the 5-pack of Starz in HD like Directv offers, just one of each of these particular premium HD channels.
BTW, these other three HD premium channels have been available at other TWC locations - for years.
We are keeping HBOHD and ShowtimeHD because we want them and it sends a specific message.

Britt, sorry, TWC Wisconsin just doesn't care, IMO, to add the other 10+ HD channels that other TWC locations DO have, period.
What you say is all good and wonderful, but you are definitely out-of-touch with your company on the local levels.


It's like going shopping at the same-name store in Wisconsin and then shopping at the same name store (TWC) in South Carolina, for example:
The South Carolina store (TWC) gives you 10 more HD channels (in your shopping cart), but the Wisconsin "store" (TWC) doesn't let you put them in yours-for the same pricing!

Would you feel ripped off?
You betcha!

[RLJSlick]

Yeah I'm not sure, I know it wasn't SD but it maybe some of that older MPEG2 stuff that I know they still have. It was a sports channel for sure. Trust me I'm still planning to go with Direct TV ASAP so I'm not really trying to knock them, just an observation.
I agree that TWC doesn't care at all about what we have as far as HD, as long as they have our money, but time will change that, but if there are any glimmer of hope I will keep holding onto it....for now.

[Stanley Kritzik]

Most of the Directv HD channels that are broadcasting HD like HGTVHD, Smithsonian HD and other MPEG4 channels, are excellent.
Maybe the channels you watched were stretched or offering no real HD programming, or they had the SD channel on, then these will look awful, period.
Some of the legacy HD channels are still on MPEG2 from what I read, so that could be a problem for some or maybe, just maybe, the HDTV setup was not good to begin with.

-My brother's 50" HDTV @ 8 feet with H20 and Slimline dish offers some of the best HD I have ever seen and I know its been set up right.

Recently, friends and I are cancelling any premium channel that is not HD that TWC in other locations DOES offer, in "retaliation".
CinemaxHD and The Movie Channel HD look really, really good on Directv and it's not like we're asking for both the east and west HD channels of them, or even the 5-pack of Starz in HD like Directv offers, just one of each of these particular premium HD channels.
BTW, these other three HD premium channels have been available at other TWC locations - for years.
We are keeping HBOHD and ShowtimeHD because we want them and it sends a specific message.

Britt, sorry, TWC Wisconsin just doesn't care, IMO, to add the other 10+ HD channels that other TWC locations DO have, period.
What you say is all good and wonderful, but you are definitely out-of-touch with your company on the local levels.


It's like going shopping at the same-name store in Wisconsin and then shopping at the same name store (TWC) in South Carolina, for example:
The South Carolina store (TWC) gives you 10 more HD channels (in your shopping cart), but the Wisconsin "store" (TWC) doesn't let you put them in yours-for the same pricing!

Would you feel ripped off?
You betcha!

You have to face it.  DirecTV, especially, with all their birds up there, will have a big advantage in fixing whatever needs a tweak: uplink, encoding, bandwidth, etc., than the cable guys.  The latter have all that physical infrastructure that will need upgrading, and, even so, it will be years before the cable folks will have the bandwidth that DirecTV has today.

My winter place in the Aspen area has Comcast, with the HD network channels coming from Denver, 150 miles away.  Count your blessings, even if you have TWC -- trust me on this.

But, isn't it wonderful to have a few competitive choices?  This is going to drag the laggards, kicking and screaming to do what needs doing.

Stan

[gparris]

Honestly, Stan, if I was in Aspen, I wouldn't be watching (HD)TV, I'd be doing many other things....:rock:
As for Comcast cable being bad there, that is because of (see above).

Nice commentary, though.