Messages

46

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: July 20, 2015, 05:49:21 PM »

I haven't posted anything LF-related for a long time now (since I haven't had cable since 2008). But just two days ago, while visiting a hotel (since my stupid AC broke), I just found out that my lone cable system (Comcast) just recently replaced their IntelliStar with the IntelliStar 2. It turns out IntelliStar #22878 (Peoria, IL) is no more. I'm not sure when exactly it was replaced, but it's the first time I've ever seen the IntelliStar 2 in person.

But here is the catch, the hotel room I was in simulcasts the actual HD feed of TWC, but no IS2 (not even local commercials). Yet, I channel surfed most of the other cable channels on the hotel HDTV (all of the channels appear to be all HD feeds of most major cable networks), and when I tuned to CNN, a local commercial came on that also featured some Xfinity related-promos. In the hotel lobby however, the HDTV was tuned to what appeared to be Comcast's fake "SD feed" of TWC and the weird thing is, I saw the IS2, but letterboxed. So it appears that the hotel I was in was simulcasting from Comcast (even in the lobby).

I still wish cable systems would stop down converting their IS2s to make a fake digital MPEG-2 "SD feed" that's fully letterboxed and use the IS2 only on the actual MPEG-4 HD feed. I also wish cable systems would combine both the IS2 for the HD simulcast and the IS2Jr. for the SD simulcast so that way, the actual SD simulcast wouldn't be letterboxed and still have the main IS2 shown only on the actual HD simulcast plus the IS2Jr. on the SD simulcast. It's still a waste of bandwidth.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me or a TV tuner capture adapter.

47

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: June 05, 2015, 04:03:06 PM »

Is Tornado Week even scheduled this week?

48

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: May 22, 2015, 03:20:41 PM »

On MSNBC just a few moments ago, they were covering the Memorial Day Forecast and I've notice something unusual: no TWC reference! It seems that MSNBC is using their own separate graphics package for the weather maps and icons instead of the usual TWC package. I wonder if NBC is finally through with TWC?

49

TWC and your Cable Company / Re: Dish to drop TWC (again)?

« on: April 21, 2015, 06:18:30 PM »

DISH and The Weather Channel Sign Multi-Year Renewal
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150421006683/en/DISH-Weather-Channel-Sign-Multi-Year-Renewal

Thanks for the article. I just hope that TWC won't demand a fee increase just to carry their channel on Dish. Now, we'll have to wait and see how long the Verizon FiOS dispute lasts.

50

TWC and your Cable Company / Dish to drop TWC (again)?

« on: April 08, 2015, 06:01:17 PM »

I'm not sure if this was already mentioned, but I came across this recent article from MDJ Online that mentions a possible retransmission dispute between Dish and The Weather Channel. Of course, Dish already had a previous dispute with TWC back in May 2010 that lasted only four days. But I wonder if this next possible dispute will last longer? The Verizon FiOS dispute is already almost a month old already.

Source:
http://www.mdjonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Storm+warning+goes+up+for+Weather+Channel%20&id=26562907

Of course, this was already mentioned about rumors of WeatherNation that may be coming to Dish:
https://twctodayforums.com/forums/twc-and-your-cable-company/twc-wn-on-dish/

51

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: March 26, 2015, 12:06:21 AM »

And now TWC is back to its regularly scheduled longform shows. Shame on them for ending already, Weathernation is still covering the tornado outbreak, despite also covering regional forecasts outside of the severe weather outbreak in Oklahoma and Missouri.

52

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: March 25, 2015, 10:33:28 PM »

well, not only did they just preempted programing tonight for coverage of this tornado outbreak, they just played the Storm Alert 2013 theme during the LOT8s just a moment ago.

you know just got real when they play Storm Alert 2013 on LOT8s.

plus not only that, the regular LDL bar is also on too.

It was off at 7:00 PM CT this evening, but only on the HD feed.

53

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: March 25, 2015, 09:05:25 PM »

The live coverage continues as I speak. I wonder if they will still be on all night?

54

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: March 25, 2015, 08:57:23 PM »

TWC is continuing coverage of Tornado's in Oklahoma. Don't know how long they'll be live, but better be until all storms die.

At least they have the tornado coverage in full screen on the HD feed. The SD feed ironically still has the blink WATT bar. At least they are preempting their boring reality shows. I hope everyone down in Oklahoma and Missouri are alright. BTW, Mike Seidel seemed to be the only one reporting from the storm in Oklahoma City.

55

Everything Else TWC / Re: General TWC Discussion

« on: March 20, 2015, 06:28:27 PM »

Did anyone see this before any of the locals?

Despite of the ongoing Verizon FiOS dispute, I bet TWC is likely using this promo campaign just for FiOS customers to either switch providers or beg at Verizon to bring TWC back. They never did this during the DirecTV or Dish disputes. 

56

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: February 10, 2015, 04:25:27 PM »

Echoing Tavores, it does make perfect sense that TWC is slowly replacing all IntelliSTAR units with IS2 Jr units, considering that the IS is about 12 years old and is constantly glitching. Also, that could explain why all if not many Comcast and Bright House headends who have adopted the IS2 replaced their SD TWC feeds with HD feed simulcasts. 

That also makes me wonder if TWC is planning on making a new Weatherscan model of the IS2 or IS2 Jr.? The current Weatherscan IntelliStar model came out back in 2003 and it's a year older than the main TWC model and hasn't received any graphics updates or new features since 2010 or so. That also makes me wonder if TWC will ever make Weatherscan HD? 

57

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: January 31, 2015, 08:25:34 PM »

I believe that's not real, just someone putting their own music over the video.

Ooops. I didn't know that. Thanks for reminding me. Quite honestly, I haven't watched TWC regularly as much as I used too, although I did watch some of Winter Storm "Juno™" coverage recently, but I watched most of TWC's coverage on DirecTV's exclusive Severe Weather Mix channel that they had temporary on what would normally be the Sports Mix channel on 205 and 600. This was only available during the recent east coast snowstorm (or in TWC's case, "Juno™").

58

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: January 31, 2015, 06:38:21 PM »

It seems TWC brought back some of the nostalgic music on their latest playlist.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422579428&x-yt-cl=85114404&v=yTmPc9YSF1g

Yet during Winter Storm "Juno™" coverage, I haven't heard any of those tunes, just the same old regular production tunes. 

59

Local Forecast / Re: What do you want to return to the LF

« on: December 02, 2014, 05:21:33 PM »

1. Station ID segment and local weather IDs
2. 90 second/2 minute flavors (would of loved it even more if they ever bring back 3/5/6 minute flavors, but I doubt its ever going to happen again)
3. Today's date and a clock that displays seconds like on the III/Jr./4000/XL
4. Travel Cities Forecast (and I doubt its ever going to happen again, see #2)
5. Countdown bar on the radar for the IntelliStar like how it was from version 1-2
6. Larger weather bulletin crawls in yellow, orange, and red and louder warning tone
7. Smooth Jazz plus the return of the Trammell Starks emergency playlist and even Killer Tracks/Network Music songs
8. Almanac with moon phases
9. Analog signal (but I also doubt its ever going to come back again since the legacy STARs are already showing its age)

That's all I could think of.

60

Local Forecast / Re: General LF Discussion

« on: September 23, 2014, 11:42:49 PM »

TWC IntelliSTAR- Astoria, OR- Sep. 23, 2014- 12:48PM PDT

Never heard these narrations before:

• "Some light rain will fall throughout the day."
• "A steady rain. The rain will be heavy at times."

I don't suppose anyone else here has heard either narration either? 

I don't think I ever heard it on our IntelliStar (#22878) back when we had cable up until 2008. But, I once came across a video from a few years ago (I can't remember if it was from this site or some other website), I recall seeing a video of another IntelliStar (I can't remember what location it was from), and in that video, it showed a IntelliStar with not only a HiRad outage, but also missing the description of the 36-48 Hour Forecast segment simply saying "Our Local Forecast" because of the missing data.