[TWC] TWC all digital?

Additional question.

Does anyone know when the switch will be for the TWC's around the nation?? Like a timeline map of some sort?

I don't know about the timeline for specific divisions, but apparently 14 systems were switched over to digital simulcasting in 2005 and the rest will be done this year.


Here's the interview where that was mentioned.

I've asked my local office and here in Nebraska, they expect to be simulcasting by this fall.

Looks like the Syracuse division is getting ready to switch over shortly.

Just to note this switch to digital isn't going all digital but doing what is called advanced digital simulcast or ADS for short. With ADS all customers with a digital box would have their boxes mapped to tune in the digital feeds of analog channels. In simple terms say your SciFi is analog and on channel 60. With a digital box when you tune to channel 60 your digital box would have the channel mapping updated so that it would tune in the digital feed instead of the analog feed. This system allows all analog channels to stay in analog without a box for existing customers who don't want nor need a box.

The end result for customers with a digital box is an all digital lineup. I felt this was important to say. Now TWC is expected to go ADS in all markets by years end but as we know delays might still occur. Also Bright House Networks in Central Florida has gone ADS in many areas if not all of their area and Bright House Networks Tampa Bay is also expected to start rolling out ADS by as early as the summer of this year.

Thanks for the info. Just as long as it means a better picture quality, I'm all for it.

if I read that correctly that would also allow them to add channels (Hd and SD) channels at will without letting them worry about bandwidth is that correct (as going with ADS will allow them to do switched video)

Is there anywhere that you can lookup to see if your market has been converted to all digital. The rep here in Memphis keeps telling me that they have already been converted. I dont know if that is true or if he is just trying to get my business.

I could be wrong, but that would be tough to do, because you have time warner cable as a whole, but then each individual unit (like mine time warner cable northeast ohio) kinda doing there own thing....I would think this would make it tough keeping everyone on the same page, maybe even in the same book!

stuart628 said:

if I read that correctly that would also allow them to add channels (Hd and SD) channels at will without letting them worry about bandwidth is that correct (as going with ADS will allow them to do switched video)

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ADS (advanced digital simulcast) is different than switched video. ADS requires more bandwidth as they will have the same 70 channels using bandwidth in both the analog and digital worlds. Many cable systems have gone ADS but not upgraded to switched video.

Once a system puts in switched video hardware they will only send the top 25 or so channels down the pipe at all times. All other channels would only be sent down the pipe as they are tuned in by the customer. For customers without a box when they try and tune in a channel via their analog TVs built-in tuner BHN will use this auto-sensing hardware so it in simple terms can listen for a certian frequency request. I'm not sure how all of this works and I'm being very simple in my wording but this is the gist of it all.

In simple terms beyond the top 25 most watched channels everything else would only be sent down when a customer tunes the channel in. Today all channels are sent down the cable cables all the time 24/7 and are assigned to different frequencies.

So for example on a cable system that is a 750Mhz cable system that is their total amount of bandwidth. The bandwidth is seperated into 6Mhz chunks. Most of the bandwidth is for video but quite a bit of it is used for internet service.

Also of note each analog channel takes 6Mhz of space. In that same 6Mhz of space they can fit two HD channels without much compression. They can do three if they compressed it more. About 5-10 digital channels can fit in that same 6Mhz space also. You can see just how much space an analog system uses.

So if your cable system has 70 analog channels those channels will use 420Mhz of the total 750Mhz system. This means that all other services including digital channels, VOD, internet and now phone service must be offered using the left over bandwidth. To give you an idea if the cable company required every customer to use a box and every customer had an HD box that in that same 420Mhz of space they could offer 140 or more HDTV channels.

So in simple terms they will have 25 channels always being sent down the pipe which would use only 150Mhz of the total 750Mhz system with switched video. If all other channels are sent down the pipe only when tuned in they would free up at least 50% of the TV bandwidth used.

I've been told that switched video on a 750Mhz system would allow the cable company to double the amount of bandwidth for HDTV channels along with being able to increase the speed of internet services to compete with Verizon. Can you hear 30Mbps down and 5Mbps UP because this is what switched video can do for cable but don't forget this costs quite a bit of money but much much much less than doing a typical system wide upgrade. Also note that many cable systems including the Tampa Bay BHN system have 850Mhz networks which means more bandwidth.

JerryVolunteer said:

Is there anywhere that you can lookup to see if your market has been converted to all digital. The rep here in Memphis keeps telling me that they have already been converted.

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I'm willing to bet what the rep means is that they *have* digital service. This was drilled into their brains years ago.... Even back then, a rep told me that once my neighborhood is "upgraded" (to digital), I'll be getting "digital cable". I said "I don't have a converter box" and was told "it will be digital, sir".

Short of asking *tech* support -- maybe -- or having a way to contact the engineering department, you might just need to go to a neighbor who has cable *and* a set-top and look at the channels (or ask them "does channel '40' look better than it used to ?").

Greensboro / Winston-Salem have already converted so I think Charlotte isn't far behind. I heard Raleigh has also switched - since there was a posting at avsforum.

Before the switch there were a lot of 9XX channels that were the regular stations.

Here is a link to the local newspaper article on the switch here:
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/S...SJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137834482929

el_triad said:

Before the switch there were a lot of 9XX channels that were the regular stations.

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Woohoo, that's what's happening here. Any idea how long it was from the time that the 9XX channels appeared to the time that you were switched over?

nothing here in ohio, when I go to 611, our diagnostic channel, it still shows one of my tuners as analog (if I had it on lets say channel 22) and the other as qam 256 if I left it on a HD channel.

GMFreak8 said:

Thanks for the info. Just as long as it means a better picture quality, I'm all for it.

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It definitely means better picture. I am in Austin, recently switched back from Dish to TWC and I can tell you that the picture quality is great.

MNETOP,
Depending on the compression rate, it could result in a better picture.

Well more odd stuff is going on with the channel lineup that I think is something to do with the digital change over. In addition to all the analog channels in the 9XX range (these channels just display the call to order dialog box), other channels have appeared in the 19XX range. These channels are either digital channels that are already on the lineup in their digital spot, but in two places or analog channels that are also in the 9XX range and their regular analog spot (these channels just display the call to order dialog box). One of the channels is the "TOON" channel which appears in the 9XX range, along with it's old analog spot at 52, but this channel is completely different from the analog version. Anyone in the syracuse divisions service area notice this? Is this nationwide? Anyone know what this means, and when the digital changes are going to be completed?



Edit: After a little research, it looks like the channels in the 19XX range are all part of the kid friendly package or whatever that's called. Although that doesn't explain why all the channels in this range come in except the FOOD channel, which displays the call to order dialog....

Here in Rochester, They ADS'ed the Locals and they look ok, our NBC affilate looks horrible, its still blurry! I know the difference because there is a 2 second delay vs OTA broadcast. I swiotched back to dish and I am happier with the overall quality.