TWC and the Star Team needs to look into bringing the LDL back to the older generation Weather Star's when programming has to be modified.
I honestly don't think this is a priority for them. The XL, 4000, and Jr. have been relegated to the role of legacy Stars. meaning updates won't be forthcoming, if ever again. Notice how long the 4000 has used an outdated logo, for example, though it's been demonstrated that the logo
can be updated if anyone wanted to.
The 4000 and Jr. actually can display LDLs with a colored background, but, in practice, it's never been done, except, ironically, during malfunctions. However, the LDLs for these Stars cover the entire horizontal width of the screen, and I seriously doubt they could be easily reprogrammed to leave the left portion of the screen free for the national feed. So, it's extraordinarily doubtful that these Stars will use their LDLs during national programming anymore. As for the L-bar, I think it's downright impossible, given the technological limitations of the Stars.
As for the XL, I haven't seen any evidence why it couldn't be successfully reprogrammed for both the new LDLs and the L-bar. However, this technology dates from the 1990s. Even though there are still quite a lot out there (probably more 12 years on than there were 4000s 12 years on), it's still an old computer using proprietary software that requires time, effort, and money to reprogram. Even though it has numbers on its side, it's probably not on TWC's priority list. They'd certainly prefer cable companies to upgrade to the IntelliStar, because this is the only SD feed Star that TWC is working to keep current in terms of programming updates.
Honestly, considering how advanced the satellite feed has gotten the local forecasts, L-bars, and the LDL, I'm honestly a little surprised that TWC keeps supporting the legacy stars (especially the 4000 and Jr.)
at all, except, perhaps, for severe weather bulletins. The 4000 is 21 years old, the XL is 12 years old, and the Jr., while itself 17 years old, is reproducing the exact same forecast originated by the WeatherStar III a full quarter-century ago!
Just when does a computer system become so old it must be retired? The WeatherStars I and II were put into retirement because of RF interference and garbled text issues. The III was forcibly retired by the FCC because it would have required a lot of effort and money to update it to be able to produce warning tones at each repeat of a weather warning. But the remaining three Stars all date back to the 1990s, and, though they no longer receive major updates, they're still being used as far as TWC's current programming will let them.
So, you have to wonder... just how high should it be on TWC's list of priorities to update systems that are pushing two decades old because a minority of cable systems still use them? Just how much should TWC refrain from upgrading and improving its on-air image to ensure that full and total compatibility remains with the oldest of the legacy Stars?
My opinion is that the Jr. and the 4000 should be retired... long ago. The XL should certainly be entering retirement now. If cable companies don't want to upgrade to current equipment, at least their viewers now have a good-looking national local forecast and LDL to look at instead of, say, a looping list of 20 cities and their forecasts for the next 24 hours.
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The Jr. doesn't have maps and looks more primitive than the 4000.