Basic Cable Channels Moved to Digital Cable

[Mario500]

On Wednesday, I noticed the Style Network and the Outdoor Channel were gone from Comcast Cablevision of Mobile's basic cable TV service. As of now, they are still gone and on Thursday I realized G4, which was formerly known as TechTV and ZDTV, was also gone. G4 was the last channel I checked since I erased it from my VCR's memory.

Based on Comcast's previous decision to move Game Show Network, ESPN Classic, C-SPAN2, and the Hallmark Channel to digital cable tiers in May 2007, I believe the cable system has done it again (G4 had two channel slots until now).

 

[DToTheJ]

You would think these shifts would clear the way for NFL Network to be added to Comcast's basic tier.

Nah...

 

[Bill_W]

In the next month or 2, ALL the cable channels where I live will be moved off of analog cable onto digital cable. Comcast of Chester County, PA is only leaving the broadcast channels and maybe a handful of cable channels on analog. This frees up bandwidth so that they can put more HD and better compete with Verizon, DirecTv, and Dish. Comcast's HD lineup at the moment leaves much to be desired. They are even giving digial 2 boxes for free. (One can be a bix box that has ondemand).

 

[KML0224]

Very similar to us in New Britain, CT near Hartford. Our expanded basic lineup with no converter box is now only cable channels 2 to 22 and then it jumps to 70, 95 and 99. Thank goodness I have a digital TV with a QAM tuner!

 

[ShawnHill1]

All within the last two years, Time Warner Cable here in L.A. moved all of its basic cable channels exclusively to digital. All there's left is WGN America, the three C-SPANs, The Weather Channel, Home Shopping Network, QVC, and the local access channels. I did channel scan on my TV last night, and I noticed they added new channels...most of them are local digital foreign-language subchannels, plus three of our local PBS digital subs. I'm not sure if was meant to be a free preview or not, I got Versus (both SD and HD) in the clear...we'll see how long it lasts.

 

[philosofy]

My relatives that have RCN were complaining that the entire system went digital last year. It stinks that if you want tv you have to use a box, but it really makes sense for the cable companies. They can offer far more digital channels and faster internet service to compete with Fios and the like.

 

[PDXREXX]

Comcast Is starting to do it here in Seattle as well
Without their little box you get channels 2-29 and 77-99
which is limited basic

 

[Whale]

Wow. If you decide to get a box to get those channels back, how much are you paying?

With Cox, we still have analogue cable and all our channels (minus MTV2 which went away a few months ago). But if we want to go digital, it's a minimum $11 more ($5 for box and remote, $6 for mandatory "digital gateway" service).

 

[Bill_W]

Wow. If you decide to get a box to get those channels back, how much are you paying?

With Cox, we still have analogue cable and all our channels (minus MTV2 which went away a few months ago). But if we want to go digital, it's a minimum $11 more ($5 for box and remote, $6 for mandatory "digital gateway" service).

Comcast is offering 2 boxes a month for free. If you only have analog cable, one can be a big box that can get on demand and has on screen guide. The 2nd free box is a little box that just converts digital signal to analog for an analog tv. If you already have digital cable, they will offer you 2 of the little boxes for free. After they're done converting in Chester County, PA, it's only channels 2-22 and 95-99 left on analog cable and even the non-primary PBS stations are gone from there.