Cable Systems where SD and HD channels are on same Virtual Channel

[Tim from Springfield IL]

It seems like the vast majority of cable lineups still have separate virtual channels for SD and HD feeds of the same station/network.

For example in my area (Springfield/Chatham, IL) on Comcast, our Big 4 stations are on:

--WICS (ABC-20.1): SD 2, HD 908 or 1020 (on CC's 4di lineup that newer boxes can get)
--WCIA (CBS-3.1/49.2 in Springfield): SD 3, HD 912 or 1003
--WRSP (Fox--55.1): SD 7, HD 910 or 1055
--WAND (NBC-17.1): SD 10, HD 906 or 1017

Any cable systems out there actually able to conveniently offer both their SD and HD feeds on the same channel?

In my area, the only one that appears to do this are those areas serviced by Cass Cable TV primarily west of Springfield. For example, here's the HD and SD lineups for areas about a half-hour or more from downtown Springfield (e.g., Pleasant Plains, Ashland, Virginia, Beardstown, etc.):

SD lineup: https://home.casscomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Virginia-1.18.pdf

HD lineup: https://home.casscomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Virginia-ADARA-1.18.pdf

Nearly all their lineup is available on the same channel numbers regardless of SD or HD feed. Wished Comcast and others were capable of doing this, and maybe hopefully their technology can improve to be able to do this sometime.

Any other systems out there that are able to put SD and HD feeds on the same virtual channel?

 

[crainbebo]

Does this count?
Spectrum's boxes make it so I cannot see an SD feed of the locals on their regular slots (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9). Instead the HD feeds show up and they are parallel to the HD feeds in the 700s. But it doesn't matter anyways because we can get a 1080 picture by tuning into a single-digit channel instead of the 700s.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Does this count?
Spectrum's boxes make it so I cannot see an SD feed of the locals on their regular slots (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9). Instead the HD feeds show up and they are parallel to the HD feeds in the 700s. But it doesn't matter anyways because we can get a 1080 picture by tuning into a single-digit channel instead of the 700s.

That counts as far as I'm concerned, but many Comcast boxes aren't even capable of that without giving you a prompt to switch to the HD. Then you can't tune to the next number of the "legacy" SD lineup if you do that, with the Channel Up/Down buttons.

 

[Mr Tony]

Mediacom here (St Peter, MN headend) just did a software update to their boxes now so whether you put in the SD number (2,4,5,9,11 etc) or the HD counterpart (802, 804, 805, 809) it will still show in HD. Previously when you put in 2 for PBS it would give you the option to "view in HD". I only have lifeline but looking at the DTA box (I mainly use a customer owned Tivo which does not do that) even the cable stations show it in the guide. It shows "TBSHD", ES2HD" etc on the old SD numbers (<100).

There are a couple glitches with it. WUCW CW23 (21 SD, 808 HD) still is separate. When I tune to 21 my TV flips from 720p (its a basic TV) to 480i. If I tune to 808 it goes back to 720p

 

[Joey1986]

Since late 2014, my Spectrum (formerly Time Warner Cable) system in Los Angeles has not had separate channel blocks for SD and HD. It used to be that the HD channels for then-TWC’s SoCal division were in the 400s. The HD equivalents of channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 were self-explanatory. It was the channels whose lower SD numbers varied from one lineup to another that took some memorizing. For example, public indie KCET was and still is on channel 6 in the lower numbers on my lineup, but was on 412 in HD throughout SoCal. Now I can tune to 6 and get it in HD.

It was a channel lineup change rather than a software update that gave my area (as well as many other then-TWC systems/areas) the auto-HD treatment (which I recall initially got a lot of negative feedback, especially from DVR users, since SD takes up less hard-drive space than HD).

Honestly, it’s nice not having to memorize two different sets of channel numbers. This is especially handy in the shrinking number of homes with both SD and HD sets.