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Comcast has a service called "Digital Lite" that includes the regular expanded basic channels, music choice, and 4 digital programming channels (CSPAN2, Lifetime Movie Network, Hallmark Channel, and the Gameshow Network). The price is $53.50 + $3.25 for each converter rental. Was $51.50 + $4 converter rental.
Analog expanded basic (about 64 channels) is also $53.50. On digital lite, you get the same $64'ish channels plus the four digital programming and music choice channels.
What they did was remove the 4 channels that are now digital from the analog package and then said "but we'll give you a converter to watch those 4 channels". I think the plan was to get a converter in as many homes as possible; then, they could dump analog service when they felt like enough homes were saturated with digital cable boxes. From what I'm hearing from people, I don't think their plan worked like they thought it would. Many people are happy with the standard analog service and not interested in renting converter boxes for their TV's.
When I ordered analog cable in December, 2007; they told me that I'd be better off just to go ahead and subscribe to a digital package because there would be no more analog cable by mid 2008. I told them that I wanted analog cable and we'd cross that bridge when we came to it. Guess what, I still have the same analog channels that I had then.
If there comes a point where I have to rent a cable box; I'll either cancel the service or rent one or two boxes for the most used TV's and connect the other TV's to an antenna.
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