Anyone here using TimeWarner Cable

[sdsean]

Ok so I happen to cheat. . .

I don't pay for cable television at all. . .
However I do pay for a cable modem. There are still TV signals that come over the wire (just locals) and I use them to augment my list of tuners to record from via HD-HR.

However, recently, i had to do a new channel scan in the HD-HR.
And while I can see all my locals, and according to the call signs they are the "DT" versions (HD), the signal / recording quality looks pretty poor.

Is it possible they are just sending the sd version over the wire now unless I have a Timewarner cable box? Does anyone here have a setup where they get the local HD channels via cable without an STB in the middle (or cablecard, that doen't count either)?

[Menehune]

I have Time Warner at my house and the some of the digital channels I tune on my TV are pretty bad. Some stations have three channels (480i, 720p, 1080i?) and they look like they are all upconverted SD content. Others (like the Today Show and football) are in true HD.
The PQ is very source dependent. If the "HD" signal is upconverted from an SD source, the quality sucks. Content originating in HD (typically live news or monday night football) is beautiful. Most recorded shows look horrible.

I have analog cable-78 channels and around 8 digital channels I can tune on my TV.

[sdsean]

Well I'm not sure when this happened, but it used to be that the Local channels I was receiving were in HD. So I picked up an HD Homerun, and could record my locals off of that feed in HD.

Now it appears they are only sending SD content over the wire. . . not sure when this changed, but my guess is that it was sometime during the digital TV transition.

Luckily I have to HD-PVRs hooked up to DirecTV, so at least I can still record the locals over HD that way. . . but I basically lost to HD feeds.

I even called TW to see about it, and indeed they told me that I need a cable-box in order to have locals in HD, which means paying for more than just basic cable (7.95 / month for at least a box + 14 a month for basic service, or in my case not paying :-) ).

So bummed. . . I'm gonna go back to OTA i guess. . .

[gplasky]

So have you removed your HDHR as a video source and rescanned lately? Or deleted the .scn and the .frq files and basically redo your HDHR with the latest firmware from scratch? Alot of times the support people have no idea what QAM is and how you might still be getting those channels. Maybe they just moved.

Gerry

[sdsean]

Yeah I did a rescan, and also just updated the firmware today. . . totally with you on the support thing, but so far it appears no more free HD.

I still have a couple more things I can try. .

1.) There is a splitter on the line. . . so I suppose that might be causing an issue. . .
I can try removing it, but of course my internet access will be down (although internal network should still be ok).

2.) Use a local antenna. . .

3.) I also have a directv line in that room with the wireless router, cable modem, and hd-hr, that is not plugged into an STB currently. I'm curious to see what happens if I just plug it into the HD-HR. My guess is either:
a.) Nothing will work b/c the singal is totally encrypted
b.) Maybe the locals are Clear-QAM and I just don't know it. . (which in this case would work)
c.) Maybe the sattellite dish in this case would also act like a local outdoor antenna, (which in this case would work)_.

Obviously item 2 will work, but that requires me to get up on the rough (ugh), so I'm hoping its either 1 or 3 will work. . . otherwise I'll be down to 2 sources for a while. . .

[sdsean]

Well crap. . . .

Number 3b and 3c don't work. . . the LNB dish prevents it from also being used as an antenna, and directv doesn't appear to be sending anything down in the clear (as I supspected).

further I won't even get much help with a local antenna according to antennaweb.org (even a big multi-directional one on the roof) b/c where I live (at the beach) I've got line of site issues since there is large hill/small mountain just east of me. . .

still need to see if the splitter is causing some issue that i'm unaware of (but I doubt it). . .

looks like my HD-HomeRun is now freakin' useless. . .

not sure what to try next. . .

[DFranch]

Originally Posted by sdsean

looks like my HD-HomeRun is now freakin' useless. . .

not sure what to try next. . .

I just sold an HDHR on ebay for $110. Not bad considering it was 2+ years old. as far as not getting HD locals, I hope they don't try that where I live. I have 4 HD tuners which would go to waste.

[robogeek]

OK, now I can throw my .02 in here. I got sick of paying $55/mo for just the 70 or so anolog channels I got from the local Time Warner here, so I had them disconnect it yesterday. I still subscribe to the Time Warner Road Runner service, so they couldn't completely disconnect my line from the pole. When they got done trapping the line, I found that I still 2 analog cable channels and most of the clearQAM channels I was getting before they trapped the line.

Both before and after they trapped the line, the non-local clearQAM channels I was getting seem to move frequently...almost daily. These channels keep the same subchannel number, but jump around to different primary channel numbers so I frequently have to scan to correct those. Here is a summary of what I get now compared to what I had:


3 ---- ABC SD - Comes in on analog cable tuner before and after line was trapped.
2.1 -- ABC HD - Came in on clearQAM tuner before line was trapped, doesn't tune in after line was trapped.
2.2 -- ABC Weather HD - Came in on clearQAM tuner before line was trapped, doesn't tune in after line was trapped.
2.3 -- ABC RetroTV - Came in on clearQAM tuner before line was trapped, doesn't tune in after line was trapped.
5.1 -- CBS HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
11.1 - FOX HD - Wouldn't tune on clearQAM tuner before line was trapped, but now tunes after it was trapped.
14.1 - WB HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
26.1 - NBC HD - Came in on clearQAM tuner before line was trapped, doesn't tune in after line was trapped.
32.1 - MyTV HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
38.1 - WPNE HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
38.2 - WPNE2 HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
38.3 - WPNE3 HD - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped.
41 --- UNI - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
43 --- Animal Planet - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
52 --- TruTV - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
57 --- CNBC - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
59 --- Style - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
65 --- Discovery Health - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
68 --- Versus - Comes in on clearQAM tuner before and after line was trapped, but changes primary QAM channel frequently.
74 --- Reelz - Came in as static on analog tuner before, comes in clear on analog tuner after line was trapped.

So now I get channels 2 and 74 on the PVR500 analog tuners, I get 5.1, 11.1, 14.1, 32.1, 38.1, 38.2, 38.3, 41, 43, 52, 57, 59, 65, and 68 on the HDHR clearQAM tuners, and I get 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 5.1, 26.1. 32.1, 38.1, 38.2, 38.3 by antenna through DTV converter hooked to PVR250.

[sdsean]

wow interesting that they are changing constantly on u. . .

guess I'll try scanning again. . . but this is a bit problematic b/c there is no way to auto-update the channels in sage. . .

i don't have a cable line near my pc so I don't have a way of testing both analog and digital. . .

[Fuzzy]

so I'm guessing and antenna is out of the question for you? That really is the best way to get the locals if you can, and it will be the highest quality to boot. That HDHomeRun is VERY good at pulling in the channels, and with a modest directional antenna, unamplified, I'm able to get every LA station from my house, even with antennaweb.org saying I couldn't with even an amplified large directional.

[sdsean]

well i don't know simply b/c I'd have to go hook up an antenna. . .

antenna web says no, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't work. . .

i just re-tried scanning today and still same thing.. . no HD from TW. Grrr.