Turner Classic Movies in Custom TV plan

[njride]

In the ENTERTAINMENT pack of the Custom TV lineup it lists Turner Classic Movies (TCM) as "standard definition." Is this different from the TCM channel under Preferred HD--which I currently have? Or are they both SD rather than HD?  I ask because in my current Preferred plan I also see some letter-boxing, but I wouldn't want to downgrade my TCM when switching to Custom TV.

Thanks.

[Verizon_Support]

NJRIDE,

TCM is the same channel on both packages and there is no HD version of that channel available.

Thanks,

--George

[ek222]

Tcm hd is available on comcast and it is beautiful.please add it verizon 

[ek222]

Comcast has Turner classic movies in hd. Why can't fios add it?

[ursa99]

They can add it but apparently choose not to do so.  Adding TCM HD has been discussed here since 2009.  Below is a 4 year old thread.  I seriously doubt adding this channel in HD is on their to do list.  Pretty sure they will only add channels that their Marketing majors tell them will earn the most $'s.

http://forums.verizon.com/t5/FiOS-TV-Programming/TCM-HD-update/m-p/311445/highlight/true#M9607

Ursa

[JerseyGuy5081]

They always state that TCM is not broadcasting in HD, but whether it is or not, I have friends whose cable company does carry the channel in HD.  Whether the movies are actually in HD is not as important to me as the fact that I would just like to watch a letterboxed movie that fills my screen rather than a letterboxed movie in a 1:33 box.  I've been told to use the zoom on my TV, but then the quality is so bad, I feel like I'm watching an old VHS tape.  It would be nice if they would consider adding it.  It seems to me that the station is popular enough to make adding it in HD a no brainer.

[ursa99]

FWIW from Wikipedia:

 " Turner Classic Movies operates a high definition simulcast feed, with programs broadcast in HD presented in an upconverted 1080i resolution format; the HD feed of the network was launched in June 2009. Initial programming was not available in native high definition and was instead upconverted from standard definition, but benefited from the greater bandwidth allocated to the channel.

As of mid-November 2014, it appears TCM HD is actually broadcasting at least some content in native HDTV as evidenced by full-frame 4:3, 16:9, and wider screen aspect ratio content, which was previously shrunk slightly in both horizontal and vertical size, and the obviously-now-in-HD bumper segments with Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz. On Veterans Day 2014, the 1970 film Patton was subjectively much more detailed than in past TCM HD airings, as was the November 15 airing of On the Waterfront."

[DoctorNorm]

So Verizon support seems great at belaboring the obvious (Fios does not offer TCM HD, even though it exists and people are asking for it) but has no interest in explaining why they refuse to offer this popular channel nor provides any mechanism for petitioning for this clearly desirable addition.

I have learned far too quickly why people are dissatisfied with Fios.  They just don't seem to care at all.