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Cox Cable Cards

647K views 2K replies 469 participants last post by  Tanic 
#1 ·
Just talked to cox cable here in fairfax, Va. The cable cards cost 8.95 per month each because they charge a digital gateway charge just like they do for each set....so its like getting 2 set top boxes. No system 3 for me. I will stay with D* and get the HR20
 
#2,052 ·
I got a lineup change message yesterday listing these channels, although they were already showing up in the guide for me before the message. Only difference is there seems to be guide data for them now whereas before all was listed as "To Be Announced". The channels also show unauthorized for me, at the moment.
 
#2,053 ·
I got a lineup change message yesterday listing these channels, although they were already showing up in the guide for me before the message. Only difference is there seems to be guide data for them now whereas before all was listed as "To Be Announced". The channels also show unauthorized for me, at the moment.
Same here. Maybe cox will have them live in a few days
 
#2,054 ·
I got a lineup change message yesterday listing these channels, although they were already showing up in the guide for me before the message. Only difference is there seems to be guide data for them now whereas before all was listed as "To Be Announced". The channels also show unauthorized for me, at the moment.
I noticed the same thing, 1045-TruTVHD and 1071-TCMHD did go live last night also.

I am not expecting to get the others, (Plus Package), without a fight, but perhaps I'll be surprised.
 
#2,055 ·
So it seems COX NH just flipped the SDV switch.

Back in October I got a letter stating on November 7th, all channels listed will be converted to SDV and I would need to get a Tuning Adapter.

I did, but I was unsure if the tuning adapter was working properly, I was under the impression from reading posts on AVSForums it was not as the yellow light was blinking. But I still was receiving all my channels so I thought it must be working fine and I don't know why that light is blinking.

Well, as of this morning, none of the channels listed on the SDV sheet come in. They just give a message about there is a problem with the signal on this channel.

I have tried to power cycle the tuning adapter, the tivo but nothing seems to be working by doing just that.

in the menu's it shows a turning adapter is attached.

Anyone know what I should try to get these channels working?
 
#2,060 ·
I noticed the same thing, 1045-TruTVHD and 1071-TCMHD did go live last night also.

I am not expecting to get the others, (Plus Package), without a fight, but perhaps I'll be surprised.
I inquired today with Cox AZ, regarding the Plus Package channels and was told it would cost me $10/mo for these channels to be authorized with a CableCARD. Ouch. Every other market I know only charges $5/mo and that is for the equipment charges for the Whole Home DVR package.

Is any Cox Customer receiving the Plus Package channels paying an additional fee?
=====================================================================
EDIT:

I emailed back and questioned the initial quote of $10/mo just for the channels, and was told he made a mistake and the channels are Free with a CableCARD as long as you subscribe to the corresponding SD Tier. I should have them shortly, fingers crossed.

First attempt did not get the channels working, although they do show as having been added to my account online. Issue has been escalated.
 
#2,061 ·
I inquired today with Cox AZ, regarding the Plus Package channels and was told it would cost me $10/mo for these channels to be authorized with a CableCARD. Ouch. Every other market I know only charges $5/mo and that is for the equipment charges for the Whole Home DVR package.

Is any Cox Customer receiving the Plus Package channels paying an additional fee?
What I wonder I don't even see these listed on cox website yet?
 
#2,062 ·
What I wonder I don't even see these listed on cox website yet?
They are not listed Yet in the channel line-up but are available. You Must have a Premiere I believe because they are MPEG4 not MPEG2

I emailed back and questioned the initial quote of $10/mo just for the channels, and was told he made a mistake and the channels are Free as long as you subscribe to the corresponding SD Tier. I should have them shortly, fingers crossed.

Cox AZ is charging $10/mo for the Whole Home DVR equipment however, which is twice the price of other current markets.

EDIT:
First attempt did not get the channels working, although they do show as having been added to my account online. Issue has been escalated.
 
#2,063 ·
They are not listed Yet in the channel line-up but are available. You Must have a Premiere I believe because they are MPEG4 not MPEG2

I emailed back and questioned the initial quote of $10/mo just for the channels, and was told he made a mistake and the channels are Free as long as you subscribe to the corresponding SD Tier. I should have them shortly, fingers crossed.

Cox AZ is charging $10/mo for the Whole Home DVR equipment however, which is twice the price of other current markets.

EDIT:
First attempt did not get the channels working, although they do show as having been added to my account online. Issue has been escalated.
Update if you get them please:up:
 
#2,064 ·
Anyone here in RI? Whats the situation?

I got a letter a while back saying I needed to get a TA for SDV. I never did anything, and now can't find the letter. So far it appears that I am not missing anything.
I got my TA, but it wasn't working properly, but I still received all my channels. I'm in Pawtucket, and on the 18th all the channels on the SDV list went away.

Try channel 195, if it says there is a signal problem then you know sdv was activated for you. The letter said november 7th, I guess they were a few months late. But once they sent a hit to my tuning adapter all was well.

wonder if it is slowly being turned on node by node based
 
#2,065 ·
Update if you get them please:up:
So far they are still Not Authorized for me, Most CSRs are not even aware this is possible, They have to dig through their info database to find the information. Cox is going to send a TECH out Wednesday, Not sure what he is going to do as I do have a good signal and SNR and the tuner can lock onto the channel.

I'll post back after the Tech comes.

EDIT: Tech came out today, Wednesday, and had never heard of the channels, Still Not Authorized.

EDIT: 2 Another Tech roll Friday 1/27, still not Authorized.
 
#2,066 ·
I got my TA, but it wasn't working properly, but I still received all my channels. I'm in Pawtucket, and on the 18th all the channels on the SDV list went away.

Try channel 195, if it says there is a signal problem then you know sdv was activated for you. The letter said november 7th, I guess they were a few months late. But once they sent a hit to my tuning adapter all was well.

wonder if it is slowly being turned on node by node based
We're in North Prov - and I guess I've just been lazy and never picked up that TA. Is it really necessary? We're not getting any special packages -- how would you know if you need it? (sorry for the obliviousness) :)
 
#2,067 ·
I got my TA, but it wasn't working properly, but I still received all my channels. I'm in Pawtucket, and on the 18th all the channels on the SDV list went away.

Try channel 195, if it says there is a signal problem then you know sdv was activated for you. The letter said november 7th, I guess they were a few months late. But once they sent a hit to my tuning adapter all was well.

wonder if it is slowly being turned on node by node based
I finally found the letter and I can't say at the moment I will miss any of the channels that are going to be on SDV
 
#2,068 ·
I finally found the letter and I can't say at the moment I will miss any of the channels that are going to be on SDV
*shrugs* If it's me, I want all the channels I'm entitled to, even if there's nothing immediate I might want to watch on them. A few years ago, I wouldn't have suspected I'd be watching AMC regularly. If I didn't have it available, I might not have sampled shows I now watch regularly.

In our area, SDV includes a lot of HD channels, including FX, that I definitely wanted access to.
 
#2,069 ·
We're in North Prov - and I guess I've just been lazy and never picked up that TA. Is it really necessary? We're not getting any special packages -- how would you know if you need it? (sorry for the obliviousness) :)
I finally found the letter and I can't say at the moment I will miss any of the channels that are going to be on SDV
When Cox deploys SDV they generally start with a small block of 30-50 seldom watched channels, and add more blocks of channels over the next several months. The total number of SDV channels will end up being around 200 channels.

Typical SDV channels are mostly the SD channels in the Variety, Sports & Info, Movie, Faith & Values and Latino Packages.

Common Cox HD channels using SDV are BBCA HD, Bio HD, CMT HD, Disney XD HD, Encore HD, EPIXHD, ESPNUHD, Fox Business HD, Fox Soccer HD, Fuse HD, G4HD, Galavision HD, Hallmark Channel HD, Hallmark Movie HD, History2 HD, IFC HD, Investigation Discovery HD, LMN HD, More Max HD, TMC HD, MSNBC HD, Starz Edge HD, Tennis Channel HD, TruTV HD, Weather Channel HD, WETV HD

Motorola Systems may be different, but in AZ with Cisco equipment, you must have a Tuning Adapter connected to download the correct channel mapping.
 
#2,070 ·
Out of curiosity what does this message mean: " Channel not provided by the Tuning Adapter. Contact your cable provider for more information."


I get all all the sdv channels, however I recently noticed that the guide is now showing some out of market locals and a all the sub channels for the locals I get. But I get the above message when ever I try to tune anyone of them.
 
#2,071 ·
I am in Phoenix with a Tivo Premiere and my Plus Package channels say "This Channel is not authorized. Contact your cable provider for more information." Are people with Cox DVRs now receiving these channels? If anybody is successfully receiving these channels in Phoenix, please provide the steps taken to get them. Thanks.
 
#2,072 ·
so for those in phx. I have been working with a senior tech. And she has had to manually code all the channels to my account, this took two+ hours. she has sent me an email saying that there is an issue on the Cox side with them not being able to authorize the channels for cable card users outside of their boxes. this is known and they are working on a fix.
 
#2,073 ·
*shrugs* If it's me, I want all the channels I'm entitled to, even if there's nothing immediate I might want to watch on them. A few years ago, I wouldn't have suspected I'd be watching AMC regularly. If I didn't have it available, I might not have sampled shows I now watch regularly.

In our area, SDV includes a lot of HD channels, including FX, that I definitely wanted access to.
I am sure at some point I will want to get setup with the TA, but for now, i am just procrastinating.
 
#2,074 ·
so for those in phx. I have been working with a senior tech. And she has had to manually code all the channels to my account, this took two+ hours. she has sent me an email saying that there is an issue on the Cox side with them not being able to authorize the channels for cable card users outside of their boxes. this is known and they are working on a fix.
I e-mailed Cox about the issue and got this response:

"We regret any inconvenience this may be causing you. The agreement between Cox and TiVo has been completed, but this feature is not ready to launch to TiVo Premiere customers in Cox Arizona yet. Regrettably, we do not have an estimated time of arrival. Please note, we are not charging accounts with CableCARDs only for the Plus Packages channels as they are not available. To confirm, no credits will be issued for this concern at this time."

I don't know what agreement they're referring to (VOD?). All I know is that I believe I am paying for channels that Cox is not providing and not getting any help from them in understanding why. Anybody know how to get this issue to the right person/ senior tech at Cox Phoenix?
 
#2,075 ·
I e-mailed Cox about the issue and got this response:

"We regret any inconvenience this may be causing you. The agreement between Cox and TiVo has been completed, but this feature is not ready to launch to TiVo Premiere customers in Cox Arizona yet. Regrettably, we do not have an estimated time of arrival. Please note, we are not charging accounts with CableCARDs only for the Plus Packages channels as they are not available. To confirm, no credits will be issued for this concern at this time."

I don't know what agreement they're referring to (VOD?). All I know is that I believe I am paying for channels that Cox is not providing and not getting any help from them in understanding why. Anybody know how to get this issue to the right person/ senior tech at Cox Phoenix?
And why do they think this is just about Premiere owners and not S3 owners?
 
#2,076 ·
I too am in the Mesa/Phoenix Cox area. Cox has little to no understanding of Tivo boxes and subcontract out their installs and repairs to Non-Cox companies who seem to know even less about Tivo. Both the phone personnel and the installers will try to talk you out of sticking with Tivo. I do get most of the digital channels available except on-demand.

I've moved a few times over the years and each time getting Cox out several times is often necessary. I'ved owned many models of cable Tivos at one time or another. I have found major problems with every box after the Tivo 2 DT because Cox must do the cable card install. The HD and Premiers have been a nightmare with reboots and menus that sometimes just stick for up to 20 minutes at a time. I've stuck with Tivo because I love the searchability which no other DVR I've tried comes close to. Sometimes it's difficult with a new install to sort out what is the Tivo's normal screw ups and what is Cox's fault. But I've got pretty good at troubleshooting the problems. Slow menus and reboots are generally not a Cox issue. Channels going missing or recordings being missed can be Cox issues.

Do not try to set up your cable card yourself by phone even if Cox allows you to. Many channels won't show as authorized if you do. The phone people have little knowledge of how to fix this and will just tell you to restart your boxes and sometimes reset the cable cards which usually doesn't fix the channels you don't see. The tech needs to be on site so he can call the Cox people (usually several times) to get those channels authorized.

The tech needs to be in your home usually for a few hours. Make sure they check every channel you want for watchability before leaving. They don't like to do this but if you don't have them do it you will be missing channels. They often want to charge you for return visits or schedule appointments weeks away so be sure they do it right first if possible.

Be sure they check signal levels as weak cable signals cause a vast array of problems with Tivo Premiers. Week signals in Phoenix apartments or multi-housing units are a prime cause of channels disappearing. They can put an amplifier in-line if necessary or sometimes they will just need to pull new cable or replace connectors. This may seem trivial but it is a major source of channel problems.

Also in the Phoenix area, a Tuning Adapter is necessary to pick up many channels. This Cisco TA will be a never ending source of greif to you. If you can live without the channels the tuning adapter provides you, avoid it like the plague. 1st, it's a big box at about the size of a DVD recorder. The TAs lose contact with channels and sometimes fail to authorize some or all channels. When the TA fails it can effect ALL your channels not just the ones it is decoding as the entire set of channels must pass through it. A common problem is seeing a recording did not take place or stopped in the middle of the program. When you look at the channel it either says the channel is unavailable or unauthorized. Pressing the up down channel change button brings it back to life. The tuning adapters shut off channels they think are unused for some time. Unfortunately this often means the program you were recording goes to black screen and the Tivo stops recording. The tuning adapter only restarts that channel after the tivo selects it a couple of times again (CHUP & CHDOWN). At least once a week the TAs would do this to one of my recordings. Even more frequently, as an example, dial up say 1010 channel. You see a black screen or channel unavailable. Hit channel up/down and it's back. I've had 3 of these boxes and they all have caused problems which result in failed recordings or cable outages. Sometimes shutting it off for a minute or two and turning it back on will help. Prepare to wait a few minutes for it to reset.

Phoenix Cox has no desire and limited knowhow to get your Tivo working. You will have to fight them all the way. Be prepared for at least 3 service calls before you get all your channels and even then you might still have to deal with Tuning Adapter problems and the occassional Premier itself locking up. Then there's also the issue that Cox locks (maximum copy protection setting) almost all recordings so you can't transfer them out of the Tivo even to another Tivo.

Cox wants you out of the Tivo box and into paying rental for theirs. The techs themselves will often tell you they hate setting up cable card devices. But their Scientific Atlanta is a complete piece of junk so you will want them to get your Tivo working rather than switch as they would like you to do.

Don't give up and you'll eventually get your Tivo system and Cox working together. Don't expect the Cable Card Tuning Adapter issues to be resolved. You'll just have to live with them if you want Tivo here. If you have them come out for anything, be sure to scrutinize your next two bills as they often like to charge for something they didn't get right the first time or even double bill for calls.

I'd gladly dump Cox if there were other non-contract options with the same channels available here, provided they worked with Tivo. Over-the-Air reception isn't good here and not much is available there except the major 4 or 5 networks. Sattelite has the channels but wants a contract and doesn't support HD Tivos yet. On-line requires devoting a PC to downloading and a good deal of interaction which I don't want to do. So until other options are available, I'm stuck with Cox.
 
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