TWC transitioning three HD channels in Albany to SDV, CableCARD users out of luck
By Darren Murph 
posted Feb 27th 2008 2:59PM
posted Feb 27th 2008 2:59PM
Uh oh, here we go again. Earlier this month, we heard a chorus of complaints from CableCARD Bright House customers that had four of their HD channels snatched out from under them, and now it looks like Time Warner Cable subscribers in Albany, New York will soon be dealing with the same. According to a recent note sent out to CableCARD users, the carrier plans to start delivering TBS HD, A&E HD and Universal HD via switched digital video (SDV) on March 18th. Considering that we're still waiting for support for SDV on CableCARD devices, TWC is advising these users to come on in and join the dark side -- er, pick up one of its own HD set-top-boxes that can handle two-way services (which SDV is). So, here's your options: concede and pick up a box (if only temporarily) from TWC, or stick with your CableCARD setup and go without this trio. Check the full letter after the jump. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Mark P.]
February 13, 2008
Dear Valued Customer,
Time Warner Cable would like to thank you for choosing us to be your video provider. Below you will find important information regarding upcoming changes that will affect your ability to access certain channels on your one-way CabIeCARD-equipped retail device.
The current generation of CableCARD-compatible devices sold at retail, known as Unidirectional Digital Cable Products ("UDCPs") or Digital Cable Ready devices, only allow you to access our "one-way" services. in order to access On Demand programming, the Interactive Program Guide, switched digital video ("SDV"). and other "two-way" services, you must use digital cable equipment that includes two-way capabilities, such as a TWC-provided set-top box.
SDV is a particularly exciting technological breakthrough that makes it possible for us to offer many additional services, including new HD channels and HD versions of popular existing channels, to all of our customers. In fact, we recently launched several new services in your area using SDV - services that many of you, because you also use a digital cable set-top box with two-way capabilities, currently enjoy. SDV allows us to provide these additional services while continuing to offer existing services because channels delivered using SDV are only transmitted over the cable system on an "as needed" basis. As a result, SDV uses system capacity, or bandwidth, more efficiently than the traditional, "always on" method. However, in order to launch all the new services our customers want, we must first migrate some existing services to SDV in order to make additional bandwidth available.
Starting on Tuesday, March 18th, 2008, Time Warner Cable will begin providing a number of our existing channels via SDV. The list is as follows:
TBS HD (channel 1805)
A&E HD (channel 1838)
Universal HD (channel 1860)
Once these channels become two-way services, they no longer will be accessible on UDCPs, which lack the necessary interactive capabilities to request that a channel be made available. This means you will need digital cable equipment with two-way capabilities to view them, just as you need such equipment to access the other interactive services that we offer. In addition, you should be aware that in the future other channels currently accessible on a UDCP may be migrated to SDV, and new services will be launched using that two-way technology. Time Warner Cable digital cable set-top boxes provide the capability to view two-way services. in addition, in the future, we expect that devices available for purchase at retail will enable access to the two-way services that we provide.
If you would like to obtain equipment from Time Warner Cable that provides access to two-way services, we offer many attractive pricing plans that include such devices, which we'd be happy to review with you. Please contact us at 866-321-2225 to discuss these options or if you have any questions.
We thank you again for your patronage.
Time Warner Cable of Albany
I wonder what New York's antitrust and anti-competitive behavior laws look like. I'll bet you can call Tivo and find out by tomorrow.
This is the cable company's response to openness... "F*k you cracka!"
Please lord, striketh thee down DRM lovin worshipers.
http://www.encircling.us/photoplog/file.php?s=f5dec70b85ebde1700e164f5bdf46371&n=598&w=o
This is horseshit. Where the hell is the FCC? Maybe instead of worrying about shows saying "poop" too many times, they should be focused on nonsense like this.
The FCC needs to slap them down like the EU and Microsoft.
This is just the half of it, they are just moving these to SDV-- everything they've added for HD in the last 5-6 months is already SDV, so they've been screwing us for a while here.
Albany TW's CableCard rental fee is $1.75/mo; their STB is $8/mo. I wonder what their motivation is?
Yea but doesn't this open up their bandwidth to add mroe HD channels? That's a good thing for those of us without CableCARDs.
Yes it will and is.. SDV has been a Beotch gettin it up in running, but now that the bugs are worked out, prepare for a Rush of HD..
We will be doing this with our West coast feeds of the Pays soon, but currently we have 5 HDs on SDV and when the channels lauched, we never provided them to CableCard customers.
But my 2cents on if these ppl should be upset.. Yeah a lil bit, but really at themselves.. When you really sit down and think about it, how is this any different than the HD-DVD/BluRay war. Ive sided with HD-DVD but Im not callin for a lawsuit against SONY... Early adoptors, CableCard 2.0 sets are just coming out now which support 2way communications which are needed for the SDV. So TRUTHFULLY not all CableCard customers will be left in the blue..
This headline is somewhat misleading, considering all new set tops after July 2007 use CableCards. Those will be able to decode SDV just fine.
The cable guys are going to have to deploy SDV to keep competitive, especially TW because FiOS is in their backyard. TW might seem bad here, but there's two inescapable facts: 1) HD eats up bandwidth like my mother in law eats pie, so they're looking to SDV to help manage it and 2) SDV needs a two-way connection, and the TV you bought doesn't have one. The "U" in UDCP stands for unidirectional.
My current cable hd box has firewire attached to my D-VHS. It is an old 3250HD model. Does anyone know if the current sdv capable boxes have firewire ports?
I assume sdv will spread like wildfire. When are 3rd party sdv boxes coming out?
I just wished I got a letter like this when TWC in South Carolina just switched over ans screwed me. However, TWC boxes suck and me and my TivoHD will stick it out until the end.
@horngreen:
You don't need a new cable box to do SDV. The new ones with the CableCard will work. The old ones, like your 3250HD, will also work.
The FCC mandates that cable companies must allow access to their broadcasts with cablecard. It doesn't matter if the user had a 1.0 only device, they must still make their programming available to it. If SDV doesn't work with old cablecard 1.0 devices, it looks like SDV is going to be out of job pretty soon.