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Comcast: Still Lying, Lying, Lying About HDTV
TVPredictions.com

Washington, D.C. (February 28, 2010) -- I just received a promotional flier in the mail from Comcast for its new Xfinity Triple Play service. The flier says that Xfinity will deliver the "fastest" Internet speeds and "triple the HD channels."

Oh, really?

Now I live in Calvert County, Maryland where Comcast now provides roughly 90 HD channels. Does that mean that Xfinity will give me 270 HD channels? (The cable operator just rolled out Xfinity to 11 markets including Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.; more cities will be added later this year.)
Obviously not. In fact, after getting the promotional flier, I called Comcast's 800 number and asked if would get 270 high-def channels if I signed up for Xfinity.

"No, I don't think so," the customer rep said. "But if you now get, like 2 or 3 channels, you might get 12 HD channels (with Xfinity.)"


Is that a Comcast marketing executive?

Well, that was a silly response, of course. Comcast now isn't providing just two or three HD channels in any particular market ( at least, to the best of my knowledge).

 Read more below.

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But the episode once again illustrates how Comcast is playing fast and loose with its claims about HD service.

The cable operator clearly wants consumers to think that Xfinity will mean an explosion of new HD programming on their televisions. So it throws out a statement that the new service will deliver "triple" the HD channels.

But to put this claim into perspective, there aren't even 270 HD channels in existence, even if you include every multi-signal from the premium movie channels. So unless Comcast is planning to add a bunch of HD VOD channels -- and call them regular channels -- I don't see how they can provide me with "triple the HD channels."

But as I noted, this is nothing new for Comcast.

The cable operator often runs national TV spots saying that it offers more HD programming than satellite. Well, in some areas, such as mine, the cable operator is certainly competitive with DIRECTV and Dish Network, both of which offer more than 100 HD channels. (Comcast even offers more than 100 HD channels in some markets, although not many.)

However, in other markets, Comcast's high-def lineup is well under 100 channels. South Florida, for instance, gets less than 50 HD channels, according to the cable operator's web site. The Sacramento, California market gets less than 40 HD channels, according to the web site.

Considering that it's 2010 -- and HDTV has been around now for more than a decade -- those are ridiculous numbers. But even more ridiculous is Comcast's claim that it offers more HD than anyone else.

Depending upon where you live, you might get less HD than everyone else.
Also see:
 Consumer Reports: 'Best Buys' For HDTVs

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 Phillip Swann is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

 Click TVPredictions.com to read more news and features on TV technology. 

 
 
 
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