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Archive for the 'switched video' Tag

Cox moving 100 channels to on-demand format

November 13th, 2009, 1:28 pm by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Cox CableBeginning Nov. 25, Cox Communications in Orange County will roll out a new technology that will change how viewers watch 100 channels. Most won’t notice a difference but a small number — less than 1 percent — won’t be able to see the channels at all. (Thanks to reader TiVoGirl for the tip.)

In a letter mailed to customers this week,  Cox said it is migrating to the Switched Digital Video platform, which is one way cable companies can offer customers more channels. This opens up space for Cox to offer more HD channels. I’ll get to those new channels in my next post. UPDATE: And here’s that post: “Cox adding 15 HD channels in December.”

Cox, like other cable providers, is operating at maximum channel capacity. It can only air a certain number of channels 24 hours a day. But some channels take up more room than others — one analog channel occupies the same space as about 12 to 15 digital channels. Switching those analog channels to digital is one way for cable companies to free up space. This is what Time Warner is doing (see story: Time Warner makes room for 100 HD channels, kicks out others“).

The other method is by moving to switched digital video, which converts channels to a type of on-demand-only service. Customers still use their remotes as normal, turning to the channel they want. The majority of customers won’t notice the change — only, I’m told, a slight delay when they turn to a switched channel. But customers who don’t have a set-top box and rely on CableCARDs won’t be able to access the channels. Alternatives for these users are below.

“Switched Digital will allow us to maximize our network capacity, enable increased HD channels and entertainment options in the future. For example, now we have over 400 HD programming options [hours] and we continue to launch more HD channels,” said Cox spokeswoman Lana Ong. (Corrected at 4:45 p.m. Ong says she meant to say 400 HD hours of programming is available.)

Here are the affected channels — 100 in all: Read the rest of this entry »

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Time Warner makes room for 100 HD channels, kicks out others

November 10th, 2009, 4:53 pm by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Time Warner Cable photo, courtesy of AP.On Dec. 8,  Time Warner Cable will move eight channels to digital for those in Orange County and Los Angeles. That means customers who get cable TV service by plugging a TV into the wall or using an older analog cable box will need to upgrade to digital equipment.

The change will make room for several new HD channels, including AMC HD, The Weather Channel HD, History International HD, ESPNU HD and “many more,” according to a letter sent to subscribers this week. Next month starts the company’s kickoff to reach 100 HD channels.

The analog channels that are moving – KWHY, Shop NBC, AMC, The Weather Channel, ABC Family, Oxygen, TruTV and Style — will all still be exist on the same channel number, but only in a digital format. If you don’t have a digital set-top box, you won’t be able to access them.

For customers who don’t have a digital box, Time Warner will let you borrow one for free for one year. This offer only applies to households without a digital box. If you already lease digital boxes but have an extra TV plugged into the wall, you’ll need to pay for a digital box to get all the channels on that TV.

TWC changes Channel
KWHY 22
Shop NBC 96
AMC 55
The Weather Channel 47
ABC Family 46
Oxygen 68
TruTV 49
Style 130

“With more digital carriage space available, we will be able to free up bandwidth for future uses, such as launching new channels, providing more services and offering even more HD, not to mention, this will enhance picture quality and sound on existing services,” said Darryl Ryan, Time Warner Cable’s local director of media relations.

Lots of things are going on here including: Read the rest of this entry »

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Cox to begin testing TiVo adapter this week — only in O.C.

October 28th, 2009, 2:31 pm by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Cox working with Motorola on TiVo adapter.Cox Cable will begin testing this week a brand new Motorola device to help TiVo users access all the TV channels Cox offers.

A small handful of customers have been clamoring for such a device for months after realizing that they couldn’t get all the channels and video-on-demand options other customers do.

This only affects customers who use TiVos and CableCARDs, a small device that slides into a TiVo (or some computers and TVs) so the customer can skip the bulky set-top box. Customers with TiVos and set-top boxes are not affected.

According to Cox spokeswoman Lana Ong, TiVo has already pre-selected 50 Orange County customers to participate in the test. If all goes well, Cox will offer the free adapter to any customer sometime in late November.

I mentioned this Motorola test in early September (see “Cox O.C. will be first to test TiVo adapters from Motorola“). The test was scheduled to start in September but was postponed when Cox rolled out new video-on-demand software instead (see earlier story, “Cox fix for TiVo users delayed“ Read the rest of this entry »

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Cox fix for TiVo users delayed

September 25th, 2009, 12:02 pm by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

TiVo logoThe local Cox Communication delayed plans this week to be the first company wide to roll out the first Motorola- TiVo adapters. Cox was busy unveiling new software for its video-on-demand service. Cox now hopes to offer the TiVo device in Orange County before the end of the year.

That leaves some TiVo users without access to on-demand movies and shows, plus any channel that has been turned into an on-demand channel.

Because of a change in technology, TiVo users who rely on CableCARDs are unable to request on-demand shows without this adapter. This change doesn’t affect TiVo users who have a set-top box from the cable provider.

Cable companies are moving to the new switched digital video technology in order to use the pipe to a customer’s home more efficiently. By reducing the number of nominal channels streamed 24/7, a cable company can add new high-definition channels to the stream. The other channels are still there, but only broadcast when requested by the subscriber. To watch those, a TiVo user with a CableCARD will need this new adapter.

“We’ve maxed out on bandwidth,” said Lana Ong, spokeswoman for the Rancho Santa Margarita cable provider.

Earlier stories on TiVo and switched digital technology:

Posted in: Video & TV • • • • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

Time Warner hints at 100 HD channels coming to SoCal

September 23rd, 2009, 6:56 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Time Warner CableNews that Time Warner Cable picked BigBand Networks to provide switched digital video technology means one major thing for cable customers: More high definition channels are coming sooner than later.

The Redwood City-based BigBand announced its new cable customer  in a press release. BigBand will handle Time Warner’s Los Angeles operation, which includes Orange County. BigBand is also deploying switched digital video in Time Warner’s New York and Dallas systems.

Cable TV companies have limited space to stream channels 24/7 in the cable line that feeds TV directly to a customer’s house. Switched digital video allows the cable company to turn some of those channel streams into a video-on-demand channel, which frees up space to add more HD channels or other new content.

Orange County’s former president of Time Warner operations mentioned this was coming last year. But so far, the technology has not been implemented here. Time Warner has been testing this in San Fernando Valley.

So far, the only customers that will be affected by the change are those with TiVos and CableCARDs. See my past stories about what to do if you’re in this situation:

In a press release, Time Warner says technology has allowed the company to offer over 100 HD channels to customers, plus more HD Video on demand, said Kevin Leddy, Time Warner Cable’s executive vice president of technology policy and product management.

“We have launched (switched digital video) in over 20 markets to date and know firsthand that, if we want to deploy new programming options for our customers, SDV is the fastest, most cost effective method for our existing network,” he said. ”With the bandwidth that has been reclaimed Time Warner Cable is able to offer over 100 high definition channels to our customers …”

Can anyone guess what those 100 channels are?

Here’s a look at what the HD channels currently offered in Huntington Beach: Read the rest of this entry »

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Cox O.C. will be first to test TiVo adapters from Motorola

September 2nd, 2009, 1:23 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Cox working with Motorola on TiVo adapter.Some local Cox subscribers got a nasty surprise when the cable provider unleashed a slew of new HD channels last month: They couldn’t view  them.

That was the case of reader Lori Belski, a Cox customer and TiVo user who wrote to me voicing frustration with Cox’s lack of customer service about her issue.

What happened is that Cox is using a different technology to offer the new HD channels. The “switched digital video” technology turns content into on-demand channels so instead of a regular broadcast stream, the stream starts only at the customer’s request. Once requested, these “switched” channels should appear as normal channels. Most Cox subscribers probably didn’t notice the difference because Cox’s equipment can handle the two-way communication needed.

TiVo boxes equipped with special Cox CableCARDs, however, cannot. CableCARDs are one-way communicators and need an adapter to make requests. Cox currently offers no adapters.

Well, there’s good news and bad news. Read the rest of this entry »

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No TiVo love from AT&T U-verse

July 30th, 2009, 3:24 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

AT&T U-verseAfter writing about a new cable TV service that could render TiVos useless, a reader wondered, what about TiVo and AT&T U-verse, a highly-desired alternative to cable?

Unfortunately, AT&T’s Internet-based TV service U-verse doesn’t support TiVo either. Like the cable companies who are rolling out switched digital video, U-verse uses the same two-way communication technology (see the earlier story, “More HD channels coming to cable TV, TiVo users impacted“).

Such technology allows a TV company to make the most of limited video capacity. By converting the least popular channels into on-demand only, there is more room in the live broadcast stream for high-definition channels. This requires two-way communication since a user must request a channel or on-demand movie that isn’t streaming live.

TiVos that use a CableCARD to get video service are one-way communication devices and can’t request the on-demand movies or any channels that moved to switched digital video. Those channels will appear missing. The cable companies plan to provide adapters when the service rolls out here in Orange County.

But not AT&T. Read the rest of this entry »

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Coming soon to Time Warner: Rewind shows you forgot to record

July 23rd, 2009, 3:35 pm by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

If you’re a Time Warner Cable customer and you spot this on your TV:

Time Warner Cable upgrades TV software to prepare for new features.

… you can start getting excited. This blue screen of annoyance is a sign of new features to come.

Time Warner Cable's Start Over service. Image from NYTimesBesides the debatable improvement in the program guide, the new Mystro Navigator software, which replaces Passport software in Time Warner’s Scientific Atlanta boxes, paves the way for the “Look Back,” “Start Over” and switched digital video, all features that Time Warner mentioned to us last year.

These features will let viewers watch a TV show they didn’t record for a day or two after its initial broadcast, or restart a show if you tune in after it already began. Time Warner, essentially, is upgrading its on-demand service and creating a networked DVR, allowing for some shows to be stored at the company’s offices rather than the home DVR box itself. Though there are unwanted consequences for some users (see earlier story, “More HD channels coming to cable TV, TiVo users impacted“), this also means customers will get a massive on-demand library of current TV shows they can view at the touch of their remote.

“It’s going to create a system for bandwidth to open up for more HD channels and it’s going to prepare us for the services we’re going to be introducing, Start Over and Look Back,” said Darryl Ryan, a Time Warner Cable spokesman.

Exactly when? Ryan doesn’t know or he won’t say. He’ll only say, “It’s still in development and should be coming very very soon.” But when we first learned that the features were coming, Time Warner gave us a mid-2009 launch date (strum fingers repeatedly).

Read the rest of this entry »

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More HD channels coming to cable TV, TiVo users impacted

July 3rd, 2009, 7:58 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Switched video technology could make TiVos useless they get an adapter.

Sooner than later, Orange County cable TV customers may notice a lot more high-definition channels.

This is not an easy task, by the way. Cable providers have struggled to offer more HD channels because their aging systems are near capacity.  Now,  thanks to new technology called switched digital video, they have figured out how to get more room: Stop broadcasting every single channel 24/7.

By turning some of the least popular channels into on-demand channels, cable companies can use that newly opened space to squeeze in more HD channels. Channels that do go switched digital are still accessible. But there may be a slight delay after turning to that channel, as the cable box sends the request back to the main station. The delay should be just a split second and unnoticeable to viewers, the cable companies say.

But one reader from Yorba Linda, who uses a CableCARD and TiVo to watch cable TV, alerted me that some switching might be going on in his neighborhood. He woke up one day to find very few channels showing up on his TV — Food TV yes, but not the HD version; no Bravo and absolutely no HBO. A  Time Warner customer service representative mentioned to him the cable provider was switching to this new technology.

I checked with both local cable companies — Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications — and both plan to implement this technology. But Time Warner has not yet. Cox, however, is testing it out in Orange County. Read the rest of this entry »

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Time Warner Cable’s new features finally coming to O.C.

October 28th, 2008, 7:21 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

This is the second in a 3-part series of posts. Read the first at “Time Warner still cleaning up cable merger mess in O.C.” and third part at “Time Warner’s new HD channels and why Costa Mesa, Tustin get them first.“

A meeting with the president of Orange County’s Time Warner Cable operation resulted in more than just a tour for myself and learning why Time Warner prices are all over the O.C. map. 

Fred Stefany told me about these new features that are coming soon to Orange County residents:

Faster Internet - High-speed Internet users will see an increase in speeds, from 6 megabits per second to 10 Mbps by June 2009.

PowerBoost - Similar to what Cox already offers its customers, PowerBoost takes underutilized Internet capacity and gives high-speed Internet customers an extra burst of speed when they need it like when they’re downloading files. Speeds will be up to 22 megabits per second. Read the rest of this entry »

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Time Warner Cable plans more channels in O.C. despite fines

October 17th, 2008, 4:30 am by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

A federal agency wants to fine Time Warner Cable for withholding some channels to certain customers. But here in Orange County, the local cable service is moving ahead with plans to do just that.

Next year, the local Time Warner Cable wants to take its 50 least-watched channels, such as some international channels, and turn them into an on-demand service. That, in turn, opens up room to offer channels that more people want — such as HD versions of popular channels. The technology is called ‘Switched Digital.”

But in order to access those channels, subscribers would need a piece of equipment that can communicate back to the cable company and request the programs. In Hawaii, where the two Time Warner offices were cited, subscribers with a non company-issued digital video recorder or a cable card, could not access those channels because those are one-way communication devices.  The FCC said that the cable companies should have sought a waiver to the rule, according to MultiChannel News.

According to a report by Dow Jones news service, the FCC ordered $40,000 and $20,000 fines against Time Warner in Hawaii and Cox in Virginia, respectively, for “preventing some subscribers from receiving certain channels.” Plus the cable companies needed to refund customers for the lost channels and any equipment they had to buy to access them.

The FCC also noted that the number of customers affected was a very small percentage of all subscribers. But, the FCC added, “we consider the consumer harm resulting from actions here, which frustrate the commission’s broader goal of achieving a competitive navigation device market, to be significant,” according to the report.

Fred Stefany, president of O.C.’s Time Warner Cable operations, said that his company doesn’t agree with the FCC’s action.

“It was more related to properly notifying (the FCC) what we are doing,” Stefany said.  

“So we are moving full speed ahead (in Orange County) and in fact, as I mentioned we have it deployed in many systems already,” he added.

No Time Warner DVR is needed for the ‘Switch’ service. But customers will need one of the company’s digital boxes.

“A customer simply tunes to the channel they want to watch.  The box sends a signal to initiate the channel and the video starts.  You do not go to ‘On-Demand’ or anything special.  It will be totally invisible to the customer.  They will never be able to tell if it’s a ’switched channel’ or a regular one,” he said.

Consumers who do watch those other channels would be none the wiser because when they flip to them, the broadcast works just as before — maybe with a minor delay. 

Send me your Time Warner stories, complaints and comments. I am now tracking local cable companies and other TV services on this blog. Bookmark this blog

More cable TV news:

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