March 28, 2024, 02:43:20 PM

Author Topic: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch  (Read 220207 times)

Offline Joe The Dragon

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #30 on: July 19, 2010, 09:52:45 AM »
The cable co can just cheap out and down res TWC HD down to 16:9 SD on the SD channel.

Also what about the weather scan? If that needs new hardware why not make it HD ready / have a SD and HD mode.

Offline Eric

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #31 on: July 19, 2010, 09:59:16 AM »
Does the I2 use FreeBSD and PC hardware like the IntelliStar does?
I am under the impression it uses a completely different program platform. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the next Intellistar SD built on a similar type of platform in the future

Why would there be a next generation Intellistar SD, or any new SD system, for that matter?  The day will eventually come when SD is just fazed out altogether.

It's interesting... in Europe, when the HD transition takes place, it takes place.  Anyone with an SD TV set can, with a converter or SD cable box/satellite receiver, still watch channels, but they're always presented in widescreen format.  The U.S., however, is stuck in some kind of limbo, where there have to be separate SD and HD feeds for everything, which usually means the widescreen HD picture is little more than a square SD picture with "wings" on either side, usually filled with "runoff" from the center part of the screen.  I hope the U.S. will someday catch up and make widescreen actually widescreen.  Very few U.S. cable/satellite networks do that right now - Fox News and CNBC are the two examples that come to mind off the top of my head.
What are you talking about? HD transition? Can you link me to any such program? Heck in 2008 according to a report on 5% of HDTV owners in Europe had HDTV service. I think you are completely wrong about SD. Its going to be around for a long long long time. First off cable companies make extra money by having "HD" packages. Second it is physically impossible currently for any cable operator to have every SD channel in HD. There isn't enough bandwidth to support it on the cable lines. Considering the Intellistar is nearly 7 years old, its clear the hardware is becoming dated and can't be expected to last too many more years. Granted I am not saying expect a new Intellistar next year but down the road there is bound to be another unit.

I used to live in Europe, so I speak from personal experience.  In countries that have already abandoned SD, cable companies don't offer a choice of SD and HD channels.  You get only HD channels, which your own equipment will then downconvert to SD.  TV programs generally aren't framed to be "SD friendly," as they are in the United States, and the really important aspect is that most Europeans receive television broadcasts not by cable or satellite, but by antenna.

As for your claim of 5% HDTV service in 2008, I don't know what your source is, but it completely contradicts what I personally experienced.  Around that time I was in Russia, Finland, Estonia, and the UK, and saw a lot more than 5% HDTV penetration.

As for the Intellistar, yes, it's seven years old, but what does that really matter?  Not only is SD supposed to be becoming obsolete,  but the XL, 4000, and Jr. are still plugging away, and no one's talking about a major overhaul for them.  In fact, the 4000 never had a major overhaul, unless you count the transition from text-only to graphics very early on, the change from static to animated radar, and then the change in the TWC logo.  That's all, and they took place a long, long time ago.

Offline Eric

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #32 on: July 19, 2010, 10:01:33 AM »
The cable co can just cheap out and down res TWC HD down to 16:9 SD on the SD channel.

Also what about the weather scan? If that needs new hardware why not make it HD ready / have a SD and HD mode.

As for downconversion, I'm surprised that hasn't happened yet throughout the whole cable industry.  I still see a huge number of cable networks that have seperate SD and HD feeds.

I would love to see an HD WeatherScan, but I'm obviously not going to hold my breath.  Even though WeatherScan performs a very useful service, it unfortunately seems as though The Weather Channel has put it near the bottom of its priority list, right around changing the entire graphical atmosphere of a WeatherStar 4000 Local Forecast.

Offline TWCToday

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #33 on: July 19, 2010, 01:12:15 PM »
I used to live in Europe, so I speak from personal experience.  In countries that have already abandoned SD, cable companies don't offer a choice of SD and HD channels.  You get only HD channels, which your own equipment will then downconvert to SD.  TV programs generally aren't framed to be "SD friendly," as they are in the United States, and the really important aspect is that most Europeans receive television broadcasts not by cable or satellite, but by antenna.

As for your claim of 5% HDTV service in 2008, I don't know what your source is, but it completely contradicts what I personally experienced.  Around that time I was in Russia, Finland, Estonia, and the UK, and saw a lot more than 5% HDTV penetration.

As for the Intellistar, yes, it's seven years old, but what does that really matter?  Not only is SD supposed to be becoming obsolete,  but the XL, 4000, and Jr. are still plugging away, and no one's talking about a major overhaul for them.  In fact, the 4000 never had a major overhaul, unless you count the transition from text-only to graphics very early on, the change from static to animated radar, and then the change in the TWC logo.  That's all, and they took place a long, long time ago.

http://hd.engadget.com/2008/03/05/just-5-of-europes-hdtv-owners-watch-hd-programming/

Europe and US are two very different regions when it comes to technology as I am sure you are aware. The technology used to transmit the signal is flexible enough to support such large data loads. Here the cable companies (and certainly not the government) will never be willing to implement mass changes in how media is delivered. Verizon and AT&T are pumping money into fiber, the rest of the cable companies are desperately upgrading their technology to keep up. In fact the government wants to completely scrap OTA to free up spectrum as outlined in the Broadband Plan. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/02/tv-stations-asked-to-yield-500mhz-of-spectrum-for-broadband.ars

When it comes right down to it.... no it doesn't matter too much for the Intellistar but you have to factor in one important thing.... $$$$$! The XL still had great untapped potential as we have seen from such users as cc17926 who have modified it to do some amazing things (see youtube). The IS had only marginal software gains when it launched. The Weather Channel has a quite extraordinary amount of these units out there. Its a big money making part of TWC and they are going to keep with it! Same reason as Apple releases another marginal upgrade in iPod/iPhone each year. The older stars are only around for those select headends that didn't want to make the upgrade. Most will as seen before.

The fact is in the United States, SD is farrrrrrr from over! Our huge geographic region, monopolistic cable companies, and limits in technology will prevent an all HD transition.

Offline Zach

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #34 on: July 19, 2010, 01:17:41 PM »
Another thing about going all HD and killing SD is that there's lack of bandwidth. From what I understand, an OTA station can only have one HD subchannel, usually consisting of the main broadcast.
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Offline Eric

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #35 on: July 19, 2010, 05:14:10 PM »
What goes around comes around.  Europe was a decade and a half behind the U.S. in adopting color television, and some European countries didn't get color until the 1980s.  On the other hand, the U.S., specifically for the reasons mentioned above, is barely adapting HD technology.

Offline TWCToday

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #36 on: July 19, 2010, 06:31:39 PM »
What goes around comes around.  Europe was a decade and a half behind the U.S. in adopting color television, and some European countries didn't get color until the 1980s.  On the other hand, the U.S., specifically for the reasons mentioned above, is barely adapting HD technology.
Same thing with the damn cell phone networks and internet speeds. Coverage and speeds in Europe are amazing.

Offline Eric

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #37 on: July 19, 2010, 06:40:52 PM »
Same thing with the damn cell phone networks and internet speeds. Coverage and speeds in Europe are amazing.

And incoming calls/text messages are free.  It kills me knowing I have to pay in the United States even when I'm the recipient.

Offline TWCToday

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #38 on: July 19, 2010, 06:53:15 PM »
Same thing with the damn cell phone networks and internet speeds. Coverage and speeds in Europe are amazing.

And incoming calls/text messages are free.  It kills me knowing I have to pay in the United States even when I'm the recipient.
Ugh I know!Text Messages Cost $1310 per Megabyte. Its crazy :P We have gone way off topic but I like it :D

Offline gt1racerlHDl

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #39 on: July 19, 2010, 06:54:58 PM »
Is there any changes we are going to look forward to in the beta? or is it a "what you see is what you get" type of scenario?

Offline Eric

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #40 on: July 19, 2010, 07:42:27 PM »
Ugh I know!Text Messages Cost $1310 per Megabyte. Its crazy :P We have gone way off topic but I like it :D

In the U.S., I have Net10, so I pay 5¢ to send/receive a text message.  In Russia, I had Tele2, and paid 45 kopeks (2¢) to send a text message and nothing to receive.  For calls: 10¢ a minute in the U.S. to send/receive and 95 kopeks (4¢) a minute to send.  So, the difference isn't huge - both Net10 and Tele2 are budget carriers, but I do miss not having to pay for incoming calls/messages.

Yeah, we're off topic, but so long as forum management doesn't yell at us :nono:, I don't think we're hurting anyone.  :whistling: :smoke2:

Offline curtjr4

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #41 on: July 20, 2010, 01:57:56 AM »
Ugh I know!Text Messages Cost $1310 per Megabyte. Its crazy :P We have gone way off topic but I like it :D

In the U.S., I have Net10, so I pay 5¢ to send/receive a text message.  In Russia, I had Tele2, and paid 45 kopeks (2¢) to send a text message and nothing to receive.  For calls: 10¢ a minute in the U.S. to send/receive and 95 kopeks (4¢) a minute to send.  So, the difference isn't huge - both Net10 and Tele2 are budget carriers, but I do miss not having to pay for incoming calls/messages.

Yeah, we're off topic, but so long as forum management doesn't yell at us :nono:, I don't think we're hurting anyone.  :whistling: :smoke2:
I think Martin mistyped, it costs me $2199.99 per megabyte :bleh:

Offline hen7713

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #42 on: July 20, 2010, 02:08:18 AM »
You must have a steal! I have to pay twice as much for half a kilobyte

Offline theweatherSTAR

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #43 on: July 21, 2010, 08:56:09 PM »
In Tampa FiOS, the alpha version is still being used. :censored:
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Offline Zach

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Re: IntelliStar 2 Beta Launch
« Reply #44 on: July 22, 2010, 06:55:40 AM »
In Tampa FiOS, the alpha version is still being used. :censored:
Tampa resident? Let me know when it launches since I only have DirecTV in Tampa. :)
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