Comcast to boost digital offerings for area viewers
Comcast will add channels and seek to improve picture quality for customers in western Massachusetts in changes that for some will require new equipment.
A company spokeswoman said the transition Aug. 27 would affect customers in 19 communities, including Northampton, Deerfield and Holyoke. The transition will reach more than 150,000 Comcast customers across the region.
Customers who do not install the required equipment will not be able to view channels 17 and 24-69 after Oct. 20. "We're digitizing those channels in order to roll out more digital programming," said Kristen Roberts, public relations director for New England.
"Anyone that has standard cable without a digital box needs to get digital equipment in order to continue seeing those channels," she said.
The transition affects customers who do not have a digital cable box, digital cable adapter, or CableCARD on all of their TV sets connected to Comcast's service.
Roberts said that basic cable, or "analog tier," will not change. There is no change to service once customers get the digital box. The additional channels and improved picture quality will be provided without any cost increase.
The channels moving from "Digital Starter" to "Expanded Basic" package include TruTV, Hallmark, MSNBC, ETWN, CSPAN-2 and the Lifetime Movie Network. Channels added to the new "Digital Starter" package include Bloomberg, History International, and Jewelry TV.
Roberts said the changes were made in response to consumer demand for digital TV.
"In an effort to deliver our customers more of what they have been asking for - more HD choices, more On Demand programs and faster Internet speeds - Comcast is upgrading its Expanded Basic Service tier in the Northampton area to an all-digital format," she said.
Comcast says the changes are not related to the federally mandated Digital Broadcast Transition, which was completed June 12.
Comments
Good Point Cletus
It reads like a press release from the Comcast PR department.
What A Joke
I love how this article makes it seem like this is such a great change for comcast customers when in reality all it will do is increase their bills with no added value. If a household had 1 tv with cable and they have a box it is not a big deal, but most households have more than one tv hooked up to cable and now they need a box for all of those tv's as well. So that means if they have 4 tv's with cable they will end up paying an extra $35-50 a month to continue to have access to cable on those tv's.
The greatest thing is that this is really not necessasry because almost all new tv's have QAM tuners which are basically digital cable tuners and the only reason boxes are needed is because the cable co.'s scramble every single digital channel except for the channels available via antenna such as ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. And the only reason they don't scramble those is because it is against federal law to do so.
Oh, how I wish
I wish Verizon would make FIOS available faster. I don't need or want Comcast TV, but I have to pay for it to get a discount on my broadband internet. It's "pay $4 to save $15", with a net $11 savings. If they'd just charge $45 for broadband alone, I'd drop their cable TV entirely. It's not like I ever watch it.
And more $ for Comcast
More switches in the line-up means people need to rent more equipment so people can watch a second tv. More $ for COMCAST. I don't need HD to watch Rachel Maddow; I like her just the way she is.