http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou070711_jj_comcast.3a174cfc.html Making the cable switch By Jeremy Desel / 11 News If you have cable brace yourself because change is coming. In fact, it is already here. “I think that today just really signifies some excitement as for what’s ahead,” said Tony Speller with Comcast. Speller started his cable TV career as an installer. Now he is Senior VP for the Houston regions new cable provider Comcast. That company took over for Time Warner in the Houston market technically in January. Customers are only starting to see the effects of the change starting now with the rollout of new signage on the buildings. Next Week the real changes begin says Speller. “They’ll see some programming changes that will take place immediately. Twenty new channels that will be coming to the market.” Comcast comes to Houston Those changes include five HD channels one of which will be ESPN2 HD. Also, 15 standard channels including the NFL Network. Comcast is not announcing the full channel selections until next week. In the end the customers like Eddie Quiros say they don’t really care who the provider is, but what’s on the box. “I’m originally from Massachusetts and we had Comcast up there. So to me it wouldn’t matter. Customer Service could be a little better but the service itself was fine.” Adam Burchfield who is a cable watcher says, “Time Warner was the big worldwide conglomerate. It is still the same nameless corporation.”
This is on Time Waner's page now, the current HD lineup. Anyone know what the prices are for these, the HD Plus, etc? Houston HDTV Channel Lineup 290 HDNET (HD Plus) 291 HDNET Movies (HD Plus) 292 ESPN HD (HD Plus) 293 Universal HD (HD Plus) 295 TNT HD (Standard) 298 HDTV - iN HD (Digital Value) 299 HDTV - iN HD2 (Digital Value) 301 HDTV - Discovery (Standard) 305 HDTV - KHWB WB 39 (Basic) 308 HDTV - KUHT PBS 8 (Basic) 309 HDTV - KRIV FOX 26 (Basic) 311 HDTV - KHOU CBS 11 (Basic) 312 HDTV - KPRC NBC 2 (Basic) 313 HDTV - KTRK ABC 13 (Basic) 460 HDTV - HBO (Premium HDTV) 461 HDTV - HBO West (Premium HDTV) 470 HDTV - Showtime (Premium HDTV) 471 HDTV - Showtime West (Premium HDTV)
I think I'm paying $5.00 for the HD package now with TW. You also have to lease the HD box or HD DVR for $7.00-$10.00 a month depending on which you choose.
I already have the box and get the standard channels. Does the HD Pkg include ALL of the other HD channels that aren't on the Standard HD plan?
This isn't the current lineup. iN HD folded I think. They blended to one channel and then the one channel became Mojo. It wasn't a big loss, I like Mojo better (King Of Miami, I bet You, Three Sheets). The West movie channels have already been stripped - I liked having them because if you couldn't see something you wanted to see you could see it three hours later. They probably cut them to increase DVR sales. You get Showtime and HBO HD if you subscribe to them. You get the Basic ones free with digital cable (but you have to have the correct box to view it). I think the rest total $15.
iNHD/iNHD2 becaome Mojo. That will stay on 298 as it is currently. 293 ESPN2 HD 294 Versus/Golf HD 296 MHD (no clue) 297 Universal HD - being relocated from 293 And the ever important....(part of the Sports package) NFL NETWORK on 113. On another note about ESPN/ESPN2 HD. It is now part of the "basic" package (as in, grouped as the same tier as ch 21-80, of course, you need a digital converter to get it, but that's beside the point, ) I think those 3 changes, keeping Universal HD, ESPN being taken off of the HD package, as well as NFL network being added (albeit, to the Sports package), kept Comcast alive in my home.
ESPN2HD! That's all I was really hoping for. ESPN only shows soccer matches on ESPN2, and I've been dying to watch a game in HD.
MHD is like MTVHD but different. I have the basic digital HBO, and the HDplus for 5 bucks. How much more is the sports package for NFL? Would that include NBA channel?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4883763.html 20 cable channels set to debut when Comcast takes over By MIKE McDANIEL Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Get the full television schedule with searchable listings and more at chrontv.meevee.com Twenty channels, including five high-definition channels, will join the cable lineup when Comcast officially takes over for Time Warner-Houston on Tuesday. Mailers were expected to go out today to all current TW subscribers announcing the new lineup, which shows renamed tiers and new channel groupings but keeps pricing the same. The high-definition channels being added are: * ESPN2 HD. High-def version of the sports and information channel. * MHD. Music High Definition, which Tony Speller, senior vice president for Comcast's Houston region describes as "a combination MTV, VH1 and Country Music Television." * Versus/Golf HD. Two sports networks sharing the same channel number. Versus offers hockey, rodeo and other sports. * Starz HD. Movie channel available to Starz subscribers only. * Cinemax HD. Movie channel available to Cinemax subscribers only. Comcast's HD offerings — 21 channels total — will be complemented by more than 100 hours of HD content available on Comcast's "video on demand" service, Spelling said. "We're updating our VOD platform from a system that had roughly 1,000 hours of content to one that has 6,000 hours of content and 9,000 different programs," he said. That programming will roll out gradually and should be available to all in the greater Houston market by year's end. Fourteen non-HD channels also join the lineup. They are: * The Africa Channel. All-English channel celebrating Africa. * ESPN Deportes. Spanish-language sports channel. * Flix. Films from the '60s, '70s and '80s. * Fox Reality. New and off-network reality series from around the world. * GolTV. Soccer channel available in two different packages, one in English, one in Spanish. * Gospel Music Channel. Gospel music 24/7. * ImaginAsian TV. Movies, animé, sports and music. * Indieplex. Commercial-free independent and art-house movies. * MTV Tr3s. Lifestyle and music channel aimed at Latinos. * Logo. Original series, films and documentaries focused on gays, lesbians and transgenders. * MoviePlex. An affiliate of the Encore movie channels, this one runs movies of a different theme (crime, Western, etc.) every day. * NFL Network. 24/7 football channel offering multiple games during the season. * PBS Kids Sprout. Aimed at preschoolers ages 2 to 5. * Retroplex. Commercial-free classic movies from the '50s, '60s and '70s. Comcast will introduce a new tiering system that has several notable upgrades or improvements. The new "Basic Service" tier includes all local channels (and their HD signals) as well as Chicago "superstation" WGN, Tube Music (affiliated with Channel 39), and Spanish-language channels LATV (affiliated with Channel 2) and V-me (affiliated with Channel 8). Price: $16.42. An "Expanded Basic" tier adds 55 channels to the "Basic" tier, including eight HD channels. Price: $44.99. "Digital Basic" is for customers who want the first two tiers plus access to video on demand, including MoviePlex. Price: $51.99. Niche channels such as ESPN News, Current TV, Gospel Music Channel and Toon Disney are on the "Digital Classic" tier. Price: $55.99. "Digital Preferred" adds Logo, Indieplex, Sundance, four Encore channels and more. Price: $56.99. A sports pack, which includes the NFL Network, goes for an additional $4, while a 15-channel Spanish-language package can be added for $5 more. Premium movie packages and international channels are also available. HDNet pack, offering Mark Cuban's HDNet and HDNet Movies, can be had for another $3. A package that includes everything except the international channels is available for $86.99, which matches the current price for a similar offering on Time Warner. All prices do not include the cost of equipment such as a digital box or an HD tuner. Comcast enters a TV market more competitive than ever before. AT&T, Dish and DirecTV promise HD packages, for example, as good or greater than what Comcast is promising. AT&T offers West Coast feeds of several cable channels and boasts 27 HD channels. Dish, like Comcast, offers 21 HD channels, but with a significantly different channel list. DirecTV has been advertising 150 HD channels by year's end. "We're bringing customers the HD content they're demanding, the most popular channels they are asking for," Spelling said. "In addition, we have HD VOD, with more than 100 hours of HD content available. So I would say we are extremely competitive in that space." He emphasized the quality, quantity and diversity of the programming Comcast provides as reasons to stick with cable. As for cost, the company noted that savings can be accomplished by bundling cable with other services Comcast offers, including phone and Internet access. "We've been in the business a long time," added Ray Purser, Comcast's vice president of government and public relations in Houston. "We're investing $200 million in the market to launch new products and services. We have a call center of 900 employees who understand the business. Our competitors are trying to catch up to us, but they have a long way to go."
Well I think the price for me will go up. Right now I spend 44.99 for Digi Basic and 5 for HDPlus. Thats 50. Without counting HBO. They offer the same thing except no VOD and no HDnet for 45. If you want VOD its 52. if you want HDnet its an additional 3. So thats 55 without HBO. Additionally I am getting ESPN2HD and VOD HD.
So...is that everything EXCLUDING Premium channels like HBOS, Showtime, etc? Or does that include the premiums?
http://consumerblog.abc13.com/2007/06/comcast_lets_us.html Email Soon you’ll be transferring your email account(s)to Comcast. We have a shiny new mailbox waiting for you. Soon we’ll be sending you the information and instructions you’ll need to easily transition your Road Runner email account(s) to Comcast. Keep an eye out for this email–it will be the confi rmation that your change to Comcast has begun and the green light to start the email transfer process. You will have 60 days from the time you receive this email to complete your email address transition. As part of this process, you will be directed to a Welcome Center, where you will select your email address and be guided through the steps to bring your Road Runner contacts and messages to Comcast. You can also select to alert your Road Runner address book contacts that you have a new email address. We will forward any Road Runner email you receive to your new comcast.net address through the end of 2007. If you wish, you can disable this feature. Now your lucky number is 7. With Comcast High-Speed Internet, you get up to seven email accounts. If you currently have more than seven email accounts with Road Runner, you will need to delete a few. You must keep the primary email account (the first account created at service setup) and can choose six other email accounts you wish to transfer to Comcast.net, then delete the rest*. By the way, your password will remain the same, so there’s one less thing to remember.
$7 more a month for VOD? is that worth it? I dont have HBO or any other premium channels, just the reg digital channels including the HD and was planning to add sports I never order movies through VOD..am i missing why I need it?
What a load of crap. I have 5 email addresses with RR that I have had for around 6 years. They are my life-lines. I can't imagine changing them. They also originally said our email would not change.
Definitely worth it if you already have a premium channel (since now the HD content will be on demand)... probably not worth it otherwise.
