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New Comcast Channel Lineup (long post)

DJKraze

DJKraze

This applies to the Middletown CT area and since I just got this fancy new channel listing, I figured I'd see if the promise on the card held any meaning...
"Coming soon...More Channels-More Choices-More Control!"

Best way I figure is to list future channel positions (NP) and then list either the old position (OP) or "new", let's see what I find....

Basic tier
NP Service OP Notes

002 WFSB 002
003 CN8 015 ex Public Access
004 WVIT 004
005 WNYW 005
006 WTIC 006
007 QVC 007
008 WTNH 008
009 WCTX 009
010 TBS 010
011 WTXX 011
012 NECN 012
013 CSPAN 023 new to basic tier, ex blank
014 HSN 072 new to basic tier, ex BET
015 Community Channel 003 ex CN8
016 WEDH 016 was shared with Travel Channel
017 WRDM 017
018 WUVN 018
019 Educational Access 019 was shared with CTN
020 WHPX 020
021 WGBY 021
022 WWLP 022
095 TV Guide 095
096 Leased Access 096 (is this what they call infomercials all day
and horse racing all night??)
098 CSPAN 2 098

Well, I don't see any actual NEW channels here, just a shuffle, and if I were a basic user, I'd be pissed about losing BET, but since the idea is to lump like services together I understand the move, glad I'm not a basic user.
Also, I guess must carry doesn't apply to WHCT-LP 38

Expanded Basic tier (colors explained below)
NP Service OP Color Notes

023 Bravo 067 Purple ex CSPAN
024 AMC 048 Red ex CNN
025 OLN 066 Green ex CNBC
026 Weather Channel 030 Oragne ex CNN-HN
027 Travel Channel 016 Yellow ex FOX News,
was shared time with WEDH on 16
028 NESN 059 Green ex Court TV
029 ESPN 039 Green ex Cartoon Network/AS
030 ESPN2 040 Green ex Weather Channel
031 Fox Sports NE 041 Green ex ABC Family
032 YES 052 Green ex Nickelodeon
033 Golf Channel 043 Green ex Discovery
034 FX 068 Purple ex A&E
035 TNT 045 Purple ex History Channel
036 USA 038 Purple ex TLC
037 Court TV 028 Purple ex Lifetime
038 Hallmark Channel 069 Purple ex USA
039 Lifetime 037 Purple ex EPSN
(if this area was all purple anyway, why move either USA or Lifetime? Could have just left them where they were and added the others in the open slots.)
040 ABC Family 031 DK Blue ex ESPN 2
041 Nickelodeon 032 DK Blue ex Fox Sports NE
042 Disney Channel 044 DK Blue ex Golf Channel
043 Cartoon Network/AS 029 DK Blue ex GSN
044 Animal Planet 050 Yellow ex Disney Channel
045 A&E 034 Yellow ex TNT
046 History Channel 035 Yellow ex ESPN Classic
047 Discovery Channel 036 Yellow ex Spike
048 HGTV 058 Yellow ex AMC
049 Food Network 050 Yellow ex Animal Planet
050 TLC 036 Yellow ex Food Network
(again, some unnecessary shuffling, food and animal planet could have stayed where they were with the others filling in the open yellow slots)
051 TV Land 051 Purple SAME
052 Sci-Fi 053 Purple ex YES
053 Spike TV 047 Purple ex Sci-Fi
(why move Sci-Fi at all? make Spike TV 52)
054 Comedy Central 054 Purple SAME
055 E! 055 Purple SAME
056 MTV 056 LT Blue SAME
057 VH-1 057 LT Blue SAME
(if Light Blue=Music, why are MTV & VH-1 Light Blue??)
058 BET 014 LT Blue new to Ex Basic, ex HGTV
059 FOX News Channel 027 Orange ex NESN
060 CNBC 025 Orange ex MSNBC
061 CNN-HN 026 Orange ex Discovery Health Channel*
062 CNN 024 Orange ex CMT
063 MSNBC 060 Orange ex HBO
064 ESPN Classic 046 Green ex Blank
070 GSN 043 Purple ex Style*
071 CMT 062 LT Blue ex Blank
072 Blank ex HSN

Premium Block (why even bother?)
065 HBO 063 Red ex blank

Color Code:
News = Orange
Family = Dark Blue
Sports = Green
Movies = Red
Entertaiment = Purple
Learning = Yellow
Music = Light Blue

*Both these channels have been moved out of ex basic and are now in digital classic, no new channels have been added to either basic or ex basic, how is this "More Channels"?

They used a Rubik's cube to show how they were grouping similar channels and unscrambling the line-up, but to me it looks like the Rubik's cube is still a bit scrambled, and in some cases extra moves where made where they didn't need to be.

I debate getting digital, as it's already cheaper to have SAT TV over this ex basic mess. I'd have already switched if I didn't fear the installer falling into the roof (needs fixing).

As I didn't have digital, I can't do the same cross-reference with thhhose channels, but I can say this much...

added to Digital Classic: (listed as new unless noted)
103 Discovery Health (ex 061)
108 AZN
118 Style (ex 070)
129 Nick Toons (er, I thought this was already there)
144 VH-1 Soul (moved from Digital plus)
164 IFC
173 TV One
290 TBN

added to Digital Plus: (listed as new unless noted)
115 Biography Channel
116 History International
119 Lifetime Movie Network
139 MTV Hits (oh, is this where the music videos have gone?)
145 VH-1 Country (moved from Digital Classic?)
147 Great American Country
169 Turner Classic Movies (I thought this was already on the system?)

Sports Pack (all new)
260 TV Game
262 FCS Atlantic
263 Central
264 FCS Pacific
267 Fox Soccer Channel
271 Speed Channel
273 NBA TV
274 CSTV
275 NFL Network
622 GOL TV

HDTV (new listings only)
205 Discovery HD
207 INHD2

No New PPV or Premium channels

International channels, well, there's a bunch and they are a la carte and they offer about 25 or more of those, mostly spanish (what? no asian?)

To sum it all up, yep, they added channels, lots of them, however, if you're not forking over way too much for digital, you mean very little to CC.
 
Here in New Britain, the lineup was supposed to change on August 24th, but was also pushed back to September 20th. We already have CN-8 (cable 3) and NECN (cable 19). For broadcast stations (analog here), we carry:

(2) WFSB (CBS) 3 Hartford
(4) WVIT (NBC) 30 New Britain
(6) WTIC (FOX) 61 Hartford
(7) WEDH (PBS) 24 Hartford
(8) WTNH (ABC) 8 New Haven
(9) WCTX (UPN) 59 New Haven
(10) WHPX ("I") 26 New London
(11) WTXX (WB) 20 Waterbury
(12) WGBY (PBS) 57 Springfield, MA
(13) WRDM (TEL) 13 Hartford [low-power]
(18) WUVN (UNI) 18 Hartford

By the way, how are you getting WWLP and WNYW? That's not fair! :)
 
> Here in New Britain, the lineup was supposed to change on
> August 24th, but was also pushed back to September 20th. We
> already have CN-8 (cable 3) and NECN (cable 19). For
> broadcast stations (analog here), we carry:
>
> (2) WFSB (CBS) 3 Hartford
> (4) WVIT (NBC) 30 New Britain
> (6) WTIC (FOX) 61 Hartford
> (7) WEDH (PBS) 24 Hartford
> (8) WTNH (ABC) 8 New Haven
> (9) WCTX (UPN) 59 New Haven
> (10) WHPX ("I") 26 New London
> (11) WTXX (WB) 20 Waterbury
> (12) WGBY (PBS) 57 Springfield, MA
> (13) WRDM (TEL) 13 Hartford [low-power]
> (18) WUVN (UNI) 18 Hartford
>
> By the way, how are you getting WWLP and WNYW? That's not
> fair! :)
>


I can't explain WWLP other than they haven't gotten around to it, up until a few months ago, we also had WWOR, but they pulled that. The reason I heard from some ex CC folks ages ago about WNYW was that because half of the system is south enough to get WNYW over the air, that they have to keep it. To which I responded with, if they can get WNYW then the majority of NYC VHF should be included as they all come in down there (before the antenna I put on the house took down the mounting and such during a freak april snowstorm, I was able to get the following NYC stations on VHF 2, 4, 5, 7 here in Middletown.)

I suspect they will eventually toss the final two out of market stations, when they get around to it, killing one of the original sales pitches I remember from the flyers United Cable passed around in New Britain back when they were initially setting up the system (not an exact quote, but from memory...) You'll be able to watch TV from NYC & Boston as clear as your own local stations, those stations were WNEW, WOR, WPIX & WSBK and then later WTBS.
 
Connecticut Cable TV Starting Dates?

What I'd love to know is this: When was New Britain, CT, Hartford, CT and Middletown, CT first wired for cable TV? Was it the 1970s? My grandfather had an early form of it at his New Britain apartment in 1977. I'm not sure of the name back then. I do know it was called United Cable when I had cable for the first time back in April of 1981. :)
 
Re: Connecticut Cable TV Starting Dates?

> What I'd love to know is this: When was New Britain, CT,
> Hartford, CT and Middletown, CT first wired for cable TV?
> Was it the 1970s? My grandfather had an early form of it at
> his New Britain apartment in 1977. I'm not sure of the name
> back then. I do know it was called United Cable when I had
> cable for the first time back in April of 1981. :)
>

Well, let me see, I was living on Rockwell Ave. (before it became a trashed area) between 5 & 8 years old, and that's when I saw them putting up the lines and got the flier, so I'm going to say between 1971 & 1975 (I'm going to say 74)
 
Re: Connecticut Cable TV Starting Dates?

I believe New Britain was one of the first areas in the state to get cable TV. I know some people who lived there at the time and had it. In the 80's I think it was United Artists Cable but I'm not sure if it was the same before that.



> > What I'd love to know is this: When was New Britain, CT,
> > Hartford, CT and Middletown, CT first wired for cable TV?
> > Was it the 1970s? My grandfather had an early form of it
> at
> > his New Britain apartment in 1977. I'm not sure of the
> name
> > back then. I do know it was called United Cable when I had
>
> > cable for the first time back in April of 1981. :)
> >
>
> Well, let me see, I was living on Rockwell Ave. (before it
> became a trashed area) between 5 & 8 years old, and that's
> when I saw them putting up the lines and got the flier, so
> I'm going to say between 1971 & 1975 (I'm going to say 74)
>
 
Story

My mother's father (I can't call him my grandfather becuase he died 5 months before I was born) owned Sandy's TV Repair in New Britain. It was based out of his house on Alexander Road. He refused to get cable. He called it a fad and a waste of money. In fact when my mom & dad got cable in 1981, he yelled at my dad.
 
Re: Connecticut Cable TV Starting Dates?

The name became United Artists Cable by either 1989 or 1990. It became TCI in 1992 (again, this is for our cable in New Britain, CT).

For that other poster who referenced Rockwell Avenue in New Britain, CT...you're not missing anything at all. I live a mere block from there. :(
 
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