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#REDIRECT [[WeatherStar#Former systems]]
{{ infobox
{{R to section}}
| above = ''Weather Star 4000''
<!-- This was redirected after a discussion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Weather Star 4000 (2nd nomination) that closed 18 June 2014. -->
| abovestyle = background-color: orange
| image1 = [[File:4000wikimedia.jpg|250px]]
| headerstyle = background-color: orange
| label3 = Manufacturer:
| data3 = Amirix
| label4 = Family:
| data4 = [[WeatherSTAR]]
| label5 = Hardware:
| data5 = [[Motorola 68010]]<ref>http://twctoday.com/forums/local-forecast-29/weatherstar-iiiiii-unit/msg128079/#msg128079</ref>
| label6 = OS:
| data6 = Proprietary
| label7 = Graphics:
| data7 = [[vector graphics|Vector]]
| label8 = Release Date:
| data8 = 1990 (Canada 1992)
| label10 = Status:
| data10 = '''Legacy''' - Used in '''few''' cable companies around the United States and Decommissioned in Canada (1997)
}}
The '''Weather Star 4000''' is the first graphic-capable model of the [[WeatherStar]] line manufactured for [[The Weather Channel]]. It was first introduced in December 1989 and was designed and manufactured by Canadian electronics company Amirix (then the Applied Microelectronics Institute). It had an improved display font over its predecessor, the [[Weather Star III]], with mixed-case (though this didn't appear on launch). The first 4000s that were placed in service were programmed to operate in a text-only mode, like its predecessors (using its improved font instead). However, the 4000 used slightly different flavors (arrangements of information and forecast products) <ref>http://www.twcclassics.com/video/local-forecast-4000</ref> that included, beginning in April 1990, a graphical radar page at the end of the local forecast. While widely used during most of the 1990s, many cable companies began to replace the 4000 with the newer [[Weather Star XL]] in 1998 and 1999 and - later - the [[IntelliStar]] in the next decade. The 4000 remains in use primarily in smaller and rural cable providers where upgrading to a more modern Weather Star would be a significant expense.

The Weather Star 4000 also was deployed in Canada by [[The Weather Network]] and its French-language sister [[MétéoMédia]] from 1992 to 1997, when owner Pelmorex replaced it with its proprietary [[PMX (technology)|PMX]] system. The Weather Star 4000 displayed various different products in Canada that were never available in the U.S.

The Weather Star 4000 also allowed the station to play music while the forecast was being displayed. Most of the repertoire is elevator and instrumental music from the late 1970s and 1980s.

==Standard features==
A Weather Star 4000 came with these features:
*Graphical weather products, such as icons and maps for regional products.
*An internal local radar product (the first on any STAR), in both time-lapse and static variants. (The time-lapse radar was added in a major late 1992 update. The previous Weather Stars had the capability to display radar, but had to be connected to a third-party source.)
*The ability to receive text-based local forecasts created by TWC meteorologists (and before that the National Weather Service).
*A lower display line (LDL), with forecast information in the top 50 US markets. While the IntelliStar LDL is cued to air all the time, the 4000, [[Weather Star Jr|Junior]], and XL LDLs are not cued to air anymore except with a cuing messup.
*The ability to crawl or scroll weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
*Specialty products for certain areas: the Air Quality Forecast for southern California (which would make its national debut on the IntelliStar), Tides for coastal areas, and the Marine Forecast.

Also, until the mid 1990s, The Weather Channel sold an optional sensor package that could be connected to a Weather Star to display weather conditions at the headend office on the LDL, including the current temperature, the highest and lowest temperatures recorded since midnight, relative humidity, wind speed, direction, and gusts, and current daily and monthly precipitation totals. As of 2009, two remaining 4000's have been found that still use a sensor package, Tucumari New Mexico, and Spearfish South Dakota .<ref name="youtube.com">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyzZpxHzQPY</ref>

Radar products are/were not available on the Weather Star 4000 outside of the contiguous 48 states and Puerto Rico.
*In Alaska and (in one case) in New York City, the Latest Observations product was repeated.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsuDL5uxe7g</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ry2mu7adc</ref>
*In Hawaii, the radar was centered in the state of Washington with a label permanently displaying "Radar Data Temporarily Unavailable".<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyo16bc1O0</ref>

==Weather Star 4000 timeline in the U.S.==
{{Confusing|date=December 2006}}
[[File:Weather Star 4000v1.png|thumb|right|The appearance of the text-based STAR 4000]]

===1990===
*'''Early''' - In these early days, the 4000 was functionally a replica of the [[Weather Star III]], only with a cleaner font.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79SHblFGoEQ&feature=related</ref>
*'''April''' - The "Current Radar" segment was added to the 4000, making it the first STAR with its own radar. At this time, the segment was called "Your Local Radar".
*'''July''' - WeatherStar 4000 gets new graphics featuring colorful [[orange (color)|orange]] and [[blue]] backgrounds matching TWC's national weather segments at the time. The Weather Channel's logo appears on the local forecast for the first time, and the "Regional Forecast" map debut with motionless weather icons. The time and date appear on the LDL (Lower Display Line).

===1991===
[[File:WS4000 Nov 1990.png|thumb|left|The original graphical Weather Star 4000, November 1990]]
*'''Early''' - The 5 minute N flavor local forecast, which was shown when TWC rewound the tapes for its prerecorded overnight programming, is discontinued.
*'''February 14''' - The L flavor local forecast is born, the graphical version of the "Extended Forecast" segment is created, replacing the former [[National Weather Service|NWS]] text based version. "Almanac" (formerly "Regional Information") data is redesigned to show the moon phases. The E and K flavors' screen line-ups are re-timed now that the "Extended Forecast" segment is 1 graphical page instead of 2 text-based pages. Because of this, the narration of TWC staff announcer [[Dan Chandler (announcer)|Dan Chandler]] is discontinued on these two flavors. The regional weather icons became animated. The current radar is updated to include major roads. The time and date are moved to the top right from the lower display line.
*'''April 17''' - Weather icons make their way to the "Current Conditions" segment; however, they are very large and lack a nighttime set.
*'''May''' - The "Current Conditions" segment is finalized.
*'''July''' - Chandler re-records the narration for the Weather Star 4000; the E and K flavors' narration is once again restored.
*'''Late''' - The Regional Conditions map was created replacing the text-based page of the same name. The "Regional Forecast" map is cleaned up so that no city's information runs off screen. The icons used on the Regional Conditions and the Extended Forecast pages make their way to the regional map products. The Current Radar map is updated to include county boundaries.

===1992===
*'''Summer''' - The fade effect transitioning to and from the Regional Forecast product is removed. A second, more opaque dark blue to orange gradient background begins to appear layered over the existing dark blue to orange gradient background to smooth out the color transitions.
*'''August 9''' - A new playlist debuts on The Weather Channel, with redone narration on all STARs (Dan Chandler's final set). The 36 Hour Forecast narration now mentions the National Weather Service.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZxLzjOg9r0</ref>
*'''Fall''' - The Regional Forecast product icons return after a hiatus, during which they received a major revamp.
*'''November''' - A major change in flavors occurs. The "Local Radar" map is added, showing any precipitation in the area and its movement over 90 minutes. The "Travel Cities Forecast" segment becomes icon-based with a blue/aqua blue gradient background, and the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] logo is added to the "36 Hour Forecast" product.

===1993===
*'''October''' - The Regional Conditions map replaces the "Regional Forecast" during the K Flavor and Dan Chandler updates the narration on the flavor.
*'''Early November''' - The date and time are nudged further downward to make better room for the local forecast screen segment titles.
*'''Second half''' - Observation site names nationwide are simplified (such as ''New Orleans Intl'' becoming ''New Orleans'') and begin to appear in mixed case. The Latest Observations product receives the new observation site names and mixed-case weather descriptors. Some of these changes to observation site names appear on the ticker before the actual products.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoSnOHNDoI (look at the Current Conditions segment)</ref> Other times, the Latest Observations product would have all uppercase text except for the observation sites.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bmsamgV-A</ref>

===1994===
*'''Early''' - The Weather Channel begins broadcasting regional commercials that can be blocked out by local forecasts generated by a Weather Star. Local Forecasts with lengths of 1:30 and 2:30 do the blocking of these 30-second commercials. STARs using non-narration audio would play this commercial audio.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3XESmWjm3c (note how the one commenter talks about the TWC survey)</ref> This was used in the summer of 1994 to advertise a TWC telephone survey about the satellite forecast for satellite customers.
*'''Spring''' - The regional icons are updated so that the multi-layered icons are smaller in size; the upper layer cloud moved almost directly on top of its underlying weather graphic.
*'''August 4''' - "Travel Cities Forecast" background gradient is removed, and the Radar map screen becomes eight colors from its previous six-color graphics.

===1995===
*'''Early''' - Some of the icons on the Regional Icon set are changed, such as "Snow" and others are added, such as "Sunny and Windy."
*'''April 2''' - Flavor line-ups are changed once again as the "30 Day Outlook" is discontinued by the National Weather Service (and thus TWC) and the "Local Update" segment is introduced from the National Weather Service as generated by the [[WeatherStar]], which took more than one screen. It gave a summary of what was occurring and what would occur over the next few hours. [[Dan Chandler (announcer)|Dan Chandler]]'s narration is discontinued. A Severe Weather Mode is also added to the 4000. If a severe weather warning crawl is present, a special playlist would play consisting of only current and local area conditions and an extended local radar.

===1998===
*'''Early''' - The J flavor is discontinued when the Travel Cities Forecast is dropped and only appears when The Weather Channel is experiencing some minor or major technical difficulties (the Travel Cities Forecast was not dropped on the [[Weather Star III]] and is still used in the [[Weather Star Jr]]'s M flavor).
*'''September''' - The first signs of graphical system [[degradation (telecommunications)|degradation]], are reported, with patchy reports from as early as 1997. Later signs of degradation reported consist of [[bit rot]], including problems, such as the new moon graphic on the Almanac changing colors or the Local Radar's background becoming inverted. These problems are attributed to the age of the graphics rendering hardware, as well as integrity issues with the on-board [[EEPROM]]'s.

[[File:Star4000startup.jpg|thumb|right|The appearance of the 4000 at the moment (less than 1 second) it gets cued]]

===1999===
*'''December''' - By this time, most cable headends have upgraded to the [[Weather Star XL]], however some companies still use the 4000.
*'''December''' - The Weather Channel logo is modernized, and the point size of the fonts in the Local and Current Radar screens become smaller. The font in the titles of the radar segments were changed from [[Helvetica]] to [[Arial]].

===2002===
*'''November''' - The 36 Hour Forecast begins to come directly from The Weather Channel and appears in mixed case. The Local Update is discontinued, stabilizing each flavor. The Marine Forecast is also discontinued.

===2005===
*'''Early''' - Text used on the Station ID became bolder and larger. Some of the old text is still in use up through August 2005.

==Cable headends utilizing the Weather Star 4000==
Below is a list of 4000s that are still in use.
{{inc-tv}}
Sources:<ref>http://www.taiganet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=974 A 4000 Still Running! - WeatherSTAR 4000 emulator support</ref><ref>[http://www.twcclassics.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7552&st=0 Board Message]</ref>
'''Analog''' refers to the station's Analog [[Communication channel|channel]]. '''VC''' refers to the station's digital [[PSIP]] [[virtual channel]]. '''RF''' refers to the station's physical digital RF channel.
{| class="wikitable"
! '''City/town'''
! '''Primary observation site'''
! '''Cable company/headend'''
! '''Analog'''
! '''VC'''
! '''RF'''
! '''STAR ID'''
! '''Notes'''
|-
| [[Auburn University]], [[Alabama]]<ref>http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,1910.msg78313/boardseen.html#new</ref>
| [[Auburn, Alabama]]
| Auburn University campus cable
|
|
|
|
| No degradation
|-
| [[Troy, Alabama]]
| Cairns Airfield
| Troy Cable
|
|
|
|
| Used as a backup unit if the [[Weather Star XL]] should fail.
|-
| [[Blytheville, Arkansas]]
|
| [[Ritter Communications]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Fairfield Bay, Arkansas]]
|
| Ritter Communications
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Marked Tree, Arkansas]]
|
| Ritter Communications
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Pine Bluff, Arkansas]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0UihdNXyko YouTube - WeatherSTAR 4000</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OXzbJ4cnM&watch_response YouTube - Re: WeatherSTAR 4000</ref>
| Pine Bluff, Arkansas
| [[Suddenlink]]
| 15
|
|
| 3042
|
|-
| [[Tahoe City, California]]
| [[Truckee, California]]
| WestStar Cable
|
|
|
|
| Last confirmed in 2008, one of the last working 4000s in California.
|-
| [[Port Hueneme, California]] <ref>http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssbn737rm/5699327635/ WeatherSTAR 4000 Port Hueneme</ref>
| [[Naval Air Station Point Mugu|Point Mugu NAS, California]]
| [http://www.commservcable.com/pages.php?section=index Communication Services Cable]
| 25
|
|
|
| As of May 2011, one of the last working 4000s in California.
|-
| [[Astatula, Florida]]
| [[Leesburg, Florida]]
| [[Florida Cable]]
| 13
|
|
|
| No signs of degradation currently present.
|-
| [[Mexico Beach, Florida]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shaneomac1986+weatherstar+4000&search_sort=video_date_uploaded</ref>
| [[Panama City, Florida]]
| [[Mediacom]]
| 27
|
|
| 1323
|
|-
| [[Springfield, Florida]]
| Panama City, Florida
| Springfield Cablevision
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Pensacola, Florida]]
|
| [[Mediacom]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Belleville, Illinois]]
| Belleville, Illinois
| [[Charter Communications]]
| 28
|
|
|
| No degradation exists on this unit.
|-
|[[Bellevue, Illinois]]
|
|Tele-Star?
|14
|
|
|
|No signs of [[degradation (telecommunications)|degradation]]
|-
| [[Litchfield, Illinois]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mjuOXE-kgM</ref>
| Litchfield, Illinois

[[Alton, Illinois]] (backup)

[[St. Louis, Missouri]] (backup)
| Charter/NewWave Communications
| 20
|
|
|
| Last confirmed as of March 2010
|-
| [[Metropolis, Illinois]]
| [[Paducah, Kentucky]]
| Charter Communications
| 27
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Morris, Illinois]]
| Morris, Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Churdan, Iowa]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeiwdWchsE4</ref>
| [[Fort Dodge, Iowa]]
| Gowrie Cablevision
| 18
|
|
|
| Has trouble showing moon phases.
|-
| [[Monona, Iowa]]
| Dubuque, Iowa
| Northeast Iowa Telephone Company
| 8
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Perry, Kansas]]
[[Lecompton, Kansas]]
<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTEVjkcWRW0 YouTube - Hot Weather in Kansas</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5xRupW7YLA YouTube - Weststar 4000 Perry / Lecompton, Kansas</ref>
| [[Topeka, Kansas]]
| SCI Cable Inc.
| 51
|
|
|
| Repaired a few years ago to fix severe degradation (radar issues and major legibility issues), so it appears as a brand new 4000.
|-
| [[Wamego, Kansas]]
|
| WTC Communications
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Fort Polk, Louisiana]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmucGVTtOIc&feature=channel</ref>
| Fort Polk, Louisiana
| [[Suddenlink]]
| 27
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland|Bel Air, Maryland]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXPIsKl7oxc</ref>
| [[Baltimore, Maryland]]
| [[Armstrong Telephone Company|Armstrong]]
| 3
|
|
|
|This unit has some slight [[degradation (telecommunications)|degradation]] and has recently experienced garbled text.
|-
| [[Mackinac Island, Michigan]] <ref>http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,2424.msg108009.html#msg108009</ref>
| [[Mackinac Island, Michigan]]
| [[Charter Communications]]
|
|
|
|
|As of June 29, 2011, this system has slight degradation on the radar. The green "dragon" symbol appears on the new moon.
|-
| [[Yale, Michigan]] <ref>http://www.taiganet.com/forum/index.php?s=&showtopic=1236&view=findpost&p=16703</ref>
| [[Port Huron, Michigan]]
| [[Comcast]]
| 31
|
|
|
| Has some degree of degradation. The almanac shows the green "dragon" on new moon symbols. It is currently unclear where the headend that serves this area is actually located. It is possible that Yale is also served by the same headend that Bad Axe to the north is. In which case, this area could be served by an XL. Last confirmed in 2005.
|-
| [[Muskegon, Michigan]]
| Muskegon, Michigan
| Glen Oaks Apartment Cable System
| 34
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Alexandria, Minnesota]]
| Alexandria, Minnesota
| [[Selective TV Inc.]]
| 50
|
|
| 6216
| See [[K50DB]]: over the air broadcast in a UHF cable system. No degradation.<ref>http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/mn/k50db.html</ref>
|-
| [[Warroad, Minnesota]]
| Warroad, Minnesota
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Willmar, Minnesota]]
| Willmar, Minnesota
| [[UHF-TV Inc.]]
|
| 34.1
| 34
|
| See [[K34HO]]: over the air broadcast in a UHF cable system. No degradation.<ref>http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/mn/k34ho.html</ref>
|-
| [[Brookfield, Missouri]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Kirksville, Missouri]] <ref>http://twctoday.com/7905/2006%2003-25%201138am%204000%20Jack%20Pierce.wmv ''Video of a WeatherStar 4000 from Kirksville, MO - March 1, 2005''</ref><ref>http://twctoday.com/7905/2006%2003-25%201138am%204000%20Jack%20Pierce.wmv ''Video of a WeatherStar 4000 from Kirksville, MO - March 25, 2006''</ref>
| Kirksville, Missouri
| [[CableOne]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[West Plains, Missouri]]
| [[Pomona, Missouri]]
| [[Charter Communications]]
|
|
|
|
| No degradation. Last confirmed on May 27, 2010.
|-
| [[Wolf Point, Montana]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8SsSs2nucI&feature=channel_page</ref>
| Wolf Point, Montana
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Chadron, Nebraska]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpiBmW4uwn8&feature=channel_page</ref>
| Chadron, Nebraska
| [[Great Plains Communications]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Syracuse, Nebraska]]
| [[Lincoln, Nebraska]]
| [[Galaxy Cablevision]]
|
|
|
|
| Traces of degradation on the unit. Also, the moon phases on the almanac have the "dragon" symbols on all phases.
|-
| [[Red River, New Mexico]]
| [[Angel Fire, New Mexico]]
| [[Comcast]]
| 12
|
|
| 5243
| Has no degradation, still has trouble showing the almanac sometimes, and used to not show the station ID, but that was fixed August 2007. Updated as of August, 2009 the title Forecast used to be [[Taos, New Mexico|Taos, NM]] but it was renamed to Angel Fire. Last confirmed on July 29, 2011.
|-
| [[Tucumcari, New Mexico]] <ref name="youtube.com"/>
| Tucumcari, New Mexico
| Comcast
| 32
|
|
|
| Severe degradation including color changes and an unusable radar. This unit uses a local sensor package on which the wind direction portion does not function. Degredaton was partially reduced as of December 2009.
|-
| [[Salamanca, New York]]
| [[Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport]]
| [[Atlantic Broadband]]
| 68
|
|
|
| Some difficulty rendering radar loops. Otherwise, no degradation; machine is still regularly maintained.
|-
| [[Ocracoke, North Carolina]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPadI17oWI ''Video of a WeatherStar 4000, Ocracoke, NC - August 31, 2007''</ref>
| [[Cape Hatteras, North Carolina]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Clinton, North Carolina]]
| Fayetteville, North Carolina
| [http://www.starvisions.tv StarVision]
| 24 (May be upgraded soon?)
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Rocky Mount, North Carolina]]
[[Wilson, North Carolina]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Carrington, North Dakota]]<br>Barlow, North Dakota<br>[[New Rockford, North Dakota]]
| [[Jamestown, North Dakota]] <br>[[Devils Lake, North Dakota]] <br>[[Bismarck, North Dakota]]
| [[Midcontinent Communications]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ciqj64JFnY</ref>
| 17
| 17.5
| 86.3
|
| Has major degradation. Default [[Emergency Alert System|EAS]] channel.
|-
| [[Hettinger, North Dakota]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVqFTBBJ5Uo&feature=channel_page</ref>
| Hettinger
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Williston, North Dakota]]
| [[Williston, North Dakota]]
| Provider unknown
|
|
|
|
| No degradation
|-
| [[Pryor Creek, Oklahoma|Pryor, Oklahoma]] <ref>http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,116.msg112406.html#msg112406</ref>
| [[Claremore, Oklahoma]]
| [[Time Warner Cable]] <ref name="weather.com">http://weather.com/search/channels/USOK0441?x=0&y=0</ref>
| 25<ref name="weather.com"/>
|
|
|
| Appears to suffer from degradation
|-
| [[Burns, Oregon]]
| Burns, Oregon
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Stayton, Oregon]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-paiqF36nY</ref>
| [[Salem, Oregon]]
| [[Wave Broadband]]
| 17
|
|
|
| Recent installation. Little to no degradation on this unit. Only known operating Weather Star 4000 in Oregon.
|-
| [[Bentleyville, Pennsylvania]]
| [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]]
| [[FairPoint]]
| 42
|
|
| 7851
|Used to be Bentcom/local head-end
|-
| [[Forest City, Pennsylvania]]
| [[Carbondale, Pennsylvania]]
| [[North-Eastern Pennsylvania Telephone Company|NEP Datavision]]
| 19
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[State College, Pennsylvania]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqT2hX2nGg YouTube - WeatherSTAR 4000 - All Flavors - 02-02-2008</ref>
| [[State College, Pennsylvania]]
| [[Windstream]]
| 13
|
|
| 6825
| State College, Pennsylvania also has an [[IntelliStar]] ([[Comcast]]). This Weather Star 4000 suffered from major graphical degradation problems, especially in the Extended Forecast and Almanac products, but reportedly was fully repaired before November 2008.
|-
|[[Walnut Bottom, Pennsylvania]]
|[[Shippensburg, Pennsylvania]]
|Kuhn Communications Inc.
| 59
|
|
|
|Some radar issues.
|-
| [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]]
| [[North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]]
| [[Time Warner Cable]]
| 21
|
|
|
|
|-
|[[Ramona, South Dakota]]
|[[Sioux Falls, South Dakota]]
|Alliance Communications
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Rock Hill, South Carolina]]
| Rock Hill Municipal Airport, South Carolina
| [[CBL Telecom]]
| 21
|
|
|
| No degration. May be unavailable during weekly checks (Saturday at 3 AM)
|-
|[[Dalhart, Texas]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ84JzfFdN8&feature=channel_page</ref>
| Dalhart, Texas
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Eastland, Texas]]
| [[Abilene, Texas]]
| [[Western Broadband]]
|
|
|
|
|
|-
| [[Northfield, Vermont]]
| [[Montpelier, Vermont]]
| [[Trans-Video Cable INC]]
| 47
|
|
|
|Shows no signs of degradation.
|-
| [[Hampton, Virginia]] <ref>http://www.taiganet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1272&pid=15203&st=0&#entry15203 WeatherStar 4000 Used At NASA - WeatherSTAR 4000 emulator support</ref>
| [[Langley Air Force Base]]
| [[NASA Langley Research Center]]
| 12
|
|
| 4984
| The Weather Star 4000 used here is a local feed direct from the NASA research facility. Degradation has been seen on the unit. An IntelliStar also exists at Langley Air Force Base.
|-
| [[Chincoteague, Virginia]] <ref>http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,2408.0.html</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3DOsCItums</ref>
| [[Chincoteague, Virginia]]
| [[Charter Communications]]
| 33
|
| (STAR displays 28)
| 4501
| Slight signs of Degradation. Sometimes on a K Flavor, it will display a green LDL over the Satellite Local Forecast at the beginning.
|-
| [[Wakefield, Virginia]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrJEgh3nIvY</ref>
| [[Wakefield, Virginia]]
|
|
|
|
|
| This STAR is showing no signs of degradation.
|-
| [[Omak, Washington]] <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01s3mDIuD_A</ref>
| Omak, Washington
| [[Charter Communications]]
| 12
|
|
| 4275
| This STAR is showing no signs of degradation, and also uses a local sensor package. It was also out throughout most of spring in 2006. Former [[WeatherStar III]] headend.
|-
| [[Cedar City, Utah]]
| Cedar City, Utah
|
| 23
|
|
|
| No degradation
|-
| [[Spearfish, South Dakota]]
| Spearfish, South Dakota
|
| 21
|
|
|
| No degradation, has sensor package.
|-
| [[Bowman, North Dakota]]
| [[Williston, North Dakota]]
|
|
|
|
|
| Only obvious degradation is on the almanac where random moons get shaded green. An oddity is that the reporting city is roughly 200 miles from the STAR.
|-
| [[Siren, Wisconsin]]
| Siren, Wisconsin
| [[Siren Telephone Company]]
| 37
|
|
|
|
|}


==Product Playlists==
[http://www.twcclassics.com/miscellaneous/local-forecast-flavors/weatherstar-4000-1990] [http://www.twcclassics.com/miscellaneous/local-forecast-flavors/weatherstar-4000-1992] [http://www.twcclassics.com/miscellaneous/local-forecast-flavors/weatherstar-4000-1995]

A '''product playlist''' (commonly referred to as a '''flavor''') is an arrangement of information and forecast products. The radar's positions in the local forecast playlists are shown in bold text.
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| indicates flavors with Current Radar.
| bgcolor="red"| indicates flavors with Local Radar.

===1990-1991===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Flavor'''
! '''Added'''
! '''Length
(Minutes and Seconds)'''
! '''Segments Featured
(Original Version)'''
! '''Modified?'''
! '''Discontinued'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| D
| 1990
| 1:00
| Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| 1995
| 1999
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| E
| 1990
| 1:00
| 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| 1995
| 1999
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| F
| 1990
| 1:00
| Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| Never
| 1992
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| H
| 1990
| 1:00
| 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Forecast, Regional Information, '''Current Radar'''
| Never
| 1995
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| I
| 1990
| 0:30
| Current Conditions, '''Current Radar''', Regional Forecast
| Never
| 1992
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| J/LL
| 1990
| 3:00
| Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Information, Regional Forecast, Travel Cities Forecast, Extended Forecast, Outlook, '''Current Radar'''
| 1995
| 1998
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| K
| 1990
| 1:30
| Current Conditions, Regional Information, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| 1993, 1995
| Never
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| L
| 1991
| 2:00
| Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| 1993
| 1998
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| M
| 1990
| 2:00
| 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Forecast, Regional Information, Travel Cities Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| 1991, 1993
| 1998
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"| N
| 1990
| 5:00
| Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Information, Regional Forecast, Travel Cities Forecast, Extended Forecast, Outlook, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
| Never
| 1991
|}

===1992-1995===
Note: The Air Quality and Marine Forecasts were only available in select areas.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Flavor'''
! '''Length
(Minutes and Seconds)'''
! '''Original Segments Featured'''
!'''With "Marine Forecast"
(Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii only)'''
!'''With "Air Quality"
(Southern California only)'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|D
|1:00
|Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Air Quality not available on this flavor.
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|E
|1:00
|36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Marine Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Air Quality, '''Current Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|H
|1:00
|36 Hour Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Regional Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Air Quality not available on this flavor.
|-
| bgcolor="red"|J/LL
|3:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Marine Forecast, Tides, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Regional Forecast, Travel Cities Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, '''Local Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="red"|K
|1:30
|Current Conditions, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Current Conditions, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, '''Local Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|L
|2:00
|Current Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Air Quality not available on this flavor.
|-
| bgcolor="red"|M
|2:00
|Regional Conditions, Almanac ''or'' Tides, 36 Hour Forecast, Outlook, Regional Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Regional Conditions, Almanac ''or'' Tides, 36 Hour Forecast, Outlook, Regional Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, '''Local Radar'''
|}

===1995-1999===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Flavor'''
! '''Length
(Minutes and Seconds)'''
! '''Original Segments Featured'''
!'''With "Marine Forecast"
(Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii only)'''
!'''With "Air Quality"
(Southern California only)'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|D<sup>LU</sup>
|1:00
|Latest Observations, Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Air Quality not available on this flavor.
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|E<sup>LU</sup>
|1:00
|Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, Marine Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, '''Current Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="red"|J/LL
|3:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Marine Forecast, Tides, Extended Forecast, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, Travel Cities Forecast, Regional Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="red"|K<sup>LU</sup>
|1:30
|Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, '''Local Radar''', Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, '''Local Radar''', Local Update, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality
|-
| bgcolor="red"|K
|1:30
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast,'''Local Radar'''
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality,'''Local Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="red"|LM<sup>LU</sup>
|2:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, Regional Forecast, Local Update, '''Local Radar''', 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, Regional Forecast, Local Update, '''Local Radar''', 36 Hour Forecast, Marine Forecast, Tides
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, Regional Forecast, Local Update, '''Local Radar''', 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, Almanac ''or'' Tides
|-
| bgcolor="red"|LM
|2:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Marine Forecast, Tides, '''Local Radar'''
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Air Quality, Almanac ''or'' Tides, '''Local Radar'''
|-
| bgcolor="red"|Severe Weather
|2:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, '''Local Radar''' (endless loop)
|Marine Forecast not available on this flavor.
|Air Quality not available on this flavor.
|}
(flavors marked with <sup>LU</sup> feature a "Local Update")

===1999-present===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! '''Flavor'''
! '''Added'''
! '''Length
(Minutes and Seconds)'''
! '''Original Segments Featured'''
! '''Notes'''
|-
| bgcolor="dodgerblue"|DE
|1999
|1:00
|Current Conditions, 36-hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Current Radar'''
|Used at :28 and :58 during special programs.
|-
| bgcolor="red"|K
|1999
|1:30
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, 36-hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, '''Local Radar'''
|Used at :18 and :48 during normal programs.
|-
| bgcolor="red"|LM
|1998
|2:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac ''or'' Tides, '''Local Radar'''
|Used at :08, :28, :38, and :58 during normal programs.
|-
| bgcolor="red"|Severe Weather
|1997
|2:00
|Current Conditions, Latest Observations, '''Local Radar''' (endless loop)
|Used during severe weather.
|}

==Glitches==
Most STAR 4000 units currently operating have been in use for multiple years and have been prone to various glitches, including these common occurrences:
* The STAR will not generate any text or very little text, but will draw graphics and pass on the TWC video feed.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7FGErYGyY</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYRmIOJQIag</ref>
* The STAR will loop its products, especially if the TWC feed is lost or the flavor has glitches, especially the overnight J flavor in 1997.<ref name="ReferenceA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjprXyJcbnY</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVZX3ecBNkU</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIK470m48c</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t24GqrPgoyg</ref>
* The STAR will "repaint" (redraw) the graphical elements it displays.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* The contents of the Current Conditions will be incomplete.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFaFUJlUWPw</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG206BR2lfg</ref>
* The STAR has problems drawing the icons.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyo16bc1O0</ref>
* The radar screens display in the wrong color scheme.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-hC98l8ub4</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU1SxlerP-I</ref> This is related to a palette swap that occurs when changing from the normal screens to radar.
* "Degradation": The STAR will have problems with the background graphics or Almanac moon phases.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PORPgSJ3Fg8</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqT2hX2nGg</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTEVjkcWRW0</ref>
* The wrong narration would be used for the STAR (a III with narration for the 4000 or 4000 with III narration). This was the cable operator's error in hooking up the STAR.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGJAkLHAS0</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSABArvQDXk</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1HY3ENIsm8 (this is a 4000, whose narration should mention radar; the end does not mention radar - a hallmark of III narration)</ref><ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGkmlT6UhMc&feature=related (same STAR, same day as prev. ref - and the uploader sees it too)</ref>

==Weather Star 4000 and The Weather Network/MétéoMedia==
A version of the Weather Star 4000 was first deployed by Canada's [[The Weather Network]] and its French-language sister station [[MétéoMedia]] in 1992. It has its own distinctive history.
[[Image:TWNStar4000-92.png|The original look of the Weather Star 4000 in Canada|right|300px|thumb]]

===Timeline for the Canadian Weather Star 4000===
*1992: The Star 4000 debuts in Canada, replacing most Weather Star III units nationwide - some of these III units were experiencing severe degradation.
**Mornings used a blue wood grain background,<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMy_USo_DU</ref> while all other time periods used a green wood grain background.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SohXCCoEBeU</ref>
**Specialty forecasts are introduced and air at :10 and :40 minutes after the hour.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsRvt5Qc-wQ</ref> Marine Conditions features forecast winds in knots, wave height, and advisories (small craft, gale, or storm).<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nb8OfKZRYk</ref> The Agricultural Forecast features temperature, the probability of precipitation, hours of sunshine, and the drying index.<ref name="ReferenceC">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyvPxqk9hwc</ref>
*December 1993: A new background is introduced for local forecasts. Narration is not as long and the longer forecast flavours are removed. The Highway Conditions segment no longer uses the same background as the local forecast and still features snow, ice, and visibility conditions for local highways as reported by provincial transport. ministries.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpEMenQ-GMY</ref>
*1994: New weather icons are added to the Weather Star 4000.
*Spring 1995: Narration is removed. The Weather Network begins broadcasting the backgrounds in an implementation similar to The Weather Channel's national backgrounds for the Weather Star III. For the spring 1995 season, the 4000 still draws portions of the background, but that is dropped by the start of the fall.<ref>http://www.wpgne.com/TWCClassics/WxStar4kCanadaPartII/081695-1900-TWN.wmv</ref>
*1996: Radar makes its debut to select local forecasts.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqY6A-iesS4</ref>
*Second half 1996: A box is positioned in the lower right corner of the screen, featuring the time, current conditions, and forecast for an upcoming time period.<ref>http://www.wpgne.com/TWCClassics/WxStar4kCanadaPartII/040295-0154-TWN.flv</ref>
*1997: All Weather Star 4000s are replaced with [[PMX (technology)|PMX]] systems.

===Canadian-only segments===
*Satellite Image: A satellite image showing the area for which the forecast was intended. Originally part of a special Regional Forecast before being moved to the local forecasts.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3IuMlJml-k</ref>
*UV Report<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHR7mTzZwrY&feature=related</ref>: UV forecasts and readings.
*Air Quality<ref name="ReferenceC"/>: Air quality information for Canadian cities as provided by the provincial air quality monitoring office. A similar segment was on The Weather Channel at this time, but exclusive to southern California until 2004.
*Ski Conditions<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-JNBu_OdwY</ref>: Provided by MRG Network Limited. Displayed trails open, snow conditions, and new snow accumulations. Extremely similar to the U.S. segment.
*Recreation Forecast<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CixIzumB_Ic</ref>: A segment with several pages over which information for local events (name, date, and a phone number) was shown.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.angelfire.com/film/a_b/001.html Photos of a WeatherStar 4000 system]
* [http://www.amirix.com Amirix Systems Inc., the designer/manufacturer of the WeatherStar 4000]
* [http://support.weather.com/affiliates/tech_support/Index.cfm?fuseaction=Star_4000 WeatherStar 4000 support page at support.weather.com]
* [http://www.twcclassics.com/video/local-forecast-4000 Video clips featuring the weather products and forecasts available on the Weather Star 4000]

{{WeatherStar Generations}}
{{TWN local forecast systems}}

[[Category:Television technology]]
[[Category:The Weather Channel]]

Revision as of 19:42, 23 May 2017

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