Re: Since when did Pop still have scrolling listings?
Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:51 pm
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).
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!
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.
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).
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).
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!
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.
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).
