HDTV w/ TWC in Milwaukee??

[wisconsin00]

I am a HD newbie - just purchased a Mits WT-42311.

Curious of the TWC cable options for Hi-Def.

I currently have the standard service. I spoke with TWC rep and they said there is no extra change. All I need to do is exchange my box for a HD box.

So.

1. Is there a HD box of choice?

2. What channels are available and hows the reception?

3. Have you run into any hidden or extra costs.

I just want that standard HD service. No premium channels like HBO or Showtime.

Any other advice that you may want to share in you Hi-Def journey.

Thanks,
Drew

[HomerJay]

Currently TWC offers in HD:
NBC
CBS
ABC
FOX
PBS
HBO
Showtime

TWC is currently waiting for WB & UPN (18 & 24) to grant them a rebroadcast agreement.

[kjnorman]

Technically FOX is not HD, but 480 progressive.  However the SA 3100HD box does not support this resolution, and so it is upconverted to 1080i.

Kerry

[Mike Sura]

Kerry is right about the SA box. If you can get the new Pioneer box it will pass thru whatever resolution your TV supports.

[AJagannathan]

So how do I get the Pioneer box?  I asked a rep on the phone (fairly useless as usual) and they said they had no plans of going to the newer SA box or any other new box.

[Mike Sura]

I had to go to the Kenosha office to get mine. I know they got 30 boxes on that day. I called and told them I wanted the Pioneer HD box and the gal went and checked for me. No problem with exchanging boxes but I have heard that the Milwaukee area offices can give you a hard time. Tell them there's a problem with your box.

[mhz40]

Originally posted by Mike Sura
[clip]...I have heard that the Milwaukee area offices can give you a hard time. Tell them there's a problem with your box.[/clip]

Yes, please do.  Then TW will be sending good boxes in for repair, rather than making them available for the next person that just bought an HD monitor. :bang:    :bang:    :bang:

[Snard]

Originally posted by mhz40
Yes, please do.  Then TW will be sending good boxes in for repair, rather than making them available for the next person that just bought an HD monitor. :bang:    :bang:    :bang:

Actually, I was considering using this "excuse" if they gave me any trouble, but legitimately. I've noticed that sometimes when I'm channel surfing through the 500's, my SA5100HD box will occasionally spontaneously reset & turn itself off (the LED display goes through a sort of "swirly" pattern during this.) When I turn it back on, I get the Pioneer boot screen for a minute or so, and then the box appears to be fine again.  Does anyone know if this is a known firmware issue with the box? Is there a way that I can easily determine what firmware my box is running (I don't remember if that information was displayed during the reboot).

Many thanks,

[syrett4]

My SA5100HD box does the same thing.  Maybe once or twice a week.  TWC in the Milwaukee area was supossed to get some more Pioneer boxes in soon.

[mhz40]

Originally posted by syrett4
My SA5100HD box does the same thing.  Maybe once or twice a week.  TWC in the Milwaukee area was supossed to get some more Pioneer boxes in soon.

Unfortunately, an occasional reboot does happen on any set top, not just the HD's.  Reboots are not necessarily indicative of a hardware problem with the set top.
Even now, firmware updates continue to be released every so often.  The updates continue to fix known bugs and can rarely create other ones.  The reasons for the new releases in many cases are not even UI (user interface) related.
IMHO, if you are concerned with the occasional reboots on the SA platform, I would suggest that moving to a Pioneer HD set top would not be a good option for you right now.
Cheers...

[The Law]

I had TW swap out to a pioneer a couple of weeks ago since I wanted to be able to control aspect ration in "digital" mode (i.e. - using my component outputs rather than svid).  The pioneer box would give me a black screen every few seconds every 10 mins or so (meaning, good picture for 10 mins then 10 mins of flickering black screens).  Some channels had funky horizontal lines (cbsHD, Speed Channel)

They tried to swap it pioneer out for another but none were available.  The tech made some phone calls and advised that it seems the pioneers are all on recall.  Any good set that's "out there" will stay out.  Any bad sets are being swapped back out with the  SAs until newer bug free boxes are available.  They are running at a 90% failure rate compared to the typical 50-75% failure rate of all other boxes.  By this he said he meant that from all manufacturers around the country, cable boxes fail 50-75% of the time (presumable due to rush-to-customer orders).  The pioneers are exceeding that.  He advised to wait a bit.

He also confirmed that beta "tivo" type boxes are starting to be demo-ed by TW employees.

FWIW, I never had any reboot issues with the SA

[mhz40]

Originally posted by The Law
clip The tech made some phone calls and advised that it seems the pioneers are all on recall.  Any good set that's "out there" will stay out.  Any bad sets are being swapped back out with the  SAs until newer bug free boxes are available.  They are running at a 90% failure rate compared to the typical 50-75% failure rate of all other boxes.  By this he said he meant that from all manufacturers around the country, cable boxes fail 50-75% of the time (presumable due to rush-to-customer orders).  The pioneers are exceeding that.  He advised to wait a bit.

He also confirmed that beta "tivo" type boxes are starting to be demo-ed by TW employees.

FWIW, I never had any reboot issues with the SA /clip

The tech is wrong.  Even the poorly engineered analog set tops of the 80's didn't fail that much.  The failure rate of the digital set tops as a whole are less than 2%.
The reason HD set tops are generally hard to get/swap is... uh because they are hard to get!  I'm have no idea if it is demand or supply related.  In reality, it may be a bit of both.  Either way, the HD's seem to be in short supply nationwide.

[Tarzdan]

Last Sunday I had a cable service guy out to exchange my SA box because it was faulty (white pixels on HD). He forgot the replacement box (typical TW). He did tip me off that TW recently received 90 Pioneer boxes and that I should take my old box to the TW warehouse on Loomis/Edgerton and they would gladly exchange it. He also tried to sell me on the new TW TIVO type box they are selling (hard drive in a case).  When I got to the warehouse they completely denied having the pioneer box and gave me an incredibly hard time about exchanging the SA box for a new one (I had to ask for a manager to get it who brought out a brand new one).

Typical TW, they are either incompetent or lying. Demand is outstripping supply and or motivation by TW.

[mhz40]

Originally posted by Tarzdan
clip Typical TW, they are either incompetent or lying. Demand is outstripping supply and or motivation by TW. /clip

Trust me, no industry is more motivated about HD deployment than cable as a whole.  Indeed, that is part of the reason the set tops are in short supply.  In fact, it has been reported in several cable trade magazines that Time Warner is further ahead than most other operators in both HD deployment and other technologies like video-on-demand and high speed internet services.
As a matter of fact, some cable companies across the country still don't offer any HD, while others are either selling the set tops outright for hundreds of dollars a copy upfront or requiring customers to pick one up at a local retailer.
Sorry... I interupted your TW bash, didn't I?  Please continue!  Or are you maybe not online---and instead  enjoying CBS HD on your new Pioneer HD converter?

[gparris]

You are correct! HD locals can be offered by cable and not Sat and because some cable companies KNOW that, they got sat companies where they want them-out in the cold for locals in HD. Bandwidth is NOT as much a issue when working with wired rather than sat broadcast, and cable companies know this. TWC wanted to have me preview their new PVR, but cautioned me that because of the bugs in their system, only employees are using them, but not for long-June at the latest. Their website shows them now, but that is just to inform the public. We are very lucky to have so much HD in Milwaukee-SE Wisconsin as compared to the rest of the country. PLEASE go to the internet and look around and do searches like I did. GO to other HD sites (see our forums front page) and note what little others have. Be patient. TWC does what it can to train its employees...have you EVER called DIRECTV? Now there is a bunch of idiots! Murdoch will have his hands full...!