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Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:51 pm
by WeatherSTARIII
Cool! I've never knew the Pop even still had the old "TV Guide"-era theme. I think TV Guide first started using it around either 2005 or 2006 I think? I haven't seen that design since we canceled Comcast in 2008 (and they were even still broadcasting in analog in my area back then).

What's even interesting about the post from above still has not only the "TV Guide"-style theme, is notice that the grid is raised even higher than the one in the first post. Back when we had cable in 2003 from the early days when TV Guide started using the Windows NT-based blue grid (since this was long after the Amiga era), our cable system used to have the quarter-sized version during regular TV Guide Channel programing. But here's where it gets interesting, during the overnight hours, TV Guide Channel back then would normally show infomercials during the overnight hours like on most other basic cable networks and most broadcast stations, once the infomercials comes on, the grid would automatically raise up to half of the screen to the same height like how it was back in the Prevue Guide days (yet they used to do the opposite back during the Prevue Sports segment in 1998-99), and shows one grid height higher than when it's in the quarter-sized grid (so you even get one additional space of channel listings). :D

During the infomercials, it would show the video portion on the left-hand side of the screen and on the right; it would show a message to the featured infomercial, and the TV Guide Channel grid listings on the bottom. The messages on the right-hand side of the screen during the infomercials would usually start with "The following is a preceding announcement.", then it would show either this message: "To order: call 1-800-XXX-XXXX" or "For information: call 1-800-XXX-XXXX". Sometimes it would even say "Free S&P" underneath the phone number. Then at the end of each infomercial, it would always say: "The proceeding was a paid announcement."

Once our area got the teal green grid in March 2004 (from what I recall), our cable system (which was then Insight Communications at the time, now Comcast), they eventually made the grid quarter-sized full-time (even during infomercials) and I was disappointed when they stopped using the half-screen size, but I guess it was just my cable company that did this back then.

I wonder if this is a simulcast of the regular Pop channel, but shrunken down to size like in the old Prevue Guide days? Or if Pop somehow has a secret feed that has the traditional "Prevue Guide"-style random cable network promos and PPV previews like in the good old days? I'd take that over Pop's regular programing any day! :lol:

One last note to point out, is that notice that the picture on the bottom (the one that shows the Pop logo), notice that the background on the Pop logo banner is a little bit different than the one first post. It even doesn't have any ID number whatsoever. :o I wonder if this was sort of like what The Weather Channel used to do during at 58 minutes past the hour before the 2013 re-launch. They used to do that on all of their WeatherStar models back then.

I'd bet this came from a hotel that still uses its own analog cable system and even old CRTs TVs like that Zenith from above (likely a rebadged LG or even a Gold Star from back in the day).

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:04 am
by AriX
PajamaDarkness wrote:
RiverNix123 wrote:They do that for cable companys, that do not have a Interactive Guide for there service. If you go to a Sleep Inn in St. Augustine, Florida, and they have Xfinity, the Pop channel will have a guide. I think the one there still has TVGN Branding.
It actually does use the "TV Guide Network" theme too.
Image
Image

Credit to my friend, PrevueFanatic for taking the images.
Wow - super interesting stuff. Crazy that Pop not only maintains the guide, but the old version as well. Makes me happy that this stuff is still around in some form :)

By the way, if you didn't see it, here's a longer video of Pop with an actual guide from earlier this year. Wow! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxwGMrDIH8U

Thanks for your findings, WeatherStarIII!

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:52 pm
by TWCJim
Hey guys, TWCJim from YouTube here. Just like to point out that the aforementioned scrolling TV guide grid on Charter Grand Coulee's Pop channel feed (channel 16) is now gone. I discovered that earlier today while I was at a relative's house. Turns out that the Charter headend upgraded to all-digital sometime late last year, meaning there are now set-top boxes with interactive channel guides. Pop itself still remains, although I should also note that the feed is still the east coast feed, albeit the guide has the west coast listings (e.g. "Celebrity Name Game" was on instead of "Beverly Hills 90210"). It was nice to see the old scrolling guide while it lasted, but I suppose all good things must eventually come to an end.

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2017 3:55 am
by kwest93
TWCJim wrote:Hey guys, TWCJim from YouTube here. Just like to point out that the aforementioned scrolling TV guide grid on Charter Grand Coulee's Pop channel feed (channel 16) is now gone. I discovered that earlier today while I was at a relative's house. Turns out that the Charter headend upgraded to all-digital sometime late last year, meaning there are now set-top boxes with interactive channel guides. Pop itself still remains, although I should also note that the feed is still the east coast feed, albeit the guide has the west coast listings (e.g. "Celebrity Name Game" was on instead of "Beverly Hills 90210"). It was nice to see the old scrolling guide while it lasted, but I suppose all good things must eventually come to an end.
oh no. well. it was history in the making i guess.

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:35 am
by WeatherSTARIII
Here's another rare and recent, but also usually configured "TV Guide Network"-style grid listings find:

https://youtu.be/7sGkh2ngMX8

Weaherman99 recently posted a video that features another one of the last surviving "TV Guide Network"-style Pop grids. This came from Charter Spectrum in Tampa, FL (formally Bright House Networks). This channel is only available through analog cable on channel 2, but here's the unusual part: it appears that this leftover TV Guide Network-era program guide computer unit doesn't even have the Pop logo banner or any of the Pop references. In fact, the program listings for cable channel 2 just simply refer to it as "Channel Guide" in the listings. What's even stranger is that the main video portion on top of the screen isn't the regular Pop feed; instead it's a simulcast of the local Bay News 9 channel.

Wikipedia article about Bay News 9:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_News_9

Also according to Weatherman99, this channel also once showed a "Travel Weather Now" segment between 1999-2011 when at the time it was still Bright House Networks, as well as other BHN related programming. Now, it's just a simulcast of Bay News 9.

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 6:07 pm
by tin
wow. someone's still pumping that info into some kind of distribution system, somewhere...

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 9:12 pm
by TWCJim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quN376aEI5Y

Here is a recently-uploaded YouTube video, courtesy of ehatt600, that shows another still-in-use scrolling listings grid which uses the TV Guide Network-era graphics. It is found on FPB Cable channel 2 in Frankfort, KY, presented in full-screen, and the audio is supposedly a specialized service to the visually impaired. Additionally, the copyright notice that appears after each scrolling cycle displays "Pop Media Networks, LLC", albeit this isn't actually being broadcast on Pop.

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:52 pm
by AriX
TWCJim wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:12 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quN376aEI5Y

Here is a recently-uploaded YouTube video, courtesy of ehatt600, that shows another still-in-use scrolling listings grid which uses the TV Guide Network-era graphics. It is found on FPB Cable channel 2 in Frankfort, KY, presented in full-screen, and the audio is supposedly a specialized service to the visually impaired. Additionally, the copyright notice that appears after each scrolling cycle displays "Pop Media Networks, LLC", albeit this isn't actually being broadcast on Pop.
Wow - it's like EPG Sr. all over again!

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2017 11:33 pm
by kwest93
AriX wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:52 pm
TWCJim wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:12 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quN376aEI5Y

Here is a recently-uploaded YouTube video, courtesy of ehatt600, that shows another still-in-use scrolling listings grid which uses the TV Guide Network-era graphics. It is found on FPB Cable channel 2 in Frankfort, KY, presented in full-screen, and the audio is supposedly a specialized service to the visually impaired. Additionally, the copyright notice that appears after each scrolling cycle displays "Pop Media Networks, LLC", albeit this isn't actually being broadcast on Pop.
Wow - it's like EPG Sr. all over again!
sorry to bump this but Zap2it used to be like this as well.

Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?

Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 7:57 pm
by PajamaDarkness
TWCJim wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 9:12 pm Additionally, the copyright notice that appears after each scrolling cycle displays "Pop Media Networks, LLC", albeit this isn't actually being broadcast on Pop.
I assume they only update the guide?