Comcast customers need new gear for digital switch
Comcast customers will need new equipment to keep all of their existing channels as the company upgrades, but the transition to digital programming will mean more channels for the same price, the company said.
Comcast is phasing out non-digital transmissions to make room for more high-definition channels, more On Demand choices and faster Internet speeds, said spokesman Bob Grove.
All customers will need the new equipment, which the company is providing free, or they'll lose access to their existing channels when the switch to digital signals is made, he said.
Keeping service: Changes will vary depending on the customer's level of service.
---Digital customers who have at least one converter box are eligible for two free digital adapters, to be used on their second and third television sets.
Connecting the adapters will allow those sets to pick up an additional 28 channels, while those sets currently only receive the standard cable lineup.
Additional channels include the Biography Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, Hallmark Movie Channel and the Game Show Network, Grove said.
---Expanded Basic cable customers who receive about 50 channels with no converter box are eligible for a free converter box and two digital adapters. Every television they hook up with any of the equipment will receive 28 additional channels. Customers who don't pick up the equipment by March 1 will lose about 20 channels. They'll lose all of their channels by late March if they don't get the equipment, because Comcast will by then be sending digital signals their televisions are not equipped to receive.
---Limited Basic customers with about 20 channels are eligible for up to three digital adapters that will bring them 11 additional channels, including C-SPAN 2, My Network TV, the Retro Network, and THIS TV.
Limited Basic customers will lose all of their channels in April if they don't get the equipment.
What to do: Equipment can be picked up immediately, by:
---Ordering it online at www.comcast.com/digitalnow and ordering it to be shipped free.
---Calling 1-877-634-4434 and requesting free shipment of the equipment.
If a customer wants more than the allotted amount of free equipment for additional television sets, he or she will be charged $1.99 per month per unit, Grove said.
Instructions will be provided on how to connect the equipment to the back of a television, which Grove said is "simple." Comcast will install the equipment if requested, but installation charges will apply.
Why? Grove said transmitting one channel to non-digital equipment takes the same amount of bandwidth as 10 digital or three high-definition channels.
For that reason, the company is converting to all-digital delivery of signals to create more space on its network. As a result, it will offer faster Internet speeds in the coming months, and will eventually grow from 18,000 to 25,000 On Demand choices.
There are currently 50 high-definition channels in York, but there will be about 100 as a result of the change in delivery, he said.
--Reach Christina Kauffman at 505-5436.
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