Time Warner Cable rolling out SDV, new HD channels in San Diego
By Darren Murph 
posted Jul 1st 2008 7:30AM
posted Jul 1st 2008 7:30AM
Wouldn't you know it? Just weeks after AT&T announced an expansion of its U-verse service in sunny San Diego, along comes Time Warner Cable to keep things marginally competitive. According to a local, the cable company is sending out informational cards which inform users of an impending switched digital video (SDV) rollout, and while it does mention that tuning adapters may be offered for free to TiVo owners, we suspect we'll have to wait and hear about all the details. As for new high-definition channels, you can look forward to seeing Universal HD, MOJO HD, HDNet, HDNet Movies and NBA TV HD, all of which should go live on July 28th. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Thanks, Josh]
Not sure what the announcment is here? We have already had the channels listed above (Universal HD, HDNET, Mojo, NBATV) For several years on Time Waner in San Diego, are they simply switching existing channels to SDV to make space for more in the future?
Yes, they're switching existing channels to SDV, and from my discussion with one of their CSRs, it sounds like all new channels will be rolled out to SDV. The offers they've got for CableCARD device owners are a free CableCARD or digital set top box for 6 months. They knew jack shit about tuning adapters for TiVo owners; didn't even have a timeline.
I don't have the full list of channels that are moving handy, but I recall most of the East Coast movie channel feeds were switching, all of the HD VIP pack, and a lot of the foreign language and specialized sports channels were all being moved to SDV.
actually, the letter I got had a lot of information about the Tuning adapter. They're very aware of it and mentioned it is being considered that they will let us use them for free. Keep in mind, this will only affect people using CableCARDS (so basically TivoHD and Tivo Series 3 owners)
Richard,
I don't know when you talked to them, but I got a letter from Time Waner (San Diego) last week specifically about the initial channels switching to SDV which was targetted at Tivo owners and mentioned Tuning Adapters. However it didn't have a timeline. So either you talked before then and they through that together really quick, you talked to someone without a clue (shocking, I know).. or you're not a TWCSD customer.
I don't have the letter handy either, but yes it was mostly the east coast pay channels, and at least Universal HD and a couple other HD channels. Ironically I've never been able to tune in Universal HD (which was the only one I cared about... for BSG repeats in HD) even though it should be part of the package I pay for.
yah, I submitted this information....those HD channels are the ones that are currently not on SDV that will be going to SDV when they roll it out.
Sounds great, any idea when we will be seeing some new HD channels?
lets hope we actually get some HD channels added now
I'm not holding my breath on these "new" HD Channels.
TIME WARNER SUCKS!
The list of channels cited as being new are actually all channels that we have now. Except for NBA HD, they're all part of the extra-cost "HD VIP Pak". Those 5 channels are the only HD channels among the list that they provided with that notice of channels which are going to become switched broadcast video on July 28th.
They didn't announce any specific new HD channels, stating merely that SDV was "a particularly exciting bandwidth breakthrough that makes it possible for [them] to offer many additional services, including new HD channels and HD versions of existing channels".