At least 121 cable subscribers in Chicago are unhappy about Comcast’s forcing them to move to a digital-video tier in order to receive about 38 channels they used to get without set-tops.
Rich Ruggiero, Comcast’s vice president of communications and public affairs for the Greater Chicago region, said: “Our experience overall has been that as customers adopt digital services, they’re more satisfied over time.” He added that two of Chicago’s five operating regions have been all-digital except for the most basic tier for two years. so in the other three regions there was still an "expanded basic" tier, which I think must be what I had. and the channels above 30 have been out as of Thursday morning. and rh just told me that this change to digital happened on the 7th. which was Thursday. so I guess it was not just temporarily down bcs of the strong wind. which also coincided - wind picked up on Wednesday nite and stayed strong Thursday thru what was also a much hotter day, 91 degrees (and the air conditioner not working at work).
In April, where it still offered an expanded-basic analog tier, Comcast began eliminating more than one-half the channels in a project it expects to have completed across Chicago by July 1.*
That gives Windy City subscribers the choice of receiving either a stripped-down analog service of about 34 channels or installing a Motorola DCT700 set-top [Available only through your local service provider] to get an 80-plus-channel lineup.
Comcast tried to appease subscribers by not raising rates for current analog customers and waiving lease fees for new set-tops. It also promoted the superior signal quality of digital video, as well as the service’s access to video-on-demand and on-screen program guides.
Most of the complaints were related to subscribers’ general unhappiness about having to switch, McCaffrey said, adding, “These were people saying, ‘I don’t want digital-cable service. I’m fine with what I have.’” yeah. The rest -- 33 in April and eight in May -- were related to technical problems installing or using the digital set-tops.
By zapping 38 channels from the analog tier, Comcast will free up a whopping 228 megahertz of spectrum. That’s enough for more than 100 new HD channels or 380 standard-definition channels. Comcast may also choose to add VOD capacity or expand Internet bandwidth.
The MSO is also eliminating handfuls of analog channels in other systems, including those in Alabama and Colorado. But Chicago, from all appearances, still represents the operator’s largest-scale analog-reclamation effort.
*link to Analog Slashed in Chicago - 4/16/2007 - Multichannel News :
The Windy City will be the test case for Comcast in flipping analog subscribers en masse over to digital cable. On July 1, the nation's biggest multiple-system operator plans to eliminate the analog transmission of 38 channels on its expanded-basic tier throughout its Chicago systems.
Comcast isn't completely shutting off analog: It will still offer basic analog service (“B1” in industry parlance) with 34 channels. That tier will include local broadcast and public, education and government (PEG) channels, as well as The Weather Channel, C-SPAN, TV Guide Channel, QVC and a few others. huh. what's QVC? oh - shopping channel. and where is the weather channel? I did notice still getting tvguide on 96, though otherwise not anything higher than in the 20s. I do get FX which is 24. just happenstance?
seems a fancyish station but I guess it's "basic cable"? but, not more basic than the others I get, is it? just happened to be in part of the bandwith (represented by lower numbers) that they d n cut?
funny that I had just made note here below, commenting on Tim Goodman's grade the networks, that if I cld have just one cable station, I'd take F/X. for NipTuck mainly, but also TheRiches & other seeming good programming. cld try RescueMe this summer. and: F/X! has the movies!
but I will miss Lifetime 41 maybe a lot (goodbye bad movies, goodbye new Sunday shows this summer esp the one w Lili Taylor as a shrink. that's ok though). mainly, goodbye to jumping around.
and TNT 32(goodbye to watching The Closer). goodby TBS 33. goodbye ABCfamily 40 gilmore girls repeats.
By keeping a limited set of channels on analog, Comcast won't necessarily force subscribers to get a digital set-top for every TV set in their house. To get an 80-plus-channel lineup, though, existing subscribers to analog expanded-basic cable will need to install a Motorola DCT-700 set-top.
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