Official Time Warner Cable Thread

[digitalant]

How did the install go? Have you found any SDV channels? I can't for the life of me find out what channels we'd lose if we DON'T get the Tuning adapter.


Also in NYC - Just got a Tivo HD, and have an appointment with TWC set up for this weekend. The support person on the phone said she would line me up for a single M card, so hopefully that's what they show up with.

I've read a lot on this site about the tuning adapters and it seems like even if NYC TWC doesn't have a lot on SDV now, they will down the road. I even found a reference to tuning adapters on the TWC NYC site.

However, when I spoke to customer support, they claimed to know nothing about tuning adapters. So my question to everyone is: Is anyone in NYC using a tuning adapter? If so, how did you get a hold of it?

[kevin120]

I got set up by TWC today on my Tivo HD with a Scientific Atlanta M card. One card - so far it works great to record two channels simultaneously.

I also was told by customer support that SDV is not used in the NYC area, although there are plans to begin using in late 2009/early 2010.

The installation guy suggested that a new generation of "2 way" CableCARDs was coming. He was dismissive of the tuning adapter technology, saying that these new cards would be the next step for TWC. I'm not seeing how that could be the case for a Tivo HD, but that's what he said.

I dont think twc nyc is going sdv they are all digital except basic channels so they might not use it.

[cloudycloud]

i just had TWC of albany install a cablecard in my tivoHD.
To swap out the set top box would have added 40 to my monthly bill but to keep the box AND add the card cost 1.80 a month. DUH!

Tech had to come out twice because after the initial install which took 2 minutes and a phone call (i could have done that), it turns out the the tech on the other end of the phone didn't actually enter anything so the card never activated.

then I had to find out that I needed a tuning adapter which they make getting very confusing. it must be requested online and none of the operators I spoke to knew about it.

anyway, everything is finally set up now and working.
tuning adapter took a while to kick in. I think it was downloading a new firmware or something

[dlfl]

Can anyone who has TWC Southwest Ohio (Cinci/Dayton) please post which kind of cable card(s) they have, and what rental they are paying for them?

I just scheduled a cable-card/digital-service install in the Dayton area and they are telling me:

1. They only have S-Cards, no M-Cards available.

2. They will charge $2.54/mo. for each S-Card.

Also, does anyone know if I'm going to need the tuning adapter?

Thanks

[cloudycloud]

i can't tell you for sure if you'll need the tuning adapter but the TA only affects Switch Digital channels.
If you call support, they should be able to give you a list of which channels are classified as switched digital.

The tech I got kept saying that the TA would handle two way communication but she thought that meant ON-Demand. This is NOT true.
it does do two way comm. but only to enable switched digital channels.

[lafos]

Can anyone who has TWC Southwest Ohio (Cinci/Dayton) please post which kind of cable card(s) they have, and what rental they are paying for them?

I just scheduled a cable-card/digital-service install in the Dayton area and they are telling me:

1. They only have S-Cards, no M-Cards available.

2. They will charge $2.54/mo. for each S-Card.

Also, does anyone know if I'm going to need the tuning adapter?

Thanks

In the Dayton area, I got the same story, only S-cards, though I've seen a couple postings that people in the area got M-cards at some point. I have 4 in my TiVos.

You will need the TA. Not sure on the card rate, but it's in the ballpark.

[bobrt6676]

Can anyone who has TWC Southwest Ohio (Cinci/Dayton) please post which kind of cable card(s) they have, and what rental they are paying for them?

I just scheduled a cable-card/digital-service install in the Dayton area and they are telling me:

1. They only have S-Cards, no M-Cards available.

2. They will charge $2.54/mo. for each S-Card.

Also, does anyone know if I'm going to need the tuning adapter?

Thanks

I have 1 THD with 2 S-cards approx 1 yr. and 1 THD with 1 M-card approx 6 months. 2.54 for each S-card and 2.54 for 1 M-card in the Dayton market.
It took persistence to get the M-card. I made sure they put M-card on the install ticket. (they insisted they had none, at the time they confused M-cards and TA's. I called the day of the install to "remind them" (they still insisted they had none) When the installer called I "reminded him" I wanted an M-card. He said he did not have any but would check with a supervisor. He did show up with an M-card. It took 3 days to get it working properly but since it has worked flawlessly.
Yes you will need a TA. I picked mine up at the TW store by the Dayton mall. They may bring one with the install but other posters have said they will not.

[dlfl]

I have 1 THD with 2 S-cards approx 1 yr. and 1 THD with 1 M-card approx 6 months. 2.54 for each S-card and 2.54 for 1 M-card in the Dayton market.
It took persistence to get the M-card. I made sure they put M-card on the install ticket. (they insisted they had none, at the time they confused M-cards and TA's. I called the day of the install to "remind them" (they still insisted they had none) When the installer called I "reminded him" I wanted an M-card. He said he did not have any but would check with a supervisor. He did show up with an M-card. It took 3 days to get it working properly but since it has worked flawlessly.
Yes you will need a TA. I picked mine up at the TW store by the Dayton mall. They may bring one with the install but other posters have said they will not.
Aaarrgghh! This is the kind of hassle I'm braced for, but at least I know the facts... Thanks bobrt6676 !

[JimWall]

Aaarrgghh! This is the kind of hassle I'm braced for, but at least I know the facts... Thanks bobrt6676 !

In Mason Oh TWC is doing 2 year price locks. I was able to reduce my cable bill by $40. It looks like a bundle deal on the bill without costs for any items like CCs broken out.
Make sure to have customer service person put a note in for the installer to bring M-cards.

[joeandmaria]

I live in the Milwaukee area. When I got install last week I asked for M-card. Told they don't have them. Asked for TA, he didn't know what they were, talked to supervisor, who said they were not available, but would put my name on a list.

Installer comes. Ask about M-card, he says no he don't have that. Ask about tuning adapeter, no he don't have that. Tells me it has been a long time since he did a tivo cable card install, I hand him the directions. I watch him pull out 2 cards, and I look at them, and they say Multi-Stream on them. I say those are multi-stream cards, and I should only need one. He was confused, and said he would have to call to check. He installed the one card, then I showed him how both tuners were working. He was "surprised".

I am "surprised" how they can run a company like this. I don't know if they really don't have TA, or are all just clueless :(

[lafos]

Cablecards are not even a small business driver for the cable companies. They would not carry them if not forced, and they don't see it helping build their customer base. Hence, no real training for their service people.

[Fofer]

I am paying now for two "S" Cards in my Series 3 TiVo. One is $2.75 and the additional one is $4.75. Works fine and the dual tuners are great.

What are the chances I can request a single "M" card, find out they have one, get it installed (either picking it up myself or having a tech come out,) having it work well, and actually reducing my monthly bill? Or is all of this just crazy talk?

[jonboy117]

It's funny that TWC has no M-cards... there was one in the back of the digital cable box they used to rent to me.

[dlfl]

Cablecards are not even a small business driver for the cable companies. They would not carry them if not forced, and they don't see it helping build their customer base. Hence, no real training for their service people.
Sounds correct to me. I can't imagine what incentive the CATV cos. would have to please TiVo owners. My install is scheduled for Thursday. I'm going to give it a reasonable chance but I've mentally prepared myself to live without digital cable rather than endure some big hassle. The disadvantages are obvious, (fewer channels and only the QAM HD channels.) The advantages include:
1. No cable card/tuning adapter installation hassle.
2. No copy protection limits on TTG - Big for me -- see TVAP link in signature.
3. Save about $15 per month.

And having a TiVo HD instead of an S2 model still has major advantages:
1. Twice as much HDD storage as the S2 even with the minimum HD model.
2. Can stream mpeg4's (without transcoding) using StreamBaby (big!).
3. Still get the QAM HD channels (Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC and PBS).

I have a SamSung 40" 1080p flat panel. Although HD looks truly stunning on it, SD content looks very good too. I can live with mostly SD content. MIght be a different story if it was a larger screen, of course.

So I've adjusted my expectations -- I'm going to be happy with or without cable cards!

[mercurial]

I am paying now for two "S" Cards in my Series 3 TiVo. One is $2.75 and the additional one is $4.75. Works fine and the dual tuners are great.

What are the chances I can request a single "M" card, find out they have one, get it installed (either picking it up myself or having a tech come out,) having it work well, and actually reducing my monthly bill? Or is all of this just crazy talk?

Except the S3 only supports S-cards (or M-cards in single stream mode - thus still needing two). To get full M-card support, you'd need a TiVo HD or TiVo HD-XL.

[Fofer]

Except the S3 only supports S-cards (or M-cards in single stream mode - thus still needing two). To get full M-card support, you'd need a TiVo HD or TiVo HD-XL.

Gotcha. Good to know, thanks!

[tripmaster]

Sorry if this is a repost, but seems like my orig post got lost.

Im getting 2 new cable cards from TWCNYC tomorrow. I requested M cards.

Is there a special process to replace old CCs? I was going to:

1. standby
2. power down
3. remove CCs
4. power up
5. install new CCs one at a time as described in TiVo FAQ

Does this sound right? Dont need to do a system reset do I?

[Roderigo]

Is there a special process to replace old CCs? I was going to:

1. standby
2. power down
3. remove CCs
4. power up
5. install new CCs one at a time as described in TiVo FAQ


Why bother with steps 1, 2, 4? Just remove the old cards & put in the new ones.

[tripmaster]

Why bother with steps 1, 2, 4? Just remove the old cards & put in the new ones.

You can hotswap em?

[lafos]

Sounds correct to me. I can't imagine what incentive the CATV cos. would have to please TiVo owners. My install is scheduled for Thursday. I'm going to give it a reasonable chance but I've mentally prepared myself to live without digital cable rather than endure some big hassle. The disadvantages are obvious, (fewer channels and only the QAM HD channels.) The advantages include:
1. No cable card/tuning adapter installation hassle.
2. No copy protection limits on TTG - Big for me -- see TVAP link in signature.
3. Save about $15 per month.

And having a TiVo HD instead of an S2 model still has major advantages:
1. Twice as much HDD storage as the S2 even with the minimum HD model.
2. Can stream mpeg4's (without transcoding) using StreamBaby (big!).
3. Still get the QAM HD channels (Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC and PBS).

I have a SamSung 40" 1080p flat panel. Although HD looks truly stunning on it, SD content looks very good too. I can live with mostly SD content. MIght be a different story if it was a larger screen, of course.

So I've adjusted my expectations -- I'm going to be happy with or without cable cards!

You may be happier without cards. I've noticed with the cablecards and tuning adapter that TWC maps digital over the analog channels, rendering all but the locals copy-protected. This in effect kills MRV and TTG on a TWC system. We have a S3 and HD with cards, and one HD no cards but antenna and analog cable. The last lets us use MRV and TTG at least some of the time.

[tripmaster]

Why bother with steps 1, 2, 4? Just remove the old cards & put in the new ones.

Worked as you suggested. Had to reboot though. And, redid guided setup.

[dlfl]

I hope someone in the Southwest Ohio area can help me with this. I'm getting digital service installed tomorrow (the minimum service, about $66/mo plus cable card rental). I can't get a straight answer from TWC on what channels I should receive.

Via email, I asked them:

If I pay $66.xx for "Digital Cable" service in the Dayton North area, which
channels in the 99 - 1407 range will I get without paying more and without
paying per view ?

Here is their answer:

I understand that you would like to know what channels you will be receiving with Digital Cable service.
I apologize for any inconvenience and will be glad to help you.
With a subscription to Digital Cable service, you will receive, channels falling in the following packages.

Basic Service
Standard Service
Digital Basic Service
Digital Standard Tier
Digital Choice Package
Digital Movie Tier
Digital Music
Digital Converter Required

Now I know this is wrong for two reasons:
1. It includes multiple HBO, Encore and Showtime channels -- premium channels that would not be in the lowest cost digital service.
2. It doesn't include HD channels that I know are included with digital service.

If someone could tell me what channels (or packages) I should receive, it would help me a lot in testing tomorrow's installation.

Thanks

[Fofer]

I'm pissed TWC dropped HDNet. I enjoyed some of their movies, and also the movie trailer shows. Don't think any other network has that kind of show. :(

I called and cancelled two digital tiers as a result. That'll save me $10/month. If they drop more channels I enjoy, I'll jump ship entirely. :down:

[lafos]

I hope someone in the Southwest Ohio area can help me with this. I'm getting digital service installed tomorrow (the minimum service, about $66/mo plus cable card rental). I can't get a straight answer from TWC on what channels I should receive.

If you go to the TWC web site and put in your zip code, it will list the channels by package. The HD channels all show that they need a HD converter. I suspect that they left those off. The HD channels you should get are HD versions of local broadcast or normal cable channels.

You will need the tuning adapter to get all the HD channels you should, as they switched to SDV last summer.

You should get Basic, Expanded Basic, Digital Tier, Digital music. There is an HD tier, but it really doesn't offer much.

[dlfl]

If you go to the TWC web site and put in your zip code, it will list the channels by package. The HD channels all show that they need a HD converter. I suspect that they left those off. The HD channels you should get are HD versions of local broadcast or normal cable channels.

You will need the tuning adapter to get all the HD channels you should, as they switched to SDV last summer.

You should get Basic, Expanded Basic, Digital Tier, Digital music. There is an HD tier, but it really doesn't offer much.
Thanks, but I'm confused by your reply. The only packages you mention that match a package on my lineup (Englewood Ohio) are Basic and Digital Music.

There is no Expanded Basic, but I assume that would be analog anyway.

There is no Digital Tier although there are Digital Standard Tier and Digital Access Tier.

There is no HD Tier but there are HD Basic, HD Digital and HD Standard tiers.

It appears the line up for your area (Troy) is the same as mine, so I'm not sure exactly what packages you are designating.

If you could give me several specific channel numbers that you know are SDV I could at least use them to verify a correct tuning adapter installation.

Thanks.

[awyeah]

This isn't related to the general discussion on cablecards... surprisingly mine is working well!

I've been noticing a lot of audio dropouts on Comedy Central. I'm pretty sure these are only happening on the recordings, I don't notice it live. I'm in Northeast Ohio.

I've also noticed issues rewinding recordings on Comedy Central. Sometimes it seems to get "stuck" during the rewind.

Anyone else having issues like this? Not sure if it's a problem with Time Warner or with my TiVo.

[lafos]

The only one I'm sure is SDV is the golf HD channel 783. If the TA is installed properly, you should see a solid green led on the A front. If you go to the DVR diagnostics screen and scroll past the two tuners and two cablecards, you should see the entry for the TA, and it should show "Channel List Received: Yes"

[dlfl]

The only one I'm sure is SDV is the golf HD channel 783. If the TA is installed properly, you should see a solid green led on the A front. If you go to the DVR diagnostics screen and scroll past the two tuners and two cablecards, you should see the entry for the TA, and it should show "Channel List Received: Yes"
Is the golf HD channel a premium channel? Had my CC and tuning adapter installation this afternoon and mostly things seem OK. The green light is on steady on the tuniing adapter. However I don't get 783 and the TA "Channel List Received" says "No". Of course TWC has been totally unable to give me any useful information about what channels I should be getting and which ones are SDV. Before the install, I called and they assured me the installer would give me a channel lineup listing. Of course the installer said, "they never give us those." He also said this was only the 2nd TiVo cable card install he had done in 3 yrs. Neither he nor the second guy he called in to help him knew much about the TA. (This after I emphasized to the office when setting up the appt. that I wanted their best TiVo experienced installer and would wait until he/she was available! ) At least they did have the CC's and the TA and they DID already know that the cable patch that comes in the TA kit is a POS.

Well .... I'll be d__mned! As I was typing this post I tried rebooting my HD, and, lo and behold, after that 783 is there along with a bunch of other channels that seemed suspiciously missing! And now the TA diagnostic info says the channel list has been received!

Looking good! Now if I can just avoid green screens, lock-ups, gray screens and all the other HD problems reported on this forum ..........

Thanks for your help, and special kudos to bkdtv and richsadams for their amazing help on this forum!

[dlfl]

After my install (see previous post) I'm missing four channels that I think I'm supposed to get (out of 200+), up in the 700 range. Before I call TWC, I would like to have the most informed idea of what the problem is -- hopefully I can tell them exactly what needs to be done.

All the diagnostics indicate the CC's and TA are functioning properly, and the TA green light is on steady. There is guide data for the missing channels. When I tune them, I get guide data but blank video and no audio - no message the signal is missing or the TA doesn't allow that channel. The DVR diagnostics for the tuner tuning that channel all look nominal, just as if it had successfully tuned that channel -- signal strength, SNR are normal and corrected and uncorrected errors are zero.

I've restarted the TiVo several times, power cycled the TA, disconnected and reconnected the TA USB several times, all with no effect.

I suspect this means some authorization or similar operation needs to be done by TWC -- but what exactly?

I've also noticed a couple of instances of channel video freezing, just as if you hit the pause control. You can jog it out of the freeze by playing with the pause and play buttons, or swapping tuners with the live video button.

I have 11.0c software on my HD.

Edit: Problem "solved". This (no video, no audio) is what happens when a channel isn't authorized for your account. In this case the missing channels are premium channels, although it was impossible to know that from the confusing channel line up web page and the confusing info TWC gave me on the phone yesterday.

The video freezing effect is something else and still unsolved.

[pgreene8]

I use TWCNYC and they gave me an M card for my Tivo HD.

[dlfl]

I hope someone in the Southwest Ohio area can help me with this. I'm getting digital service installed tomorrow (the minimum service, about $66/mo plus cable card rental). I can't get a straight answer from TWC on what channels I should receive........
Thanks
Well after having my digital cable for a day and surveying all the channels I get, and after another conversation with TWC, I am reasonably convinced that the packages I get are:

Basic Service
Standard Service
Digital Basic
HD Basic Tier
HD Digital Tier
HD Standard Tier
Digital Standard Tier
Digital Music

This is a lot of channels and a lot of HD, a much better buy than the analog service that costs about $54/mo.

I post this in case it might be helpful to anyone else, recognizing it's probably correct only for the SouthWest Ohio area, or maybe just the Dayton area.

One tip when using the channel line up web page is to check "Sort By Package". Much less confusing (to me at least) than the default layout.

[irishjoe]

This is my first post so please forgive me if it is in the wrong spot.

I live in northern NY and am a not so happy Time Warner subscriber. I never thought I would be saying this but I actually miss Comcast.

Anyway on to my gripe for today....

Has anyone with a multi-stream cable card and tuning adapter been able to order UFC 100? I was told that I would need a new thru2way card (which you will be amazed to hear is not yet available in my area) in order to view any PPV programs.

I never had this problem before when I was rocking a cable card with Comcast but that was pre tuning adapter days.

[Kahless]

I forgot all about this forum, glad I found it again.
We had a rebuild over the last 6 months of our old Adelphia system here in Hide A-Way Hills. Time Warner put in fiber optic cable and removed a lot of bad Adelphia equipment. Service though, well their phone people need to be a bit sharper. About 2 weeks ago I received a phone call from one of their installers telling me that he would swap out my old cable box for a new one. I told him I now had a new Tivo series 3 HD DVR and would like to get it set up. He came out the appointed day and time. He tried to get me to use a TWC DVR, he said he was not authorized to install Cablecards. I politely said no, he said he couldn't take my old box, I would have to turn it in to the local office. I phoned the TWC 800 number, the young lady told me the local office in Lancaster had the Cablecards and I could go down and have them issued to me. I drove the 15 miles in to the office (no local phone number) and was told by them that they do not issue or stock Cablecards, they have to be installed by their techs from Columbus. I did turn in my old box. I went home, phoned TWC again and told them I needed either two single Cablecards or a multistream card for my Tivo. The woman on the phone apologized for the confusion and said someone would be out Wednesday with the CableCard. On Wednesday morning I got a call from their tech In Athens who told me that they were out of CableCards but would pick one up in Lancaster to install. I told them Lancaster doesn't stock them and they would need to drive the 80 miles to Columbus to get one. The next day a tech from Newark came with an SA M Card and installed it, he never had installed one before and had to get step by step directions over my phone on how to do it. After it was installed I could get maybe 1/2 of the promised HD and digital channels. He said I needed a tuning adaptor. After he left I phoned TWC, they said they would mail one to me. A week later I called to see where it was, they said they messed up, I had to drive to Columbus (40 mile drive each way) to get one, they didn't mail them out. I drove to the office I was told to go to. They informed me that that office doesn't carry the tuning adaptors and I would have to go to the main office which was another 10 miles away. I did get a tuning adaptor there. I did install it as per the instructions. I got maybe another 20 channels, still missing about 100. I phoned Tivo, who had me check all the settings on the Cablecard. It is their opinion the Cablecard is not configured correctly. I have another TWC tech coming on Wednesday, supposedly to fix it.

[Garycal]

Got my TivoHD up and running with TWC's type M card and the Cisco TA, but not without pain. Here is the history of errors:
1. Installers showed up without cablecard. Told me the Tivo does not need one.
2. Installer showed up with cablecard, but without Tuning adapter that was on their work order. Told me I did not need one.
3. Tuning adapter arrives by mail, but when I go to plug in the USB cable the connector on the TA litterally falls apart. Someone in China did not use solder that day.
4. New tuning adapter arrives, but I cannot get the green light to stay on and therefore still cannot get many channels.
5. The "digital head end" people in Syracuse correctly diagnose that I have a weak signal and put a work request for a truck roll to boost my signal
6. Tech shows up and puts a cheap amplifier in my house because he cannot find the box outside to tweak the signal
7. Tech is driving away and spots the box from the road and boosts the signal there.
8. 3 weeks and dozens of calls later, it works.
9. After watching ota high-def uncompressed before I got the Tivo, I am amazed how BAD the cable HD programming looks with all those digital compression boxes around people's heads.

[RichieW13]

Time Warner charged me $20 for the privilege of allowing their tech to come and plug the cablecard into my box.

[dlfl]

Is anyone else, especially in the SouthWest Ohio region, seeing occasional pixellation, momentary video freezes and audio dropouts on the Science HD channel, 781 ? This typically happens maybe 5 to 10 times during an hour long program. This is on a TiVo HD.

I think this is an SDV channel. (Anyone know for sure?).

I've tried setting the other tuner to the SD version of the Science channel (109) playing the same program and the problems do NOT occur there.

I think the SD channel is NOT an SDV channel (Anyone know for sure?).

The diagnostics for the "bad" channel are all good: SNR=34 db, Signal Strength = 85, and no RS errors corrected or uncorrected. The TA green light is steady on all the time.

[dlfl]

........ My install is scheduled for Thursday. I'm going to give it a reasonable chance but I've mentally prepared myself to live without digital cable rather than endure some big hassle. ...........
So I've adjusted my expectations -- I'm going to be happy with or without cable cards!
But after having digital (cable cards/tuning adapter/HD channels) for five days I really hope I can keep it. I enjoy the extra channels and the HD quality a lot.

I believe my system is set up and functioning properly. However I do get some glitches, particularly in HD channels (which are mostly SDV I believe). My previous post is an example but it occurs on other HD channels to varying degrees. It's never reached un-viewable levels, except for one incident where one tuner's output disappeared and I had to restart the TiVo. I would rate it as 99% perfect. I never see any RS corrected errors and rarely any RS uncorrected errors. Supposedly this means the glitches I see are all in the delivered signal.... but I suspect TWC might dispute that.

If it doesn't get any worse I will definitely want to live with it rather than reverting to analog cable. If it gets worse I will probably just revert rather than endure the hassle of trying to get TWC and TiVo to fix a problem that they will blame on each other.

I wonder how much longer analog cable service will even be offered?

[bobrt6676]

But after having digital (cable cards/tuning adapter/HD channels) for five days I really hope I can keep it. I enjoy the extra channels and the HD quality a lot.

I believe my system is set up and functioning properly. However I do get some glitches, particularly in HD channels (which are mostly SDV I believe). My previous post is an example but it occurs on other HD channels to varying degrees. It's never reached un-viewable levels, except for one incident where one tuner's output disappeared and I had to restart the TiVo. I would rate it as 99% perfect. I never see any RS corrected errors and rarely any RS uncorrected errors. Supposedly this means the glitches I see are all in the delivered signal.... but I suspect TWC might dispute that.

If it doesn't get any worse I will definitely want to live with it rather than reverting to analog cable. If it gets worse I will probably just revert rather than endure the hassle of trying to get TWC and TiVo to fix a problem that they will blame on each other.

I wonder how much longer analog cable service will even be offered?

My issue channel is 754 HGTV. Frequent audio dropouts and occaisional pixilation. Just enough to irritate not enough to change. But from reading posts not really much I can do about it. Goes with the Tivo territory I guess.

[abredt]

Time Warner West Valley of L.A. on a Series 3. Getting lots of audio dropouts on many channels. Anyone know why or how to correct it?

Thanks, CB

[dlfl]

My issue channel is 754 HGTV. Frequent audio dropouts and occaisional pixilation. Just enough to irritate not enough to change. But from reading posts not really much I can do about it. Goes with the Tivo territory I guess.
Unfortunately I think "Goes with the TiVo territory" may be correct. If most or all channels are viewable with no more than occasional glitches, that may be what you have to settle for. As long as the glitches don't cause lock ups or interrupt recordings, that is.

I think the cable card/tuning adapter system for handling SDV is a marginal thing. Given the lack of incentive for the CATV operators to make it work better, I don't have much hope it will improve. Then add the insult that MRV and TTG is blocked on almost all channels.

It looks like Verizon FIOS is a whole different story. They don't use SDV so Tuning Adapters aren't required; no copy protection; and with 11.0d their pixellation problems apparently are solved.

TWC is just starting to roll out their version of FIOS to apartments and condos in the Cincy area. How good will it be? And when will it ever reach us? And given TWC's policies it will probably be all copy protected.

[dlfl]

Time Warner West Valley of L.A. on a Series 3. Getting lots of audio dropouts on many channels. Anyone know why or how to correct it?

Thanks, CB

Do you have a tuning adapter?

When you tune to a channel with problems, do you see frequently incrementing RS Uncorrected errors under Messages & Settings -> System Information -> DVR Diagnostics?

If this count is zero then supposedly the errors you see (hear) are in the delivered signal, i.e., your TiVo is doing the best it can given a poor signal. This is the common wisdom on this forum but I have a small amount of doubt about it. I suspect cable operators will push back if you try to tell them that.

[abredt]

Do you have a tuning adapter?

When you tune to a channel with problems, do you see frequently incrementing RS Uncorrected errors under Messages & Settings -> System Information -> DVR Diagnostics?

If this count is zero then supposedly the errors you see (hear) are in the delivered signal, i.e., your TiVo is doing the best it can given a poor signal. This is the common wisdom on this forum but I have a small amount of doubt about it. I suspect cable operators will push back if you try to tell them that.

No tuning adapter. Haven't installed it yet.
I'll check the count and reply back. CB

[dlfl]

Of course you can tell which channels are SDV by disconnecting the TA USB cable and seeing what channels are left. (The ones that went away were SDV.)

However it appears you also can get the information via the TiVo menus -- see this post (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7394726#post7394726).

[skaggs]

Do you have a tuning adapter?

When you tune to a channel with problems, do you see frequently incrementing RS Uncorrected errors under Messages & Settings -> System Information -> DVR Diagnostics?

If this count is zero then supposedly the errors you see (hear) are in the delivered signal, i.e., your TiVo is doing the best it can given a poor signal. This is the common wisdom on this forum but I have a small amount of doubt about it. I suspect cable operators will push back if you try to tell them that.

My Tivo listed this in the DVR Diagnostic page:

RS uncorrected: 408
RS corrected: 2409

Does this mean the pixellation I am seeing is an issue with the relationship between my TiVo & tuning adapter and NOT the signal coming from TWC?

[dlfl]

My Tivo listed this in the DVR Diagnostic page:

RS uncorrected: 408
RS corrected: 2409

Does this mean the pixellation I am seeing is an issue with the relationship between my TiVo & tuning adapter and NOT the signal coming from TWC?
The digital signal has extra bits that allow error correction in the TiVo tuner. This means there were 2409 errors (or maybe 2409 + 408) in the encoded signal and the error correction algorithm was able to correct all but 408 of them. Ideally both counts will be zero. If not that, hopefully the uncorrected count will be zero, which means the signal was completely corrected.

For non-zero counts it's actually the rate (errors per second) that indicates the relative amount of quality problems. There is a parameter in the Tuner diagnostics that is the total seconds the tuner has been on the current channel (can't remember the name right now but it's obvious).

I've never had uncorrected rates much greater than zero, so I can't tell you how bad is bad. However this post (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7380917#post7380917)may be helpful.

[BruceShultes]

My Tivo listed this in the DVR Diagnostic page:

RS uncorrected: 408
RS corrected: 2409

Does this mean the pixellation I am seeing is an issue with the relationship between my TiVo & tuning adapter and NOT the signal coming from TWC?
I am also in the Albany, NY area.

The DVR Diagnostics on my S3 show 0 for both RS Uncorrected and RS corrected.

I don't remember whether I have been using the S3 to record or watch any SDV recently, but in another room my roommate is still using a SA8300HD.

The SA8300HD locked up solid while watching a SDV channel last week and the only way we could get it back was to pull the power cord and then plug it back in.

After the reboot, the SA8300HD was able to view the same SDV channel again with no problems. This leads me to believe that TW may have had a head end problem for a while.

I don't know about SDV, but the S3 seems to have as much problem with too strong a cable signal as with too weak a signal.

If you want to compare our settings, you can contact me with a PM on the albanyhdtv.proboards.com site.

[bobrt6676]

To all In the Dayton market. TWC has posted a line-up change in the DDN today. ALL digital channels will be changing in August:eek: Lets hope Tivo will be on top of it!!:) They call it the Theme based line-up. An example SPORTS HD Theme stations:
ESPN 1301
ESPN2 1302
ESPNU 1303
ESPNNEWS 1305
FSN 1309 ETC.

[JimWall]

Cincinnati Enquirer also ran a similiar advertisement about new august digital lineup

[arantius]

Time Warner Cable, in Brooklyn New York.

The tech spent four hours in my home this afternoon. Only after that point did he get someone on the phone that confirmed I could not tune HD channels with my TiVo, save for 5 or so broadcast networks.

After the tech left, I called Time Warner's support. I had to mention tuning adapters myself, they wouldn't. They claimed all of:

1) They are not using switched digital video.
2) I have to get a tuning adapter to tune all the hd channels I am paying for with a Tivo.
3) They won't give me a tuning adapter.

I'm severely disappointed.

[dlfl]

Welcome to the forum, arantius.

I can understand your disappointment.

The situation you describe makes me wonder if you are just getting analog cable service. Are you subscribed for digital cable service? If you just have analog service then you don't need cable cards or a TA (tuning adapter), and you will only receive unencrypted local stations in HD.

If you have digital service, you need one or two cable cards, either one m-card or two s-cards, which the cable co legally has to provide for a small rental charge. If you are supposed to get SDV channels, the cable company legally has to provide you a tuning adapter, usually at no charge. The typical Time Warner digital service has many SDV channels and the company is definitely furnishing the required cards and adapters.

You might want to scan the earlier posts in this thread. At least you will see you are not alone in having problems.

If you do need a TA you might want to scan the Time Warner Tuning Adapter thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=420059) also.

[DougJohnson]

1) They are not using switched digital video.
2) I have to get a tuning adapter to tune all the hd channels I am paying for with a Tivo.
3) They won't give me a tuning adapter.


Some thoughts:

Which TiVo do you have? If it is a series 1 or 2, you are not going to get any HD at all, ever. They don't do HD.

If they don't use switched digital video, you do not need a tuning adapter and, of course they won't give you one.

If you have a Series 3 (original or TiVo HD), you need one or two cable cards to get HD. Perhaps they are confusing cable cards with tuning adapters.

-- Doug

[arantius]

Which TiVo do you have? If it is a series 1 or 2, you are not going to get any HD at all, ever. They don't do HD.

If they don't use switched digital video, you do not need a tuning adapter and, of course they won't give you one.

If you have a Series 3 (original or TiVo HD), you need one or two cable cards to get HD. Perhaps they are confusing cable cards with tuning adapters.

I have a "tivo hd" which does have a small "series 3" logo printed on the front of the cablecard door (confusing of tivo to come out with that series name, but not quite always use it). The tech installed a multi-stream cablecard, and could get *some* channels, but not all of the channels I am supposed to get.

I called tivo to get an RMA, and they informed me both that it should work, and that it is federally mandated for cable providers to offer *working* cablecards. He extended by money back trial period to give me time to fight with time warner.

So I called back to schedule a second try. The person I got on the phone said flatly, "Time Warner doesn't support TiVos", even after I explained the "federally mandated" bit. I asked to speak with his supervisor.

The supervisor told me, unlike anyone before, that I could get a CableCARD for self install, or they could send a tech to my house to install it. Before they were forcing the tech install, with the charge for it.

This supervisor assured me it should be working. I asked this supervisor about the tuning adapter. He doesn't know what it is.

I can't remember anymore who, with all the people I've talked to on the phone and in person, and the people the tech in person talked to over the phone -- but I'm quite confident we're talking about SDV in the way here. There was mention of "dual" (later called "two way") technology being the problem. And that they were "working on it" but can't help me now.

Finally (typing this during waits on hold on the phone) I got a supervisor to schedule a tech to come back (at no charge thanks to all the fuss) to install a cablecard AND tuning adapter. That's scheduled for Wednesday, I should be able to report how that goes in a few days.

[David Z]

Hello All,
I have a 3 year old series 3 and have had my cablecards installed for the last year here in my neighborhood in West Hollywood, CA with Time Warner. Last night, my Tivo no longer brought in any channels (above 11) and after a couple minutes, would default to the cable card screen, telling me that I needed to contact my cable provider to activate my cable cards (both 1 and 2, alternately). Anyone know what might cause this? Even when I try to retry guided setup, entering the first screen dumps me out to the black cable card screen. I called TWC and they said there was nothing they could do from the central office, that they needed a guy to come out to take a look at the cable cards. I'm flummoxed, as these cablecards have been good to me the last year or so.

Thanks,
David

[nikko11]

Hello All,
I have a 3 year old series 3 and have had my cablecards installed for the last year here in my neighborhood in West Hollywood, CA with Time Warner. Last night, my Tivo no longer brought in any channels (above 11) and after a couple minutes, would default to the cable card screen, telling me that I needed to contact my cable provider to activate my cable cards (both 1 and 2, alternately). Anyone know what might cause this? Even when I try to retry guided setup, entering the first screen dumps me out to the black cable card screen. I called TWC and they said there was nothing they could do from the central office, that they needed a guy to come out to take a look at the cable cards. I'm flummoxed, as these cablecards have been good to me the last year or so.

Thanks,
David

I just had the same issue happen to me. East Hollywood, CA with Time Warner.

I haven't called them yet.

[Fofer]

TWC in SoCal here, seems to be working fine. Just sharing another data point...

[nikko11]

TWC in SoCal here, seems to be working fine. Just sharing another data point...

I called yesterday and the guy said that they had been getting a lot of calls. He said my case matched the specs of the others, and added my account to the list.

Called tonight, and they transfered me to (866-568-3215) which she stated was the number to deal with this particular issue.

Issue is "In order to start cable service for this device, please contact your cable provider 1-888-888-88888"

They told me I need an SDV, and scheduled an appointment for saturday. (they offered as early as tomorrow, but I'm not available)

What part of SoCal are you in?

[jhernandez86]

I am in Culver City, and I am having the same issue, and twc cust service has no idea how to settle this issue.

[SCSIRAID]

Hello All,
I have a 3 year old series 3 and have had my cablecards installed for the last year here in my neighborhood in West Hollywood, CA with Time Warner. Last night, my Tivo no longer brought in any channels (above 11) and after a couple minutes, would default to the cable card screen, telling me that I needed to contact my cable provider to activate my cable cards (both 1 and 2, alternately). Anyone know what might cause this? Even when I try to retry guided setup, entering the first screen dumps me out to the black cable card screen. I called TWC and they said there was nothing they could do from the central office, that they needed a guy to come out to take a look at the cable cards. I'm flummoxed, as these cablecards have been good to me the last year or so.

Thanks,
David

I believe that message is telling you that your cablecards are not paired with the TiVo and/or not authorized properly in the TWC billing system.

I believe if you go into the cablecard screens you will see 'Waiting CP Auth' meaning that the cards are not being authorized by TWC.

You will likely have to have a service call to get your cards authorized properly or give them the Host and Cablecard ID's over the phone so they can do it remotely. I believe Ive read that TWC has a unique CableCard desk to deal with issues.

[beamdog]

This is a repost from: TiVo Coffee House - TiVo Discussion
Symptoms of a secret switch to SDV?
07-28-2009 (with an update)


On Tuesday evening (July 21) on turned on my system to discover that many, but not all, of my cable channels could not be tuned and showed the grey cablecard pairing screen. Instead of calling TWC, I tried the on-line chat method. (don't waste your time with this approach)

After doing the obligatory cycle power/reboot on my twin cablecard Series 3 the guy at the other end of the chat told me that according to his system there were "some outages in my area" I'm guessing that this is the standard these guys tell customers to get them to go away.

TWC's website indicated that a transcript of my chat would be sent to my email address. . . and it was not.

On the next evening, seeing that these channel were still out, I tried again.
I on-line chatted with a different guy. (I would tell you his name, but they didn't send me the transcript of my second chat) He said that he was not aware of any system changes that might cause this problem, but would be able to set up a field call and the soonest Saturday they could see me would be August 8th

Eventually I would decide to take time off from work to address this issue and a guy showed up at my home on Thursday July 23rd (between 10 and 12)

He came in, poked around my TiVo for a bit, got on the phone to talk with a supervisor and in a few minutes, I was seeing the channels I had been missing.

I asked him what he did and he said nothing. It was all up to the guy on the other end of the phone. He also said that he had been dealing with this same problem all week. Something to do with a system-wide update. This problem that neither of the guys I chatted with had heard of. The fix to this problem didn't require someone coming to my house or me taking time off from my job.

Oh well, problem solved right?

Wrong.

It seems the guys that worked on my cablecards only applied the fix to one of them.
So I have one cablecard that tunes all the channels and I have one cablecard that tunes some of the channels.

This time I got on the phone.

Couldn't someone at TWC put me through to a technician in my area and he could do exactly what he did my working cablecard to the other one.

Nope. That is not how it works at TWC. They are not even sure what I am talking about. They don't have the transcripts of the two online chats i had with them.
They don't know anything about the cause and resultant fix in there system. All they can do is set up another appointment and roll another truck.

This one is for Wednesday August 1st. Between 10 and 12.

The tech showed up early and spent several hours tinkering with my TiVo while trying to get help from home base. (for some strange reason, they are really busy)

At 11:30 i had to call it quits because i needed to get to work. when i left my home, neither cablecard was tuning channels correctly. The Tech promised that he would return the next day (Thursday) and try again to resolve the problem.

I got a call later in the day to say that the time for the return visit had been moved from 8AM to after 10AM.

Around 10:30 Thursday morning the Tech returns with 2 more cablecards (i lost track of the number of S and M cards he tried on Wednesday)

He explained that the reason he was late was that they had used a Tivo back at the office to configure the cards to my account before bringing them to my home.

He installed and tested them and within 20 minutes he was done.

A few things i learned along the way:

Customers with Series 3 and TiVo HD should have received letters in the mail alerting us to this to this situation and instructing how to respond.

Clearly this didn't happen.

The system update was designed to add copy protection flags to most of the channels so that some cablecard users would not be able to view channels that they haven't paid for. (this is what i was told)

On a system that used to have few copy flags, most channels now have them.

I live in Los Angeles and my headend is Eagle Rock.

If you have also been dealing with this issue please post your experiences.

[sdaredevil]

Hello All,
I have a 3 year old series 3 and have had my cablecards installed for the last year here in my neighborhood in West Hollywood, CA with Time Warner. Last night, my Tivo no longer brought in any channels (above 11) and after a couple minutes, would default to the cable card screen, telling me that I needed to contact my cable provider to activate my cable cards (both 1 and 2, alternately). Anyone know what might cause this? Even when I try to retry guided setup, entering the first screen dumps me out to the black cable card screen. I called TWC and they said there was nothing they could do from the central office, that they needed a guy to come out to take a look at the cable cards. I'm flummoxed, as these cablecards have been good to me the last year or so.

Thanks,
David

Same problem here in West LA, CA. I hope it's just a copy protection thing and not SDV.

[weinesq]

West Hollywood, CA July 30 1am. SO...I wasn't receiving channels but I didn't realize it for a few days because I have been working so much. So I called the techs and the guy said "oh yea you have received several letters about the fact we changed the signals for the cable cards (or some tech talk) and you need an adapter." I swore up and down I never received word but he seemed to not care a bit. So he set up an appt to have a tech come put the adapter in for free. Basically it will be the cable box but it is tweaked so it only has one way signal and the cable cards will work to decode the signal. The video will run from the "adapter" to the tivo he explained. There is some copyright issue involved in the reason they had to change the signals.

He also told me I could go to a local store and ask for the adapter. Another tech this morning told me the same thing before I headed off to the store. The tech read me part of the letter that I was supposed to have received about the whole issue. The letter stated that an adapter was the only way to get any Cable cards working after July 30th.

At the store..."no we don't carry them - you have to have a tech deliver and install". Only the Eagle Rock store has the adapters but are not allowed to give them out to Los Angeles city customers.

So now I have an appt for the adapter. Forgive me for not seeing it-- but if you have the adapter already -- does it work??

Mine is being installed Fri am. I will update then.

[dlfl]

Welcome to the forum, weinesq.

What you are getting is a "Tuning Adapter" (TA) so you can tune switched digital video (SDV) channels. This topic is heavily covered on this forum.

For example:
1. The SDV sticky thread at the top of the forum.

2. The Time Warner Tuning Adapter thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=420059)(I believe you have TWC).

Search this forum on Tuning Adapter and SDV for more info.

You can still receive non-SDV channels without an adapter. On my TWC system about a third of the channels I am subscribed to are SDV. But the trend is to more SDV channels as they want to cram more HD channels into limited bandwidth.

[dulcinea]

This is a repost from: TiVo Coffee House - TiVo Discussion
Symptoms of a secret switch to SDV?
07-28-2009 (with an update)


On Tuesday evening (July 21) on turned on my system to discover that many, but not all, of my cable channels could not be tuned and showed the grey cablecard pairing screen. Instead of calling TWC, I tried the on-line chat method. (don't waste your time with this approach)

After doing the obligatory cycle power/reboot on my twin cablecard Series 3 the guy at the other end of the chat told me that according to his system there were "some outages in my area" I'm guessing that this is the standard these guys tell customers to get them to go away.

TWC's website indicated that a transcript of my chat would be sent to my email address. . . and it was not.

On the next evening, seeing that these channel were still out, I tried again.
I on-line chatted with a different guy. (I would tell you his name, but they didn't send me the transcript of my second chat) He said that he was not aware of any system changes that might cause this problem, but would be able to set up a field call and the soonest Saturday they could see me would be August 8th

Eventually I would decide to take time off from work to address this issue and a guy showed up at my home on Thursday July 23rd (between 10 and 12)

He came in, poked around my TiVo for a bit, got on the phone to talk with a supervisor and in a few minutes, I was seeing the channels I had been missing.

I asked him what he did and he said nothing. It was all up to the guy on the other end of the phone. He also said that he had been dealing with this same problem all week. Something to do with a system-wide update. This problem that neither of the guys I chatted with had heard of. The fix to this problem didn't require someone coming to my house or me taking time off from my job.

Oh well, problem solved right?

Wrong.

It seems the guys that worked on my cablecards only applied the fix to one of them.
So I have one cablecard that tunes all the channels and I have one cablecard that tunes some of the channels.

This time I got on the phone.

Couldn't someone at TWC put me through to a technician in my area and he could do exactly what he did my working cablecard to the other one.

Nope. That is not how it works at TWC. They are not even sure what I am talking about. They don't have the transcripts of the two online chats i had with them.
They don't know anything about the cause and resultant fix in there system. All they can do is set up another appointment and roll another truck.

This one is for Wednesday August 1st. Between 10 and 12.

The tech showed up early and spent several hours tinkering with my TiVo while trying to get help from home base. (for some strange reason, they are really busy)

At 11:30 i had to call it quits because i needed to get to work. when i left my home, neither cablecard was tuning channels correctly. The Tech promised that he would return the next day (Thursday) and try again to resolve the problem.

I got a call later in the day to say that the time for the return visit had been moved from 8AM to after 10AM.

Around 10:30 Thursday morning the Tech returns with 2 more cablecards (i lost track of the number of S and M cards he tried on Wednesday)

He explained that the reason he was late was that they had used a Tivo back at the office to configure the cards to my account before bringing them to my home.

He installed and tested them and within 20 minutes he was done.

A few things i learned along the way:

Customers with Series 3 and TiVo HD should have received letters in the mail alerting us to this to this situation and instructing how to respond.

Clearly this didn't happen.

The system update was designed to add copy protection flags to most of the channels so that some cablecard users would not be able to view channels that they haven't paid for. (this is what i was told)

On a system that used to have few copy flags, most channels now have them.

I live in Los Angeles and my headend is Eagle Rock.

If you have also been dealing with this issue please post your experiences.

So glad I came over to read this thread. I live in Los Angeles, Westlake District to be exact, and I have TWC, of course. I've also been have having *exactly* the problem you describe, only this is my second go-round.

I have an HD TiVo w/ THX. When the first tech came - this was back in April - with the CableCARDs, he said they were really hard to get hold of, that they had them on back-order for both Single Stream and Multi-Stream. He spent about two hours trying to get them installed, and left saying they were going to finish the job from the tech end and my cards would be up and running in about two hours. One of the cards worked perfectly; the other would only bring in non-scrambled channels.

After three service calls and being told there was a "known problem" in my area, I was told I'd have to wait till they fixed said problem, and someone would be giving me a call when it was done. They never did, so I started bugging TW, and finally got a tech out with a MS card, which took about an hour to install and worked great.

Until, that is, early Tuesday morning, July 28th. Same problem as you; scrambled channels kick you back to the "Please call your provider/1-888-888-8888" screen, and then you exit that and have a grey screen. Only the unscrambled channels show.

Tech came out today with a new MS CableCARD, but after looking into the problem - and making a vague sort-of threat that if it went south again, TW might not be able to deal with the problem (they'd better hope they don't try that, or the FCC, the BBB, and any other alphabet-soup agencies I can think of will be hearing about that whole cable-monopoly business in general and TW in particular), he decided to try and fix the existing card.

Finally, after an hour, the tech told me the same thing as I'd been told before: known issue, working on correcting, will contact me when it's done. This time, I got the tech's name & phone number, and his supervisor's name, and planned to start carpet-bomb calls if I didn't hear something come Monday. Now that I have all these calls and the results, I'll be contacting the Help Desk and telling them what is needed and get them out here *pronto*. I'm not paying $100+ a month to watch OTA channels; I can do that for free.

I hate Time Warner.

[Roadbot]

Our TivoHD with tuner adapter and located in SoCal area seemed to be okay until yesterday when suddenly many channels above 11 like ranging from the local public service and basic CNN to all HD channels no longer would play on TV through Tivo. But the lower channels like public service and CNN work fine on second TV without Tivo box.

After hours on phone with TW and Tivo, I decided to troubleshoot by simply taking tuner adapter out of the equation and suddenly Tivo can play all channel again. Tivo box had warned me that the adapter had been disconnected. I then reconnected tuner adapter and after Tivo took some time updating 'info' on available channels, suddenly channel 11, CNN, HD etc no longer available again

Proves SDV is not yet on here (altho I did get a letter saying it was going active on these chennels) -- but a mystery as to why the adapter seems to be somehow blocking them -- the Tivo box is saying channels are currently unavailable -- suggesting adapter is sending the request to TW to start the channel, but TW does provide the data feed.

An hour of on hold trying to get back to TW again and I gave up, pulled the adapter for time being and just in time to record's wife favorite show.

go figure

[dlfl]

Roadbot,

Have you read the very recent posts in this forum, starting with #4303 ?

Sounds like you have the same problem.

[kika2000]

I just got an email notifying me of changes to the channel line up on Time Warner Cable in the NYC area. I don't know if TW is doing this nationally or only locally, but in NYC, there are quite a few channels that will move on that date.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/nynj/learn/cable/aug19changes.html

They are adding a some new HD channels including TCMHD - (yay!) and moving some old ones, including VSHD (which has been giving me horrible problems for weeks now, so maybe the move will help fix that.)

[David Z]

I just spoke with TWC customer service. I asked about needing a tuning adapter after reading your postings, and asked her to alert the technician coming tomorrow to bring one. She told me that my account number wasn't anywhere near an area that required tuning adapters, but would "make a note in my file." What is this all about?

[David Z]

I called 866-568-3215 after reading a post above, and she told me that the customer service person didn't know what I was talking about because I called it a "tuning adapter" rather than a "cable box." They're going to come out tomorrow on a service call to bring me a "cable box" that hooks up to my Series 3 and its cable cards to allow them to decode.

[dlfl]

I called 866-568-3215 after reading a post above, and she told me that the customer service person didn't know what I was talking about because I called it a "tuning adapter" rather than a "cable box." They're going to come out tomorrow on a service call to bring me a "cable box" that hooks up to my Series 3 and its cable cards to allow them to decode.
A TA is a kind of STB, which might be called a "cable box". However, this seems odd to me. TWC in my area not only calls them Tuning Adapters on their web pages but also the TWC support people and installers use that term (even though many of them know nothing about them).

[rocko]

I called 866-568-3215 after reading a post above, and she told me that the customer service person didn't know what I was talking about because I called it a "tuning adapter" rather than a "cable box." They're going to come out tomorrow on a service call to bring me a "cable box" that hooks up to my Series 3 and its cable cards to allow them to decode.

I'd triple check that - TWC definitely calls them Tuning Adapters:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/Carolinas/site.faqs/Cable/SwitchedDi/How-do-I-get-a-Tuning-Adapter

[dulcinea]

So after reading all the recent posts about problems in the West Hollywood/LA area with the scrambled channels not showing, I called TWC last night to try and get someone out here next week to fix the problem, prepared to tell them about copy protection flag problem (I figured I'd only mention SDV & a tuning adapter if I was told the protection flag problem had been fixed and/or wasn't an issue in my area). Not only did the tech know about the issue, but - surprise! - informed me I had a service call with a supervisor scheduled for today. Nice of them to give me advance notice but hey, at least someone with the ability to get something done (hopefully) was coming out. I also checked to see if the problem had somehow magically been resolved, because sometimes the Blue Fairy really does intervene and all is well in the kingdom of TiVo.

Supervisor, accompanied by the tech who was here yesterday, just left; they spent about five minutes here because, lo and behold, the Blue Fairy, played today by someone on the tech desk the supervisor had asked to perform some work on my account, had intervened, and the problem was fixed. I apologized to the two men for having them come out for nothing, but reiterated that, as of last night, nothing had changed. The tech that came yesterday seemed a bit hot under the collar, but the supervisor stopped him, repeating the "advance work" statement. The supervisor also gave me his name and cell phone number, in case it went out again.

So, no tuning adapter needed, at least so far, which I guess also means no SDV, at least not yet, plus the bonus of a supervisor's cell phone number. Not a bad day, all in all, especially since I thought it would be Monday at the earliest that I would get my scrambled channels back. And still glad I found this thread, not only for the info I got on the current problem, but for possible future use as well, because if anyone can screw up a system that's working, it's Time Warner.

Have I mentioned that I hate Time Warner?

[nikko11]

I called yesterday and the guy said that they had been getting a lot of calls. He said my case matched the specs of the others, and added my account to the list.

Called tonight, and they transfered me to (866-568-3215) which she stated was the number to deal with this particular issue.

Issue is "In order to start cable service for this device, please contact your cable provider 1-888-888-88888"

They told me I need an SDV, and scheduled an appointment for saturday. (they offered as early as tomorrow, but I'm not available)

What part of SoCal are you in?


Ok, so the installer just left my place, and my service has been restored.
The installer said that he had been dealing with this issue all over the city.
He did NOT bring an SDV, but just a new cablecard (M card!) and replaced my two old cards. He went through the pairing process over the phone and within 10 minutes I was up and running again. He told me that they are still not using SDVs in this area.

[weinesq]

The same exact thing happened to me. Nobody at local TWC knew anything about adapters. Apparently the switch has happened other locations (Palmdale) but it hasn't changed here in los angeles... yet.

After fighting with tech supervisors, someone at TWC magically "fixed" the signal from the TWC central deathstar and suddenly I had all my channels back -- with no adapter.

I got a week's credit for the trouble but they should give me a life time free subscription for all the heartache they have caused and frustration!

[Kablemodem]

About six months ago I received a postcard from TWC telling me I had to update my cable card info for their records. I filled out the postcard with all the info they requested and then a few weeks later I got another one. They probably couldn't read my hand writing since I have 4 cards and they only provided room for two. I ignored the second postcard and a few weeks later received a letter stating that if I didn't provide my cable card info I would lose service. I presumed this was in preparation for the switch to SDV. The letter gave me a link to provide the info online, which I did. I received two more letters and each time provided the info online. I guess having done that saved me from the mess others have experienced. The only change I have noticed so far is that most of the channels are now copy protected and MRV is mostly useless for anything I have recorded since last week. I know SDV has not been implemented here yet, but it supposedly has been in the West Valley. I hope the new DirecTiVo comes out soon because I can't wait to get away from TWC.

[craigf]

I'm in West LA. Time Warner has added the 0x03 CCI byte to both Playboy (771) and Playboy en Espanol (772). I have monthly subscriptions to both. Shows are deleted 90 minutes after recording begins. Obviously, their customer service people don't have a clue what I am talking about.

Has anyone else who has experienced this issue made any headway?

[arantius]

...Finally (typing this during waits on hold on the phone) I got a supervisor to schedule a tech to come back (at no charge thanks to all the fuss) to install a cablecard AND tuning adapter. That's scheduled for Wednesday, I should be able to report how that goes in a few days.

Wednesday came and went, nobody came to my house though. Had to reschedule for Saturday. Tech came and went and, despite it being on his work order, did not bring a TA. Left me still unable to tune most of the HD channels, with a schedule for an "in house" tech to come today. That tech also did not bring the TA, though I explicitly asked for it when making the appointment. He basically did nothing but sit around my house for 90 minutes while we dealt with various support lines, which did nothing.

I called TWC again, and got another CSR and supervisor who claimed that I do not need, and they do not provide TAs. Quoted their site (article: "Why can't I view some channels on my TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, or TiVo HD XL DVR using a CableCARD?") to her, and she said she'd have to check things and call me back. Didn't until I called back first. Now, says she doesn't know but won't make something up (progress!). Needs to talk to the "CAT" team tomorrow, they're not in today (Sunday).

Generally: little to no progress. I can't get most of my HD stations. TWC is generally not helpful. None of 3 different techs in my house could make it work, and I can't quite get a straight answer whether I need/can get a TA or not. Calling TiVo support gives a firm and clear "you need a tuning adapter" answer.

[dlfl]

arantius,

Have you tried TiVo's "Cable Card Hotline" ?

We have set up a hotline to help you with CableCARD installation, troubleshooting, and with any communications with your cable provider. This hotline is answered by agents who are specially trained in troubleshooting CableCARD issues. If the information in this article does not solve your issue, please give them a call.

Phone number: 866-986-8486

Hours of operation:
Monday - Sunday
6:00 AM - 9:00 PM Pacific

[sdaredevil]

So I'm out in West LA also. I'm having the problem where you only get the over the air channels. The tech came out today and he seemed to know what he was doing, he checked all the cable card # against what they had in the system and told me it looks like they didn't have the "Data" number in the system which would prevent the card from working right. Unfortunately the Cablecard division is closed on Sunday. He did give me a local number for them so hopefully tomorrow I can call and give them the number myself.

[resing]

As of today, I have a working Tivo HD with Time Warner Cable in San Antonio.

When they exchanged my single stream cable card for a multistream used in conjuction with a tuning adapter, I'm getting all of the HD Channels I really need. A few are still missing, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of the wait on the phone for SCIHD and ESPNEWSHD which I don't even watch in non-hd.

HD Channels I am getting on both tuners include: Bravo, HGTV, Food Network, ESPN, MTV and all locals.

[meredith760]

I have a "tivo hd" which does have a small "series 3" logo printed on the front of the cablecard door (confusing of tivo to come out with that series name, but not quite always use it). The tech installed a multi-stream cablecard, and could get *some* channels, but not all of the channels I am supposed to get.

I called tivo to get an RMA, and they informed me both that it should work, and that it is federally mandated for cable providers to offer *working* cablecards. He extended by money back trial period to give me time to fight with time warner.

So I called back to schedule a second try. The person I got on the phone said flatly, "Time Warner doesn't support TiVos", even after I explained the "federally mandated" bit. I asked to speak with his supervisor.

The supervisor told me, unlike anyone before, that I could get a CableCARD for self install, or they could send a tech to my house to install it. Before they were forcing the tech install, with the charge for it.

This supervisor assured me it should be working. I asked this supervisor about the tuning adapter. He doesn't know what it is.

I can't remember anymore who, with all the people I've talked to on the phone and in person, and the people the tech in person talked to over the phone -- but I'm quite confident we're talking about SDV in the way here. There was mention of "dual" (later called "two way") technology being the problem. And that they were "working on it" but can't help me now.

Finally (typing this during waits on hold on the phone) I got a supervisor to schedule a tech to come back (at no charge thanks to all the fuss) to install a cablecard AND tuning adapter. That's scheduled for Wednesday, I should be able to report how that goes in a few days.


The exact same thing happened to my Series 3 HD. I am in the Los Feliz area and serviced by Eagle Rock. After a very long frustrating week of calls and in-store appearances, and A LOT of mis-information, a tech is coming out to install 2 new cable cards on Thursday. After hearing for months from TW that they will not provide cable cards with the 2-way communication capability, magically now they do. They also informed me today service techs do not carry tuning adapters and will not deliver them to your house. I learned this after setting up an appointment for someone to do just that and them arriving at my house today empty-handed and 2 hours late.

I could strangle TW Cable. When my cable cards were first installed it took 3 techs to follow the on-screen directions and make a phone call. I have very little confidence this transition will happen smoothly on Thursday.

Also, no letters. No warning. Nothing. I will however be reimbursed for 2 weeks of lost service on my next TW bill. It's a small consolation for an infuriating week.

If anyone has direct numbers for helpful service people and technicians, please let me know.

[Grumock]

The exact same thing happened to my Series 3 HD. I am in the Los Feliz area and serviced by Eagle Rock. After a very long frustrating week of calls and in-store appearances, and A LOT of mis-information, a tech is coming out to install 2 new cable cards on Thursday. After hearing for months from TW that they will not provide cable cards with the 2-way communication capability, magically now they do. They also informed me today service techs do not carry tuning adapters and will not deliver them to your house. I learned this after setting up an appointment for someone to do just that and them arriving at my house today empty-handed and 2 hours late.

I could strangle TW Cable. When my cable cards were first installed it took 3 techs to follow the on-screen directions and make a phone call. I have very little confidence this transition will happen smoothly on Thursday.

Also, no letters. No warning. Nothing. I will however be reimbursed for 2 weeks of lost service on my next TW bill. It's a small consolation for an infuriating week.

If anyone has direct numbers for helpful service people and technicians, please let me know.

I just want to make sure you are not disappointed. Cable cards have the ability to ENABLE 2way communication as long as the HOST (TIVO) they are plugged into has the ability to communicate in 2way. This seems to be part of a lot of confusion & when they are telling you that they do not provide a 2way card that is the truth. They provide a card that has the ability to ENABLE 2way communication as long as the HOST it is plugged into is 2way.:D

[Stone1555]

fyi as grumock stated, it depends on the host and tivo is not 2way capable

[robertgp124]

Had a very bad experience today.

TWC-Clarksburg rolled a truck to install to S cards. I wasn't here, my wife was. She trusted the tech (!) to install the cards. We now receive nothing about channel 50.

TWC claims the cards are paired. When I look at the information on screen, it says that I should call the cable company to activate the service.

We get grey screens - nothing.

Tech is supposed to return Thursday.

Any thoughts? I'm going to research this more later, but am tired and grumpy now.

[dlfl]

Did you have a Tuning Adapter (TA) installed also? This is required if they are using switched digital video (SDV). If so try powering it down for 30 secs and disconnecting the USB cable between the TA and the TiVo. Then pwer up the TA, wait for a while, then reconnect the USB cable. Wait for the green light on the TA to stop blinking and be steady on.

Installation schedulers and installers frequently know almost nothing about CableCARD's and TA's, or whether you need them. Ask them if they have SDV channels. If so, you need the TA.

It's quite possible they just haven't done all the pairing and authorizing needed by your mCard too.

Good luck!

[robertgp124]

Did you have a Tuning Adapter (TA) installed also? This is required if they are using switched digital video (SDV). If so try powering it down for 30 secs and disconnecting the USB cable between the TA and the TiVo. Then pwer up the TA, wait for a while, then reconnect the USB cable. Wait for the green light on the TA to stop blinking and be steady on.

Installation schedulers and installers frequently know almost nothing about CableCARD's and TA's, or whether you need them. Ask them if they have SDV channels. If so, you need the TA.

It's quite possible they just haven't done all the pairing and authorizing needed by your mCard too.

No I don't believe we have SDV, and it's two S cards, not M cards. TWC doesn't seem able to do M cards at the moment.

I'm stuck at the moment with MISSING_PROGRAM_REKEY in the Conditional Access field. Also my host validation status is unknown 11. I have a bad feeling that this is a TWC problem...

[dlfl]

I don't feel quite as bad now. TWC in my region said they only had s-cards too, so I'm paying for two of them, $2.54/mo. per card, FYI.

There are many reported instances of customers being able to get CableCARD's authorized and paired over the phone (without an installer). Since you've already paid your "truck-roll" dues, I wonder if it would be worth calling them and pressuring them to do that, instead of waiting till they roll another truck?

[robertgp124]

There are many reported instances of customers being able to get CableCARD's authorized and paired over the phone (without an installer). Since you've already paid your "truck-roll" dues, I wonder if it would be worth calling them and pressuring them to do that, instead of waiting till they roll another truck?

I called Tivo. They conferenced in TWC, and while I still don't have it resolved, the support person escalated my complaint. Instead of rescheduling another appointment, he changed the status to "work not complete" which he says should prompt a call and visit tomorrow.

TWC insists it's paired. I'm skeptical, but since TWC is going to attempt to get a tech out tomorrow, I'll go with that for now (they had originally proposed Thursday). While I'm furious with TWC right now, I do tech support myself. It's tough. Locally, I've seen TWC-Clarksburg customer service in action before and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Until tomorrow. ;)

[TracerBullet]

Anyone with Time Warner in Queens with no audio on HGTV HD? I first noticed it two days ago. All other channels are fine.

Even if not, anyone have any idea what the problem could be? I've never seen anything like this. I'm at a total loss.

[JimWall]

I once had problems and after 3 techs had come out it was fixed. It was a breeze with 3rd guy. He said it depends on who you get back in the office to do the pairing. Problem often are people back in the office not pairing things correctly or a typo with SN/Host ID. I guess that since cable cards are not two way; TWC people in office don't get a message back from card letting them know that pairing didn't work properly.

[tripmaster]

One cable card is dead.. but which one?!?
Hi all - one of my cable cards died as only 1 tuner gets anything; the other tuner only gets broadcast channels - but from going through the menus they both seem to be active. I no longer see EMM Count, etc anywhere - I upgraded to M cards on my S3 bc I heard here that they are more reliable.

TWCNYC is coming tomorrow. I'd like him to only pull one card but I dont have faith he can figure out which one is live and which one is hobbled. Can someone advise?One cable card is dead.. but which one?!?
Hi all - one of my cable cards died as only 1 tuner gets anything; the other tuner only gets broadcast channels - but from going through the menus they both seem to be active. I no longer see EMM Count, etc anywhere - I upgraded to M cards on my S3 bc I heard here that they are more reliable.

TWCNYC is coming tomorrow. I'd like him to only pull one card but I dont have faith he can figure out which one is live and which one is hobbled. Can someone advise?

[dlfl]

tripmaster,

I've heard of double-posting, but usually it's in separate threads rather than in a single post! :D

Can't you tell from DVR Diagnostics? Isn't there a listing for Tuner 0 and another for Tuner 1 ? I would assume 0 is the first CC slot, etc.

[robertgp124]

I'm still having issues. I get a few digital channels (hd, local hd affiliates) but very little on analog over channel 40. TWC called several times today, was very pleased about that. Got a terrific person from the national cable card support center for TWC and she got the cards to the subscribed status, but all the channels still aren't coming through.

She considered TA - but we're not doing switched video yet. She's suspicious of signal strength and told me to have the tech call with some readings. So we're due for a truck roll on Monday now.

[dwgsp]

I'm still having issues. I get a few digital channels (hd, local hd affiliates) but very little on analog over channel 40.

You may want to ask TWC to verify that your account is enabled to receive digital cable channels.

When I first ordered a cable card (in my case a M-card) I told the customer service rep that I did not need a digital cable box. After my M-card was installed I noticed that I did not receive all of the digital channels. I later learned that TWC Rochester's system will not allow the rep to enable digital channels unless the customer is also provided with a digital cable box. Note that this is an administrative issue; the customer does not have to actually hook up the box to the cable. Once I agreed to take possession of a digital cable box, they were able to enable all of the digital channels.

Fortunately the digital box is free. I currently have it hooked up to a spare TV in my basement.

/Don

[waldrondigital]

My recipe for a flawless install. YMMV!

Right after I purchased my TiVo, I figured I better do some reading to see the best approach when calling customer service, what to ask for, etc. This thread was very helpful in getting me up to speed with Scards, Mcards, Tuning Adaptors, etc. Also it scared the crap out of me that I wouldn't have a working configuration without 3-12 installer visits and divine intervention. But I wanted my TiVo...

I called Time Warner last week and told them that I recently purchased a TiVo HD and that I would like to be able to watch and record simultaneously. I suggested to the rep that this involved either an M-card or (2) S-cards. She said M-cards were available in my area. At the same time I asked if SDV was deployed in my area and if I needed a tuning adapter. The rep was knowledgeable and said the installer would provide an M-card and a tuning adapter.

Between this call and my install I made sure that I went way beyond the intial TiVo setup. I made sure to manually outcall a number of times until I had the latest firmware (11d as of this writing, shipped with 9.4 I believe). I basically forced calls over and over for 4 hours while it did it's thing and eventually I had everything up to date. Even the Netflix streaming was working at this point...

My installation window came this morning between 9a-12p. I have always had great luck with TW installers, they are always pretty pleasant guys. My rep showed at 10a and said that he was waiting for his supervisor to arrive with the M-card and TA. About 30 minutes later to my surprise both a supervisor, my original installer and yet another installer came back to take care of business.

20 minutes later they had everything activated and low and behold - EVERYTHING WORKS! The supervisor had clearly done these before and was teaching the junior guy what was involved. One note is it took a few minutes and a reboot to get the TA synced. I have a Cisco unit.

Just so you know it's not all fire, brimstone and bad news with TiVo and Time Warner Cable.

I'm in Woodland Hills, CA (Los Angeles County) serviced by the West Hills (Chatsworth) Time Warner Office. We are a native TW area, not an Adelphia add-in post merger.

AMENDED: I will add that I had existing TW equipment prior to my TiVo install (been a customer for years and years), and ended up keeping a SA8300 which the TiVo replaced, in my bedroom. I know people with only a TiVo and new service had reported issues with not receiving digital tiers due to not having auxilary boxes. Something to do with how the account was setup at the TW backend.. blah blah

[dlfl]

Welcome to the forum waldrondigital and thanks for the post.

Congratulations on your smooth install!

How much is the monthly rental on your m-card ? TWC told me they didn't have m-cards and I'm paying a total of $5.08/mo for 2 s-cards. Not a major issue but just curious.....

[waldrondigital]

Welcome to the forum waldrondigital and thanks for the post.

Congratulations on your smooth install!

How much is the monthly rental on your m-card ? TWC told me they didn't have m-cards and I'm paying a total of $5.08/mo for 2 s-cards. Not a major issue but just curious.....

Tell you what when I get my bill I will be sure to update the post with all the various costs. I didn't ask on my initial call!

[KungFuCow]

Thats interesting.. the guy in Cable Card Tech for TWC told me that installers could not get TAs and they had to be mailed directly to the customer.

[dlfl]

I know a number of folks, including me, have had the TA's brought by the installers. Others in my area have picked them up at a TWC store too. I think their procedures are helter skelter and vary with service area and over time.

[e8link]

Anyone here know what error message 161-52 means? I intermittently have been receiving this error message on my Tivo HD box.

I called Time Warner tech support, who transferred me to National Cablecard Support...they said something about the reader going bad and to contact Tivo. I contacted Tivo support who said it's a problem with the cablecard and to have a new one installed.

I believe Time Warner probably knows their system/error codes pretty well, but I'm wondering how other people have had this problem resolved.

[PumiceT]

Over the past month or so, I've received two letters from TWC explaining (in the EXACT same words) the switch to SDV, with a list of channels.

The confusing thing is, while both letters explain everything about SDV the same, they list DIFFERENT channels. The most recent letter lists channels that are almost exclusively pay channels (HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc.).

So, which letter is correct? Both combined? The most recent?

[robertgp124]

You may want to ask TWC to verify that your account is enabled to receive digital cable channels.

When I first ordered a cable card (in my case a M-card) I told the customer service rep that I did not need a digital cable box. After my M-card was installed I noticed that I did not receive all of the digital channels. I later learned that TWC Rochester's system will not allow the rep to enable digital channels unless the customer is also provided with a digital cable box. Note that this is an administrative issue; the customer does not have to actually hook up the box to the cable. Once I agreed to take possession of a digital cable box, they were able to enable all of the digital channels.

Fortunately the digital box is free. I currently have it hooked up to a spare TV in my basement.

/Don

Meant to follow up. Different TWC guy showed up Monday (On time, with a 10 minute warning, very nice). Verified everything, called the office and had a couple of hits sent to the box. Everything started working. Tech was baffled, said this was way too easy. I had to laugh, he was as suspicious as I was. We checked things out for a while, and he left.

A little later, I got a call from TWC's national cable card support. Told her everything was working, and she was surprised. After talking, she decided the hits she had sent must not have made it through the system.

Nearly a week later, everything is working. Once I got past the initial tech, all went well.

[BradI]

I spoke to an account rep today that had re authorized my cards several times and then completely wiped my account and started over in an attempt to fix this "problem". I now believe that there is nothing to fix and those channels must be switched. You would think the employees would be aware of such things and could have saved us both a lot of time and effort.

I post this only for the benefit of any other customers in the Piedmont Triad region of Time Warner's footprint........

I am considering getting a Tivo HD3 (my first Tivo) are the triad time warner issues resolved? can I get 2 cards for my Tivo? thanks

[kika2000]

TWC did a big channel switch in the area as of this last Thursday. They moved around a bunch of channels and added a few.

I can see all of the moved channels at their new location, but I'm not receiving any of the new ones. I can see the guide info, but the channels are just black.

Anybody else seeing 782 TCMHD or 685 BBCAHD? Is it just me or are they not broadcasting yet?

[kingkong316]

TWC did a big channel switch in the area as of this last Thursday. They moved around a bunch of channels and added a few.

I can see all of the moved channels at their new location, but I'm not receiving any of the new ones. I can see the guide info, but the channels are just black.

Anybody else seeing 782 TCMHD or 685 BBCAHD? Is it just me or are they not broadcasting yet?

Don't tease me down here in Dallas. I see BBCAHD and jumped up and immediately checked and was very disappointment when there was nothing on that channel.

[ultrarunner]

I have a single M card in my series 3 unit along with my SDV tuner. Over the last couple of months some of my HD channels will not tune. Channel scan, diag, rebooting the Tivo and the Cisco box does not seem to have an effect. Service call is tomorrow. Anything else I should check or try on my end? I am also getting a blinking green light on my SDV box.

[Grumock]

I have a single M card in my series 3 unit along with my SDV tuner. Over the last couple of months some of my HD channels will not tune. Channel scan, diag, rebooting the Tivo and the Cisco box does not seem to have an effect. Service call is tomorrow. Anything else I should check or try on my end? I am also getting a blinking green light on my SDV box.

well the blinking green light is not a good thing. Have you tried to disconnect the USB that is going from the TA to the TIVO? Is the light on the TA blinking in a pattern or just constantly blinking, i.e. 6 blinks & a pause or 8 blinks & a pause?

[arantius]

Following up on my earlier post, after so much bothering Time Warner (5 different techs over quite a few weeks, and missed appointments, and stress) ... It was a bad TiVo!

After exhausting all my support options with TWC, and getting no results, I decided I had to return the TiVo unit. I made one last call, first, to try to exchange it. When I explained that the TiVo failed to tune dozens of channels (and get a low signal strength reading on those that it did tune), but the TWC box hooked up at the same time worked fine, I got an RMA.

Long story short, the replacement TiVo arrived, and now I've got a perfect signal, on every channel. Sheesh!

[dlfl]

Following up on my earlier post, after so much bothering Time Warner (5 different techs over quite a few weeks, and missed appointments, and stress) ... It was a bad TiVo!
.........
Long story short, the replacement TiVo arrived, and now I've got a perfect signal, on every channel. Sheesh!
Well it had to happen some time! :D The exception that proves the rule. Usually a new TiVo is obtained and makes no difference at all (because far more problems are caused by CableCARDs, Tuning Adapters, bad cabling, bad cable signals, etc.) I bet TiVo exchanges 5 good TiVos for every bad one they get back. (That's where all those refurbished units come from.)

[macsamurai]

Following up on my earlier post, after so much bothering Time Warner (5 different techs over quite a few weeks, and missed appointments, and stress) ... It was a bad TiVo!

After exhausting all my support options with TWC, and getting no results, I decided I had to return the TiVo unit. I made one last call, first, to try to exchange it. When I explained that the TiVo failed to tune dozens of channels (and get a low signal strength reading on those that it did tune), but the TWC box hooked up at the same time worked fine, I got an RMA.

Long story short, the replacement TiVo arrived, and now I've got a perfect signal, on every channel. Sheesh!

I'm afraid your replacement TiVo may be a coincidence. I'm in Brooklyn, NY and have been dealing with blocks of missing channels on our S3 for a month, including several HD premium channels (SHOHD, TMCHD, etc). After 5 tech visits totaling almost 20 hours in my apartment over 3 weeks and numerous assurances that they'd eventually track down the problem if they kept coming back, I escalated my issue to the Office of the President at Time Warner, who immediately put a team of qualified and dedicated professionals on my case - people who were empowered to do more than read from a script, schedule another truck roll and replace another set of cable cards. I got a call the next day from a head tech at TWC's national cable card division who assured me that they were working on the issue at the "head end" and that they had many confirmed cases of the exact same channels missing on other customer's TiVos (S3 and HD).

It was a head-end package cable card programming issue and it was system-wide (at least in this region). Without anyone else having to come back to my apartment, without having to reboot my TiVo 5 more times for no good reason other than the fact that the techs don't know any better, and with my original cable cards reinstalled, the problem was resolved on their end this past Tuesday and I came home to all of my channels appearing as they should and a clean signal across the board.

If anyone, especially in the NYC area has lost channels (black screen) since early August and still don't have them back, call the TWC National Cable Card hotline at 866-532-2598 and let them help you. My experience with them was terrific and I will never call the local TWC support line again when I have cable card problems, because the CSRs that answer those phones know nothing about cable cards other than how to "refresh" the signal (i.e. send hits to the cards) and schedule a tech visit (by a tech who probably also knows nothing about cable cards at all, as most of mine didn't).

I'm also happy to report that after all my troubles, including a scheduled appointment that they missed, I managed to get 2 full months of credits on my bill (for cable tv, not for internet, which wasn't affected), which almost made the month of troubles and missing channels worth it.

Good luck!

[realityboy]

I don't feel quite as bad now. TWC in my region said they only had s-cards too, so I'm paying for two of them, $2.54/mo. per card, FYI.

There are many reported instances of customers being able to get CableCARD's authorized and paired over the phone (without an installer). Since you've already paid your "truck-roll" dues, I wonder if it would be worth calling them and pressuring them to do that, instead of waiting till they roll another truck?

I haven't checked this thread in a bit since my cablecards are working fine, but I'm sure the I received 2 M-Cards last time that I had an issue that required a truck roll. I think those are the ones that I ended up keeping after my cards were swapped several times. Is there a way to tell on a S3 without actually taking the cards out?

[Stone1555]

I'm afraid your replacement TiVo may be a coincidence. I'm in Brooklyn, NY and have been dealing with blocks of missing channels on our S3 for a month, including several HD premium channels (SHOHD, TMCHD, etc). After 5 tech visits totaling almost 20 hours in my apartment over 3 weeks and numerous assurances that they'd eventually track down the problem if they kept coming back, I escalated my issue to the Office of the President at Time Warner, who immediately put a team of qualified and dedicated professionals on my case - people who were empowered to do more than read from a script, schedule another truck roll and replace another set of cable cards. I got a call the next day from a head tech at TWC's national cable card division who assured me that they were working on the issue at the "head end" and that they had many confirmed cases of the exact same channels missing on other customer's TiVos (S3 and HD).

It was a head-end package cable card programming issue and it was system-wide (at least in this region). Without anyone else having to come back to my apartment, without having to reboot my TiVo 5 more times for no good reason other than the fact that the techs don't know any better, and with my original cable cards reinstalled, the problem was resolved on their end this past Tuesday and I came home to all of my channels appearing as they should and a clean signal across the board.

If anyone, especially in the NYC area has lost channels (black screen) since early August and still don't have them back, call the TWC National Cable Card hotline at 866-532-2598 and let them help you. My experience with them was terrific and I will never call the local TWC support line again when I have cable card problems, because the CSRs that answer those phones know nothing about cable cards other than how to "refresh" the signal (i.e. send hits to the cards) and schedule a tech visit (by a tech who probably also knows nothing about cable cards at all, as most of mine didn't).

I'm also happy to report that after all my troubles, including a scheduled appointment that they missed, I managed to get 2 full months of credits on my bill (for cable tv, not for internet, which wasn't affected), which almost made the month of troubles and missing channels worth it.

Good luck!

Glad to hear you got everything working. I have tried that number in the past, seems they only work with field techs, supervisors and escalations per the rep I spoke to. So from my experience if you don't fall into that group they will turn you back to your local.

[Fofer]

What's going on here? In SoCal here.

I'm randomly missing recordings because it says I wasn't "authorized to receive that channel." But it's basic cable channels like 404 (NBC.) And when I tune to that channel, I see nothing.

The first call to TWC, they told me to reboot the TiVo. I did, sure enough, that worked.

But now I'm not getting other channels, like MTV, Current, or G4.

So I called TWC again. Now they're telling me they think I need a Tuning Adapter.

Um... why wouldn't they let me know this in their bills ahead of time, or via another letter, or an email? Why didn't the first tech know this?

Anyway, I have to go to their office tomorrow and pick up a free Tuning Adapter. Wish me luck.

[mmcgown]

It's almost astonishing that eight months have passed since the Tuning Adapter was released, and still, the cable companies have managed to keep it a virtual secret that they are deploying Switched Digital Video.

[dlfl]

It's almost astonishing that eight months have passed since the Tuning Adapter was released, and still, the cable companies have managed to keep it a virtual secret that they are deploying Switched Digital Video.
Not really.....

SDV is transparent to customers who use their STB's and DVR's, and TiVo digital subscribers are only about 0.5% of their digital customers. What incentive would they have to advertise it? I believe most cable cos using SDV do acknowledge that fact somewhere on their web sites.

The brutal fact is TiVo customers are not important to them, even if they sometimes make noises to the contrary. As I understand it, they are not even legally required to furnish tuning adapters.

[Fofer]

Another question. I get "Messages" on my TiVo all the time about channel additions and channel deletions. I mean, how hard would it be for them to send a message about the fact (?) that I need to get a Tuning Adapter from the cable company office? Seems like a pretty important message to me.

[1116022965]

Has anyone in Northeast Ohio had issues with channels dropping intermittently? A channel will come in perfectly, and then an hour later the screen is just grey and that same chennel will not come in. Check back later and it is back again. I have (2) cable cards with a TIVO 3 HD. I also have a SDV adapter. Thx:confused:

[Fofer]

It's almost astonishing that eight months have passed since the Tuning Adapter was released, and still, the cable companies have managed to keep it a virtual secret that they are deploying Switched Digital Video.

Tell me about it. I called and they sent me down to the local cable office. Which in turn sent me to two other offices. All gave me conflicting messages about whether or not I'd need a Tuning Adapter. Ultimately wasting a day, and finding out that my area doesn't yet need one.

They ultimately sent a tech out, who replaced my two S-Cards, and now I'm getting all of my channels again on my Series 3 TiVo.

What an embarrassing mess TWC is.... sheesh.

[Kablemodem]

No SDV in L.A. yet. Check this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=306411 as there have been some recent discussions, but no concrete info.

A few months ago TWC had me provide my cable card info. I suspect that was related to the eventual deployment of SDV, which I expect within 6 months. As messed up as TWC is, I suspect they will have more info on SDV and the tuning adapter when SDV is actually implemented.

[JCG1577]

Has anyone in Northeast Ohio had issues with channels dropping intermittently? A channel will come in perfectly, and then an hour later the screen is just grey and that same chennel will not come in. Check back later and it is back again. I have (2) cable cards with a TIVO 3 HD. I also have a SDV adapter. Thx:confused:

I live in Northeast Ohio and have had nothing but problem with TWC and my cable-card/tuning adapter. Whne I called to get my Cable-card the tech (outsourced by TWC) came by, threw the card in and said he had to get to anohter appt in 10 minutes. He then just left and bascially the card never authorixed. After I called his cell he came back and we got some channels but was missing a whole bunch of HD channels. Then they called support again and said oh I need a tuning adapter! I didn't realize I needed one only to find out after he left that the stations I could not get weren't SDV! So I got the tuning adapter and set it up and still couldn't get my channels.

After calling TWC customer support they actually connected me to the national cable card hotline and the guy there said he normally doesn't talk to the customer. Anyway, he helped me and said there was a problem with how my account was coded and BAM I had all my HD channels.

Everything worked great for one week and then all of a sudden I am now missing all HD channels after 439. I called customer support and they can't help so now I have a tech coming out on Friday. Which I am sure they won't know what's going on and I am going to go round and round again.

Bottom line it has to be a setup issue on TWC side with the Cable-card as how did I have the channels for a week and now they don't exist. I get the grey screen.

I wish I never would have gotten the TIVO HD because it has been a nightmare with TWC.

[Grumock]

JCG1577 I am going to ask the most obvious questions. Have you tried to remove the USB cord from the TA, & then remove the power for 5-10 seconds then plug it back up, leaving the USB out until the light stays fully solid? Normally Grey screen is something on the signal side but sometimes rebooting the TA will fix that temporarily.

[dlfl]

JCG1577 I am going to ask the most obvious questions. Have you tried to remove the USB cord from the TA, & then remove the power for 5-10 seconds then plug it back up, leaving the USB out until the light stays fully solid? Normally Grey screen is something on the signal side but sometimes rebooting the TA will fix that temporarily.
Might need to modify those instructions a little. When the TA is powered and initialized, but not connected via USB to the TiVo, I believe it repeats a six-blink-then-pause sequence. This may vary. Maybe it is solid. Thus if it's either solid or blinking that sequence, you can connect the USB cable.

[Grumock]

Might need to modify those instructions a little. When the TA is powered and initialized, but not connected via USB to the TiVo, I believe it repeats a six-blink-then-pause sequence. This may vary. Maybe it is solid. Thus if it's either solid or blinking that sequence, you can connect the USB cable.

Only some do but most do not. So you are right & I am sorry I forgot that 6 blink pattern.

[dlfl]

Only some do but most do not. So you are right & I am sorry I forgot that 6 blink pattern.
Funny thing is: IIRC, my TA has shown both behaviors!

[SteadyEddieNYC]

Hi All, I live in Manhattan- I just ordered a new series 3 HD TIVO- I am wondering do I get the cable cards- 2 of them? or keep my box? The savings will be about 10 bucks a month once I give up the twc dvr and box-

the charge for ea. card is 5.25 a month- plus a $40.00 install charge for the 1st card and $20.00 for the additional card- total 60 bucks for the guy to come and 10.50 per mo for the cards-

The rep told me that they have new upgraded cards and I wont lose any PPV or In demand channels with the new cards-

Does any one have this set up or have an opinion?

Ed

[dlfl]

Hi All, I live in Manhattan- I just ordered a new series 3 HD TIVO- I am wondering do I get the cable cards- 2 of them? or keep my box? The savings will be about 10 bucks a month once I give up the twc dvr and box-

the charge for ea. card is 5.25 a month- plus a $40.00 install charge for the 1st card and $20.00 for the additional card- total 60 bucks for the guy to come and 10.50 per mo for the cards-

The rep told me that they have new upgraded cards and I wont lose any PPV or In demand channels with the new cards-

Does any one have this set up or have an opinion?

Ed
You definitely want the cable cards. You may need a Tuning Adapter too, to get ***SDV*** (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357703)channels.

Unless this is some special TWC service I've never heard of, the rep who said you would get PPV or On Demand was wrong. Note: cable co. agents are very frequently wrong about TiVo capabilities and requirements! TiVo's are unimportant oddities to them.

[Grumock]

Funny thing is: IIRC, my TA has shown both behaviors!

you have one that is possessed then & think it may need a priest LMAO

[Grumock]

Hi All, I live in Manhattan- I just ordered a new series 3 HD TIVO- I am wondering do I get the cable cards- 2 of them? or keep my box? The savings will be about 10 bucks a month once I give up the twc dvr and box-

the charge for ea. card is 5.25 a month- plus a $40.00 install charge for the 1st card and $20.00 for the additional card- total 60 bucks for the guy to come and 10.50 per mo for the cards-

The rep told me that they have new upgraded cards and I wont lose any PPV or In demand channels with the new cards-

Does any one have this set up or have an opinion?

Ed


I am in full agreement with Dlfl that rep is 100% incorrect. There is currently no way that a TIVo can receive PPV or on Demand since they are all unidirectional in nature. Even if you have SDV in your area, which you don't, & have to use a Tuning adapter, you would still not be able to receive those services.

[SteadyEddieNYC]

I figured she was wrong- Why are cable cards better? Will the HD twc box work? do I ask for the M card? and the tuning adapter? This already is a pain and tivo has not arrived yet-

Thanks

[Grumock]

I figured she was wrong- Why are cable cards better? Will the HD twc box work? do I ask for the M card? and the tuning adapter? This already is a pain and tivo has not arrived yet-

Thanks

from what I can tell they have not launched SDV in your area yet so a Tuning adapter is not needed. If the cards load in the Front then yes i would ask for a "Multistream" card. Now the rep will probably get that deer in the headlights sound to their voice, but just tell them to make sure they note the work order with that. There is no reason that the HD box will stop working unless you take it off your account.

[dlfl]

I figured she was wrong- Why are cable cards better? Will the HD twc box work? do I ask for the M card? and the tuning adapter? This already is a pain and tivo has not arrived yet-

Thanks
CC's are the way HD TiVo's were designed to work with digital cable. They enable dual-tuner operation. I'm not sure what the HD twc box gives you but I'm sure it won't allow dual-tuner operation. Also, I doubt there is any way you can control it (select channels) from the TiVo.

Yes ask for a M-Card. The HD will work just as well with 2 S-Cards but you will pay a few bucks more per month for renting 2 cards, usually.

Grumock believes your cable system doesn't use SDV. If true, you will not need a tuning adapter. However it would be advisable to confirm this with your TWC agent, and look on their web site. Unfortunately there have been cases where agents were wrong about this and nothing on the web site indicated it either. If you need a TA and don't have one, you will be missing a bunch of channels (the ones they use SDV for). TWC normally furnishes the TA free of charge (if required). One way to force this issue would be to tell the TWC agent you want a TA, and see what response you get.

[Grumock]

CC's are the way HD TiVo's were designed to work with digital cable. They enable dual-tuner operation. I'm not sure what the HD twc box gives you but I'm sure it won't allow dual-tuner operation. Also, I doubt there is any way you can control it (select channels) from the TiVo.

Yes ask for a M-Card. The HD will work just as well with 2 S-Cards but you will pay a few bucks more per month for renting 2 cards, usually.

Grumock believes your cable system doesn't use SDV. If true, you will not need a tuning adapter. However it would be advisable to confirm this with your TWC agent, and look on their web site. Unfortunately there have been cases where agents were wrong about this and nothing on the web site indicated it either. If you need a TA and don't have one, you will be missing a bunch of channels (the ones they use SDV for). TWC normally furnishes the TA free of charge (if required). One way to force this issue would be to tell the TWC agent you want a TA, and see what response you get.

You're right about the duel tuner option if it's a regular digital box, but if it's one of the DVRs they offer then it will have that ability. I can say with almost 100% certainty that the Manhattan area has not launched SDV. With that said it does not mean they will not be in the near future. I know that there are some areas in the country they are still beta testing the SDV on some DAC systems. Manhattan is using Motorola cards still if i am not mistaken which also means they are on a DAC system. It is however possible they have some overlay areas but not that i have heard of at this point. Overlay meaning where they are using both SA cards & Moto cards.

[SteadyEddieNYC]

I called them back and asked for the "M" card and got transferred to a spacial dept- After being on hold for 45min I left them a message to call me back- The TWC HD box I am using now has the capability to record two shows at once- I am assuming that if I run tivo through that I can do with out the hassle of the setting up the cards- Would you agree?

[dlfl]

If you want your TiVo to be fully functional with dual-tuner capability you need a cable card (or two) -- unless you are using analog cable service -- which will not provide HD programming. I don't know how you would "run your TiVo through your cable box". Your TiVo needs to be able to select channels in order for its program guide data to work. It has only one cable input connector. The cable signal is split inside the TiVo for its two tuners. This is true whether the signal is analog or digital.

Is your cable box a converter or DVR or what? What inputs and outputs does it have? How does it currently work?

[SteadyEddieNYC]

Hi- Thanks for the replies- I have a Scientific Atlanta 8300 HDC- dvr cable box from TWC of NYC- the back of the box says it has multistream cable card- As it is now I can record two shows at once with that box- I just hate that box as its very slow and lags- thats why I bought the New Tivo HD- I have never used cable cards before- My old series 2 tivo I ran it through the cable box and it worked fine- I am trying to avoid the TWC of NYC nightmare that has already started- your thoughts?

[Cover2_26]

We have TWC in Bergen County, NJ. About a month ago I purchased an S3 to replace my S2 after buying a new HDTV. The install went off without a hitch and I had no problems. This past Monday, I came home to find that many of my channels had gone black. I rebooted Tivo and no change. Called TWC and csr said she didnt know about cable cards and I could schedule a truck roll to see what the problem is. Not satisfied, I visited this site as well as Tivo's site to get educated on what could be the problem. Checked all of the diagnostics and nothing appears to be wrong with the unit. I called TWC again, and the csr said I would need a tuning adapter. fast forward, I try going to my local TWC and am told that they don't use those any more and that I would need to schedule a service appointment. Anyone else have or experience this problem w/ TWC in Palisade Park, NJ? I'm pretty sure that all I need is an adapter.

Thanks.

[pgreene8]

I am TWC in Manhattan, but had a similar loss of channels not long ago. They sent a technician, but it turned out to simply be a signal that TWC had to send to the cable card. A stupid waste of time.
Earlier in the year I explored the tuning adaptor as a way to address another problem I was having, and I was told TWC in NYC doesn't have or deploy them.

[SteadyEddieNYC]

TWC of Manhattan makes it hard to use anything other then what they rent- I had to call 4x before I got a CSR who knew what a cable card is- I am hoping whom ever shows up tomorrow will know what they are doing or I will send TIVO back-

[dlfl]

Hey guys! Please note the campaign to get TWC to remove CCI Byte copy protection (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=434742). Keep those cards and letters (err.. emails) coming !!!

[SteadyEddieNYC]

Well- TWC came and hooked me up with a "M" card all was well- until the unit started to re-boot it self- 3x now- and 2 times with out the card last night before the TWC guy came- Tivo gave me a RMA number to send it back- Now I have no tv or Tivo until a new unit arrives- Any one else have this problem?

Tivo- HD

[dlfl]

Well- TWC came and hooked me up with a "M" card all was well- until the unit started to re-boot it self- 3x now- and 2 times with out the card last night before the TWC guy came- Tivo gave me a RMA number to send it back- Now I have no tv or Tivo until a new unit arrives- Any one else have this problem?

Tivo- HD
Is your TiVo on a UPS? Highly recommended. Power dropouts can cause reboots. The APC BE350G is just big enough for a TiVo and a Tuning Adapter, (or for two TiVo's) plus it provides surge protection for lots of additional equipment. Sells for less than $50.

[SteadyEddieNYC]

its plugged into a cheap power strip- I have it plugged into the wall right now- seeing if it happens again- however I dont like that incase of a power surge I have an extra ups es 350 sitting right here- should I try that? before I send it back- that would be cool if that was the issue

[SteadyEddieNYC]

its plugged into a cheap power strip- I have it plugged into the wall right now- seeing if it happens again- however I dont like that incase of a power surge I have an extra ups es 350 sitting right here- should I try that? before I send it back- that would be cool if that was the issue

[dlfl]

Is your es350 a surge protector or UPS ? If it's a true UPS it might be worth a try right now, especially if you suspect your AC power may be glitching.

[SteadyEddieNYC]

I tried the surge protector- It's a bad Tivo- and its going back-

[Grumock]

I am TWC in Manhattan, but had a similar loss of channels not long ago. They sent a technician, but it turned out to simply be a signal that TWC had to send to the cable card. A stupid waste of time.
Earlier in the year I explored the tuning adaptor as a way to address another problem I was having, and I was told TWC in NYC doesn't have or deploy them.

that would be because you do not have SDV deployed in your area yet.

[Cover2_26]

I am TWC in Manhattan, but had a similar loss of channels not long ago. They sent a technician, but it turned out to simply be a signal that TWC had to send to the cable card. A stupid waste of time.
Earlier in the year I explored the tuning adaptor as a way to address another problem I was having, and I was told TWC in NYC doesn't have or deploy them.

Turns out I had the same problem. Took the tech less than 2 mins to correct and be on his way!

[dlfl]

Last night I started having trouble tuning any channels on one of my tuners. Soon I had a screen saying that CC #2 was doing a firmware update and I wouldn't be able to watch live TV until it was done. It took close to 15 min and after that I had no more trouble tuning channels on either tuner.

So I wondered if this was for real, or just a glitch triggered by either a problem with that CC or a problem with TWC's system. (The TWC system aribtrarily removed provisioning from my Tuning Adapter about 10 days ago, costing me 4 hours fiddling and phone time.)

If it is a real firmware update, I wondered when or if it was applied to the other CC. (I have 2 s-cards.)

In the DVR Diagnostics, the software version for both cards is given as "1".
Does that number actually mean anything?

Is there any way in the diagnostic screens to tell when an actual CC firmware update occurred? And to what firmware version?

Has anyone else in TWC Southwest Ohio had this happen recently?

[Grumock]

Last night I started having trouble tuning any channels on one of my tuners. Soon I had a screen saying that CC #2 was doing a firmware update and I wouldn't be able to watch live TV until it was done. It took close to 15 min and after that I had no more trouble tuning channels on either tuner.

So I wondered if this was for real, or just a glitch triggered by either a problem with that CC or a problem with TWC's system. (The TWC system aribtrarily removed provisioning from my Tuning Adapter about 10 days ago, costing me 4 hours fiddling and phone time.)

If it is a real firmware update, I wondered when or if it was applied to the other CC. (I have 2 s-cards.)

In the DVR Diagnostics, the software version for both cards is given as "1".
Does that number actually mean anything?

Is there any way in the diagnostic screens to tell when an actual CC firmware update occurred? And to what firmware version?

Has anyone else in TWC Southwest Ohio had this happen recently?

I have been searching for that same information on both my TIVO HD & my MOXI. I was thinking that the firmware version should be something other than "1"

[mercurial]

Oddest things yesterday. I was on the couch recovering from having a temporary crown put in and just had live TV on since I knew I'd be dozing a bit. Both FoodTV and HGTV kept having issues (video would go black, no sound or sound would go away and video would keep going). Did the DVR diagnostics and it had a very high RS corrected and uncorrected counts. Signal strength was 100 and SNR was 36db. Tried adding a pad and it dropped to 90/95 and 35db still had an issue. Restarted the TiVo and suddenly all was well. :confused:

Known issue? Something new? Fluke? :p

I'm putting this here since I assume it's at least vaguely TWC related.

[dlfl]

Have you been following the TWC TA Carolinas thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=418262)? Possibly related?

Known issue? Something new? Fluke?

My HD is always making me ask that question -- it's almost a hobby just keeping it running. For example see post #4397 above.

[mercurial]

I've never seen either of my S3's or my THD ask about a CC firmware upgrade. Also, I've never seen or heard (though I can't catch 100% of the posts) of an issue where the RS corrected/uncorrected count was high with the described glitches and a restart sent the counts to zero and corrected everything. One of those channels (HGTV HD) is not SDV (at least to my understanding) and the other (Food TV HD) is so I did not post in the TA or SDV threads.

I will agree with you that maintaining these boxes (especially the S3 in the basement rec room that gets infrequent direct viewing these days) is a pain. Usually my issue is sync with the TA going wonky (won't tune channels) requiring a reboot of each. Shoot, I almost want to put all the TAs and S3/THDs on X-10 controllers and just reboot them at some "safe" time late at night 2-3 times a week... :p Although the other day, for the first time, I turned on the TV and it was on the "press select" dialog for a live SDV channel that had timed out and when I pressed Select, it actually requested and got the channel tuned. Maybe the gradual update are actually fixing things.

[abredt]

No SDV in L.A. yet. Check this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=306411 as there have been some recent discussions, but no concrete info.

A few months ago TWC had me provide my cable card info. I suspect that was related to the eventual deployment of SDV, which I expect within 6 months. As messed up as TWC is, I suspect they will have more info on SDV and the tuning adapter when SDV is actually implemented.

I'm in Northridge and got a letter from TW telling me that SDV is coming Nov. 12, 2009. There was a HUGE list of channels on the reverse side of the letter.

I guess I'd better hook up my TA one day before then.
CB

[kevin120]

I'm in Northridge and got a letter from TW telling me that SDV is coming Nov. 12, 2009. There was a HUGE list of channels on the reverse side of the letter.

I guess I'd better hook up my TA one day before then.
CB

are you using a motorola tuning adapter?

[abredt]

It's a Cisco STA1520 Tuning Adapter. I haven't attached it yet.

All advice is appreciated.

Thanks, CB

[JimWall]

Better make sure TW has the Tuning Adapter S/N on your account so it will work

[Thess]

I'm in the TWC Durham NC area. I have a friend who lives about a mile away. We both have Tivo HDs and cablecards from TWC. He says he hasn't been able to tune FXHD for a few days; I can tune it fine. Given that he's restarted his equipment, what is the next step for him?

[SCSIRAID]

I'm in the TWC Durham NC area. I have a friend who lives about a mile away. We both have Tivo HDs and cablecards from TWC. He says he hasn't been able to tune FXHD for a few days; I can tune it fine. Given that he's restarted his equipment, what is the next step for him?

Call TWC Customer care and ask for the 'cablecard helpdesk'.

[JimWall]

I used to have channels randomly not appear and it was a weak signal. So check the signal strength

[mdblanke]

I know this is probably old news but I am having trouble with my new TiVo HD and getting all my channels. I had a TWC tech come out and instal 2 cable cards, first he tried just one, even though i requested a multi stream card, and that did not work so he put in a second one and final got that to work. After one day I no longer get all my stations. The channels that do not come in our from my digital package, for me channels 100-180 The cabe guy

[BruceShultes]

I know this is probably old news but I am having trouble with my new TiVo HD and getting all my channels. I had a TWC tech come out and instal 2 cable cards, first he tried just one, even though i requested a multi stream card, and that did not work so he put in a second one and final got that to work. After one day I no longer get all my stations. The channels that do not come in our from my digital package, for me channels 100-180 The cabe guy

It sounds like TW doesn't have your cable card correctly registered to your account as well as all the TW packages that your account is supposed to be able to receive.

If you don't have a tuning adaptor, it is also possible that the channels you cannot receive are SDV.

Anyway, first call your local TW and see whether they can fix things at their end.

Unless you don't have the tuning adaptor and there are SDV channels in your area, there should be no reason for them to send anyone out to your house again.

Even if you need the tuning adaptor, in some areas it just gets shipped to you.

[dlfl]

I was talking to a TWC rep last night and he noticed I was paying "full price" for my service and volunteered to put me on a "campaign" that would save me a few dollars. After a short delay he informed me that CableCARD customers are not eligible for the "campaign". I'm not surprised...:(

[pgreene8]

I was talking to a TWC rep last night and he noticed I was paying "full price" for my service and volunteered to put me on a "campaign" that would save me a few dollars. After a short delay he informed me that CableCARD customers are not eligible for the "campaign". I'm not surprised...:(

Glad you brought this up. TWC seems to discriminate against CableCard customers with their pricing. Last February I switched to a new, cheaper package that was offered, but I could only qualify for the package by paying an additional $8.95 for a set top box that I don't use. On top of that there is a fee for the remote I don't use, plus the rental of the cable card as well as a "Duplication" fee because the card is considered somehow a second TV, or some other logic that makes no sense to me. I wrote a complaint to the Dept of Consumer Affairs which said it was not in their jurisdiction and should be submitted to the Public Service Commission.

[dlfl]

Glad you brought this up. TWC seems to discriminate against CableCard customers with their pricing. Last February I switched to a new, cheaper package that was offered, but I could only qualify for the package by paying an additional $8.95 for a set top box that I don't use. On top of that there is a fee for the remote I don't use, plus the rental of the cable card as well as a "Duplication" fee because the card is considered somehow a second TV, or some other logic that makes no sense to me. I wrote a complaint to the Dept of Consumer Affairs which said it was not in their jurisdiction and should be submitted to the Public Service Commission.
Large organizations (private or government) tend to have very poor customer interfaces. There should be one contact point which can direct your issue wherever it needs to go. Instead you have to guess which part of them is the right place. TWC is this way too. Don't bother with their email or chat features unless your question is ultra simple -- they will waste your time then tell you to call some telephone number.

[rv65]

The Ex Adelphia part of San Diego is getting SDV this month. This is the Motorola area which is in a northern part of San Diego. The more southern parts of San Diego use SA and Samsung boxes. I guess they'll start handing out Motorola TA's unless the Cisco one works with the Moto network.

[spepin]

I'm in the Chino Hills area of San Bernardino County in So Cal. Last month, I upgraded my S2 to an HD. When it arrived, I went online to chat with a TWC CSR who told me that they don't offer M-cards and that I would need 2 S-cards. I asked about the price and she quoted me $2.75 each. She even had me hold while she confirmed it with someone. I later recapped the session and she once again confirmed $2.75 ea for a total of $5.50. When I got my bill, I was being chaged $4.75 ea. I called a CSR who told me that I was being billed incorrectly -- that the first card should be $2.75 and the second $4.75. I mentioned the chat transcript that I had quoting me $2.75 ea. He said I'd have to go into my local office with the transcript to resolve that. When I did this, I learned that he had not corrected the billing error, and furthermore, they refused to honor the quote, saying it was wrong and there's no way to change the price in the system. She says since I have other boxes on my account, one of them is the primary and that precludes the discounted pricing.

Is there anybody else here from the same area who can confirm this pricing scheme? Also, anybody in the area who has an M-card installed? I'm beginning to think that they just don't know what a multistream card is. If you do have an M-card, is it priced as a single card, or as two cards?

[m_jonis]

I'm sure they know what one is, but just refuse to provide one because they can make more money with 2 S-cards. Our local TW Albany office STILL tells people they don't have M-cards. You have to "know" someone at the TW Albany office, contact them directly AFTER you schedule your appointment, and then they'll give you an M-card. Amazing. Although not too surprising, IMO, given Time Warners track record.

[Mad Chemist]

Is there anybody else here from the same area who can confirm this pricing scheme? Also, anybody in the area who has an M-card installed? I'm beginning to think that they just don't know what a multistream card is. If you do have an M-card, is it priced as a single card, or as two cards?

I'm with TWC in Chino Hills and have a one M-card in my TiVo HD. Nothing in the second slot. I am being charged $2.75 per month.

[kerobec]

I just got an interesting letter from TWC here in LA announcing the rollout of a bunch more HD channels, as well as an increase in speed for their online service. It then goes on to say that one channel, KWHY, will only be available with digital equipment, and it will only be "viewable in a digital format that can be viewed using two-way capable Digital Cable equipment."

Seriously, could that be written to be more PURPOSEFULLY confusing? Anyway, does this mean they're only rolling one channel out on SDV? That can't be right. How can they screw me over if they only move one channel to SDV?

Has anyone else received a letter like this? The letter only makes one fleeting reference to a tuning adapter, and doesn't mention whether or not I'll be given the option to rent one from them. FWIW, I don't really need channel KWHY, so I'm not terribly concerned, but if this is the beginning of the end, well, then, I'd like a little more info.

[Fofer]

Same exact boat here, kerobec. Same letter, same channel, same confusion, same thoughts.

[spepin]

I'm with TWC in Chino Hills and have a one M-card in my TiVo HD. Nothing in the second slot. I am being charged $2.75 per month.

Interesting... Is your M-card considered your primary device? Do you have another cable box on your account that has the discounted primary device service? They told me that my cards don't qualify for the discounted price because I already have a primary device on my account. Looks like I have some calling to do... I thought they just didn't know what they were talking about when they said no M-cards... Guess I was right...

[MustHaveTivo]

I got what must be a similar letter in the San Gabriel valley. Agree that the letter is nearly incomprehensible. I seem to have more channels involved. It says "Starting on December 8th, 2009, digital equipment will be needed to continue viewing channels KWHY, Shop NBC, AMC, The Weather Channel, ABC Family, Oxygen, TruTV, and Style." I thought, well no problem, I've got digital equipment.

Then it says "These channels will remain in the existing package, however they will continue to be viewable in a digital format that can be viewed using two-way capable Digital Cable equipment, such as a Digital Cable Set-top Box or a CableCARD-equipped TIVO or Digeo HD DVR used in conjunction with a Tuning Adapter. If you have other CableCARD-equipped Unidirectional Digital Cable Products (UDCPs), you may not be able to access these channels on those devices without additional equipment, such as a Digital Cable Set-top Box. Additional Digital Boxes are available and can be mailed to you."

Can anyone interpret what I have to do to continue to get the weather channel? Call and ask for a tuning adapter? I sure am not going to call and ask for a Digital Cable Set-top Box (nice try). TWC has never said word one to us about a TA.

Any help appreciated.

[SCSIRAID]

I got what must be a similar letter in the San Gabriel valley. Agree that the letter is nearly incomprehensible. I seem to have more channels involved. It says "Starting on December 8th, 2009, digital equipment will be needed to continue viewing channels KWHY, Shop NBC, AMC, The Weather Channel, ABC Family, Oxygen, TruTV, and Style." I thought, well no problem, I've got digital equipment.

Then it says "These channels will remain in the existing package, however they will continue to be viewable in a digital format that can be viewed using two-way capable Digital Cable equipment, such as a Digital Cable Set-top Box or a CableCARD-equipped TIVO or Digeo HD DVR used in conjunction with a Tuning Adapter. If you have other CableCARD-equipped Unidirectional Digital Cable Products (UDCPs), you may not be able to access these channels on those devices without additional equipment, such as a Digital Cable Set-top Box. Additional Digital Boxes are available and can be mailed to you."

Can anyone interpret what I have to do to continue to get the weather channel? Call and ask for a tuning adapter? I sure am not going to call and ask for a Digital Cable Set-top Box (nice try). TWC has never said word one to us about a TA.

Any help appreciated.

It certainly sounds as if you need to get a Tuning Adapter.

[Fofer]

It certainly sounds as if you need to get a Tuning Adapter.

...if you care to still be able to access the KWHY, Shop NBC, AMC, The Weather Channel, ABC Family, Oxygen, TruTV, or Style channels via your cable-card-equipped TiVo.

[MustHaveTivo]

It certainly sounds as if you need to get a Tuning Adapter.

OK. Are they available in the LA market? Do I call and ask for a Tuning Adapter? What are the odds the agent will know what one is? Can I stop by the office in Arcadia and get one?

[SCSIRAID]

...if you care to still be able to access the KWHY, Shop NBC, AMC, The Weather Channel, ABC Family, Oxygen, TruTV, or Style channels via your cable-card-equipped TiVo.

I guess another way to say it is 'MustHaveTiVo', 'MustHaveTuningAdapter'

:D Couldnt resist....

[Kablemodem]

I called and was told I can go to the local office and pick up the tuning adapter or I can schedule an installation.

[Maineceo]

Latest from Bangor: I recently noticed that I could no longer get two-thirds of the high definition TW programming through my Series III. I called in the problem and the kindly technician tried to fix it from there, saying she would have to send out an on-site technician. He arrived a few days later and explained the TW had added HD channels the the lineup, and therefore the cable card coudn't handle them all because it had to be interactive and tell the mothership which channel it wanted at any given moment. He said there was no solution but to put me on one of their pathetic cable boxes. Then he smiled and left.

[Grumock]

Latest from Bangor: I recently noticed that I could no longer get two-thirds of the high definition TW programming through my Series III. I called in the problem and the kindly technician tried to fix it from there, saying she would have to send out an on-site technician. He arrived a few days later and explained the TW had added HD channels the the lineup, and therefore the cable card coudn't handle them all because it had to be interactive and tell the mothership which channel it wanted at any given moment. He said there was no solution but to put me on one of their pathetic cable boxes. Then he smiled and left.

Sounds like you are dealing with SDV channels. Do you have a tuning adapter as of yet? If not, you should be able to go to www.timewarnercable.com/tuningadapter to order one to be shipped out to you. At least in theory that is .

[kerobec]

Yep, I called TW and was told I'd have to get a tuning adapter. I pointed out that the letter says NOTHING specific about this, just alludes to it, and the woman didn't say anything, but she was very surprised this was the first I was hearing about this, because she says they've been sending out notices quite a bit. Whatever. Anyway, I was told I could pick up an adapter in Santa Clarita, or order on one that TWC link, but when I go to that page, there's nowhere to sign up for anything. Just a description of a tuning adapter.

ETA: my first call was to tech support, who did know exactly what I was talking about. My second call was to a general CSR, who had no idea what a tuning adapter was. He did, however, give me a MUCH closer office to go and pick up a tuning adapter at. I tried to get a direct number out of him so I could call and ask if they actually have them, but he wouldn't give me one. So, I'll go over there and try.

[Grumock]

Yep, I called TW and was told I'd have to get a tuning adapter. I pointed out that the letter says NOTHING specific about this, just alludes to it, and the woman didn't say anything, but she was very surprised this was the first I was hearing about this, because she says they've been sending out notices quite a bit. Whatever. Anyway, I was told I could pick up an adapter in Santa Clarita, or order on one that TWC link, but when I go to that page, there's nowhere to sign up for anything. Just a description of a tuning adapter.

ETA: my first call was to tech support, who did know exactly what I was talking about. My second call was to a general CSR, who had no idea what a tuning adapter was. He did, however, give me a MUCH closer office to go and pick up a tuning adapter at. I tried to get a direct number out of him so I could call and ask if they actually have them, but he wouldn't give me one. So, I'll go over there and try.

what is your Zip code?

[tydurden]

I returned my original TivoHd because it was intermittently rebooting. This TIVO worked fine with a cablecard but it would reboot out of the blue. The TivoHD that was sent as replacement has not been able to work with a cablecard in it. I have had 4 different Time Warner technicians out to try and get it to work, they tried 6 different cards (four M cards & two S cards) in it and had no luck. TIVO says it is an issue with Time Warner’s activation process. Time Warner says it is a bad TIVO since it was working before but not now. Help!!!! I am stuck with a $600 piece of junk. What should I do.

[dlfl]

I returned my original TivoHd because it was intermittently rebooting. This TIVO worked fine with a cablecard but it would reboot out of the blue. The TivoHD that was sent as replacement has not been able to work with a cablecard in it. I have had 4 different Time Warner technicians out to try and get it to work, they tried 6 different cards (four M cards & two S cards) in it and had no luck. TIVO says it is an issue with Time Warner’s activation process. Time Warner says it is a bad TIVO since it was working before but not now. Help!!!! I am stuck with a $600 piece of junk. What should I do.
Has the TWC National Cable Card Support group been involved so far? If not, they should be. You can get connected to them either through TiVo support or your local TWC tech support -- ask for this.

[tydurden]

Has the TWC National Cable Card Support group been involved so far? If not, they should be. You can get connected to them either through TiVo support or your local TWC tech support -- ask for this.

Who should I ask?

Tivo Phone Support?Time Warner Phone Support? The Time Warner Technician?

Time Warner phone support will not work with me on this. They have to send a technician to do anything. then once they arrive they spend 3 hours on the phone with their headquarter...

[Grumock]

I returned my original TivoHd because it was intermittently rebooting. This TIVO worked fine with a cablecard but it would reboot out of the blue. The TivoHD that was sent as replacement has not been able to work with a cablecard in it. I have had 4 different Time Warner technicians out to try and get it to work, they tried 6 different cards (four M cards & two S cards) in it and had no luck. TIVO says it is an issue with Time Warner’s activation process. Time Warner says it is a bad TIVO since it was working before but not now. Help!!!! I am stuck with a $600 piece of junk. What should I do.

when you go to the Conditional access screen what are you seeing on the: Con or connected status/ the EBCP/ & the Val or Host validation status?

[dlfl]

Who should I ask?

Tivo Phone Support?Time Warner Phone Support? The Time Warner Technician?

Time Warner phone support will not work with me on this. They have to send a technician to do anything. then once they arrive they spend 3 hours on the phone with their headquarter...
I had in mind calling your local TWC support -- or call TiVo support. If you think TWC support is going to react very badly, I would start with TiVo. In either case tell them you would like for Time Warner's National Cable Card Support group to look at your problems. Let them do whatever they want to try first, before asking -- hopefully they will decide to try NCCS on their own.

Here is a link in the TiVo Support Documentation (http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/137/kw/cable%20card/c/123/p/88%2C89/r_id/100041/sno/3#Step4DeterminingiftheCableCARDisactivated)that will amplify Grumock's suggestions. As you will see you can determine both if the card is activated and if it has been authorized to receive the particular channel it is currently trying to tune. TiVo support would probably take you to this page anyway.

The TWC office has to maintain a list of authorized channels for the service on your account. As I understand it, this list is defined distinctly ONLY for TiVos. Thus it can be incorrect without affecting their normal non-TiVo customers.

[tydurden]

when you go to the Conditional access screen what are you seeing on the: Con or connected status/ the EBCP/ & the Val or Host validation status?

I don't remeber what this said. I will double check this tonight. But Tivo support had me check this screen and they said it looked good. I think it was..con:yes EPCp:yes Val:V 0x01

I had in mind calling your local TWC support -- or call TiVo support. If you think TWC support is going to react very badly, I would start with TiVo. In either case tell them you would like for Time Warner's National Cable Card Support group to look at your problems. Let them do whatever they want to try first, before asking -- hopefully they will decide to try NCCS on their own.

Here is a...link in the TiVo Support Documentation, that will amplify Grumock's suggestions. As you will see you can determine both if the card is activated and if it has been authorized to receive the particular channel it is currently trying to tune. TiVo support would probably take you to this page anyway.

The TWC office has to maintain a list of authorized channels for the service on your account. As I understand it, this list is defined distinctly ONLY for TiVos. Thus it can be incorrect without affecting their normal non-TiVo customers.

When I am on the conditional access screen there is nothing after Val:V 0x01. the rest of the page is blank.

[kerobec]

what is your Zip code?

90046

I went to the TW office given to me by the CSR to see about picking up a tuning adapter, and the woman behind the counter had vaguely heard of them, but after digging around in her computer for a while, discovered she couldn't even sign me up for a tech to come out to my apartment, because her machine didn't have the code for a tuning adapter on it. She also was told by her boss that I couldn't have one mailed to me or pick one up, so I HAVE to get a tech to come out. So, I'm supposed to just call the main TW customer line and sign up. Fortunately, I'm unemployed and have plenty of time to sit around and wait for that.

[Grumock]

90046

I went to the TW office given to me by the CSR to see about picking up a tuning adapter, and the woman behind the counter had vaguely heard of them, but after digging around in her computer for a while, discovered she couldn't even sign me up for a tech to come out to my apartment, because her machine didn't have the code for a tuning adapter on it. She also was told by her boss that I couldn't have one mailed to me or pick one up, so I HAVE to get a tech to come out. So, I'm supposed to just call the main TW customer line and sign up. Fortunately, I'm unemployed and have plenty of time to sit around and wait for that.

So I see from this link: http://www.timewarnercable.com/SoCal/learn/cable/sdv/default.html

that you are to go to a local office after you get some letter in the mail notifying you?

[tydurden]

when you go to the Conditional access screen what are you seeing on the: Con or connected status/ the EBCP/ & the Val or Host validation status?
This is what I see and ther is nothing else after

Con:Yes EBCP:YES Val:V 0x14

H++P://i38.tinypic.com/2i7rcsl.jpg

[dlfl]

This is what I see and ther is nothing else after

Con:Yes EBCP:YES Val:V 0x14

H++P://i38.tinypic.com/2i7rcsl.jpg
This is a Motorola M-Card, right?

Did you compare this to the corresponding TiVo documentation page (http://support.tivo.com/euf/assets/files/Moto_MCARD_Activ_auth.pdf)?

What I get from this is the card is initialized but either the channel is not authorized for your account or something else is very wrong, since a lot of info is just missing. I would start with TiVo and try to get the NCCS group involved as I suggested earlier.

There is a page or two of instructions for installing cable cards that comes with each new TiVo. If you don't have that see this page in the TiVo Support Documentation (http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/135/kw/cable%20card%20installation%20instructions/c/105%2C110/p/88%2C90/r_id/100041).

[tydurden]

This is a Motorola M-Card, right?

Did you compare this to support.tivo.com/euf/assets/files/Moto_MCARD_Activ_auth.pdf, the corresponding TiVo documentation page?

What I get from this is the card is initialized but either the channel is not authorized for your account or something else is very wrong, since a lot of info is just missing. I would start with TiVo and try to get the NCCS group involved as I suggested earlier.


Yes m card. I only see half that screen.

I am not getting much help from Time Warner. I called NCCS this evening we went through a couple of screens and we discovered that the HostID they had for my account did not match the card's in my receiver.

However I would have to contact local support to make the change to my account. I called local support and they told me that the HostID is correct.

Another dead end (after 60 minutes on the phone)

[kerobec]

So I see from this link: http://www.timewarnercable.com/SoCal/learn/cable/sdv/default.html

that you are to go to a local office after you get some letter in the mail notifying you?

Yes, I was sent to that link after my first phone call with tech support. She told me I could sign up on that link to have a tuning adapter sent to me, but as you see, there's nowhere to sign up. The letter I received lists no local offices, and just says to call TWC for more info, and ostensibly, to find out where to pick up a box. As I said, when I went to the local office, the woman there told me that they aren't allowed to hand out tuning adapters over the counter.

I got this same runaround when I originally went after the cablecards, so it's not surprising to me at all. Someone, somewhere at TWC sends out this letter, but they haven't brought anyone else up to speed with the rollout, or what equipment will be needed. The CSR at the local office today was very nice, and dug around on her computer for quite a while, trying to find better info, but finally just decided I needed to get my cablecards paired, and gave me a number to call for that, but, y'know, since my TiVo works fine, they're clearly already paired, so I haven't called. She just didn't understand the technology, which is kinda harsh. Her company should have brought her up to speed BEFORE they sent out the letters.

Tomorrow, I'll call to make an appointment to have a tech come out, which I assume will take several weeks, since it took them around 3 weeks to come out and install the cablecards. It just seems like a shame, since the tuning adapter is supposed to be so easy to install. It's a waste of time for them, I mean. Like I said, I'm unemployed, and sitting around here anyway.

[dlfl]

Yes m card. I only see half that screen.

I am not getting much help from Time Warner. I called NCCS this evening we went through a couple of screens and we discovered that the HostID they had for my account did not match the card's in my receiver.

However I would have to contact local support to make the change to my account. I called local support and they told me that the HostID is correct.

Another dead end (after 60 minutes on the phone)
Call TiVo support. They should mediate this. They can get NCCS, you and themselves all on the phone at the same time -- that's what they did for me.

Are your TiVo's on warranty? If they can't get you beyond this point, they should do something for you.

[Grumock]

Yes, I was sent to that link after my first phone call with tech support. She told me I could sign up on that link to have a tuning adapter sent to me, but as you see, there's nowhere to sign up. The letter I received lists no local offices, and just says to call TWC for more info, and ostensibly, to find out where to pick up a box. As I said, when I went to the local office, the woman there told me that they aren't allowed to hand out tuning adapters over the counter.

I got this same runaround when I originally went after the cablecards, so it's not surprising to me at all. Someone, somewhere at TWC sends out this letter, but they haven't brought anyone else up to speed with the rollout, or what equipment will be needed. The CSR at the local office today was very nice, and dug around on her computer for quite a while, trying to find better info, but finally just decided I needed to get my cablecards paired, and gave me a number to call for that, but, y'know, since my TiVo works fine, they're clearly already paired, so I haven't called. She just didn't understand the technology, which is kinda harsh. Her company should have brought her up to speed BEFORE they sent out the letters.

Tomorrow, I'll call to make an appointment to have a tech come out, which I assume will take several weeks, since it took them around 3 weeks to come out and install the cablecards. It just seems like a shame, since the tuning adapter is supposed to be so easy to install. It's a waste of time for them, I mean. Like I said, I'm unemployed, and sitting around here anyway.

Wow sorry. that is bad. The site i had to sign up actually worked for me & I did not get a letter. Are they Just rolling out SDV in your area?

[MustHaveTivo]

Yes, I was sent to that link after my first phone call with tech support. She told me I could sign up on that link to have a tuning adapter sent to me, but as you see, there's nowhere to sign up. The letter I received lists no local offices, and just says to call TWC for more info, and ostensibly, to find out where to pick up a box. As I said, when I went to the local office, the woman there told me that they aren't allowed to hand out tuning adapters over the counter.

I got this same runaround when I originally went after the cablecards, so it's not surprising to me at all. Someone, somewhere at TWC sends out this letter, but they haven't brought anyone else up to speed with the rollout, or what equipment will be needed. The CSR at the local office today was very nice, and dug around on her computer for quite a while, trying to find better info, but finally just decided I needed to get my cablecards paired, and gave me a number to call for that, but, y'know, since my TiVo works fine, they're clearly already paired, so I haven't called. She just didn't understand the technology, which is kinda harsh. Her company should have brought her up to speed BEFORE they sent out the letters.

Tomorrow, I'll call to make an appointment to have a tech come out, which I assume will take several weeks, since it took them around 3 weeks to come out and install the cablecards. It just seems like a shame, since the tuning adapter is supposed to be so easy to install. It's a waste of time for them, I mean. Like I said, I'm unemployed, and sitting around here anyway.

This is just about what I expected. :( The good news is I am employed, the bad news is taking off work to wait around for a tech. Let's see if they actually show up with a TA in hand on the first try. Thanks for enduring the incompetence and reporting back.

[julianneff]

I live in Ventura County and just got the same letter regarding the Tuning Adapter. Does anybody know if and what they will be charging us for this Tuning Adapter, if we can actually get one?

I'm about ready to give up on cable anyways and just use the Netflix streaming on my TiVo. Now that baseball season is over, that's what we watch for the most part anyways.

[squiddohio]

I do not believe any provider charges for the tuning adapter.

[dlfl]

I live in Ventura County and just got the same letter regarding the Tuning Adapter. Does anybody know if and what they will be charging us for this Tuning Adapter, if we can actually get one?

I'm about ready to give up on cable anyways and just use the Netflix streaming on my TiVo. Now that baseball season is over, that's what we watch for the most part anyways.
I've never heard of a case of charging for a TA, but on the other hand, AFAIK there is no "governing authority" that says a TA has to be provided or limits the terms under which it is provided.

Stopping cable is your only effective weapon, and it isn't very effective because only about 0.5% of digital subscribers are TiVo users.

But as I frequently say:

Living well, err... switching providers, is the best revenge!

[SCSIRAID]

I've never heard of a case of charging for a TA, but on the other hand, AFAIK there is no "governing authority" that says a TA has to be provided or limits the terms under which it is provided.

Stopping cable is your only effective weapon, and it isn't very effective because only about 0.5% of digital subscribers are TiVo users.

But as I frequently say:

Living well, err... switching providers, is the best revenge!

I seem to remember some comments about Brighthouse charging some folks for TA's.

[kerobec]

The CSR I spoke to said there wouldn't be any charge for tuning adapters for the first year. I figure they'll probably just raise the rates for the cablecards again in order to cover the cost.

As for rolling out SDV, I think the letter says Dec. 8, so yes, they're just rolling it out here in LA. I don't know if there are portions of LA that already have it.

ETA: I just called to try and schedule my appointment, and was ASSURED by the CSR I got this time that while my area IS getting SDV, I am not affected, and require no additional equipment. He said he took my file to his tech people (I was on hold for nearly 20 minutes, so it's possible), and 4 different people confirmed that I won't need any tuning adapter or anything else in order to receive the new channels. I don't understand at all how this is possible, but ok. I'll wait until something happens, and then complain.

[trailmix]

The CSR I spoke to said there wouldn't be any charge for tuning adapters for the first year. I figure they'll probably just raise the rates for the cablecards again in order to cover the cost.

As for rolling out SDV, I think the letter says Dec. 8, so yes, they're just rolling it out here in LA. I don't know if there are portions of LA that already have it.

ETA: I just called to try and schedule my appointment, and was ASSURED by the CSR I got this time that while my area IS getting SDV, I am not affected, and require no additional equipment. He said he took my file to his tech people (I was on hold for nearly 20 minutes, so it's possible), and 4 different people confirmed that I won't need any tuning adapter or anything else in order to receive the new channels. I don't understand at all how this is possible, but ok. I'll wait until something happens, and then complain.

The TWC Los Angeles people on the phone told me I didn't need a tuning adapter either. TiVo customer support says I DEFINITELY need a tuning adapter. I believe TiVo. I have a TiVo HD. TiVo said if I had an older TiVo that worked in conjunction with a Time Warner cable box I would be fine, but with TiVo HD with cablecard I need a tuning adapter. I'm going to go to the local office tomorrow with a printout of the previously referenced TWC SDV website, as well as the 7 page TiVo SDV Support article where it clearly explains that I need a tuning adapter. [link edited due to not enough posts]
http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/307/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvc2lkLzhhQmxoVkJq

Looks like you have a Tivo HD based on your earlier posts, so you are in the same boat as me. I would go back to your local office armed with this new information and the printouts. Also, you can call the TiVo customer support 877-367-8486 and have them talk to the TWC moron which may help (either 3 way calling on the phone or if you are at the TWC office hand them the phone)

On the bright side, I don't watch the crappy channels that are going to SDV so if this doesn't get resolved before 12/8 it won't be a big deal, but still annoying. I wish these damn tuning adapters were available on ebay or at radio shack.

Might be good to print this link also:

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/133

You should also point out to them in the letter how it specifies it must be "two-way capable" which Tivo HD is NOT (even with a cablecard.. only with a tuning adapter). The TiVO HD is UDCP (unidirectional digital cable product) and will NOT work without a tuning adapter.

Another informational page
http://www.gizmolovers.com/tag/udcp/

OK I just talked to the guy on the phone and he setup an appointment for the technician to deliver my tuning adapter this weekend (the usual 4 hour window appointment) [So that is good news - I know you were worried it would take several weeks to get a technician to come out.. probably depends on demand in your area though]. They don't mail them unfortunately. I figure if I am lucky enough to get a tuning adapter from the TWC store tomorrow then I will just call back and cancel this appointment (which the guy on the phone said was totally fine). He also said I can check multiple stores for the tuning adapter (it is not necessary to go to my local store). You just have to be VERY CLEAR on the phone that you NEED a tuning adapter. I think I just said "My TiVo HD is UNIDIRECTIONAL DIGITAL CABLE PRODUCT (UDCP) and will not work without a tuning adapter".

Hope this helps

[trailmix]

Yep, I called TW and was told I'd have to get a tuning adapter. I pointed out that the letter says NOTHING specific about this, just alludes to it, and the woman didn't say anything, but she was very surprised this was the first I was hearing about this, because she says they've been sending out notices quite a bit. Whatever. Anyway, I was told I could pick up an adapter in Santa Clarita, or order on one that TWC link, but when I go to that page, there's nowhere to sign up for anything. Just a description of a tuning adapter.

ETA: my first call was to tech support, who did know exactly what I was talking about. My second call was to a general CSR, who had no idea what a tuning adapter was. He did, however, give me a MUCH closer office to go and pick up a tuning adapter at. I tried to get a direct number out of him so I could call and ask if they actually have them, but he wouldn't give me one. So, I'll go over there and try.

Why did the CSR tell you Santa Clarita? Is it possible they knew that location had tuning adapters in stock?

[trailmix]

OK I answered my own question. After going to two locations I was told that Santa Clarita had the tuning adapters. I picked one up from there. They gave me a Cisco tuning adapter although I have a Motorola cable card (they said they didn't have the Motorola tuning adapter). I read that usually they match companies but it shouldn't matter. They also informed me that the phone CSR had setup the weekend appointment for a $19.95 installation of a new HD DVR (completely wrong, no tuning adapter), so I canceled that immediately. I'm glad I didn't wait for that appointment. The tuning adapter is blinking green - it needs TWC authorization over the phone, but it's not clear if they'll be able to authorize it right now or not until closer to December 8, because Santa Clarita said the "codes" were not in the system yet. But I've plugged it in and attached the USB/Coax cables and all the channels work fine for now.

[kevin120]

OK I answered my own question. After going to two locations I was told that Santa Clarita had the tuning adapters. I picked one up from there. They gave me a Cisco tuning adapter although I have a Motorola cable card (they said they didn't have the Motorola tuning adapter). I read that usually they match companies but it shouldn't matter. They also informed me that the phone CSR had setup the weekend appointment for a $19.95 installation of a new HD DVR (completely wrong, no tuning adapter), so I canceled that immediately. I'm glad I didn't wait for that appointment. The tuning adapter is blinking green - it needs TWC authorization over the phone, but it's not clear if they'll be able to authorize it right now or not until closer to December 8, because Santa Clarita said the "codes" were not in the system yet.

the cisco tuning adapter will not work on a motorola cable system you need the motorola one.

[derekcbart]

I am in Los Angeles and received the SDV 12/08/2009 letter. I called the phone number and was told to go to a local TWC office to pick up a Tuning Adapter. I went there today and they said that they didn't have them, so they scheduled a Tech to come on Friday morning.

I printed out the TiVo instructions listed earlier. Thanks for posting those.

Here's hoping that everything goes okay on Friday.

[trailmix]

I am in Los Angeles and received the SDV 12/08/2009 letter. I called the phone number and was told to go to a local TWC office to pick up a Tuning Adapter. I went there today and they said that they didn't have them, so they scheduled a Tech to come on Friday morning.

I printed out the TiVo instructions listed earlier. Thanks for posting those.

Here's hoping that everything goes okay on Friday.

I would call back and talk to a different technician and verify that the installation on Friday will be free and will include a tuning adapter (not an HD DVR). If you look at my latest post you'll see they were going to charge me $19.95 for an HD DVR installation (the phone CSR clearly didn't know what a tuning adapter was)

[kerobec]

Interesting. I will say that the very first time I called, I spoke to a woman in tech support, and she knew exactly what I was talking about, and was the one that sent me to Santa Clarita, so perhaps I'll call back tomorrow, and just go directly to tech support instead of a CSR.

Thanks for all the info! I'm very curious to see what happens when I call tomorrow. Hmm, I don't know off the top of my head what brand my cards are. I'll have to take a look.

Oh, also, a few hours after I got off the phone last night, when I turned on the TV with the HD TiVo, I had a new message saying that I had all these new channels, so I suspect they may have done a test while I was on the phone with them. Of course, I don't actually have those channels yet, but it did knock some of my current channels out for a little while, which was very annoying. They did come back eventually, so that's good. But I wonder if the channels I lost for a bit will be part of the SDV system, too.

ETA: ok, just got off the phone with Tech Support. Now I'm being told that my area is being "upgraded," but is NOT moving to SDV, so that's why I don't need the tuning adapter. Supposedly, I'll be getting all the new channels, and will have no problems. She said different areas of LA will be going to SDV, but not mine. We're just being upgraded. Ok, TWC. FWIW, the woman this time again knew exactly what I was talking about, and totally agreed that cablecards need a tuning adapter, and then went to ask how to get me one. When she came back, this is what she told me. So, she wasn't clueless at all.

[abredt]

I am in Los Angeles and received the SDV 12/08/2009 letter. I called the phone number and was told to go to a local TWC office to pick up a Tuning Adapter. I went there today and they said that they didn't have them, so they scheduled a Tech to come on Friday morning.

I printed out the TiVo instructions listed earlier. Thanks for posting those.

Here's hoping that everything goes okay on Friday.

What instructions are you referring to?

I have not yet installed my Tuning Adapter on my TiVo-3 unit.
Instructions would be very much appreciated.

Please post how well your TA install is.

Thanks, CB

[trailmix]

the cisco tuning adapter will not work on a motorola cable system you need the motorola one.

I spoke with both TiVo customer support and Time Warner Cable customer support and they have assured me that it doesn't matter. If you have a source/link for your claim that would be appreciated. I guess I'll find out for sure on December 8. In the meantime, Time Warner Cable was able to activate my tuning adapter over the phone, so it is a solid green light now.

[trailmix]

Interesting. I will say that the very first time I called, I spoke to a woman in tech support, and she knew exactly what I was talking about, and was the one that sent me to Santa Clarita, so perhaps I'll call back tomorrow, and just go directly to tech support instead of a CSR.

Thanks for all the info! I'm very curious to see what happens when I call tomorrow. Hmm, I don't know off the top of my head what brand my cards are. I'll have to take a look.

Oh, also, a few hours after I got off the phone last night, when I turned on the TV with the HD TiVo, I had a new message saying that I had all these new channels, so I suspect they may have done a test while I was on the phone with them. Of course, I don't actually have those channels yet, but it did knock some of my current channels out for a little while, which was very annoying. They did come back eventually, so that's good. But I wonder if the channels I lost for a bit will be part of the SDV system, too.

ETA: ok, just got off the phone with Tech Support. Now I'm being told that my area is being "upgraded," but is NOT moving to SDV, so that's why I don't need the tuning adapter. Supposedly, I'll be getting all the new channels, and will have no problems. She said different areas of LA will be going to SDV, but not mine. We're just being upgraded. Ok, TWC. FWIW, the woman this time again knew exactly what I was talking about, and totally agreed that cablecards need a tuning adapter, and then went to ask how to get me one. When she came back, this is what she told me. So, she wasn't clueless at all.

I understand, but I think she was mistaken. I guess we'll all know for sure on December 8, when we find out if we can still get that critical channel .. SHOP NBC! :)

[trailmix]

What instructions are you referring to?

I have not yet installed my Tuning Adapter on my TiVo-3 unit.
Instructions would be very much appreciated.

Please post how well your TA install is.

Thanks, CB

I think they were referring to this post
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7602704#post7602704

Read my other recent posts on this page for more details

[kerobec]

I understand, but I think she was mistaken. I guess we'll all know for sure on December 8, when we find out if we can still get that critical channel .. SHOP NBC! :)

Well, I just turned on the TV, and I have a TON more HD channels right now, coming through without any tuning adapter, so maybe it's the truth? I forgot to check for that one specific channel they mentioned in the letter, but hey, AMC HD three days after the season finale of Mad Men. Better late than never, right?

I guess the message last night on the TiVo wasn't a test, but I didn't have them then, so that's just odd. But they're there now, and I hope they stay.

[trailmix]

Well, I just turned on the TV, and I have a TON more HD channels right now, coming through without any tuning adapter, so maybe it's the truth? I forgot to check for that one specific channel they mentioned in the letter, but hey, AMC HD three days after the season finale of Mad Men. Better late than never, right?

I guess the message last night on the TiVo wasn't a test, but I didn't have them then, so that's just odd. But they're there now, and I hope they stay.

What channel number is AMC HD? I don't see it in my list.

[kerobec]

I have it on 479.

[tydurden]

Call TiVo support. They should mediate this. They can get NCCS, you and themselves all on the phone at the same time -- that's what they did for me.

Are your TiVo's on warranty? If they can't get you beyond this point, they should do something for you.

I'll try that.

Yes it's under "warranty". I RMA'd my last one and that's how I got into this mess.

Thanks

[kevin120]

I spoke with both TiVo customer support and Time Warner Cable customer support and they have assured me that it doesn't matter. If you have a source/link for your claim that would be appreciated. I guess I'll find out for sure on December 8. In the meantime, Time Warner Cable was able to activate my tuning adapter over the phone, so it is a solid green light now.

yes it does matter it only works with Power key encryption , not the mediacypher that motorola uses.

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/307

. The only reason it has a green light is that it is in their system. does your tivo detect a tuning adapter? Probrably not. also the Cisco box has a different data channel than the motorola.

[trailmix]

yes it does matter it only works with Power key encryption , not the mediacypher that motorola uses.

I dont need a link. The only reason it has a green light is that it is in their system. does your tivo detect a tuning adapter? Probrably not. also the Cisco box has a different data channel than the motorola.

Yes, my TiVo detects a tuning adapter. How do you suggest I get a Motorola tuning adapter?

[kevin120]

Yes, my TiVo detects a tuning adapter. How do you suggest I get a Motorola tuning adapter?

wait till they get them in.


also can you see if the tuning adapter is registering channels

[trailmix]

wait till they get them in.


also can you see if the tuning adapter is registering channels

I am able to access every channel with the tuning adapter hooked up. However, under "Tuning Adapter" when I try to "Test Channels using CableCARD 1" it says "No channels available" - although TWC and TiVo both say that is because the SDV is not active until December 8 here.

[derekcbart]

Okay, the technician was just here and I have some new information.

I do not need a Tuning Adapter in my neighborhood. Yet.

The former Adelphia customers' equipment cannot receive all of the current TWC channels, so they are getting upgraded to SDV first. After the former Adelphia people are upgraded they will upgrade every other customer to SDV. For me that means that I will get upgraded to SDV at some point in 2010.

Corporate TWC has no idea who is a traditional TWC customer or a former Adelphia customer so they sent the letter out to everyone. This is what is causing all of the confusion. The techs are aware of the problem and they are not happy about Corporate TWC sending the letter out to everyone.

In 2010 every TWC customer will be upgraded to SDV, but only former Adelphia customers are getting switched over in December 2009.

I hope this helps.

[trailmix]

Okay, the technician was just here and I have some new information.

I do not need a Tuning Adapter in my neighborhood. Yet.

The former Adelphia customers' equipment cannot receive all of the current TWC channels, so they are getting upgraded to SDV first. After the former Adelphia people are upgraded they will upgrade every other customer to SDV. For me that means that I will get upgraded to SDV at some point in 2010.

Corporate TWC has no idea who is a traditional TWC customer or a former Adelphia customer so they sent the letter out to everyone. This is what is causing all of the confusion. The techs are aware of the problem and they are not happy about Corporate TWC sending the letter out to everyone.

In 2010 every TWC customer will be upgraded to SDV, but only former Adelphia customers are getting switched over in December 2009.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for the clarification. I believe I am in a "former Adelphia" zone so I should be switching in December then.

[abredt]

I'm in the West Valley area, north of LA. We got a letter from TW saying we would get SDV Nov. 12. They lied - they did it Nov. 8. I already don't get channels 3, 6, 59 (Weather Channel) so I have to connect the TA one day soon.

Get your TA so you'll be ready and don't believe the date they give you.

CB

[Fishbone4u]

Apparently the DFW area is getting SDV from Time Warner despite earlier denials on the board.

http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/17/twc-time-warner-cable-continues-sdv-roll-out/15490

I recently got an HDTV and just had my cablecard installed in my Tivo HD. I can get many channels but ones like the Science Channel and Planet Green do not come through.

TW's CSR's has no clue what a tuning adapter but said they would put a note for the tech to bring one for my Saturday tech. appt. We'll see if that happens.

With the rollout of SDV will I eventually see more and more channels become unviewable unless I can somehow get a tuning adapter?

Any expert advice would be great!

Thanks,

Chris

[kevin120]

Apparently the DFW area is getting SDV from Time Warner despite earlier denials on the board.

http://www.stockbloghub.com/2009/09/17/twc-time-warner-cable-continues-sdv-roll-out/15490

I recently got an HDTV and just had my cablecard installed in my Tivo HD. I can get many channels but ones like the Science Channel and Planet Green do not come through.

TW's CSR's has no clue what a tuning adapter but said they would put a note for the tech to bring one for my Saturday tech. appt. We'll see if that happens.

With the rollout of SDV will I eventually see more and more channels become unviewable unless I can somehow get a tuning adapter?

Any expert advice would be great!

Thanks,

Chris

no sdv yet. they have not even sent out notices to tivo owners saying which channels will move to sdv. So the tuning adapter is not needed for the time being. this could change at any time.

They are adding 4 more HD USA,BRAVO,CNBC,SYFY will be available to cable cards.

also they are moving 5 channels to digital only.

47 tru TV
50 Style
61 ABC Family
63 CMT
73 Oxygen

also adding
cnbc world to 225
sleuth to 271

they are still installing the SDV system, also the regular cable boxes have not even had the guide update to support SDV.

[mmcgown]

Apparently the DFW area is getting SDV from Time Warner despite earlier denials on the board.


With the rollout of SDV will I eventually see more and more channels become unviewable unless I can somehow get a tuning adapter?



Yes, that's exactly what to expect. Call them back and insist on talking with a supervisor, and keep doing it until they bring you a TA. They do have them.

[Fishbone4u]

Thanks for your input.

I cannot get channels like Planet Green, the Science Channel, and even the digital (non HD channel) Discovery Health. The only explanation that I could find is that I need a TA. Can you get these channels and you are in the Dallas area? I have a Tivo HD with a Motorola M-CARD CABLECARD.

A tech is coming out Saturday (again) and I am praying he figures out why I am not getting channels that I should.

Any idea what's going on with my system?

Thanks,

Chris


no sdv yet. they have not even sent out notices to tivo owners saying which channels will move to sdv. So the tuning adapter is not needed for the time being. this could change at any time.

They are adding 4 more HD USA,BRAVO,CNBC,SYFY will be available to cable cards.

also they are moving 5 channels to digital only.

47 tru TV
50 Style
61 ABC Family
63 CMT
73 Oxygen

also adding
cnbc world to 225
sleuth to 271

they are still installing the SDV system, also the regular cable boxes have not even had the guide update to support SDV.

[Fishbone4u]

I've talked more times than I can count with Time Warner, even with supervisors when I first set up my system about what I would need, how much it would cost to go HD, etc. and literally every person I talked to said a different thing! Nobody has heard of SDV or a TA and they say they don't have them or do not provide them for free.

It should be free right?

Here's a summary of my wonderful experiences with TW:
During the install the TW guy came out 10 minutes before the end of his 3 hour window last Saturday. I opened the door and he started walking in. He didn’t introduce himself or tell me his name. He didn’t even have a logoed T-shirt on. I then asked him if he was with Time Warner and he said yes.
He admitted he’d never installed a cable card before. In fact he didn’t even know how to get it out of the protective plastic sleeve it was in…. And add a Tivo interface on top of that…he had no clue.

All he did was slide in the card and call this activation number…clearly not worth a $40 install fee. I had to show him the right cable card slot as he started to put it in the wrong one. We finally got the channels working (most of them at least) after about and hour and then he left. He didn’t go up and down to make sure I got all the channels I was supposed to get. In fact he claimed I probably was getting channels I shouldn’t based on what I was paying and threatened to call that in and “fix it”…presumably because I kept insisting I wasn’t getting certain channels I should. Turns out I'm on the straight and narrow with TW and he had no grounds to make that claim.

He left…then I got an automated survey call. I rated him terribly and it sent me to a customer service person. They told me his supervisor would call me. He didn’t..instead the TW guy showed up again, I opened the door and he walked right in…no may I came in please? He walked in and then I sarcastically said “come in”..I could tell he was mad. All he did was call the customer service number for me…which they were of no help either.

Sooo…still need to call the clowns at TW and fix my issues and complain to his supervisor.

The channel lineup they gave me and the channels that work and don’t work are inconsistent with the Tiered structure they have.

Very frustrating!




Yes, that's exactly what to expect. Call them back and insist on talking with a supervisor, and keep doing it until they bring you a TA. They do have them.

[dlfl]

Fishbone4u,

TWC Dallas has heard of SDV and TA's according to their website:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/dallas/site.faqs/Cable/CableCARD/Why-cant-I-view-some-channels-

Maybe you could point their personnel to that page the next time they express ignorance. ;)

[Fishbone4u]

Actually last night when the customer service person (and her supervisor)said they had nothing to do with TA's I read that exact page to her and she said hang on a minute and put me on hold. :)

Sad when the customer knows more than the technical support CSR.


Fishbone4u,

TWC Dallas has heard of SDV and TA's according to their website:

http://www.timewarnercable.com/dallas/site.faqs/Cable/CableCARD/Why-cant-I-view-some-channels-

Maybe you could point their personnel to that page the next time they express ignorance. ;)

[DougJohnson]

Actually last night when the customer service person (and her supervisor)said they had nothing to do with TA's I read that exact page to her and she said hang on a minute and put me on hold. :)

Sad when the customer knows more than the technical support CSR.

I'm in Dallas. I don't think they have deployed SDV here, in spite of the web page. I certainly haven't gotten any notice of such. So it is not surprising the local support people don't know about it. -- Doug

[questors]

Okay...So I am a former Adelphia customer. TW "Customer Care" says I need a Tuning Adapter and I should go to a Cable Store and pick one up. The Cable Stores know nothing about this. How do I get a Tuning Adapter?

[crunchymoto]

I've searched and couldn't find a clear answer. Does the Tivo HD unit turn off when connected via HDMI to a Time Warner 4250HDC cable box when the TV is shut off (like the series 2)?

[SCSIRAID]

I've searched and couldn't find a clear answer. Does the Tivo HD unit turn off when connected via HDMI to a Time Warner 4250HDC cable box when the TV is shut off (like the series 2)?

There should not be any connection between a TWC Cable box and the TiVo HD. The TiVo connects to the Display and the cableco coax. The TWC Cable box goes in the closet or is used as a doorstop. ;)

[crunchymoto]

There should not be any connection between a TWC Cable box and the TiVo HD. The TiVo connects to the Display and the cableco coax. The TWC Cable box goes in the closet or is used as a doorstop. ;)

Ohhhh... all new set up. It's been a while. :)

[mmcgown]

Sad when the customer knows more than the technical support CSR.

Most of us in Austin TWC service area have already been there, done that last December when TWC first released the Tuning Adapters here. Now, nearly a year later, I still reach phone-support reps who are clueless about TAs.

Expect some short-term suffering and remain persistent and insistent (but polite). Then, there's the long-term suffering that will come later.....

The TA is (in my view) a hack and an unfinished product; it has continuing problems and I view it as an interim fix that will never work very well. But it is the only option for viewing SDV on a TiVoHD, as far as I know.

[kevin120]

Thanks for your input.

I cannot get channels like Planet Green, the Science Channel, and even the digital (non HD channel) Discovery Health. The only explanation that I could find is that I need a TA. Can you get these channels and you are in the Dallas area? I have a Tivo HD with a Motorola M-CARD CABLECARD.

A tech is coming out Saturday (again) and I am praying he figures out why I am not getting channels that I should.

Any idea what's going on with my system?

Thanks,

Chris

can you post all the chsnnels you dont get.

it seems they dont have digital basic on your account.

[Fishbone4u]

The tech is coming Saturday so if he doesn't fix it I'll post the channels. I know that I do get other digital channels as well as HD channels like VERSUS, ESPN, CNN, TBS, A&E, Discovery HD, Food HD, Travel HD, Nat Geo HD...but no Disc. Science, Planet Green, or digital non-HD channel Disc. Health which all three I was looking forward to watching.

Ironically I can hit record on the channels with a black screen and the Tivo attempts to record but nothing ends up in the playlist because no program was there. I do not get a notice that there is no signal, I only get a black screen.

Since apparently Dallas does not yet have SDV channels, perhaps my Cablecard needs replaced? TW has already tried sending signals remotely without any change.

Hey does anyone know why you can't "Scan for channels" on the Tivo HD if you have a Cablecard? This would make it so much easier to filter out the channels that don't come through.



can you post all the chsnnels you dont get.

it seems they dont have digital basic on your account.

[kevin120]

The tech is coming Saturday so if he doesn't fix it I'll post the channels. I know that I do get other digital channels as well as HD channels like VERSUS, ESPN, CNN, TBS, A&E, Discovery HD, Food HD, Travel HD, Nat Geo HD...but no Disc. Science, Planet Green, or digital non-HD channel Disc. Health which all three I was looking forward to watching.

Ironically I can hit record on the channels with a black screen and the Tivo attempts to record but nothing ends up in the playlist because no program was there. I do not get a notice that there is no signal, I only get a black screen.

Since apparently Dallas does not yet have SDV channels, perhaps my Cablecard needs replaced? TW has already tried sending signals remotely without any change.

Hey does anyone know why you can't "Scan for channels" on the Tivo HD if you have a Cablecard? This would make it so much easier to filter out the channels that don't come through.

since you get discovery hd but not the sd version of discovey your cable card might be bad.

[SCSIRAID]

The tech is coming Saturday so if he doesn't fix it I'll post the channels. I know that I do get other digital channels as well as HD channels like VERSUS, ESPN, CNN, TBS, A&E, Discovery HD, Food HD, Travel HD, Nat Geo HD...but no Disc. Science, Planet Green, or digital non-HD channel Disc. Health which all three I was looking forward to watching.

Ironically I can hit record on the channels with a black screen and the Tivo attempts to record but nothing ends up in the playlist because no program was there. I do not get a notice that there is no signal, I only get a black screen.

Since apparently Dallas does not yet have SDV channels, perhaps my Cablecard needs replaced? TW has already tried sending signals remotely without any change.

Hey does anyone know why you can't "Scan for channels" on the Tivo HD if you have a Cablecard? This would make it so much easier to filter out the channels that don't come through.

If the missing channels are not SDV then its likely that your account is not 'balanced' causing your cablecard to not have the proper authorizations to decrypt the missing channels. A CSR should be able to fix that and rehit you and solve this problem.

Highly unlikely that it is a bad cablecard. Your cablecard is working since you can properly decrypt the other HD channels. Much more likely that it is an issue with authorizations in the 'business system' of TWC.

[spepin]

God, it's times like this that make me regret changing to TWC from DirecTV when I recently moved to a new house. As others have mentioned, I get nothing but the runaround from TWC. Their CSR's know nothing, and each one I talk to gives me a different story. I've been quoted prices for things like CableCards that have been billed differently. TWC says the CSR quoted me incorrectly. In every other situation, if a business quoted a certain price or fee, they'd be legally bound to honor that quote -- not in the monopolistic world of TWC though... Oops -- they made a mistake. Too bad for me -- I get to pay the higher rate. Every service appointment that I have made has been missed -- no call from the tech, nothing. I've missed two days of work waiting for TWC and what do they do? Credit the service call -- if I complain enough. Not a bad deal for missing out on two days income.


The latest involves my call this morning about obtaining TA's for my two Tivo HDs. First, I went to my local office and requested the boxes. The CSR at the office looked at me like I was from a different planet. They had never even heard of a TA (although when I mentioned the letter, she picked up a copy of it that she had on her desk and said "this one?"). She said I'd have to call the 888 number and request one. I called this morning. First the CSR said I needed to pick one up from my local office :eek::mad: . When I explained that the local office was clueless, she said she could mail me one (as the letter implied as well), but that I would have to pay $4.95 for shipping (a fact which the letter conveniently omitted). Then when I complained that they were going to charge me for something the local office should be able to provide, she said she'd send a tech to deliver one. When I said I needed two, she said they can only offer one for free, and that I'd have to pay $8.50 per month for the second one :eek::eek: . She then put me on ignore (I mean hold), and when she came back, she tried telling me that the letter went out to everybody and only those with analog cable (does that even still exist?) and no digital boxes needed a TA. I read her the part about the Tivo HD "in conjunction with" a TA and she put me on ignore again. This time when she came back, she said I would need to pay $8.50 per month for EACH TA!

How can TWC expect us to pay $8.50 for the TA, in addition to $4.75 for the Cable-Card each month? IF that is the case, I'll be packing up my two new Tivo HD units and returning them to Tivo! There has to be some legal ramifications to their intentions to effectively remove part of the package we're paying for and charge us an additional ransom to get it back!

Is this the same thing that others are experiencing? Are you being charged for the first, second or more TA's?

Sorry for the long rant!

[dlfl]

God, it's times like this that make me regret changing to TWC from DirecTV when I recently moved to a new house. As others have mentioned, I get nothing but the runaround from TWC.............
Is this the same thing that others are experiencing? .........
There are a lot of similar problems being posted re: TWC, CableCARDs and Tuning Adapters.

You can complain directly to TWC corporate headquarters here:

mailto:TWC.COTP@twcable.com

You can complain to the FCC here:

https://esupport.fcc.gov/sform2000/formF!input.action?form_page=2000F

Be advised that regarding Tuning Adapters there is no law that says cable cos. have to provide them. If they change your service, e.g., by moving channels to SDV, or adding channels in SDV, without giving your franchise authority 30 days advance notice, that is a violation, unless they arrange some way for you to receive the SDV channels (i.e., Tuning Adapters). Providing the TA's seems to be TWC's general policy but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

My guess is complaints to TWC will be useless and complaints to the FCC might have some effect if enough people complain.

[Fishbone4u]

All of these issues including needing extra equipment to get a Tivo HD working properly through a cable provider certainly does not bode well for Tivo's future. The Tivo HD after all only works with cable and no satellite. It's in the best interest of the cable company to squeeze out the remaining members of the TRUE ORIGINAL, greatest DVR creater ever, Tivo branded DVR.

Without FCC intervention, I just don't see how Tivo can gain any ground back. It's a losing battle it seems. THE cable companies have the upper hand.

I'd love to have back the Direct TV Tivo. Tivo told me a few months ago that they are still in talks and litigation with Direct TV and that the future of a Direct TV Tivo is still uncertain. I'm sure it will come one day. If Tivo is smart, they will pull out every stop to partner with then.

Loyalty comes at a price. My $300 Tivo HD and Dual Tuner Tivos are becoming less and less to me the amazing brilliant things they once used to be. Don't get me wrong...I love Tivo and would prefer to be a lifelong customer...but how long can I hold onto a DVR that is being forced into oblivion and whose functionality continues to be reduced more and more?




God, it's times like this that make me regret changing to TWC from DirecTV when I recently moved to a new house. As others have mentioned, I get nothing but the runaround from TWC. Their CSR's know nothing, and each one I talk to gives me a different story. I've been quoted prices for things like CableCards that have been billed differently. TWC says the CSR quoted me incorrectly. In every other situation, if a business quoted a certain price or fee, they'd be legally bound to honor that quote -- not in the monopolistic world of TWC though... Oops -- they made a mistake. Too bad for me -- I get to pay the higher rate. Every service appointment that I have made has been missed -- no call from the tech, nothing. I've missed two days of work waiting for TWC and what do they do? Credit the service call -- if I complain enough. Not a bad deal for missing out on two days income.


The latest involves my call this morning about obtaining TA's for my two Tivo HDs. First, I went to my local office and requested the boxes. The CSR at the office looked at me like I was from a different planet. They had never even heard of a TA (although when I mentioned the letter, she picked up a copy of it that she had on her desk and said "this one?"). She said I'd have to call the 888 number and request one. I called this morning. First the CSR said I needed to pick one up from my local office :eek::mad: . When I explained that the local office was clueless, she said she could mail me one (as the letter implied as well), but that I would have to pay $4.95 for shipping (a fact which the letter conveniently omitted). Then when I complained that they were going to charge me for something the local office should be able to provide, she said she'd send a tech to deliver one. When I said I needed two, she said they can only offer one for free, and that I'd have to pay $8.50 per month for the second one :eek::eek: . She then put me on ignore (I mean hold), and when she came back, she tried telling me that the letter went out to everybody and only those with analog cable (does that even still exist?) and no digital boxes needed a TA. I read her the part about the Tivo HD "in conjunction with" a TA and she put me on ignore again. This time when she came back, she said I would need to pay $8.50 per month for EACH TA!

How can TWC expect us to pay $8.50 for the TA, in addition to $4.75 for the Cable-Card each month? IF that is the case, I'll be packing up my two new Tivo HD units and returning them to Tivo! There has to be some legal ramifications to their intentions to effectively remove part of the package we're paying for and charge us an additional ransom to get it back!

Is this the same thing that others are experiencing? Are you being charged for the first, second or more TA's?

Sorry for the long rant!

[dlfl]

As far as discussing TiVo's and the Cable Cos.' interests etc., take a look at ***this post*** (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=7615847#post7615847). Also take a look at the thread containing that post -- your complaints are not new. It's good to document user experiences but also good to be aware of general complaints that have been made -- repeatedly. Beyond a certain point, just complaining on this forum is of little value.

Series 3 users are only about 0.5% of digital cable users, nationally. We don't order PPV or VOD. It probably is not in TWC's interest to have us as customers. Rather it is in their interest for us to give up on TiVo and rent their DVR, or even just drop cable. They probably spend more money trying to provide and support CableCARDs and Tuning Adapters, than they make from our subscriptions.

Send your rants to TWC (mailto:TWC.COTP@twcable.com) and the FCC (https://esupport.fcc.gov/sform2000/formF!input.action?form_page=2000F)! :D

[Lidin]

I live in Dayton, Ohio and my experiences echo alot of what I have read already on this thread.

TW had to send a tech out 5 times to get my cable cards working properly. Thank goodness installation was free. I think I am paying somewhere around $4 a month for rent for each card.

When SDV was rolled out I was sent a TA for free. I hooked it up according to the instructions and I haven't had a problem with it. Every once in a while I will notice a HD channel that I can't get. I just reboot the tivo and it seems to fix it.

It was a major hassle working with TW initially, but I haven't seem to have had any problems in the last six months or so.

[dlfl]

I live in Dayton, Ohio and my experiences echo alot of what I have read already on this thread.

TW had to send a tech out 5 times to get my cable cards working properly. Thank goodness installation was free. I think I am paying somewhere around $4 a month for rent for each card.

When SDV was rolled out I was sent a TA for free. I hooked it up according to the instructions and I haven't had a problem with it. Every once in a while I will notice a HD channel that I can't get. I just reboot the tivo and it seems to fix it.

It was a major hassle working with TW initially, but I haven't seem to have had any problems in the last six months or so.
Hello fellow Daytonian! There is a thread for discussions particular to Time Warner's Southwest Ohio region (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=436548), FYI.

Were you forced to take S-Cards like I was in July? Or do you have an S3 model (card slots on back of box)?

Note you usually don't have to reboot the TiVo to regain your SDV channels -- just disconnect the USB connector. If that doesn't do it, also power cycle the TA, keeping it off for at least 30 seconds. Still much quicker than rebooting the TiVo!

[HolyTaco]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm in the same boat. I'll be having my 6th service call from TWC tomorrow morning.

November 7, 14, 17, 18, 20 so far.

Same problem you're having. Random Digital and HD channels are resulting in a black and gray MMI CableCARD screen. I can confirm it's not the card or the TiVo. I'm on card number 3 and TiVo number 2. No luck.

The techs can only do so much and it seems none of that includes getting the box working. My problem is that after 5 visits, my TiVo is still not properly paired.

I've spoken with multiple techs and I can pretty much tell you that their supervisor doesn't give a crap about TiVo and CableCARD issues. Basically it's our job to make it his problem. His name is Brad.

Keep fighting the good fight. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to join forces.



The tech is coming Saturday so if he doesn't fix it I'll post the channels. I know that I do get other digital channels as well as HD channels like VERSUS, ESPN, CNN, TBS, A&E, Discovery HD, Food HD, Travel HD, Nat Geo HD...but no Disc. Science, Planet Green, or digital non-HD channel Disc. Health which all three I was looking forward to watching.

Ironically I can hit record on the channels with a black screen and the Tivo attempts to record but nothing ends up in the playlist because no program was there. I do not get a notice that there is no signal, I only get a black screen.

Since apparently Dallas does not yet have SDV channels, perhaps my Cablecard needs replaced? TW has already tried sending signals remotely without any change.

Hey does anyone know why you can't "Scan for channels" on the Tivo HD if you have a Cablecard? This would make it so much easier to filter out the channels that don't come through.

[kevin120]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I'm in the same boat. I'll be having my 6th service call from TWC tomorrow morning.

November 7, 14, 17, 18, 20 so far.

Same problem you're having. Random Digital and HD channels are resulting in a black and gray MMI CableCARD screen. I can confirm it's not the card or the TiVo. I'm on card number 3 and TiVo number 2. No luck.

The techs can only do so much and it seems none of that includes getting the box working. My problem is that after 5 visits, my TiVo is still not properly paired.

I've spoken with multiple techs and I can pretty much tell you that their supervisor doesn't give a crap about TiVo and CableCARD issues. Basically it's our job to make it his problem. His name is Brad.

Keep fighting the good fight. Feel free to contact me if you'd like to join forces.

can you post the exact channels that are not tunable?

they are not mapping the cable cards right if the problem is affecting more than 1 person.

[HolyTaco]

I can't right now but I can tell you my list of bad channels includes ESPN HD (780), FOXnewsHD, ESPN SD (34) Comedy Central, among others. Overall I'm missing probably 40-60% of my channels across the board. Those are just the ones that I've been using for spot checks during technician visits.

At one point today I was on a conference call with TiVo tech support and the Time Warner Cable Escalation Department, while a technician was in my house. Still didn't get it solved.

The problem is very clearly in the Time Warner System. What isn't clear is who has the control to fix it.

More than one tech has told me this is a very common problem around Dallas right now. They guy who showed up today (40 mins late) even went as far as to say that even coming out to do the service call would be a waste of his time and mine.

They need to make this a priority because someone out there can fix it.

In talking on speakerphone via the techs with the CableCARD people I was told that the "card is loaded into the wrong system" and they have a contact at TWC to fix that issue but he, direct quote "rarely, if ever, will answer his phone"

I've got that guy's name and number but he has yet to return my calls.

Anyone else want to try? Message me.


can you post the exact channels that are not tunable?

they are not mapping the cable cards right if the problem is affecting more than 1 person.

[bobrt6676]

[/QUOTE]When I said I needed two, she said they can only offer one for free, and that I'd have to pay $8.50 per month for the second one :eek::eek: . She then put me on ignore (I mean hold), and when she came back, she tried telling me that the letter went out to everybody and only those with analog cable (does that even still exist?) and no digital boxes needed a TA. I read her the part about the Tivo HD "in conjunction with" a TA and she put me on ignore again. This time when she came back, she said I would need to pay $8.50 per month for EACH TA!

How can TWC expect us to pay $8.50 for the TA, in addition to $4.75 for the Cable-Card each month? IF that is the case, I'll be packing up my two new Tivo HD units and returning them to Tivo! There has to be some legal ramifications to their intentions to effectively remove part of the package we're paying for and charge us an additional ransom to get it back!

Is this the same thing that others are experiencing? Are you being charged for the first, second or more TA's?

Sorry for the long rant![/QUOTE]

Here in the Dayton, Ohio area I have 2 TA's that I picked up at the local TWC center. No charge, no monthly fee.

[mhochman]

Here's my expeirence, I got TW cable in the Bar Harbor Maine area (served out of Bangor) Because i bought a new house that did not have a clear line of sight for my DirecTV. They gave me a crappy Motorola DVR that i hated, So i bought a new Series 3 Tivo. When i called TW to get it set up, i was informed that i could only get a cable card if i had a specific serial number, which i did not have. when i informed them that Tivo says the S3 will work with any CableCard made in the USA, the guy "Checked with his Tech" and was informed that it would not work with my Tivo. When in formed him that according to the FCC's website, they were required to provide a CableCard for my tivo, he asked when he should have the tech there to install it.

3 days later, Tech shows up with two S cards.. and spends the next 3 hours trying to pair the cards, finally he gives up in disgust when he is unable to get the cards to work.. 20 minutes after he stops frigging with the cards and has left, they mysteriously start working...

They have been working fine for the past 9 months... until 2 weeks ago, when i lost most of my HD channles, i signed up for a Tuning Adapter months ago, but never got one, so i call support, and inform them then i've lost my channels, he tries sending me a hit, no dice, sends me to tier 3 tech support, the guy i talk to is very nice, but knows nothing about SDV bring rolled out in my area, first he says it is, then it isn't, that he can just send me a tuning adapter, then that he can't, and has to have a tech come out... so i schedule an appointment for today... The installer shows up (a very nice young woman) with guess what... No tuning adapter. no M cards, her work order just says "Customer can't get HD" says nothing about SDV, nothing about the 20 minute conversation that i had with the tier 3 tech about it being an SDV problem... So she says that she is going to be heading back to the office later, and can come back out with the tuning adapter and an M card.... time passes....

She comes back, tuning adapter in hand, goes took it up and "Has never seen a setup like mine" i have a splitter running to the motorola box, and to my tivo s3, not a very complex setup. she doesnt' want to install the M card because of all the trouble we had with the S cards, she gets the tuning adapter installed.... and it wont' sync up to TimeWarner... several calls back and forth with the office and... we have to install the M card...

She gets the M card installed, paired up and... No Sync with the tuning adapter...

"Oh, sometimes they take a while to sync" well here we are 3 hours later.. and no sync. she said that if it has not synced by monday, call the office and they will send a tech with a new tuning adapter...

Ugh...