HDTV With Only Basic Cable

[oz]

I picked up the box from TWC and installed it tonight. It was easy to setup and everything looks and sounds great. CSI looks completely awesome. Even my wife is impressed.  I'm finally able to use my TV to its full potential. I can't wait to see the Super Bowl.  And all this for only $7.67 extra a month.

[John Polulach]

OZ...well I just fell off my chair, glad I was wrong...good for you!  What TWC channel are you picking up CBS HD?  JP

[oz]

HD CBS is on 505. ABC, PBS, and NBC are around there too. One question, when I'm seeing reruns of Will and Grace on 505, that's not HD, is it? It's not widescreen but the picture actually looks better than it normally does.

[John Polulach]

Oz - The stuff you see in the narrower 4:3 format is standard definition, not hi def, but in the 500 channel range it's digital which sometimes looks better than the analog channels (e.g., CBS on ch 5).  JP

[Bill Richards]

Oz-

I did the same thing you did a couple of weeks ago.  I agonized over OTA set top boxes versus satellite versus cable.  Finally, I realized I wasn't getting any younger and that the HD cable box was only 7 or 8 dollars a months more than I was paying.  I had it installed and have been happy ever since.  I wonder why I waited 6 months.  Cable is HD without a barrier to entry.  I suspect I will go to satellite or an OTA set top box in the future.  For now, I saw the new Dragnet last night in HD.  WOW!!!  What sports I have seen have great potential.  The PBS loop, particularly the one on Italy or Greece is incredible.  In short, it whets my appetite for the future without making me pay several hundred dollars for technology I am just not sure about.  BWTW, I have the same issues with looking at TV in the non-hd format until I run it straight through my TV.  Then I get the analog cable version.  I have heard rumors that the new TWC box available in a few months may solve this issue.

FWIW
Bill

[oz]

I agree. I was worried about HD video and audio from TWC from reading some older posts, but I could not be happier with my decision.  I was also worried that I would be "underwhelmed" by the HD content available, but I've found that most of the primetime HD lineup is very good. CSI, Alias, Law and Order, and other shows seem totally new when watching them in HD. Kingpin on Sunday looked awesome, and the Superbowl was great.  I'm quite impressed with the quality and the price could not be better. I know that I could buy an OTA box for "only" 36 months of TW, but there's no way I could get HD satellite for under $20/month with no startup costs.  Plus, I still get cable on my other TV's without a box and I didn't have install anything on my roof.

[gyoung]

Oz,

Can you give us a quick break-down of your TWC bill?  And what channels are you getting with it?

If you just get the analog channels and the HD locals plus HD HBO for only $28 a month I might just have to change my package ($67 after taxes and fees).

Is there a listing on TW website showing the basic cable channels?

Thanks!

[oz]

My total bill is $19.26 per month with tax. I know the total but I don't have the bill in front of me.  The digital box is about $6 and the remote control (required) is about $0.60. So the basic cable cost is under $12 and that includes the basic analog package. TW says that includes your local affiliate broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Pax, Fox, and independent stations), and any community access channels that may be available in your area. You also get a bunch of shopping channels, a couple religious channels, the Golf Channel, the Weather Channel, some C-Span channels, TBS, WGN, Univision, ABC Family, Style, Oxygen, the Preview Channel, and the Food Network. I may have missed a couple of lame ones. Since I purchased the digital box, I get the digital HD channels from NBC, CBS, ABC, and PBS Loop and few miscellaneous others. The digital box programming guide works and I have access to TW In Demand and the PPV channels. TW told me that I could order HD HBO or HD Showtime but I would only get access to the HD channels and not the multiple HBO's or Showtime's because I don't subscribe to digital cable.

[gyoung]

I guess the channels that I'm really looking for are:

TLC (41)
HGTV (37)
E! (27)
Discovery (41)
Fox News (48)
CNN (44)
ESPN (30)
ESPN2 (28)

Are these in your package?  Their website doesn't list the basic channel lineup.

If so, I may just have to get that plus HBO only for $30 a month.  That cuts my bill in half and still gets me the channels I would watch.

[oz]

None of those channels are in my package. I guess TW really knows what kind of channels people are willing to pay for!

[gyoung]

Ok... that must be the difference between the basic & standard cable packages.  I just need to find out what the standard package costs.

Found the Standard lineup.

[John Polulach]

I pay $10.85 for Basic Service and an additional $28.65 for the Standard package (CNN, etc.)

JP

[pestario]

I ordered Time Warner Digital Cable and the Digital Cable package for standard cable, no premium channels was $70 on my last bill!!

When I called in to ask to get just local channels and HDTV they told me I had to have a Digital Cable package inorder to get HDTV service. I thought there was a new FCC regulation against cases like this. Time Warner Cable and I live in Waterford if that helps for any ideas.

[oz]

pestario - That's not the case for me. I wrote to TW before I ordered (see below) and my bill is no where near $70. It's about $50 less than that.  Maybe if you call back you'll get a different rep.

My question to TW on their website:

Customer 01/16/2003 04:29 PM
I'm wondering if it's possible to get access to the high definition (HDTV) local TV channels without subscribing to the digital package. I understand there would be a charge for the cable box and the remote, but should my package need to change? I would like to be able to receive those channels without adding 100 more channels I don't want.


Response (Kate M.) 01/17/2003 03:19 PM

Yes, you can have an HDTV digital box without ordering the standard cable or being in a digital package. The box would serve as an HDTV receiver. You would have to pay for the box and remote, of course, and we do ask that you subscribe to either HBO or Showtime, both of which have HD channels.

If you are not in a digital package, however, you would not be able to receive the "plexing" of the premium channels. That is, you would get only one HBO or Showtime channel. Plexing provides 14 HBO channels and 16 Showtimes to digital package subscribers.

The only local channels available right now in HD are WMVS, WTMJ and WISN. We are hoping to add the rest of the locals channels to the HD lineup soon.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Kate M.
Customer Service Correspondent