Q. I heard that Comcast is having a free preview of the Epix channel, but I can’t find it in their lineup. Is there a free preview or not? And I thought they added that channel. Did they really add it? — Cheryl, Boston. 

Cheryl, Comcast did add Epix, the premium channel, on June 13. And, yes, it’s holding a free preview of Epix from July 16 through July 22.

But there is a catch.

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The free preview only includes the On Demand menu for Epix, not the live channel. So you can watch any Epix show or movie that’s available on demand until July 22. (Note: Epix is only available on Comcast X1 set-tops. )

But you can’t tune in the free, live version without paying for a $5.99 a month subscription. You can access the Epix menu through the On Demand button on your Comcast remote.

Why is Comcast only offering the On Demand lineup for free?

I don’t know, but I have received many e-mails from readers this week asking why they can’t watch Epix on Comcast since they are having a free preview.  The decision to exclude the live channel in the preview seems unnecessarily confusing to me.

By the way, the live Epix channel is in the channel 300s on most Comcast X1 systems.

Epix offers original programming such as Berlin Station (pictured above) and Get Shorty as well as movies from MGM, Paramount and Lion’s Gate studios such as Arrival, Transformers: The Last Knight, The Magnificent Seven, Me Before You, Daddy’s Home.

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann