Advantages/disadvantages of the Stars

[Eric]

It seems that I'm in a small minority of people who prefer the Intellistar over the XL.  (And I really, really dislike the XL - always have.)

So, I figure this is a good time to discuss what makes each Star a winner... or a loser.

[beanboy89]

IntelliStar/IntelliStar 2 - Advantage: they're the newest.
4000/Junior/XL - Disadvantage: they're older.

It's like comparing a 1986 Honda Civic to a 2011 Honda Civic. They both do pretty much the same thing, but the newer models add additional features that older models may not have had.

I suppose if you dive into the technical details of each STAR, you could pick out advantages and disadvantages for each, but generally the newer STARs are technically more advanced than the older ones, and arguably have more advantages than the older models.

[Eric]

Yet it seems like the XL is the most popular Star among this forum's members, while the Intellistar is something that certain people would rather not see come to their cable headend.  I'm trying to figure out why.

I certainly have a lot of nostalgia for the 4000 and the III, but, believe me, while I enjoyed those days, I certainly wouldn't ever want to see one of them used in my area again!

[twcclassics]

I think it has a lot to do with what you grew up with and your affection (or lack thereof) for new technology. I, for example, grew up with the 4000; and unless new technology brings something worthwhile to the table, I'm not interested. That's why I still have a plain old cell phone that *gasp* only takes phone calls and text messages.

Then you have most members here, who are at least 10 years younger than me. Most of them favor the XL or IS.

Finally, you have the tech junkies who get excited when any kind of new technology comes out. They're likely drooling over the IS2.

[Eric]

I grew up with the III, but, obviously, was served by the 4000 for probably the longest out of all the Stars.  However, it's 20-year-old technology that just looks outdated by now, even though it was so impressive back then, especially compared with the III.

I'm not saying upgrades and modifications and bells and whistles are always good things, but I have to ask myself some serious questions about whether a computer that went into service twenty years ago is still better than anything that's come along since.  Sadly, that's not the 4000.  As I said, it's become obsolete.  The last major upgrade was to change the TWC logo (the mid-90s update, not the 2000s update).  Before that, most tweaks and changes had already taken place, and the 4000 hasn't seen an update since.  And it won't.  Ever.

With the exception of the radar, the Jr. provides all the same information as the 4000 does, only with text instead of pictures.  But I don't see many people begging their cable company to get it, even despite the much cheaper cost.  Why?  Because it doesn't look good, especially in comparison with what's available.  It has even less room for expansion and upgrade.  What you see is what you get, and, other than a prettier font, it's basically the same as what The Weather Channel was offering pert near thirty years ago!

[twcclassics]

So what advantages do you think the XL and IS bring that are absent in the 4000? Personally, I see none. They just look more up-to-date.

[Mike M]

If you want to go technical, the major disadvantages of the 4000 and Junior is that they don't have a harddrive or OS like the XL and IS do (which is why modifying data on the 4000 and Junior is more difficult nowadays).

[Localonthe8s]

The IS is more prone to hardware failure and outages, the XL abd 4000 and jr don't

[Eric]

The IS is more prone to hardware failure and outages, the XL abd 4000 and jr don't

I think it's natural that something more complex is more likely to experience a problem, since there's more that can go wrong.  Should progress (here, meaning the addition of new features) be sacrificed for the sake of reliability?

[Eric]

I have never seen a real 4000 or III. You should be happy you saw them. I don't live near one. You should be glad, or Elmo will push you into a toilet. 

Rarely in my 28 years have I seemed like the "old salt" of a group, but here, that's just how I feel!  What many members here call "classic TWC," I consider to be relatively new.

When I started watching TWC in the late 1980s, I was fascinated by so many things at once - the technology, the weather, the presentation...  Those were the days when The Weather Channel actually did what it promised - it presented actual weather forecasts, pretty much 24/7.  Special programming was rare, but, because it was so rare, there was actually time to make it worthwhile.  I remember "Force Four," hosted by Marshall Seese, was outstanding - just outstanding!  (It was a documentary about the effects of Hurricane Hugo on South Carolina.  I wish I still had that tape!!)

Throughout the 1990s, TWC remained as strong as ever, but by the early 2000s, some steam had started to run out of the channel, since they started making some big changes to "reinvent" themselves.  And in the past few years... everything's changed.

Sadly, today's TWC is not the TWC that existed a couple of decades ago.  They're very, very different entities.

[phw115wvwx]

I think it has a lot to do with what you grew up with and your affection (or lack thereof) for new technology. I, for example, grew up with the 4000; and unless new technology brings something worthwhile to the table, I'm not interested. That's why I still have a plain old cell phone that *gasp* only takes phone calls and text messages.

Then you have most members here, who are at least 10 years younger than me. Most of them favor the XL or IS.

Finally, you have the tech junkies who get excited when any kind of new technology comes out. They're likely drooling over the IS2.

I agree.  The things you see growing up really affect your perspective on everything going forward.  I grew up with the 3000 throughout the 90's due to living in a small rural town, so it didn't bother me that it was plain text with no graphics until I saw the 4000 with weather icons and a radar when I went to college in 2001.  I barely saw the XL a few years later, so I'm not as wild into it as other members here.

If I was told that I had to invent a new STAR, I'd incorporate the old principles as a foundation and shine it up a little with some new ideas to make it look good enough to modern viewers.  By the way, you're not alone in regards to the cell phone as mine is the same way.