Michael's Insight

Announcing cn|2

For those of you who follow this blog, you probably know that I’ve spent my entire career working in television.

As my bio says on the Insight website, it all started when I was a young kid and would ride my bike down to the local NBC station in Miami.  It was an era when the staff could allow me to help out in the studio while they produced and aired an after school children's show and the local news.

Since then, I’ve always paid close attention to what’s going on in the television world – especially when it comes to news.

Some of us remember when we could turn on the local news and find all of the information that really mattered in our lives.  Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, what we saw on those local news shows changed. It became less in-depth and less relevant than it once was.

That doesn’t mean the real news wasn’t still out there waiting to be covered. to the contrary, it just seemed like the news that mattered got pushed aside in favor of more trivial topics that were simply easier to cover. The news has definitely changed and so has the way we get our information too.

That’s why I’m proud that, after a “soft launch” period over the past few weeks, Insight’s very own channel is now up and fully operational – cn|2 – a brand new kind of news and information network.

These days, our customers simply don’t get their news and opinions in the same old way they used to. They are looking for more local, more timely, and more thorough coverage of issues that impact their lives. There is a new day dawning in the type of information our customers are looking for and the various ways they receive it.

That is where cn|2 comes in.

cn|2 is now on channel 2 in our Louisville, Northern Kentucky, Lexington, Evansville and Bowling Green markets. It is starting out as a 24 hour all-weather channel that provides up-to-the-minute, in-depth coverage of the most reliable local forecasts. Customers will get their local weather forecasts round the clock, every 10 minutes, starting at the top of the hour. And if a severe storm is nearby, cn|2 will stay with the coverage. This format will continue on until the Fall when we plan to roll out new programming focusing on local news, the Fall political campaign season, and sports.

In fact, our cn|2 Politics efforts have already begun with the addition of Kentucky’s top political writer to the cn|2 team, former Lexington Herald-Leader reporter Ryan Alessi. Ryan will be featured on political shows this Fall, but he’s already started up a new website focusing on Kentucky politics. You can check it out here, or, if you’re a fan of Facebook, visit the new cn|2 Politics page.

In some of our markets, you may have noticed some outdoor billboard ads announcing cn|2. We’re also now running TV spots on our cable networks to promote the channel.

Insight has always been committed to the communities we serve, but cn|2 represents one of the most significant investments we’ve ever made in serving our customers.

The potential for cn|2 is limitless and I look forward to keeping you posted as more announcements are made in the weeks to come.

Insight customers in Lexington receiving digital upgrade

I have some exciting news for you today.

Many readers of this site are probably familiar with other cable providers that are transitioning their customers to an all-digital network. To date, more than 5 million homes have made the switch in order to pave the way for those companies to begin delivering DOCSIS 3.0 broadband speeds, many more HD channels and the technology of the future.

We’re announcing today that you can now add Insight to that list.

In early May, we will begin an all-digital upgrade for all our customers in Lexington, called Digital 5.10. Channels that are currently transmitted in analog will be provided in digital after this conversion. What this means is that every TV set in Lexington will need either a digital tuner or a mini digital transport adapter (DTA) in order to continue seeing your favorite channels after the digital cable upgrade.  The DTA's are similar to those that were offered to customers who wanted to continue to receive their over-the-air broadcast signals after that industry transitioned to all-digital.
 
We’re committed to making this conversion as seamless as possible, and if you are an Insight customer in the Lexington area, keep an eye out for your mail as you’ll begin receiving information about how to determine which televisions in your home will need a DTA and how to order DTAs.  

If you are an Insight customer in Lexington and your television already has a digital set-top box, that television is already prepared for the digital upgrade. However, if your television plugs directly into a coaxial cable, you likely will need to get a DTA. These are simple, easy-to-use, small set-top boxes that will be sent to customers along with very clear instructions about hooking them up. The boxes will allow you to continue to watch the same great channel lineup you have now, delivered in superior digital picture and sound quality. Plus, the adapter will return access to up to ten channels that have previously been upgraded to digital only.  

Now, about how this upgrade paves the way for future technology...

After the Digital 5.10 project is complete, we will be working on our biggest upgrade ever – Digital 10.0. That upgrade will deliver around 100 HD channels, a 50 Mbps broadband service, and multi-room DVR. Those improvements will become a reality due to the bandwidth savings that an all-digital cable system creates. We’re constantly working to build a better Insight and provide our customers with the fastest broadband Internet speeds and best television viewing experience. As I have information I can share with readers about Digital 10.0, you will find it here first.

For those of you in other Insight markets, stay tuned. The Lexington digital conversion will take a number of months to complete.  With our experience there under our belt, we plan to convert all other districts.  That does not mean it will happen all at once, but methodically, commencing later this year and into 2011.   Rest assured that we are committed to providing you with the world-class technology and, as soon as I have more details, I will be sure to let you know right here on this blog. 

Watch the Reds in HD from the first pitch of the season

Opening day is next week, baseball fans, and Fox Sports Ohio is now in HD on Channel 930 in our Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Louisville, and Evansville, Indiana markets.

We announced Fox Sports Ohio HD would be coming to Northern Kentucky a couple months ago, along with eight other HD channels that are in the works and will be on the air in that area soon. Based on the comments I've received here, I know there has been some concern over the delay in bringing these channels to our customers, but rest assured we are working to get those channels on the air as soon as possible. And for those of you in other districts, a more expanded HD line-up is on the horizon soon too, and I’ll be sure to let you know of any developments the moment we are ready to announce.

Obviously, if we could, we would provide every HD channel immediately. However, in order for us to provide new HD channels, we first have to have the bandwidth available.  Adding HD channels means we need enough bandwidth to transmit the new channels.

One of the best ways for us to obtain more bandwidth is to migrate channels from an analog signal to digital. Analog channels take significantly more bandwidth than digital. Our goal is to migrate our analog channels in a way that is simple and convenient for our customers and to use that newly reclaimed bandwidth to provide more HD channels and other services, like faster broadband speeds.  And when we migrate channels, we have plans to help you continue to receive them at little or no additional cost to you.

Again, we’re doing all we can to provide more and more HD for our customers.  For now, enjoying rooting on Joey Votto and the Reds in crystal-clear HD.

Windstream DSL speeds still slower than cable broadband

Windstream Bumps Upstream DSL Speeds [Broadband Reports]

In an announcement that's so 2004, Windstream recently announced that it is upgrading the upstream speed of its DSL service from 384 kbps to 768 kbps. That means their customers will still be uploading slower than any of Insight's cable broadband customers, with speeds of 1 Mbps and 1.5 Mbps for Broadband 10.0 and 20.0 respectively. Broadband Reports indicates that the upgrade is not yet complete, so some number of unfortunate Windstream DSL users are still surfing at a speed below what the FCC designates as "Basic Broadband."

Windstream's downstream speeds still will plod along at 3 Mbps and 6 Mbps.

As I've written here before, DSL is a technology that consumers are fleeing en masse to cable broadband because it's very difficult for the phone company to upgrade DSL speeds beyond a certain threshold. One of the limiting factors of DSL speeds is the distance a customer's home is located from the phone company. The further a DSL connection is away from the network hub, the slower the connection speed will be due to line noise.

Looking at the comments in the Broadband Reports post, it appears that Windstream's customers agree that 768 kbps upstream is still the Internet's slow lane.

Insight celebrates a decade serving Kentucky this month

Ten years ago this month, Bill Clinton was President, TLC and Ricky Martin topped the Billboard charts, and the Yankees swept the Braves to win their second consecutive World Series. Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it? But for many families in Kentucky, October 1999 also marks an occasion that would change the way they stay connected every day. This month marks the tenth anniversary of Insight Communications providing service to communities across Kentucky.

By the time Insight purchased these cable systems, customers had seen their fair share of operators come and go. Local employees, tired of the revolving door of owners listened skeptically, believing that Insight would last only a year or two, like the previous owners before them. In the face of those expectations, we declared that we wanted to plant our roots in the Bluegrass State serving Kentuckians and nearby communities in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. We promised to do all we could to improve the services that our new customers received from their cable provider.

Ten years later, I believe we’ve made good on that promise. Sure, we had some bumps in the road, but all in all, Insight customers are among the most satisfied cable, broadband and phone customers in the nation according to JD Powers, Broadband Reports and other independent polls and studies. Along the way, Insight has become Kentucky’s largest provider of cable television and broadband Internet service and is now, by far, the fastest growing provider of home phone service.

As the Commonwealth’s largest technology provider, Insight launched the fastest Internet service in Kentucky twice in just three years, providing 10 Mbps service and now up to 20 Mbps service. We’ve upgraded to digital cable systems, moving from 64 channels to hundreds and hundreds of channels, adding many high definition channels and On Demand programming in the process. Recently, we’ve weathered some of the worst natural disasters the region has ever experienced, while working constantly to provide the most technologically advanced and reliable services available anywhere.

Insight has become one of Kentucky’s largest employers now employing or contracting with more than 3,500 Kentuckians. We have also moved our hub of operations, our after-hours and tiers II and III call centers and our Network Operations Center to the Commonwealth. And we’ve invested millions of dollars in infrastructure to build a smart network that delivers the most advanced technology in the state.

Here at Insight, we’re proud to be Kentucky’s technology leader. But just as importantly, we’re proud to be a big part of this community – the home team when it comes to telecommunications services. Through jobs, investment and time and money spent on various charitable and philanthropic needs, Insight is committed to improving the quality of life for more Kentuckians.

After reflecting on these ten years, I’m reminded of the old Loretta Lynn song, “We’ve come a long way, baby.” But here at Insight, we’ve only just begun. In fact, we’re looking forward to announcing, in the very near future, additional upgrades to help keep you in-step with the most reliable and innovative products and services available anywhere in the nation.

Technology has changed rapidly over the past decade and here at Insight, it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. As technology continues to change, Kentucky’s families can count on the dedicated men and women who make up the Insight Team to keep them on the cutting edge. It’s a commitment we’ve made for the past ten years and it's something our customers can continue to count on each and every day.

Governor's Cup to be available to all Insight customers in Lexington and Louisville

I know a good sports fan when I see one.  Takes one to know one and if you're a college football fan in Kentucky, chances are you have next Saturday, September 19th circled on your calendar. This year's Governor's Cup match-up between the University of Louisville Cardinals and University of Kentucky Wildcats promises to be another great game. But when the game was picked up in July by ESPNU, some fans became concerned tha Insight carries ESPNU on our digital service only.  Analog customers would have to go to a friend's house or miss the big game.

Here at Insight, we have a busload of enthusiastic UK and UofL fans, and after hearing customer concerns about missing the game coverage, they began moving quickly to address this issue. We know that our friends at ESPN are true sports fans themselves so we appealed to their soft spot for fellow enthusiasts and asked them to allow us to bring the Governor's Cup to both Insight Digital 4.0 and our analog customers in the Louisville and Lexington markets. ESPNU will be available to all Insight cable customers as a free preview during the UK-UofL game, which is scheduled to kick off at 12 noon Eastern time on September 19th.

So, college football fans, here's where you need to turn the channel for the Governor's Cup:

• Louisville (Analog customers):  Channel 11.
• Louisville (Digital customers):  514 for SD, 922 for HD
• Lexington (Analog Customers):  Channel 6.
• Lexington (Digital customers):  514 for SD, 922 for HD.

One important note, digital customers will not be able to see the game on the analog channels (11 in Louisville, 6 in Lexington), they will see normally scheduled content on those channels. Only analog customers will have ESPNU on those analog channels.

This was a very special move by ESPN and I want to thank them for doing this.  I also want to tell you that this is a one-time-only agreement and fans who want to see other games that are carried by ESPNU and other digital channels should still consider our digital service. 

Best of luck to both teams (I know better than to take sides on this one), and enjoy the game!

Most online video viewed during work hours; No more Joost application; Twitter searches for a revenue stream

Don't tell the boss: most 'Net video viewing happens at work [ArsTechnica] 

Uh oh. It appears that Nielsen Online has discovered the dirty little secret of online video viewers - most web video viewing occurs at work. The market research firm's October 2008 VideoCensus has revealed that 65 percent of online video fans watch during the 9 AM to 5 PM time period. That compares to the 49 percent who watch online video between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YouTube is far and away the most popular online video portal, hosting 5 billion video streams during October. That compares with Hulu's 250 million streams during the same time period. 

As this article says, a little YouTube break after lunch may be okay, but it sounds like there's quite a bit more video watching going on.

Time to get back to work.