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Puerto Rico Onelink Lineup Problem

29K views 81 replies 19 participants last post by  Impulses 
#1 ·
Is everyone with Onelink in Puerto Rico having issues with their channels 2-99? My TiVo thinks that Onelink changed all channels 2-99 to channels 802-899. So I have no programming info for channels 2-99, where the shows are actually playing, while my TiVo records a black screen on channels 802-899. Does anybody know what's going on? How can we let TiVo know that the lineup hasn't changed? Or does TiVo know something I don't about Onelink changing its lineup in the near future?
 
#27 ·
Everyone should fill that out if you're not comfortable sharing zip codes or whatever here, and even if you are. Here's what I entered:

" Channels haven't physically changed or moved but ALL programing data and channel descriptions for the basic cable channels (1-99) is missing, correction, it's not missing but has been shifted up to 801-899. It is my understanding that Onelink is going thru some kind of transition but they've screwed it up big time. Most of my 800 channels are blank. I have a TivoHD without Cablecards. My friend who lives just a few miles away has the same Tivo with a Cablecard and he's able to tune his basic cable channels both on 1-99 AND 801-899; what's more, he has the correct programming data showing on both sets of channels. I'm not sure if it's due to the cable card or his location. Same cable co for both of course. "
Before I share the solution to all this (at least for now) I wanted to share the fact that I received two responses from filling out the above referenced form, found at:

http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/contactsupport/lineup_tool.html

I got an automated response immediately after filling out the form, later I got another email stating that Tivo had opened an incident report and they would contact me if they needed any more details to fix the issue. I think someone else in this thread had done this as well and received the same response; so it's possible Tivo might fix this for everyone even if you do nothing else. Below I'm including a portion of that last email from Tivo:

"Thank you for contacting TiVo's Channel Lineup Department. We have assigned incident number 110501-005310 to your channel lineup issue. We expect to resolve the issue within 7 -14 business days. If we should require additional information, we will contact you. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please contact TiVo Customer Support at 877-367-8486 and refer to your incident number. Hours of operation Monday -Friday, 7AM Pacific Time to 7 PM Pacific Time Saturday -Sunday, 8AM Pacific Time to 6 PM Pacific Time Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolve your lineup discrepancy. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thanks for choosing TiVo!"
 
#28 ·
FML I had like 3/4ths of the post with the solution written and my phone (where I was writing it) restarted itself, so bear with me while I re-write it from my netbook tethered to my phone. As if the TiVo/OL hassle wasn't enough, the phone/DSL connection at my house also went down, which is why I'm having to do all this and why it's taking me so long (I think the heat generated from simultaneously using the phone while others at the house used it's connection while tethered is what caused it to restart). Sorry!
 
#29 ·
Impulses..I am in the same boat. I dont want to pay OL till they have completed their change. I am still getting 2-99 channels...but the guide is all messed up with 802 lineup.

What I find interesting is in the new mapping are as follows

2-33...no mapping by TIVO into 800
34..mapped ot 802
35..mapped to 803
36..mapped to 804
37..mapped to 805...& so on.

I have already tried unsucessfully with TIVO support to explain this issue. That they just missing the correct mapping...& if they fixed that..it point correctly the analog 2-99 to 802-899 as long as the analog is coming in....then I am fine with it till then...but TIVO keeps saying its not their mistake.

I have S2 box...so even with a seperate box..it will become just a single tuner...& I cant upgrade to a premiun box for cable card etc.

All in all...am disppinted with TIVO. Hoping to find Impulse fix & see if I can resolve the issue. I am doing manual program recording & its quite fustrating.....not to mention already missed quite a few shows because of it.
 
#30 ·
Lol...Just talk with OL...& they say the same...I have to get the box...& they dont confirm that it will work with TIVO or how many channel I can get. They told me to contact TIVO for that.

Very fustrating. I have 2 month left for Tivo contract & already out of OL contract. If the problem continues...cant go on with manual recording setting every day. Might either get OL with DVR or go to Dish/DirecTV....even though the TIVO has work very nice till now.
 
#31 ·
SOLUTION - at 'least for now (and for S3/TiVoHD or newer users), as of May 2nd, until OneLink stops transmitting basic cable on channels 1-99 and/or you get a CableCard (at which point you at 'least won't have to re-run this setup)

I arrived at this solution thru trial and error, no thanks to OL or TiVo, YMMV... And it might only be a temporary solution if or until OL stops transmitting basic cable on 1-99. FWIW some of the OL reps gave me the impression that it was to occur in a matter of months; at which point you WILL need a CableCard to tune the encrypted 800 channels (and will likely have to put up with the $1.75 monthly charge for the card plus the $5 or $6 BS digital access charge).

Note: This is primarily for TiVo S3, TiVoHD, and Premium TiVo users. Series 2 users see note on the following post.

People who don't own a TiVo nor rent any boxes from OL will still need a DTA converter box (and OL will eventually charge for those too).

STEP I

Alright already, here's what you need to do... First you need to re-run the Guided Setup. To do so simply go to Settings (or Messages & Settings) -> Restart or Reset System -> Repeat Guided Setup. Just follow the prompts as usual and enter your pertinent information (WiFi SSID/password if you're using it should already be filled out btw, so don't skip ahead and start re-entering it if you don't have to).

Now, when it asks whether or not you have a CABLECARD it'll give you three different options: yes, no, and install later. You'll actually want to go ahead and select the last one, it mentions something about digital access as well IIRC (I'm doing this from memory so it's not verbatim). Basically what you're doing is selecting the lineup listing that's labeled Digital at Zap2It, same listing that TiVos owned by people using a CableCard automatically pulls in (hence why they haven't had any issues).

That's it, once you're at the last step you'll notice that it will properly recognize a basic cable channel and when you finish you'll have all the info for those channels in your TiVo Guide. Enjoy! But not so fast...

STEP II

Now, if you've ever messed around w/the TiVo much or noticed the intelligent (though not necessarily intuitive) way in which it handles channel lineup changes you may already know where this is going... This listing your TiVo is now using contains the info for all the basic channels as well as the digital & music channels past 100 and even the new 800 channels which you don't receive. The problem is that when the original lineup change to 800 occurred your TiVo may have already automatically re-arranged your Season Passes and even your manual recordings (if you selected a show to record rather than a time slot & channel).

Fear not, you don't have to re-program all this again manually... Just go into Messages & Setting again, then Settings -> Channels -> Channel List. Scroll down the list (using Page Down is the quickest way) and simply press select to un-mark all the channels you don't receive. If you don't have a CableCard that will include every channel past 100 I think, just unselect them all. After you're done you can restart the TiVo or just let it sit for a while.

I haven't fully tested this but I already did it for a couple of channels and my TiVo has already adapted... It may not reflect the change immediately, it's likely that the channel listed next to the Season Pass title may never even change (long-standing bug), but eventually the recordings on the To-Do list will reflect the correct channel (check the View Upcoming Episodes menu too, it's usually reflected there before the To-Do list even).

Again, I haven't tested this bit fully, but I believe that telling the TiVo which channels you don't receive should save you the trouble of re-doing any recording settings (even for manual recordings), just like the TiVo shifted them on it's own originally. Also worth noting is that channel 21 recordings were re-arranged for me before I even did any of this, I think it's because 821 never existed in the lineup to begin with, not sure.
 
#32 ·
Impulse...the solution you mentioned will work with Premium TIVO I guess. The thing is I have S2 TIVO...which anyway dont support cablecard. I have tried selecting the digital lineup but when I do...it selects a digital box also. I dont have digital box. I anyway went ahead.....but when I go to channels 2-99...it shows blank...bacislly it is expecting the picture from the digital box...& not directly with the cable cord.

Thanks Impulse....good that you atleast get it to work no thanks to TIVO & OL...& save some money for sometime. OL wants more money from its subs...& this is the way.
 
#33 ·
Note: This procedure is for a TiVoHD (or a S3, or most of the newer models). I'm not sure it'll work with the S2 since those never had CableCard slots, so the Guided Setup on them will behave differerently obviously... I advise you to re-run the Guided Setup and play with the available options thru trial and error to see if you can bump it off the lineup listing that only contains the 800 channels (look for any listing that says OneLink San Juan, PR in full, or any mention of digital channels).

I have an old S2 TiVo I could boot up to test with but the hard drive on it died, I bought the software to replace the hard drive myself (possibly to use it in another room) but I've never gotten around to it so I can't really look into this w/the S2 just now. Sorry I can't be of much help to those of you w/the Series 2... If you can't trick the Guided Setup into pulling the correct lineup listing then I'm afraid you're SOL until TiVo and/or TMS fixes the listing on their own accord (see one of the posts above for the form at TiVo's site to file that complaint).

What's more, if Onelink eventually decides to transmit basic cable only on the 800 channels you may be screwed either way, since those are encrypted and you'd need a CableCard to tune them. A DTA box would allow you to watch them (I think OL will provide them for free for a year) but the TiVo can't control that box for channel tuning, etc. You might be able to get the TiVo to control one of OL's other boxes thru an IR blaster, but this is a deprecated method that older TiVo's used (pre-digital, pre-HD and pre-CableCards), so it may be hit or miss.
 
#34 ·
Impulse...the solution you mentioned will work with Premium TIVO I guess. The thing is I have S2 TIVO...which anyway dont support cablecard. I have tried selecting the digital lineup but when I do...it selects a digital box also. I dont have digital box. I anyway went ahead.....but when I go to channels 2-99...it shows blank...bacislly it is expecting the picture from the digital box...& not directly with the cable cord.

Thanks Impulse....good that you atleast get it to work no thanks to TIVO & OL...& save some money for sometime. OL wants more money from its subs...& this is the way.
Ack, that's what I feared when I saw your previous post mentioning the S2... Your only recourse might be to get TiVo to fix the lineup programming on their end, as I mentioned in my additional note above; but since it's an older unit they might be dragging their feet on that as well, altho it should be the same listing that newer TiVo's w/o a CableCard use. Sorry I don't have better news for ya. :(

I only bought the TiVoHD because the hard drive on my old Series 2 started giving me trouble and at the time Costco was clearing out the TiVoHD's for $150 (great price tbh), so I jumped on it and decided to fix the out-of-warranty S2 on my own later. Actual HD lineups in PR are so anemic (for both cable and satellite, we don't get the same satellite coverage as the US AFAIK); that it's never been worth it for me to actually get a CableCard to use more of the TivoHD's capabilities.

Having ESPN HD would be nice, but that's about it for OneLink, I think DirecTV has a couple more cable channels but they still don't carry the national US stations (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) in HD either. If you subscribe to premium channels like HBO then that's one other worthwhile reason for having a CableCard and HD access ($16 on top of the $7 for the CableCard btw), since those are transmitted in HD.

I've never paid TiVo a monthly fee tho, I always went for the Lifetime sub since in the long run it saves ya a bundle... If you're forced away from the S2, you might be able to find a used TiVoHD or S3 w/a Lifetime sub on Ebay if you're really attached to it. Otherwise it's probably back to company-provided DVRs, I think DirecTV's is much better than OneLink's . I think they do use the same one as the parent company does in the US, it even has a feature that lets you stream live TV to any PC in the network w/a free app.

I'd been looking into DirecTV lately since I wanted to watch Mad Men and I realized OneLink doesn't carry the channel (AMC), plus I've been hankering for some HD programming for years. I'm still not completely clear on what channels they carry in HD. We in PR live in such a grey area... :eek:
 
#37 ·
Alright after this post I swear I'm done spamming for a while... ;) I just wanted to mention one amusing byproduct of this mess, all of a sudden the online features on TivoHD are all available again (haven't been for something like two years).

I'm not quite sure if it's because I re-ran the Guided Setup again and the TiVo service hasn't re-located it geographically by IP address.... OR if it's actually because I've got the TiVo hooked up to the internet thru a tethered connection on my Sprint phone (rooted HTC EVO) rather than my home broadband (DSL, which is currently down, rains damaged a cable in my roof). If it's the latter I suspect it's because the phone's connection is routed differently than cable or DSL and it often appears as a continental US connection to many online services (though not all, Google Voice still doesn't fully work, unfortunately).

Sprint's 3G is kind of pokey at home (Buchanan's hill lowers my signal strength) so the connection isn't the greatest for say... Netflix or Amazon video rentals, but it seems to work okay for YouTube and Pandora on the TiVo. I don't have a real big interest in any of it, maybe Amazon VOD but Redbox is still cheaper and of higher quality (and searching IMDb on my phone is infinitely faster than TiVo's Swivel search), just thought it was kind of amusing.

I'm watching Obama's address from last night (first clip that came up) on YouTube on the TiVo thru the tethered WiFi connection to my EVO's 3G connection... Now try saying that three times fast. :p
 
#38 ·
Impulses,

Never mind. I got a S2. It seems I am #$@#$% till I can get a hold of a DTA box. I have tired a few setting changes without luck. If anyone has something else please post it.
A DTA box will let you tune the 800 channels but I'm not sure how the TiVo is gonna interact with it (if at all), I don't think the S2 can... I'm not trying to be a naysayer, but that's what I understand from what I've read. I'd rather be wrong about it tho...

I still intend to get in contact w/Esther Curbelo again (or anyone at OL w/o their head up their you-know-what) to figure out whether they fully intend to stop broadcasting on 1-99, and if so, when will this shift occur. I find it kind of disheartening that they've done such a poor job of informing their customers of what's going on. It's been two years since they started providing CableCards (see the long thread about it in these boards) and most of their service reps still don't have a clue what it is or how to issue it.

What's more, CompUSA, Best Buy and Costco sold a LOT of TiVos on this island... Even if they're not selling it anymore and half of them aren't being used anymore, there's still a ton of TiVo's in use out there. Heck, this doesn't just affect TiVo users either, it affects anyone with a cable-ready TV or HDTV who didn't previously need a box of any kind... If Onelink moves basic cable to encrypted channels they're also gonna need additional equipment.

Hopefully this move is paving the way for additional bandwidth/channels and more HD content, as it's long overdue. If it's just a cost-cutting measure and I'm forced to use a Cablecard, I'm gonna fight the $5 digital access charge until they get tired of hearing from me. :mad:
 
#40 ·
Nope! :-( It didint work. Just tired to set it up again. By telling it I was in 00976 then telling it I had no cable box. When it asked if I knew my provider I told it that I did not now. Then it asked me if I has local channels on 2-99 I said yes. Then it said it was good to go.

I do get my local channels where they are supose to be. But keep getting a compleate different channel lineup. ... Well at least I tried. If anyone else has some thing post it.

P.D. Impulses.. it seams that OL wont even talk about TiVo since they have their own DVR, witch by the way wont eveng get close to TiVo.
 
#41 ·
akjai...I also have a Series 2 and have the same remapping issue. Although I figured out in my case that 770 has old channel 2, 771 channel 3.. etc. I also tried to explain this to Tivo support because it seemed to me to be a simple fix, given all channel signals are available but starting in channel 770 instead of 802. No luck though, I was told there was nothing that could be done in that respect.

I was told on Saturday by a customer rep supervisor that OneLink will eventually also scramble basic channels (that is one of the reasons for the DTA box). Earlier this year they got a waiver from the FCC that allows them to do it . This to cut down on basic service signal "steling".

So eventually unless the DTA plays nice with Series 2 boxes the alternative will be to upgrade to a newer Tivo box or maybe think about Dish.
 
#42 ·
Has anyone tried going directly to Onelinks offices? I dont know if anyone has noted but OL phone support has been outsorced to "Santo Domingo" so when you actually call you are calling to Santo Domingo. Just want to know if the "Santo Domingo" and Local office are up to date with this information. I will try to visit OL offices tomorrow and keep you all to date.
 
#43 ·
Impulses,

Keep "spamming" all you want ;). I have gotten more information from you, and from this thread, than from my multiple calls and chats to tivo and OL these past 4 days.

Tivo's web page explains how to set up a DTA box with a series 2. However it says that for a dual tuner box (like I have), you lose the dual tuner capabilities unless you get a cable box, which adds to the cost. Like you I have always had the lifetime membership, so I hope I can find a way to make my tivo work with all these changes. Plus, Tivo is so much better than OL's dvr
 
#44 ·
akjai...I also have a Series 2 and have the same remapping issue. Although I figured out in my case that 770 has old channel 2, 771 channel 3.. etc. I also tried to explain this to Tivo support because it seemed to me to be a simple fix, given all channel signals are available but starting in channel 770 instead of 802. No luck though, I was told there was nothing that could be done in that respect.

I was told on Saturday by a customer rep supervisor that OneLink will eventually also scramble basic channels (that is one of the reasons for the DTA box). Earlier this year they got a waiver from the FCC that allows them to do it . This to cut down on basic service signal "steling".

So eventually unless the DTA plays nice with Series 2 boxes the alternative will be to upgrade to a newer Tivo box or maybe think about Dish.
I mean. If they new this was going to happen they should of informed their clients way back. When ever they are going to charge more for their service they allways send a notification about that.

And also if they are going to do this, well have the damm DTA boxes available for clients. Like I posted earlier I will go to OL office tomorrow just to see if they do have these boxes available.
 
#45 ·
Impulses,

Keep "spamming" all you want ;). I have gotten more information from you, and from this thread, than from my multiple calls and chats to tivo and OL these past 4 days.

Tivo's web page explains how to set up a DTA box with a series 2. However it says that for a dual tuner box (like I have), you lose the dual tuner capabilities unless you get a cable box, which adds to the cost. Like you I have always had the lifetime membership, so I hope I can find a way to make my tivo work with all these changes. Plus, Tivo is so much better than OL's dvr
Luna,

I was just thinking the same thing. I think we are going to loose the dual channel feature. Witch by the way I LOVE!

I also noticed that TiVo has not made a new Dual Channel TiVo.

Damm lol
:(
 
#46 ·
Has anyone tried going directly to Onelinks offices? I dont know if anyone has noted but OL phone support has been outsorced to "Santo Domingo" so when you actually call you are calling to Santo Domingo. Just want to know if the "Santo Domingo" and Local office are up to date with this information. I will try to visit OL offices tomorrow and keep you all to date.
Same thing w/Claro's DMAX (DSL) support... I'm not one to broadly discriminate, but any time I've dealt w/CS departments over there they've been utterly worthless (kinda like US companies off-sourcing the same jobs to India, etc). Most of the time they barely even have a clue if there's any service outages on our island, etc. It's a sad situation that's not looking to get any better.

Sometimes if you ask for a supervisor enough times in a row they switch you over to someone on our side of the sea who might just have a clue what he's doing, maybe. :confused:
 
#47 ·
I mean. If they new this was going to happen they should of informed their clients way back. When ever they are going to charge more for their service they allways send a notification about that.

And also if they are going to do this, well have the damm DTA boxes available for clients. Like I posted earlier I will go to OL office tomorrow just to see if they do have these boxes available.
Absolutely, and they've known about it for years, literally. They've been talking about it internally since at 'least 2009 and the discussion filtered thru unto the thread about Cablecards (since the guys who wanted the cards for HD were hassling any OL rep who would listen). See this post or this one for instance, and make sure you look at the date(s).
 
#48 ·
Luna,

I was just thinking the same thing. I think we are going to loose the dual channel feature. Witch by the way I LOVE!

I also noticed that TiVo has not made a new Dual Channel TiVo.

Damm lol
:(
Actually, TiVo did produce a dual tuner S2 for a while, I beleive they called it just that too (S2 DT)... I even remember seeing it locally at RadioShack and there was some discussion about it on the Cablecard thread I've referenced before.

Problem is it took forever to come out (relatively speaking, to where the cable industry was at the time), so it was phased out fairly quickly in favor of the Cablecard-based solutions that enabled you to watch HD programming w/o using the cable co's box (as mandated by the FCC). Either way, you'd probably need two DTA boxes to get it fully working, so it's kind of a dead end.

Ugh, every time I think about having to replace my TiVo my head starts to hurt, there just isn't anything better out there, it's all just a money grab w/inferior products. DirecTV's DVR looks decent (at 'least the one I've seen in the US) even tho it doesn't allow you to archive recordings to your PC, and they're supposedly even working w/TiVo to re-release a TiVo-based satellite DVR, but they're nowhere near a shipping product.

TiVo hasn't handled it's affairs in the best way possible either, I dunno... It's been in that prolonged lawsuit w/Dish for years to earn some money back instead of just relying on a solid product/service, but I guess it's a gagantuan chore to fight w/the massive cable/satellite companies and their agendas.
 
#49 ·
I am thinking abt dish. I was at friend house...who have a hd dvr & can record 2 programs like TiVo does. Plus he gets abt 40 hd channels I think which IMO is the max by any provider in PR.

Another of my friend that have this box from OL was saying its a cisco box.... Very small & can only tune 1 channel. I might bring that box to my house or take my TiVo there to test. Again only 1 output from the box so u lose TiVo DT feature anyway.

Disappointed that TiVo just do t want to tune or map the analog channels correctly from 2-99 to 802-899. Let it be there as long as it there. Also unlike zapit site....the channel listing is only basic ie 800+ or digital which forces TiVo to use the box. Grrrrrr
 
#51 ·
For S2 owners: A DTA is just a cheapo set top cable box without A/V outputs. Once you get your DTA just hook it up as shown on TiVo's site and it will get all of the digital channels. Of course, the lineup issue stilll needs to be resolved.

If you have the S2 Dual Tuner (model TCD649xxx) using a DTA will turn it into a single tuner box, but there may be hope. Most of the cable companies in the US still leave the lowest 20-30 channels analog, and these are usually the network channels. If you rent a full-featured cable box with A/V outputs frome OL you can split the coax from the wall. One side goes to the cable box and the other to the cable input on the TiVo. Hook up the cable box to the TiVo using the A/V cables. Rerun Guided Setup and tell it that you have a cable box AND analog cable. Then in the channel lineup you can mark the lower analog channels as 'cable' and the higher digital channels as 'box'.

If OL actually does leave some analog channels and you hook it up that way it will still function as a dual duner as long as one of the shows is analog.
 
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