Comcast digital transition?

[ron_newman]

A friend in Arlington received a letter from Comcast informing her that all Extended Basic* channels (24 and above) will soon be transmitted only in digital, and that she would need a cable box or digital adapter to continue receiving them. The letter says the analog signals will go away in two stages, some on October 20 and the rest on November 18.

Is this happening only in Arlington, or have Somerville and Cambridge customers received similar notices? ETA: If you got such a letter, what dates does it give for the transition?

* this means stuff like NESN, ESPN, CNN, MTV, AMC and the like -- not pay-channels such as HBO and Showtime

Comments

I got the same notice

[taipeitigers.livejournal.com]

I am in N. Cambridge. I don't understand what it meant though because I already had a cable box.

Re: I got the same notice

[ron_newman]

Thanks. What dates does the Cambridge letter give?

Re: I got the same notice

[taipeitigers.livejournal.com]

10/20/09 for Channel 27, 28, 30, 33, 34, 36, 38, 47, 60, 64,66, 95. 11/18/09 for Channel 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 32, 35, 37, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 49, 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 63, 65, 67, 69, 96.

Re: I got the same notice

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Yep, this is what we got, too (also in North Cambridge).

We actually do have a little TV in our study now getting a non-digital signal, so we have to decide whether to get a box for it or a converter or just fuhgeddaboutit because we use it three or four times a year.

Re: I got the same notice

[ron_newman]

Thanks. Those are exactly the same two lists as the Arlington letter.

Re: I got the same notice

[tober.livejournal.com]

Comcast doesn't have records of who has TVs hooked up to cable with no form of digital adapter (digital cable box or CableCard or DTA) or how many... and therefore, although they know you have n cable boxes, they don't know how many other TVs without boxes, if any, you have. Subsequent to this change, TVs that are directly connected to cable without a cable box, DTA, or CableCard (even if they contain QAM tuners) will receive more-or-less only local broadcast channels + local educational / public access / government access channels.