Weather Star XL

Weather Star XL
File:Weather Star XLv3.png
Manufacturer:	Silicon Graphics
Family:	WeatherStar
Hardware:	SGI O2
OS:	IRIX 6.3
Graphics:	Vector/Raster
Release Date:	Beta - 3Q 1998 Final - 1Q 1999
Status:	Retired - As of 2014-06-01.
Versions:	1, 2 & 3.
Visual Output:	Standard Definition
Available Add-ons	Vocal Local

Weather Star XL is the fifth generation of the WeatherStar systems used by the American cable and satellite television channel The Weather Channel (TWC), that are used to inserting local forecasts and current weather information (such as the "Local on the 8s" segments within its program schedule) into TWC's programming. At its rollout in 1998, it came months after a major update to the channel's on-air presentation. The Star XL was a major leap over the much older Weather Star 4000 system, featuring advanced capabilities such as transitions, moving icons, cloud wallpaper backgrounds and reading the local forecast contents. The WeatherStar XL first appeared in a beta roll out on select cable systems in November 1998 and appeared briefly on The Weather Channel Latin America until that channel's demise.

On or about May 31, 2014, The Weather Channel discontinued broadcasting its analog satellite feed, thus officially retiring all Weather Star units prior to the IntelliStar, including the XL.

Technical

The Weather Star XL is a rack-mounted rendering computer, manufactured by Silicon Graphics, Inc., containing a modified SGI O2 computer. The O2 is an entry-level Unix workstation introduced in 1996 by SGI to replace their earlier Indy series. Like the Indy, the O2 used a single MIPS microprocessor and was intended to be used mainly for multimedia purposes; the O2 was SGI's last attempt at a low-end workstation. The Weather Star XL utilizes the SGI IRIX Operating System with custom written software for The Weather Channel. Because of the proprietary SGI hardware and software, the Weather Star XL remains the most expensive STAR system, having a manufacturing cost of $US6,500. As a result of the XL's high price, many smaller cable headends retained their Weather Star 4000 or Weather Star Jr. units until the IntelliStar was released, skipping the XL altogether.

File:Weather Star XL Latin America.png

The Weather Star XL on TWC Latin America.

The Weather Star XL receives raw video data from The Weather Channel and weather statements from the National Weather Service, as well as forecasts from an Internet connection. It sends back monitoring data to The Weather Channel. Its crawl controller (which manages the text for local advertising) is accessible via a modem and terminal/terminal emulator. In Latin America, TWC only used satellite to deliver the service.

Products

A product displays certain types of weather data. Some products were added on later in the life of the Star XL.

• Current Conditions - A rundown of the current temperature, weather conditions, wind speed and gusts (if any), barometric pressure, dew point, humidity, ceiling, visibility, and (if applicable) the wind chill/heat index.
• Weather Bulletins (added April 2002) - Shows any watches, warnings, or advisories from the National Weather Service in effect for a given area, and is only active if any are in effect. Before 2002, these were displayed at the front of the 36-Hour Forecast, but was moved by TWC because of text running over with the NOAA logo.
• Latest Observations (branded Current Conditions) - A rundown of the current temperature, weather conditions, and wind speed in seven nearby cities/locations and the primary observation site.
• Regional Conditions (branded Current Conditions) - A map featuring the current temperature and weather conditions for seven to ten cities around the region. This product was discontinued in July 2002.
• Radar - Shows any precipitation in the area and its movement over the course of three hours, an increase from 90 minutes on the Weather Star 4000.
• Almanac - Shows the local sunrise and sunset times for a two-day period starting with the current day, as well as moon phase data. Calculated on the Weather Star, and thus unique in that the data never expires.
• Tides (in coastal areas) - Replaces the Almanac in coastal areas. Shows the day's low and high tide times for two locations in the area, as well as the local sunrise and sunset times.
• Marine Forecast (select coastal areas) - Similar to the version used on the 4000. Shows the forecast winds (in knots), wave heights, and any marine warnings for area waters for the day. Data was provided by TWC meteorologists along the coasts. This product was discontinued in 2002.
• Air Quality Forecast (shown only in Southern California) - Similar to the version used on the 4000. On the left of the screen, three locations are given. On the right, a bar graph with four color-coded and labeled background sections (yellow: Good, light orange: Mod. Risk, dark orange: Unhealthy, red: Very Unhealthy) is displayed. The overall Air Quality Index (formerly Pollutant Standard Index) value is given as a number inside or to the right of each bar.
• Daypart Forecast (added March 2002) - Displays the forecasted temperature, weather conditions and winds for four time periods either for that night or the next day.
• Regional Forecast - A map displaying the forecasted temperature and weather conditions for seven to ten cities in the region.
• Metro Forecast (added July 2002; select urban areas) - A map displaying the forecasted temperature and weather conditions for the main city and seven to nine nearby suburbs/locations. Replaces the Regional Forecast.
• Local Forecast/36-Hour Forecast - The forecast for the next 24–36 hours in a given area. Provided by the National Weather Service until April 2002; the replacement of the NWS product was justified as an alignment with TWC forecast products and as being designed for an area and not a county.
• Extended Forecast - The forecast for the next three days, starting the day after the next (if shown on a Monday, the forecast will be for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).
• The Week Ahead (added March 2002) - The forecast for the next seven days (including the current day) from Sunday through Saturday.

File:Weather Star XLv1.png

The Weather Star XL's first appearance, between 1999 and 2001.

File:Weather Star XLv2.png

The Weather Star XL with the graphics introduced in the September 2001 update

The STAR also displays the following items:

• Advertising tags with localized addresses for retailers.
• Tagging products, such as a pollen levels report.
• A lower display line with current conditions and forecast information. The LDL, as it is abbreviated, was redesigned in 2003 and received a specific version with more information during the channel's long-form programs such as Storm Stories.
• NWS bulletin crawls. There are four types of crawls: red (Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, Tornado Warnings, generic Weather Bulletins), orange (Urban & Small Stream Flood Advisory, Hurricane Local Statement), yellow (Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Tornado Watches), and gray (a color used for testing, using the following text: "The Weather Channel and the National Weather Service are conducting a test of the display of Severe Weather Watch information. This is only a test."). Gray crawls are not outputted to viewers.

Other Weather Stars can display these items (but NWS bulletins sometimes scroll full-screen).

Products displayed on TWC Latin America included the following (Spanish titles, though Portuguese versions were available):

• Condiciones actuales (Current Conditions) (also included a regional version)
• A Latest Observations product, also branded "Condiciones actuales"
• Pronóstico para ____ (Forecast for ____) (comes in both local (24-36 hour) and regional versions)
• Satélite (Satellite)
• Pronóstico extendido (Extended Forecast) (three days)
• Mareas (Tides)
• Pronóstico Marino (Marine Forecast) (winds, wave height, and water temperature)
• Almanaques (Almanacs) (solar and lunar)

Timeline

Date	Notes
Late 1998	The Weather Star XL first appears on select cable company headends after exiting beta testing earlier in the year. The XL's graphics first appeared in a commercial from The Front campaign in 1998 (The Front, it served as the primary advertising campaign for TWC in 1997 and 1998, and was set in a sports bar-type establishment in which patrons discussed weather).
Late 1999	Weatherscan Local debuts on some cable systems as a 24-hour channel showing weather information on a loop. Weatherscan Local launches using Star XL hardware.
January 2000	The Vocal Local system debuts, using the voice of TWC staff announcer Allen Jackson to read current conditions and extended forecast information. Some XLs do not feature Vocal Local.
May 2000	A shadow effect is added to the precipitation imagery on the radar segments.
2000	Weatherscan Local receives a complete relaunch, giving it a myriad of customizable weather packages and a new look. Among the packages: additional area forecasts, activity forecasts, health information, aviation, international weather conditions, Spanish language forecasts, gardening information, surf and marine information, national travel weather, and airport delays and conditions.
July 2001	The radar is updated to show more frames. It now shows approximately 30 frames instead of the eight to ten frames it previously displayed.
September 2001	The Weather Channel and the Star XL receive new graphics. Some XL systems receive this upgrade in March 2002, and at least one XL unit only received the update partially until July 2002, intermittently losing Vocal Local and retaining the old regional forecast animation and maps. The date and time are repositioned to allow room for larger title bars. A new cloud background is added. The URL text "weather.com" is added underneath The Weather Channel's logo. The maps are no longer topographical (compare this link with this link).
2002	The Marine Forecast product on the XL and 4000 was discontinued, however, it is unclear when this happened, but it is likely that around the same time as when NWS forecasts or the Regional Conditions screen disappeared.
March 2002	A daypart forecast and seven-day extended forecast known as the "Week Ahead" is introduced. The three-day extended forecast still displays during the 90-second forecast flavor. On the one-minute flavor, the regional conditions map is replaced by the daypart forecast. The radar has been repositioned from the end of the forecast to the middle, right after the current conditions. This applies to all flavors except the 60-second forecast flavor. The margins on the three-day extended forecast page are widened slightly. As a result, phrases such as "Partly Cloudy" and "Mostly Cloudy" are now fit into one line as opposed to two like before this update. If no wind gusts are reported at the displayed observation site, the text "none" would display in that column on the lower display line during local forecasts and national broadcasts. This no longer happens. Instead, the gust product are not shown on the LDL if no gusts are reported. The watch expiration phrase for severe weather watches has been changed. For example: "SAT 0900 PM EDT" becomes "9:00 PM EDT Saturday." A Pollen Levels tagging product is introduced. Some glitches involving ad tags are fixed. The moon icons in the Almanac are now displayed correctly for the Northern Hemisphere.
April 2002	The forecasts on the system are now sourced from The Weather Channel, instead of the National Weather Service. As a result, weather bulletins are now shown on a dedicated page. Bulletins include advisories, watches, statements, and warnings. Some icons, such as "variably cloudy" and "PM clouds" are discontinued. "Partly Cloudy and Windy" and "AM Clouds/PM Sun" is slightly modified.
July 2002	The regional conditions map, that shows the current weather conditions for the surrounding region, is discontinued. In the top 30 media markets, the Regional Forecast map, which shows the forecast for select cities throughout a given region, is discontinued and is replaced by a Metro Forecast map. This shows the forecast for select cities in a given metropolitan area within a 75-100 mile radius.
Early 2003	The text that is used on the station ID becomes bolder and slightly larger. Some of the old 1999 text is still in use until later on in the year.
April 2003	The "AM," "PM," and "FEW" variations to the weather icons are introduced to the forecast maps; live national broadcasts also received this upgrade. The "AM" and "PM" variations to the weather icons on the lower display line have been modified, and are now rendered in lower-case white text instead of the previous uppercase styling and white-to-light blue gradient. The national broadcasts, as well as weather.com, however, received this upgrade one or two months earlier. The 36-hour forecast segment has been modified so it is easier to understand. Previously, if the forecast for a time period were to split into two pages (due to its length) it would split in a middle of a sentence. Now, whenever possible, it would split to two pages in between each sentence. A line break was added between each time period.
June 2003	On the one-minute forecast flavor, the daypart forecast and regional/metro forecast screens are replaced by a two-page text-based forecast.
September 27, 2003	The lower display line (LDL) graphic that is shown on live national forecasts is redesigned. It changed to a black and opaque (previously translucent) display; the XL's LDL becomes the first Weather Star lower display line to display The Weather Channel's logo on the graphic. During programming such as Storm Stories, more detailed information is provided on the lower display line.
September 29, 2003	The lower display line is now shown for all national segments (except if there is a weather watch, warning, or statement in effect). The LDL had previously only been shown if there was no information on the bottom of the forecast maps that the LDL may block (with either red or orange).
September 2004	The three-day "extended forecast" segment is discontinued due to the discontinuation of the 90-second flavor.
August 15, 2005	The XL gets new graphics once again, now featuring a modernized TWC logo, a sunny background, and new title bars. "weather.com" is moved from underneath the TWC logo to a new position underneath the title bar of each screen's segment. During the Severe Weather Alerts in the "Weather Bulletin" page, the NOAA logo is removed, leaving only the National Weather Service text. In certain areas, the narration is one second ahead, thus leaving a one-second gap after each narration.
Late August-Early September 2005	On the regional and metro forecast maps, many cities are added and removed. On some XLs, a city's icon will be partially obscured with the LDL, however, it is unclear if this is an error or not. The IntelliStar also received this upgrade, but no icon overlaping with the LDL like the XL.
February 21, 2006	The 90-second forecast is restored; as a result, the three-day extended forecast returns to the XL at :18 and :48 after the hour.
June 26, 2006	The three-day extended forecast is once again discontinued due the second discontinuation of the 90-second flavor.
January 23, 2007	As with the IntelliStar, the XL begins showing wintry precipitation on the radar. However, the precipitation key on the title bar heading is not updated.
April 23, 2007	The three-day extended forecast returns to the XL for the third time.
May 18, 2009	As a result of the one-minute flavors airing at :08/:38 and :18/:48 past the hour from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern Time (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Eastern if there is special coverage) weekdays and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Eastern if there is special coverage) on weekends, the 3-Day Extended Forecast does not display at these time periods.
July 20, 2009	Because of the 90-second flavor airing at :08/:38 during Wake Up with Al at 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time, the 3-Day Extended Forecast airs four times an hour during these time periods, and the one-minute flavors start airing at 11 a.m. Eastern. A new flavor has been added to the XL's lineup. Instead of the typical 90 second flavor, which features the eight-city, this flavor takes the front page directly to the radar. The extra time is then used for the daypart forecast. This flavor airs at :18/:48 during Wake Up With Al, and some other times in the morning/midday.
September 28, 2009	The 3-Day Extended Forecast always airs at :18/:48 as a result of normal LF lengths resuming during the time periods of 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern Time weekdays and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern on weekends.
March 11, 2010	The XL's LDL is no longer cued during regular broadcasts. This is due to the new national LDL introduced on that date that cycles between a small-sized and large-sized LDL, the latter of which is much larger than the XL's LDL, which did not receive a graphical update, marking the first time that a STAR system does not show local weather information during national programming. The IntelliStar received an update to their LDLs on that date. The warning scrolls are still activated when extreme weather is taking place.
January 25, 2012	Vocal Local is disabled on all STAR XLs nationwide.
May 22, 2012	After the 90-second flavors began airing at :28 and :58 each hour, the 3-Day Extended Forecast once again displays during Day Planner and Weather Center Live, the 7-Day Forecast product was discontinued during the two-minute flavors and only appears during the one-minute flavors each hour during both programs, and thus the product was discontinued on all flavors from 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. Eastern weekdays during First Outlook, and from 4:30 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern on weekends during Weekend View. Though the 7-Day Forecast once again continued to air during the two-minute flavors during Wake Up with Al and Your Weather Today (until November 9, 2012), at 4:28 a.m. Eastern after The Weather Classroom, and beginning November 12, 2012, the 7-Day Forecast appears in all flavors weekdays from 4:00 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern, later expanding to weeknights from 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Eastern on February 18, 2013, and then to all time periods on April 1, 2013, all during the one-minute flavors.

Product playlists

A product playlist (also referred to as a "flavor") is an arrangement of various types of products. Weather Bulletins displays immediately after the Current Conditions if active NWS bulletins exist. Since April 1, 2013, only the DE Modified flavor is broadcast.

Playlist Letter	Length (minutes and seconds)	Products
DE (1998–March 2002)	1:00	Current Conditions, Regional Conditions, Regional Forecast, Extended Forecast, Radar
DE (March 2002–June 2003)	1:00	Current Conditions, Daypart Forecast, Regional Forecast, The Week Ahead, Radar
DE (June 2003–present)	1:00	Current Conditions, Local Forecast, The Week Ahead, Radar
K (1998–March 2002)	1:30	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast, Radar
K (March–July 2002)	1:30	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Radar, Daypart Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast
K (July 2002–November 2013)	1:30	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Radar, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast
K (July 2002–November 2013)	1:30	Current Conditions, Radar, Daypart Forecast, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, Extended Forecast
LM (1998–March 2002)	2:00	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, 36 Hour Forecast, Regional Forecast, Extended Forecast, Almanac or Tides, Radar
L (March–July 2002)	2:00	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Regional Conditions, Radar, Daypart Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, The Week Ahead
L (July 2002–April 2013)	2:00	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Radar, Daypart Forecast, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, The Week Ahead
M (March 2002–April 2013)	2:00	Current Conditions, Latest Observations, Radar, Almanac or Tides, Daypart Forecast, Regional Forecast, 36 Hour Forecast, The Week Ahead

Cable headends utilizing the Weather Star XL

The following is a list of cable headends that are known to still use the Weather Star XL.

Video provider and city	Observation site	Channel	STAR ID	Notes
Cobridge Communications Ozark, Alabama		34		Replaced a WeatherSTAR 4000 around 2005.
Suddenlink Communications Bullhead City, Arizona
Charter Communications Big Bear, California	Marchfield, California]]	46	.	Unit displays Air Quality Forecast (:58) and Current Conditions Map (blank)
Time Warner Cable Yucca Valley, California
Baja Broadband Estes Park, Colorado	Fort Collins, Colorado	11	5256
Comcast Trinidad, Colorado	Trinidad, Colorado	24
Comcast Lakeville, Connecticut	Salisbury, Connecticut			Confirmed in January 2011. Replaced a Weatherstar 4000 sometime after February 2007.
Comcast Brandon, Florida	Tampa International Airport	53	4687
Mediacom Carroll, Iowa	Carroll, Iowa	57	1443
Lost Nation-Elwood Telephone & Communications Company Lost Nation, Iowa	Maquoketa, Iowa	36
Project Mutual Telephone Rupert, Idaho
Mediacom Effingham, Illinois	Effingham, Illinois	26
Mediacom Geneseo, Illinois
Mediacom Mattoon, Illinois	Mattoon, Illinois	42	3465	Mattoon also utilizes an IntelliStar on Consolidated Communications.
Mediacom Peoria, Illinois	See notes			The observation site is a rare combination of Central Illinois/Peoria/Bloomington, Illinois.
Madison Communications Staunton, Illinois
Mediacom Sullivan, Illinois	Champaign/Urbana, Illinois	26	6315
Mediacom Angola, Indiana	Coldwater, Michigan	42	3187
Insight Communications Burlington, Kentucky	Cincinnati, Ohio	30	187
Time Warner Cable Georgetown, Kentucky	Lexington, Kentucky	27	1056
Comcast Canton, Massachusetts	Taunton, Massachusetts
Norwood Light Broadband Norwood, Massachusetts	Norwood, Massachusetts	11
Comcast Bad Axe, Michigan	Bad Axe, Michigan	31	2335	Replaced a STAR 4000 in 2006.
Charter Communications Big Rapids, Michigan	Big Rapids, Michigan	30	2007
Charter Communications Coldwater, Michigan	Coldwater, Michigan	36	5482
Charter Communications Gaylord, Michigan	Bellaire, Michigan	26	2392
Charter Communications Houghton Lake, Michigan	Houghton Lake, Michigan	49	1089
Charter Communications Lapeer, Michigan	Flint, Michigan	53	1297	This is the backup STAR for Charter in Monroe, Michigan.
Charter Communications Ludington, Michigan	Ludington, Michigan	30	1498
Charter Communications Petoskey, Michigan	Harbor Springs, Michigan	26	2920	When the XL received its first graphics update in 2001, this XL did not acquire the new maps included in the update. This XL also serves Mackinaw City.
Charter Communications Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	95	1624	Observation site used is from Sault Ste. Marie's municipal airport, not nearby Chippewa Airport to the south.
Charter Communications St. Ignace, Michigan	Mackinac Island, Michigan	26	5779
Charter Communications Traverse City, Michigan	Traverse City, Michigan	26	724	It was replace by Intellistar 2 SD
Charter Communications Hannibal, Missouri	Quincy, Illinois	96	4876	Unit installed January 2005 to replace a WeatherStar 4000 system. Unit remained when Charter Communications bought the cable provider that previously serviced the area, U.S. Cable.There is a possibibility that this was replaced with a Intellistar 2 SD
Fidelity Communications Rolla/Salem, Missouri	Vichy/Rolla, Missouri	17	1898
Charter Communications Washington/Sullivan, Missouri	Spirit of St. Louis Airport
Bresnan Communications Havre, Montana	Havre, Montana
Charter Communications Corolla, North Carolina	Currituck, NC
Charter Communications Marion, North Carolina
Consolidated Telecommunications Dickinson, North Dakota	Dickinson, North Dakota	21
Midcontinent Communications Wahpeton, North Dakota	Fargo, North Dakota	22		TWC is on Channel 22 on Analog, 16.6 on Digital, 22.5 PSIP, 22 STB.
American Broadband Blair, Nebraska
Charter Communications North Platte, Nebraska
Time Warner Cable Berlin, New Hampshire	Berlin Municipal Airport
Comcast Lincoln, New Hampshire	Plymouth, New Hampshire			Confirmed in January 2011.
Cable Artesia (PVT Networks) Clovis/Cannon, New Mexico	Artesia, New Mexico	23	2632
Baja Broadband Elko, Nevada
Provider unknown Laughlin, Nevada
Time Warner Cable Dunkirk, New York
Time Warner Cable Fulton, New York	Fulton, New York	40	300	It is possible this unit was replaced with Intellistar 24828, currently in use in nearby Oswego, New York.
Grafton Cable LaGrange, Ohio		17		Did not receive the 2005 graphics update. Replaced a 4000 sometime in late 2008/early 2009.
Time Warner Cable Piketon, Ohio
Time Warner Cable Zanesville, Ohio
Wave Broadband Aurora, Oregon
Charter Communications North Bend/Coos Bay, Oregon	North Bend, Oregon	48
Charter Communications The Dalles, Oregon	The Dalles, Oregon	5	9302
Charter Communications Tillamook, Oregon	Newport, Oregon	54	3970
Comcast DuBois/Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania	DuBois, Pennsylvania	44	457
Coaxial Cable TV Corporation Edinboro, Pennsylvania	Erie, Pennsylvania
[[Armstrong Cable Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania	York, Pennsylvania
Time Warner Cable Sharon, Pennsylvania	Youngstown, Ohio	25
Atlantic Broadband Warren, Pennsylvania	Jamestown, New York	68		Bradford, Pennsylvania is used as a nackup site.
Comcast Sevierville, Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee	18
Suddenlink Communications Andrews, Texas
Grande Communications Corinth, Texas	Denton, TX	51	14181
Cox Communications Mount Pleasant, Texas
Insight Communications Rockford, Texas
Time Warner Cable Zapata, Texas]]	Zapata, Texas	52		Uses an IntelliStar stationed from Laredo, Texas as backup.
Comcast Provo, Utah
Spanish Fork Community Network Spanish Fork, Utah]]
Suddenlink Communications Narrows, Virginia	Bluefield, West Virginia
Comcast Bennington, Vermont	Bennington, Vermont	19	1945	It is believed this cable headend used the Weather Star 4000 as recently as February 2006, however as of December 2008, it now uses the XL.
Charter Communications St. Johnsbury, Vermont			5925
Comcast Waterbury, Vermont
Comcast Bremerton, Washington	Bremerton, Washington	78
Coast Access Ocean Shores, Washington	Hoquiam, Washington	27
Oconto Falls Cable TV Oconto Falls, Wisconsin
Suddenlink Communications Princeton, West Virginia	Bluefield, West Virginia			Serves central northern Mercer County and much of Summers County
Shentel Summersville, West Virginia	Lansing, West Virginia	28		Weather data for Summersville in Nicholas County. Observed in Lansing in Fayette County to the south.
Rapid Communications Weston, West Virginia

See also

• The Weather Channel
• IntelliStar
• IntelliStar 2
• Weatherscan
• WeatherStar
• Weather Star Jr
• Weather Star 4000

External links

• The Weather Channel
• The Weather Channel Star Operations