TWC Hawaii moving all HD to SDV

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Not that it will really do any good. However, you should contact your US Senators and representative and your state reps as well. Hawaii might be in a more unique situtation compared to other states. OTA broadcasts do stink (I have been there four times and can speak from experience). Since this is the case, perhaps there is some leverage that can be used, either to delay the switch over or to get the FCC off their a$$es and actually give a crap about the people they server. Oh, that's right, they do care about the people they server...or should I say companies?!

 

I wished I shared this rosy point-of-view. SDV provides some bandwidth savings to the provider (including FIOS providers) and it is entirely reasonable that they will move as much as feasible in this direction. Bandwidth is a vacuum - as soon as more is created, it is used. SDV executed right saves bandwidth, thus will be used extensively. The only good news is that it makes less sense to have popular channels on it, but smaller channels are most likely doomed.

It also makes business sense to lock you back in to their boxes. That way they can charge higher rental rates and pimp VOD and PPV at you all the time. This is likely a losing battle unless the gov't mandates otherwise.

 

Wouldn't the only people that care if they get SDV or not today be the Tivo S3 owners? There are not enough of them to affect deployment of SDV. Kind of like a tiny little pimple on the ...

 

And Sony DHG users and anyone that has a CableCARD installed in their TV.

 

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Any one who is using a QAM tuner would care. If the channels that are moved happen to only include encrypted channels, then only people with QAM + CableCARD would care (because the moved channels wouldn't have been visible before or after the change to SDV)

 

So across the whole country there are maybe a few hundred thousand people that would be impacted by SDV if it went nationwide tomorrow. I guess that explains why they are working so hard on alternative solutions to SDV.

 

But these are vocal people.

 

Apparently a few hundred thousand people can occupy Iraq, imagine what they could do to TWC

 

FWIW... I just talked to a Tivo rep to cancel service on my S1 Tivo because my $800 Lifetime S3 Tivo is going to replace my S1 when Oceanic flips the SDV switch on Sept 24 . I was told me that those channels that Oceanic are designating SDV will not go black because they are mandated by the FCC to provide, via digital cable cards, ANY channel that is available on Oceanic's digital set top box. I was unconvinced, but he insisted that that is the case. I already returned my cable cards for Oceanics crappy HD DVR. But it will be interesting to see if he is right. Those of you that still have your cablecards keep me posted.
~Sy-

 

Sy - I spoke to a TiVo Rep on Saturday and he told me that I would not be able to receive the Oceanic channels switching to SDV. He told me they're in the works of making a device that would connect between the cable line and a TiVo's box USB port to act as a two-way device needed to acces SDV channels. When and how much this device will be available is unknown, but, probably next year some time.

 

Yea... I knew that... Funny how not all the CSR's are working off the same playbook.

 

It's happening... even though the switchover to sdv in Hawaii is supposed to happen on the 24th, universal hd and various sports channels like Fuel are no longer available.
Contacted Tivo about the eneral SDV problem and they just say that Tivo is hard at work to come out with an 'external device' to solve the problem. How long do you suppose that will take??

 

We're already starting to lose channels?

I can't imagine going back to an Oceanic DVR, but what choice do I have with my Tivo 3 being useless? Grrr.

 

FWIW I just noticed that both Universal HD and Fuel are back in the lineup.
Now just hope for a miracle on Sept 24th.

 

I am crossing my fingers. I can't stand the thought of going without my Tivo 3... GRRR.

 

Are there any Hawaii residents monitoring this thread that are articulate and focused enough to write a 'letter to the editor' type of piece for the different papers? (Advertiser, Star Bulletin, MidWeek, etc.)?

 

I have written the fcc and local regulator, no response yet...I suppose a letter to the editor couldn't hurt. with 4 days to go til the big Hawaii HD shut out, it may be too late.
this whole experience and the thought of going back to TWC DVR is depressing.

 

This is very disturbing. I have a series 2 that is becoming problematic and was considering a second series 3, but would have to be a dunce to buy a second one until this matter is resolved. I am very surprised TiVo has recently introduced a second hdtv model without addressing this situation. Sales certainly must be suffering on both hdtv models, unless people are clueless.