Series 3 Verizon FIOS HD compat?

[bicker]

DirecTV equipment indeed will not work with FiOS. FiOS does charge for every piece of equipment you rent from them here, and you cannot receive any of their services without either a set-top box rented from them, a DVR rented from them, or a CableCARD rented from them -- except for the local over-the-air broadcast channels, which I've read can be tuned in using a clear QAM tuner (but, of course, without any program guide data in your TiVo S3/HD).

So, for your first television, where you want a DVR, the TiVo HD is a great option. You'll just need to rent a CableCARD from FiOS to make it work well.

For your second television, where you don't want a DVR, you have very few choices: Here, FiOS offers a digital adapter (essentially a set-top box without a program guide) for a little less than they charge to rent a set-top box.

[andrewket]

I've lost all of my HBO channels (400-) on all three of my Tivos (M-cards). Channel 899 (HDHBO) still works.

Based on this thread it looked like the missing channel issues had been fixed, but apparently that is not the case. A reboot/rescan didn't fix the issue.

Anyone else in Metro DC (northern VA) that can check to see if they are seeing the same thing?

Andrew

[JWThiers]

is it fios?

[bkdtv]

Do you receive all of the HBO channels in the 800-900 range?

[rage777]

Hi..... I am new to all of this and am in the process of ordering Fios and looking into which is the best way to utilize a Tivo. I have had a free DVR from Direct TV and don't get the concept of renting one from VERIZON for 16.99 monthly! I don't need a DVR on my second tv downstairs, do I have to rent their {Fios} set top box or is there another option? I am assuming I cant use the Direct TV DVR equipment with Fios? What cable cards would I have to order to make this transition work? I appreciate everybody's help!

Are you saying you want to get a Tivo or do you already have a Tivo? If you don't need HD, then the SD STB is a lot cheaper then the HD STB. If you don't need HD, then I would suggest the digital adapter that is about $6 a month. If you get an HD Tivo, then you can get a single M card that is also $5 or $6 a month. If you like to order pay per view or on demand stuff, then I think you need a STB. If you have a series 2 Tivo already, then you can use a digital adapter with the Tivo.

[dbenrosen]

Are you saying you want to get a Tivo or do you already have a Tivo? If you don't need HD, then the SD STB is a lot cheaper then the HD STB. If you don't need HD, then I would suggest the digital adapter that is about $6 a month. If you get an HD Tivo, then you can get a single M card that is also $5 or $6 a month. If you like to order pay per view or on demand stuff, then I think you need a STB. If you have a series 2 Tivo already, then you can use a digital adapter with the Tivo.

In my neck of the woods (Northern NJ), the digital adapter is $3.99/month. I use it with my Series 1 TiVo since I don't need any of the bells and whistles of a full STB. The STBs (HD or SD) are $5.99/month. Upgrading the HD STB to an HD DVR adds an additional $9 or $10/month (total is $15.99-$16.99/month).

Unless you want to use VoD with the STB, if you are using an older TiVo (Series 1 or 2) to control a decoding box, the digital adapter is all you need.

[andrewket]

is it fios?

Yeah, sorry, FIOS. Now they are coming up but they are very pixelated. 899 (HD HBO) is fine.

A

[Rosenkavalier]

MSNBC HD is being added nationally to FIOS TV, and (I think) should be in all markets as I type this (Thursday afternoon, Feb. 11). It is on Channel 603 - details are here: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r23763917-MSNBC-HD-coming-soon.

I was able to see the channel by going directly to 603 with the remote, and when I went to the Channel List I could select 603/MSNBCHD as a 'Channel I Receive'. I then forced a service call/download, but after the download/processing there was still no guide data from TiVo showing up. So right now I can watch live or schedule a manual recording by date/time without any program data to back it up.

This being added to complete the all-HD NBC suite of channels for the Olympics.

[richsadams]

Thanks for the heads-up on FIOS 603 MSNBC HD. It looks great here. I did the same thing...added it to my channel lineup and then forced a connection. No info yet. The guide just says "To be announced". It'll be good to see things in HD on this channel...finally!

[wmcbrine]

Also ION HD is being added -- market-by-market (it's a local broadcast affiliate), but they're doing them all at pretty much the same time. No guide data for that yet, either, of course.

[richsadams]

Also ION HD is being added -- market-by-market (it's a local broadcast affiliate), but they're doing them all at pretty much the same time. No guide data for that yet, either, of course.Cool. What channel? (I'm being lazy :o).

[wmcbrine]

Since it's market-by-market, it will vary. It's whatever your current Ion channel is (somewhere in the locals), if you have one, plus 500. Mine is 513.

[richsadams]

Since it's market-by-market, it will vary. It's whatever your current Ion channel is (somewhere in the locals), if you have one, plus 500. Mine is 513.Thanks for that...513 is a local channel (not ION) so I'll have to do a little research. No rest for the wicked. ;)

[rocko]

Thanks for the heads-up on FIOS 603 MSNBC HD. It looks great here. I did the same thing...added it to my channel lineup and then forced a connection. No info yet. The guide just says "To be announced". It'll be good to see things in HD on this channel...finally!

FIOS had all the NBC-esque stations for the Summer Olympics in Bejing - it was great. But don't get too attached to MSNBC since it will be gone in 2 weeks.

Also, still no guide data ...

[wmcbrine]

No, MSNBC-HD is here to stay, as I understand it. And they didn't have it for the last Olympics. (They had some special channels just for the Olympics instead, though.) I don't think it existed then.

[rocko]

No, MSNBC-HD is here to stay, as I understand it. And they didn't have it for the last Olympics. (They had some special channels just for the Olympics instead, though.) I don't think it existed then.

I stand corrected :o

MSNBC had an exclusive deal with Cablevision since forever, it seems. Apparently that deal is no more.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verizon-fios-tv-adds-msnbc-hd-84114482.html

[MPSAN]

Thanks for that...513 is a local channel (not ION) so I'll have to do a little research. No rest for the wicked. ;)

Rich, it is 505 and still no guide data but you can select it!

[rocko]

Rich, it is 505 and still no guide data but you can select it!

Not around here - 505 is the local FOX affiliate in NYC.

[richsadams]

Rich, it is 505 and still no guide data but you can select it!Got it! I forced another connection and received guide data for 505 and 603. After connecting the loading took quite a while. Yesterday it got the info and loaded in less than a minute. Today it took about 40 minutes for the TiVo HD and about 30 minutes for the Series3. So it must have been indexing the new guide data. Plus there was a new channel added - 1768/RGTI which had nothing on and I've no idea what it is. By the guide data it looks like a Brazilian TV station. I Googled it and came up with nothing. :confused:

Anyway, the guide data for MSNBC and ION is current now. :)

[MPSAN]

Got it! I forced another connection and received guide data for 505 and 603. After connecting the loading took quite a while. Yesterday it got the info and loaded in less than a minute. Today it took about 40 minutes for the TiVo HD and about 30 minutes for the Series3. So it must have been indexing the new guide data. Plus there was a new channel added - 1768/RGTI which had nothing on and I've no idea what it is. By the guide data it looks like a Brazilian TV station. I Googled it and came up with nothing. :confused:

Anyway, the guide data for MSNBC and ION is current now. :)

I keep getting extra stations as well. Not sure what any of them are! I can check 603. Perhaps my guide data updated but I have not had TV on today. Not sure if I care about ION.

[MPSAN]

Not around here - 505 is the local FOX affiliate in NYC.

Rich and I are in the same area.

[rocko]

I keep getting extra stations as well. Not sure what any of them are! I can check 603. Perhaps my guide data updated but I have not had TV on today. Not sure if I care about ION.

I had to go into Settings-Channels and check 603 to get it to show up ...

[richsadams]

Not sure if I care about ION.I took a quick look at the guide and there were a lot of paid programming shows and some other odd things that weren't of great interest. I think I may uncheck it from my channel list. Although the Family Feud marathon was really tempting. ;)

I had to go into Settings-Channels and check 603 to get it to show up ...Me too. :up:

[V7Goose]

I had to go into Settings-Channels and check 603 to get it to show up ...
I had to go into Settings-Channels and UN-check it to STOP it from showing up!

Besides the fact that even having that channel on my TV gives me the willies, the weird thing to me is that you had to add the check mark yourself. Every time I get a message from TiVo that a channel lineup change has occurred, any added channels are automatically checked and I have to manually remove them. Are you guys saying that those new FiOS channels are NOT automatically checked for you after you get the lineup change message?
Goose

[renepaul]

I have DirecTv and Fios is coming with CableCards on Monday. My HDTivo is coming today. TiVo says I should run guided setup at least a day or two before tech comes. How do I run guided setup if I don't have Fios yet. Is the guided setup just for updates? Also does guided setup need to be run before the tech installs the Cablecard with Fios. Form experience guided setup takes a few hours. Does the tech have to wait for the guided setup then install card or vice versa?

[CrispyCritter]

There is an option in guided setup for "getting cablecards later". You want to run it mainly to get the new software, but also to get correct channels for testing. You don't want the rep to wait for guided setup.

[BigJimOutlaw]

As you said, Guided Setup can take a while. That's why they tell you to run it in advance. After that, you should also force a couple of connections to get the latest software updates (about 2-3 times).

The 2nd or 3rd connection will have a distinctly longer download time. This will be an important software update that will help the Tivo work better with Fios. Once it's finished downloading, reboot the box to begin the software update.

Then you're (finally) all set for the tech to arrive.

This way, you and the tech won't have to wait around a long time to make sure the installation worked. You'll have the latest software and guide information ready to go when he gets there. It sounds like a lot of prep work, but it's worth it. It'll take about an hour or so, start to finish.

[richsadams]

I have DirecTv and Fios is coming with CableCards on Monday. My HDTivo is coming today. TiVo says I should run guided setup at least a day or two before tech comes. How do I run guided setup if I don't have Fios yet. Is the guided setup just for updates? Also does guided setup need to be run before the tech installs the Cablecard with Fios. Form experience guided setup takes a few hours. Does the tech have to wait for the guided setup then install card or vice versa?In addition to the above advice, here's most everything you need to know:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=419994#A1

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=363797

BTW, you will be very happy with FIOS...and occasionally amazed at the improvement in PQ over DTV. Welcome to the club and enjoy!

[richsadams]

The 2nd or 3rd connection will have a distinctly longer download time. There is actually only one update. The OP's TiVo will almost certainly have v9.4 and the update will go directly to v11.0d. Other house housekeeping activity will occur however.

[BigJimOutlaw]

There is actually only one update. The OP's TiVo will almost certainly have v9.4 and the update will go directly to v11.0d. Other house housekeeping activity will occur however.

Yes, there's only 1 software package with several cumulative updates. I didn't mean to suggest there were piecemeal updates. Only that the Tivo will need to connect a few times until it's recieved.

[richsadams]

Yes, there's only 1 software package with several cumulative updates. I didn't mean to suggest there were piecemeal updates. Only that the Tivo will need to connect a few times until it's recieved.Got it. :up:

[hoyty]

I think I had read that FIOS doesn't pair the cablecards to a particular device, does anyone know if this is correct? I ask since I am curious if I get either a Series 4 or a Media Center tuner if I can just pull the card(s) from my Series 3 (org) and move them to another device?

[bicker]

The FiOS tech who installed me said as much.

[richsadams]

I think I had read that FIOS doesn't pair the cablecards to a particular device, does anyone know if this is correct? I ask since I am curious if I get either a Series 4 or a Media Center tuner if I can just pull the card(s) from my Series 3 (org) and move them to another device?That is correct...although I can't verify if it works between devices, only TiVo's. I don't see why switching between devices would be any different though.

[Phantom Gremlin]

That is correct...although I can't verify if it works between devices, only TiVo's. I don't see why switching between devices would be any different though.

It would be great if it worked between all TiVos. E.g. change hard drives or buy a TiVo premiere as a replacement --- move the CableCARD w/o needing a truck roll.

[richsadams]

It would be great if it worked between all TiVos. E.g. change hard drives or buy a TiVo premiere as a replacement --- move the CableCARD w/o needing a truck roll.With FIOS I'm pretty sure that's the case...but perhaps not? I can switch mine between my TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD. Seems like it shouldn't make a difference.

[hsuthard]

I'm hoping someone here logs on today!

I spent six and a half hours on the phone last night trying to get my Tivo working. I just received a refurbished Tivo Series 3 HD from Tivo last night as my prior refurb never quite worked right (it kept spontaneously rebooting). It arrived around 6pm on the UPS truck and by 6:30 I had it out of the box and upstairs. I took the cablecards from the Tivo that's going back and put them in the new TivoS3 and turned everything on, went through guided setup, etc.

I went ahead and called Verizon and asked them to reset the cablecards. They did, and mentioned that from now on I could use their new software, In-Home Agent, to do these cablecard things myself. Turns out that's not true, but for a short while I had some hope.

Anyway, I let him reset my two cards, hung up, and went back and restarted my Tivo. No luck, they're still not showing as activated or paired ( the VAL: field shows a ? instead of a YES and the Messages on the Network Status screen isn't populated or incrementing).

So, I called back and asked Verizon to again activate and pair my cards. This tech insisted they needed to send out an installer for that, but I eventually convinced her to do it for me over the phone. Hung up, rebooted, and still no luck.

Next, I call Tivo, hoping they can help me narrow down the problem and communicate more clearly/simply with Verizon. I'm still hoping to avoid having someone come out. The tech walks me through several of the screens and decides they 100% are not working cablecards, unless of course the Host ID numbers don't match. He instructs me to call verizon and make sure the Host ID and Data numbers match exactly and if they do then to order two new cablecards.

I call Verizon for the third time and have them eventually check the Host ID numbers. It takes a good 30 minutes of arguing and waiting to even get to this point. Why? Why can't they just listen to my polite, reasonable request? Why do they have to try other things first? I've told them this is my third call of the night! Anyway, they do finally check and the Host ID number DO NOT match. On either card. So, we set about correcting the Host Id and Data numbers for both cards.

Once this is done, though, nothing is changing on my Tivo. After a little more digging (where?), the Verizon Tech determines these cards have been disabled. He enables them, and then has to de-activate and re-activate them. During this process (which has taken well over two hours by now), at some point a return order comes through on my account. He has no idea where this has come from and neither do I (I've been on the phone for the past four hours, I couldn't have done it!). One of the cablecards has been removed from my account, nonetheless, and since he's only tech support he doesn't have access to cancel the return order. I have to hang up, call another number, cancel the return order, and then call back and finish the card activation. Grrrr.

So I do. I call and try to cancel the order, but even though I have the order #, no one can seem to find it in the system. They insist it doesn't exist and the order # I have isn't valid. So, I call back Tech Support. Of course, the guy I'd been working with for three hours doesn't answer, so I have to spend the first 30 minutes going over my situation again from the beginning. I insist that he read the carefully worded case notes on my trouble ticket, but he's not interested. (Again, WHY???)

Eventually he agrees to activate my cards. This process seems to take over 45 minutes each time they try, is it really that lengthy of an ordeal? At any rate, he's happy that he's activated the cards and instructs me to reboot. At this point, it's 12:45 am and I'm exhausted. I tell him I'll reboot and go to bed and call back in the morning. I have absolutely no faith that any of this has worked. I'm about to go try it again now and see if anything has changed overnight. I did force a couple of connections as well in hopes that updated software might help the connection process.

Any advice or consolations for me? Please tell me there have been worse installs. I was thankful that at least this time there weren't four Verizon guys in my house watching the thing. And I did have one Verizon guy stay until after 10pm one night trying to get it resolved so he could list it on his day's ticket as completed.

If I hadn't had so many good experiences with Tivo over the past 15 years or so, I would surely have given up by now.

[hsuthard]

OK, the reboot didn't help. I called Tivo and they determined the cablecards are both bad. I'll just mention that I went through all this believing the cablecards were good since they had worked before in the old Tivo Series 3 being returned. I'm now on hold with Verizon waiting to order new cablecards.

[rocko]

OK, the reboot didn't help. I called Tivo and they determined the cablecards are both bad. I'll just mention that I went through all this believing the cablecards were good since they had worked before in the old Tivo Series 3 being returned. I'm now on hold with Verizon waiting to order new cablecards.

Your first mistake was calling Verizon at all. If your CableCARDS work in one unit, they'll work in any unit.

Rebooting should never be necessary, BTW.

I would recommend calling the Fiber Solutions Center directly at (888) 553-1555 if you haven't been speaking to them already. These are the guys that the installation techs call to get the cards activated when they roll a truck. Make sure you note the Serial numbers of the cards and relate them correctly to the slot/host ID.

http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/FiOSInternet/General+Support/Top+Questions/QuestionsOne/85220.htm

[markgrogers]

If you read back in this forum, you will see that bad cablecards is a fairly common complaint- so it it not terribly unusual that you got some bad cards. It is just unfortunate that you, me and others have to jump through hours of hoops before anyone can conclude that the cards are bad. I went through similar problems about 2 years ago here in Pennsylvania. Some of the Verizon people who came to my house had never even seen a TiVo before- and they did not want to follow TiVo's cablecard instructions. (They thought my Slingbox was something out of the Jetsons).

It is also not unusual the the Verizon people don't know or care much about TiVo- they would prefer and make more money if you pay for their DVR, so they get very little training and pay little attention to issues surrounding cable cards. It almost makes you wonder if they deliberately try to frustrate folks with cablecard issues- hoping that you'll give-up and just use their crappy DVR (I had one for awhile for free on my 2nd TV- and trust me, it is crappy, slow and hard to use compared to TiVo).

Its unfortunate, but I think you just have to picture yourself as swimming upstream on getting your set-up working. It may be the 4th of never before Verizon ever really concentrates on making TiVo/Cablecard set-up a priority.

AND Yes, as Rocko says, by all means call Fiber Solutions- they were the only ones who really got things working for me.

[hsuthard]

I have been talking with the Fiber Solutions Center. This last call to Verizon just ended with them insisting everything on their end was fine. However, the cards still aren't receiving ANY signal. They're calling me back (after lunch, I assume) for further work; they plan to conference in a Tivo guy.

The tech I was working with insists he's run through a Validation with a Series 3 customer before; I can't find anywhere that there's any Validation option I can activate on the Tivo?

This isn't my first Tivo, or even my first Tivo Cablecard install. I've been doing this for years and it's never easy. I know that, and I think I've been very patient and accommodating. I'm using this place to vent a bit because this is JUST INSANE!!! I don't want to put any of the techs off, kwim?

[hsuthard]

And Mark, the whole reason I'm trying to get this working is so my son can use his new Slingbox and watch Tivo through his ipod Touch. I haven't even MENTIONED the slingbox to Verizon for fear of what they might say or do LOL. The first cablecard install we did with Verizon ended with no less than five Verizon installers meeting at our house and sitting in our theater room watching the setup and oohing over the box. I felt like maybe I was contributing a bit to the Tivo Knowledge Base at the local Fios center. :)

[pilotbob]

I thought that correct way to set up cable cards was to follow the cablecard set up directions?

http://www.tivo.com/assets/pdfs/CableCARDInstall_TiVoHD.pdf

You certainly didn't follow them.

For example...

you run guided setup FIRST before installing any cable cards.

then with the unit ON you insert the first cable card, wait for the config screen to come up....

then after that is working you insert the second...

then you run guided setup again.

I've gotta say... the steps you said you followed sound NOTHING like this.

BOb

[hsuthard]

Bob, do you think running the guided setup with the cablecards inserted have caused my problems?

If so, then what should I do next?

I will point out that not a single Tivo or Verizon tech has mentioned this to me, nor was it stated in the sheet that came with my box to follow any specific instructions . . . I turned to this thread after running the setup and a couple of tech support calls . . .

[pilotbob]

Bob, do you think running the guided setup with the cablecards inserted have caused my problems?

I think it is fully worth following the steps as defined in the setup guide.

If those cableCards were working in the other series 3 then how can they be bad and how can they not be activated? It doesn't make sense.

Seems it's worth a try... but I can't guarantee success because as someone else said, you called Verizon and who knows when they screwed up on your account.

BOb

[hsuthard]

OK, I'm re-running the guided setup without any cards inserted and we'll go from there.

[pilotbob]

OK, I'm re-running the guided setup without any cards inserted and we'll go from there.

Good luck... I hope you can get it going.

Make sure you insert the cards one at time while the TiVo is on.

BOb

[markgrogers]

hsuthard: My post about my experience with this is back on 1/25/2008 if you are interested. It sounds as if not much has changed. Verizon is still not really training their installers on cable cards and they are buying cards from manufacturers with high defect rates. You'll be educating installers one at a time as they visit and play cable-card roulette with your TiVo for a long tome to come.

And the instructions that pilotbob linked above are the ones that I begged my Verizon installers to follow, but they seemed more interested in doing it their own way. I finally did get a cooperative guy who did follow the instructions (but, of course, the cable cards were bad so it didn't help).

Anyway, good luck on your quest- for what its worth, once set-up, I have had no problems with the cards for 2 years.

[richsadams]

OK, I'm re-running the guided setup without any cards inserted and we'll go from there.I was also working under the assumption that you had run Guided Setup before doing anything else. If running GS doesn't change things, you might want to run a Clear and Delete everything and then run GS again. C&D will wipe any "left over" data and bring your TiVo back to all of the out of the box defaults.

Our FIOS install on our Series3 didn't go perfectly...the tech kept ignoring the installation instructions and insisted he could activate both cards at the same time. But after having no success he finally followed the instructions and almost everything was okay. I say almost because he just checked a few channels before leaving. Later I found that all of the pay channels with the HD Extreme package weren't working. After spending a half hour on the phone with their tech support they did something on their end to resolve that. (They apologized for the trouble.) I had to wait for about an hour before everything was in working order. It's been flawless since.

Best of luck...it will get fixed and hopefully soon!

[hsuthard]

Well, I re-did the guided setup with no change. Verizon called me back to continue trouble shooting, and we conferenced in a Tivo tech as well, but still no luck. The cards aren't communicating at all (the Messages field isn't populating and the OOB Signal won't lock and the Val field won't register). The only change Verizon has been able to affect is to change the EBCP field from Yes to No and then back again.

I think I'm ready to try new cablecards, although while I'm waiting for them to come out I may try Rich's suggestion to clear & delete and re-run.

[hsuthard]

OK, I just did a clear & delete everything and re-ran guided setup. I'll force a couple of connections as well. I scheduled a technician to come out on Monday and made sure they made a note to bring several cablecards. It's just so frustrating because these Verizon guys really do try their best, but they just can't seem to get it right.

Think I should try to have Verizon activate the cards again now that I've done the clear & delete? Or should I just turn off the tv and wait until Monday?

[Garloo]

FWIW, my Fios install was also difficult, but not nearly as bad as yours.

I have a Series 3 HD that I used with Time Warner before switching to Fios. The software is current at Version 11.0d.

The tech tried to install two M cards, which is supposed to be possible with an S3 HD, but the unit did not accept them and the Fios system did not recognize them. Upon further testing the tech determined one of the M cards was defective, but even after replacing it, no luck with either CC. We spent several hours doing everything per the Tivo guided install and with the assistance of Tivo telephone tech support.

Finally, he went back to the office and dug up two old S cards, and the second he slipped them in, they were recognized and the system worked.


Garloo

[hsuthard]

I know there are some installation horror stories out there. I did do a full clear and delete everything and re-ran the guided setup. I installed the cards one at a time and had them individually activated following the instructions carefully. But no luck. I have a tech scheduled for Monday, and I had the last guy add to the notes that S-cards would be preferred if possible. I'll update on Monday to let you all know how quickly and successful the install is going :D

[cwerdna]

hsuthard: My post about my experience with this is back on 1/25/2008 if you are interested. It sounds as if not much has changed. Verizon is still not really training their installers on cable cards and they are buying cards from manufacturers with high defect rates. You'll be educating installers one at a time as they visit and play cable-card roulette with your TiVo for a long tome to come.

It's definitely a case of YMMV, and it might depend on the area. I have FiOS in Redmond, WA and my install last year (Sept or October 09) went fine. The CableCARD portion of it took <15 minutes. See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7690012&highlight=cablecard#post7690012

My card is from Motorola.

[V7Goose]

That is correct...although I can't verify if it works between devices, only TiVo's. I don't see why switching between devices would be any different though.
I can verify that at least in North Texas you can move Verizon cable cards between any compatible device without any problem whatsoever. But I got a nasty surprise with M cards recently.

I finally decided to force them to come out and swap my two S cards in the THD unit for M cards so I could effectively get another card at no more cost. My wife gets mad when I have both tuners busy on the main TiVo so she cannot watch something else, so I thought I'd just take the extra card from the THD and put it in the Sony plasma TV so she could always switch over and watch live TV on any channel when the TiVo was busy. I already knew the FiOS cable cards worked fine in this TV since I had pulled them from the TiVos and tried it.

The nasty surprise is that the new M card would not work in either the Sony plasma TV or the S3. I knew that the S3 would not use an M card as a dual tuner, but I assumed it would at least use them the same as an S card. BAD assumption! Neither my S3 nor my Sony TV will use any M card for anything but analog channels, even tho the same cards work perfectly in the THD. I had to call them back out to swap one of the new M cards back to an old S card just to use it! Other than that mess, I have never had even the slightest problem getting new cable cards from FiOS set up.
Goose

[pghkirwan]

Unbelievable!! I just had the same problem of losing all channels above 50 here in the Pittsburgh area. I have already had a few calls with Verizon so I am already at a high degree of frustration on this but when I read the thread I thought I could get Verizon in Pittsburgh to talk to Verizon in New York to identify the problem and the solution. Apparently, they don't or won't talk to each other, they don't have the number for NY and there is no way to communicate. It almost makes me nostalgic for Comcast.
I had the same problem with my S3 and FIOS here in Pittsburgh - it worked fine for over a year after the initial install. Began having problems with non-local channels a couple of months ago and had a service tech come out. He removed the two attenuators that were attached to the S3, pinged the cards and, voila, everything worked fine until just recently. The same issue started again - we get the local stations but nothing over 50/550.

Called Fiber Solutions and talked with the CSR - he checked the cards from their end and saw no problems with the 2 S cards in this box. rebooted the S3 and the channels showed up. The CSR said that the SNR should be ~36 - and it was for both cards. He also suggested that the problem may be with the S3...

Here I am, 2 days later and I can't get the non-local channels.

Interesting thing is that this problem's only affecting my S3. I have a THD (with a recently installed M-card) that is not having any problems with reception.

Could record on the THD and use MRV to transfer to the S3 in the living room, but, that's not the point.

Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks,

Don

[hsuthard]

I know there are some installation horror stories out there. I did do a full clear and delete everything and re-ran the guided setup. I installed the cards one at a time and had them individually activated following the instructions carefully. But no luck. I have a tech scheduled for Monday, and I had the last guy add to the notes that S-cards would be preferred if possible. I'll update on Monday to let you all know how quickly and successful the install is going :D

Well, it's up and running!! The Verizon guy was here for almost three hours, but it's working perfectly now. He ended up replacing the coax outlet in the wall and the cable, and that seemed to do it. He had initially tested the strength of my coax and found it to be okay, but after a couple of cablecard activation dances, he tested it again and found it to be sub-par and variable. Once he replaced the coax outlet and cable we instantly had a signal and the activations were able to take. So I did need him to come out after all.

Now I'm getting frustrated with the slingbox LOL. I can get it working straight from the router, but it doesn't seem to like the wireless bridge I have. I'm going to save that problem for tomorrow ;-)

[richsadams]

Well, it's up and running!! The Verizon guy was here for almost three hours, but it's working perfectly now. He ended up replacing the coax outlet in the wall and the cable, and that seemed to do it. He had initially tested the strength of my coax and found it to be okay, but after a couple of cablecard activation dances, he tested it again and found it to be sub-par and variable. Once he replaced the coax outlet and cable we instantly had a signal and the activations were able to take. So I did need him to come out after all. Hey...that's great news! Congrats and enjoy! :up:

[lb3]

I have the exact same situation as you mae. Cancelled comcast on 3/24 with an effective date of 4/2. They tell me they cannot cancelled me until 4/13 but they will backdate/refund any charges as of 4/2.

Yeah, that's how Comcast seems to work. They charged me the full bill, then mailed me a check for the credit. Seems kind of stupid, but whatever... Maybe they're hoping you won't cash the check. :confused:

Fios services have been working great for me. I do have some complaints about Verizon though.

1. They have overbilled me twice since I upgraded to a HD package from the base non-HD package I originally got. First, they charged a cancellation fee of $175. I got on online chat and they removed it quickly. However, the next month they added "Games on Demand" and Starz. Plus they Back billed me for the previous month too. I got on online chat again and they removed it quickly. Curious to see what next month holds....

2. I have 2 Tivo HDs. One was installed back in August and one was installed in January. The first one has 1 M-Card. The 2nd has 2 S-Cards. The installer didn't have any M-Cards. I didn't get charged for the extra card the 1st month, but it is on my bill now. So that's an extra $3.99 on my monthlybill. Going to call and try to get the 2nd S-Card for free when I have the time, but I am doubtful.

[richsadams]

Yeah, that's how Comcast seems to work. They charged me the full bill, then mailed me a check for the credit. Seems kind of stupid, but whatever... Maybe they're hoping you won't cash the check. :confused:

Fios services have been working great for me. I do have some complaints about Verizon though.

1. They have overbilled me twice since I upgraded to a HD package from the base non-HD package I originally got. First, they charged a cancellation fee of $175. I got on online chat and they removed it quickly. However, the next month they added "Games on Demand" and Starz. Plus they Back billed me for the previous month too. I got on online chat again and they removed it quickly. Curious to see what next month holds....

2. I have 2 Tivo HDs. One was installed back in August and one was installed in January. The first one has 1 M-Card. The 2nd has 2 S-Cards. The installer didn't have any M-Cards. I didn't get charged for the extra card the 1st month, but it is on my bill now. So that's an extra $3.99 on my monthlybill. Going to call and try to get the 2nd S-Card for free when I have the time, but I am doubtful.Our experience with VZ tech has been very good. OTOH our experiences with VZ billing have been far less than satisfactory. That seems to be the consensus here and on almost every related forum I've ever visited. Their websites are kludgey and not at all user friendly IMO as well.

To be fair I've only had very poor experiences with Verizon Wireless which I had for a couple of years before we switched to FIOS. Based on that I was very concerned that they wouldn't get our FIOS package right initially. It seems to take an act of congress for them to get things straight with my cell phone account. Even the most simple things like changing our address on the cell account took them six months to correct. Comcast was just the opposite; the billing was always spot on, but their tech support less than desirable. Luckily everything on FIOS is fine.

I guess it's always something, but VZ really needs to invest in the customer support side of the business as it leaves a very bad taste in people's mouths.

Best of luck and I hope they get your account ironed out.

[blackngold75]

FiOS does not make it easy to get CableCards, that's for sure.

I decided to turn my FiOS TV service back on since they were offering some good deals if you sign-up online. Of course, you can't order CableCards online but you also can't get the deal if you call. So, I ordered online and indicated 1 HD set-top box needed just so I can complete the order and get the discount.

Afterwards, I had to call to cancel the HD box and request two CableCards instead. The guy on the phone was "pretty sure you can't have TV service without at least one set-top box"! I convinced him you could, and he said he updated the order. So, now the order says 1HD box PLUS 2 CableCards. I hope that will all be straightened out after the install is done...:(

[richsadams]

FiOS does not make it easy to get CableCards, that's for sure.

I decided to turn my FiOS TV service back on since they were offering some good deals if you sign-up online. Of course, you can't order CableCards online but you also can't get the deal if you call. So, I ordered online and indicated 1 HD set-top box needed just so I can complete the order and get the discount.

Afterwards, I had to call to cancel the HD box and request two CableCards instead. The guy on the phone was "pretty sure you can't have TV service without at least one set-top box"! I convinced him you could, and he said he updated the order. So, now the order says 1HD box PLUS 2 CableCards. I hope that will all be straightened out after the install is done...:(I ran into the same issue when I placed our original order so I called in and told them I wanted the online offer but I couldn't complete the order because I needed cable cards. The CSR was actually quite understanding and worked it out without any issues. When the installer arrived (a contractor, not an actual VZ employee) he had down a set top box along with the cable cards. I explained things and he was pretty savvy. He called it in and the set top box was never included on our account.

However, as mentioned, once they have something in their system, it's almost in stone. I'd call them back because sure as heck once they activate your account that's what you'll get charged for. So I'd make sure things are right before they show up. Then I'd be sure to follow up with the installer and the office even before you get your first bill. I know it sounds like overkill but there are many, many posts here and elsewhere that have some real horror stories that could have probably been avoided if things were set up right in the first place.

Seems like a shame anyone should have to go through all of that, but that seems to be the norm unfortunately. The good...or great news is that once you experience FIOS you'll be very happy!

Best of luck!

[georgemoe]

After waiting two years for FiOS to get to my street, I finally got it installed today. No major issues other than HDMI will not work for FiOS/cbl channels. :( I get the HDCP error on all cable channels. My OTA channels via the Tivo HD display fine but not the FiOS channels. The tech actually left after I switched over to component to get things to display. I'm not faulting him on this but he didn't really have much experience with Tivo's.

I called the Tivo CableCard Hotline who checked a number of screens and finally concluded that the cable card (M) was not authorized properly. It needed to be rehit. I called Fiber Solutions who rehit the card but nothing happened. They then proceeded to Google for a solution. :eek:

I've tried to Google this issue myself and I'm coming up empty. HDMI works fine on the Tivo ant channels but not with FiOS/mCard. I changed inputs, cables, etc. No help. I'll eventually try some searches at dbstalk but I've hit a wall spending all day either with the installer or on the phone. About 8 hrs total.

Any ideas on this here? Thanks for your help!

George

[rocko]

FiOS does not make it easy to get CableCards, that's for sure.

I decided to turn my FiOS TV service back on since they were offering some good deals if you sign-up online. Of course, you can't order CableCards online but you also can't get the deal if you call. So, I ordered online and indicated 1 HD set-top box needed just so I can complete the order and get the discount.

Afterwards, I had to call to cancel the HD box and request two CableCards instead. The guy on the phone was "pretty sure you can't have TV service without at least one set-top box"! I convinced him you could, and he said he updated the order. So, now the order says 1HD box PLUS 2 CableCards. I hope that will all be straightened out after the install is done...:(

I had the same waltz with a CSR yesterday. Since I ordered and new Premier XL and I Wooted a S3 refurb, I figured I'd retire my 2 S2DT boxes. I currently have 4 'S' cards on my 2 THDs so let's do the math.

Keep 2 'S' cards for the S3. Check.

Order 3 'M' cards - 2 for my existing THDs and 1 for the new PXL The CSR can't guarantee 'M' cards but that's basically all they have anyway so, Check.

Return 2 'S' cards. Check.
Return 2 STBs. BS alert. A STB is required? Huh?

After a chat with a very nice and knowlegable girl at Fiber Solutions we came to the conclusion that the STB is a billing requirement, not a technical requirement. The CableCARDs will work just fine without a STB.

So that begs the question - if I return both STBs does that magically hose my account so the CableCARDS stop working?

I guess I'm asking other FIOS customers - Did you originally order CableCARDs and a STB and then return the box?

[SoBayJake]

Return 2 STBs. BS alert. A STB is required? Huh?

After a chat with a very nice and knowlegable girl at Fiber Solutions we came to the conclusion that the STB is a billing requirement, not a technical requirement. The CableCARDs will work just fine without a STB.

So that begs the question - if I return both STBs does that magically hose my account so the CableCARDS stop working?

I guess I'm asking other FIOS customers - Did you originally order CableCARDs and a STB and then return the box?
I've never had STBs on my account, so I can't imagine that a billing requirement exists for an STB.

*edited to note I never had STBs on my account - only CableCards.

[Scyber]

I've never had a FIOS STB in my house, it is not a billing requirement.

[richsadams]

I guess I'm asking other FIOS customers - Did you originally order CableCARDs and a STB and then return the box?As mentioned earlier, they had me down for a STB and the tech brought one, but of course none was needed and it was never added to my account. So, perhaps that's the case...they can't process an order w/o including a STB? Seems crazy, but then...:confused:

[rocko]

As mentioned earlier, they had me down for a STB and the tech brought one, but of course none was needed and it was never added to my account. So, perhaps that's the case...they can't process an order w/o including a STB? Seems crazy, but then...:confused:

Thanks. I thought I posted a "nevermind" after reading you comments above but I guess not ... :o

[mae]

My HD and/or DVR expander died back on 3/1, and I'll post that saga on a new thread.

BUT, knowing I'd be without, I called VZ and asked about swapping my HD box (which was at the end of a one year free period) for a DVR. CSR said I couldn't have a regular DVR free, but could have the home media one (yeah, I know it is the same with different authorizations) free for a year. I took the HD box to a VZ store a few miles from here, swapped and activated it.

The billing has been right, $19.99 charge and $20 credit.

The experience has taught me how much I like my TiVo, but it beats watching in realtime!:)

So if you are calling them anyway to do a card order or swap, you might as well ask about a free year of either a box or DVR.

BTW, I got a Premiere XL today, put the M card in and had no problem getting all channels, including encrypted ones.

[richsadams]

BTW, I got a Premiere XL today, put the M card in and had no problem getting all channels, including encrypted ones.Nice to hear. Our Premiere XL is supposed to arrive Friday. I pulled the cable card out of our TiVo HD so hopefully when I slip it into the new TiVo it will be back to business as usual. Looking forward to the new HD GUI!

[mae]

Looking forward to the new HD GUI!

Rich,

Don't have too high expectations. While mine is still indexing, the HDUI is VERRRY slow. In fact, on first boot, it wouldn't move off TiVo Central. Pulled the plug and rebooted. Still was crawling. Kept flipping back to old menus for some functions (see the new forum). Finally went to classic and it works great! The menus are really fast. Best Buy had an HD XL on clearance for $349 and I almost bought that, but figure as long as the old UI is there at fast, I can wait while they get it right. Besides I remember how development on old platforms stopped, so I figured I'd jump on the train early.

Mark

[richsadams]

Rich,

Don't have too high expectations. While mine is still indexing, the HDUI is VERRRY slow. In fact, on first boot, it wouldn't move off TiVo Central. Pulled the plug and rebooted. Still was crawling. Kept flipping back to old menus for some functions (see the new forum). Finally went to classic and it works great! The menus are really fast. Best Buy had an HD XL on clearance for $349 and I almost bought that, but figure as long as the old UI is there at fast, I can wait while they get it right. Besides I remember how development on old platforms stopped, so I figured I'd jump on the train early.

MarkYeah, I expect it'll be a little slower, particularly for the first few days while it's doing some housekeeping. Even after that I don't expect miracles...it is Flash based after all. The one thing I think I'll really appreciate is the "PIP" in the menus so I don't have to leave what I'm watching. The rest is eye candy of sorts, but will be fun to see. Hopefully it won't be too slow. Enjoy!

[Revolutionary]

I had the same waltz with a CSR yesterday. Since I ordered and new Premier XL and I Wooted a S3 refurb, I figured I'd retire my 2 S2DT boxes. I currently have 4 'S' cards on my 2 THDs so let's do the math.

Keep 2 'S' cards for the S3. Check.

Order 3 'M' cards - 2 for my existing THDs and 1 for the new PXL The CSR can't guarantee 'M' cards but that's basically all they have anyway so, Check.

Return 2 'S' cards. Check.
Return 2 STBs. BS alert. A STB is required? Huh?

After a chat with a very nice and knowlegable girl at Fiber Solutions we came to the conclusion that the STB is a billing requirement, not a technical requirement. The CableCARDs will work just fine without a STB.

So that begs the question - if I return both STBs does that magically hose my account so the CableCARDS stop working?

I guess I'm asking other FIOS customers - Did you originally order CableCARDs and a STB and then return the box?

I think it is an initial order requirement. I also ordered online but didn't need the HD STB, so I called and updated the order. I nixed the HD STB and asked for 2 cable cards instead. We also have an S2, so I ordered the basic digital adapter for that. The girl on the phone didn't bat an eye, but when I checked the order later that day, it now showed 2 CCs and an HD STB.

The tech called me before he came out to verify my equipment order. He noticed that I had two cablecards, one basic adapter, and an STB on the order, and asked if that was right, because it looked like I only had 2 outlets. I said that all that should be on there was the cable cards and the basic adapter. He explained that they need to have at least one gateway device per outlet on the order or it will not process, which is why the STB was still there, but it was no problem for him to cancel it upon install. We'll see how it gets billed, but I have no STB after install.

I infer from this that their fulfillment system makes sure that each outlet you identify has a required device, but since you can't order cable cards online, those don't count.

[mae]

Yeah, I expect it'll be a little slower, particularly for the first few days while it's doing some housekeeping.

Rich,

Well, it hung again on the HD menus. Had to reboot. Called in, their only suggestion was to reboot, but opened a ticket. I'll let it do whatever and leave it in classic over night before trying again.

Mark

[richsadams]

Rich,

Well, it hung again on the HD menus. Had to reboot. Called in, their only suggestion was to reboot, but opened a ticket. I'll let it do whatever and leave it in classic over night before trying again.

MarkWell, that's a little worrisome. Although there are only a few others here that have received their Premieres, I haven't seen anyone post anything unusual. Hopefully it just needs to get itself organized and things will be good.

[rocko]

Thanks to all. I'll have the tech pick up the STBs along with the 2 space 'S' cards when he shows up.

Since my appointment is in the afternoon I'm betting this guy will be willing to trade beer for NIM-100s. My 2 previous techs were happy to drink and part with obsolete equipment. Mheh heh heh

[SoBayJake]

They still carry NIM-100s? I might need them to bring me some additional CableCards if that's the case! :eek:

[mae]

Well, that's a little worrisome. Although there are only a few others here that have received their Premieres, I haven't seen anyone post anything unusual. Hopefully it just needs to get itself organized and things will be good.

Rich,

OK, problem was hitting the exit key on a Harmony set up for the HD. This is noted as causing the unit to hang on the impressions thread on the Premiere forum. Of course I found it there, but TiVo didn't know about the issue. Changed the exit key on the Harmony to Live TV and all is well. Strange it didn't hang in the classic interface though!

Mark

[mae]

Thanks to all. I'll have the tech pick up the STBs along with the 2 space 'S' cards when he shows up.

Since my appointment is in the afternoon I'm betting this guy will be willing to trade beer for NIM-100s.

Don't get your hopes up. When I was installed in March, 2009, I asked the tech if he had any on his truck (he had been installing FIOS since the rollout). He said he hadn't seen any around the garage for over a year.

[rocko]

They still carry NIM-100s? I might need them to bring me some additional CableCards if that's the case! :eek:

They've been unnecessary since deployment of the newer routers (Actiontec and Westel) but apparently some still are kicking around on trucks.

Go figure - I'm always happy to help these guys clean out their trucks :D

[richsadams]

Rich,

OK, problem was hitting the exit key on a Harmony set up for the HD. This is noted as causing the unit to hang on the impressions thread on the Premiere forum. Of course I found it there, but TiVo didn't know about the issue. Changed the exit key on the Harmony to Live TV and all is well. Strange it didn't hang in the classic interface though!

MarkWow...that's very good to know. I use a Harmony as well and would have been upset if that happened to me...not to mention that the wife would have had a fit (she didn't think we needed "...another TiVo?!" anyway ;) ). Thanks for the heads-up! :up:

[mae]

Wow...that's very good to know. I use a Harmony as well and would have been upset if that happened to me...not to mention that the wife would have had a fit (she didn't think we needed "...another TiVo?!" anyway ;) ). Thanks for the heads-up! :up:

Rich,

I called back and sat on hold to let them know the resolution and close the case. I figure they have enough real bugs to squash. The CSR was very interested, took down the details and said he would enter it into their database. His theory was that the legacy code recognized the IR signal, while the new code had no idea what to do with it.

Of course, I'm sure plenty of folks have old peanuts sitting around (I bought a few on WOOT) and will have the same problem if they hit the exit key on that.

Glad I avoided the wife being annoyed. I found and fixed it before she got home!

Mark

[richsadams]

Glad I avoided the wife being annoyed. I found and fixed it before she got home!If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! :D

[blackngold75]

Tech showed up this morning with the two cards I'd ordered: one for my TivoHD and one for my Premiere. About 30 minutes later, everything was working perfectly, and the CableCard installs went exactly as described in the instructions.

[richsadams]

Tech showed up this morning with the two cards I'd ordered: one for my TivoHD and one for my Premiere. About 30 minutes later, everything was working perfectly, and the CableCard installs went exactly as described in the instructions.Sweet. Enjoy! :up:

[bma]

Has anyone ever gotten M-Cards that are detected as S-Cards in the THD (not S3)?

I have gotten two cards now that act like this. It clearly says on it Motorola M-Card; TiVo's CC hotline said the first time I called that the card was likely faulty because the second number in "FW Version" was '-.-' (null), and the new card has the same setup. The FiOS tech said he's installed these cards in THDs fine before and are detected as M-Cards, so wondering if my THD is faulty... would be nice to only have to pay for one CC instead of two to get both tuners working.

[Phantom Gremlin]

Has anyone ever gotten M-Cards that are detected as S-Cards in the THD (not S3)?

Yes, sort of.

On some (not all) of my TiVo HD boxes, when the card was first inserted the TiVo said something like "S-card detected". But about 5 or 10 seconds later the screen switched to "M-card detected". The other boxes detected the M-card immediately after it was inserted.

So clearly there is an algorithm that the TiVo is following that is perhaps not infallible.

[DeWitt]

On the Tivo HD an M card MUST be in slot one.

[bma]

On the Tivo HD an M card MUST be in slot one.

Yes, it was in slot 1. It also never changed from "S-Card" (waited about 30 seconds). I'm going to try and snag a third card from them to try one more time; but am starting to suspect the TiVo and not the cards...

[hoyty]

I have had FIOS for a few months. I only have a Series 3 and no Verizon STB. Recently my 5 year old 27" Westinghouse bit the dust and I swapped with a 4 year old one from spare bedroom. The orginial only had DVI + RCA and the new one has HDMI. Since the switch we are getting fairly regular sound drops on lots of channels. Anyone else experience this? I am thinking of switching back to analog audio to see if it fixes it since the Westinghouse is stereo only anyway.

[mayhews]

I have a Series 3 HD with cable cards and Verizon Fios. They did the install over a year ago with no problems, and everything ran flawlessly until Monday night at 9:05, when there was suddenly no signal. ("Searching for signal on ..."). Tried the usual things, no joy.

Called tech support this morning and after 45 minutes the tech was able to do something that caused an error message (Error 161-4) on each of the cable cards, but could not get it working. He dispatched a tech who tested the cable, reconnected it and VOILA!, picture and sound. Of course, an hour later it was gone (and so was he).

Before I put myself through another day of tech support hell, is there anything other than the simultaneous failure of both cable cards that might cause this? Is it possible that one of them wasn't working for a while without my being aware of it?

[rage777]

I have a Series 3 HD with cable cards and Verizon Fios. They did the install over a year ago with no problems, and everything ran flawlessly until Monday night at 9:05, when there was suddenly no signal. ("Searching for signal on ..."). Tried the usual things, no joy.

Called tech support this morning and after 45 minutes the tech was able to do something that caused an error message (Error 161-4) on each of the cable cards, but could not get it working. He dispatched a tech who tested the cable, reconnected it and VOILA!, picture and sound. Of course, an hour later it was gone (and so was he).

Before I put myself through another day of tech support hell, is there anything other than the simultaneous failure of both cable cards that might cause this? Is it possible that one of them wasn't working for a while without my being aware of it?

I had a similar problem where my internet and cable went out. Called tech support and they fixed the problem. About 20 minutes later it went out again. Called back and they fixed the internet but had to do a truck roll for the cable. I then found out that my circuit breaker to the Fios backup battery popped. I put it back and then it worked fine. So, you might want to check the backup battery and see if you had a breaker pop.

[wmcbrine]

... HDMI. Since the switch we are getting fairly regular sound drops on lots of channels. Anyone else experience this?Yeah. Try the Dolby Digital to PCM option.

[3morgans]

I have a current FIOS install with two cablecards on a Series 3. Works perfectly.

I am moving to Philly and was setting up my new install and the CSR was trying to tell me that the cablecards are SD only. I am pretty sure this is not true, but just wanted to verify with anyone out there who has had a successful install in the Philly area. Anyone have any feedback?

I think I need to tell them to bring me a settop box (they can't remove from the order) and two cablecards and I should be good to go. I'll have the install tech remove the settop box from the order upon install.

-Eric

[blackngold75]

I have a current FIOS install with two cablecards on a Series 3. Works perfectly.

I am moving to Philly and was setting up my new install and the CSR was trying to tell me that the cablecards are SD only. I am pretty sure this is not true, but just wanted to verify with anyone out there who has had a successful install in the Philly area. Anyone have any feedback?
-Eric

I recently had two CableCards installed (1 for a TivoHD, 1 for a Premiere) in Northern DE (Philly VHO). Two things:
1. A set top box is not required, and after a brief "education" of the customer service rep they were able to remove that from the order.
2. The Tivo with CableCard gets ALL of the digital channels in your package, both SD and HD.

[zyzzx]

I am moving to Philly and was setting up my new install and the CSR was trying to tell me that the cablecards are SD only. I am pretty sure this is not true, but just wanted to verify with anyone out there who has had a successful install in the Philly area. Anyone have any feedback?


The CSR lied to you.

[richsadams]

I have a current FIOS install with two cablecards on a Series 3. Works perfectly.

I am moving to Philly and was setting up my new install and the CSR was trying to tell me that the cablecards are SD only. I am pretty sure this is not true, but just wanted to verify with anyone out there who has had a successful install in the Philly area. Anyone have any feedback?

I think I need to tell them to bring me a settop box (they can't remove from the order) and two cablecards and I should be good to go. I'll have the install tech remove the settop box from the order upon install.

-EricI don't know if the CSR was intentionally lying, but obviously misinformed. There's no such thing as an "SD Cable Card". You just need two "S" (single stream...which are pretty rare any more) or two "M" (multi-stream) cable cards and you'll be good to go.

Regarding the set top box, we had to do the same thing. Apparently their system won't generate a work order w/o a STB being included. The installer will understand that you don't need it and take it off of the work order.

Enjoy your new digs!

[mae]

According to this thread on DSL Reports, VZ will be setting the CCI flag nationwide..

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24453129-TIVO-Upcoming-changes-will-affect-MRV-Functionality

[TIVO] Upcoming changes will affect MRV Functionality

Verizon is planning on implementing copy-once on CableCARD recording devices and it looks like the TiVo multi-room viewing functionality in particular will be affected.

It has been already been implemented in OR and WA and is the start of a national deployment.

See this post in particular for the details:
»Re: Frontier FIOS TV: not even Frontier yet and already FAIL http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24453024-

And these two threads from the start:

»Frontier FIOS TV: not even Frontier yet and already FAIL

»Anyone in Oregon, Washington, or Indiana 6/7/10

[zyzzx]

No!

[aaronwt]

So far this has only been in areas being converted to Frontier.
I have not heard of anyone outside of future Frontier areas having any issues yet. I know I have not seen anything in my area yet either.

Only time will tell if it's implemented. If it is, Oh well. I'll continue using my TiVos but just make sure I stick a larger drive in all my remaining boxes.

I just put a 2TB drive in one of my Premieres a couple of weeks ago. I'll just have to pick up some more from dvr_dude and go back to having duplicate recordings on multiple boxes. So I have access to everything at multiple locations. Which is how I did it before I had FiOS.

[rifleman69]

So far this has only been in areas being converted to Frontier.
I have not heard of anyone outside of future Frontier areas having any issues yet. I know I have not seen anything in my area yet either.


It's coming, straight from Verizon's mouth.

[aaronwt]

It's coming, straight from Verizon's mouth.

I better order my larger drives soon then.;)

Although I wouldn't call this response that was posted straight from Verizons' mouth. If that was the case then many other things would have happened in the past based on info "straight from Verizons' mouth"

[rifleman69]

I better order my larger drives soon then.;)

Although I wouldn't call this response that was posted straight from Verizons' mouth. If that was the case then many other things would have happened in the past based on info "straight from Verizons' mouth"

I would, it was obtained by our local franchising authority. Can't be more black and white than that. It is however a canned answer as the exact same terminology has been given out by Verizon to other subscribers...including those not in the Frontier footprint. Legal told them what to say and not say obviously.

[eagle104]

Just finally got Fios installed, was holding out due to a DT Tivo, and the cablecard part went flawlessly. As I was in the bedroom hooking up the STB to my gimped now 1 tuner DT Tivo he got the Tivo HD going. I have a free 6 months new Media HD DVR FIOS box to get me through till I guess I can figure out how to procede with a new TIVO for the bedroom.

[BrownSanta]

i just had fios installed yesterday and my s3 is up and running without any issues. obviously no vod but thats not really that important to me.

my biggest complaint is learning all the new channels since they arent the same as comcast.

[richsadams]

i just had fios installed yesterday and my s3 is up and running without any issues. obviously no vod but thats not really that important to me.

my biggest complaint is learning all the new channels since they arent the same as comcast.Welcome to the forum! Congrats and enjoy...I know you will! :)

[Rdian06]

Forgive me for not searching the thread fully. Did go through the last 6 or so pages and didn't find what I was looking for.

I'm getting ready to switch to FIOS and was trying to figure out how much I'm going to get charged for CableCards.

I have two S3 OLED units which I know require two cards each. Do they charge the same rate for each card or is there a discounted rate for the second card in each TiVo.

I just got a TiVo Premiere which will replace one of the S3's which will mean I'll only need 3 cards instead of 4. Trying to figure what the cost savings will be if get another Premiere to replace the second S3.

[SoBayJake]

Forgive me for not searching the thread fully. Did go through the last 6 or so pages and didn't find what I was looking for.

I'm getting ready to switch to FIOS and was trying to figure out how much I'm going to get charged for CableCards.

I have two S3 OLED units which I know require two cards each. Do they charge the same rate for each card or is there a discounted rate for the second card in each TiVo.

I just got a TiVo Premiere which will replace one of the S3's which will mean I'll only need 3 cards instead of 4. Trying to figure what the cost savings will be if get another Premiere to replace the second S3.

All CableCARDs from FiOS are $3.99 each (plus taxes). A truck-roll for JUST CC installation is free, and they are free at the time of FiOS installation too.

[Ron Tobin]

Forgive me for not searching the thread fully. Did go through the last 6 or so pages and didn't find what I was looking for.

I'm getting ready to switch to FIOS and was trying to figure out how much I'm going to get charged for CableCards.

I have two S3 OLED units which I know require two cards each. Do they charge the same rate for each card or is there a discounted rate for the second card in each TiVo.

I just got a TiVo Premiere which will replace one of the S3's which will mean I'll only need 3 cards instead of 4. Trying to figure what the cost savings will be if get another Premiere to replace the second S3.

I just got a TiVo Premiere, too, and had to have a truck roll for delivery of the M Card for the Premiere. They get $3.99 for the M card.

I'm selling my Tivo S3 w/lifetime service (it's on Ebay now) and I need to return the 2 S cards from that unit. I was paying $2.99 for each of those cards. As I'm writing this I'm wondering if perhaps I should hold on to the S3 instead of renting the Verizon HD box.

My understanding is that there's no charge for a truck roll just to install the cable card.

[wmcbrine]

I just moved, and I'm wondering myself if I'll end up paying the old $3 or new $4 rate for the old cards I kept. (As a Fios subscriber, when you move, they essentially set you up as a new account.) But I know I'll pay $4 for the new card in my Premie. The Rent Is Too Damn High™, either way.

[kidfried]

I'm switching form Cablevision OptimumTV to Verizon Fios TV with a TivoHD and I just purchased a Motorola M-Card cable card so that I will not have to rent the Verizon cable card.

I inquired about doing this with verizon's customer service live chat. Here's what they said:
Dan(14:00:54): one last question. Since I have a cable card. Will I be able to return the Verizon one when the service man comes over so I don't have to pay the rental fee each month
Angela(14:01:24): No. You must order Verizon's cable card and it must be installed by Verizon.

Basically they require you rent their card. Is this consistent with what everyone else has experienced?

[wkearney99]

I don't know that you can get away with not renting a card. I've never heard of being able to buy one.

Their database needs to be updated to allow a given card number to operate. I don't think they'd allow a card to be active without there also being a monthly rental for it. I suppose anything's possible, like their database of active cards could be separate from monthly billing. But you'd end up with an orphaned card that doesn't exist in their database. From what I've encountered with field techs and cablecard activations there seems to be a very precise number of steps they have to follow in order to get them working. I'd also think tying an active card to a billing account would also prevent field techs from inappropriately activating service.

I'd have to imagine at some point their database would get purged of any cards not associated with active accounts. So eventually any orphaned cards would be deactivated. At least that's what a sensible revenue-generating system would do. I can't testify that Verizon does much that could be even remotely called sensible but they do know how to bill for things.

I guess they could associate your card with a monthly billing. But why bother? You'd be paying the same monthly fee regardless.

As for live chat, they couldn't reliably tell you if water was wet.

[richsadams]

Basically they require you rent their card. Is this consistent with what everyone else has experienced?Yes. The cards are proprietary.

[wkearney99]

Yes. The cards are proprietary.

I don't think the cards are proprietary. I think they've just 'regular' cablecards. What's important is that their ID numbers be entered into Verizon's database in order for them to be activated and function. Now, it may be possible that Verizon has schemed to have the cards uniquely identifiable, but I doubt it.

[richsadams]

I don't think the cards are proprietary. I think they've just 'regular' cablecards. What's important is that their ID numbers be entered into Verizon's database in order for them to be activated and function. Now, it may be possible that Verizon has schemed to have the cards uniquely identifiable, but I doubt it.Agreed, they are standard cable cards, but they are identified as Verizon's and VZ won't use any cards but their own, so for all intents and purposes they are proprietary.

[emkorial]

I better order my larger drives soon then.;)

Although I wouldn't call this response that was posted straight from Verizons' mouth. If that was the case then many other things would have happened in the past based on info "straight from Verizons' mouth"

I personally doubt it's going to happen, FIOS is losing customers and losing money, pissing off existing customers isn't good for the bottom line.

I rarely MRV anyway, but if Fios did do this I'd kick them to the curb and go to Comcast. Fios isn;t that great anyway, looks great on paper, in reality, it's the same as any other cable service: overpriced and doesn't deliver what is advertised.

[SoBayJake]

I personally doubt it's going to happen, FIOS is losing customers and losing money, pissing off existing customers isn't good for the bottom line.

I rarely MRV anyway, but if Fios did do this I'd kick them to the curb and go to Comcast. Fios isn;t that great anyway, looks great on paper, in reality, it's the same as any other cable service: overpriced and doesn't deliver what is advertised.
Aside from billing nightmares, what don't they deliver? I get all the channels I am supposed to get, picture quality is excellent, and my download speeds are correct.

[wmcbrine]

FIOS is losing customers and losing moneyWhere do you get that from?

[kidfried]

fyi my verizon tech was not super knowledgable, he said my motorola card was the exact same as he uses with fios, but he had not been told that i had requested a cable card rental for some reason and did not have one with him. He tried to activate mine but told me he could not and I'd have to request a rental. I'll feel it out one more time with verizon on the phone. Certainly is illogical to have to pay their rental fee when all they have to do is activate and validate my card.

[SoBayJake]

fyi my verizon tech was not super knowledgable, he said my motorola card was the exact same as he uses with fios, but he had not been told that i had requested a cable card rental for some reason and did not have one with him. He tried to activate mine but told me he could not and I'd have to request a rental. I'll feel it out one more time with verizon on the phone. Certainly is illogical to have to pay their rental fee when all they have to do is activate and validate my card.

I don't know how CableCARDS work exactly, but if they have an embedded secret, then they might have to come from the cable co inventory.

The Verizon Headend might not know how to communicate with a non-Verizon CC. The CC interface to the STB is standard, but the CA (conditional access) system might not be. The CA portion is proprietary.

[richsadams]

My money says there's cable card rental fee's in the OP's future.

[pieler8]

My tivo series 3 HD isn't receiving any premium channels. The locals are coming in fine.

fios tech re-paired the m card. on the conditional access screen i'm seeing this

Con: Yes EBCP: Yes Val: V 0x00

Nothing else below that.

Would anyone know the problem?

[pieler8]

My tivo series 3 HD isn't receiving any premium channels. The locals are coming in fine.

fios tech re-paired the m card. on the conditional access screen i'm seeing this

Con: Yes EBCP: Yes Val: V 0x00

Nothing else below that.

Would anyone know the problem?

ignore this, just did a manual update to 11.0k, fixed it!

[kurtster]

I personally doubt it's going to happen, FIOS is losing customers and losing money, pissing off existing customers isn't good for the bottom line.

I rarely MRV anyway, but if Fios did do this I'd kick them to the curb and go to Comcast. Fios isn;t that great anyway, looks great on paper, in reality, it's the same as any other cable service: overpriced and doesn't deliver what is advertised.

I'm going back to FIOS. Comcast is killing me with the fee hikes over time. I started with $99/month with Starz and HBO, now I'm up to $170/mo. $18 of that is for 4 cable cards without ever doing anything to change my service. They also won't let me transfer HBO or Starz content from my HDXL to my Series 3. FIOS had no such restriction when I was with them.

[Revolutionary]

Wow, I forgot all about this thread. Almost 2 years on, and there's still no sign of the dreaded 0x02 flag on my FIOS channels. :)

[Phantom Gremlin]

Wow, I forgot all about this thread. Almost 2 years on, and there's still no sign of the dreaded 0x02 flag on my FIOS channels. :)

Move to Frontier-land, you'll get all the 0x02 flags on FiOS that you could ever desire.

I'd like to believe that the stock market rewards Verizon for its (relative) competence as compared to Frontier, as manifested by the differing Copy Control Information flags in the two systems. But it's probably much simpler than that. Frontier is (probably) just utterly inept. They recently cut their dividend (for the 2nd time in two years). They haven't yet gone bankrupt, but that's what happened to two other entities, Fairpoint Communications and Hawaiian Telecom, that Verizon previously sold subscribers to.

[vurbano]

Wow, I forgot all about this thread. Almost 2 years on, and there's still no sign of the dreaded 0x02 flag on my FIOS channels. :)

you know i think its still on only one channel. the silly HUBHD channel that I never watch anyway. And never will as long as its there.

[das335]

I recently kicked the Verizon DVR to the curb and added a cablecard to my TiVO HD. I did the self-install and it took about 10 minutes to get the cablecard up and running. No issues.

Just prior to all of this, I had a router/ONT issue and had both replaced. To eliminate any questions, I removed a 2nd Actiontec router I used as a MoCa switch and replaced it with my old Motorola NIM 100.

When I connected the TiVo to the Verizon cable feed, I used the TV output coax jack on the NIM 100, since it was available.

Ok, here is the mystery. Today I decide to cleanup some of the cables left over after removing the Verizon DVR. Bad Idea. 4 hours later and a lot of TiVo restarts, I finally got everything working "normally" again with my original cable connection from the NIM 100.

It appears that the NIM 100 TV output has the MoCa frequencies filtered out. When I look at signal strengths using this setup, I get mostly 90 - 100 with a SNR of 36 - 37.

If I simply use the signal straight from the Verizon connection thru a cable company provided 2-way splitter, I get signal strengths of 40 -70 and several of the channels (600,602,603,619...) show 0 for strength.

I searched and found a lot on using a low pass filter (LPF) and saw that some people had used a satellite diplexor as an alternative. I had a Radio Shack one available so I gave it a try. The results where similar to the 2-way splitter test. I still had low signal strengths (< 70) and saw pixellation on several channels (SNR about 26). Most of the missing channels were still not found.


Finally , here are the questions:

1) Can anyone verify that the NIM 100 does block the MoCa frequencies (like a LPF) on its TV output jack ?

2) Can I use 2 way splitters that are rated for 5-900 MHZ to block (or filter) MoCa frequencies on the output side ?

3) When I restart the TiVo (with it connected to the NIM TV output), I often get a "Acquiring Channel Information, please wait" type message and it takes about 10 minutes to get to Live TV. Is this normal ?

I have used my TiVo HD with antenna for about 3 years with almost no problems so I am a bit spoiled.


I will try and get a LPF from Verizon but I need to have a backup in case the NIM 100 stops working. I hope to run cat-6 wiring in the future and reuse the NIM 100 in another room.

Sorry for rambling, it was a long and unproductive day :(

[shamilian]

Finally , here are the questions:

1) Can anyone verify that the NIM 100 does block the MoCa frequencies (like a LPF) on its TV output jack ?

2) Can I use 2 way splitters that are rated for 5-900 MHZ to block (or filter) MoCa frequencies on the output side ?

3) When I restart the TiVo (with it connected to the NIM TV output), I often get a "Acquiring Channel Information, please wait" type message and it takes about 10 minutes to get to Live TV. Is this normal ?


I will try and get a LPF from Verizon but I need to have a backup in case the NIM 100 stops working. I hope to run cat-6 wiring in the future and reuse the NIM 100 in another room.

Sorry for rambling, it was a long and unproductive day :(


1) It likely has an internal diplexer.

2) No, Just because they say what they do between 50-900MHz they say nothing about what happens outside that range.

3) That is a long time check your OOB signal level

I called the FIOS help line and request the LPF. They provided an in-line filter that filters above 860MHz.

First check the signal strength without the splitter ( they can be bad, so can cable connections ). Check at various channels using the DVR diag screen and note the frequencies not the channel numbers.

If you have a few bad channels ( in nearby frequencies) that usually means that you have a bad connection/cable/splitter....

[das335]

Thanks for the info. I will get a Low Pass Filter (LPF) and see how it works. Things are fine right now but I want to have options.

[pacor]

I have a TIVO HD with a verizon cable card working. I have another TIVO HD in a different room with no cable card, just antena. Can I move the cable card from one TIVO HD to the other without having to have a Verizon tech come by? It is just as easy as get the card out of one TIVO and insert it on the other and do the setup?

[wkearney99]

The cablecards are designed to be paired with the Tivo. If they are then you cannot move the card between them. I believe Verizon pairs them, so no you can't do what you're suggesting.

And you probably don't want to either. For one you run the risk of the socket getting worn out or damaged by pulling/replacing the card all the time. Then there's the disruption of the service, you'll have the Tivo without the card getting confused about what channels it can get.

If you've got a Tivo HD then it only needs one M-type cablecard.

The cards rent cheap, just rent it from verizon.

[SoBayJake]

Unless it's a new policy, Verizon does NOT pair them. I have moved all my cards around as recently as 2 months ago without issue.

[unitron]

I have a TIVO HD with a verizon cable card working. I have another TIVO HD in a different room with no cable card, just antena. Can I move the cable card from one TIVO HD to the other without having to have a Verizon tech come by? It is just as easy as get the card out of one TIVO and insert it on the other and do the setup?

When you say "just antenna" do you have cable running to that thing or not?

[teasip]

Verizon doesn't pair but why would you want to move them unless you were having issues and wanting to exclude the CC's as a potential source? Same question as unitron, coax from Verizon splitter to TV or an actual OTA antenna on the second TiVo? I'm using the Verizon feed to a third TV without a converter box or CC just to get the QAM locals.

[wmcbrine]

Unless it's a new policy, Verizon does NOT pair them. I have moved all my cards around as recently as 2 months ago without issue.

It is a (relatively) new policy, and they do pair them. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that you can't move them -- I think a paired card moved to a different unit will just act the same as an unpaired card. And on Fios, an unpaired card is sufficient, since all channels (except 131/1952) have CCI = 0.

[deepthinker]

This is all changing as of July 31st. I just got a letter in the mail from Verizon today and have found one other online so far saying your card must be activated and that starting July 31st they will be enforcing the copy once broadcast flags. I don't see how to attach my own scan of the PDF, but someone on another forum has scanned the letter already.

http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/2013367~a4e3a0515b2e82182c1e90ace4d3dbf3/5112_HBO_LTR_v1r4.pdf

[Jonathan_S]

This is all changing as of July 31st. I just got a letter in the mail from Verizon today and have found one other online so far saying your card must be activated and that starting July 31st they will be enforcing the copy once broadcast flags. I don't see how to attach my own scan of the PDF, but someone on another forum has scanned the letter already.

http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/2013367~a4e3a0515b2e82182c1e90ace4d3dbf3/5112_HBO_LTR_v1r4.pdfI saw the same thing in an engadet article (http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/verizon-fios-tv-cablecard-restrictions-copy-once/) and was coming to post that.

I'll miss being able to backup anything to my computer. Hopefully Verizon will apply the copy protection bits sparingly; but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[dgb99]

It'll be interesting to see if my TV goes out...

I have an original Series 3 Tivo that I basically did the Cablecard installation on when I first got it because the 'installer' had no idea what he was doing. Neither did I really but I had some helpful guides from these forums. No idea if I did it 'right' back then other than that it worked.

Sometime in the last year, the hard drive died and I replaced it with a new hard drive from Weaknees. I figured I would have to redo the Cablecard procedure but was surprised that it worked right from poweron.

Now if I go to channel 131 like the flyer says, I get a canned commercial which, again based on the flyer, indicates I should not have to do anything. However, the error message looked familiar so I went through the Tivo menus to the Cablecard pairing menus and I can see that exact message.

So who's taking bets on whether my FIOS TV will work on August 1st? Based on Verizon's outstanding customer support and communication methods, I'm guessing it will not work...

[SoBayJake]

At least someone at Verizon seems to understand the CCI byte!

Most local cable headend support people don't seem to. I know Verizon has the super headends, so since they (hopefully) set the CCI byte there for just the channels they went, and local channels shouldn't have it set, we might get lucky.

Cross your fingers (or TiVo antennae!)

[aaronwt]

It'll be interesting to see if my TV goes out...

I have an original Series 3 Tivo that I basically did the Cablecard installation on when I first got it because the 'installer' had no idea what he was doing. Neither did I really but I had some helpful guides from these forums. No idea if I did it 'right' back then other than that it worked.

Sometime in the last year, the hard drive died and I replaced it with a new hard drive from Weaknees. I figured I would have to redo the Cablecard procedure but was surprised that it worked right from poweron.

Now if I go to channel 131 like the flyer says, I get a canned commercial which, again based on the flyer, indicates I should not have to do anything. However, the error message looked familiar so I went through the Tivo menus to the Cablecard pairing menus and I can see that exact message.

So who's taking bets on whether my FIOS TV will work on August 1st? Based on Verizon's outstanding customer support and communication methods, I'm guessing it will not work...
It should still work. It would only be an issue on certain premium channels if the CC is not paired to the TiVo.

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner

[BigJimOutlaw]

So who's taking bets on whether my FIOS TV will work on August 1st? Based on Verizon's outstanding customer support and communication methods, I'm guessing it will not work...

Wouldn't hurt to double-check with both tuners if you're using 2 cards. If you're seeing content on 131 (looping Fios info) then you're fine. It's paired.

[jon96cobra]

I just got Fios from having Comcast. I just got my first bill and the cable cards price is 3.99 per card. I have a Series 3 so I have to have the 2 cards. I also have a series 2 Toshiba connected to a Digital adapter for the bedroom TV. I just have the double play with internet. I don't see the discount for the Tivo box like I did with Comcast on the bill. What should the line item say for the discount since I'm using my own boxes?

[aaronwt]

I just got Fios from having Comcast. I just got my first bill and the cable cards price is 3.99 per card. I have a Series 3 so I have to have the 2 cards. I also have a series 2 Toshiba connected to a Digital adapter for the bedroom TV. I just have the double play with internet. I don't see the discount for the Tivo box like I did with Comcast on the bill. What should the line item say for the discount since I'm using my own boxes?

There is no discount. Each cable card is $3.99. Whether you have one or eight. It's still a lot less than what Comcast charges since Comcast has a digital outlet fee for each device.

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner

[jtkohl]

This is all changing as of July 31st. I just got a letter in the mail from Verizon today

I got one of those letters too. Made the mistake of trying to follow the instructions :mad:
First evening wasted: could not pair the existing two s-cards in my S3. VZ sent replacement cards via UPS
Second evening wasted: swapped in the new cards, was able to activate them (and see encrypted subscribed channels, such as HGTV, etc.)
But channel 131 showed cards not paired.
Wasted an hour on the phone with a rep who couldn't find any way to pair them. He deauthorized and reauthorized, but now I get only unencrypted channels. Tech coming tomorrow morning. Perhaps he'll be able to pair them?
Or at least restore my subscribed channels :rolleyes:

[Thos19]

Like jtkohl, I tried to work with Verizon via phone to pair the two Motorolla cable cards (M-Cards in my case.) Everything had worked fine, prior. He deauthorized and reauthorized twice, and now I get only unencrypted channels on one card, while the other says it has no signal at all. The tech said his screen told him both cards were "active" on his end.

Gotta wait until Saturday for a tech visit. :(

Thos.

[jtkohl]

In my case, the tech came by with two M cards. He took out the two S cards I had, put in the M cards, spent some time doing something (while I did work in the other room), and about 45 mins later all channels were working and pairing was complete. He took the two S cards with him in exchange.

[billys9319]

In my case, the tech came by with two M cards. He took out the two S cards I had, put in the M cards, spent some time doing something (while I did work in the other room), and about 45 mins later all channels were working and pairing was complete. He took the two S cards with him in exchange.


I tried 6 S-Cards and all would not pair but when Verizon shipped a M-Card by mistake it paired right away. I now have two M-cards and both are paired. Looks like Verizon S-Card will not pair for some reason.

[wkearney99]

I believe it's only the actual Series 3 model, and not the Tivo HD or others that require more than one M-card. We've got two Tivo HD models here, each has only one M-card. Previously they had two S-cards each but when Verizon came out with M-card support I had them swapped out (and now only pay one card rental each instead of two).

[klj]

wasn't sure where to dump this so i figured i would try here. i have a tivo hd and the "fios prime hd" package. i upgraded to the "fios extreme hd" package to get more of the sports stations.

my question is do i need to run setup again or just sit back and wait to get the additional stations?

[innocentfreak]

wasn't sure where to dump this so i figured i would try here. i have a tivo hd and the "fios prime hd" package. i upgraded to the "fios extreme hd" package to get more of the sports stations.

my question is do i need to run setup again or just sit back and wait to get the additional stations?

Once the CableCARD gets authorized you will be fine as long as the channels are checked under the channel settings on TiVo.

[aaronwt]

I tried 6 S-Cards and all would not pair but when Verizon shipped a M-Card by mistake it paired right away. I now have two M-cards and both are paired. Looks like Verizon S-Card will not pair for some reason.

The old S cards used to work. I used to have eight of them from FiOS. WIth six of them in my three S3(OLED) boxes I had at the time and two in a TiVoHD. But at some point I changed them all out to M-cards.

[billys9319]

I could get all the channels with the S-cards but for 131 which means they were not paired correctly and would stop working in August. I could only get 2 M-Cards to pair correctly in my Series 3 Tivo.

[PatMcNJ]

Hi all. Thinking of finally dumping Cablevision for FIOS.....

I have some stupid questions, so bear with me. Will FIOS mean I no longer have to deal with hooking up a tuning adaptor to get some stations? (not even connected now, it is tricky to get working and I had to get a new Tivo(Elite!) a few months back, and have not bothered with it yet). I think I STILL did not get some stations, even with the Tuning adaptor, but who cares I guess.

Second, can you get on Demand programming using the Tivo with FIOS? Could not get it with Cablevision, without the cable box.

Last, I have the Apple airport router, I love it, just so flawless. I have to ditch that and use Verizons router? I read this thread and so mention of ways to use both routers, but I did not understand the posts, too technical for me.

I asked the Verizon rep some of these questions, over the phone, and I could sense his eyes glazing over, and face going blank as soon as I said "Cable Cards". He kept offering me a "free" Fios DVR, and I kept saying I did NOT want one. I have an Elite, Series 3 (just repaired by Weaknees), and a couple of Series 2s, and 3 of them have lifetime service).

THANKS for your responses in advance. I have the Optimum service, and one thing I would miss is watching live TV on my iPhone and iPad, it is pretty cool....

[wkearney99]

FIOS needs no tuning adapters.

No, you cannot currently use FIOS VOD with a Tivo.

If you're not using any FIOS set top boxes then, yes you can use your Airport instead. If you need to use any FIOS boxes then you WILL have to use their router. But there are various ways to configure things to allow continued use with your Airport.

[jtkohl]

Anybody done tests to see which channels now have CCI restrictions on them, after the pairing deadline has passed?

[rage777]

Last, I have the Apple airport router, I love it, just so flawless. I have to ditch that and use Verizons router? I read this thread and so mention of ways to use both routers, but I did not understand the posts, too technical for me.



If you're not using any FIOS set top boxes then, yes you can use your Airport instead. If you need to use any FIOS boxes then you WILL have to use their router. But there are various ways to configure things to allow continued use with your Airport.

wkearney99 is correct, but that is the one thing I really love about the Fios Actiontec routers - MoCA. Having an older home, this is the best way to get network capability to all my computers and Tivos. The Actiontec routers are pretty cheap and it is easy to setup the MoCA.

[wmcbrine]

Anybody done tests to see which channels now have CCI restrictions on them, after the pairing deadline has passed?

None yet, here. See here for updates:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=489184

[cyberbeach]

When I go to any HBO channel on my LR Tivo Series 3, it shows the Activate cable card screen / clear to exit. The BR no problem.

I called FIOS. 30 minutes waiting on hold.

The Verizon support rep said that his "documentation" shows that Series 3 is no longer compatible with HBO. He said that, not me.

He supposedly pushed a cable-card refresh but I see no changes.

Verizon originally took several days and hours of my time to get HBO to work with my M-card.

[SoBayJake]

When I go to any HBO channel on my LR Tivo Series 3, it shows the Activate cable card screen / clear to exit. The BR no problem.

I called FIOS. 30 minutes waiting on hold.

The Verizon support rep said that his "documentation" shows that Series 3 is no longer compatible with HBO. He said that, not me.

He supposedly pushed a cable-card refresh but I see no changes.

Verizon originally took several days and hours of my time to get HBO to work with my M-card.Did they ask for the Host ID, etc? If not, the cards aren't paired, and they need to be re-paired. Just pushing a refresh won't do anything if things aren't in the system right.

[cyberbeach]

Did they ask for the Host ID, etc? If not, the cards aren't paired, and they need to be re-paired. Just pushing a refresh won't do anything if things aren't in the system right.

In the back of my mind, I knew that they are idiots who don't know their own system and that I would have to come here, research the issue, and then call back and tell them what to do.

<flame on>
Some kind of stupid optimism made my call them first. Maybe it's because of the hours and hours and hours it took to get this card paired up in the first place 3 years ago.

I'm just tired of having to do this. But I guess I'll do it one more time. I won't be crying when Apple sends Tivo to join RIM and relegates Verizon to a commodity fiber-rental service.
<flame off>

Sincerely appreciate your help. I will call them again tomorrow night and politely instruct them to do what I have learned here needs to be done. Thanks.

[cyberbeach]

I called them back.

When I got to the part where the computer says, "state your problem", I said, "cable card needs to be re-paired".

To my total amazement, the computer then said, "If your screen is blank or you see a cable card activation screen, say yes". I said yes. Then it asked me if I wanted to re-activate my card!

It prompted for the cablecard id on the tv where I have no problem, so I said "skip it", and then it prompted for the cablecard id on the tv with the problem. I entered the host id and then the data id. Strangely, it asked for both again, and I entered them both again.

It then said that it would reactivate within 30 minutes.

We'll see...

[cyberbeach]

It worked! Got HBO channels back.

The trick for me is to use the automated system - it's much smarter than the human tech support reps, who told me that Series 3 wouldn't work with HBO anymore and I should call Tivo.

[wmcbrine]

Here's probably why they would think that: They seem to be incapable (based on my own experience and multiple reports) of pairing single-stream cards in their system (not that it can't be done, just that it doesn't fit into their procedures), AND they have the idea (based on some conversations with techs) that the original Series 3 will only take single-stream cards (as opposed to the truth, that it will take multi-stream cards but only operate them in single-stream mode).

[wkearney99]

The trick for me is to use the automated system - it's much smarter than the human tech support reps...
When I've used similar menus with other companies the escalation seemed to work better too. As in, the menus would get to a point where it'd give up and pass you to a rep. Those reps generally seemed better at solving the problem. That's a lot less stressful than the usual hassle of trying to convince the tier 1 rep they don't know WTF they're talking about and to escalate the call...

[Distortedloop]

I'm just tired of having to do this. But I guess I'll do it one more time. I won't be crying when Apple sends Tivo to join RIM and relegates Verizon to a commodity fiber-rental service.


I dread that day, if it ever comes. Apple's already shown hints of their true colors in many ways; they'll be just as tyrannical, if not more so, than Verizon, and no better for the "advanced" consumer than TiVo or other options. Apple wants 100% control of your device, they'll tell you how you can and can't use it, and they'll limit its features to the 80%.

[wkearney99]

I dread that day, if it ever comes. Apple's already shown hints of their true colors in many ways; they'll be just as tyrannical, if not more so, than Verizon, and no better for the "advanced" consumer than TiVo or other options. Apple wants 100% control of your device, they'll tell you how you can and can't use it, and they'll limit its features to the 80%.

Exactly right. Far better to have diversity of choices rather than getting stuck with a single vendor.

[NismoRR]

I've got the problem of no HBO/Cinemax channels on my S3 with two S cablecards. Been unsuccessfully dealing with V* for a week. Yesterday they finally decided to replace the two S cards with one M card. Is this the right solution? I've been reading prior posts and it's a bit confusing but it sounds like the S3 might need TWO M cards. Just trying to make sure I'm getting the right info which will fix this issue. Thanks!

[L David Matheny]

I've got the problem of no HBO/Cinemax channels on my S3 with two S cablecards. Been unsuccessfully dealing with V* for a week. Yesterday they finally decided to replace the two S cards with one M card. Is this the right solution? I've been reading prior posts and it's a bit confusing but it sounds like the S3 might need TWO M cards. Just trying to make sure I'm getting the right info which will fix this issue. Thanks!

If yours is an original OLED S3, then (from what I've read here) it will indeed require two M cards. A TiVo HD would require only one M card.

[wkearney99]

If you have a Tivo HD you can use one M card (I have two set up that way). But if you have an actual Series 3 TCD648250B then you need two cards; they can be either S or M type. The other models in the 'series 3' can use either a single M card or two S cards. It's just the TCD648250B that required two physical cards; one for each tuner.

[NismoRR]

Thanks for the fast replies. Indeed I have an S3. I also have a Tivo HD with one M card and thought that's all I needed for the S3 as well. Oops. Now I have to deal with another call to V* later. Always eventful and and time consuming. Appreciate the help.

[V7Goose]

I've got the problem of no HBO/Cinemax channels on my S3 with two S cablecards. Been unsuccessfully dealing with V* for a week. Yesterday they finally decided to replace the two S cards with one M card. Is this the right solution? I've been reading prior posts and it's a bit confusing but it sounds like the S3 might need TWO M cards. Just trying to make sure I'm getting the right info which will fix this issue. Thanks!
As others have already mentioned, the original OLED S3 units must have two cable cards (of either type). Your problem is simply that the cards are not paired properly.

When I got the original letter from Verizon, I tested channel 131 and had no problem, so I threw the letter away and forgot about it. But when they started the copy protection, I lost HBO & Max on all my cable cards (one S3 with 2 S cards, one HD with an M card and one TV). The fools at Verizon just dismissed my suggestion that they needed to be properly paired - after about four hours or more on the phone with no success, they got approval to send a tech out. He knew there was nothing he could do on site, but spent a couple more hours on the phone with his boss trying to figure out what was wrong. When he finally decided to try and re-pair the cards as I suggested, the problem was solved.

I have seen another post that said someone had great success just using their automated help system to re-pair the cards. Personally, I absolutely refuse to speak to the automated voice response systems for any reason whatsoever - I will happily cancel my subscription before I do that. But if you don't despise them as much as I do, that might be a really good option to try. Good luck.

[NismoRR]

When I got the original letter from Verizon, I tested channel 131 and had no problem, so I threw the letter away and forgot about it. But when they started the copy protection, I lost HBO & Max on all my cable cards (one S3 with 2 S cards, one HD with an M card and one TV). The fools at Verizon just dismissed my suggestion that they needed to be properly paired - after about four hours or more on the phone with no success, they got approval to send a tech out. He knew there was nothing he could do on site, but spent a couple more hours on the phone with his boss trying to figure out what was wrong. When he finally decided to try and re-pair the cards as I suggested, the problem was solved.

I have seen another post that said someone had great success just using their automated help system to re-pair the cards. Personally, I absolutely refuse to speak to the automated voice response systems for any reason whatsoever - I will happily cancel my subscription before I do that. But if you don't despise them as much as I do, that might be a really good option to try. Good luck.


Goose, thanks for this. I'll tell ya, I never got any letter from Verizon, at least that I remember. Like you, I'm not a fan of ANY automated system, but I'll say this, the V* customer service people STILL have no idea what they're talking about concerning cablecards. I can't believe how uninformed they are. I think I started Tivo service with FIOS about five years ago, and they were clueless then, at the beginning which 'maybe' could be somewhat understandable at the time. I ordered another M card just now (sounds like I might not even need them) but the first thing the CSR said is that "HBO doesn't work with cablecards." :rolleyes: Then I explained what I thought was the issue, telling her "S cards are the problem and that people using M cards have no issue." Like I said I have a Tivo HD with 1 M card with no problems and told her so. She checked some stuff and then agreed with me. Lots of misinformation which helps none of us.

I say all this because I basically have no faith in the tech support at V*. I had spoken a "tech" about this problem, and we was the one that said the S cards are the problem. He tried to DEACTIVATE my S cards with the hope of reactivating them, but was unsuccessful. I assume re-pairing the cards is a different endeavor, and would think the tech would be able to suggest it, as you just did. Obviously, I'm not the only one having this issue.

SO...even though I can't stand automated assistance, I think that voice support is WORSE. That's ridiculous for a customer to think. I may just try the automated route and see what happens. Ch 131 works fine for me.

[wmcbrine]

I lost HBO & Max on all my cable cards (one S3 with 2 S cards, one HD with an M card and one TV). ... When he finally decided to try and re-pair the cards as I suggested, the problem was solved.

So, you're saying you actually have S cards that are successfully paired? Are you sure about that? If so, I think you're the first to report that.

[V7Goose]

So, you're saying you actually have S cards that are successfully paired? Are you sure about that? If so, I think you're the first to report that.
Absolutely. I have three different S cards that are successfully paired - two in an S3 and one in a Sony TV. I originally had four S cards (two in the S3, two in the HD). About two years ago I had Verizon replace all of them with M cards, just so I would have more options in the future at the same price. BUT, neither the S3 nor the Sony TV would receive premium channels on unpared M cards, so I had them come back out the next day and put the original S cards back in. That was much easier than trying to wait for them to figure out how to get the new M cards working. I never had a problem with the M card in my HD box (at least not until they started the copy protection!), so I still ended up with the extra card for the TV at no additional cost.

When they started the copy protection a few weeks ago, I lost HBO and Max on all four of the cards - the fix was exactly the same for each of them - just proper pairing.

If you are really interested, you can do some searching on this forum - I reported back then about not being able to get my S3 to work with M cards at all.
Goose

[fmagic]

I am trying to activate a new TivoHD with Verizon FIOS CableCard (MCard) and having a lot of trouble... I get to the point on the Conditional Access screen where it shows "Con:Yes EBCP:Yes Val:? 0x01, but can't get any further with Verizon. They've de-activated and re-activated this CableCARD several times without any progress. We did try swapping the CableCards between systems (I have multiple TiVo's) and they can get the cards working in the other TivoHD's, but not this particular one. I don't see anything further on the conditional access screen on this problem unit, but the other TivoHD's show a lot more lines of information. Any ideas what is going on? TiVo offered to do a 3-way call with Verizon, but my hopes are not high based on past experience getting cards activated with Verizon.

[cyberbeach]

I dread that day, if it ever comes. Apple's already shown hints of their true colors in many ways; they'll be just as tyrannical, if not more so, than Verizon, and no better for the "advanced" consumer than TiVo or other options. Apple wants 100% control of your device, they'll tell you how you can and can't use it, and they'll limit its features to the 80%.

I was ranting - sorry about the comment - I love Tivo - just bit the bullet and bought one XL 4, probably get more soon...

[headless chicken]

Anyone have some luck with Verizon only charging for one cable card for their S3? It sucks to have to pay for two when they're for the same device.

If only there were some kind of software update that could make the Series3 capable of dual tuner functionality with only one cable card. <sigh>

[Johncv]

Anyone have some luck with Verizon only charging for one cable card for their S3? It sucks to have to pay for two when they're for the same device.

If only there were some kind of software update that could make the Series3 capable of dual tuner functionality with only one cable card. <sigh>

By S3 I take you're referring to the OLD display TiVo with SS cards? Sorry I don’t think any software update can change a SS card slot to a MS card slot. Not sure it even possible to hack it and install a MS card slot.

[headless chicken]

By S3 I take you're referring to the OLD display TiVo with SS cards? Sorry I don’t think any software update can change a SS card slot to a MS card slot. Not sure it even possible to hack it and install a MS card slot.

Yes, what other Series3 is there?

[Ilene]

Because the S3 needs 2 cards if you want to be able to tune to 2 different cable channels (doesn't matter if they are single or the newer multi stream) Verizon charges you for both because they see it as 2 pieces of equipment. I have rented 2 cards for 6 years (without the ability to actually purchase them).
I have just purchased the Premiere Elite and will be either retiring or using the S3 with one cc and also OTA. Haven't made up my mind yet.

[unitron]

Yes, what other Series3 is there?

The original S3, the one with the OLED display, is the TCD648250.

The next two Series 3 platform models were the HD (the TCD652160), and the identical looking HD XL (the TCD 658000).

[Johncv]

The original S3, the one with the OLED display, is the TCD648250.

The next two Series 3 platform models were the HD (the TCD652160), and the identical looking HD XL (the TCD 658000).

Thank you, :rolleyes: I do have to agree that OLED display was one sweet box too bad TiVo could not carry it over to the other boxes due to cost.

[headless chicken]

The original S3, the one with the OLED display, is the TCD648250.

The next two Series 3 platform models were the HD (the TCD652160), and the identical looking HD XL (the TCD 658000).

Oh right. Its Series3 to me is synonymous with the beautiful OLED display. I forgot the Tivo HD and HD XL are also technically third generation. IMHO, the original S3 with an upgraded HD is the only way to go.


I have just purchased the Premiere Elite and will be either retiring or using the S3 with one cc and also OTA. Haven't made up my mind yet.

I pulled the trigger on a Premiere Elite when it was $311 a couple of weeks ago at electronics-expo.com. I thought it was a clearance sale to get rid of the Elites but it I actually received the rebranded XL4. I returned the unit after a week because the Premiere XL4 looks and feels like a downgrade from the Series3.

I'm much happier with my upgraded 1TB Series3 with Lifetime. It may not have 4 tuners or be able to record 300 HD hrs (I can always upgrade the drive again), but the interface is much better, there is an LCD clock display that shows you what is recording, the search function is much faster and 30 second skip works.

[aaronwt]

The S3 has an LCD display? :)

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner

[unitron]

The S3 has an LCD display? :)

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner

Apparently headless chicken is a spring chicken and not old enough to remember that before Liquid Crystal Diode time displays there were similar looking Light Emitting Diode displays, which I suspect the Organic Light Emitting Diode array of the S3 has.

[headless chicken]

The S3 has an LCD display? :)

Sent from my HTC ReZound using Forum Runner

Typo. You can see I initially refer to the display as OLED.

I love having the time visible too, which was conspicuously absent on the Premiere Elite. Its the only clock in my living room.

[Johncv]

Typo. You can see I initially refer to the display as OLED.

I love having the time visible too, which was conspicuously absent on the Premiere Elite. Its the only clock in my living room.

You could hang a clock on your wall. :rolleyes: I have a nice big one that set itself to the atomic clock.

[headless chicken]

You could hang a clock on your wall. :rolleyes: I have a nice big one that set itself to the atomic clock.

I've got original artwork on all my walls. I'd rather not have an obtrusive and ugly clock, thank you.

[dgbretz]

I have a Series 3 with OLED display with 2 FIOS cablecards. I got the letter referenced above a while back and came here concerned about whether I would lose channels. The general consensus was that I didn't need to worry about it since I didn't have premium channels, especially if I could 'see' channel 131.

I checked channel 131 and it worked fine...still does. No worries at the time...

Today, there is a free HBO/Cinemax weekend so I figured I would Tivo a bunch of movies like I usually do. However, all the HBO/Cinemax movies show me the cablecard screen with a quasi-error message that says:
The Cablecard considers the host to have only one-way RF capability.

I tried re-pairing the cards through automated voice system and that does not appear to have worked.

I have a plain jane free digital adapter on an upstairs TV and I'm getting the free preview up there just fine.

Any suggestions?

[aaronwt]

I have a Series 3 with OLED display with 2 FIOS cablecards. I got the letter referenced above a while back and came here concerned about whether I would lose channels. The general consensus was that I didn't need to worry about it since I didn't have premium channels, especially if I could 'see' channel 131.

I checked channel 131 and it worked fine...still does. No worries at the time...

Today, there is a free HBO/Cinemax weekend so I figured I would Tivo a bunch of movies like I usually do. However, all the HBO/Cinemax movies show me the cablecard screen with a quasi-error message that says:
The Cablecard considers the host to have only one-way RF capability.

I tried re-pairing the cards through automated voice system and that does not appear to have worked.

I have a plain jane free digital adapter on an upstairs TV and I'm getting the free preview up there just fine.

Any suggestions?

You could potentially lose 22 channels in a few weeks when FiOS switches them from MPEG2 to MPEG4. Since the Series 3 boxes don't work with MPEG4 channels. Well they can work with a software update, but since the S3 hasn't been made in years it's unlikely that they would put out an update.

[SoBayJake]

I have a Series 3 with OLED display with 2 FIOS cablecards. I got the letter referenced above a while back and came here concerned about whether I would lose channels. The general consensus was that I didn't need to worry about it since I didn't have premium channels, especially if I could 'see' channel 131.

I checked channel 131 and it worked fine...still does. No worries at the time...

Today, there is a free HBO/Cinemax weekend so I figured I would Tivo a bunch of movies like I usually do. However, all the HBO/Cinemax movies show me the cablecard screen with a quasi-error message that says:
The Cablecard considers the host to have only one-way RF capability.

I tried re-pairing the cards through automated voice system and that does not appear to have worked.

I have a plain jane free digital adapter on an upstairs TV and I'm getting the free preview up there just fine.

Any suggestions?
I tried the automated system and didn't work. I tried the chat system and that worked.

[dgbretz]

Do you know what the chat did that was different?

[SoBayJake]

Do you know what the chat did that was different?

No clue. They both asked for the same information. It was late, and I could have mistyped something.

[dgbretz]

double post...

[dgbretz]

Hmmmm...I wish I knew what they did but after an hour on the phone it is working. The person I was actually talking to was working with 'Level 3' support.

I've seen the list of channels that are being switched to MPEG4 and figured it wasn't a big deal. I know I'm using old equipment.

I'm disappointed but not surprised by the level of support Tivo has provided for the Series3.

[wkearney99]

One tip I've found helps, make a copy of the cablecard's ID numbers and make sure they jibe with the numbers you see on the screen. And make the copy 200% larger so you can actually read the tiny type on there. That and make sure you're not transposing zeros with letter O characters. My suprizon rep made that mistake when setting ours up originally.

Otherwise you're stuck dealing with the demonstrably incompetent ways some local cable operations handle pairing the cards.

[dgbretz]

I did have to repeat the Cablecard info over the phone at least 10 times. I had actually given up after being on the phone about 30 minutes. I figured I would just have to repeat the whole guided setup if I ever wanted to see any premium channel content.

One take away for me from this is that it appears the channel 131 test to see if your cablecards are properly paired does not work in all cases...

[am95]

For the last several months I only had one cable card that I switched between two boxes. I did this about once a week and at first it was a breeze with the automated phone system but that stopped working so then I had to start calling in which became a nightmare. Your either going to get someone who knows exactly what they are doing or someone who doesn't have a clue in which case it will never get resolved. They'll tell you that a new card is needed or they need to send someone out. If this happens hang up and talk to someone else.

If you think this is something you might have to do in the near future after you get it resolved, I'd recommend asking the competent tech support person to make notes of what exactly they did and giving you the reference number if case you have to call back and end up with someone that's clueless.

[wkearney99]

I wouldn't expect the socket used for the cablecard to hold up to regular insert/removal efforts. Those pins in there are pretty fragile. Yeah, it "ought to" be able to withstand a fair number of them, but I doubt anybody actually expects that to happen. And when the socket goes, so does the device. Just how much of a bargain is it to swap the cards around and call in all the time?

[SoBayJake]

Any suggestions?
Do the online chat or call.