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Comcast gears up for digital transition
2/18/2009 9:51:53 AM
By Hope Brumbach
Splash Editor
The federal government recently postponed the nationwide digital TV transition - originally scheduled for this week - to June. But most Spokane TV channels are going ahead with the transition anyway.
And some cable Comcast customers aren't off the hook either.
In a separate transition, some Comcast users must soon put a cable box on every television, even newer models.
Comcast is tweaking its network by upgrading its "expanded basic cable" channels to digital-quality signals, allowing Comcast to add more high-definition channels, faster Internet and better phone service, according to the company, which serves Liberty Lake.
That means the set-top boxes are needed for the switch, which will take place area-by-area throughout the state by the end of 2009, the company said.
"We apologize for the change, but everyone's experience will be better," company spokesman Walter Neary said. Advertisement
Some customers, though, have gotten confused with the federal government's analog-to-digital shift, Comcast representatives said.
"The confusion kicks in when Comcast is doing something with the word ‘digital' and the federal government is doing something with the word ‘digital,'" Neary said. "People want faster Internet and they want HDTV; we're doing this for the right reasons, but the timing is causing problems."
Those affected are Comcast viewers who receive "expanded basic" service, Neary said. That means the customers who receive channels 32 and higher who do not use a cable box but instead plug their TV directly into a cable from the wall.
The customers not affected are those who already have a cable box or digital video recorder or those who have "limited basic" service that includes channels 2 through 31.
Customers who need the free box - different from the converter boxes for over-the-air signals - will be notified multiple times with plenty of advance notice, Neary said.
"Customers who might need a digital transport adapter in Liberty Lake will get several mailings (from) us weeks before they need to think about getting a box," Neary said. "We will make very certain to over-communicate as best we can."
The new box - a digital transition adapter - is "about the size of your hand if you extend all your fingers," Neary said. The boxes can be hidden behind a TV set and accessed by a remote with a thin strip mounted to the top of the TV, similar to a Nintendo Wii, Neary said.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable provider, purchased the Liberty Lake network last summer from Community Cable Service, the community's primary Internet and cable company since 1969.
At the time of the purchase, Community Cable Service owner Martin Howser said he couldn't keep up with the expansions and technology updates needed for Liberty Lake's network. Community Cable Service had about 1,500 customers at the time of the sale.
For more information, call 1-800-COMCAST or go to www.comcastinspokane.com.
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