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Channel 1083 brings Rossmoor TV fully into the HD world
By Mike Wood
Staff writer
Monday, April 8 (9:00 a.m.): There are four new numbers to associate with Rossmoor TV – Channel 1083.
That’s where residents can find Rossmoor programming on their Comcast cable TV package, now in full high-definition glory. This went into effect April 1.
It’s the latest in a series of significant upgrades that have put Rossmoor TV squarely in the digital broadcasting landscape. In recent years, the acquisition of a new server, along with digital equipment and placing content on www.RossmoorTV.com have allowed residents to stream Rossmoor TV programming – either live or on demand – on apps, tablets or other streaming devices or via the Rossmoor TV website. All those additions prompted rebranding to Rossmoor TV, away from the Channel 28 designation. But until now, sitting in one’s manor and watching programming through cable TV has been standard-definition- or-bust.
This change, which GRF Director of Communications Ann Peterson said has been a long time coming, provides the high-definition quality most residents are accustomed to when watching network and Bay Area TV stations via cable. The move to an HD channel has not impacted residents’ coupons, which includes the Comcast package, Peterson said.
“The quality of the programming is significantly enhanced,” Peterson said. “Especially considering that we’re online with streaming and on-demand, we really needed that high quality to be front and center.”
Recent infrastructure upgrades by Comcast have enabled this to become reality, Peterson said, noting that upgrading to an HD station had been requested over a year ago by GRF during renegotiation talks with Comcast. While all Rossmoor TV programming has been recorded and produced in HD for more than two years, this was the last domino to fall.
That enhanced visual quality also applies for the slideshows of announcements and community news, known as “post-its,” that Rossmoor TV displays between programs.
“Everything is going to be way sharper, especially for educational programs, slides with written text, and text information,” said George Ivanov, Rossmoor TV station manager. “It’ll be easier to read. The images for concerts and any kind of program are going to be sharper and better.”
For now, Rossmoor TV will be simulcast on the new Ch. 1083 in HD and on Ch. 28 in standard definition. During the transition, Rossmoor viewers will be alerted that the HD channel is now available, such as during the popular bingo shows, said Brendan Kelley, Rossmoor TV studio supervisor.
There will be an “ease of use for people within here who don’t really use as much technology,” Kelley said.
Starting June 1, Rossmoor TV broadcasting will stop on Ch. 28, and a screen message on that channel will direct viewers to turn to Ch. 1083. Ch. 28 on Comcast will go dark altogether at the end of June.
To view Rossmoor TV programming in HD, residents need a Comcast X1 cable box, which has been standard cable equipment for Rossmoor’s Comcast packages for several years.
The X1 box comes with a remote control with voice-activated commands to help find programs or channels. By saying “Rossmoor” while holding down the blue-lit button with a microphone logo on the middle of the remote, residents should be guided to Rossmoor TV, Quintero said.
Peterson noted how much the Rossmoor TV staff has endeavored to add state-of-the-art elements that provide a better experience for residents.
“They’re constantly looking at how to keep us current within the times, but at the same time still honor the traditions of what we’ve done here with Rossmoor Television and what the residents have come to expect with the programming,” Peterson said.
HDTV became standard by the late 2000s, when major networks and most cable channels were broadcasting in high definition. Rossmoor TV’s programming has been recorded and produced in HD since early 2022, but the programs remained in standard definition on Ch. 28. Programs that were produced before January 2022 still will be of standard-definition quality on Ch. 1083, Ivanov said.
While Rossmoor programming had the Ch. 28 designation for a couple decades, it previously was known by Ch. 11, among other monikers, Ivanov and Kelley said.
Ivanov, whose association with Rossmoor TV goes back to 2005, knows what an important step this is for a channel that has grown quite a bit from humble beginnings.
“For a channel that started with one VCR and one monitor somewhere in a room in Gateway, and they were changing tapes every two hours, to now, when we are talking about moving to high definition. … It’s the next logical step,” he said.