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I currently have Time Warner Cable w/HD-DVR and 200+ channels on one TV, while my other (SD) TVs just get the lower ~50 channels, all in SD (4:3). I just bought my son an HDTV for his room and want to at least get him programming in widescreen format, rather than losing a lot of screen area to the SD (4:3) aspect ratio. Of course, the TV offers a couple options that stretch the display horizontally to fit the TV, but that looks ridiculous. The 'easy' solution is to pay Time Warner another $10/month for a converter box to get the HD/widescreen channels, but I'm hoping to avoid that extra cost. Is there another (free or lower/one-time cost) solution out there that I should be aware of?

BTW, I've also looked at DirecTV and DISH Network as alternatives, and either/both would solve this problem (and get us a lot more channels on the SDTVs), but they're both more expensive over the 2-year contract period than my current Time Warner service (asssuming I add 2-year price lock guarantee to my Time Warner service).

Suggestions?

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Keith Q.
2008 Top Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmX8XuZ_DCo&NR=1

You should be able to tune all the local HD channels via cable using the built-in tuner. Channel numbers are in the 200+ range and you should be able to get them using the auto-scan in the TV.

That's only the locals though. For all the other cable content HD channels (DSC, TNT, ESPN, etc) there's only one option -- another box (or maybe cablecard, but I haven't kept up with that).

(Explanation - I believe by law cable has to rebroadcast local channels in "clear" or unencrypted QAM. The cable channels which they are in charge of are all broadcast in encrypted QAM and requires an addressable box to decrypt. I have not seen any easy way to hack and decrypt these signals, which is probably illegal anyways)

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Mike covered it.

I can verify that we got most of the locals in HD right out of the wall using TWC.

In spite of the HD cable box, most of the cable TV content is still 4:3. All of my TV's do a better job scaling than the time warner boxes.

I've notices that many of the "HD" stations will scale the programming for you, and not do a good job of it (HGTV in HD has horrible scaling on some of their shows).

Scott

Check to see if the TV has a QAM tuner and you will be able to local HD channels. You might try an OTA antenna if your TV has an OTA tuner which it probably does. I personally despise stretched content. TNT is also really bad about it. Sometimes you can use zoom to crop the top and bottom and see if you like it. I prefer to leave everything in its normal aspect ratio though.

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2003 Subaru WRX Sportwagon = daily driver/boost and booster seats
2000 BMW 540iT = wife's kid hauler
2012 Toyota Highlander = the boring reliable vehicle

Thanks for the responses, guys. I'll definitely check those local channels.

Also, if anyone reading this is familiar with DISH and/or DirecTV, I'm curious if their 'add HD channels' option is essentially the same as TWC as far as the aspect ratio issue - in other words, do only the 60+ HD channels (of the 200+ total channels) offered by the mini-dish guys display in widescreen format, leaving the bulk of the channels displaying only in SD (4:3) format, regardless of TV type? I'm assuming so, but you know how that goes.

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Keith Q.
2008 Top Gun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmX8XuZ_DCo&NR=1

I recently switched fom TWC to dish and I'm pretty pleased. I did the Bronze+turboHD bronze package. After all incentives end it is ~49$ a month.

Differences between the two.

Box:
TWC: A total POS, the user iterface is terrible, and buggy. Needs to be reset constantly.
Dish (VIP-722): The user interface and features are far far better. A lot more flexibility with how you set up recordings. It isn't as buggy as TWC's box, but it does have its moments

Signal Strength:
TWC:Well, I never figurd out any rhyme or reason when and why TWC's signal would go out, but I had problems sometimes.
Dish:After researching I was disappointed to find out the weather thing is in fact true. I've lost signal 2-3 times since I've had dish. They were HEAVY thunderstorms though.

Picture quality & HD content
This is were TWC is left in the dust. The picture quality is so much better with Dish. It is really evident how much TWC is compressing the image. Also, even with the basic bronze package I get more HD channels than I did with TWC's Digipic package. The are almost always 16x9 as well.

Finally, with the dish box it will serve two TV's with one box, and it works pretty well. I feed my main TV with one tuner, and all my other TVs with the second tuner. I also didn't have to install any additional co-ax lines. They can do it all with one connection.

So far I'm happier with Dish than I was with TWC. In addition I save quite a bit of money too. I don't have as many channels as I used to, but I have all the channels I actually watched. Also the channels I have look a lot better as well.

^Speaks the truth. If you have multiple TVs that you want to watch different programing at the same time, then satallite can get expensive with additional boxes. I have mine setup just like stated above. I also have an antenna in the attic so I can record three shows at the same time.

A lot of the stretch-o-vision channels are distributed that way and not the fault of TWC, Dish, etc. As mentioned, HGTV and TNT seem to be the worst offenders of the channels I watch.

I switch between packages every now and then. I was on TurboHD Silver and upgraded to Gold so I could watch the Hurricanes on VS. Then I downgraded to Bronze for the summer time. I will go back to Silver during football/basketball season. You can make all of the changes online so it's pretty simple.

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2003 Subaru WRX Sportwagon = daily driver/boost and booster seats
2000 BMW 540iT = wife's kid hauler
2012 Toyota Highlander = the boring reliable vehicle

I have DirecTV with local and HD packages. I get all the local channels in HD and numerous other channels in HD as well. It is true that not HD channels are in 4:3 aspect. DirecTV does have quite a few true HD channels.

Of course you have to have a box for each TV to independently watch TV.

I have DirectTV DVR and it outputs on channel 3 to a remote TV that is HD. I get all the HD channels on the remote TV in the HD format, albeit not 1080p, but not distorted either.

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"Ruttin' is racing"

Chris Suich
Apex, NC
AutoX 2012 Nissan Leaf (Quietly changing the world)
AutoX 2003 Mini Cooper S (on sabbatical)
RallyX 1993 Nissan Sentra - "Le Tigre"
FunX 1970 Camaro LT1 ('95)

Just to add what Chris has said regarding DirecTV...

I am using thier HD DVR and you tell the DVR what type of TV you have. So for example if you have a 16:9 HDTV you can tell it what you want it to do with respect to 4:3 output. It can stretch all 4:3 or put side bars to keep the 4:3 withing the 16:9. And of course all HD channels are shown 16:9. Within the guide you will see both the SD and HD channels next to each other.

I am very happy with DirecTV. My opinion of DirecTV, Dish, TWC is that DirecTV is generally slightly higher cost, but generally has more content and/or better service. So you get what you pay for. TWC on the lower end may be cheaper, but again you get what you pay for (less content and crappy customer service).

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

That's interesting. Do Dish and DirecTV really have better customer service than TW? I've actually been pretty happy with them. Whenever I've called I've found them (with only a few exceptions) to be responsive and knowledgeable. When they've had to send techs out I've found them to be competent, and they've made lots of improvements to our system for free, from upgrading our splitters, to installing amplifiers, to running a big fat cable 350' from the road to our house. They've got local offices, so it's easy for me to drop by and swap out a box or remote if I need to. I wouldn't exactly call myself a satisfied TWC customer (cost and video quality issues) but customer service is one area I haven't had an issue.

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Carl Fisher

Be Cool to the Pizza Dude:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=4651531

Keith, I did forget one thing for dish. The typically HDDVR box they give you only does SD for the 2nd TV. So, unless your son's TV is the primary one you would need another box for him to have HD service.

I can't speak for Dish customer service. My direct experience with TWC is as a broadband customer. For me any call results in long on-hold waits, being transferred to multiple people and having to explain whatever issue I am having to each person along way. And hopefully I don't get disconnected and have to start the entire process from the beginning. When I eventually get to someone who can help me they are generally nice and able to resolve my issue.

With DirecTV, I call and usually speak to someone pretty quickly and rarely if ever have to be transferred to someone else. The first person I talk to is also usually is knowledgeable and it able to help me out. I have never been put on hold and then been disconnected with DirecTV. DirecTV from my perspective is very reliable and because of that I don’t have to call them very often. When I do call it is for things like adding a new receiver or changing subscription, etc. With TWC, it is usually because of some type of technical issue such as a bad cable modem, or to complain that my broadband is out or performing very slow.

So TWC requires me to call them more often than any other monthly service I have by far and when I do call it is frustratingly difficult to get a quick resolution. My theory is that they have so many issues to deal with that it results in overloaded and/or ineffective customer service.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Actually, if I'm not mistaken, the 2nd TV is shown in HD, it's just 720P instead of 1080P

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Stacy King
Midlife Crisis Participant

No, it is in for 480 for Dish on the 2nd TV. If you want HD on two TVs from the same box, you will have to use the HDMI and the component outputs at the same time. They will display identical content though, unlike the 2nd TV coax output option.

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2003 Subaru WRX Sportwagon = daily driver/boost and booster seats
2000 BMW 540iT = wife's kid hauler
2012 Toyota Highlander = the boring reliable vehicle

FWIW, their business class support is the same way.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.