TV Guide Discontinuing EPG?

[LocalH]

As much as I hate to say it, guys, I think the end of the noninteractive program guide is almost here, and soon there will unfortunately be no scrolling grids in use, at least in terms of the mainstream.

To be honest, I never really had the same kind of "love" for the post-blue grid version of the software, I guess because it runs on "standard" PC hardware (albeit likely with server-like features such as redundant PSUs, etc) and because it can be remotely administered, making it impossible to ever get a glimpse at the "inside" of the system on-air. Besides, with the way people here are experimenting and learning how to feed commands and data to a running Prevue installation, it will eventually be feasible to purchase a real Amiga and set up one's own personal Prevue Guide channel. Maybe we might even one day be able to either patch the software or figure out a way to hook in a piece of software to adapt the Prevue-specific genlock controls to any generic genlock (although TBH I'm not really sure what controls there are - Prevue never used any "in-between" key settings, just 100% background video for color 0 and 100% Amiga graphics for everything else). I'm pretty sure that ESQ takes over the machine while it runs rather than closing the Workbench screen - if it was the latter, when quitting ESQ you would see the Workbench screen reopen, and without closing the initial CLI it's impossible to close the Workbench screen. In this case, we probably couldn't write an OS hook (and if ESQ directly bangs the hardware then an OS hook would be pretty much useless - might be possible on an 030 or higher machine to utilize the MMU to trap certain address ranges but that seems pretty damn complicated, I've never even coded for the Amiga much less for the 030/040 MMU).

[LocalH]

I wish I could, but I have no camera or tuner card or anything. Also, I do not have cable at home (it is not available where I live).

If nothing else, if you know someone with a VCR and cable (or if you're willing to take a VCR to their location), you can record it to a VHS tape (in SP mode please) and send it to someone who can digitize it (I can do so, I have a DVD recorder/VCR combo, but I may not be able to send the tape back promptly, so if you do decide to do this, don't send me a tape that you want back quickly).

[woddfellow2]

This may explain it:

On December 14, 2010 Cox Communications relegated access to TV Guide Network's programming on channel 2 in Oklahoma City to digital cable subscribers and subscribers using a CableCard on their analog cable box, at which time Cox dropped the program guide from the channel due to the presence of an interactive program guide that digital subscribers can access on their TVs; on that date, Cox separated the standard definition feeds of the Cox Channel to its customers: analog cable subscribers began seeing the TV Guide Network's former scrolling program grid (restyled to the color-coded version of the guide based on genre, used on the channel nationally until July 1, 2010) on the bottom ¼ of the screen while regular programming was carried at the top ⅔ of the screen. Digital cable subscribers continured to see The Cox Channel full-screen without the grid.

[AriX]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/t ... 0OFNAFki6I

Hopefully, this is good news. If the new owners have any sense, they'll kick out the people trying to turn TV Guide into a reality show network, and make a channel that actually helps you figure out what is good on TV!

[tin]

One source said TV Guide channel has been struggling to carve out a new identity and escape the scrolling TV listings that dominated its screen because of distribution contracts that require it to keep the scroll. The owners have been phasing out that requirement, with two-thirds of its 80 million homes now seeing a full TV screen without the channel guide. The aim is to have 80 percent of customers seeing a regular show.

I TOTALLY don't understand. Surely TV guide network should be a TV guide? If they want a reality TV/red carpet/hollywood TV kind of channel, why not make a different channel? Why change something that is called what it is into something that doesn't do what it is called? And worse, why fight against those cablecos (as mentioned in the article) that WANT it to keep showing the scroll? I genuinely don't understand it?

[AriX]

I TOTALLY don't understand. Surely TV guide network should be a TV guide? If they want a reality TV/red carpet/hollywood TV kind of channel, why not make a different channel? Why change something that is called what it is into something that doesn't do what it is called? And worse, why fight against those cablecos (as mentioned in the article) that WANT it to keep showing the scroll? I genuinely don't understand it?

Completely agree. It seems totally nonsensical.

[tin]

Shall we buy it from them? Anyone got a few million in their back pocket?

[AriX]

Shall we buy it from them? Anyone got a few million in their back pocket?

Haha for sure.

[woddfellow2]

CableOne appears to have kept the EPG scroll. I noticed this in both Clinton/Elk City, OK and Winslow/Holbrook, AZ (this example from the latter):

[AriX]

CableOne appears to have kept the EPG scroll. I noticed this in both Clinton/Elk City, OK and Winslow/Holbrook, AZ (this example from the latter):

Interesting... not only is it still there, it is using the old half-screen format, with the older grid layout.