Bill Abbott of Madison has a large home he built himself and a bunch of televisions for his two at-home offices where he and his wife work as well as in their five bedrooms.
All was fine until their cable provider switched to full digital mode requiring them and all other customers to obtain digital boxes to connect their televisions to their cable.
Comcast, Abbott said, provided the family with four boxes but wants $1.99 monthly for any additional boxes. Even though all the Abbott television sets are digital ready, Comcast cable does not work without the boxes.
“I’m sure it impacts a lot of people. It annoys me and I don’t know where to go with it,” he wrote me today.
“It seems to me that once I pay for service, I shouldn’t have to keep getting fees tacked on,” he said. “I didn’t request them to change to digital and if I own digital ready televisions, why do I need these fees. I also have no alternative cable company to go to. Seems like over time they keep finding ways to jump my bill.”
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Mmm…FOUR boxes? I have Comcast in New Haven. They told me that I could only get TWO for free! I’ll be calling them tomorrow to find out what that’s all about. However, I do agree with Bill that if we have the latest TVs, WHY do we need ANYTHING more to get our TVs to work correctly! It seems like there is NO ONE who can get Comcast under control from any state agency to the FCC! Everyone wants to just wipe their hands! WHERE are the people and agencies that are supposed to be there for us?
Response from Comcast:
This customer is referring to our Digital Network Enhancement, which we are undergoing not only in Connecticut, but across the country. I’m including a fact sheet below that we provided to media in the Branford area prior the start of the project that outlines all of the details of what it is, why we’re doing it, what consumers need to do and what it will allow. The project has been completed in the Branford area since November. As a result of completion of this project in that area, we were able to launch 66 new channels (including standard def, HD & 3D), and now offer over 100 HD channels in the Branford area.
As for the equipment the customer is referencing, the fact sheet explains that we’re giving customers up to 3 pieces of digital equipment (see breakdown of what is provided depending on level of service below in the last paragraph under “What”). This number was chosen because industry research has shown that the average household has 2.8 TVs in the home.
I will have a Customer Care representative follow up with this customer.
Thanks – Laura
Fact Sheet
COMCAST’S DIGITAL NETWORK ENHANCEMENT
BRANFORD, CT
WHAT
It’s a digital world. Today, television programming is digital, TV sets are digital, consumer electronics are digital, music is digital (CDs, MP3s, iTunes), movies (HD, BluRay DVD) are digital, and even broadcast television has gone digital. Comcast will soon complete its own digital service upgrade.
Comcast is introducing a digital network enhancement in the Branford area (Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Madison, North Branford, North Haven and Wallingford) that will bring additional benefits to all Comcast customers, including those who, for the first time, will receive digital-quality channels, video on demand (VOD), digital music channels and other features.
Once the network enhancement is completed, Comcast customers will experience the benefits of digital picture and sound, thousands of free On Demand and HD choices, as well as other advanced features. It will also allow Comcast to provide more HD channels, an expanded On Demand offering, faster Internet speeds, digital music and more.
To make this digital network enhancement possible, Comcast will begin to deliver all of its analog channels, including the broadcast channels that are offered through Comcast’s cable service, in a digital format in the Branford area, requiring customers to have a digital cable box or other piece of digital equipment, such as a digital adapter or CableCard, to watch. The company already delivers a fully digital signal to over 88% of our customer base in the Branford area, and we are now taking steps to provide the benefits of digital to customers who have not yet upgraded.
To make it convenient for customers to benefit from this enhancement, Comcast will provide customers with the equipment needed to receive these benefits. Limited Basic analog customers can obtain up to three digital adapters at no additional cost and Limited Basic customers who may already have a digital set-top box in their home can receive up to two digital adapters at no additional cost. Standard Cable customers without a digital cable box can obtain up to three pieces of digital equipment (one digital set-top box and two digital adapters) for no additional charge. Additionally, Digital Starter customers, who already have a digital set-top box on at least one of their television sets, are eligible to receive digital adapters for up to two additional TVs as part of the network enhancement.
WHY
Delivering channels via digital format is a more efficient use of the existing cable infrastructure. By reallocating analog channels to exclusive digital delivery, Comcast is able to triple the space on its network to give customers more of what they want – more HD, more On Demand programming, as well as faster Internet speeds. One analog channel occupies as much space as 10 digital channels or three HD channels.
The digital network enhancement allows Comcast analog cable customers to enjoy a vastly improved television experience with 100% digital picture and sound, thousands of On Demand choices, access to more HD channels and interactive features.
The upgrade will deliver a next-generation platform for new services, meaning more programming content and features for customers:
• Immediately, Limited Basic, Standard and Digital Starter Cable customers who take action to receive their new equipment will receive new channels that were added to their line-up:
o Current Limited Basic analog customers who receive digital equipment for the first time will be able to immediately enjoy digital quality picture and sound, as well as 19 additional digital channels like WNET, New England Cable News (NECN), Connecticut Sports Network (CTSN),Leased Access, WCTX-Cool, WEDW-4You, WEDH-Create, WNET V-ME, WCCT-ThisTV, Eyewitness News Now, NBC Plus, WTIC Antenna TV, ShopNBC, Trinity Braodcast Network, EWTN, WUVN-LATV, Connecticut NBC Sports , WNET-KID, WNET-VME and WVTH-CA.
o Standard Cable customers with a digital set-top box will have access to five more channels, including TruTV, Hallmark, CSPAN 2, GSN, and Lifetime Movie Network.
o Digital Starter customers will be able to watch seven additional channels, including G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, Bloomberg TV, CSPAN 3, History International, Biography, and Hallmark Movie Channel.
• With more than 6,000 HD choices each month, Comcast customers already have the most HD of any provider. Following each wave of the upgrade, Comcast will launch additional HD Channels and at the conclusion of the upgrade, will deliver more than 100 of the very best HD channels.
• Customers already have access to up to 25,000 On Demand choices each month – the most available – and Comcast will continue to add more On Demand programming, which will grow to tens of thousands and ever-increasing choices.
• With this additional network capacity, Comcast will be able to continue boosting broadband speeds
• Customers can expect more next-generation features and enhancements in the near future.
WHEN
Customers have received direct notifications from Comcast explaining the initiative and the changes to Limited Basic and Standard Cable service. The digital network enhancement is slated to be completed at the end of November in Comcast’s Branford system, with the first wave of channels being digitized September 20th and the remainder of the lineup being digitized in two more steps in mid-October and late November. Prior to all changes, customers receive direct notifications from Comcast explaining the upgrade and the changes to service.
HOW
In the time leading up to the pending enhancements, customers can take a few easy, no-cost steps to bring Digital Cable benefits into their homes and prepare for the digital network enhancement in their area.
Step 1: Install…that’s all.
Customers who currently subscribe to Comcast’s Limited Basic or Standard analog service (receive an analog signal directly to the TV set without a set-top box from Comcast) or Digital Starter customers with additional TVs in the home that do not have equipment will need to:
• Use a simple self-install kit to hook up a new device on their own (a very easy, no-cost process). Kits can be picked up at one of Comcast’s local service centers in Branford (44 North Branford Road) or New Haven (630 Chapel Street), or can be ordered by calling 1-877-634-4434 or visiting http://www.comcast.com/digitalnow.
• There are no installation costs if customers self-install the devices.
• Professional installation of equipment is also available at the cost of a technician visit.
In order to make the process as easy as possible for customers, as outlined above, Comcast will give each household up to three pieces of digital equipment. Industry research shows the average household has 2.8 televisions.
Step 2: Channels Upgrade to Digital.
All analog channels (Limited Basic and Expanded Basic) will transition to digital delivery in three steps and will be delivered exclusively in a digital format by the end of November.
Step 3: Access to New Digital Services.
• Once the digital upgrade is complete, Limited Basic customers with digital equipment will have an enhanced viewing experience with better picture and sound quality and access to 19 additional digital channels.
• Comcast’s Standard Cable customers with their free digital set-top box will receive superior digital picture and sound quality, in addition to interactive services like On Demand and the interactive program guide.
• Once channels are digitized, Comcast will be able to launch a significant amount of new programming, including a massive expansion of its current high-definition lineup and a boost of its On Demand library, which already offers up to 25,000 programs at any time, the vast majority of them for no additional charge.
• This digital network enhancement paves the way for the roll-out of XFINITY, the new brand for Comcast’s technology platform and products – XFINITY TV, XFINITY Voice and XFINITY Internet. The XFINITY network and product capabilities delivers increased Internet speeds, more On Demand and HD choices as well as converged services like 150,000 choices of “anytime, anywhere” online entertainment with XFINITY TV.
But the digital adapters do not get you the HD channels that you used to be able to receive when the cable was attached directly to your HDTV. Plus these adapters do not receive all the channels you pay for in your package. Only the higher price digital receivers give you the HD channels and premium channels. There are many of us that have no desire for on-demand we just want our regular TV without having to pay rent for extra equipment for comcast to make more money. If it was not about the extra income for rent on these adapters( more profit) they would sell them at a reasonable price to their customers. Much like why would you pay rent for a cable modem if you can purchase one. I paid for my modem in less then a year in comparison to paying Comcast to rent one. It is a joke and the government has helped them every step of the way. Oh and a rate increase for cable tv and internet because of the “enhancement”, although no new channels offered.
agree with Joel. before the “Enhancement” (more profits). we were able to get the HD broadcasts on our cable ready tv’s. now with the basic converters, the signal seems to be of a very low quality. kinda funny in a sad way – the feds pass a law requiring the broadcasters to convert to digital HD & the cable providers find a way to charge us for what was supposed to be free if you have a digital TV. suspect it wouldnt have been difficult to design the converters to pass on HD…. but there is that pesky bottom line that needs to be padded!
Comcast must be “doing” Ct. area by are regarding digital adapters. I am in the Farmington area and received notice of need to get one by April 10th. At the ve ry bottom of the pamphlet, in tiny print, I noticed “QAM tuner TVs will continue to receive Limited Basic channels 3-13,16-19,22,70,95,96,98-99 without a digital device.” Having no idea what “QAM” stands for, I called my LG TV customer service to find out whether my 2009 TV had it. After some minutes of investigation, CS rep. told me my set is “Digital ready”, and I “should have no problem” when 4/10 arrives. I now learn that having a cable ready TV will make no difference and also notice that Comcast does not address this in the reply provided. This is , indeed, highway robbery. Having to pay anything for TV beyond the set itself, where watching it now requires sitting through 6-8 commercials every few minutes, is…… infuriating and discouraging.