Things Looking Better on Comcast

Subscribers to Comcast Cablevision in Orange County could be getting sharper pictures and sound, dozens of additional channels and a host of new services as part of the company’s plan to roll out digital television service next month.

Comcast is one of several Orange County cable companies upgrading its network to fiber optic cable, but is expected to be the first in the county to begin using a digital signal. The company serves about 95,000 customers in Buena Park, Fullerton, Newport Beach, Placentia, Seal Beach and Santa Ana.

About 11,000 customers in Buena Park will be the first to get the service, although it will be made available to other Orange County subscribers before the end of the year, said Linda Hofsinger, general manager of Comcast.

Subscribers who want the digital service will have to pay a few extra dollars per month and have converter boxes connected to their television sets. Hofsinger said rates for the new service haven’t been determined.

The digital service is expected to deliver better image quality than traditional analog signals. Also, digital signals can be compressed, meaning that more channels and additional services can be offered.

As a result, Comcast said, it will soon offer access to the Internet through its cable network, as well as about 30 commercial-free music channels that can be piped through a home stereo system.

The service should not be confused with the high-definition digital television format recently approved by the federal government. That service, expected to lead to dramatically improved pictures and sound, won’t be available until late 1998, and will require consumers to upgrade to a new type of television set.

Other local cable companies have also been upgrading their networks to fiber optic cable in recent years. Cox Communications in San Juan Capistrano, for instance, was the first to offer Internet access in December, and is expected to begin offering digital television within three months.

The service only affects channels such as ESPN and HBO that are transmitted digitally by satellite. Local broadcast stations, such as network affiliates, still use analog signals.