Comcast cable delays hi def in Sandy Springs

Comcast cable company said it will delay rolling out its “enhanced” high definition service to customers in Sandy Springs until July so customers won’t be confused by the Federal Communication Commission’s switching this week of TV broadcast signals from old-fashioned analog to digital.

The company already switched its cable service in Winder and North Fulton. Comcast said the change enables customers to get certain high-definition channels they cannot get now on their basic service, and will require the customers have new conversion boxes installed on their TVs.

The “enhanced” service requires a digital cable box and a digital adapter. One digital cable box and two digital adapters are provided for no charge. Additional cable boxes cost $5.99 each a month. Additional adapters cost $1.99 each per month.

The FCC switch over from analog to digital this Friday will not affect Comcast customers whose TVs are connected to the cable system, said the company. Comcast customers do not need to be switched to the “enhanced” Comcast system to receive the new FCC digital signal.

People who will no longer be able to pick up broadcast television this Friday are those with analog TVs without digital converters.

—Jeffry Scott