Time Warner Cable said it has completed the rollout of its “TWC Maxx” initiative in Los Angeles in New York, all-digital upgrades that include faster broadband speeds and access to a new, souped-up whole home HD-DVR platform.
The upgrades are highlighted by a new 300 Mbps (downstream) DOCSIS 3.0 service that replaces its former 50 Mbps offering, an all-digital TV lineup and an expanded VOD library packed with about 19,000 titles. Additionally, TWC customers on the MSO’s Standard tier, will see downstream speeds rise from 15 Mbps, to 50 Mbps, while Extreme rises from 30 Mbps to 200 Mbps.
TWC’s new “enhanced” DVR made by Arris offered in Los Angeles and NYC features six tuners and 1 Terabyte of storage (enough for about 150 hours of HD video), and a cloud-based version of the operator’s VOD portal.
TWC, which is in the process of merging with Comcast, said the TWC Maxx enhancements are now available to more than 7 million homes in those markets. In NYC, TWC matches up with Verizon FiOS and RCN, and tangles with AT&T in Los Angeles. TWC competes with DirecTV and Dish Network in both areas.
TWC announced the TWC Maxx initiative in January 2014. In August, the MSO announced that it was extending the program to Austin this year (broadband speeds have already been upgraded there, with the all-digital transition currently underway), with seven more markets on tap for the TWC Maxx treatment in 2015: Kansas City, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego, Hawaii, Charlotte and Raleigh.
“Today marks an important milestone in Time Warner Cable’s commitment to provide our customers with best-in-class products and service,” said Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Robert Marcus, in a release. “Every customer in our two largest markets now has access to the superfast Internet and new TV experience promised by TWC Maxx. Faster speeds are also available to every customer in the Austin, Texas, market, and we’ve committed to reinvent the service experience in seven additional markets in 2015.”
