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Time Warner Digital Cable...New Wave??
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Posted by: bravaso

Hey everyone,

I was having a hard time deciding whether I should get Direct TV or stick with cable, and someone at 6th ave electronics mentioned digital cable, so I looked it up briefly on the net. I found this site and was wondering if any of you believe that this can ultimately replace TiVo, since you can watch any show you want, when you want to. Now I don't know the details, but if any of you know the scoop on digital cable, please help me out. Thanks

http://www.twcnc.com/digital_cable/icontrol.htm

Posted by: Airwire

quote:
Originally posted by bravaso
Hey everyone,

since you can watch any show you want, when you want to. Now I don't know the details, but if any of you know the scoop on digital cable, please help me out. Thanks

I have digital cable.

What I think you're referring to is their on demand (icontrol) channels (one each: movies, adult films, HBO). You can't watch any show you want to watch, you are limited to what they make available on the service. The movies cost $3.99 each, the HBO on demand is an additional $7.00 / month, the selection is limited, and you must subscribe to the full HBO digital package (14 channels of HBO).

When you purchase a movie on this service you have 12 hours to watch it. When I purchase a movie and record it with Tivo from inDemand, I can choose when to watch it, and when to delete it.

They have more info about it (including the shows that are currently available) at http://www.twcentralflorida.com/services/iCONTROL/

Posted by: cptodd

I have TWC NYC and because I have the dBEST package I get digital cable with 4 premium channels (and cable modem). All of the premium channels have "on demand" channels associated with them. Thus, HBO has an on demand channel, etc. These on demand channels have a set number of movies, special programs, original programming, sporting events, etc that seem to get refreshed every so often. Since they have a limited number of shows you can't get ANY show you want. I have tried these out from time to time and I found them to be kind of nice to use. You can start the program at any time and once you are watching it you can pause, fast forward and rewind. BUT in my opinion it will not replace TiVo any time soon because the offerings are limited.

As for Direct TV vs cable it is your call. I have had both and I chose cable because it was MUCH more important to me to have my internet and cable bundled. Cable's picture quality is fine for me and I don't care about being able to record two programs at the same time (as you can with the DirecTiVo unit). New York One is a BIG plus. And I like the flexibility of the the TiVo SA unit vs the DTVio unit (you can use the SA unit on both cable and DTV but you can't use the DTVio unit on anything but DTV). You might have different priorities.

Posted by: sneagle

Time Warner cable is working on a digital video recorder. I am not sure where it is available, but inquiries about it in NYC got no where.

Just to add my 2 cents. I lived in Brooklyn for a few years. I had TimeWarner cable there. Then I got DirecTV. Now I am out of the city, but my folks still on TWC on their Sony WEGA TV. Personally, I think the picture quality on TWC is horrible compared to DirecTV. As for NY1, I never had any interest in it. I also found it annoying that CNN-HN would switch to NY1 at the end of the hour.

http://timewarnercable.com/dispatch...ame=DVRFeatures

Posted by: interactiveTV

quote:
Originally posted by bravaso
Hey everyone,

I was having a hard time deciding whether I should get Direct TV or stick with cable, and someone at 6th ave electronics mentioned digital cable, so I looked it up briefly on the net. I found this site and was wondering if any of you believe that this can ultimately replace TiVo, since you can watch any show you want, when you want to. Now I don't know the details, but if any of you know the scoop on digital cable, please help me out. Thanks

http://www.twcnc.com/digital_cable/icontrol.htm

well, yes and no. You can't watch ANY show you like. Video On Demand will, at least in the next few years, only offer programming that appeals to a wider audience. The video servers have limited space and so TWC and the other MSOs will go by the generic 80/20 rule which in this case would be a small selection (relatively and my estimate on total VOD offered by TWC NYC is about 200 selections) that appeals to 80% of the audience. That's movies, porn, and whatever the premiums want to offer (HBO, etc).

Tivo is much more granular. You like Who's The Boss? (not making the accusation! :)), you're better off with a Tivo. It will probably never be offered by VOD in our lifetime. The more obscure or off-the-beaten-track your TV taste, the more Tivo will fit your needs. The optimal combination is Tivo (or a PVR in the generic sense) and VOD. Tivo is truly personalized allowing you to record any program on any channel. VOD only offers a small selection but might offer you programming not available otherwise. Tivo does not replace VOD and neither does VOD replace Tivo.

The question of Direct versus cable is a little more complex. It usually comes down to locals, quality, price, etc..

_ITV

Posted by: island1

Orig posted by me in the DBSforums.com
http://www.dbsforums.com/cgi-bin/ul...ic;f=1;t=004295

Local TW cable.
Here's whats on the table:

3 Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 DVR's

Their "Total Choice Primier" See offerings here web page (everything excluding sports pkgs.)
http://www.twalbany.com/digitalente...ayRegion=Albany

and
Road Runner ISP (currently subscribed @$45/mo)

Intro cost $95.68/ mo
After 1 yr $137.47/ mo
All rental & service fees included

I love my TIVO and my DTV, talk me out of this one.

PS: all analog channels (2-83) remapped to digital tier

Posted by: cptodd

See, just as I said, PRIORITIES. Many ways to slice an apple.

Posted by: jmoak

TWC in central florida only has ppv and hbo on demand, all at an extra cost, and no pvr of any kind.

in contrast, TWC in rochester, ny has these:

715 Adult On Demand
720 HBO On Demand
721 Cinemax On Demand
722 Showtime On Demand
723 TMC On Demand
740 DIY On Demand
741 HGTV On Demand
742 Food Network On Demand
743 Biography On Demand
744 iCONTROL Music
745 BBC America On Demand
746 Cartoon/Boomerang On Demand
747 CNN Showcase On Demand
748 Comedy Central On Demand
749 Golf Channel On Demand
http://www.twrochester.com/programming/lineup.cfm?area=1&lpid=icoCom

to list a few, and has the sa pvr!

TWC's services and quality vary wildly from region to region. I'd go visit a neighbor and check out what they have before I made any move.

In contrast, dtv's always the same quality, coast to coast.

Posted by: Raj

TWC NYC also has HDTV locals.

I'm guessing that TWCNYC will be bringing the SA8000 DVR soon. It's already available in some upstate markets. It's not TiVo branded, but for PVR functionality, hey it works. I may make the switch once my DirecTV contract is up.

Posted by: Alan_West

Just a little something to add re: twc nyc...

After some info from TeddS i upgraded my system to the Dbest package.
(Thanks again TeddS!!!)

My friend called twc for the same reason and asked about a new box. according to them they said it will be out in the summer.

Anybody have this box yet? More info about the 8000?

Posted by: TeddS

quote:
Originally posted by Alan_West
Anybody have this box yet? More info about the 8000?

Is this the box for HDTV? Or just for PVR functions, or both?

Has anybody got any experience with TWC's HD service and running it through (or around) a standalone Tivo?

--Tedd

Posted by: CharlesH

As I understand it, with Video On Demand from your cable company, you can watch the show any number of times during the "rental" period (12 hours or 24 hours or whatever it is). Comcast has also announced VOD for their combined Comcast+AT&T Broadband systems. So what keeps the TiVo user from recording the VOD movie, and viewing it indefinitely? Are they going to put some sort of do-not-copy flag on it and force TiVo and other DVR providers to honor it? Given the current paranoia of the media providers about digital recording, I cannot imagine that they will just let people record this programming on their DVRs.

Posted by: Alan_West

ok. I found some more info...

Here is an press release...

http://www.sciatl.com/news/02may06-1.htm

Here is some of the info...

...digital video recording (DVR) aboard the world's only complete home entertainment platform for cable...

... Consumers will be able to pause live TV, record one channel while watching another, record two channels and playback one channel simultaneously, and enjoy picture-in-picture (PIP) on any consumer television set.

...The Explorer 8000 home entertainment server features an 80-gigabyte hard drive, capable of recording up to 50 hours of programming without the need for a phone line and is designed to support the wide range of interactive and on-demand services deployed today.

My curiosity is peaked. :-)

Posted by: interactiveTV

quote:
Originally posted by Alan_West
ok. I found some more info...

...The Explorer 8000 home entertainment server features an 80-gigabyte hard drive, capable of recording up to 50 hours of programming without the need for a phone line and is designed to support the wide range of interactive and on-demand services deployed today.

My curiosity is peaked. :-)

Try this one:
http://broadband.motorola.com/catal...p?ProductID=178

PVR, HD, DOCSIS, washes your dishes, makes lunch for the kids, AND there's a special button on the front labeled "Pony." Push it and guess what comes out of the little smartcard slot? ;)

_ITV

P.S. Major benefits to the 8000 is the dual tuner (wish I had that), no major upfront cost, and the integration that reduces (eliminates?!) channel change issues. Downside is interface and basically a generation or two behind Tivo. Individuals must weigh these for themselves. For me, any HD PVR capability will overcome any interface issues. To each their own.

Posted by: Alan_West

cool.
will twcnyc see this one or is it going to be a scientific Atlanta?

Posted by: interactiveTV

quote:
Originally posted by Alan_West
cool.
will twcnyc see this one or is it going to be a scientific Atlanta?

Sadly, I doubt it. SA is the game of choice for TWC. The 4200HD is an interesting box (better HD capability than the 3100HD I have) and Media Center (MC) should lead to some interesting functionality. Bottom line though is because of the thin client nature of current VOD, that will be the major focus, not PVR. The business model is a little more solid as well, piggy-backing off of PPV. Adult VOD numbers are rumored to be pretty damn good. I don't doubt it. :)

The 8000 could be upgraded to HD with full HDCP compliance. There is, suprisingly, a pent-up demand for HD on the cable side and it helps in the fight with DBS. With the relative cheap roll-out of VOD (processing happens on the head-end so lower end boxes will work), hopefully it won't be too long before SA announces a MOT 5200 competitor. I don't expect to have a HD PVR cable box in my house this year. My hope is sometime end of year next but that's just a hope.

_ITV

Posted by: Alan_West

Hmm, The info that my friend was given is that it is due in the summer, I would love to see new tech sooner. i have an explorer 2100 now. I would love to find a way to totaly disable the channel banner on the 2100 so it does not show up on my tivo recordings. Any ideas ITV? You realy seem to have the inside track, Is there any benefits of getting a 3100 or will it only work with Hi Def. I do not have high definition yet, but i want to keep up with the tech.
Also, I was wondering do you know if TWC will ever offer the rf bypass module for us. Called twc but they seem totaly unaware of its existence.

thanks for the info

Posted by: interactiveTV

quote:
Originally posted by Alan_West
Hmm, The info that my friend was given is that it is due in the summer, I would love to see new tech sooner. i have an explorer 2100 now. I would love to find a way to totaly disable the channel banner on the 2100 so it does not show up on my tivo recordings. Any ideas ITV? You realy seem to have the inside track, Is there any benefits of getting a 3100 or will it only work with Hi Def. I do not have high definition yet, but i want to keep up with the tech.
Also, I was wondering do you know if TWC will ever offer the rf bypass module for us. Called twc but they seem totaly unaware of its existence.

thanks for the info

I seem to have confused you a little. My apologies.

The SA 8000 should hit NYC by summer but it is NTSC only. That's the word.

The 3100HD is of zero benefit without a HD TV. It will work with your current TV but the HD channels, which output over the component outputs, won't do you much good. Basically, no point.

The late next year bit of mine was concerning a SciAtl 8000 or similar that is HD and PVR, similar to the MOT 5200. I wouldn't expect that for at least 18 months in NYC. Unfortunately. Once you've seen HD on your TV (mine is a 43" Pioneer plasma), you hate to go back. I've gone back to live TV for some programs just to get the HD and the digital audio.

Don't know about disabling the channel banner. Will ask. Never bothered me before as I always have that extra Tivo garble at the beginning of every recording anyway.

_ITV

Posted by: arno

quote:
Originally posted by TeddS
Is this the box for HDTV? Or just for PVR functions, or both?

Has anybody got any experience with TWC's HD service and running it through (or around) a standalone Tivo?

--Tedd

Yes. You will need to call TWC and request an HD cable box.
There's a one time only $37.50 installation charge. The HD
function is connected to a separate input so it's either
Tivo or HD. The HD offerings (so far) are HBO, SHO, CBS,
NBC, ABC, and PBS. It's 1080i and the quality is jaw-dropping.

- arno

Posted by: Alan_West

Well ITV I have something to look foward to now. :-)
HD is too costly for me right now but maybe sometime in the future.
Thanks for the info.
ITV maybe you can help me with this since you seem to realy have an inside track here...
I want to split my cable so that cable comes in to apartment splits one end goes to cable box wich feeds tivo the other end goes to tv. so when i am using tivo i can watch basic ch. problem is i think the coax cables asnd spliters i have are not up to par with twc's own. I am not an electrician so i don't know all the specs on wires and splitters and such. Could you help me with this so when i go to Radio shack I could take those specs with me.
Thanks in advance for any and all help,

Posted by: TeddS

quote:
Originally posted by arno
Yes. You will need to call TWC and request an HD cable box.
There's a one time only $37.50 installation charge. The HD
function is connected to a separate input so it's either
Tivo or HD. The HD offerings (so far) are HBO, SHO, CBS,
NBC, ABC, and PBS. It's 1080i and the quality is jaw-dropping.

- arno

OK, a couple of questions:

* does Tivo interact well (changing channels, etc) with this HD box?
* can anybody recommend a decent component signal A/B switchbox?

I already have an XBOX and a progressive scan DVD running into the only 2 component inputs on my XBR400 set. Too bad neither of those could do a component pass-thru! That would have been awesome.

Anyhow, I'm really hesitant to do this. I HATE watching realtime television. Would I be willing to give up the power Tivo gives me for the quality HD gives me. I don't know. I think I might rather not have to decide. That is, until a decent HD PVR comes out. How the hell much is that going to cost :confused:

--Tedd