TWC to add Universal HD nationally

[whitllam]

According to this (http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,1122634,00.html) press release from Time Warner and this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=596936) thread over at AVS forum, TWC has reached an agreement to add Universal HD via a national agreement. I have sent off an emal to TWC Columbus and haven't received a response yet, but I'll post the info here once I get it. This will be great if it's added in time for the Winter Olympics from Italy in February, as long as it isn't bitrate starved like our preview for the US Open tennis coverage was.

[zelig2]

Sweet. I for some reason like Universal HD. Probably because I like Law&Order:SVU a lot. Any chance for more tennis is a good thing plus the olympics.

[zelig2]

My contact over in TWC-Columbus will let me know in a few days. The people they need to get ahold of are out of the office for a few days. So maybe that means hopefully by Friday we'll have an answer.

We need to find that TWC tech who was on the other board before. He'd probably be able to tell us when it'll all go down (ie, if they've got the equipment for it).

[whitllam]

Here's the response I received from TWC via email today:

We have not been advised of that channel being added to our service. If
Time Warner has made a national agreement then it is possible that channel
will be added. We don't usually find out about new additions until just
before they are released though. Many announcements such as channel
additions are inserted in your monthly billing statements.
--
Thank you,

Jason
Time Warner Cable
Columbus Division

[zelig2]

The response I got from my contact had this to say:

Hi Alex,

I just emailed my marketing contacts here about that channel to find out when we might add it, and they are out of the office for a few days. I will email you the info. as soon as I hear from them when they return. Thanks!

[TheDreamer]

Many announcements such as channel
additions are inserted in your monthly billing statements.
--
Thank you,

Jason
Time Warner Cable
Columbus Division

I guess that explains why I've been out of the loop on the last channel shuffle. I get my statement electronically, and there is no insert of changes....

It was largely annoying because 74 became 71...but I continued to record 74....or something like that.

The Dreamer

[whitllam]

Still holding out hope on seeing more of the Olympics in HD on Universal HD:

from the TWC Columbus website:
For more information on Olympic coverage, visit www.twcol.com after February 6. You can also find a complete Olympics section in your February Channel Guide magazine or check your on-screen guide.

link (http://www.timewarnercable.com/columbus/highlights/highlight3.html)

TWC systems in Raleigh, NC and Beaumont, TX have already added or will add the channel by February 10 and Comcast just reached a temporary deal to add the channel for the month of February or pre-empt INHD2 programming for the month.

[Smak Runner 2K]

It would be nice...great timing too, considering that I'm real close to throwing my TWC DVR up in the air and throwing a brick at it over the Super Bowl crap.

Hopefully the brick will fly through a window at Sinclair after it smashes my TWC box...just to be fair:)

[Thombil]

I was on hold last night with TW, for well over an hour, but that another story, and I heard the recording, over and over and over.

The nice man said--- "watch the olympics on Universal HD".

Sounded like it might only last through the Olympics though.

If you go in to diag mode on the stb you will find Universal HD on channel 722. No picture but the space is there.

[whitllam]

If you go in to diag mode on the stb you will find Universal HD on channel 722. No picture but the space is there.

Great find! I had gone into diag mode on Thursday night and went through all of the available channels, so they must have added this sometime in the last couple days. Woohoo :D

If you have the SA8300HD DVR and want to get into diag mode, press and hold the "exit" and "select" buttons on the front of the STB, wait until "diag" shows up on the stb display, then release the two buttons, then press them again to enter the diag mode. From there, you can type in 722 on your remote to get to UHD.

[kf6dlq]

Also, for those of you in diag mode, turn to channel 713, you will see WSYX! No picutre though:( . Too Bad. Hopefully we could see the game in hd!

[zelig2]

I guess I forgot to post in here after I heard back from TimWarner. My contact said that it's set in place to have the Olympics showing on UniversalHD but that a long term commitment had not been worked out.

I thought I heard elsewhere that the negotiations had already been done to get UniversalHD on TWC. Am I crazy? They mentioned that they would be turned on by the Olympics, so at least by the end of the week we'll get something.

[Smak Runner 2K]

I would imagine that when it's on...it'll be on for good. It seems that TWC Corprate has a real issue w/ filtering down information...

Have they ever heard of an Employee news-n-notes post board? It would help...

[Thombil]

Time Warner website says Universal HD will be on Channel 715 but only for the duration of the olympics.

[Smak Runner 2K]

It was on for the US Open also, if you remember...

That seems wrong. If there is indeed a national agreement in place to carry Universal HD (and there is), why would they take it down after the Olympics?

I'm not an expert on Cable (or the bandwith required to transmit HDTV), but is it possible that they are out of "space" right now, and are hesitant to add a new HDTV channel?

Maybe someone from TWC who "knows" can help clear this up.

[whitllam]

It's up now in diag mode on 715 if you would like to watch endless re-runs of Law & Order from now until the coverage starts on Saturday.

[Smak Runner 2K]

Don't forget "The District"...

[darkfiber]

Time Warner Columbus now has Universal HD. I believe it is channel 715. Also last night they had Fox Sports Ohio HD on Channel 716 (they played a very loud test pattern) but that has since disappeared. Also they added Howard Stern On Demand on channel 410. But I don't believe that is in HD.

[Smak Runner 2K]

I noticed the Howard Stern on Demand last night by accident...If it was the HD version I might try-it out.