NEW CABLE CHANNELS AVAILABLE FROM TCI

Digital TV has arrived in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

TCI Cablevision customers can sign up for the cable provider's digital package, which includes 36 new channels.

The digital service, which requires a converter box, will cost customers an additional $10 a month plus installation, equipment and franchise fees, said Roger Harms, general manager of the Cape Girardeau-Jackson franchise.

Among the new channels available are the Sci-Fi channel, the History Channel, Home and Garden TV, BBC America and the Game Show Network.

Additional premium channels, including Encore Mystery and The Movie Channel, will also be available.

Ten digital music channels also will be available.

Customers who opt not to go digital will still be able to receive their current cable service.

The upgrade to digital compression technology will give customers a wider selection of channels and better reception, Harms said.

The current analog system causes distortion of broadcasters' signals. "We're picking them up out of the air," Harms said. With the digital system, he said, the signal will be transmitted directly from the satellite into the cable system.

The digital system also features a programming guide that gives viewers "control of their TV set," Harms said. Viewers can use the on-screen service to preview programming, set reminders for favorite programs and lock out broadcasts by channel, program title or program rating, he said.

TCI has been working on the digital system here for about six months, Harms said.

The system was tested for about a month in TCI employees' homes before it was made available to customers.

Originally, the digital system was supposed to be available April 1.

"We got it together a little sooner than we thought, and we decided to just go ahead and make it available," Harms said.

The digital upgrade came as part of the cable franchise agreement between TCI and Cape Girardeau.

TCI and Falcon Cable TV are working out a merger of cable systems in several states, including Missouri. The new entity, Falcon Communications, will take over management of the Cape Girardeau-Jackson system later this year.

A planned installation of fiber optic technology will go ahead after the new management system is established, Harms said.

The fiber optics upgrade, also included in the franchise agreement, will create additional band width on the local cable system.

The additional band width means TCI will be able to offer new services such as Internet access, telephone service or online banking and other transactions through customers' television sets.