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Present - The Weather Channel 2000 => Local Forecast => Topic started by: Localonthe8s on October 17, 2010, 01:13:17 PM

Title: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Localonthe8s on October 17, 2010, 01:13:17 PM
My bad if this was posted earlier (nothing came up) but are there any plans to update the current HD Satellite Star? It's been the same design for over 3 years now. There have been rumours circulating here in the past that the star would get updated in October or something  :unsure:
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Zach on October 17, 2010, 01:37:01 PM
What rumors?  :blink:

As for the HD LF technically its been updated twice since debut: the icon change and in August 2010 when the new logo was pushed into 2:00 flavors
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: TWCToday on October 17, 2010, 02:47:28 PM
There is no word of any changes or updates to the national hd star. Unless Tyler knows otherwise I would say this rumor is false
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Tyler on October 17, 2010, 03:25:34 PM
No changes are forthcoming.
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Eric on October 17, 2010, 04:03:37 PM
The biggest and most welcome change of all would be the introduction of the HD Intellistar in more markets.  :)

As for the national Stars, it's actually been a while since any modifications have been made.  I remember in the 1990s it seemed like changes were being made on a yearly basis, once they started using maps instead of the never-ending "Travel Cities Forecast."
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Zach on October 17, 2010, 04:11:29 PM
Hmm i just noticed but where did the fact of national STARs pushing out from TWC come from? I thought the only two national STARs were at DirecTVs/Dishs headends  :unsure:
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Eric on October 17, 2010, 04:40:00 PM
Hmm i just noticed but where did the fact of national STARs pushing out from TWC come from? I thought the only two national STARs were at DirecTVs/Dishs headends  :unsure:

Prior to the late 1980s (I believe 1987), viewers without a local WeatherStar, or with a malfunctioning unit, simply saw a black screen (or the briefly-used background animations) and heard the local forecast music whenever a local forecast was playing.  In 1987, a primitive scrolling "Travel Cities Forecast" was used that eventually evolved into the same format used by the WeatherStar III and, when it was released, the WeatherStar 4000, including the switch from text-only to graphical forecasts.  In the mid 1990s, this was changed when a series of maps (national and regional radars, satellites, and forecast maps, along with forecasts for selected cities) began, and this has changed several times since, though not in the past few years.
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Zach on October 17, 2010, 04:45:48 PM
Hmm i just noticed but where did the fact of national STARs pushing out from TWC come from? I thought the only two national STARs were at DirecTVs/Dishs headends  :unsure:

Prior to the late 1980s (I believe 1987), viewers without a local WeatherStar, or with a malfunctioning unit, simply saw a black screen (or the briefly-used background animations) and heard the local forecast music whenever a local forecast was playing.  In 1987, a primitive scrolling "Travel Cities Forecast" was used that eventually evolved into the same format used by the WeatherStar III and, when it was released, the WeatherStar 4000, including the switch from text-only to graphical forecasts.  In the mid 1990s, this was changed when a series of maps (national and regional radars, satellites, and forecast maps, along with forecasts for selected cities) began, and this has changed several times since, though not in the past few years.
Things have changed over the years then :yes: Today a headend with no STAR would simply see national stuff thrown at them but no cable ID display, no displays during the LF, etc will come up. Over at DirecTV and Dish Network they have modified IntelliSTAR units to display national information during the LF, display a cable ID, and push out text during those commercial retailer screens (i.e. the Honda generators screen)  :yes:
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Charismatic Applesauce on October 17, 2010, 04:53:55 PM
Hmm i just noticed but where did the fact of national STARs pushing out from TWC come from? I thought the only two national STARs were at DirecTVs/Dishs headends  :unsure:

Prior to the late 1980s (I believe 1987), viewers without a local WeatherStar, or with a malfunctioning unit, simply saw a black screen (or the briefly-used background animations) and heard the local forecast music whenever a local forecast was playing.  In 1987, a primitive scrolling "Travel Cities Forecast" was used that eventually evolved into the same format used by the WeatherStar III and, when it was released, the WeatherStar 4000, including the switch from text-only to graphical forecasts.  In the mid 1990s, this was changed when a series of maps (national and regional radars, satellites, and forecast maps, along with forecasts for selected cities) began, and this has changed several times since, though not in the past few years.
Things have changed over the years then :yes: Today a headend with no STAR would simply see national stuff thrown at them but no cable ID display, no displays during the LF, etc will come up. Over at DirecTV and Dish Network they have modified IntelliSTAR units to display national information during the LF, display a cable ID, and push out text during those commercial retailer screens (i.e. the Honda generators screen)  :yes:
Wouldn't it be impossible for a cable headend not to have a STAR? I heard that cable headends that carry TWC must have a STAR.

Edit: Scratch that. AT&T U-Verse headends don't have STARs.
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: WeatherWitness on October 17, 2010, 06:37:43 PM
My bad if this was posted earlier (nothing came up) but are there any plans to update the current HD Satellite Star? It's been the same design for over 3 years now. There have been rumours circulating here in the past that the star would get updated in October or something  :unsure:

...And the SD IntelliSTAR has had the same design for over three years, too and its older designs for much longer. Why do you need to update the design every 3 or 4 years? :wacko:

I know it doesn't match the design of current HD IntelliSTAR (which might be nice) at all, but I don't think that's going to happen. :no:
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Zach on October 17, 2010, 06:51:50 PM
Think WeatherSTAR 4000 Andy.  ;) :P Once the gradient design came in it was here to stay :thrilled:
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Localonthe8s on October 18, 2010, 05:01:14 PM
My bad if this was posted earlier (nothing came up) but are there any plans to update the current HD Satellite Star? It's been the same design for over 3 years now. There have been rumours circulating here in the past that the star would get updated in October or something  :unsure:

...And the SD IntelliSTAR has had the same design for over three years, too and its older designs for much longer. Why do you need to update the design every 3 or 4 years? :wacko:

Because. :)
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: TWCmatthew on November 02, 2010, 07:20:36 PM
An update was made this morning to the HD Satellite STAR's:

The shade for Canada and the oceans are a little bit darker than before.

Video credits to Aaron, a.k.a. wxntrafficfan, socool775.

TWC [HD] Local Forecast- 11/02/10 Basemap/Background Update (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CbacrggAX8#ws)
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Localonthe8s on November 02, 2010, 09:46:00 PM
Told ya there'd be an update, and I have video that I'll upload soon. Aaron must have messed up his color settings cuz they appear the same color on my screen while on TV, u can notice da changes
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: gt1racerlHDl on November 02, 2010, 11:33:42 PM
Finally a change!

i wonder if the Topography is next?
Title: Re: HD Satellite Star Update?
Post by: Zach on November 02, 2010, 11:46:54 PM
i wonder if the Topography is next?
by the looks of it the severe warnings/tstorm/precip maps at the end have different topography  :yes: