Local notes: WTAE expanded signal now 24/7; Comcast guide changes

I'm on vacation but news doesn't stop:

1) Former WPXI news director Corrie Harding has landed a job as a news director at WCNC in Charlotte, N.C., per Mark Washburn, TV critic at the Charlotte Observer. Harding says he'll have the title "executive news director overseeing broadcast and web." He begins work there Nov. 30.

2) We reported last week about WTAE testing its expanded digital signal. The test is now over and the signal is now live 24/7. Here's WTAE's release:

WTAE Channel 4, in a continuing effort to provide the highest quality television to all homes in the Pittsburgh viewing area, has recently completed installation of a DTV repeater/transmitter.

The DTV repeater will penetrate areas previously experiencing difficulty receiving the WTAE Channel 4 signal over-the-air, mainly locations in the river valleys around the city.  David Kasperek, Director of Engineering at WTAE Channel 4 said, "The early results appear to meet and in some ways exceed expectations."

Now WTAE Channel 4 is available in High Definition to all residents in the viewing area.  Over-the-air viewers who previously had difficulty receiving our signal should now rescan their TV's or converter boxes to find WTAE on 4.3 and 4.4.

 4) Comcast is making changes to its on-screen guide in traditional Comcast areas next week (not former Adelphia areas). Here's the most important part of the notice, which is buried in the release:

This new upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels, including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled DVR recordings.  Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially impacted settings and should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information.  Parents are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.

Channels with DVR recordings affected include:

More Max East

Cinemax East

Encore East

Showtime 2

Showtime 3 East

Showtime East

Showtime Showcase

Flix East

Starz Edge

Starz InBlack

Starz! East

HBO 2 East

Sundance Channel East

HBO East

HBO Family East

The Movie Channel East

HBO Signature East

Turner Classic Movies

Speed Channel

Fox Soccer Channel

Fox Sports South

ESPN News

Game Show Network

FitTV

HGTV

Weatherscan

Cartoon Network

Outdoor Channel

Discovery Health

Syfy

Science Channel

ESPN Classic

ESPN2

The Golf Channel

History

USA HD

Here's the full release:

Normal 0 COMCAST TO UPGRADE ON-SCREEN PROGRAM GUIDE IN TRADITIONAL COMCAST AREAS WEEK OF NOV. 8; ADDS REMOTE DVR SCHEDULING AND OTHER NEW FEATURES

New Enhancements Make It Easier, Faster and More Convenient For Customers to Schedule, Record, Manage and Watch Favorite Programs

Company Reminds Customers to Check and Reset Certain Preferences 

Pittsburgh, PA - November 5, 2009 - Comcast, Pittsburgh's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services, today announced the upcoming launch next week of new features to its on-screen program guide and DVR service that will bring more choice and convenience than ever for Digital Television customers in traditional Comcast areas of the Pittsburgh region.  Customers do not need to add equipment to take advantage of these enhancements, which are completely free of charge.  In addition, the update will improve the overall customer experience and make future enhancements - like interactive television - possible.

"We are delighted to introduce these new features to our Digital Television customers in Pittsburgh," said Linda Hossinger, Senior Vice President for Comcast's Three Rivers Region.  "We are committed to providing our customers with the ultimate TV viewing experience and the addition of new on-screen program guide technology and enhanced DVR functions join a long list of value added features that make watching what you want easier and more enjoyable than ever."

New On-Screen Program Guide Features

Watch in HD Button

• The new Watch in HD button on the Smart Bar allows HD customers to immediately see if the program is available in HD.
• The Watch in HD Button cuts scroll times and allows customers to jump from the SD channel to HD sister channel faster.

On Demand Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• On Demand Skip Ahead and Skip Back enables customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minutes increments by pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.

New DVR Service Features

myDVR Manager

• myDVR Manager is a new feature that allows customers with a Comcast DVR and high-speed Internet to remotely schedule and adjust their recordings online using Comcast TV Listings. Comcast customers should go to www.comcast.net/newguide and click on myDVR Manager to learn how to activate this feature, see the How-To Guide, add programs to their recording list and manage their scheduled DVR recordings as well as change the priority of recorded series.

DVR Search & Record

• DVR Search & Record enables customers to search for a program by actor, title, director and keyword.  For example, if a customer searches for "Clint Eastwood" all programs Clint Eastwood acted in or directed that are in the TV Listings would appear. If the customer saves the Clint Eastwood search, the DVR would automatically search for new matches and schedule recordings anytime a Clint Eastwood program aired on any channel. 

DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back

• DVR Skip Ahead/Skip Back allows customers to skip ahead or skip back in five minute increments by pressing Page Up and Page Down arrows on the remote.

DVR History and Cleanup

• DVR History displays information on already recorded, watched and deleted programs.
• DVR Clean Up allows customers to manage their DVR by deleting in bulk programs they no longer want to save. 

DVR Folders

• When customers record more than one episode of a series, DVR Folders will automatically create a folder where programs are stored.

This new upgrade may affect certain saved settings on a limited number of channels, including some parental controls locks to block a specific channel and scheduled DVR recordings.  Customers will receive direct notice regarding potentially impacted settings and should visit www.comcast.com/guide for more information.  Parents are encouraged to regularly confirm that their preference settings and controls are in place as appropriate on each digital box throughout the home.

For more information on the new program guide customers can visit www.comcast.net/newguide or to order Comcast Digital Cable service, customers can call 1-800-COMCAST or visit www.comcast.com.