Albany, NY HDTV channels

[Skaggs]

On December 20, 2007 at approximately 11PM, Albany TWC added the following HD channels:

1823 Weather Channel HD
1839 History Channel HD
1841 HGTV HD
1842 Food Network HD
1846 CNN HD
1873 Versus/Golf HD
1874 Outdoor HD 1874 (Must subscribe to Sports Tier)
1876 National Geographic HD

All channels are using SDV technology and you must have a TWC supplied digital cable box. Cable card users cannot tune these channels.

[dkennedy]

Skaggs,

Pleease update first post.
Universal HD is not part of the HD tier. I receive it without subscribing to the HD tier.

[Skaggs]

dkennedy said:

Skaggs,

Pleease update first post.
Universal HD is not part of the HD tier. I receive it without subscribing to the HD tier.

From the TWC website:

HD Tier channels *
1855 -- MOJO
1857 -- HDNet
1858 -- HDNet Movies
1860 -- Universal HD
* $3.95/month

There is a free preview of NBC Universal for all our HDTV customers during the month of January, and the channel will have HD programming from the Olympic Winter Games in Italy in February.

---

Admin note: The Turin Olympics were in 2006, so Albany TWC has not updated this web page since 2006. Apparently, they also forgot to remove the "free preview".

[dkennedy]

Yeah, I saw what they listed on the website, however, I haven't had the HD tier since August and I still get Universal HD.

[scott]

Someone I work with who has the most basic ($20-something) package with HD told me last week that he gets UniversalHD, too, and he obviously doesn't have the HD Tier. Maybe it's supposed to be in the HD Tier, but some people get it without it. I get NBA TV without subscribing to the Sports Tier. And I just noticed the other day I get Sundance and Fox Movies, which I thought were part of a movie package.

[john1]

NEW HD CHANNELS
1890 STZW
1891 STZW
1864 LMNHD
1851 FBNHD

[adam]

New e-mail from TWC today:

Time Warner Cable added four more high-definition channels last Friday, and more are planned to be added soon. Just before Christmas, we launched eight new HD channels. Our newest dozen additions are:

* The Weather Channel HD (ch. 1823)
* History Channel HD (ch. 1839)
* HGTV HD (ch. 1841)
* Food Network HD (ch. 1842)
* CNN HD (ch. 1846)
* Fox Business HD (ch. 1851)
* Lifetime Movies HD (ch. 1864)
* Versus/Golf HD (ch. 1873)
* Outdoor Channel HD (ch. 1874)
* National Geographic HD (ch. 1876)
* Starz East HD (ch. 1890)
* Starz West HD (ch. 1891)

Next on the way -- Cinemax West and HBO West!

Time Warner Cable is the only provider delivering the local broadcast channels (WRGB, WTEN, WNYT, WMHT, CW) in HD, and we're the only ones to offer FREE HD. So, if you want to see the Super Bowl in HD, Time Warner Cable delivers it; no one else can.



I would just like to add that the last paragraph is almost a complete lie. Not only does Directv now offer the Albany local channels in HD (guess TW didn't get the memo) but they say Time Warner is the only place to watch the Super Bowl in HD? Are you kidding me? Come on, thats laughable.

Also, not so happy that HBO West HD is coming. Oh good, now I can watch the exact same programming as HBO.....3 hours later. Big upgrade there. That goes for the rest of the West channels they are adding as well.

[Skaggs]

adam said:

Also, not so happy that HBO West HD is coming. Oh good, now I can watch the exact same programming as HBO.....3 hours later. Big upgrade there. That goes for the rest of the West channels they are adding as well.

Where did you hear that info? There's nothing in the email about adding HBO West.

I was also puzzled by the following comment in TWC's email:

So, if you want to see the Super Bowl in HD, Time Warner Cable delivers it; no one else can.

Doesn't DirecTV offer FOX in HD? I can watch FOX in HD for FREE with OTA. I have to pay $8 a month to rent TWC's digital cable box so I can get "free" HD! TWC can't be alluding to the fact that you can get FOX via a QAM tuner...that would hurt their $8/mo. set top box rental scam.

[adam]

Right under the list of channels that they have added it says, "Next on the way -- Cinemax West and HBO West!"

And yes, DirecTV does offer Fox23 WXXA as well as all of the other locals in HD. I have a family member with Directv in Ballston Spa and I have been watching the Giants playoff games there on FOX23HD through the satellite, not OTA as before, so I am sure of this.

[adam]

Also as for the "Free HD" I agree that its bogus they say its free after they charge you for it.

I am at UAlbany and therefore my rates are a lot lower than you guys are probably paying (sorry) and even I pay a lot for HD. Looking at my bill, I'm paying $5.90 for the "HD DVR Converter" as well as the $3.95 for the "HD Premium Tier Service" (which I realize is optional) so all in all I'm paying $9.85 a month for my "Free HD." Thanks Time Warner for being so generous as always!

[Skaggs]

adam said:

Right under the list of channels that they have added it says, "Next on the way -- Cinemax West and HBO West

What about regular Cinemax in HD?

[Skaggs]

Let's move the talk about TWC's FREE HD claim over to this thread.

[Skaggs]

Albany TWC added the following channels on Friday, January 25, 2008:

1882 HBO West HD
1883 Cinemax East HD
1884 Cinemax West HD

These new channels all use switched digital video (SDV) technology.

[Skaggs]

Albany TWC added the following HD channels on Thursday, February 21, 2008:

1892 Starz Comedy HD
1893 Starz Kids and Family HD
1894 Starz Edge HD

All are SDV, so you are S.O.L. with a cable card.

[adam]

Time Warner certainly doesn't go for an arbitrary number on HD channels like DirecTV does.

Time Warner has been adding new premium HD channels lately that really don't serve much of their customer base I would think.

I'm probably biased since I don't subscribe to any premiums (other than HBO that comes free on campus) but I would much rather have "regular" HD channels like TLC or Discovery than the premiums in HD.

I just hope that Time Warner doesn't include these pay HD channels in their "free HD" bs.