Comcast announced that as part of its “World of More” campaign the company is adding 22 HD channels and is making the leap from broadband to wideband with the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 for residential homes and businesses in the Chattanooga area beginning this month.
Comcast will continue these additions in the Chattanooga area communities it serves throughout the year.
New high definition channels being added– at no additional cost – include:
Biography, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNBC, E! Entertainment, Encore East, ESPNews, Fox Business, FUSE, G4, Hallmark Movie Channel, Independent Film Channel (IFC), Lifetime Movie Network, MGM TV, Planet Green, QVC Shopping Network, Style Network, The Learning Channel (TLC), Toon Disney, Travel Channel, TV One, and WE TV on channel 455.
Comcast will now offer more than 60 HD channels with the anticipation of offering additional channels by year’s end, it was stated.
Comcast offers more than 1,000 HD Video on Demand (VOD) choices, officials said
Additionally, new Digital Classic tier channels being added-at no additional cost- include: Family Network, FUSE, Independent Film Channel (IFC), Reelz, The Word, and WE TV.
Also, RFD-TV will be added as part of the Sports Entertainment package. RFD-TV is "a cable channel that serves the general interests and needs of rural America with a variety of well-balanced, high-quality, original programs including Crook & Chase, Hee Haw and The Marty Stuart Show."
Officials said, "The World of More also allows Comcast to convert its fiber optic network from broadband to wideband. With wideband, Comcast will launch a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which redefines the customer experience online and creates a platform for Internet innovation for the future.
"Comcast wideband offers some of the fastest speeds available today, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Wideband also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers at no additional cost."
Valerie Gillespie, vice president and general manager of Chattanooga Comcast, said, “This is truly an exciting day for Comcast customers as we launch 22 new HD channels as well as six new digital channels, and the ever popular RFD network, giving them what they have consistently asked for…additional HD and digital channels. Our next generation wideband services will also use our existing fiber-optic network, but will be supercharged to enhance our customers’ online experience. Best of all, this service will continue to be launched in the Chattanooga service area throughout the year making it available to all of our customers throughout the service area.”
With Extreme 50, Comcast customers will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster than ever, she said.
In addition to the new speed tiers, Comcast also is increasing speeds for most of its existing customers.
Performance tier customers will benefit from doubled downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.
Performance Plus customers will be upgraded to Comcast’s Blast! Tier, which will double their download speeds to up to 16 Mbps and provide up to 2 Mbps of upload speed, it was stated.
Ms. Gillespie said, "Plus, with PowerBoost technology, customers are able to enjoy even faster speeds to download and upload files such as videos, games, music and photos."