[June 04, 2010] Digital switch is big turnoff for some Comcast customers Tweet Jun 04, 2010 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The day of reckoning came for Sacramento's Comcast customers Thursday. Either you were on board with the cable provider's "digital migration" or you were left staring at a black screen and a simple statement: "If you can see this message, the TV you're watching isn't yet ready for Comcast's digital network enhancements." For weeks, Comcast said, it has been informing customers of the coming switch to digital from analog format via mailings, phone calls and on-screen crawl lines. The company said it didn't know how many customers received the on-screen message, but it has a Natomas warehouse stockpiled with thousands of the converter boxes needed to receive the digital service. Comcast spokesman Andrew Johnson said that "we anticipated that some customers would wait until the last minute" to get the boxes. Hundreds could be found venting their frustration Thursday at Comcast's Truxel Road customer service offices, many of whom said they were surprised when their TV screens suddenly went black. For Cynthia Bird and her family, avid basketball fans, the blackout was especially ill-timed. Game 1 of the NBA Finals was set to tip off in hours. "My son woke up this morning to see this message. We didn't know anything about this," said Bird of Sacramento, toting boxes holding the coveted digital adapters needed to restore her cable channels. "They should've done a lot more. We're right in the middle of the Lakers and Celtics." Bob Rivera and his son were watching the Bruce Lee cult favorite "Enter the Dragon" overnight when the conversion kicked in. "I said, 'Here's the good part,' and right after that? Blip." Crowds were so heavy at one Comcast office on Truxel Road -- more than 50 people squeezed into a small room -- that security guards walked the overflow to a second office a few doors away. Security guard Khalil Al-Rawas tried to calm customers' frayed nerves. His job, he said, was to "keep the cool." At 3 p.m., a truck pulled up with about 100 more boxes to restock the offices. Johnson said the digital switch was turned on Wednesday night for Sacramento, Carmichael and Rio Linda. He said Comcast, the largest cable TV provider in the Sacramento area, has activated the "digital migration" in about 30 other Central Valley cities in phases since February. The conversion increases Comcast's digital and high-definition arsenal and bolsters its position in a competitive market. Each analog station dropped adds room for 12 digital channels or three high-definition channels. The Sacramento phase rolled out in April and wrapped up Thursday. Other areas, including Davis, Marysville-Yuba City and Stockton will be converted by the end of summer, Johnson said. Those who subscribe to the lowest level of cable TV service -- known as limited basic -- don't have to do anything. They will continue to receive the same service without new equipment. Nor is any change necessary for TVs that already receive digital service. But new set-top boxes are required for subscribers who want to continue receiving mid-level service -- known as expanded basic -- on all or some of their TVs. Expanded basic customers who choose not to get a digital converter box will drop back to limited basic service and be charged accordingly, Comcast said. Rates for the various service levels did not change as part of the conversion. Comcast spokesman Johnson said the set-top boxes will enable customers to receive channels 25 to 74, a span that includes CNN, Disney Channel and Lifetime. Some new channels also were added to the extended basic lineup. Comcast technicians and customer service personnel are ready to help "as quickly as possible," Johnson said. Russell Volkson of Sacramento was one latecomer. After a late night of ESPN was interrupted by the notice, he made the trip Thursday afternoon to Comcast. After a 45-minute wait, he was out the door. "It wasn't too bad," he said. "When you wait until the last minute, this is what happens." ------ Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040. To see more of The Sacramento Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sacbee.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]