S3: Who needs an installer?

[jeffrypennock]

So I've seen copies of the page that we're supposed to save for our cable card installation tech when they come to our house to install the cable cards in our Series 3 TiVo box whenever they finally release those onto the market. What's the installer for. Is there some reason I can't go pick up the cable cards from my cable company and install them myself the same way I've done with all my cable boxes? Is there something I'm missing here? What precisely does the installer do that are installer-required tasks?

[ebonovic]

$$$

The cable companies want an angle to get something for these cards.

But ultimately they are going to take the angle that the card must be "professionally" installed, so they can assure it is being installed into an authorized/certified device.

[jeffrypennock]

Ahhh. So I'm REQUIRED to have an installer and that's why I need an installer. Got it.

[Larry in TN]

Everybody won't need an installer, that's up to the cable company. My local Comcast office does not require a service call for CABLECard installtion. I'll be able to go to the closest outlet and pick up the cards myself.

[ebonovic]

Ahhh. So I'm REQUIRED to have an installer and that's why I need an installer. Got it.

There is no "technical" reason why you couldn't do a self install.

It is 100% up to the cable company.

[aaronwt]

No point in having "Larry, the cable guy", come out to your house if you don't have to.

[jeffrypennock]

No point in having "Larry, the cable guy", come out to your house if you don't have to.
I agree! Particularly since you have to wait two weeks to get an audience with Larry...at least. It is my dream/hope/desire that I can swing by TWC and pick up a couple cable cards on my way home from BestBuy (where I bought my S3). But maybe this won't be an option.

[MichaelK]

someone posted an anlogy recently that cablecards are like cable modems.

When they first came out it was a truck roll- you had no choice. Now you are allowed to do it yourself. Differnt cable companies made the switch at differnt times. Presumably some still require a truck roll.

keep your fingers crossed for your particular company...

[CCourtney]

So I've seen copies of the page that we're supposed to save for our cable card installation tech when they come to our house to install the cable cards in our Series 3 TiVo box whenever they finally release those onto the market. What's the installer for. Is there some reason I can't go pick up the cable cards from my cable company and install them myself the same way I've done with all my cable boxes? Is there something I'm missing here? What precisely does the installer do that are installer-required tasks?

You are reading way too much into this. It's just installation information, you can talk to the tech over the phone because they have to enter the IDs of the AV Equipment after the CableCARD is installed in the AV Equipment in order to enable it (i.e. Ping must be sent to correct and unique AV Equipment.) The exact same information has been provided to the tech's at the cable companies. There should be absolutely no reason why you will not be able to do the install yourself (unless the cable company requires CableCARD installtions to be done by tech) TWC in Houston area does not, but you still have to call them up and provide the information stated in the installation instructions (BTW, this is fairly generic across CableCARD installation, the only area that really varies to a significant degree is how to access the CableCARD information menu for the system, which should be part of the manual) Also, the cable companies providing CableCards normally give you the same instructions when you pick up a CableCARD to install in your AV equipment.

I've installed a CableCARD in both a TV and a DVR (Sony DHG-HDD500) and they steps are fairly generic.

CCourtney

[slocko]

if ordinary joes can install vonage and activate it, they can do cablecards.

[CCourtney]

Having installed both I'd say that an average Joe that has Broadband connection in the house can install vonage a bit easier than he can a CableCARD.

You actually need to be able to dial the phone and tell somebody on the other end what your screen says. Then argue with the different levels of support about whether or not they actually enabled you CableCARD.

Vonage is, unplug Broadband Ethernet Source from the Router and plug it into Vonage Adaptor, the put patch cable between Vonage Adaptor and Router. Pick up phone and dial France for free.

CCourtney

[newsposter]

$$$

The cable companies want an angle to get something for these cards.

But ultimately they are going to take the angle that the card must be "professionally" installed, so they can assure it is being installed into an authorized/certified device.

but wouldnt the cable co know that you have box 12345 and ONLY make it work with box 12345?

or has the thing been hacked already?

[CCourtney]

Newsposter,

That is definitely already handled. A unique ID is created when the cableCard is inserted into the device. This is what is provided back to the Cable Company to enalbe that device specifically. You provide two seperate IDs in fact.

Pulling the card out and putting it in another device will not get you access to the encrypted channels (i.e. can't go over to Bubba's house during the Super Bowl and plug your CableCARD into the back of his set to watch Skinamax on the 70" Plasma that he took a 2nd mortgage out on the house to pay for.) That also means you can't have one card in you DVR, pull it out and stick it in the TV in your bedroom and have it work.

CCourtney

[newsposter]

ok so when then did someone make the comment that the guy needs to come to the house to make sure it only goes into an authorized device? If they know it must only go to cable box 12345, besides profit, why would a trip be needed

[HomieG]

This is kind of funny. Tech comes to install my cable card. Doesn't work and he spends about two hours trying. He leaves and says he'll be back in a few hours. Never comes back. I call Comcast and tell them to send a hit. Read them the numbers and voila, cable card works. So why did they send out the tech?

[jfh3]

This is kind of funny. Tech comes to install my cable card. Doesn't work and he spends about two hours trying. He leaves and says he'll be back in a few hours. Never comes back. I call Comcast and tell them to send a hit. Read them the numbers and voila, cable card works. So why did they send out the tech?

To justify the trip charge on your bill, of course. :)

[CCourtney]

ok so when then did someone make the comment that the guy needs to come to the house to make sure it only goes into an authorized device? If they know it must only go to cable box 12345, besides profit, why would a trip be needed

I agree a trip would not be needed. This was what my first reply to Jeff was about. He made the suggestion that the instructions provided were specifically to be saved for a 'Tech' in order to do the installation.

I believe it was Jeff's missinterpretation and that a Tech is not required but that the instructions are useful to provide information to the tech over though phone for the CableCARD to be activated.

As I stated TiVo also provided this information to the Cable Co's but who knows if they keep it around. The installation of a CableCARD is pretty much the same across devices, the only major question is how to get to the menu/screen with the CableCARD address information that needs to be provided over the phone to the Cable Company. Which is what the CableCARD installer (i.e. person sticking card in the cable card slot) needs to provide to the 'Tech' for CableCARD activation.

If Cable Co decides its in there best interest to send a Tech out to install it they that's there decission and not TiVo's issue. Just like many Cable Co's required tech's to come out when Digital Box's first showed up, but most now let you install the box yourself. The same thing happened with HD STBs, DVRs, HD DVRs, and CableCARDs all of which eventually end up towards the 'owner can install himself if he feels like it' cart.

CCourtney

[haysdb]

I contacted Charter about getting two cablecards and was told to just stop by the office and pick them up. Less than two months ago I asked about Cablecards and they said I needed to request them and they would order them. Guess cablecards are a lot more common now.