Time Warner QAM Channels as of 4/5/12

[steveb]

Unplugged the coaxial from my box and plugged it right into my TV to check out the QAM channels today.

0 - NYS Senate (Digital Ch. 83)
4.1 WNYA-HD
6.1 - WRGB-HD
6.2 - ThisTV
8.1 - WXXA-HD
8.2 - WXXA-US
10.1 - WTEN-HD
10.2 - WTEN-SD (Storm Tracker)
10.3 - RetroTV
11.1 - WMHT-HD
11.2 - WMHT2 (Create TV)
11.3 - WMHT3 (PBS National Feed)
13.1 - WNYT-HD
13.2 - WNYT-ME
15.1 - WCWN-HD
20.1 - ION-HD
91 - WRNN-D1
116.21 - WNCE. All the websites I looked at show this QAM slot as being unknown in Albany. I believe it is WNCE out of Glens Falls. (Dig. 508)
121.1 - ONTWC (Digital Ch. 1)
121.8 - Blank - I've narrowed this down to being one of the PPV barker mini-channels you see on the on-demand channels in the top right corner.
121.9 - PPV Previews (Test pattern at the moment but matches Ch. 800)

Looks like things are locked down pretty tight

[xzi]

Apr 5, 2012 14:20:51 GMT -5 steveb said:

Looks like things are locked down pretty tight

Not if you have DIRECTV and Road Runner only and these are the only channels you're missing

[UsualNoise]

QAM channels changed quite a bit in my area (Kinderhook). I'll post some of the changes shortly unless someone beats me to it.

[UsualNoise]

Here's what I'm currently seeing. Main changes are WNYT-DT moved and TBS HD and Disney HD are currently in the clear (well, also HSN HD and QVC HD but they don't really count). Don't know if that is permanent or not. I'm only including HD channels:

3-5 (1809) YNNALBH
104-1122 (1822) QVCHD
110-1 (1806) WRGBDT
110-2 (1896) WRGBDT2
110-3 (1813) WNYTDT
110-4 (556) WNYTDT2
111-1 (1810) WTENDT
111-2 (1897) WTENDT3
111-3 (?) LWN
111-4 (1811) WMHTDT
111-5 (200) WMHTDT2
111-6 (532) WMHTDT3
112-1 (1808) WXXADT
112-3 (91) WRNNDT
113-1 (1815) WCWNDT
113-2 (1820) WXPXDT
113-3 (1804) WNYACAB
115-1 (1821) HSNHD
115-2 (1805) TBSHD
115-3 (1834) DISNHD
116-3 (1719) TVGNNSH

[BenJF3]

Did you guys get the new "Themed" Line up yet? Also, be prepared as TWC is shifting a lot of channels to encrypted digital.

[UsualNoise]

Jul 5, 2013 14:42:27 GMT -5 BenJF3 said:

Also, be prepared as TWC is shifting a lot of channels to encrypted digital.

To my knowledge the majority of channels are already marked Copy Once. There are a minority that are not (e.g. Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, etc.). Do you mean ALL digital channels will be marked Copy Once? Or are you talking about something else?

[BenJF3]

I'm not talking about Copy Once Flags. All digital channels will eventually require a box (full two way STB or DTA), including channels currently available via ClearQAM. I don't know what the time frame in your division is, but it's already started in mine.

[UsualNoise]

OK - thanks. Is it safe to assume the broadcast networks will still be available in clear QAM? I thought that was a requirement. Or are they eliminating ALL clear QAM stations? That would royally suck.

Well, I found this:

qam.net/clearqam/

And it looks like the worst case scenario is going to happen. I guess I may finally have to buy a good HDTV antenna. I assume this also will prevent just having internet and getting the broadcast HD basics for 'free' over the coax line.

I'm pretty surprised there hasn't been more blowback from consumers over this. Perhaps not enough people realize the magnitude of what is going to change.

[BenJF3]

Yes, the FCC is going to allow full encryption (even basic). That was my point. I think there hasn't been a backlash because they kind of snuck it through and only people following the industry know. The blowback will begin once they implement it and by then it will be too late. Customers in our division are already posting angry rants via the local news station forums because a bunch of stations have already been moved to digital only. I'm setting myself up to drop cable altogether and go OTA with streaming here. If they offer a good enough price on service via a CableCard, I will build out a Whole Home DVR HTPC with Media Extenders. I have discussed this with the wife and we both agree that while there are some things we would miss, we can certainly live without cable as there just is less and less value in it. The down side it my price for Internet only will double.

[UsualNoise]

I've had cablecard service (with 2 HDHomeRun Primes) for the last 2 years now. Using Windows 7 Media Center as my DVR has worked great - leaps and bounds better than the DVR's from TW I had for the previous 8 years.

My main concern with this QAM change is I also use 2 HDHomeRun Duals to provide a secondary source of the broadcast networks in HD via QAM tuning. This would effectively block those HDHomeRun Duals from working. However, if I order two of the digital descramblers would that allow the HDHomeRun QAM tuners to work again? I'm not finding a lot of information out there at this point. I don't know if the digital adapter would only work on individual channels or if it would allow all connected devices to 'see' the unscrambled QAM channels, even ones that have their own tuners.

[ebo]

No digital descrambler/adapter/STB/DVR or anything else will turn encrypted cable channels into something an HDHR Dual can use. If they output anything on an RF TV channel it will be NTSC analog.

In Kinderhook you should have a clear shot at the Albany stations on the Community Tower, under 25 miles northwest. You'll need a decent mid-range antenna system that can handle channels 6-43, probably mounted outdoors.

[UsualNoise]

Yeah, after reading up on the digital adapter I came to the same conclusion - anything with a QAM tuner is basically screwed as soon as TW decides to scramble everything. I guess the TV manufacturers and companies like SiliconDust will have some obsolete functionality in their products now, eh?

I'm still surprised the FCC allowed this. Cable companies must really be pouring the big bucks into lobbyists in Washington.

Actually, I found this: apparently the FCC also is requiring the big 6 cablecos (including TW) to provide a solution for third-party TV / DVR stuff, including SiliconDust, Boxee, etc. So at least in theory, there should be some way of continuing to use my HDHomeRun Dual even after this change happens. It may be via firmware update or via a physical network box, but something is supposed to be provided. We'll see. Here's where I got that info:

hometheaterreview.com/fcc-rules-to-make-it-harder-to-get-unencrypted-cable-channels-without-a-cable-box/

[ebo]

A lot of people have been confused by the FCC's requirement that the major cable companies make the broadcast channels available to "IP-enabled devices" including, I believe, the author of the article linked to above. Boxee TV can receive programming streamed over the Internet, as can many other media players. Nothing SiliconDust currently sells can do that and a firmware change won't help. It requires different hardware. SD could produce such a device but they've given no hint that they're planning to do so.

The only way a non-Prime HDHR could deal with an encrypted channel is if the cable company supplied a device that decrypted it, then modulated that on a TV channel using either QAM or 8VSB, the two modulation methods the US HDHomeRun can use. Trust me, no cable company is going to do that. Even if they did, the computer using the HDHR would have to be able to change channels on the converter. Doable, but too complicated for most people.

However, that FCC requirement will slow the cablecos from encrypting the locals. I don't think any of them have implemented the IP workaround yet or even know what form it will take.

[UsualNoise]

Jul 27, 2013 16:53:22 GMT -5 ebo said:

However, that FCC requirement will slow the cablecos from encrypting the locals. I don't think any of them have implemented the IP workaround yet or even know what form it will take.

OK, thanks for the clarification. Makes sense, but it does suck since I have two HDHomeRun Duals (technically 3, but only 2 in active use). At least the locals will still be available for a while yet; I won't have to bother with an antenna until they completely disappear. Of course, I could just get a third HDHomeRun Prime and that would pretty much solve having enough tuners available. But making the HDHR Dual completely obsolete sucks.

I posted over on the SiliconDust forum asking about this upcoming change so I'll probably get a similar response, unless some workaround is actually going to be possible.

[BenJF3]

We have the new themed line up and it appears that with it, our QAM channels went goodbye. My tuner no longer finds them on scan and worst yet is that my new Ceton 6 tuner Ethernet is not showing any HD channels at all. I see everything including the digital channel line up, but it all comes through in SD. TWC supposedly escalated my issue to a higher level to check into it because they have my account completely screwed up. If this is true that we will be required to have there set tops, then I will return my Ceton tuner and cancel service again.