Looks like one of those "souped-up" set-top-boxes could be just what the doctor ordered for ailing U-verse users. It's no secret (not even to AT&T) that many customers have been experiencing intermittent audio dropouts using optical audio connections on the current Motorola STBs. Typically, the glitches occur every 30 seconds to a minute, and the problem seems to reside within the box itself. Reportedly, Tier 2 technical support has advised some subscribers that Cisco boxes are now being dispatched for those dealing with the issue, and of course, AT&T asserts that these units will solve the problem. The latest word on end-user availability is "within [a few] weeks," so hopefully a bona fide fix isn't too far out.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Could it finally be happening? The bigwigs at Comcast and Big Ten Network are actually closing in on a deal? According to a recent writeup originating in the Chicago Tribune, a long-awaited partnership between the carrier and station is expected to become official at any moment. A BTN spokesperson told the Star Tribune that "while the deal between the sides is close, there is nothing to report at this point." However, the individual did admit that the two parties "remain close to reaching an agreement." Needless to say, quite a few individuals (hundreds of thousands, actually) in the Big Ten footprint would be elated to have their upcoming football season around and in HD, but considering just how long this bickering has been going on, we aren't jotting this one in stone quite yet.

Far from being the first time Time Warner Cable has upset its subscriber base, the Los Angeles city attorney's office is pulling a Dee Snider and refusing to take the carrier's lackluster service anymore. In a 25-page lawsuit, the city is alleging that the operator "caused major havoc and distress" two years ago when it "failed to live up to its part of the franchise cable agreement requiring that a company answer subscribers' calls within 30 seconds and begin repairs of service interruptions within 24 hours of notification in 90% of its calls for service." The suit claims that no more than 60% of customer calls were answered in time, and cable / internet service was said to be "so intermittent and inferior in quality that it was not much better than no service at all." Not surprisingly, TWC representatives chose not to comment on the whole ordeal, but the outfit could face civil penalties of tens of millions of crisp US dollars in the case. Should've picked up the phone, TWC -- it would've been easier than picking up this tab. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Image courtesy of Web 2 Concepts, thanks Scott]

We'll admit, a bunch of the whining piped to the FCC is quite petty, but we can't help but agree with the message being brought forth by the National Association of Independent Networks. Said group has banded together in order to approach the FCC in protest of "program tying," a process in which "large media companies require cable operators to carry less desired channels in order to receive more popular networks." NAIN is hoping to "create a more competitive television programming arena, leading to lower prices and more choices for consumers." If program tying was addressed (read: nixed), more bandwidth could be opened up for channels that people actually care about (at least in theory). Imagine a world where SciFi HD was everywhere and QVC HD was nowhere -- 'tis a lovely thought, no?

If you had a sneaking suspicion that somewhat just wasn't right when all 15 of the VOOM HD networks suddenly vanished from DISH Network's lineup, um, you were right. Apparently EchoStar (now DISH Network) and VOOM Networks had inked a 15-year deal in 2005 that would give the latter "a license fee of $3.25 a month per HD subscriber receiving VOOM." Now, VOOM has "filed an amended complaint against EchoStar, claiming it will suffer more than $1 billion in damages." More specifically, it notes that "EchoStar had no right to terminate the affiliation agreement on the basis of a trumped-up and pretextual claim of breach simply because it no longer liked the deal it struck." As expected, EchoStar is remaining mum on the subject, but its ex-partner is seeking "substantial damages in an amount to be determined at trial." This one could get real ugly, and fast.

For those not paying much attention to Samsung's 650 series of LCD HDTVs, this very well may be the first you've heard of any "auto shut off" issue. For owners, we can almost guarantee it's not. As of last month, Samsung has issued a firmware update meant to cure the nagging issue on some sets which turned themselves off sporadically. The LN40A650A1F, LN46A650A1F and LN52A650A1F are called out specifically, and Sammy recommends that you only install the update if your set is one that has a mind of its own. Give a shout in comments to let us know if this does indeed solve the problem.

[Via TV Lamps 'N Bulbs]

'Round these parts, we expect most everywhere to own, or at least be familiar with, an HDTV. Still, there's a first time for everyone, and for folks just now looking to hop on in and see what this whole "high-definition" thing is all about, ExtremeTech's Joel Durham Jr. has a quick 'n dirty guide of things to do before tossing a set in your vehicle. Granted, a few of the tips seem glaringly obvious, but really, buying a new (or first, in particular) HDTV isn't always a simple process. What's your size requirement? What's your budget? What technology do you prefer? Do you have the wiring scheme all planned out? Can you afford to pull another all-nighter? If you've been wondering where to start when thinking of bringing a new set into your crib, you should definitely give the read link a look -- at worse, you can say you're a seasoned veteran for already knowing the dos and don'ts.

[Image courtesy of Radioru, thanks Jeremy]

Apparently a number of Canadians who have purchased Juno in hopes of downloading a Digital Copy and hauling it around on the go are coming up empty handed. We're seeing reports of failed attempts to redeem the packaged code, resulting in error messages indicating that "This product is not available in the Canadian store." Initially, users were generally assuming the blame needed to be placed on Fox, but according to an e-mail reply from the Fox Digital Copy Support team, it indicated that "Apple [was] working" to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Any of you in the Great North dealing with the same issue? Have you seen this on more than just one occasion?

[Thanks, Nick]

We can't say we're shocked to hear it, but new data released by Symmetricom explains that cable operators have identified video quality problems as the primary reason customers call in with complaints. Potentially more disturbing, however, is the note that "only 31-percent [of carriers surveyed] said they use network monitoring tools to discover quality problems," while 61.9-percent learn of said issues via angry subscribers. As expected, these very facts are the same reasons given for high customer churn (along with high prices), and while 40-percent of respondents suggested that VOD is causing the most quality concerns today, 51.6-percent stated that HD is "expected to produce the most quality problems one year from now." Here's a tip -- stop shoving three HD channels on a single 6MHz slot, and we'd bet the quality complaints drop significantly.

[Image courtesy of Donna Earl Training]

Chalk one up for the little guys. After Bright House Cable ganked a number of HD channels from CableCARD users early last month in "preparation" for the SDV transformation, a chorus of complaints flooded in. Now, it seems as if the carrier has caved, and the channels that were removed (along with the networks added to non-CableCARD lineups) will be redelivered sometime this week. Granted, the jubilation will come to a screeching halt in August / September once SDV is actually implemented, but hopefully a workaround will be available by then to enable switched digital support for CableCARD. Be sure to chime in below once you see the stations come back online, and yeah, we're raising our glasses over here in celebration, too.

[Thanks, TiVo Community]

Truthfully, the writing was on the wall -- after all, we've seen Verizon hit unexpected shortages on HD STBs, run completely out of Sharp AQUOS LCDs for its signup offer and create 335 new job openings in an attempt to get a handle on FiOS growth. All within three months. Now, it seems that customers are creating a hullabaloo due to all sorts of issues ranging from repeat over billings to discounts that never materialize to missing equipment. When questioned about the gripes (specifically in the Tampa Bay, FL region), Verizon's new head of operations in the area, Suri Surinder, noted that he was aware of the problems and said that fixing customer service was "a high priority." To be fair, this type of breakdown isn't uncommon when a product is so highly sought after, and from what we can tell, Verizon simply wasn't -- and still isn't -- prepared to deal with the influx of customers ditching satellite and cable to join the fiber revolution. Still, there's entirely too much competition in this space to do customers wrong -- have any of you been battling with Michael Bay's favorite programming provider over these very issues?

[Via TampaHDTV]

It seems The Man is still trying to hold CableCARD users down, as just a month after Bright House and Time Warner users in various locales were forced to either revert to a carrier-issued HD STB or lose out on a few HD channels, along comes Cablevision trying to do the same. This time, however, Cablevision / Optimum actually had the nerve to print up flyers and mail 'em out to CableCARD users informing them that they'll need to switch to the box they (likely) intentionally snubbed to begin with in order to catch the high-def action on the Voom HD family. Worse still, it tries to coax said users into ditching their card by offering an HD cable box gratis for a full year. Needless to say, SDV support for CableCARD can't come quickly enough.


[Thanks, Ramon]

Just in case you haven't had your fill of satellite launch news in the past 72 hours, here's yet another spoonful. In a release posted today on SES AMERICOM's website, it not only affirms that the recently launched AMC-14 satellite didn't reach its intended orbit, but that things may not be as bad as previously expected. 'Course, the company could just be trying to paint as rosy a picture as possible here, but Martin Halliwell, President of SES ENGINEERING, is quoted as saying that the satellite "is healthy and is operating nominally in a stable orbit under the control of Lockheed Martin." Furthermore, he notes that "[company] engineers are currently exploring various options for bringing AMC-14 into its proper geostationary orbit," but does concede that regardless of what option is exercised, excess fuel will have to be utilized in order to "propel the satellite to its correct orbital position, thereby reducing its service life." Nevertheless, the outfit's CEO closed by stating that it could not "speculate on the impact of the orbit raising activities on both the in-service date and the service life of AMC-14," but at least all hope isn't lost just yet.

[Thanks, Joe J.]

Not like it comes as any real surprise or anything, but it seems as if the unfortunate failure experienced by DISH Network's AMC-14 satellite over the weekend will leave those waiting anxiously for more HD in a world of hurt. According to an 8-K filing with the SEC, the company has stated that the "launch anomaly will result in a delay of its rollout of some high-definition channels, including some local network channels." Of course, some analysts have already pointed out the obvious -- that DirecTV now has even more time to stretch its lead in HD quantity -- but given that the launch of its DirecTV 11 was delayed today for unspecified reasons, not all is well in that camp, either. The bottom line is that DISH subscribers (or would-be customers) will now be waiting even longer for another major boost in HD, and regardless of what carrier you use, that's awful news.

Tough news, DISH Network subscribers. The AMC-14 satellite that lifted off from Kazakhstan just hours ago failed to reach orbit. Reportedly, an "anomaly occurred during the second burn of the Breeze M upper stage," causing it to never reach its final destination. As it stands, a Russian State Commission has begun an investigation to understand what caused the mishap, but unfortunately, we've no idea when a replacement will be ready for liftoff. Here's to hoping the DirecTV 11 has much better luck when it blasts off in just a couple of days.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]