[villages07]

Does anyone know when local Comcast plans to make the switch to all digital??? I had heard September'ish at one time but haven't seen anything in writing from them.

You will need to have a Comcast set top box or DTA (Digital TV Adaptor) on each TV. I recently logged in to my Comcast account and ordered 2 DTAs for my 2 TVs that don't have boxes. These were free and are being shipped to me.

Supposedly, when the conversion to all digital is complete, Comcast will be able to expand and enhance programming. Anybody out there in nonVillages-land already been through this conversion? Any noticeable improvements?

Yes, I could visit the local office or try to call them, but, thought perhaps someone on the forum might already have the answer. TIA.

[pooh]

When we were at the Comcast office just recently we were told that they had no idea when the switch would take place, but most likely sometime this summer. Guess September is still summer technically... We had all digital with Cox and honestly, with high def tv's, I couldn't tell the difference.

Ordering the boxes needed online is wise. One can call and order them or pick them up at the office, but I'd recommend only going to the office if you have other things to take care of with Comcast....office is VERY busy!

[Sandy222]

Our notice said it was being changed over in August.

We got our 2 adapters which did not work. After a trip to the Comcast office and picking up 2 new adapters and several telephone conversations we were able to complete this simple process.

The only difference that I notice is that we have lots more channels on those 2 tv's.

I would suggest to do it as soon as possible , before the rush. ( There were 4 other people in the Comcast office exchanging their units also)

[zcaveman]

A friend of mine in Scranton, Pa went through this process, so I knew it was coming. I saw an ad about it on the television here in TV the other day. Now I am waiting for the letter.

In case you are wondering what it is all about:

http://customer.comcast.com/Pages/FA...ital-migration

Our world will never be the same. VCR/DVD recording will become a thing of the past or so difficult, you will have to really preplan your recording habits if you like to record on DVDs/VHS tapes.

I guess we can thank the government for putting their nose where it does not belong by pushing the digital revolution onto us.

[Bogie Shooter]

Are they going to do this without an increase in cost?

[njbchbum]

where is the local office?

thanx for any reply.

[Carla B]

We've had "expanded basic" for three years without a box. Picture hasn't been good but since we don't watch much TV we hadn't done anything about it. Then Comcast sent a notice that we could get the box at no charge so we picked it up, along with two adapters. Voila! The picture is much clearer. I can't vouch for "no charge" until we get next month's statement.

By the way, there was no wait at the Comcast office (in Leesburg) to pick up the equipment.

[Ooper]

There is supposedly no cost unless you get more than 3 boxes. Then you pay rent for the extra boxes. The Comcast office I go to is right across the road from Walmart on Rt. 441.

[zcaveman]

Originally Posted by Ooper

There is supposedly no cost unless you get more than 3 boxes. Then you pay rent for the extra boxes. The Comcast office I go to is right across the road from Walmart on Rt. 441.

I just ordered DTA boxes online. Two were free and the third is $1.99 a month plus associated taxes. I think I might need another one but I wil wait and see how these do.

[TomH]

Assuming the boxes work properly, the conversion is simple. Up north here we upgraded almost two years ago with no problems. Yes, the 1st two boxes are free, and $1.99 per month beyond the 1st two.

[Mikeod]

The frustrating part for me is that I have two TVs that have the clear QAM tuner so I can get some local hi-def channels from the cable alone. Once the conversion is done and I attach the DTA boxes, those channels won't be available unless I spring for a regular hi-def box.

[old moe]

Ours started April of 10. Not to happy , things were fine the way they were. Gov,t should have stayed out of it. You will now need a box for each set, and possibly two remotes for any set that doesn't accept the Comcast codes ,the one they give you and your present one. This applies to newer sets also. You will not get HD ever tho stores only sell HD sets, unless you pay extra for it in your comcast package. You can get over 400 channels but 10 good ones would be fine with me. We sometimes lose sound when we change channels, or the pics freeze for no reason. Comcast has been in to check our sets and afew neighbors also, with no corrections. They do not seem to care much..just keep rising rates. Hope you have better luck! We live near metro Atlanta,populated area

[elevatorman]

I have Basic on one TV no box. If I have to get a box or the cost goes up I will cancel. Direct TV on 2 other TVs.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by mikeod

The frustrating part for me is that I have two TVs that have the clear QAM tuner so I can get some local hi-def channels from the cable alone. Once the conversion is done and I attach the DTA boxes, those channels won't be available unless I spring for a regular hi-def box.

Me too. Been getting HD for years without paying. I thought there was a federal law that stated if the local station (Orlando's networks) were BROADCASTING (over the air) in HD, that the cable companies were not allowed to charge extra for those HD stations. Anyone hear of this?

With 3 sets on digital boxes now, yes the picture is clearer but Channel 1 On-Demand doesn't work and some channels (especially 36 - CNBC) cuts out a lot. Also channel 7 is letterboxed with an annoying data stream along the upper edge of the picture. What's your experience with these stations?

Now you get 3 TVs on digital no extra charge - then they will cut that down to 2 and you pay extra for the third. Then they'll cut that down to 1 and you'll have to pay for the second and third eventually.

Comcast creeps up the bill a couple a times a year and each time I call and threaten to go to Direct TV - that's when they transfer me to the "Retention Dept.".


Oh and more letters will go out to those that didn't reply before they make the switch. It'll be months. Perhaps 2012.

No fun dealing with Comcast.

Skip

[villages07]

Skip ... I have two HD cable boxes; for awhile, I was getting On Demand on one but not the other (error code 07 I think).

The one with no "On Demand" had the cable out of the wall hooked to a DVD/VCR combo then hooked to the TV. The DVD/VCR just died so I reconnected the cable direct from comcast box to TV and now On Demand works. Maybe the DVD/VCR was degrading the signal or maybe I had an inferior/too long cable. You might try to rewire. You will need to power cycle your cable box to reinitialize it (unplug it, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in).

Channel 36/CNBC does pixelate a lot;

I will end up with 2 HD set top boxes and 2 DTAs; pay for the HD boxes and the DTAs are "free"; we just had a comcast increase but I suspect we will see another within a year.