Best Buy Adds Digital Cable Kiosks For In-Store Activation

MINNEAPOLIS— Best Buy customers can now activate digital cable and high-definition TV services before leaving the store, with the help of new kiosks available at more than 400 of the company's stores beginning late last month.

The new kiosks provide a list of available digital cable or HDTV plans in each market, which makes it easier for consumers to compare and choose the best plan for their needs. According to Best Buy, it has "one of the largest footprints of top-tier digital cable providers from across the country," including Adelphia, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight and Time-Warner.

In addition to offering a variety of plans, the new "activation tool" makes it easy to select additional features such as premium channel packages, high definition or high-speed Internet. In a matter of minutes, customers can enter their address, qualify for service, select a plan and additional services, bundle broadband and finalize their order. After submitting an order, the customer gets a confirmation page and instructions for completing the installation.

The kiosk interface was designed in partnership with non-profit R&D consortium CableLabs and GetConnected Inc., who also helped Best Buy develop its broadband activation stations.