Time Warner Cable dumping HDNET & HDNET movies...

Glad I have FIOS...

http://www.multichannel.com/article..._May_31.php?nid=3990&source=title&rid=5882958

Time Warner Cable confirmed Monday it will stop offering HDNet and HDNet Movies across all of its systems effective May 31.

The move by Time Warner Cable, which has 8.7 million digital cable subscribers, is a blow to the Mark Cuban-backed HDNet, which was among the first HD services available to cable and satellite operators.

Asked why the company was dropping HDNet's services, Time Warner Cable director of corporate public relations Robyn Watson said, "There's a limited appeal for the programming. In a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough. We are adding other channels in HD to give our customers more choice."

HDNet and HDNet Movies has been available to Time Warner Cable customers in the HD Xtra premium-priced tier, which depending on market costs up to $8.95 extra per month.

Cuban, in an e-mail to Multichannel News, said he would not comment "on ongoing negotiations." However, he took issue with Time Warner Cable's characterization of HDNet's programming as lacking appeal.

"[T]here are millions of viewers who enjoy our unique and exclusive programming," Cuban wrote, adding that "we are not a cookie-cutter network like those from the big media conglomerates" and claiming that HDNet's viewers "do business with providers specifically to get our programming."

HDNet's flagship channel, launched in 2001, features up to 20 hours per week of original features, including a newsmagazine hosted by former CBS anchor Dan Rather.

Time Warner Cable disclosed the plans to drop the two HDNet services on its Web site May 15. The company also said on or about June 1 it will launch MAV TV HD, as part of the HD Xtra tier.

In New York City, at least, TWC this month added Smithsonian HD in the HD Xtra tier. In earlier Web site statements about the two HDNet channels, TWC had said it intended to drop them and add Smithsonian HD and MavTV.

 

There must be something more to this story. HDNet and HDNet movies still provide great programming.

Back in 2001, HDNet was the only 24/7 HD channel. If you only knew how many early (read: expensive) HDTVs that channel helped sell in showrooms!

 

I've been on the fence about adding HDNet Movies to my Directv lineup. Any recommendations pro or con?

 

Check out their programming schedule online. The nice thing about HDNet Movies is they always show the films in original aspect ratio. And about once a month, they'll show a movie on TV they same day it's released to theaters. It's never a big blockbuster, but a fun & free way to watch a new movie.

 

HDNET Movies is great- they show stuff uncut and uninterrupted-and good stuff, too (Kubrick!) Universal HD interrupts their movies and now sadly MGMHD is doing the same....

 

When I had Direc, HD Net Movies was my fav channel.

 

Thanks to a feud between the Dolan's(cablevision) and Mr. Cuban no HDnet or movies for me....
Maybe he'll be more open to offer these channels to Cablevision now.

 

I just got HD Net Movies when I switched to AT&T u-verse-I really like the selection of films they show. Just in the past week they've had films like Shampoo, Prizzi's Honor, Ghost World, all the Godfather movies & tonight they're showing the brand new Steven Soderbergh film "The Girlfriend Experience".

 

I only got HDNet a few months ago when I went with Verizon FiOS and I've been very impressed with it. Heck, I even started watching the most recent Star Trek series ("Enterprise") which I took a pass on when it was originally running. I'd hate to lose the channel.

 

This is awful. HD.NET and HDMOVIES are two of the best HD programming channels there are. I highly recommend that channels and this may motivate me to switch subscribers.

 

Enterprise is a decent show....now that it's not on the bloody worst TV station in every town....UPN.

Back when the show started on UPN, I had a Tivo seasonpass and always recorded the week's second showing too. For the first two seasons I stille missed atleast half the episodes. Sometimes there'd be no audio, or no video, or both (air du noir), and anything else that could go wrong did. It went.

Twice a week they'd F' up their flagship show, muy beuna, muy malo, or whatever! It was the most incopetant channel I've ever experienced.....way worse than Fox's first year and that's sayin' somethin'.

When UPN folded, said station became WEEE, Wrestling Entertainment Every Evening for awhile, before fading into the oblivion of permanent black air.

Getting back to Enterprise, if nothing has changed, HD Net only has the rights to the first two seasons. BTW, the DVD season sets are, IMO, about as good as DVD's can be done. They sound really good too.

You may need a seasonpass on another channel or the DVD's to see them all...?

 

They have the rights to the entire series, or close to it. I watched nearly the entire series on HD.NET over a span of two years. I never watched Enterprise when it was on, but saw that HD.NET was going to show the pilot and I watched it. They showed the entire series in order with a new episode each week. This went on all the way up until there were 4 episodes left in the series, and then they didn't show any more. I ended up renting the dvd with the final episodes from my library so I could finish. I wrote HD.NET at least five times wanting to know why in the world they would faithfully show the series for so long and then stop with just a few episodes to go, but never got a response.

 

HD Net is great and it's pure BS what TWC says. It's ALL ABOUT $$$$. I'm sure a lot more people would watch HD Net than Smithsonian or Mav.

TWC is under financial distress.

 

Apparently they now run the entire series because I've now seen the complete run. In fact, this week it's starting all over again. For me, the best shows were the entire Xindi series and Trip's "cloning" episode. I have to admit I had a tear in my eye at the end of that one. A son saying goodbye to his "father" still hits home with me....big time.

 

They are part of a package, I think the HD.

 

I fired Direc a few months back, so, I don't get HD Net anymore, for now. I never saw any shows beyond the second season. Maybe I didn't pay close enough attention since I had the DVD sets?

 

Does this apply to Bright House systems? They are related to Time Warner in some fashion, IIRC.

 

I've got FIOS too. HDNET Movie was a big draw that got me to change over from Comcrap. OAR is very important to me. I even like Mark Cuban now.