rumor about HD on TWC

[AndyHDTV]

posted by LonghornXP in another thread:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthr...7768#post597768

"Also one of my BHN contacts has told me that he got word from TWC corporate that they are working deals for the following channels below to please the FCC as they feel they the FCC could be vote killed if they allowed tons of customers to lose tons of channels.

ESPN2 HD
Cinemax HD
Starz HD
Starz On Demand
Encore On Demand
NFL Network
NFL Network On Demand
NFL Network HD.

Cinemax HD and Starz HD have been confirmed on one TWC system in Texas so because of that along with the fact that my only Comcast contact has said that Comcast corporate will soon work a deal with HDNet that I believe this all might be true.

We just must wait and see what happens but for some reason I have a very good feeling about all of this and I do trust the BHN contact but my Comcast contact I haven't known long enough to fully trust yet so keep that in mind."

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthr...7768#post597768

 

[mlb]

I'll believe it when I see it... Time Warner is all talk, no action.

 

[Dog6869]

well that is about par TWC is leaving Laplace LA. 1 AUG and comcast is buying them out!!! Ohh worries me i miss MY voOm

 

[JayPSU]

Wow I hope so. I have been very eagerly awaiting getting Starz and Encore On-Demand channels added to my current service. But to also get NFL Network right before the Football season begins too would be an added bonus! Keep us updated, Longhorn!

posted by LonghornXP in another thread:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthr...7768#post597768

"Also one of my BHN contacts has told me that he got word from TWC corporate that they are working deals for the following channels below to please the FCC as they feel they the FCC could be vote killed if they allowed tons of customers to lose tons of channels.

ESPN2 HD
Cinemax HD
Starz HD
Starz On Demand
Encore On Demand
NFL Network
NFL Network On Demand
NFL Network HD.

Cinemax HD and Starz HD have been confirmed on one TWC system in Texas so because of that along with the fact that my only Comcast contact has said that Comcast corporate will soon work a deal with HDNet that I believe this all might be true.

We just must wait and see what happens but for some reason I have a very good feeling about all of this and I do trust the BHN contact but my Comcast contact I haven't known long enough to fully trust yet so keep that in mind."

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthr...7768#post597768

 

[toadfannc]

Re: Rumor about HD for TWC

Don't get your hopes up, folks. This "source" also told us that ESPN2HD was imminent 9 months ago. There are just as many rumors out there about TWC not adding any HD channels until 2007 at the earliest. Given their track record, I'm more inclined to believe that.

 

[LonghornXP]

Don't get your hopes up, folks. This "source" also told us that ESPN2HD was imminent 9 months ago. There are just as many rumors out there about TWC not adding any HD channels until 2007 at the earliest. Given their track record, I'm more inclined to believe that.

First when I said ESPN2 HD was coming 9 months ago that was from a BHN "source" that I have since let go from talking with so I admit that was bad information.

Now this latest rumor at the time I wrote it came directly from Fred Dresslar who is a very very high up person at Time Warner Cable. He deals with these programming contracts all day as that is his job but for some reason he has changed his frickin mind three different times to me and honestly I'm not sure I can find a better source than the person who does the damn contracts.

This is exactly why we all hate giving you all rumors because we will always get the blame if we are wrong and you just think we don't have decent contacts when in fact some of you have no clue just who we know. I again will bring up how much crap I got when I told the whole world about the sudden shift for HDTV by DirecTV as far as national HD programming goes in December of 2005. Even when KenH and others kept saying ESPN2 HD would show up on DirecTV I kept telling everyone that the best we would see would be ESPN2 HD and TNT HD until years end and I even said those channels most likely wouldn't come until much closer to the end of 2005 too. When the news came out that DirecTV had a contract for ESPN2 HD I still stuck to my guns saying it still wouldn't be added until closer to years end (a good 4 months post contract) and I got even more crap for that.

Well sadly we all remember when everything came and last I checked ESPN2 HD and TNT HD were the only national HD additions of 2005 and they both came towards years end as I said. The fact is that even the best of us including Scott, KenH and so on get burned but that doesn't mean we don't have good sources.

If only most of you fully understand what goes on behind the scenes because even worse a cable company such as Comcast for example could feel very good about a new channel offering but boom at the last minute all heck breaks loose and the deal never gets done. Well you all would say our source was crap when the fact is he/she was dead on correct but that information changed drasticly.

Now with that in mind that is exactly why even with contacts we still call these rumors as crap happens all the time or more to the truth it happens way more often than anyone would even dream about.

 

[toadfannc]

Now this latest rumor at the time I wrote it came directly from Fred Dresslar who is a very very high up person at Time Warner Cable.

To report that Fred Dressler (VP of Programming for TWC) is working on contracts is not news. Many of us have e-mailed him directly. He always replies with this kind of vague crap. Until he puts his name on the "damn contract", there really is no reason to say anything at all.

 

[LonghornXP]

To report that Fred Dressler (VP of Programming for TWC) is working on contracts is not news. Many of us have e-mailed him directly. He always replies with this kind of vague crap. Until he puts his name on the "damn contract", there really is no reason to say anything at all.

You may get information from email but I in most cases can get much more from him as I've met and talked with him in person.

 

[toadfannc]

You may get information from email but I in most cases can get much more from him as I've met and talked with him in person.

I'm happy that you've met him, but the fact that he's working on contracts is not worth getting people excited about. You're making it sound like you're some kind of insider that has so much more information that us pe-ons out here. If you have anything that resembles a fact and not rumor or innuendo, please share. Otherwise, with regard to TWC, we should expect the worst.

 

[JayPSU]

I'm happy that you've met him, but the fact that he's working on contracts is not worth getting people excited about. You're making it sound like you're some kind of insider that has so much more information that us pe-ons out here. If you have anything that resembles a fact and not rumor or innuendo, please share. Otherwise, with regard to TWC, we should expect the worst.

Please don't speak for all of us here. I, for one, appreciate the information and I'm sure that Longhorn gets more "off the record" information than all of the people who report the email responses they get. You are the reason that no one wants to report anything they here. You are ungreatful and insulting. The problem is, and this goes for all types of business, things change VERY quickly. People change their minds on what they want to do almost all the time. But this does not mean that he's not a good source.

I for one hope to continue getting updates as they contribute a HECK of a lot more than toadfannc contributes.

 

[mlb]

I don't blame Longhorn at all, personally. I blame TWC doing everything they can to string people along, all the while doing nothing and making HUGE money. Time Warner sucks, they are a terrible company, that is why I dumped them out of my house (no internet or TV through Time Warner any more).

 

[MNETOP]

Our local TWC system in Austin, Texas already has Cinemax HD and StarzHD being offered. We have had them for a few weeks now.

 

[AndyHDTV]

I also appreciate LonghornXP's information, because it's updated information.

I will continue to look for more info from him as well as digging up some info myself as I have been doing, and posting it on various forums to keep all of us updated.

 

[toadfannc]

I don't blame Longhorn at all, personally. I blame TWC doing everything they can to string people along, all the while doing nothing and making HUGE money. Time Warner sucks, they are a terrible company, that is why I dumped them out of my house (no internet or TV through Time Warner any more).

This is exactly what I'm saying. I certainly do not intend to offend LonghornXP or anyone else. I guess I'm just realistic, and unfortnately, pessimistic about any communication by or for TWC. Many of us (like LonghornXP) have had contact with THE only decision maker on programming for TWC ... Mr. Fred Dressler. While he is always prompt to reply, and generally polite-- he NEVER gives any concrete information. Therefore, all of the "updates" are really pure, blind speculation. I can't tell you how many times I have been eagerly anticipating ESPN2HD or the NFL Network, or anything of value-- to magically show up on my channel listing after getting information from Dressler, like:

"We're very close with ESPN2HD ... before MLB opening day".
"We will definitely engage the NFL now that they have regular season games".

More often than not, I hear from other forum postings, Dressler telling someone else something totally different. The result is always the same--- TWC is ALWAYS last to respond to customer demand for programming (HD and otherwise). They consistently under-perform when compared to satellite and other cable providers content.

So, LonghornXP and others ... keep the information coming. But, everyone should realize that it should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt. It has been almost 2 years since TWC added a non-premium HD channel (ESPNHD ... and they were the last cable MSO to add it). And before some of you cite Universal-HD ... don't bother. It is by far the worst HD channel offered ... no live programming, the same 4 or 5 1980s shows over and over and over again. Just because it's in HD doesn't make it good.

 

[mlb]

UniversalHD isn't even available in all areas... it has been 2 years since ESPNHD was added, then for 2 weeks in February we had UniversalHD. Outside of that there has been NO new HD additions in 2 years in the Western Ohio division, hence the reason I left them.

 

[AndyHDTV]

Email from Scripps Network regarding HGTV & Food

My Email:
"Hello Mr. Baird, Is Scripps close to an agreement with Time Warner Cable for these HD channels? Myself as well as other HD TWC subscribers would like to know?
Would you say a deal might be finalized by the end of the year, with a launching in Q1 of 2007?"

Response:
Good Morning Andy,

"We are in initial conversations with TW now. It is hard to say when they will actually launch our Hi -Def services but we are hopeful it will be early in 2007. The best way to help insure it is for you and your friends to call your local systems and let them know of your interest and ask them when they think the services will be launched.
Thanks for being a fan of our services. We are proud to be able to deliver them to you and your friends."

 

[toadfannc]

other HD TWC subscribers would like to know

BTW ... through a friend who e-mailed Dressler a couple of days ago about whether ESPN2HD and the NFL Network (SD and/or HD) will be available by September 1st ...

In his typical fashion, he responded- "we are negotiating hard and are very hopeful". Translation: no **'ing way.

 

[JayPSU]

Well, nfortunately it appears this rumor is not going to come to fruition. The FCC let the deal go through, and it appears that TWC had to do NOTHING for that to happen. Looks like the same ole TW is what we can expect as we continue to lag behind. I knew it was too good to be true to think we'd get all of those channels, or even one really.

 

[JayPSU]

Any updates on this story, Longhorn?

 

[AndyHDTV]

Espn2-hd & Espn-u

this was said in a article:
"Meanwhile, Santelle was more optimistic about ESPN2 high definition and ESPNU coming to Time Warner."
“I really think we’re close to making it happen, especially ESPN2 HD, and we’re getting pretty close with ESPNU,” Santelle said. “I’ll say anywhere from 30 to 60 days.”
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the quotes are at the bottom of the article, which also mentions the feud with the NFL.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/sports/15247989.htm