Just got this press release from Time Warner Cable, and I know it is going to thrill some of our weather-obsessed readers:

Beginning November 3, digital customers across North Carolina and South Carolina can watch the following channels in high definition:

•       The Weather Channel HD-channel 1418
•       G4 HD-channel 1311
•       Cooking Channel HD-channel 1353
•       DIY  HD-channel 1356
•       FEARnet HD-channel 1644

Some new high-def channels will debut on Time Warner Cable on August 30. And these are some good ones:

E! HD (channel 1305)
Oxygen HD (channel 1320)
TV One HD (channel 1330)
Nat Geo Wild HD (channel 1254)
Crime & Investigation HD (channel 1268)
Lifetime HD (channel 1321) (launched August 1)

TWC is also adding some new foreign language tiers (located in the 800s). These are available in specially priced packages:

Time Warner Cable added some new HD channels this week: WMAX (Cinemax) HD,  @MAX (Cinemax) HD, OuterMax (Cinemax) HD, Starz Edge HD, Starz Kids & Family HD, Starz Comedy HD, and TMC Xtra HD.

They also added a few new digital channels: WRDC D2 Cool TV (Raleigh), Starz Comedy (Greensboro, Raleigh & Wilmington), BYU TV (All areas).

Time Warner Cable added more High Def channels this week.

Now you can also get Nickelodeon HD (1205),  CMT HD (1460), Showtime Next HD (Channel 1738),  Showtime Women HD (1740), Spike TV HD  (1310), and Disney XD HD (1202).

A few weeks ago Time Warner added some of the Viacom channels, including Comedy Central, MTV, and VH1.

Time Warner Cable customers have been not-so-patiently awaiting this news for months. Starting tomorrow, January 6, the cable company is adding Viacom channels Comedy Central (1304), MTV (1450), VH1 (1454), and BET (1308) to their HD lineup.

They are also adding an HD channel for The Hub (1211), a network of children's programming from Discovery and Hasbro, and for Showtime Beyond (1736, Showtime's sci-fi channel) and 5 Starmax (1725, Cinemax's "modern classics" channel).

Time Warner says they plan to launch additional channels later this month.

I'll await the chorus of "It's about time!" in the comments section below...

Time Warner Cable customers can be thankful this week for a few new HD channels. Unfortunately, those channels are not from Viacom (Comedy Central, VH1, MTV).

The new HD channels are: Hallmark Channel HD (Channel 1218), NHL Network HD (Sports Pass - Channel 1526), Primetime HD on Demand (Free on Demand - Channel 1195), Fox Soccer Plus HD (Sports Pass - Channel 1536), SportsSouth HD (Channel 1510), Showtime HD on Demand (Showtime subscribers - Channel 1762), ESPN 3D - 3D Pass (Channel 1505), and Smithsonian on Demand HD (HD Plus Tier - Channel 1275).

UNC Television is losing one of its digital channels -- UNC-HD channel 201.  The high-definition channel, which was being broadcast only on Time Warner Cable, will go away March 1.

UNC-HD broadcasts programs such as "The Victory Garden," "Grannies on Safari," and "Art Wolfe's Travels to the Edge." UNC is moving some of the UNC-HD shows to another channel.

Fox Sports Carolinas' announcement that the Carolina Hurricanes' home game Saturday against Columbus would be televised in high definition came minutes after one fan e-mailed to ask why more Canes games aren't in HD.

The 7 p.m. game against the Blue Jackets (on TV only in North Carolina) is one of 15 being televised in HD — Time Warner Cable channel 272 — out of 65 overall on FS Carolinas.

Kate Hart of FS Carolinas say several factors affect the number of HD telecasts, including availability of HD production trucks, HD penetration in a local market and the local demand by distributors, teams and viewers. Hart adds that the regional sports network increased the number of Canes games in HD this season and is "working towards producing a full HD schedule in the coming seasons."

Saturday's game also can be seen on TWC channel 50, DirecTV 645 and 645-1 (HD) and Dish Network 445 and 9515 (HD). Sunday's game at Buffalo won't be televised by FS Carolinas.

Keith Lee, a Time Warner Cable subscriber in North Raleigh, writes that he couldn't find Sunday's college basketball game between UNC and UNC-Asheville in high definition. The Sunday night games, televised by Fox Sports Carolinas, are shown on cable channel 50 here.

Melissa Buscher of Time Warner Cable says FS Carolinas HD is being launched Dec. 18 and can be seen on channel 272.

ESPNU, ESPNews and Fox Sports Net South are among the more than 20 high-definition channels Time Warner Cable is adding to its lineup — free to customers with TWC's digital tier of service and HD equipment. The HD channels are being added in phases, with Speed HD, ESPNU HD, BIO and Discovery Channel being launched Wednesday. The rest will be added in the next few months.

The list of HD channels being added:

Speed HD
BIO
Discovery Channel
ESPNU
Planet Green
CNN
Disney Channel
History
Animal Planet
ABC Family
Lifetime
ESPNews
Learning Channel
FSN South HD
Cinemax E
Cinemax W
Starz!
TMC
PPV