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| row7 = 1990 (Canada 1992)
| row7 = 1990 (Canada 1992)
| lbl9 = Status:
| lbl9 = Status:
| row9 = '''Rare''' - Used in widely scattered cable systems Discontinued in Canada (1997)
| row9 = '''Legacy''' - Used in widely scattered cable systems Decommissioned in Canada (1997)
}}
}}


Revision as of 06:12, 14 February 2010

Template:Infobox generic

The Weather Star 4000 was the first graphic-capable model of the WeatherStar line manufactured for The Weather Channel. It was first introduced in January 1990 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) [1] 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 Weather Channel has not discontinued the 4000 and it is still in use by some (mostly smaller) cable companies today.

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 system. The Weather Star 4000 displayed various different products in Canada that were never available in the U.S.

Standard features

A Weather Star 4000 comes 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 opaque STAR XL and IntelliStar LDLs are cued to air all the time, the transparent 4000 and Junior LDLs are not cued to air at all 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, only one remaining 4000 has been found that still uses a sensor package.[2]

Radar products are/were not available on the Weather Star 4000 outside of the contiguous 48 states.

  • In Alaska and (in one case) in New York City, the Latest Observations product was repeated.[3][4]
  • In Hawaii, the radar was centered in the state of Washington with a label permanently displaying "Radar Data Temporarily Unavailable" [5].

Segments found on the Weather Star 4000 in the U.S.

Source: Product Guide for the Weather Star 4000[6]

  • Marine Forecast - found only in select coastal areas (mainly New Orleans and points west near the Gulf of Mexico, as well as Hawaii) & displays the forecast wind and wave conditions for the current day and the next day on a purple/black gradient background. Also had the ability to display one marine advisory (i.e.-'Caution', Small Craft Advisory, Hurricane Warning, etc.). Data was provided by TWC meteorologists along the coast. Discontinued 2002.
  • Air Quality ________ (day of week) - Found only in Southern California. Displayed the next day's air quality forecast and measurements. The PPM (parts per million) measurements for three locations were given as numbers on the left of the screen, with a bar graph on the right extending into four colored and labeled background sections (yellow: good, orange: unhealthy, red: unhealthy, dark red/maroon: hazardous), which gave the next day's air quality level at the three locations . Data comes from an outside source located in southern California. It is unknown if this segment has been discontinued, as no 4000s have beeen found in Southern California. If it has been, it was likely around the same time as the TWC-generated Marine Forecast.[7]
    • Air Quality color code:
GOOD UNHEALTHY VERY UNHEALTHY HAZARDOUS
0-74 75-189 190-299 300+
  • Current Radar (formerly "Your Local Radar") - A static IATA radar map that displays the precipitation in your area.
  • Local Radar - An IATA radar map that shows movement of precipitation during the course of 90 minutes.
  • National Weather Service Local Update - Introduced in 1995. Displayed when a Short Term Forecast was issued by the National Weather Service (used during a rapid change in conditions or severe weather). Discontinued in 2002 as TWC replaced a variety of NWS forecast products with its own.
  • Current Conditions - Displays the current weather, temperature, wind speed and direction, gusts, apparent temperature,visibility and ceiling, humidity, dew point and barometric pressure in your area.
  • Latest Observations - The current weather, temperature, and winds for seven different cities in your area. Text based.
  • Regional Conditions (Regional Observations) - A regional map displaying the current weather and temperature for seven to nine cities in the region. First appeared as a list, similar to the Latest Observations, and sometimes appears as a list when the icon-based maps fail to load. A topographical map was used in the state of Hawaii.
  • Regional Forecast, Forecast for_______ (day of week) - A regional map displaying the forecasts for the next day. Like the Regional Conditions before it, it started out as a list and sometimes reverts to a list when the icon-based map fails to upload. A topographical map was used in the state of Hawaii.
  • 36 Hour Forecast - Displays the forecast for the next 36 hours. Until 2002, data was provided by the National Weather Service.
  • Outlook - A forecast of temperatures and precipitation for your area over the next 30 days (above average, normal, or below average). Discontinued in 1995 by the National Weather Service.
  • Travel Cities Forecast/Travel Forecast for ________ (day of week) - A scrolling display of the forecasts for the next day for the top 50 U.S. cities. Text-based at first, but later icon-based. The satellite version of this forecast segment was used in the mid to late 1990s and had a similar appearance to the cable TV local forecast version sans the time on the upper right-hand side and lower display line on the lower third of the screen. It was specifically designed to loop continuously until the local forecast was over. The satellite version often appeared when the Weather Star at the cable headend failed to operate, and was sometimes accidentally shown instead of the newer map-based satellite forecasts from 1998 to 2000. Discontinued on Weather Star 4000 in 1997. A 4000 can still draw the TCF (and some of the city names have since been updated) but does not use it under normal operating conditions.
  • Regional Information - Special information pertinent to your area.
    • Tides - Tidal conditions in selected coastal areas plus sunrise and sunset data.
    • Almanac - Displays moon phase data, sunrise, and sunset data in the central parts of the USA. A text-based variant was used up until February 1991, and was sometimes even called simply Regional Information.
  • Extended Forecast - Weather for three days following the next. Example: If shown on Friday, it displays data for Sunday through Tuesday.
  • Ski Conditions: New snow accumulations and snow conditions for local ski resorts. Data provided by Morrie Trumble and displayed in two back-to-back pages at the end of a national ski segment.
  • Prime Time Tonight[8] (1989-1991): Displayed upcoming cable listings with cable operator-specific information, such as channel numbers, in specific markets. Displayed every 30 minutes during the prime time viewing period. A typeface similar to Futura Condensed was used to display Prime Time Tonight. Prime Time Tonight, Incorporated, originally headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, owned the trademarks. At one point, Prime Time Tonight moved to the Cumberland Parkway studios of The Weather Channel.[9] Some local forecasts during this time either featured the Prime Time Tonight audio track[10] or switched to it when a weather warning was issued in the middle of the local forecast.[11]

The Weather Star 4000s in Hawaii had several issues due to the non-standard methods used by the National Weather Service office in Honolulu during the 1990s. The Marine Forecast segment showed "Temporarily Unavailable", no radar was available, some forecasts were unavailable, and other problems existed with generating graphics.

Weather Star 4000 timeline in the U.S.

File:Weather Star 4000v1.png
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. [12] The earliest known date of a Weather Star 4000 being in operation is 30 January 1990.[13]
  • 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 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
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 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 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.[14]
  • 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 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.[15] Other times, the Latest Observations product would have all uppercase text except for the observation sites.[16]

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.[17] 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 1- 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's narration is discontinued.

1996

  • Spring- The Observations site ticker never returns on the Tides/Almanac after the ad-crawl fades out during the Extended Forecast segment and some 4000s have several drawing issues during the Travel Cities Forecast on the J Flavor Local Forecast.

1997

  • Summer- A Severe Weather Mode is added to the 4000. During severe weather (usually severe thunderstorms), the 4000 uses a 2 minute flavor with the Current Conditions and Latest Observations segments, followed by an endless loop of the 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, 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
The appearance of the 4000 once 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.

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

Sources: [18][19]

City/town Primary observation site Cable company/headend Channel number STAR ID Notes
Auburn University, Alabama[20] Auburn, Alabama Auburn University campus cable No degradation
Fairfield Bay, Arkansas
Pine Bluff, Arkansas [21][22] Pine Bluff, Arkansas Suddenlink 15 3042
Lakeville, Connecticut Comcast Last confirmed in 2007. Used to be Adelphia headend.
Astatula, Florida Leesburg, Florida Florida Cable 13 No signs of degradation currently present.
Mexico Beach, Florida [23] 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
Litchfield, Illinois [24] Litchfield, Illinois

Alton, Illinois (backup)

St. Louis, Missouri (backup)

Charter/NewWave Communications 20 Last confirmed as of January 2007
Metropolis, Illinois Paducah, Kentucky Charter Communications 27
Churdan, Iowa [25] Fort Dodge, Iowa Gowrie Cablevision 18 Has trouble showing moon phases sometimes.
Monona, Iowa Dubuque, Iowa Northeast Iowa Telephone Company 8
Perry, Kansas

Lecompton, Kansas [26][27]

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.
Russell, Kansas Russell, Kansas Eagle Communications 3 Eagle Communications utilizes the IntelliStar in nearby Hays.
Fort Polk, Louisiana [28] Fort Polk, Louisiana Suddenlink 27
Bel Air, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Comcast 3 This unit has some slight degradation and has recently experienced garbled text.
Mackinac Island, Michigan [29] Mackinac Island, Michigan Charter Communications
Yale, Michigan 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.
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. [30]
Willmar, Minnesota Willmar, Minnesota UHF-TV Inc. 34 See K34HO: over the air broadcast in a UHF cable system. No degradation. [31]
Brookfield, Missouri
Kirksville, Missouri [32][33] Kirksville, Missouri CableOne
Wolf Point, Montana[34] Wolf Point, Montana
Chadron, Nebraska[35] Chadron, Nebraska
Syracuse, Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska Shows some degradation
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, NM but it was renamed to Angel Fire.
Tucumcari, New Mexico [36] 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.
Salamanca, New York Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport Atlantic Broadband 68 No noticeable degradation.
Ocracoke, North Carolina [37] Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
Clinton, North Carolina Fayetteville, North Carolina StarVision 24
Carrington, North Dakota
Barlow, North Dakota
New Rockford, North Dakota 		Jamestown, North Dakota
Devils Lake, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota 		Midcontinent Communications[38] 17 Has major degradation. Default EAS channel.
Hettinger, North Dakota[39] Hettinger
Williston, North Dakota Williston, North Dakota Provider unknown No degradation
Pryor, Oklahoma [40] Claremore, Oklahoma Time Warner Cable [41] 25[42] Appears to suffer from degradation
Stayton, Oregon [43] 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 NEP Datavision
State College, Pennsylvania [44] State College, Pennsylvania D&E Communications, Inc. 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.
Weedville, Pennsylvania Zito Media
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Time Warner Cable 21
Ramona, South Dakota Sioux Falls, South Dakota Alliance Communications
Dalhart, Texas[45] Dalhart
Decatur, Texas Decatur, Texas Communicomm 47 7864 Channel 47 is the main WeatherStar 4000 channel. This is ran by the Emulation. No degradation. The Weather Channel is on 33 with a WeatherStar XL.
Eastland, Texas Abilene, Texas Western Broadband
Hampton, Virginia [46] 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 [47][48] 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 [49] Wakefield, Virginia This STAR is showing no signs of degradation.

Flavors

[1] [2] [3]

A flavor is an arrangement of information and forecast products. The radar's positions in the local forecast flavors are shown in bold text.

Blue indicates flavors with Current Radar.

Red indicates flavors with Local Radar.

1990-1991

Flavor Added Length

(Minutes and Seconds)

Segments Featured

(Original Version)

Modified? Discontinued
D 1990 1:00 Latest Observations, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Current Radar 1995 1999
E 1990 1:00 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Current Radar 1995 1999
F 1990 1:00 Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Current Radar Never 1992
H 1990 1:00 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Forecast, Regional Information, Current Radar Never 1995
I 1990 0:30 Current Conditions, Current Radar, Regional Forecast Never 1992
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
K 1990 1:30 Current Conditions, Regional Information, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Current Radar 1993, 1995 Never
L 1991 2:00 Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Regional Forecast, Current Radar 1993 1998
M 1990 2:00 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Forecast, Regional Information, Travel Cities Forecast, Current Radar 1991, 1993 1998
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.

Flavor Length

(Minutes and Seconds)

Original Segments Featured With "Marine Forecast"

(Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii only)

With "Air Quality"

(Southern California only)

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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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

Flavor Length

(Minutes and Seconds)

Original Segments Featured With "Marine Forecast"

(Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii only)

With "Air Quality"

(Southern California only)

DLU 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.
ELU 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
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
KLU 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
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
LMLU 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
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
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 LU feature a "Local Update")

Current Lineup

Flavor Added Length

(Minutes and Seconds)

Original Segments Featured Notes
DE 1999 1:00 Current Conditions, 36-hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Current Radar Used at :28 and :58 during special programs.
K 1990 1:30 Current Conditions, Latest Observations, 36-hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Local Radar Used at :18 and :48 during normal programs.
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.
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.[50][51]
  • 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.[52][53][54]
  • The STAR will "repaint" (redraw) the graphical elements it displays.[52]
  • The contents of the Current Conditions will be incomplete.[55][56]
  • The STAR has problems drawing the icons.[57]
  • The radar screens display in the wrong color scheme.[56][58][59] 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.[60][61][62]
  • 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.[63][64][65][66]

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.

File:TWNStar4000-92.png
The original look of the Weather Star 4000 in Canada

Timeline for the Canadian Weather Star 4000

  • 1992: The Star 4000 debuts in Canada, replacing Weather Star III units nationwide - some of these III units were experiencing severe degradation.
    • Mornings used a blue wood grain background[67], while all other time periods used a green wood grain background.[68]
    • Specialty forecasts are introduced and air at :10 and :40 minutes after the hour.[69] Marine Conditions features forecast winds in knots, wave height, and advisories (small craft, gale, or storm).[70] The Agricultural Forecast features temperature, the probability of precipitation, hours of sunshine, and the drying index.[71]
  • 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.[72].
  • 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.[73]
  • 1996: Radar makes its debut to select local forecasts.[74]
  • 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.[75]
  • 1997: All Weather Star 4000s are replaced with 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.[76]
  • UV Report[77]: UV forecasts and readings.
  • Air Quality[71]: 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[78]: Provided by MRG Network Limited. Displayed trails open, snow conditions, and new snow accumulations. Extremely similar to the U.S. segment.
  • Recreation Forecast[79]: A segment with several pages over which information for local events (name, date, and a phone number) was shown.

References

  1. ^ http://www.twcclassics.com/localforecast/weatherstar/4000/
  2. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-EaGfu3_Lg
  3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsuDL5uxe7g
  4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_ry2mu7adc
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyo16bc1O0
  6. ^ http://support.weather.com/affiliates/tech_support/display/product/star_4000/star4000_prod_gde.pdf
  7. ^ http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c231/superbadmoose/airquality.jpg A screen capture of the "Air Quality" segment.
  8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rnGH31RejQ
  9. ^ U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registrations for which a static URL is not available
  10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRsooC4rc1A
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HrZVwZe9KU
  12. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79SHblFGoEQ&feature=related
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cdo2H2MmBfo
  14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZxLzjOg9r0
  15. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoSnOHNDoI (look at the Current Conditions segment)
  16. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-bmsamgV-A
  17. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3XESmWjm3c (note how the one commenter talks about the TWC survey)
  18. ^ http://www.taiganet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=974 A 4000 Still Running! - WeatherSTAR 4000 emulator support
  19. ^ Board Message
  20. ^ http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,1910.msg78313/boardseen.html#new
  21. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0UihdNXyko YouTube - WeatherSTAR 4000
  22. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OXzbJ4cnM&watch_response YouTube - Re: WeatherSTAR 4000
  23. ^ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shaneomac1986+weatherstar+4000&search_sort=video_date_uploaded
  24. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mjuOXE-kgM
  25. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeiwdWchsE4
  26. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTEVjkcWRW0 YouTube - Hot Weather in Kansas
  27. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5xRupW7YLA YouTube - Weststar 4000 Perry / Lecompton, Kansas
  28. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmucGVTtOIc&feature=channel
  29. ^ http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,2424.msg108009.html#msg108009
  30. ^ http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/mn/k50db.html
  31. ^ http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/captures/mn/k34ho.html
  32. ^ http://twctoday.com/7905/2006%2003-25%201138am%204000%20Jack%20Pierce.wmv Video of a WeatherStar 4000 from Kirksville, MO - March 1, 2005
  33. ^ http://twctoday.com/7905/2006%2003-25%201138am%204000%20Jack%20Pierce.wmv Video of a WeatherStar 4000 from Kirksville, MO - March 25, 2006
  34. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8SsSs2nucI&feature=channel_page
  35. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpiBmW4uwn8&feature=channel_page
  36. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-EaGfu3_Lg
  37. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPadI17oWI Video of a WeatherStar 4000, Ocracoke, NC - August 31, 2007
  38. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ciqj64JFnY
  39. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVqFTBBJ5Uo&feature=channel_page
  40. ^ http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,116.msg112406.html#msg112406
  41. ^ http://weather.com/search/channels/USOK0441?x=0&y=0
  42. ^ http://weather.com/search/channels/USOK0441?x=0&y=0
  43. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-paiqF36nY
  44. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqT2hX2nGg YouTube - WeatherSTAR 4000 - All Flavors - 02-02-2008
  45. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ84JzfFdN8&feature=channel_page
  46. ^ http://www.taiganet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=1272&pid=15203&st=0&#entry15203 WeatherStar 4000 Used At NASA - WeatherSTAR 4000 emulator support
  47. ^ http://twctoday.com/forums/index.php/topic,2408.0.html
  48. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3DOsCItums
  49. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrJEgh3nIvY
  50. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu7FGErYGyY
  51. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYRmIOJQIag
  52. ^ a b http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjprXyJcbnY
  53. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVZX3ecBNkU
  54. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIK470m48c
  55. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFaFUJlUWPw
  56. ^ a b http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG206BR2lfg
  57. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyo16bc1O0
  58. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-hC98l8ub4
  59. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU1SxlerP-I
  60. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PORPgSJ3Fg8
  61. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnqT2hX2nGg
  62. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTEVjkcWRW0
  63. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGJAkLHAS0
  64. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSABArvQDXk
  65. ^ 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)
  66. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGkmlT6UhMc&feature=related (same STAR, same day as prev. ref - and the uploader sees it too)
  67. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKMy_USo_DU
  68. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SohXCCoEBeU
  69. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsRvt5Qc-wQ
  70. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nb8OfKZRYk
  71. ^ a b http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyvPxqk9hwc
  72. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpEMenQ-GMY
  73. ^ http://www.wpgne.com/TWCClassics/WxStar4kCanadaPartII/081695-1900-TWN.wmv
  74. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqY6A-iesS4
  75. ^ http://www.wpgne.com/TWCClassics/WxStar4kCanadaPartII/040295-0154-TWN.flv
  76. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3IuMlJml-k
  77. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHR7mTzZwrY&feature=related
  78. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-JNBu_OdwY
  79. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CixIzumB_Ic

Template:TWN local forecast systems

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