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Insight to require boxes or adapters on all TVsApr 22, 2010 (The Lexington Herald-Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Insight Communications, Lexington's cable television provider, plans to switch to an all-digital cable lineup later this year and will require customers to obtain either cable boxes or adapters for all televisions in their homes. By eliminating analog channels, which take up more bandwidth on Insight's network than digital ones, the company plans to add about 50 more high-definition channels and also residential Internet service of up to 50 Mbps, said spokesman Jason Keller. Keller said all televisions not already hooked to a cable box will need to either have one or a mini-digital adapter. The latter is a small device, about 4 inches or so, that plugs into the back of a TV. It essentially functions like the converter boxes that were popularized by the move from analog to digital over-the-air network television last year. The company plans to begin communicating the changes to customers in May and will gradually roll out the changes later this summer. Customers with questions can call Insight at (859) 514-1400. Lexington is the only market in which the company is making so many changes at once. Insight's other markets will see the changes in more prolonged stages, Keller said. This change will restore some channels that were switched from analog to digital in recent months. Among those are C-SPAN2 and Univision. Those channels had been removed from analog lineups to accommodate more HD channels, Keller said. Insight will provide as many as two of the adapters to each household for free, but the number is different depending on the type of service. Customers without a cable box will receive as many as two, while any customer with a cable box will receive only one. Customers needing more will have to purchase them, and Keller said the expectation is that there will be a monthly charge for them rather than a one-time fee. Pricing information is still being decided, he said. Pricing information has also not been determined on the faster Internet that will be available as part of the change. The adapters won't interfere with devices attached to TVs like TiVo DVRs. Considering many households have more than two televisions, it could mean higher bills for many customers. Keller said Insight decided to limit the free adapters to two based on how other cable companies have handled similar digital rollouts elsewhere. Digital boxes can also be used on the televisions to maintain service. According to Insight's website, a cable box with an HD digital video recorder costs $15 monthly. A low-end version without the DVR costs $5 monthly. The price for the adapters is expected to be less than that for digital boxes, Keller said. Addressing the issue of higher bills, Keller said, "we recognize that certainly times are not the best, and that's why we're willing to work with every one of our customers to make sure they have the package that suits their budget." To see more of the Lexington Herald-Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kentucky.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky. 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. |