IntelliSTAR units to be retired this October...???

[NOTDavidKenny]

So far only 2 Known IS Units remain Was 3 until 9/9/2015 When I lost my IS 

[ravensfan5927]

You know I wouldn't be a bit surprised if October 1st came and my Intellistar 1 is still here, considering my headend still hasn't purchased an Intellistar 2 and TWC is pretty unpredictable these days. 

[TWCJim]

You know I wouldn't be a bit surprised if October 1st came and my Intellistar 1 is still here, considering my headend still hasn't purchased an Intellistar 2 and TWC is pretty unpredictable these days. 

You and me both! I too wouldn't be so surprised if my IS1 lived past October 1st, although in the memo released to headends it said that the IS1 service would be discontinued no later than November 16th. My headend still does not have the IS2 HD yet either.

I wonder if this will turn out like when the legacy STAR units (WSJr, 4000, XL) went out of service past May 31st of last year because many headends didn't yet have the IS2 Jr at that time, and it took about a month after the initial deadline for the legacy units to be retired and decommissioned. Depending on what happens (as you mentioned how unpredictable TWC can be) maybe the remaining IS1s will be retired later than this Thursday's initial deadline. Who knows?

[ravensfan5927]

You know I wouldn't be a bit surprised if October 1st came and my Intellistar 1 is still here, considering my headend still hasn't purchased an Intellistar 2 and TWC is pretty unpredictable these days. 

You and me both! I too wouldn't be so surprised if my IS1 lived past October 1st, although in the memo released to headends it said that the IS1 service would be discontinued no later than November 16th. My headend still does not have the IS2 HD yet either.

I wonder if this will turn out like when the legacy STAR units (WSJr, 4000, XL) went out of service past May 31st of last year because many headends didn't yet have the IS2 Jr at that time, and it took about a month after the initial deadline for the legacy units to be retired and decommissioned. Depending on what happens (as you mentioned how unpredictable TWC can be) maybe the remaining IS1s will be retired later than this Thursday's initial deadline. Who knows?

It does mention in the letter that all Intellistar 1 units left will be officially discontinued by November 16th, but if my area doesn't purchase an Intellistar 2 by October 1st it mentions a "disruption of service", what could that possibly mean? And quite frankly I don't think any part of MD has an Intellistar 2 yet  Last time I seen a Baltimore Intellistar video it was still the Intellistar 1, and that's a pretty major area of MD>

[TWCJim]

Now it is October 1st, and my IS1 still remains in existence. After all, didn't TWC's memo clearly state that all new IS2 XD/Jr units "must be installed by October 1, 2015 to ensure seamless activation with no disruption to service"?  Given that the memo also says all IS1s will be discontinued no later than November 16th, I wonder if TWC extended the deadline for headends such as mine who still haven't gotten replacements to get their new equipment soon. 

[TWC Fan]

Here is my video of it from last night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwJjeXxoNtM

[curtjr4]

Now it is October 1st, and my IS1 still remains in existence. After all, didn't TWC's memo clearly state that all new IS2 XD/Jr units "must be installed by October 1, 2015 to ensure seamless activation with no disruption to service"?  Given that the memo also says all IS1s will be discontinued no later than November 16th, I wonder if TWC extended the deadline for headends such as mine who still haven't gotten replacements to get their new equipment soon. 

Yup, the IS1 in San Luis Obispo, CA is still kicking around... at least I'll get to hear the Allen Jackson narrations for a while longer lol

[xoddf2]

Charter of Redding, CA just upgraded to what I believe to be an IntelliStar 2 Jr within the past day or 2.

[curtjr4]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

[WeatherSTAR]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

The I2Jr is fully SD and is easy to tell from the 2 others (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T1UbPx_P8M).

The I2XD (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zO5mRepmZc) and HD are somewhat difficult to tell apart since they're both HD. My best advice is to remember what channel the IS1 SD feed was on, and then check the actual HD feed (Xfinity around my area has this in the higher channels, with no local forecast). If the former SD channel is now in HD, check the HD channel- it should either be the national version or the I2HD.  If national on the HD channel is the case, then it's likely to be the I2XD on the SD channel. Of course, it's hard to tell when both the SD and HD channels have a local forecast. In this situation, either there's a I2HD that is being put onto both the HD and SD feeds, or separate I2XD and I2HDs.  To add on to this answer, I'd try seeing if the welcome message or backgrounds are any different on the two channels (which would prove that there are two different Stars in use).

[curtjr4]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

The I2Jr is fully SD and is easy to tell from the 2 others (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T1UbPx_P8M).

The I2XD (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zO5mRepmZc) and HD are somewhat difficult to tell apart since they're both HD. My best advice is to remember what channel the IS1 SD feed was on, and then check the actual HD feed (Xfinity around my area has this in the higher channels, with no local forecast). If the former SD channel is now in HD, check the HD channel- it should either be the national version or the I2HD.  If national on the HD channel is the case, then it's likely to be the I2XD on the SD channel. Of course, it's hard to tell when both the SD and HD channels have a local forecast. In this situation, either there's a I2HD that is being put onto both the HD and SD feeds, or separate I2XD and I2HDs.  To add on to this answer, I'd try seeing if the welcome message or backgrounds are any different on the two channels (which would prove that there are two different Stars in use).

Thanks. I've checked some resources that I have and I was able to conclude that the XD is the newest HD IntelliStar available, however as opposed to a BNC output from the IRD to the IntelliStar, it's using a digital transport stream from the IRD to the STAR, then another digital transport stream from the STAR to the cable operators modulator equipment. It's basically the same as the IS2Jr, but in HD and without the BNC connections.

From what I can tell, you appear to be correct when you say it's hard to tell the difference. I thought I heard that the XD outputs in both SD and HD, but it's letterboxed? To me that'd sound like the cable plant is splitting the output signal and down converting one to SD and keeping the other HD, then modulating those signals to the correct channel. This could also be achieved with the IS2HD. Now, if the XD didn't letterbox and had two output streams, that'd be impressive to me.

[WeatherSTAR]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

The I2Jr is fully SD and is easy to tell from the 2 others (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T1UbPx_P8M).

The I2XD (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zO5mRepmZc) and HD are somewhat difficult to tell apart since they're both HD. My best advice is to remember what channel the IS1 SD feed was on, and then check the actual HD feed (Xfinity around my area has this in the higher channels, with no local forecast). If the former SD channel is now in HD, check the HD channel- it should either be the national version or the I2HD.  If national on the HD channel is the case, then it's likely to be the I2XD on the SD channel. Of course, it's hard to tell when both the SD and HD channels have a local forecast. In this situation, either there's a I2HD that is being put onto both the HD and SD feeds, or separate I2XD and I2HDs.  To add on to this answer, I'd try seeing if the welcome message or backgrounds are any different on the two channels (which would prove that there are two different Stars in use).

Thanks. I've checked some resources that I have and I was able to conclude that the XD is the newest HD IntelliStar available, however as opposed to a BNC output from the IRD to the IntelliStar, it's using a digital transport stream from the IRD to the STAR, then another digital transport stream from the STAR to the cable operators modulator equipment. It's basically the same as the IS2Jr, but in HD and without the BNC connections.

From what I can tell, you appear to be correct when you say it's hard to tell the difference. I thought I heard that the XD outputs in both SD and HD, but it's letterboxed? To me that'd sound like the cable plant is splitting the output signal and down converting one to SD and keeping the other HD, then modulating those signals to the correct channel. This could also be achieved with the IS2HD. Now, if the XD didn't letterbox and had two output streams, that'd be impressive to me.

You're correct- the XD is the newest IntelliStar 2 unit, which basically allows headends to place the HD feed on the former SD channels. The XD is fully digital, and therefore you're correct when you mention no BNC ports on it.

[curtjr4]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

The I2Jr is fully SD and is easy to tell from the 2 others (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T1UbPx_P8M).

The I2XD (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zO5mRepmZc) and HD are somewhat difficult to tell apart since they're both HD. My best advice is to remember what channel the IS1 SD feed was on, and then check the actual HD feed (Xfinity around my area has this in the higher channels, with no local forecast). If the former SD channel is now in HD, check the HD channel- it should either be the national version or the I2HD.  If national on the HD channel is the case, then it's likely to be the I2XD on the SD channel. Of course, it's hard to tell when both the SD and HD channels have a local forecast. In this situation, either there's a I2HD that is being put onto both the HD and SD feeds, or separate I2XD and I2HDs.  To add on to this answer, I'd try seeing if the welcome message or backgrounds are any different on the two channels (which would prove that there are two different Stars in use).

Thanks. I've checked some resources that I have and I was able to conclude that the XD is the newest HD IntelliStar available, however as opposed to a BNC output from the IRD to the IntelliStar, it's using a digital transport stream from the IRD to the STAR, then another digital transport stream from the STAR to the cable operators modulator equipment. It's basically the same as the IS2Jr, but in HD and without the BNC connections.

From what I can tell, you appear to be correct when you say it's hard to tell the difference. I thought I heard that the XD outputs in both SD and HD, but it's letterboxed? To me that'd sound like the cable plant is splitting the output signal and down converting one to SD and keeping the other HD, then modulating those signals to the correct channel. This could also be achieved with the IS2HD. Now, if the XD didn't letterbox and had two output streams, that'd be impressive to me.

You're correct- the XD is the newest IntelliStar 2 unit, which basically allows headends to place the HD feed on the former SD channels. The XD is fully digital, and therefore you're correct when you mention no BNC ports on it.

Digital has nothing to do with BNC. Every STAR ever built is, by definition, 100% digital. The only thing that wasn't digital with every STAR before the IS is the transmission method. Everything now days is encoded with the DigiCipher II which is digital. The VideoCipher II that TWC used for the legacy STARs (XL and below) was encrypted, however it was an analog transmission. I just want to clear that up so people don't get confused :thumbs:

BNC doesn't dictate whether it's digital or not- 1s and 0s can still be carried over BNC, as can a modulated sine/square wave. The thing that dictates whether it's digital or not is the modulation method. In this case, now days TWC uses the digital DCII. In the old days, they used the analog VCII.

[WeatherSTAR]

^Oh cool, another Californian on this forum :big grin:

Something I never really understood... since I've never seen these newer units in use (IS2Jr or IS2XD)... how can you tell the difference between an IS2XD and the IS2Jr/IS2HD?

The I2Jr is fully SD and is easy to tell from the 2 others (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T1UbPx_P8M).

The I2XD (example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zO5mRepmZc) and HD are somewhat difficult to tell apart since they're both HD. My best advice is to remember what channel the IS1 SD feed was on, and then check the actual HD feed (Xfinity around my area has this in the higher channels, with no local forecast). If the former SD channel is now in HD, check the HD channel- it should either be the national version or the I2HD.  If national on the HD channel is the case, then it's likely to be the I2XD on the SD channel. Of course, it's hard to tell when both the SD and HD channels have a local forecast. In this situation, either there's a I2HD that is being put onto both the HD and SD feeds, or separate I2XD and I2HDs.  To add on to this answer, I'd try seeing if the welcome message or backgrounds are any different on the two channels (which would prove that there are two different Stars in use).

Thanks. I've checked some resources that I have and I was able to conclude that the XD is the newest HD IntelliStar available, however as opposed to a BNC output from the IRD to the IntelliStar, it's using a digital transport stream from the IRD to the STAR, then another digital transport stream from the STAR to the cable operators modulator equipment. It's basically the same as the IS2Jr, but in HD and without the BNC connections.

From what I can tell, you appear to be correct when you say it's hard to tell the difference. I thought I heard that the XD outputs in both SD and HD, but it's letterboxed? To me that'd sound like the cable plant is splitting the output signal and down converting one to SD and keeping the other HD, then modulating those signals to the correct channel. This could also be achieved with the IS2HD. Now, if the XD didn't letterbox and had two output streams, that'd be impressive to me.

You're correct- the XD is the newest IntelliStar 2 unit, which basically allows headends to place the HD feed on the former SD channels. The XD is fully digital, and therefore you're correct when you mention no BNC ports on it.

Digital has nothing to do with BNC. Every STAR ever built is, by definition, 100% digital. The only thing that wasn't digital with every STAR before the IS is the transmission method. Everything now days is encoded with the DigiCipher II which is digital. The VideoCipher II that TWC used for the legacy STARs (XL and below) was encrypted, however it was an analog transmission. I just want to clear that up so people don't get confused :thumbs:

BNC doesn't dictate whether it's digital or not- 1s and 0s can still be carried over BNC, as can a modulated sine/square wave. The thing that dictates whether it's digital or not is the modulation method. In this case, now days TWC uses the digital DCII. In the old days, they used the analog VCII.

Thanks for clearing that up. I do get confused with that at times, to be honest, even though it should be simple to understand!   

[intellstar2weatherstar3]

is1 support ends this fall. local now lanching soon wake up with al canclelld sam chanpion leaves amhq and other stuff is going on