In an attempt to obtain "virtually unlimited" HD capacity, Time Warner Cable will deploy
Switched Digital Video to 50% of their markets before the end of 2007. While it is great news that TWC will have the
bandwidth to provide as many HD channels as they can get carriage deals, every TiVo
Series3 fan will have to live with the fact that these channels will be inaccessible by the best
DVR available. It doesn't make sense for any provider to switch all their channels to SDV, but it is likely that a
new HD channel you'd otherwise love to watch won't be available. The good news is that you probably won't
lose any programming, but rather just be unable to enjoy new HD channels. Sure, if
CableCARD 2.0 ever makes it and everyone upgrades their Series3, this will be a non-issue, but at
the rate CableLabs moves we have little faith this will happen in the next five years -- if ever.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Big Sam @ Jun 5th 2007 12:42PM
I hope they don't move any HD channels that my HDHomeRun can already pick up.
riverside_guy @ Jun 5th 2007 1:06PM
So why are TWC execs running around saying they swill have unlimited HD channel across their entire system by the end of 2007 if only 50% of their system does SDV?
The Jeremy @ Jun 5th 2007 7:57PM
"Switched Digital" sounds like an IPTV bandwidth-saving scheme. Good for them [Time Warner]. Perhaps if they really want to get the maximum bandwidth possible, they should scrap analog cable completely and permanently write-off the cost of all of those krappy Scientific Atlanta analog cable boxes that look like the designer took the wood grain panels on the original Atari 2600 VCS as a design inspiration. Dump analog cable and drop basic digital cable down to the same price. They'd undercut the satellite companies, and they'd still probably triple their profits in the process. Nah, that's too smart of an idea for Time Warner Cable or Comcast.
disgruntledTWCcustomer @ Jun 6th 2007 12:02PM
Honestly, I can care less about what Time Warner does anymore since I'll probably be dropping them by the end of the year. As a former Adelphia cable customer, I didn't realise how spoiled I was until TWC bought Adelphia out and replaced them in my area. They took away good channels, the Digital stations are constantly having problems with sound and my broadband internet connection is about 3x slower now that it's running on Roadrunner. DirectTV, here I come.
MegaZone @ Jun 6th 2007 2:11PM
There may not be a need to wait for CC2.0 - see: http://www.tivolovers.com/2007/05/10/mr-tivo-goes-to-washington/
MegaZone @ Jun 6th 2007 2:40PM
Jeremy,
Yes, SDV is similar to IPTV. Instead of sending all the channels into your home, your STB requests a specific channel and only that channel is sent over the SDV frequency. It is much like VOD, just transparent to the user.
Ben @ Jun 6th 2007 2:42PM
But with one major difference.
IPTV runs over a IP packed switched network which means that it can more effectively use the total amount of bandwidth. SDV runs over normal QAM channels which share a single QAM channel, (just like VOD) which usually means more bits are wasted.
Michael @ Jun 6th 2007 2:55PM
In Austin there are some HD channels (and other channels) that are already switched so not only will new ones be switched but they have moved some old ones over to switched as well. Oh and it doesn't completely work yet either there are issues with boxes crashing when trying to record a switched channel, boxes recording a different switched channel than the one that was scheduled, and switched channels having problems 'tuning in' when selected.
Doobie Howser MD @ Jun 13th 2007 8:21PM
Don't know much about SDV, but definitely know that IPTV will in fact work with "Tivo" and some other DVR's out there when connected to an IP STB that has known codes to Tivo and other companies...
At least they work on our network and ip STB's anyways...