Charter HD 2010

[trev57]

I talked to UMatter2Charter (Charter's online customer service) on Facebook, and they said that while they haven't decided on which HD channels will be added this year, providing as much HD content as possible will be their main goal this year.

Right now, where I live (West Bend), Charter only offers 25 (non extra) HD channels.

Hopefully this means Charter will be trying to make a dent in the gap between them and TWC.

[fisemicr]

I'm in the WB area too.  I contacted Charter with my wishlist: Syfy HD, BBCA HD,
Speed HD, maybe AMC, Weather.  We'll see what happens.  I will not be happy if we get more channels like HD Food network...

[trev57]

UPDATE: Umatter followed up with me and said that they expect the HD additions to be out by late spring/early summer. Still no word on what they will be.

And I agree, they better be something people actually want to see in HD, not Food Network, HGTV, etc...

[fisemicr]

Did they say the new Charter HD channels would be for West Bend?

Thanks.

[trev57]

Did they say the new Charter HD channels would be for West Bend?

Thanks.

Yep. The only channel that's for sure right now is Epix HD. It's a new movie channel. My guess would be that it'll be on the premium HD tier.

[trev57]

Charter just announced two new HD channel additions starting on July 28. Disney Channel HD and Science Channel HD.

Oh joy. Just what your customers wanted Charter, another channel to go along with Smithsonian HD that we have to pay extra for and a kids HD channel that barely has any HD content. THANKS ALOT. This really makes me want to switch to Uverse or satellite.:bang:

[mrschimpf]

Yep. The only channel that's for sure right now is Epix HD. It's a new movie channel. My guess would be that it'll be on the premium HD tier.

Actually it isn't distributed as HD at all in channel form (at least on cable), just on demand. The Epix channel itself is only SD and the entire endeavor is awful because it was only created because Showtime didn't want to pay ridiculous rates for all of the lousy Paramount and Lionsgate movies they had to take while they were a division of Viacom (Showtime is now owned by CBS, Epix is from Viacom). I checked out the free preview last month and nothing at all except "Iron Man" stood out.

I have to agree though, this year's Charter adds are pathetic. I would love one...just one news channel in HD but they insist on pushing Smithsonian and HD Theater, which have both outlived their purposes, and HD Net, which used to be good but is turning to T&A way more than it needs to to get viewers.

Also they really just need to kill the public access analog duplication now. All it's doing is wasting bandwidth that could go to actual HD channels because a few select people just want to keep that Curtis Mathes cable-ready TV from 1989 going until it dies. I still am pretty mad about Charter just capitulating to that when six of the ten public access channels I get are just looping Powerpoint slide shows, still pictures, or nothing at all.

About the only good thing about the channel change is they're finally adding BET on digital cable, a channel which should've been added years ago. I know there's not much of an African-American population in Charter's service area except in urban areas, but it's shameful it wasn't added long before just on principle and ubiquity.