Official Time Warner Cable Thread

[frankincensed]

Interesting perspective. You do realize that "all the hoops & hassles" are put there by the cable companies, right? When I read about them, I thank my lucky stars that my TiVo is receiving free and trouble-free OTA only. Since the digital conversion, more and more viewers have been enjoying a golden age for over-the-air broadcast TV, and that should continue unless the cable lobby can pay legislators enough to cripple or kill their competition.

Yes, I do recognize its mostly the cable companies that cause the stress. Unfortunately, I dont have an old school antenna (and not willing to put the bucks into getting one) and the majority of the shows I watch are not OTA broadcast stations, so Im stuck with having to go the cable route

[sghrush]

Syfy, usahd, and bravohd no longer working on my tivo. It states the channels are not authorized. Cable card was changed but no improvement. TWC states the problem is with tivo. Tivo doesn't know what to do. Anyone else have this problem?

[Fofer]

Syfy, usahd, and bravohd no longer working on my tivo. It states the channels are not authorized. Cable card was changed but no improvement. TWC states the problem is with tivo. Tivo doesn't know what to do. Anyone else have this problem?

I had a similar problem. It's a problem on TWC's end. Escalate until they fix it. Worked for me.

[Linux]

Ok, so I've been with TiVo and twc for over a year now. Something goes wrong with this bulls@&t every week. It always gets fixed eventually, but then it gets f&$#d up again a week later. Do I need to dump TiVo, twc, or both? This is ridiculous.

[cwoody222]

You need to make a lot of noise to TW and demand they fix the problems PERMANENTLY. Ask for discounts every time something goes wrong. Demand knowledgeable service techs. Ask for explanations of why problems persist. Write letters to their supervisors and corporate HQ. Make noise.

[Joey Bagadonuts]

I had a similar problem. It's a problem on TWC's end. Escalate until they fix it. Worked for me.
Is this opinion or fact? Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of TWC but when I experience the "This channel not authorized..." problem, typically a reboot of my Premier TiVo corrects the problem. I am far from being tech savvy but it seems to me that if it were a TWC problem, rebooting TiVo wouldn't correct it.

If this truly is a TWC problem, what do they need to do on their end to fix it.....for good?

[SCSIRAID]

Is this opinion or fact? Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of TWC but when I experience the "This channel not authorized..." problem, typically a reboot of my Premier TiVo corrects the problem. I am far from being tech savvy but it seems to me that if it were a TWC problem, rebooting TiVo wouldn't correct it.

If this truly is a TWC problem, what do they need to do on their end to fix it.....for good?

That message indicates that the cablecard doesn't have authorization to decrypt that channel for you. That is most likely a setup problem in the TWC system. You likely need your account 'balanced' and a balancing hit done. Should be a piece of cake for the cablecard helpdesk to accomplish.

[Fofer]

Is this opinion or fact? Don't get me wrong, I am no fan of TWC but when I experience the "This channel not authorized..." problem, typically a reboot of my Premier TiVo corrects the problem. I am far from being tech savvy but it seems to me that if it were a TWC problem, rebooting TiVo wouldn't correct it.

If this truly is a TWC problem, what do they need to do on their end to fix it.....for good?

In my case, yes, it was a fact. Channels lost when I had tried to upgrade my programming package. Yes, I rebooted hundreds (!) of times. They ran new cables to my house. We're talking 5 or 6 visits over the course of a month. No channels authorized. At one point they blamed the heat, saying it was wearing on the cables and made authorization difficult :rolleyes: All along I told them "it's something on your end, in your system." They denied it. They brought my TiVo to another neighborhood to try the cables there. No dice.

When it finally got escalated, the highest tier of tech support saw the typo in my account. Fixed it, and the authorizations I should've had for my channels, and within 5 minutes my channels were back.

[Joey Bagadonuts]

That message indicates that the cablecard doesn't have authorization to decrypt that channel for you. That is most likely a setup problem in the TWC system. You likely need your account 'balanced' and a balancing hit done. Should be a piece of cake for the cablecard helpdesk to accomplish.

Exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thank you SCSIRAID. Now if/when it happens again, I'll know what direction to give the help desk tech. :up:

[novojnsn]

Just got off the phone with TWC first-round tech support (so I think he knows nothing and was just blowing smoke up my...) with an SDV Tuning Adapter problem. They will roll a truck. Whoop-dee.

But, he did say that they (TWC) had heard the complaining and would be moving away from SDV in 2012.

Has anyone else heard this? I hate to take the word of "Walter" at TWC here in Kansas City.

Hopeful, Danny.

[SCSIRAID]

Just got off the phone with TWC first-round tech support (so I think he knows nothing and was just blowing smoke up my...) with an SDV Tuning Adapter problem. They will roll a truck. Whoop-dee.

But, he did say that they (TWC) had heard the complaining and would be moving away from SDV in 2012.

Has anyone else heard this? I hate to take the word of "Walter" at TWC here in Kansas City.

Hopeful, Danny.

About the only way I could imagine a move away from SDV would be if they dropped all the analog content. I personally dont see that happening any time soon.

[5thdan]

Time Warner CableCARD install notes for Austin, TX (January 2012)

Already had cable modem from TW
Signed up for triple play promotion $90 for 12 months
Two install dates set, first for CableCARD and second for phone *DO NOT DO THIS*
Installer arrived on time for CC install
Installer connected cable to existing coax previously connected to OTA antenna
Went back to truck to get DVR and CC. I told him that the DVR shouldn't have been on the equipment list because I have a Tivo.
He called his boss and talked for 15 minutes. First didn't think he had a tuning adapter (TA), but called boss again and found one in the truck. Yes, this was his first Tivo install.
Yes, this was his first Tivo install
I show installer Tivo with open front door for CableCARD.
I ask if he wants me to disconnect coax going in to Tivo, and he politely says "no thanks, this is what I am paid for"
I come back 5 minutes later and he has the back of the tuning adapter off looking for a slot for the CableCARD
I again show him the CC slot on the front of the Tivo
CC is a Cisco brand M-card, TA is a Cisco STA1520
Installer connected coax from outside to TA, TA coax to Tivo, TA to tivo with USB cable
Tivo recognizes CC, installer calls in Host and CC IDs
Installer calls boss for directions, told to "scan for channels" in Tivo
Checks connections for 15 minutes and realizes that outside cable filter has not been removed
Installer removes cable tv filter from outside box, cable connection is live
Repeat guided Tivo setup takes 5 minutes
CableCARD starts firmware update automatically
2.5 hours have passed and installer has to leave
I leave for dinner, return in 2 hours
CableCARD is functional, but SDV channels are not working
Time Warner support tells me that Tuning Adapter serial is not listed on my account and install ticket is open
I read serial to tech, but they are unable to change the account because the equipment is checked out to the installer
Install was Saturday, it is now Sunday afternoon.
Called CableCard support direct line: 1-866-532-2598
Wow, someone at TW who actually knows about CableCARDS and Tivo!!! Not joking, these folks are awesome.
TA is still checked out to installer! CC support updates my account info with serial and tells me to call TW on Monday.
I call TW on Monday and the TA serial number is now on my account!!!
When I get home, TA is not working
I call TW again. BTW, all of my calls get routed to internet support regardless of the menu options that I choose.
TW support pings TA and it is Authorized!!!
I go back to Tivo and check TA diagnostics, no luck.
TA has rebooted itself and is no longer Authorized.
TA will not stay authorized until original install ticket is closed. This won't happen until next week when the phone install happens!
We shall see...

[cwoody222]

That's just as good as when my CC installer tried to install the CC in my TV even though I had the TiVo pulled out for him from the entertainment center.

Then, after installing the one card (my S3 requires 2 cards) the started to walk down the hall to my bedroom to "look for the other TV to insert the other card in".

Needless to say, it was about 3-4 visits later until everything worked correctly.

[Fofer]

I am happily relieved that TWCable in my area doesn't use SDV yet. When/if that happens, I've decided I'll drop TWCable in favor of rabbit ears. The extra I pay for digital cable (+1 tier) on top of my broadband internet isn't all that expensive (package is "surf n view") but I don't watch enough TV these days to deal with any SDV hassle. And the little TV I do watch, is on network broadcast. I've checked my antenna and the signal I get for the big channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc.) is pretty darn good.

[5thdan]

I am happily relieved that TWCable in my area doesn't use SDV yet. When/if that happens, I've decided I'll drop TWCable in favor of rabbit ears. The extra I pay for digital cable (+1 tier) on top of my broadband internet isn't all that expensive (package is "surf n view") but I don't watch enough TV these days to deal with any SDV hassle. And the little TV I do watch, is on network broadcast. I've checked my antenna and the signal I get for the big channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc.) is pretty darn good.

Smart move.

[5thdan]

Time Warner CableCARD install notes for Austin, TX (January 2012)

Already had cable modem from TW
Signed up for triple play promotion $90 for 12 months
Two install dates set, first for CableCARD and second for phone *DO NOT DO THIS*
Installer arrived on time for CC install
Installer connected cable to existing coax previously connected to OTA antenna
Went back to truck to get DVR and CC. I told him that the DVR shouldn't have been on the equipment list because I have a Tivo.
He called his boss and talked for 15 minutes. First didn't think he had a tuning adapter (TA), but called boss again and found one in the truck. Yes, this was his first Tivo install.
Yes, this was his first Tivo install
I show installer Tivo with open front door for CableCARD.
I ask if he wants me to disconnect coax going in to Tivo, and he politely says "no thanks, this is what I am paid for"
I come back 5 minutes later and he has the back of the tuning adapter off looking for a slot for the CableCARD
I again show him the CC slot on the front of the Tivo
CC is a Cisco brand M-card, TA is a Cisco STA1520
Installer connected coax from outside to TA, TA coax to Tivo, TA to tivo with USB cable
Tivo recognizes CC, installer calls in Host and CC IDs
Installer calls boss for directions, told to "scan for channels" in Tivo
Checks connections for 15 minutes and realizes that outside cable filter has not been removed
Installer removes cable tv filter from outside box, cable connection is live
Repeat guided Tivo setup takes 5 minutes
CableCARD starts firmware update automatically
2.5 hours have passed and installer has to leave
I leave for dinner, return in 2 hours
CableCARD is functional, but SDV channels are not working
Time Warner support tells me that Tuning Adapter serial is not listed on my account and install ticket is open
I read serial to tech, but they are unable to change the account because the equipment is checked out to the installer
Install was Saturday, it is now Sunday afternoon.
Called CableCard support direct line: 1-866-532-2598
Wow, someone at TW who actually knows about CableCARDS and Tivo!!! Not joking, these folks are awesome.
TA is still checked out to installer! CC support updates my account info with serial and tells me to call TW on Monday.
I call TW on Monday and the TA serial number is now on my account!!!
When I get home, TA is not working
I call TW again. BTW, all of my calls get routed to internet support regardless of the menu options that I choose.
TW support pings TA and it is Authorized!!!
I go back to Tivo and check TA diagnostics, no luck.
TA has rebooted itself and is no longer Authorized.
TA will not stay authorized until original install ticket is closed. This won't happen until next week when the phone install happens!
We shall see...



Installer arrived at 3:20 for a 1-3pm window.
Combo cable modem digital phone box install went smoothly
After reminding installer to complete number port, phone install complete
Tuning adapter still not working
Tuning adapter getting authorized, but reboots after a few minutes
Installer told me that tuning adapter will not work until tomorrow
Installer told me that the "tuning adapter hierarchy" was set incorrectly and that the problem had nothing to do with the state of the install ticket. He said that the Time Warner tech support didn't know what they were talking about...
Installer left with tuning adapter still not functional
I called local tech support to verify installer story. They were not sure what to do, so I gave them the CableCARD hotline number:)
Tech waited on hold for 10 minutes and told me that his supervisor told him that I can call the CableCARD self install hotline, but he could not hold any longer.
@TWCableHelp replied to a Direct Message on twitter and said that it takes 24 hours to provision a tuning adapter.
I will update tomorrow on the tuning adapter status.


Update 2/1/2012:

Still not working. The tuning adapter is rebooting after the provisioning appears to work and clearing the authorization. TW is finally escalating to someone who knows how the tuning adapter works

Finished call with tech. No dice, tuning adapter will not stay authorized. Scheduled another visit from TW to figure out whether the problem is with the signal or the tuning adapter hardware. This will be the third visit.

Update 2/3/2012:

Still not working.

Replaced tuning adapter box
New tuning adapter didn't work because Sub Expires was "Expired"
National CC office called, successfully reprovisioned
Tuning status "Invalid" (PowerKEY Information, Next in TA Diagnostics)
RDC value going from -60dBmV to 33-36dBmV
Tuning Adapter in reboot/restart loop
Unplugged USB cable so that Tivo doesn't pop up TA alert message every few minutes
Time Warner employee coming on Saturday to troubleshoot line problem

[cwoody222]

So basically they said, "Oh, it's not working but I have to run now" and "Oh, it's not working but I have to take another call now"

And you LET THEM get away with this crap?!

When they are AT YOUR HOUSE, do NOT LET THEM LEAVE UNTIL IT'S WORKING TO YOUR SATISFACTION! Period!

I'm also concerned that your installer was not Time Warner. I would never accept a 3rd party installer. They're more ignorant than the Time Warner bozos and that's really saying something.

Call a supervisor. Call 5 of them. Call their district HQ. Tweet them like crazy.

DO NOT SHUT UP UNTIL THEY FIX THIS FOR YOU. IT IS THEIR JOB THAT YOU'RE PAYING THEM TO DO!

[Fofer]

When they are AT YOUR HOUSE, do NOT LET THEM LEAVE UNTIL IT'S WORKING TO YOUR SATISFACTION! Period!


That's certainly easier said than done. I've been in that situation. What do you suggest we do when this happens? Tie them down, hold them against their will?

[5thdan]

So basically they said, "Oh, it's not working but I have to run now" and "Oh, it's not working but I have to take another call now"

And you LET THEM get away with this crap?!

When they are AT YOUR HOUSE, do NOT LET THEM LEAVE UNTIL IT'S WORKING TO YOUR SATISFACTION! Period!

I'm also concerned that your installer was not Time Warner. I would never accept a 3rd party installer. They're more ignorant than the Time Warner bozos and that's really saying something.

Call a supervisor. Call 5 of them. Call their district HQ. Tweet them like crazy.

DO NOT SHUT UP UNTIL THEY FIX THIS FOR YOU. IT IS THEIR JOB THAT YOU'RE PAYING THEM TO DO!

I am not sure if you can request a Time Warner employee for installs in Austin. If so, that would be the way to go. Time Warner has no incentive to keep CableCARD users happy. If they did, more people might actually start using them. This strategy has worked well for them for the past 3-4 years, so I wouldn't expect it to change anytime soon. I wonder if there is a financial incentive for the contractors to "convert" CableCARD users to TW DVR users.

[TWCableHelp]

5thdan- Has the tuning adaptor provisioned for you?

[5thdan]

5thdan- Has the tuning adaptor provisioned for you?

No, it's not working yet. Still rebooting and losing Auth after anyone at TW attempts to fix it.

[CoxInPHX]

No, it's not working yet. Still rebooting and losing Auth after anyone at TW attempts to fix it.

If it is a Cisco Tuning Adapter I posted yesterday a list of messages to help troubleshoot them. Hope this may help.

Cisco Tuning Adapter Status Troubleshooting
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=482537

[cwoody222]

That's certainly easier said than done. I've been in that situation. What do you suggest we do when this happens? Tie them down, hold them against their will?

Call TW when the installer is trying to leave and ask TW to send someone back out immediately to complete the job. If not, demand a refund for their botched job.

[Dying Lemur]

Hellooo. A couple of days ago I bought a Tivo Premiere Elite and have been trying to get it up an running for 3 days now. So far I have tried 5 Scientific Atlanta cable cards, and all have failed. Every one of them has said "Not Staged" and the tech support people from Time Warner have been unable to get any of them staged. The most recent fellow from Time Warner is telling me that he thinks the entire crop of cable cards from Time Warner at 23rd Street in NYC is messed up, and that I should go to a different Time Warner office to get my next card. So then I went uptown and grabbed 2 cards fom a different location and I was told the same thing by the tech on the phone. Has anybody ever heard of such a thing?

Now I have an appointment for tomorrow with a person to come out with hopefully several cards with the chances one might be able to be staged.


Suggestions? Ideas? Anything that may help me to know when the TW person shows up?

[cwoody222]

Have the TiVo Cable Card hotline number and have the installer call that.

The cards are likely just fine but they're morons and are setting them up wrong and then blaming the hardware.

[5thdan]

Call TW when the installer is trying to leave and ask TW to send someone back out immediately to complete the job. If not, demand a refund for their botched job.

It's a "free" install. You do have to make noise to get any help from TW. My tuning adapter issues were not escalated until I started tweeting to @TWCableHelp and posting here.

[5thdan]

Hellooo. A couple of days ago I bought a Tivo Premiere Elite and have been trying to get it up an running for 3 days now. So far I have tried 5 Scientific Atlanta cable cards, and all have failed. Every one of them has said "Not Staged" and the tech support people from Time Warner have been unable to get any of them staged. The most recent fellow from Time Warner is telling me that he thinks the entire crop of cable cards from Time Warner at 23rd Street in NYC is messed up, and that I should go to a different Time Warner office to get my next card. So then I went uptown and grabbed 2 cards fom a different location and I was told the same thing by the tech on the phone. Has anybody ever heard of such a thing?

Now I have an appointment for tomorrow with a person to come out with hopefully several cards with the chances one might be able to be staged.


Suggestions? Ideas? Anything that may help me to know when the TW person shows up?

The national CableCARD hotline is 1-866-532-2598. I received an immediate response from @TWCableHelp on twitter. Do you also have a tuning adapter box?

[5thdan]

Have the TiVo Cable Card hotline number and have the installer call that.

The cards are likely just fine but they're morons and are setting them up wrong and then blaming the hardware.

This is good advice. I planned to make a video of the latest install to document the incompetence, but the installer seemed unstable so I decided against it. There is no effort on Time Warner's part to allow Tivo/CableCARD integration with their network. Very few people are willing to track down the national CableCARD hotline number on tivocommunity.com and tweet about their issues, so the current policy of ignoring Tivo/CC makes sense from a business standpoint.

[5thdan]

Im always glad I come to this fourm everytime I think about getting a Tivo. I read all the hoops & hassles one has to go through to get a stupid dvr & again realize, its not worth the stress. Thanks all

OTA digital works great with the Tivo. It's true that Time Warner is doing their best to subvert Tivo's efforts to penetrate their DVR market.

[5thdan]

About the only way I could imagine a move away from SDV would be if they dropped all the analog content. I personally dont see that happening any time soon.

According to a TW employee I spoke with, more channels will be SDV in the future.

[mjh]

A friend of mine recently downgraded from Dish network to Time Warner's broadcast cable in order to lower his TV subscription costs. He purchased a TiVo Premiere for his DVR. I have two TiVo's at my house connected to an OTA antenna. So, while I can advise him about the TiVo, I can't really give him much advice about how to make it work with TWC.

He's only on broadcast cable - the lowest available package. I recall reading that he can make use of a cablecard to map out the broadcast HD channels that are required to be carried on the broadcast package.

First, am I correct so far?
Second, does he also need a tuning adapter to take advantage of the broadcast cable package?

Thanks in advance.

[bobrt6676]

I made the jump to Elite yesterday. It's been 2 years since my TivoHD CC install(bit of a lenghty process requiring a truck roll and a $20 charge). So I was a little apprehensive. To my surprise TWDayton has made great strides. I went to the Dayton Mall store and asked for a Cable card install kit. After putting it on my account(10min. process) I took the kit home with my Elite. setup the Elite, got all the updates before installing CC. Installed CC and called the TW number provided and after a 10min. hold a very friendly and knowledgable tech had me up and running in 10 min. No glitches. no issues, all stations working immediately. Wow could not have been easier!!!:D

[5thdan]

Does the Elite handle SDV without a tuning adapter? TW Austin wouldn't let me do a self install for the CableCARD and tuning adapter. Self install is definitely the way to go.

[dlfl]

I made the jump to Elite yesterday. It's been 2 years since my TivoHD CC install(bit of a lenghty process requiring a truck roll and a $20 charge). So I was a little apprehensive. To my surprise TWDayton has made great strides. I went to the Dayton Mall store and asked for a Cable card install kit. After putting it on my account(10min. process) I took the kit home with my Elite. setup the Elite, got all the updates before installing CC. Installed CC and called the TW number provided and after a 10min. hold a very friendly and knowledgable tech had me up and running in 10 min. No glitches. no issues, all stations working immediately. Wow could not have been easier!!!:D
This is good news. I'm in the Dayton area too. But I can't help reacting with "it's about time and it's too little too late". I know from your location that, as for me, a trip to the Dayton Mall store is at least a 50 minute round trip. Then you waited 20 minutes total at the store and on the phone. Thus more than 70 minutes of your time, plus the car expenses of a 30 mile round trip.

You didn't mention a Tuning Adpater. (??)

[5thdan]

If it is a Cisco Tuning Adapter I posted yesterday a list of messages to help troubleshoot them. Hope this may help.

Cisco Tuning Adapter Status Troubleshooting
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=482537

Also make sure the installer uses the correct 12V AC adapter. My installer used the wrong power adapter and the TA would reboot before completely initializing.

[bobrt6676]

This is good news. I'm in the Dayton area too. But I can't help reacting with "it's about time and it's too little too late". I know from your location that, as for me, a trip to the Dayton Mall store is at least a 50 minute round trip. Then you waited 20 minutes total at the store and on the phone. Thus more than 70 minutes of your time, plus the car expenses of a 30 mile round trip.

You didn't mention a Tuning Adpater. (??)

Tuning adapter is part of the CC self install "kit" cablecard, TA, instruction sheet and cables.
70 mins. yes, but better than waiting for a truck roll, followed by 3 hours of a tech that's clueless!! :D
I could have gone to the Leo street office, much closer, but don't care for the neighborhood. Or could have asked them to ship the kit, did not want to wait.

[CoxInPHX]

Also make sure the installer uses the correct 12V AC adapter. My installer used the wrong power adapter and the TA would reboot before completely initializing.

Mine is a Liteon, model# 4019611B
Same specs and model# listed on the Cisco 30 Watt Set-Top Power Supply
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/video/ps8611/ps8650/ps8663/7010514.pdf

Output Specifications
Nominal Output Voltage +12 V
Output Voltage Tolerance +/- 5 percent (11.4 to 12.6 V)
Minimum Load Current 0 A
Maximum load Current 2.5 A
Output Power Max Load 30 Watts
Peak Load Current 2.5 A

[dlfl]

Tuning adapter is part of the CC self install "kit" cablecard, TA, instruction sheet and cables.
70 mins. yes, but better than waiting for a truck roll, followed by 3 hours of a tech that's clueless!! :D
I could have gone to the Leo street office, much closer, but don't care for the neighborhood. Or could have asked them to ship the kit, did not want to wait.
A serioius self install kit ... I'm impressed! (Although it should have been available two years ago.) Do they still include the cheesy short cable that used to come in the TA boxes, which my installer threw away and immediately replaced with a good cable he made up?

The Leo street TWC store??? That's downtown Dayton, right? I never heard of any Dayton store other than the one at Dayton Mall.

EDIT: After only five minutes searching on the TWC web pages I see there is indeed a store on Leo street that provides self-install "services" (as they call it). There also is one at Tipp City. For me, and I suspect for you, this is actually closer than the Dayton Mall, although still probably a 40 minute round trip.

[bobrt6676]

A serioius self install kit ... I'm impressed! (Although it should have been available two years ago.) Do they still include the cheesy short cable that used to come in the TA boxes, which my installer threw away and immediately replaced with a good cable he made up?

The Leo street TWC store??? That's downtown Dayton, right? I never heard of any Dayton store other than the one at Dayton Mall.

EDIT: After only five minutes searching on the TWC web pages I see there is indeed a store on Leo street that provides self-install "services" (as they call it). There also is one at Tipp City. For me, and I suspect for you, this is actually closer than the Dayton Mall, although still probably a 40 minute round trip.
Leo St is in north Dayton. The cables for the TA in my kit are good quality. I forgot about the Tipp City office but I was coming back from Cincy on 75 so it was an easy stop at the time. And so far 4 days into it my Elite has been problem free. 4 tuners, so sweet!

[dlfl]

Leo St is in north Dayton. The cables for the TA in my kit are good quality. I forgot about the Tipp City office but I was coming back from Cincy on 75 so it was an easy stop at the time. And so far 4 days into it my Elite has been problem free. 4 tuners, so sweet!
Hope your good experience continues! Is this your first TiVo using a TA? If not I wonder if you have had the "SDV tuning problem", and how frequently?
This is where a SDV channel fails to tune until you retry (e.g., channel up/down) one or more times, and it can cause scheduled recordings to fail due to "no video signal was present". I have this and lose 1 or 2 recordings a week due to it.

[bobrt6676]

Hope your good experience continues! Is this your first TiVo using a TA? If not I wonder if you have had the "SDV tuning problem", and how frequently?
This is where a SDV channel fails to tune until you retry (e.g., channel up/down) one or more times, and it can cause scheduled recordings to fail due to "no video signal was present". I have this and lose 1 or 2 recordings a week due to it.


This is my 4th CC/TA. I have had the issue with TA's where I have to channel up/down to get the station to tune ( usually HGTV/or DIY) but have not missed any recordings thankfully.

[cwoody222]

This is my 4th CC/TA. I have had the issue with TA's where I have to channel up/down to get the station to tune ( usually HGTV/or DIY) but have not missed any recordings thankfully.

Missed tunes isn't a problem that's going to be fixed by getting new hardware. It's a flaw in the SDV implementation itself.

[Fofer]

Yuck. SDV sounds like a nightmare. If TWC in my area implemented that, that would be the final push I need to just cancel cable TV and go OTA only.

[dlfl]

Missed tunes isn't a problem that's going to be fixed by getting new hardware. It's a flaw in the SDV implementation itself.
Yes... although it isn't clear to me who's implementation is at fault, the cable co or TiVo? Since neither TiVo nor the cable cos provide any transparency on this issue, we are left guessing. As an example of how tricky the issue might be, it could be a timeout period in the TiVo software, i.e., the tiime TiVo waits after requesting a channel before retrieving the tuning info (e.g., frequency) from the tuning adapter. Perhaps TiVo set this timeout period per the SDV spec but the actual cable co implementation sometimes takes a little longer. Technically this means the fault is the cable co's. However if Tivo could fix it by just increasing that timeout period, I fault them for not doing so. I know beyond a doubt that TiVo has been aware of this problem for literally years by virtue of PM's I have had. Regardless of the cause, we are left in the middle holding the bag. Just another brick in the cut-the-cord wall.

[cwoody222]

I have a Series 3 so I have two CableCARDs, even if they're M-Cards.

Is there a way within the TiVo menus to see if I have M-Cards or S-Cards? I'm thinking of upgrading to a Premiere and I want to know if I already have the type of card I need without having to pull the TiVo out of my rack.

Also, I know this has been asked before but I forget the answer... assuming I do have an M-Card can I just swap it into the new Premiere and it'll work? Or I'll have to call TW to have them set it up? Will there be any problems (ha!) since the card is provisioned for the S3?

I'd like to make the upgrade as smooth as possible, preferably without a truck roll and a visit to TW (except to drop off one of my existing CableCARDs).

[cwoody222]

I took the cards out and they're MCards. And TiVo.com says I should be able to just put it in the new Premiere. Here's hoping...

[SCSIRAID]

I took the cards out and they're MCards. And TiVo.com says I should be able to just put it in the new Premiere. Here's hoping...

You can plug them in... but they will have to be reauthorized in TWC system since the Host ID is different.

[scole250]

Yes... although it isn't clear to me who's implementation is at fault, the cable co or TiVo? Since neither TiVo nor the cable cos provide any transparency on this issue, we are left guessing. As an example of how tricky the issue might be, it could be a timeout period in the TiVo software, i.e., the tiime TiVo waits after requesting a channel before retrieving the tuning info (e.g., frequency) from the tuning adapter. Perhaps TiVo set this timeout period per the SDV spec but the actual cable co implementation sometimes takes a little longer. Technically this means the fault is the cable co's. However if Tivo could fix it by just increasing that timeout period, I fault them for not doing so. I know beyond a doubt that TiVo has been aware of this problem for literally years by virtue of PM's I have had. Regardless of the cause, we are left in the middle holding the bag. Just another brick in the cut-the-cord wall.

I recently had TWC Whole House DVR installed at my house in Goldsboro, part of the RDU TWC system. All the DVRs and receivers are Samsung units. All the units occasionally fail to tune channels or receive On Demand programming. The regular channels, which I assume are switched, give message that channel is not available at this time. When On Demand doesn't work, it works a while trying to get the feed, then just goes blank. I'm not sure the Tivos and tuning adapters are the problem or whole problem. TWC has issues with their own equipment.

[dlfl]

I recently had TWC Whole House DVR installed at my house in Goldsboro, part of the RDU TWC system. All the DVRs and receivers are Samsung units. All the units occasionally fail to tune channels or receive On Demand programming. The regular channels, which I assume are switched, give message that channel is not available at this time. When On Demand doesn't work, it works a while trying to get the feed, then just goes blank. I'm not sure the Tivos and tuning adapters are the problem or whole problem. TWC has issues with their own equipment.
Interesting..... Do you sometimes miss recordings (presumably) due to such tuning failures? I agree this seems to point the finger at TWC rather than at TiVo. Have you complained to TWC about this? If so, how have they responded?

[SCSIRAID]

Interesting..... Do you sometimes miss recordings (presumably) due to such tuning failures? I agree this seems to point the finger at TWC rather than at TiVo. Have you complained to TWC about this? If so, how have they responded?

A new piece for the puzzle... The newer version of TA code added some more info in the 'SDV session info' screens. There is now a 'retune' count field associated with each session. Ive caught the failed tune red handed a couple times lately and in both cases the 'retune' field was nonzero. This suggests that the initial tune fails and is retried successfully but perhaps the protocol between TiVo and TA doesnt allow for that situation...

If you catch it red handed... have a look at the sessions screens for nonzero 'retune'.

[scole250]

We've only had it for about a month or so and my wife does most of the recording so I'm not aware of missing any recordings. Haven't reported that issue to TWC yet.

I'm on their "Signature Home Service" plan which is supposed to be top notch. I get to call a different number than regular subscribers and go directly to a "Personal Service Rep". This saves much more time. Instead of having to navigate a menu or be bounced from one CSR to another, it only takes a minute to be told they don't know what the issue is and schedule a tech visit :up:

I called once a few weeks ago to report that the boxes had to be rebooted at least once a week. They scheduled a tech visit for 5-9pm the following Monday. That Monday around 5:30 my mobile rang, but it was in another room and I missed the call. There was no caller id info and the caller didn't leave a message. I had forgot about the TWC service call until about 30 minutes later. I thought it was probably the tech. I called the number, but got no answer. The voice mail message did not identify the person as a TWC tech so just hung up. The tech never called back and I never got call back from TWC. I'm not impressed.

I went with the TWC whole house DVR because MRV/multi-room-streaming is important to us and TWC has taken that away. (Doesn't sound right does it? Switch to TWC because they ruined your Tivo service?) I'll definitely go back to Tivo when they overcome the MRV/CC byte issue via streaming. I do like the On Demand though. At least half of the programs we recorded on Tivo were for my son. He watches all he wants on the On Demand channels now. Maybe one day TWC and the other cable companies will work out a deal with Tivo. The cable companies should focus on delivering the content and let Tivo present the content, all of it.

[Fofer]

Oh, geez. That TWC even has a "Signature Home Service" to try and upsell is kind of appalling. This is cable TV, not some concierge at a high-end hotel. :rolleyes:

[Fofer]

I'll definitely go back to Tivo when they overcome the MRV/CC byte issue via streaming.

I'm under the impression this has already been addressed, with the latest system software that was recently released... so long as you have multiple TiVo Premieres.

[cwoody222]

I'm under the impression this has already been addressed, with the latest system software that was recently released... so long as you have multiple TiVo Premieres.

Still doesn't help TiVo ToGo. I don't want to stream unit-to-unit, I want to transfer shows to my iPhone/iPad for watching on airplanes.

Time Warner only allows me to do that with local broadcast channels.

[cwoody222]

You can plug them in... but they will have to be reauthorized in TWC system since the Host ID is different.

Ugh. I was really hoping not to have to call them because I'm scared they'll screw it up :(

[Fofer]

Still doesn't help TiVo ToGo. I don't want to stream unit-to-unit, I want to transfer shows to my iPhone/iPad for watching on airplanes.

Time Warner only allows me to do that with local broadcast channels.

Ah, gotcha. There's certain promise in this prototype unit, (http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2012-01/tivo-demos-ipad-video-streaming/) demoed at CES.

6EU83pNvWEY

I hope the early reports aren't true and that when/if it is released, it's NOT limited to the home LAN only. I'd like for it to work like Slingbox, and be accessible via WiFi (or 3G!) anywhere.

[cwoody222]

I saw that and it looks awesome! I also hope it's not home LAN only. But I have a Slingbox anyway (but I'd sell it for an integrated TiVo box instead).

I did buy my Premiere last night. Haven't called TWC for the CableCARD swap yet. I don't even have a coax running to it yet. So right now it's stuck, un-activated (in SDUI), but at least it has the latest software.

Hopefully the CableCARD swap will be painless. TWC help via Twitter gave me the 866 CableCARD number to call. I may not get around to it until the weekend.

[cwoody222]

I called TW to swap my CableCARD (M-card) from my Series3 to my new Premiere.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was a painless procedure. The worst part was the 20-25minute time spent on hold.

The operator I got was very knowledgeable. She had me unplug the card from the Premiere so she could unpair it. Then had me reinsert it and she sent it some info. I had to read her off some numbers from screens (which she referred to by the exact menu names in the TiVo UI) and then explained that it would take about 20 minutes before the screens showed the cards were authorized.

That's exactly what happened. A few of my channels seemed to take a bit longer to come up but within 30 minutes or so everything was showing up like it should have.

She even unpaired my extra card I don't need now so I can return it to an office this week.

[EmmettC]

Don't know if anyone here can provide any assistance, but I just an hour speaking with several TWC Reps concerning my disappearing channels. Yesterday, a very rude customer service rep managed to get them back up by sending a signal out and having me hard reboot my TiVo Series 3 HD. This morning, they were gone again. Spoke with two reps this morning, one being a "Level 3" rep. I was able to get some channels back, but not all of them (I do know that when this has happened in the past, it sometimes takes a couple of hours for all the channels to show up.) I just took the additional step of hard rebooting the TiVo box again and swapping out the USB connection of the tuning adapter and my wireless adapter. This always seems to work, but I don't think that I should be having to do this EVERY TIME my SDV Channels disappear. Can anyone here shed some insight into this? The Level 3 Rep suggested that I swap out my tuning adapter for a new one, which I'll do later this week, but I'm worried about that not being properly authorized and having the same issue all over again.

I'm at the end of my rope with Time Warner and can't wait for FIOS to be available in our building (our board is already looking into this!)

Thank
Emmett

[cwoody222]

EmmettC,

A few questions to help troubleshoot...

- are you sure the channels you're losing are SDV channels? (to make sure the SDV adapter is the problem)

- what error message do you get onscreen when you lose a channel? When it happens do you lose ALL SDV channels or just some? If it's just some, I don't see why the USB connection could be the issue

- do you know the software version of your adapter?

- how is your adapter connected? (just via USB or coax too?)

- try hard cycling the power in this order... unplug both TiVo and adapter and disconnect USB. Plug in adapter. Wait for solid green light. Plug in TiVo. Wait for it to fully finish booting. Connect USB and get onscreen confirmation that it's connected. Go test channels in Settings.

[dlfl]

EmmettC,

This is most likely a cable system problem but a bad TA can't be ruled out.

If it is indeed just your SDV channels that go missing, you should also be power-cycling your TA while you reboot the TiVo. In TA Diagnostics, in the first status section, what are the dBmV values for FDC and RDC? Your OOB (out-of-band) control signals used to communicate with the cable system may be too weak.

There is a way to tell whether a channel that has been successfully tuned is SDV or not, in TA diagnostics in the SDV SESSION section. Look at the SESSION with a frequency matching what DVR Diagnostics gives for the channel of interest. Then look at the "SamSvcid/Type:" entry. If the last portion of this value is "Switched", it's an SDV channel.

Also of interest is the "Sub Expires" value in the PowerKEY Information section. It should be a date several weeks into the future, but definitely not "Expired", which means your TA has lost authorization. This usually results in an 8-blink-pause sequence of the green light. For my first year with a TA, I had to call support every month because the system wasn't automatically refreshing that expiration date.

All the above applies to Cisco TA's. Not sure about Motorolas.

The customer service reps have a "Customer Balancing" screen and if your account is set up properly (sometimes a big "if"), all they have to do is hit the "Enter" key while in that screen to send all the required signals to properly authorize your TA and CableCARDs. On a couple of occasions I actually instructed the rep to do this, while their only solution was a truck roll.

[SCSIRAID]

Don't know if anyone here can provide any assistance, but I just an hour speaking with several TWC Reps concerning my disappearing channels. Yesterday, a very rude customer service rep managed to get them back up by sending a signal out and having me hard reboot my TiVo Series 3 HD. This morning, they were gone again. Spoke with two reps this morning, one being a "Level 3" rep. I was able to get some channels back, but not all of them (I do know that when this has happened in the past, it sometimes takes a couple of hours for all the channels to show up.) I just took the additional step of hard rebooting the TiVo box again and swapping out the USB connection of the tuning adapter and my wireless adapter. This always seems to work, but I don't think that I should be having to do this EVERY TIME my SDV Channels disappear. Can anyone here shed some insight into this? The Level 3 Rep suggested that I swap out my tuning adapter for a new one, which I'll do later this week, but I'm worried about that not being properly authorized and having the same issue all over again.

I'm at the end of my rope with Time Warner and can't wait for FIOS to be available in our building (our board is already looking into this!)

Thank
Emmett

What do you mean by 'disappearing'? Do the channels fail to tune with a message about 'not authorized' or 'not provided by the TA'? Do you just get a black screen? Something else?

[Teeps]

Last time I had problems with poor reception, channels missing, etc.; was because the squirrels had chewed the cable out on the pole.

[Joey Bagadonuts]

Had to share this experience my girl friend had with Anaheim CA Time Warner today. We're trying to cut expenses and, of course one area we're looking at is our cable bill. Currently, we get about 9000 cable channels (and watch about 6 of them!) and we have TWC Road Runner Internet (15mb download). We're paying around $180 a month for cable/internet. With our recent bill in front of her, she called TWC to try and figure out where we could cut back. She made the mistake of assuming Time Warner was as customer friendly as Verizon. Ha! Of course the Time Warner "Customer Service" Rep (there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one!) not only said we have exactly what need but tried to upsell her to adding an additional 5mb's of download speed for "only another $10 a month". Here she calls TWC to try and cut costs and instead the Rep is trying to add to our expenses. Nice. But the icing on the cake was when the CSR said that to best assess our needs, she would have to send a sales rep out to our house. Are you f'ing kidding me? That's like Verizon saying, "Well, to best determine what your needs are, you should bring your cell phone into a Verizon store". Not knowing any better, she agreed to having a sales rep come to our house. When she shared the story with me, that appointment was immediately canceled. If there are any TWC employees reading this, I have but one question for you: "How can you look yourself in the mirror every morning"?

[dcstager]

Is there a new 1601 firmware update available for the Cisco 1520 TA? Does Austin have latest firmware?

[CoxInPHX]

Is there a new 1601 firmware update available for the Cisco 1520 TA? Does Austin have latest firmware?

F.1601 is the latest Firmware for the Cisco TA. There are tracking threads on the Windows Community Forum, From what I have seen most TWC markets are using F.1501

http://experts.windows.com/frms/windows_entertainment_and_connected_home/f/114/p/101539/549390.aspx?PageIndex=10

http://experts.windows.com/frms/windows_entertainment_and_connected_home/f/115/p/102913/552104.aspx

[iron maiden]

Quick question from a newbie about to re-enter the Tivo world after several years. I have TWC in Portland, Maine. My understanding is that I need an M card and a TA for my install. My question is will I lose the on-demand channels with Tivo? The local office is predictably clueless about this.

[Fofer]

Quick question from a newbie about to re-enter the Tivo world after several years. I have TWC in Portland, Maine. My understanding is that I need an M card and a TA for my install. My question is will I lose the on-demand channels with Tivo? The local office is predictably clueless about this.

Yes.

[kevin120]

Has anyone gotten a letter in Austin or Waco mentioning additional channels going SDV?

I noticed that TWC has listed some channels to be moved around on clear QAM in Waco and Austin probably to make room for more SDV QAMs. They are moving locals off of RF 84 Waco - (KXXV ABC HD, KXXV weather, KXXV Telemundo) Austin - (KXAN NBC HD, KNVA CW HD) in their monthly legal notices in the newspaper.

When TWC moved clear QAM channels around here last year in North Texas we gained 8 new SDV QAMs on:

687MHz
693MHz
699MHz
705MHz
711MHz
717MHz
723MHz
729MHz

and 4 more VOD QAMs on:
603MHz
609MHz
615MHz
621MHz

I suspect that Austin and Waco are getting 8 more SDV QAMs to a node which probably means more HD is coming shortly after the changes on june 19th (Austin) and June 26th (Waco).

TWC North Texas gained these after the new SDV QAMs were activated:
E! HD
Style HD
Sportsman Channel HD
Ovation HD
Reelz Channel HD
OWN HD
Bloomberg HD
Oxygen HD
IFC HD
Hub HD
Fox Deportes HD
Showtime Extreme HD
Showtime Next HD
Showtime Beyond HD
Showtime Women HD
GAME2 HD
TMC Xtra HD
MoreMAX HD
ThrillerMAX HD

[kevin120]

duplicate

[dlfl]

I'm having a problem with 10 minute gaps in recorded programs that can't be accessed by scrubbing although they take up time on the progress bar -- I posted the details here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9138539#post9138539
Since most other likely causes are eliminated (see linked post) I'm wondering if defective CableCARD's could cause this. Do the CC's do continous processing (decrypting) of the digital stream or do they just furnish decryption keys to the TiVo at specific times, such as when tuning a new channel, in which case what I'm seeing could not be explained by a CC problem. unless the "specific times" occur many times during a program.

I'm posting this here because I know there is at least one person who reads this thread who can answer this question. ;)

[SCSIRAID]

I'm having a problem with 10 minute gaps in recorded programs that can't be accessed by scrubbing although they take up time on the progress bar -- I posted the details here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9138539#post9138539
Since most other likely causes are eliminated (see linked post) I'm wondering if defective CableCARD's could cause this. Do the CC's do continous processing (decrypting) of the digital stream or do they just furnish decryption keys to the TiVo at specific times, such as when tuning a new channel, in which case what I'm seeing could not be explained by a CC problem. unless the "specific times" occur many times during a program.

I'm posting this here because I know there is at least one person who reads this thread who can answer this question. ;)

There are two separate 'encrypt/decrypt' domains going on with a cablecard. The cablecard decrypts the stream from the cable system (Cablecard spec calls it 'CA' 'conditional access' ie Powerkey for Cisco). Once it is decrypted it is then reencrypted and sent to the TiVo. Ive seen little detail for Cisco Powerkey and how it manages keys. For the downtream 'CP' 'copy protection' encryption, there is an algorighm for periodically refreshing the keys. Cablecard will send unencrypted for a short period while it and the TiVo negotiate for a new key.

"The Card initiates CPKey generation at the following times:
• After completion of the authentication process;
• Periodically at a rate set by max_key_session_period;
• At every power cycle;
• When initiated by the CA System; and
• At every hard (PCMCIA) reset.
Channel change does not cause a key refresh to occur."

Ive seen the 'gap' in programs issue before... but fortunately not lately.

[dlfl]

There are two separate 'encrypt/decrypt' domains going on with a cablecard. The cablecard decrypts the stream from the cable system (Cablecard spec calls it 'CA' 'conditional access' ie Powerkey for Cisco). Once it is decrypted it is then reencrypted and sent to the TiVo. Ive seen little detail for Cisco Powerkey and how it manages keys. For the downtream 'CP' 'copy protection' encryption, there is an algorighm for periodically refreshing the keys. Cablecard will send unencrypted for a short period while it and the TiVo negotiate for a new key.

"The Card initiates CPKey generation at the following times:
• After completion of the authentication process;
• Periodically at a rate set by max_key_session_period;
• At every power cycle;
• When initiated by the CA System; and
• At every hard (PCMCIA) reset.
Channel change does not cause a key refresh to occur."

Ive seen the 'gap' in programs issue before... but fortunately not lately.
Thanks. Does the periodic CPKey refresh involve just the TiVo and Card, or is communication with the cable plant required? Also, do you know what value max_key_session_period typically has? I can't find it anywhere in the diagnostic menus. I'm wondering if it would correspond to the 9 or 10 minute gaps I had.

[SCSIRAID]

Thanks. Does the periodic CPKey refresh involve just the TiVo and Card, or is communication with the cable plant required? Also, do you know what value max_key_session_period typically has? I can't find it anywhere in the diagnostic menus. I'm wondering if it would correspond to the 9 or 10 minute gaps I had.

I expect that its handled locally within the cablecard without regard to the CA side.

Are you seeing 'still pictures' during the gap or just a chunk of the show missing? Is there pixelation at the start and end of the gaps? Sound?

[dlfl]

I expect that its handled locally within the cablecard without regard to the CA side.

Are you seeing 'still pictures' during the gap or just a chunk of the show missing? Is there pixelation at the start and end of the gaps? Sound?
I can't navigate to inside the gap -- so the question of what video or audio exists there is unanswerable. The gap occupies time on the navigation bar, but navigation jumps over it, or stalls at the gap boundary. I get pixelation on transitions between program and commercials and during commercials on many cable channels -- but never during program content (or I would suspect a HDD problem). I also get a short burst of pixelation a few seconds after tuning most cable channels. This stuff doesn't happen on OTA channels, BTW. Note that as previously mentioned: no RS errors.

I caught a 6 minute gap while watching a channel yesterday and was able to determine it was using CableCARD #2. The video froze on a still picture, with no audio, when the gap started but after I tried switching tuners or going to the DVR Diagnostics menu and returned to the channel, the video was blank. All values in DVR Diagnostics were nominal during the gap. The "time since tune start" did NOT reset either during or after the gap.

[prepster]

Thank God for this forum! Thanks all for the info you provide.

This morning I had pixelation issues and was missing one channel. I called the regular Time Warner support number. Instead of fixing my issues, they sent a signal and wiped out ALL of my channels. The only solution they offered was to send a tech to my home next week. I explained several times that this could be taken care of with a phone call, but I was told over and over by a supervisor that the only thing he could do was send a tech.

I stumbled across the Cable Card hotline on this forum at 1-866-532-2598. Within five minutes, the support person had all my channels back up and running.

It is a shame that their is no communication between traditional support and this Cable Card Hotline.

[Fofer]

Still? After all this time? Sheesh. It's a shame that TWC *still* doesn't know how to handle this properly. You expect these issues a few weeks after a new product comes out. Not YEARS and YEARS later.

[dlfl]

Still? After all this time? Sheesh. It's a shame that TWC *still* doesn't know how to handle this properly. You expect these issues a few weeks after a new product comes out. Not YEARS and YEARS later.
When a problem affects less than 1% of their customers, fixing it may take forever, especially considering:
1. There's a pretty good chance they won't lose TiVo owners as customers. Most will either suffer along or abandon TiVo for cable co boxes.
2. It's all they can do to train their support reps to handle common problems, let alone the unusual ones associated with TiVo's.

[Fofer]

Still, you'd think there'd be a simple "script" triggered by two words: "tivo" and "cablecard." The answer being, "call 1-866-532-2598"


It's the same idiotic song and dance, year in and year out. Time Warner loses money every time their CSRs waste time on this, and when they send out techs for days and days, all of whom do the wrong thing. Nearly every story I've read (and the one I experienced) would have been a lot shorter if they handled it right. It's always something to do with how the cable card's serial number (or whatever) is entered in their system. It's never fixed "onsite" by the stupid techs. There's no excuse for this inanity.

[dlfl]

Every week or two my TiVo HD loses tuning capability for ALL cable channels (not just SDV channels). Rebooting the TiVo fixes the problem. I don't know if this is related to the recording "gap" problem just discussed in posts 5571 - 5575, but I tend to doubt it. (The gap problem has not repeated for a couple of weeks now.)

When this happens, the values in DVR diagnostics are all exactly as they would be for a channel that is successfully tuned. That includes good Signal Strength and SNR, no RS errors, Signal Lock=Yes, Program Lock=Yes, Search Complete = Yes, PCR, Audio, and Video PID's have values, and Time since Tune Start plus Time Since Signal Lock are counting up. Also, the channel frequency given in TA Diagnostics matches the one shown in DVR diagnostics.

The only way I have seen this happen is when the channel is not authorized for your account. (BTW is there any way in DVR or TA diagnostics to tell whether a channel is authorized?)

So what I guess is happening is that somehow authorization for all my cable channels is being lost and rebooting the TiVo gets it back. Note that I use two single-channel CableCARD's and both of them behave exactly the same when this happens. (Thus I find it hard to believe the problem is a defective card.)

I can't imagine any other cause for this than that the authorization of my channels is not being maintained by the cable plant. Does anyone know how this is supposed to happen? Does the cable plant periodically "push" the account authorizations? Or do the CableCARD's (or TA ??) periodically "pull" the authorizations? Or what?

EDIT: Need to add that OTA (via antenna) tuning capability is NOT lost -- just the cable channels.

[MC Hammer]

(BTW is there any way in DVR or TA diagnostics to tell whether a channel is authorized?)

Cisco or Motorola TA?

[dlfl]

Cisco or Motorola TA?
Cisco STA1520

[CoxInPHX]

(BTW is there any way in DVR or TA diagnostics to tell whether a channel is authorized?)

So what I guess is happening is that somehow authorization for all my cable channels is being lost and rebooting the TiVo gets it back. Note that I use two single-channel CableCARD's and both of them behave exactly the same when this happens. (Thus I find it hard to believe the problem is a defective card.)
S-Card Menu and MMI Screens
Checking activation and authorization to display the current channel
http://support.tivo.com/ci/fattach/get/72399/
"The ECM count will be greater than zero and will increase every few seconds if the CableCARD is entitled to decrypt the current channel (i.e., your account is subscribed to the channel). If the CableCARD is activated, but you are not subscribed to this channel, the ECM count will not increment, and you will not see video on this channel."

M-Card Menu and MMI Screens
Checking if the CableCARD is subscribed to the channel
http://support.tivo.com/ci/fattach/get/72397/

[dlfl]

S-Card Menu and MMI Screens
Checking activation and authorization to display the current channel
http://support.tivo.com/ci/fattach/get/72399/
"The ECM count will be greater than zero and will increase every few seconds if the CableCARD is entitled to decrypt the current channel (i.e., your account is subscribed to the channel). If the CableCARD is activated, but you are not subscribed to this channel, the ECM count will not increment, and you will not see video on this channel."

M-Card Menu and MMI Screens
Checking if the CableCARD is subscribed to the channel
http://support.tivo.com/ci/fattach/get/72397/

Thanks! In the TiVo support pages no less, and I missed it! Note that (at least on my TiVo, with S-cards) in order to see the ECM count increment you have to exit the screen and return, to refresh the count.

So now I'm still wondering: what makes both my CableCARD's simultaniously lose authorization on ALL channels occasionally?

[dlfl]

I noticed the OS software build date for the two S-Cards (CableCARDs) in my TiVo HD was 2006 (!). So I decided to swap them for a single M-Card (and save $2/mo. in the bargain.)

Called TWC support and a very efficient, knowledgable and pleasant fellow named "Jason" arranged for me to swap the cards at one of their stores. There are four stores in my area but none of them are closer than 10 miles to me. I picked the most convenient location (Tipp City) and he (said he) messaged them and they verfied they had the m-card in stock.

When I showed up at the Tipp City store I was immediately informed they never stocked CC's there (!) and no one there had communicated with "Jason" about it. The agent was able to see notifications that Jason had made on my account and she informed his supervisor of all the trouble he had caused me -- so hopefully he will be royally thumped for his incompetence.

As Jason should have known, only one of the four stores in my area stocks CC's (Dayton Mall) and of course it is the store that is furthest from me and 20 miles from the Tipp City store. Thus I ended up spending two hours and driving 50 miles to get my m-Card. I will mention the Tipp City agent said she entered a $10 credit on my account as partial compensation.

Anyway, with the efficient help of the national self-install desk, I got the m-card installed quickly without having to re-do guided setup. Now I'm just hoping I get that follow-up survey call about my satisfaction with Jason. ;)

And I notice the OS build date for the new card is 2011. I can always hope some of the tuning and gap problems I've recently posted here may be eliminated.

[dlfl]

.......... And I notice the OS build date for the new card is 2011. I can always hope some of the tuning and gap problems I've recently posted here may be eliminated.
Too early to be sure (4 days) but it looks like the problems are either gone or at least much reduced after replacing two (old) s-cards with one m-card. If so, my theory is the older cards took longer to respond when communicating with the TiVo and caused timeouts.

However I encountered a new problem immediately after swapping the cards. Twice in three days, while watching a recorded program, the following sequence occured:

1. The video/audio being watched went away and was replaced by a combination of blank screen and live video from a channel that wasn't selected on either tuner. The video was sporadic, blinking on and off.
2. There was no TiVo response to remote control clicks, although the yellow light was responding.
3. This continued for about 2 minutes then operation went back to normal.
4. At least on the second occurence the 30 minute buffers on the tuned channels had 2-minute sequences of the "mystery" channel inserted instead of the commanded channel.

Was it the new CableCARD? Was my HDD failing? I had just checked the power supply for voltages and bulging caps so I ruled that out.

Last night I power-cycled both the TiVo and the TA just as a precaution, since I hadn't done that after swapping the CC's. Shortly thereafter, an Emergency system message took over the TiVo and it dawned on me the effect of this exactly matched the previous two weird events, except now the emergency message banner was displayed. The same "mystery" channel was shown in the background for a few brief seconds while a blank screen was shown most of the time.

I recalled that both weird events occured at times when an emergency message would have been likely -- major storms were passing through our area.

I don't think these are proper responses to emergency messages but I gather that can be caused by improper signals from the cable co. Could TWC send me improper signals? Perish the thought! :rolleyes:

[SASouth]

Too early to be sure (4 days) but it looks like the problems are either gone or at least much reduced after replacing two (old) s-cards with one m-card. If so, my theory is the older cards took longer to respond when communicating with the TiVo and caused timeouts.

However I encountered a new problem immediately after swapping the cards. Twice in three days, while watching a recorded program, the following sequence occured:

1. The video/audio being watched went away and was replaced by a combination of blank screen and live video from a channel that wasn't selected on either tuner. The video was sporadic, blinking on and off.
2. There was no TiVo response to remote control clicks, although the yellow light was responding.
3. This continued for about 2 minutes then operation went back to normal.
4. At least on the second occurence the 30 minute buffers on the tuned channels had 2-minute sequences of the "mystery" channel inserted instead of the commanded channel.

Was it the new CableCARD? Was my HDD failing? I had just checked the power supply for voltages and bulging caps so I ruled that out.

Last night I power-cycled both the TiVo and the TA just as a precaution, since I hadn't done that after swapping the CC's. Shortly thereafter, an Emergency system message took over the TiVo and it dawned on me the effect of this exactly matched the previous two weird events, except now the emergency message banner was displayed. The same "mystery" channel was shown in the background for a few brief seconds while a blank screen was shown most of the time.

I recalled that both weird events occured at times when an emergency message would have been likely -- major storms were passing through our area.

I don't think these are proper responses to emergency messages but I gather that can be caused by improper signals from the cable co. Could TWC send me improper signals? Perish the thought! :rolleyes:

Those are definitely Emergency Broadcast System messages taking over your Tivo. It's happening to me on my Tivo Premiere Elite that has an M card. The mystery channel is the CSPAN SD feed.

It doesn't happen on my HD Tivos with S cards. I just get the message scrolling across the screen like it should.

It's very frustrating to be locked out of my Tivo while it does this nonsense. It's not even functional most of the time.

TWC needs to fix how they are doing EBS for M Cards because this is annoying and doesn't even properly display the EBS message.

BTW, get used to this because happens to my Elite even when they're running an EBS "weekly" test that seems to occur daily.

[dlfl]

Those are definitely Emergency Broadcast System messages taking over your Tivo. It's happening to me on my Tivo Premiere Elite that has an M card. The mystery channel is the CSPAN SD feed.

It doesn't happen on my HD Tivos with S cards. I just get the message scrolling across the screen like it should.

It's very frustrating to be locked out of my Tivo while it does this nonsense. It's not even functional most of the time.

TWC needs to fix how they are doing EBS for M Cards because this is annoying and doesn't even properly display the EBS message.

BTW, get used to this because happens to my Elite even when they're running an EBS "weekly" test that seems to occur daily.
IIRC you also are in the TWC SW Ohio region and we were fellow sufferers of the more-than-one-year 8-blink TA authorization indignity. Yes the "mystery" channel is the C-SPAN SD feed for me too.

To be honest, I am just so relieved that this problem is a combination of my (newly installed) m-card interacting with TWC's incompetence (i.e., not my TiVo or its power supply or its HDD) that I'm **relatively** happy. ;) That is, as long as the EBS messages don't happen too often! Frankly, I'd be afraid that if they tried to fix this, they might do more harm than good.

[SASouth]

IIRC you also are in the TWC SW Ohio region and we were fellow sufferers of the more-than-one-year 8-blink TA authorization indignity. Yes the "mystery" channel is the C-SPAN SD feed for me too.

To be honest, I am just so relieved that this problem is a combination of my (newly installed) m-card interacting with TWC's incompetence (i.e., not my TiVo or its power supply or its HDD) that I'm **relatively** happy. ;) That is, as long as the EBS messages don't happen too often! Frankly, I'd be afraid that if they tried to fix this, they might do more harm than good.

You recall correctly. The TA nightmare took way too long to get fixed and wouldn't you know it, just when the CSRs finally get trained on how to send the proper hit to reauthorize they fix it for good.

You can count on the EBS messages happening at least once or twice a week. Sometimes more. They even hit us when the alert isn't in our area. Just wait until one of your recordings gets hosed because of them. You're going to LOVE that. :)

[clatrell]

Can someone explain to me why Time Warner cannot provide 3d channels to Tivo owners? I received Tivo notification earlier this evening that channel 1333 had been added to my lineup, then an hour later I received notification that it had been deleted. As far as I understand, there is no technical reason why Tivo can't record 3d channels. But when I called, the answer was simply that Time Warner "does not provide support for 3d on cablecards."

[cwoody222]

Can someone explain to me why Time Warner cannot provide 3d channels to Tivo owners? I received Tivo notification earlier this evening that channel 1333 had been added to my lineup, then an hour later I received notification that it had been deleted. As far as I understand, there is no technical reason why Tivo can't record 3d channels. But when I called, the answer was simply that Time Warner "does not provide support for 3d on cablecards."

While I do not know if TW actually supports receiving 3D channels with CableCARDs, that message you received had nothing to do with it.

The channel listing TiVo uses is not TiVo-specific, it's just based on your geography. The fact that it was added then deleted just means it was a mistake.

I have some 3D channels in my listing, you may too if you check. Go look in Channels You Receive in Settings.

[SASouth]

While I do not know if TW actually supports receiving 3D channels with CableCARDs, that message you received had nothing to do with it. -snip

I'm getting the NBC Olympics 3D channel from TWC in the Dayton, OH area and it works fine on my Tivo Premiere Elite with an M card. I don't know of any other 3D channels that work, though.

[teasip]

Quick question if I may? Daughter heading back to college next weekend in Austin and her new apt. complex provides TW basic cable. Since there apparently are no cable boxes involved, as best I can tell, will she still require a CC to utilize our second TiVoHD with lifetime? Since I haven't been in an apartment for decades I'm not sure how they currently disperse their cable provider signal. I presume "yes", but I wanted to try to find out beforehand. TWC-Austin wasn't able to assist me since they couldn't comment on the complex setup.

[dlfl]

What setup do other apartment residents use? Do they have cable co boxes (and what type)? Or do they just plug the cable directly into their TV's?

[teasip]

Don't know for sure. My daughter said that a friend who lived in the complex "Had to go pick something up from TW". Who knows? I thought I'd try and see if anyone with Austin connections living in an apartment complex (The Block on 23rd specifically) with "free basic cable" was using a TiVo. If it requires the tuning adapter, and based on what I'm reading here about it freezing up/needing to be reset, it may be easier to do without. I personally have FiOS and all we need here is the CC.

Update: Looks like I'll be needing a TA and a CC for her to use the TiVo. TA appears to be free whereas the CC is $2/mo..

[cwoody222]

A friend here (not in Austin) has included TW cable at his apartment. He does not need a CableCARD for his TiVo.

However, he WOULD need a CableCARD if he wanted to get the local stations in HD (the only HD stations included for free). Right now he can tune those channels but there's no Guide Data. The CC would be needed to map the channels properly.

I suspect it'd be similar in Austin.

[teasip]

Thanks! I haven't had a chance to ask my daughter yet what she found out today.

[dlfl]

Those are definitely Emergency Broadcast System messages taking over your Tivo. It's happening to me on my Tivo Premiere Elite that has an M card. The mystery channel is the CSPAN SD feed.

It doesn't happen on my HD Tivos with S cards. I just get the message scrolling across the screen like it should.

It's very frustrating to be locked out of my Tivo while it does this nonsense. It's not even functional most of the time.

TWC needs to fix how they are doing EBS for M Cards because this is annoying and doesn't even properly display the EBS message.

BTW, get used to this because happens to my Elite even when they're running an EBS "weekly" test that seems to occur daily.
IIRC you also are in the TWC SW Ohio region .......... Yes the "mystery" channel is the C-SPAN SD feed for me too. .........
........... You can count on the EBS messages happening at least once or twice a week. Sometimes more. They even hit us when the alert isn't in our area. Just wait until one of your recordings gets hosed because of them. You're going to LOVE that. :)
Did you (or anyone in the TWC SW Ohio region) get an EBS message interruption at about 8:25 am edt this morning? I was watching (later) a recording that spanned that time and it suddenly switched to the CSPAN channel for 2 or 3 minutes then back to the program I was recording. That's ALL that happened. No EBS message scrolled across.

I haven't noticed very many EBS messages since I switched to an m-card, but the other one that I did notice within the last two weeks at least had a message that scrolled.

[SASouth]

Did you (or anyone in the TWC SW Ohio region) get an EBS message interruption at about 8:25 am edt this morning? I was watching (later) a recording that spanned that time and it suddenly switched to the CSPAN channel for 2 or 3 minutes then back to the program I was recording. That's ALL that happened. No EBS message scrolled across.

I haven't noticed very many EBS messages since I switched to an m-card, but the other one that I did notice within the last two weeks at least had a message that scrolled.

I wasn't watching at that time. However, I can tell you that I've seen exactly what you describe on more than one occasion. Sometimes once or twice a week.

I believe that it is the EBS system getting triggered. For what reason I don't know since no message is displayed when it happens.

One thing I know for sure is that it is extremely annoying when it happens and you're watching live. It effectively locks you out of your Tivo and you can't do anything while they have control for two or three minutes. Grrrrr.

[kevin120]

Don't know for sure. My daughter said that a friend who lived in the complex "Had to go pick something up from TW". Who knows? I thought I'd try and see if anyone with Austin connections living in an apartment complex (The Block on 23rd specifically) with "free basic cable" was using a TiVo. If it requires the tuning adapter, and based on what I'm reading here about it freezing up/needing to be reset, it may be easier to do without. I personally have FiOS and all we need here is the CC.

Update: Looks like I'll be needing a TA and a CC for her to use the TiVo. TA appears to be free whereas the CC is $2/mo..

I would go ahead and get a tuning adapter as TWC has in the past and might still be putting some of the basic tier channels on SDV also the HD channels are free so if she has an HDTV the tuning adapter would be need for the expanded basic channels in HD as they are included with the package at no additional charge.

Also some of the expanded basic channels are digital only and available with a cablecard or stb only.

[teasip]

I called TWC back this afternoon and spoke with another individual. He told me that the complex is contracted for "standard", i.e.-"red/green" channels on channel guide. I printed out the channel guide for her, setup the account (order number), and will be picking up an M card CC and TA tomorrow. I read somewhere that Austin, Tx. was the first city to switch over to SDV and need the TA's. In addition, he was even able to tell me that the complex gets 10 mbps internet so we should be good to go. I've got an Airport Extreme and Express packed up just in case so we should be set. They charged me a whooping $2.32/mo. for the service. I don't know that we'll be able to eat :).

[teasip]

Don't think I got the Cisco TA to work since all I ever got was the 8 flashes. Left it for daughter to deal with since I couldn't tell that it got her any more channels than what she got off the CC. CSR was wrong. Internet speed was 3 mbps and there were no instructions provided at move-in on how to connect. Turn on laptop, search networks, and there it was. It had you create an account.

[dlfl]

Don't think I got the Cisco TA to work since all I ever got was the 8 flashes. Left it for daughter to deal with since I couldn't tell that it got her any more channels than what she got off the CC. CSR was wrong. Internet speed was 3 mbps and there were no instructions provided at move-in on how to connect. Turn on laptop, search networks, and there it was. It had you create an account.
To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in "Casablanca": A TWC CSR gave you bad infomation? I'm SHOCKED! :cool:

A TA with 8-blinks will never do anything useful since that code means it isn't authorized, which requires signals sent from the cable plant. I suspect the distribution system in the apartment doesn't transfer the OOB signals the TA uses to communicate (two-ways) with the cable plant. Can your daughter find anyone else in that building that uses a TiVo with a TA and CableCARD successfully? I also have trouble believing that basic cable channels require a TA (i.e., use SDV). I suspect they're distributing analog versions of the channels, which means you don't even need a CableCARD.

[SASouth]

Did you (or anyone in the TWC SW Ohio region) get an EBS message interruption at about 8:25 am edt this morning? I was watching (later) a recording that spanned that time and it suddenly switched to the CSPAN channel for 2 or 3 minutes then back to the program I was recording. That's ALL that happened. No EBS message scrolled across.

I haven't noticed very many EBS messages since I switched to an m-card, but the other one that I did notice within the last two weeks at least had a message that scrolled.

I had the EBS take over my Tivo and not display any message today at 12:30 PM.

Anyone else with an M-Card in your Tivo seeing this happen besides me and dlfl?

[cwoody222]

To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in "Casablanca": A TWC CSR gave you bad infomation? I'm SHOCKED! :cool:

A TA with 8-blinks will never do anything useful since that code means it isn't authorized, which requires signals sent from the cable plant. I suspect the distribution system in the apartment doesn't transfer the OOB signals the TA uses to communicate (two-ways) with the cable plant. Can your daughter find anyone else in that building that uses a TiVo with a TA and CableCARD successfully? I also have trouble believing that basic cable channels require a TA (i.e., use SDV). I suspect they're distributing analog versions of the channels, which means you don't even need a CableCARD.

I agree here.

I bet the apartment complex is getting analog versions of channels (and therefore don't need a CC or TA).

However, they are probably also getting the local HD stations which would require a CC to properly map the channel guide data but would not require a TA.

I'd try the TiVo just with a coax attached and see what happens. If you can get all the channels you're supposed to, no TA needed.

If they can also tune the HD locals (may be on odd channel numbers) then ask TW to provide a CC for those (if they want them). The CC will cost $2.50/mo or so.

[teasip]

Thanks for the assistance, and confirmation, from my walk through TWC land. I ran out of time on Saturday to try it without the TA but had suspected this. Don' know of anyone else in the complex that she is friends with, that much less has a TiVo (remember, dads are stupid at this stage of life and aren't allowed any "inside" information). I did find the HD versions of her locals, as well as HD broadcasts of HGTV and either USA or some other national cable broadcast in that range. I will text her today and ask her to try the coax directly to the TiVo and bypass the TA.

[dlfl]

I had the EBS take over my Tivo and not display any message today at 12:30 PM.

Anyone else with an M-Card in your Tivo seeing this happen besides me and dlfl?
What's your location? I'm in Englewood (northwest of Dayton). I had an EBS "takeover' at 10:25 am on the same day. The takeover behavior varies each tiime it happens. This time I got a totally black screen and no audio, no scrolling message (and as always no response to the remote control). I was watching, on a delayed basis, a program that started recording at 9:20 am and which was still recording at the time of the EBS. I later played back the program content recorded at the time of the EBS and there was no interruption at that point. Totally erratic behavior. On prior occasions the EBS has substituted two minutes of C-SPAN in recordings!

[kevin120]

To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in "Casablanca": A TWC CSR gave you bad infomation? I'm SHOCKED! :cool:

A TA with 8-blinks will never do anything useful since that code means it isn't authorized, which requires signals sent from the cable plant. I suspect the distribution system in the apartment doesn't transfer the OOB signals the TA uses to communicate (two-ways) with the cable plant. Can your daughter find anyone else in that building that uses a TiVo with a TA and CableCARD successfully? I also have trouble believing that basic cable channels require a TA (i.e., use SDV). I suspect they're distributing analog versions of the channels, which means you don't even need a CableCARD.

There would not be anything blocking the OOB channel as it is in 70MHz~ range and if they have internet the apartment complex is upgraded to handle digital cable. I have not heard an apartment complex blocking the OOB carrier.

[dlfl]

There would not be anything blocking the OOB channel as it is in 70MHz~ range and if they have internet the apartment complex is upgraded to handle digital cable. I have not heard an apartment complex blocking the OOB carrier.
You're probably right, although I see that the OOB freqs used by my TA are 104 MHz for FDC and 19 MHz for RDC.

I read somewhere that some splitters that work fine in the downstream direction have too much attenuation going the other way (i.e., for the RDC signal). If an amplifier is being used, the same kind of issues would apply, I would think.

[SASouth]

What's your location? I'm in Englewood (northwest of Dayton). I had an EBS "takeover' at 10:25 am on the same day. The takeover behavior varies each tiime it happens. This time I got a totally black screen and no audio, no scrolling message (and as always no response to the remote control). I was watching, on a delayed basis, a program that started recording at 9:20 am and which was still recording at the time of the EBS. I later played back the program content recorded at the time of the EBS and there was no interruption at that point. Totally erratic behavior. On prior occasions the EBS has substituted two minutes of C-SPAN in recordings!

I'm in Springfield. I've seen similar to what you describe during live TV. On occasions when I'm watching a show that was recording when the EBS takeover occurred I sometimes see C-SPAN, other times I see a black screen with a message, sometimes none at all. It's consistently inconsistent.

One thing consistent is that it alway seems to happen at a critical moment in whatever I happen to be watching at the time. :mad:

[clatrell]

I'm getting the NBC Olympics 3D channel from TWC in the Dayton, OH area and it works fine on my Tivo Premiere Elite with an M card. I don't know of any other 3D channels that work, though.

I'm staggered by this. I spent hours with various techs trying to get that channel authorized, and even the guy at the cablecard office said it could not work with my Tivo Premiere.

[dlfl]

I'm staggered by this. I spent hours with various techs trying to get that channel authorized, and even the guy at the cablecard office said it could not work with my Tivo Premiere.
You must be new to TWC service. I repeat what I said a few posts back:
To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in "Casablanca": A TWC CSR gave you bad infomation? I'm SHOCKED! :cool:

I went through the "staggered" phase years ago -- I'm at the "resigned" phase now (i.e., having a definite cord-cutting contingency plan in place) . ;)

Note I also am on TWC SW OH. I don't take it personally. TiVo support is a PITA to them, forced on them by the FCC, and has a negative impact on their bottom line. If more than 1% of their subscribers used TiVo's it might be a different story.

[JimWall]

You're probably right, although I see that the OOB freqs used by my TA are 104 MHz for FDC and 19 MHz for RDC.

I read somewhere that some splitters that work fine in the downstream direction have too much attenuation going the other way (i.e., for the RDC signal). If an amplifier is being used, the same kind of issues would apply, I would think.

I had problems with tuning adapter and I suggest a truck roll to have TWC check the signal strength coming into your apartment and from TA to Tivo.
I have had issues in my condo where coax underground had water damage which was rerun free and also the coax cables that ship with the tuning adapters are cheap and pick up interference on some of the same frequency as the digital signals. TWC replaced those.
Of course splitters weaken signal and some amplifiers do a poor job and actually amplify the noise. TWC replaced my store bought amplifier with one from TWC at no charge.

[clatrell]

You must be new to TWC service. I repeat what I said a few posts back:
To paraphrase Claude Rains' character in "Casablanca": A TWC CSR gave you bad infomation? I'm SHOCKED! :cool:

I went through the "staggered" phase years ago -- I'm at the "resigned" phase now (i.e., having a definite cord-cutting contingency plan in place) . ;)

Note I also am on TWC SW OH. I don't take it personally. TiVo support is a PITA to them, forced on them by the FCC, and has a negative impact on their bottom line. If more than 1% of their subscribers used TiVo's it might be a different story.

Well, resigned yes. I remain constantly surprised however at the new approaches to screwing customers, particularly Tivo customers. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I brought home a TW stb yesterday. The interface is as terrible as I remember it being five years ago, and naturally they couldn't even authorize those 3d channels without sending a tech. It's going back.

[a17z]

Anybody have any issues with TWC (SoCal) today? My Tivo HD was working fine last night and then this morning I had no picture. I tried resetting, double check connections..nothing. I contacted TWC and they tried sending a new signal but that didn't work. They sent someone over immediately and they said that they updated something on their end last night (something with their network). He tried everything to get it going but couldn't. Swapped out my single-stream cable cards for a multi-stream too. He's going to his office to tomorrow research it more. Anyone else have this problem?

[Teeps]

Anybody have any issues with TWC (SoCal) today? My Tivo HD was working fine last night and then this morning I had no picture. I tried resetting, double check connections..nothing. I contacted TWC and they tried sending a new signal but that didn't work. They sent someone over immediately and they said that they updated something on their end last night (something with their network). He tried everything to get it going but couldn't. Swapped out my single-stream cable cards for a multi-stream too. He's going to his office to tomorrow research it more. Anyone else have this problem?

Yes!
Yes I have and it continues this morning.

An observation:
I am getting some HD channels in the 400 range. But not the locals 402, 404, 405, etc.

Please include city and state in your profile
SoCal is too broad; where in SoCal are you located?

[Teeps]

As of 1200 hours today the problem in Torrance is resolved.

I also requested that Time Warner credit my account for 2 days outage.

[a17z]

Me too. The tech came out to do some work this afternoon and he discovered it was already up and running. thanks!

As of 1200 hours today the problem in Torrance is resolved.

[spankdog]

Anybody have any issues with TWC (SoCal) today? My Tivo HD was working fine last night and then this morning I had no picture. I tried resetting, double check connections..nothing. I contacted TWC and they tried sending a new signal but that didn't work. They sent someone over immediately and they said that they updated something on their end last night (something with their network). He tried everything to get it going but couldn't. Swapped out my single-stream cable cards for a multi-stream too. He's going to his office to tomorrow research it more. Anyone else have this problem?

I am having this problem now. Socal TW customer in the city of Orange. Woke up this morning to no picture and just a gay screen on both drives. When I change channels it just says channell unavailable. Channel up down, manual enter, hd, sd and nothing. rebooted several times, unplugged TA, and nothing. During this time the system was set to update and the update finished and was successful but again no picture. I rebooted again as I walked out the door for work so I am hoping for a miracle when I get home.

[dlfl]

....... Woke up this morning to no picture and just a gay screen....
LOL. Is that similar to a gray screen -- or does this define some other kind of image? :p (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

[Grimm1]

I'm a TWC customer in OC too and the same thing happened to me today. Tried all the things you mentioned with no success. Weird thing is if I go to some really high number channels like 1502 I get channel 2 and 1505 I get channel 5 but there is no guide data. I just forced a guide data update about a half hour ago and it is taking a long time to process. I'm hoping it's because it is fixing what ever it screwed up during last nights update.I am having this problem now. Socal TW customer in the city of Orange. Woke up this morning to no picture and just a gay screen on both drives. When I change channels it just says channell unavailable. Channel up down, manual enter, hd, sd and nothing. rebooted several times, unplugged TA, and nothing. During this time the system was set to update and the update finished and was successful but again no picture. I rebooted again as I walked out the door for work so I am hoping for a miracle when I get home.

[Teeps]

Grimm1, spankdog,
Call Time Warner and let them know you are having problems.
If you are seeing a message of channel not available at this time; it's not TiVo.

An alternative to calling is a chat session.
I did that the other day and the agent quickly admitted that TW had a problem and they were working on it... end of session.

Also, insist that Time Warner credit your account for the outage. They will do that if you ask.

[kellykhori]

Having trouble this past week with my series3 HD. i've had perfect reception till this recent bout. Now i've got pixelation and screen blanking issues. I'm calling TWC tomorrow. I'm in Holtville/Imperial Valley area, California. Tried antenna attenuators but no luck. :mad:

[kenjidm]

teeps. - are u still getting all ur stations? I am also in Torrance and am only getting 402,404,405,407,409,411 and 413... No other stations

Twc came out friday swapped out my tuner and cable card said it would work within 24 hrs but nothing... Am pissed and they can't come out till Saturday..

Don't know what's wrong

[Teeps]

teeps. - are u still getting all ur stations? I am also in Torrance and am only getting 402,404,405,407,409,411 and 413... No other stations

Twc came out friday swapped out my tuner and cable card said it would work within 24 hrs but nothing... Am pissed and they can't come out till Saturday..

Don't know what's wrong

As of 0740 hrs this morning, yes.
I don't know why it would require a truck roll.

Definitely, call or chat Time Warner support TODAY. Describe the problem, request affirmation that "they" understand what you have said.

Insist that they credit your account for the days you have had no service.

[tiv0noob]

Hi, new here, hope this is the right place to ask.

Longtime TimeWarner customer looking to leave the vintage SA 8300 DVRs behind for Tivo in the near future. Called TWC today to order a cablecard. Consistent with what I see in the recent pages of this thread, I guess I'll need a tuning adapter to access HD channels--all good so far.

However, two different reps told me there will be an $8/mo charge for the TA, in addition to the cablecard, if I ditch my TWC DVR for Tivo. I was under the impression they couldn't charge cablecard users for any additional converters.

Can any experienced TWC-Tivo users confirm that there are/are not fees in addition to the Cablecard rental to get the full channel lineup on a Tivo? I've had enough past experience with TWC cust svc to wonder if they were correct.

Thanks--off to scan more of this thread.

[scole250]

I have TWC in Raleigh-Durham, NC . I'm charged $2/month for each cable card with no other charge for tuning adapters.

[Teeps]

Can any experienced TWC-Tivo users confirm that there are/are not fees in addition to the Cablecard rental to get the full channel lineup on a Tivo? I've had enough past experience with TWC cust svc to wonder if they were correct.

Thanks--off to scan more of this thread.

Time Warner in Torrance,CA does not charge for tuning adapters.

Please include city and state in your profile.
It can be a great help with some troubleshooting.

[59er]

TWC NYC user here. I have a cable card for which I pay $2 or so (plus an add'l charge of about $4 for the TiVo being my second box, in addition to a plain HD cable box). No charge for my TA.

I don't think the extra DTV charge for a second box is fair, but I negotiated a really amazing promo deal to compensate.

[tiv0noob]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I actually stopped into the local Best Buy while I was out and about to ask the guys about Tivo and local TWC... and was told the $8 monthly fee for the tuning adapter was standard procedure.

Now I get home, and see you guys are getting the adapters with no additional fees aside from the $2 Cablecard rental.

Seems odd that it would be a locally-set policy, but I'll ask around a little more. I just want to know exactly what kind of rates I'm looking at before investing hundreds of $ in hardware and lifetime sub fees.

eta: well, I just found something relevant on the TimeWarner website. Their SDV page says the tuning adapter is free for select devices (which appears to be any device, the list seems to vary across the TWC site), along with a link to order your free TA. I filled out the form, apparently they contact you, but ostensibly there is no charge. Obviously this hasn't been an issue for many of you, but I'm sharing it here in case anyone else is in my situation and being told there is a fee, or maybe already paying a fee (sorry for the modified link, the posting system is restricting me as a noob--just copy/paste)
timewarnercable.com/Midwest/learn/cable/sdv/default.html
I assumed the Best Buy guys knew what they were talking about, given that they also sell Time Warner (and U-Verse, in addition to satellite) installations. I guess TWC must be successfully billing a lot of folks unnecessarily.

[whitepelican]

I assumed the Best Buy guys knew what they were talking about

That's always a mistake. And I wouldn't assume the first 3 or 4 people you talk to from TWC would know anything either.

My experience with getting tuning adapters was something like several hours on the phone getting transferred around, then finally getting a hold of the right person to speak to about it. They then took my information and I had to wait about 7-10 days for the tuning adapters to show up in the mail. Which meant that they weren't going to arrive in time for the scheduled installation. Which meant re-scheduling the next available installation time for a couple of weeks later. All told, it probably took about a month. So plan ahead if you're going to do this.

[SASouth]

That's always a mistake. And I wouldn't assume the first 3 or 4 people you talk to from TWC would know anything either.

My experience with getting tuning adapters was something like several hours on the phone getting transferred around, then finally getting a hold of the right person to speak to about it. They then took my information and I had to wait about 7-10 days for the tuning adapters to show up in the mail. Which meant that they weren't going to arrive in time for the scheduled installation. Which meant re-scheduling the next available installation time for a couple of weeks later. All told, it probably took about a month. So plan ahead if you're going to do this.

If you have a local Time Warner store the process is much simpler if you are an existing customer. At least it was for me when I added a new Tivo Elite to my Tivo arsenal.

I went down to the store and walked up to the counter and asked for a tuning adapter and a multi-stream cable card and was in and out in about 10 minutes. No charge for the tuning adapter and the standard charge for the additional cable card.

[Teeps]

That's always a mistake. And I wouldn't assume the first 3 or 4 people you talk to from TWC would know anything either.


Good advice :up:

My experience obtaining tuning adapter went like this:
In a letter T/W Torrance announced SDV was coming soon. I think that was June 2010.
They suggested going to their web site ASAP and filling out a T/A request (which I promptly did.)
A tuning adapter arrived in the mail in a few months later. I had forgotten all about SDV and the T/A, by the time it arrived.
The new T/A sat in the box, as SDV did not go on line until the end of June 2011.

A note of warning:
If the home run drop from the pole to the house is not freshly installed you might experience problems, immediately after inserting the tuning adapter into your system.
In my case rodents had chewed the RG6 cable at the pole and diminished the signal strength or allowed noise. What ever the problem was with the signal. The T/A did not like it, and there were problems with stations not available and/or severe pixelization.

New guys/gals please include city and state in your profile.

[tiv0noob]

That's always a mistake. And I wouldn't assume the first 3 or 4 people you talk to from TWC would know anything either.


Heh, I've had enough experience with TWC that I just assume the information is incorrect right off the bat. And I couldn't tell you the last time I'd set foot in a Best Buy, it's been years... I buy electronics online... but the guy said he sets up TWC/Tivo customers all the time. Hopefully it's him being clueless, and not my local TWC charging people for what's supposed to be free/included.

Appreciate all the feedback, everyone, thanks.

[tiv0noob]

A note of warning:
If the home run drop from the pole to the house is not freshly installed you might experience problems, immediately after inserting the tuning adapter into your system.
In my case rodents had chewed the RG6 cable at the pole and diminished the signal strength or allowed noise. What ever the problem was with the signal. The T/A did not like it, and there were problems with stations not available and/or severe pixelization.

New guys/gals please include city and state in your profile.
Good to know. I've got two drops to the house, installed in 2004 when new/built. Last time a tech was out, the signal was good to the house, but I've got some bad cables *in* the house (bad contractors/builder) that led to some juggling. Every room was wired, 13 runs with 8 currently connected. At some point, I probably need to run new cable (and would like to run ethernet as well), but I'm kind of dreading that project (finished lower level, so no floor access, and ceilings are all tray or vaulted, with blown-in insulation, so attic access doesn't sound like fun either.) I've got a tech coming out next week, I'll be asking some questions and evaluating the situation then.

[MeInDallas]

I'm in Dallas, TX and I have 4 cable cards and tuning adapters. Self install was a breeze with the new cable card hotline 1-866-606-5889. I pay $2 a month for each cable card and it comes with a tuning adapter for each one at no charge. I was able to go to my local office and pick them up.

[Teeps]

Good to know. I've got two drops to the house, installed in 2004 when new/built. Last time a tech was out, the signal was good to the house, but I've got some bad cables *in* the house (bad contractors/builder) that led to some juggling. Every room was wired, 13 runs with 8 currently connected. At some point, I probably need to run new cable (and would like to run ethernet as well), but I'm kind of dreading that project (finished lower level, so no floor access, and ceilings are all tray or vaulted, with blown-in insulation, so attic access doesn't sound like fun either.) I've got a tech coming out next week, I'll be asking some questions and evaluating the situation then.

Have you heard of MoCa net working?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_over_Coax_Alliance
(side note: TiVo XL4 has built-in MoCa adapter)
(Disclaimer: I have not used MoCa.)

It piggy backs on the RG6 cable along with the rest of the cable co data.
It's supposed to be comparable to eithernet or maybe faster. And no extra wiring!

Only down side, IMO, is additional wall wart power supplies are needed for each MoCa adapter connection; except TiVo Moca.

[wtherrell]

Have you heard of MoCa net working?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multimedia_over_Coax_Alliance
(side note: TiVo XL4 has built-in MoCa adapter)
(Disclaimer: I have not used MoCa.)

It piggy backs on the RG6 cable along with the rest of the cable co data.
It's supposed to be comparable to eithernet or maybe faster. And no extra wiring!

Only down side, IMO, is additional wall wart power supplies are needed for each MoCa adapter connection; except TiVo Moca.

I use a Moca Adaptor connected to a 5 port Ethernet switch. 2 Tivos, Blue Ray Player (Internet capable) and an Internet capable TV all plugged into the switch. Works great. I have another Tivo I tried to connect to MOCA but a TWC signal amplifier in the line prevents connection in spite of all attempts to bypass the signal around it. But it has enabled me to put off (for now, at least) running ethernet cables around thru walls, etc.

[smoberly]

Having trouble this past week with my series3 HD. i've had perfect reception till this recent bout. Now i've got pixelation and screen blanking issues. I'm calling TWC tomorrow. I'm in Holtville/Imperial Valley area, California. Tried antenna attenuators but no luck. :mad:

I am in the Dallas area, and have just this past week started experiencing picture stopping and stuttering and pixelization...I started a post on this a bit ago...now I just saw this....have you spoken to TWC about your issue....what did they tell you?

[kevin120]

I am in the Dallas area, and have just this past week started experiencing picture stopping and stuttering and pixelization...I started a post on this a bit ago...now I just saw this....have you spoken to TWC about your issue....what did they tell you?

I am noticing the same issue in Arlington on a Motorola cable box and it seems to be sporadic and only on the HD SDV channels. Might be a compression issue when a HD channel is trying to show fast moving scenes and the statmux on the channel is constant so there is no way for the channel to increase bits so it pixelates.

[skelm]

Thanks - this number should be stickied at the top. Will save a bunch of unneeded truck rolls

@CableGuy: Per this post (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8670406#post8670406), providers are now required to support self-installs, and the thread linked from that post lists a Time Warner CableCARD Technical Support Desk: 1-866-606-5889

Do you know if the folks at that number are able and authorized to send the necessary reauthorization hits after a reinstall? It would certainly cut down on the number of times we have to reach out to you for help.

[hsuthard]

Hi everyone, I'm a seasoned TiVo user but brand new to TWC and could use some guidance. We just moved from Florida to Honolulu and are having trouble getting one of our two Tivos installed by Time Warner. We've never used the tuning adapters before, so I'm not sure how to diagnose our problem.

We have a Series 3 TiVo that's working great, no problems at all. Our Premiere box, though, is receiving only the standard channels. The guide info for the correct channels is there, but either the channel itself shows a message saying "channel not received, contact your cable company, or decode your cablecard" or it shows another channel's stream on the channel.

The first installer didn't stay until everything was rebooted and guided setup was completed, so I spent a couple of hours on the hone later that night having signals resent and rebooting my TiVo to no avail. They sent a second tech out today who eliminated any chance that the problem was in the cable line, switched the TA and the cable card, but didn't fix the problem.

He left and said they'd call tomorrow to set up another truck roll with a more senior tech.

We obviously are getting a signal, and the TiVo itself seems to be working just fine. Is there anything I can do myself to diagnose and fix the problem or am I at the mercy of waiting again for the cable guy? Thanks!

[Teeps]

We have a Series 3 TiVo that's working great, no problems at all. Our Premiere box, though, is receiving only the standard channels. The guide info for the correct channels is there, but either the channel itself shows a message saying "channel not received, contact your cable company, or decode your cablecard" or it shows another channel's stream on the channel.

Is there anything I can do myself to diagnose and fix the problem or am I at the mercy of waiting again for the cable guy? Thanks!
You indicate that one TiVo works fine, in its current location.
You could swap the problem TiVo to that location, including tuning adapter.
If the TiVo works. The problem is not the TiVo, cable card or tuning adapter.

Look at post 5633 above. I suspect a faulty RG6 cable or termination.
At that point you are at the mercy of Time Warner service guy.
Have them test the signal strength.

While you're here, the S3 could experience a problem with guide data running out, if its been upgraded or has an external drive.

To avoid that problem check the system information section of TiVo. Look for the GC (garbage collection) line.
Make sure the date to the right of the page is updating at least every 3rd day.

[scole250]

Hi everyone, I'm a seasoned TiVo user but brand new to TWC and could use some guidance. We just moved from Florida to Honolulu and are having trouble getting one of our two Tivos installed by Time Warner. We've never used the tuning adapters before, so I'm not sure how to diagnose our problem.

We have a Series 3 TiVo that's working great, no problems at all. Our Premiere box, though, is receiving only the standard channels. The guide info for the correct channels is there, but either the channel itself shows a message saying "channel not received, contact your cable company, or decode your cablecard" or it shows another channel's stream on the channel.

The first installer didn't stay until everything was rebooted and guided setup was completed, so I spent a couple of hours on the hone later that night having signals resent and rebooting my TiVo to no avail. They sent a second tech out today who eliminated any chance that the problem was in the cable line, switched the TA and the cable card, but didn't fix the problem.

He left and said they'd call tomorrow to set up another truck roll with a more senior tech.

We obviously are getting a signal, and the TiVo itself seems to be working just fine. Is there anything I can do myself to diagnose and fix the problem or am I at the mercy of waiting again for the cable guy? Thanks!
Not sure, but verify TWC has the correct channel packages attached to the CC(s). I made some changes recently and a couple new CCs did not have the full digital lineup setup, "Digital Tier" I think. Was handled via phone call.

[hsuthard]

You indicate that one TiVo works fine, in its current location.
You could swap the problem TiVo to that location, including tuning adapter.
If the TiVo works. The problem is not the TiVo, cable card or tuning adapter.

Look at post 5633 above. I suspect a faulty RG6 cable or termination.
At that point you are at the mercy of Time Warner service guy.
Have them test the signal strength.

While you're here, the S3 could experience a problem with guide data running out, if its been upgraded or has an external drive.

To avoid that problem check the system information section of TiVo. Look for the GC (garbage collection) line.
Make sure the date to the right of the page is updating at least every 3rd day.

The tech ran a long cable from the working outlet to the non-working outlet, and vice versa, in order check the outlet and cable line. The working TiVo still worked even when cabled via the other outlet, and the non-working TiVo still didn't work even when cabled via the working outlet. So I am pretty confident the problem is in the TA/Cablecard setup. My husband said they even switched the tuning adapters and were able to narrow down the problem to the cablecard.

What is the purpose of a tuning adapter in general in the TiVo setup?

We haven't modded our S3 at all, and haven't experienced any problems yet *fingers crossed*.

[dlfl]

........What is the purpose of a tuning adapter in general in the TiVo setup?
........
Simple answer is: it's mandatory in order to receive all the channels you pay for on cable systems that use Switched Digital Video (SDV). More systems are going to SDV all the time. For a more detailed explanation see this:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=357703
You can usually find out if your system uses SDV fairly easily. Determining which channels are delievered via SDV can be much harder, presumably since Tuning Adapter users (e.g., TiVo and tuner cards) are the only people who ever ask this question. Cable co furnished equipment has the TA functionality integrated into it. Once you can successfully tune a channel, you can determine whether it's SDV using the Tuning Adapter diagnostics screens. Doing that for all your channels would be VERY tedious however.

[Teeps]

What is the purpose of a tuning adapter in general in the TiVo setup?

An evil perpetrated upon TiVo users because the cable co does not want to spend the $$$$ to install appropriate infrastructure.
Think SDV as a way to pack 12 lbs of $&!T in a 10 lb bag.


We haven't modded our S3 at all, and haven't experienced any problems yet *fingers crossed*.

Then you should not experience the problem.
If you do start seeing a warning about guide data running out.
See this thread: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=472857
Or send a pm.

[hsuthard]

We have a supervisor coming out tomorrow. He called today and told my husband he suspected there were underground problems in the area. My husband suggested he come out with a bunch of cablecards anyway and try subbing them out. I find it very unlikely that there's any underground problem affecting only the tuning adaptor and Cablecard. I'll update after he arrives tomorrow.

[cwoody222]

We have a supervisor coming out tomorrow. He called today and told my husband he suspected there were underground problems in the area. My husband suggested he come out with a bunch of cablecards anyway and try subbing them out. I find it very unlikely that there's any underground problem affecting only the tuning adaptor and Cablecard. I'll update after he arrives tomorrow.

It's RARELY a hardware problems of any kind. Most likely their setup is screwed up in their computers.

Probably a 30 sec fix somewhere.

They're morons.

[hsuthard]

So, there's a tech guy here now that seems much more familiar with Tivos. He tried unplugging the USB cable while rebooting the TiVo and that magically restored our premium channels. He said that unplugging the USB allowed the TiVo to talk back to the tuning adaptor and restore communication.

We were amazed, and said thanks and walked him to the door. Then I went back and tested more channels, only to see that they still didn't come in! Still, my BBCHD channel said channel not available. So I ran outside and chased down his van before he pulled out.

Now he's back and testing some more stuff, I hope we can get this taken care of!

[SCSIRAID]

So, there's a tech guy here now that seems much more familiar with Tivos. He tried unplugging the USB cable while rebooting the TiVo and that magically restored our premium channels. He said that unplugging the USB allowed the TiVo to talk back to the tuning adaptor and restore communication.

We were amazed, and said thanks and walked him to the door. Then I went back and tested more channels, only to see that they still didn't come in! Still, my BBCHD channel said channel not available. So I ran outside and chased down his van before he pulled out.

Now he's back and testing some more stuff, I hope we can get this taken care of!

Sounds like your account is misconfigured. Have him call to the office and have them 'balance' the account and send a hit.

[hsuthard]

After switching out cablecards, tuning adapters, and USB cords (just in case, you never know), we once again switched just the TiVo box and concluded the problem was in the TiVo box. The working TiVo still works in the other location with the other TA and Cablecard, and the Premiere box doesn't work even in the once-working location with the once-working TA and Cablecard.

I went to call TiVo support and they had already closed, I'll have to call first thing in the morning tomorrow. The box really does seem to be working except that it doesn't want to show me all my channels. It's not a problem I've ever had before that was truly a problem with the TiVo box, so I'm a bit skeptical. However, I'm ready to have tv again, and willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

[cwoody222]

It's RARELY the TiVo's problem or a hardware problem. Most always it's a problem with setup on TWC's end.

I'd put money on the fact that another TiVo is going to have the same problem.

[Welshdog]

So I am considering adding a Tivo to my collection. I currently have a Series 3 and an HD. I'm in Austin on TWC and have some reservations about going digital. We currently have analog only and use OTA for HD. I have been reluctant to try digital cable because of all the CC and TA problems I read about here and elsewhere in Tivocommunity.

I'd like to get an XL 4, but that would be a huge investment to make if the CC doesn't want to work or is trouble prone. I have a cable drop that splits outside and sends a line to the cable modem and one to an amplifier (old Channel Master 3044.) The amplifier splits to various rooms including the living room where all the AV equipment and Tivos live. There, the signal hits a passive splitter to feed the Tivos. I could probably simplify this if needed, by running some new cables to create a more direct path. Also after doing a little research I see that my amplifier probably doesn't pass digital cable co specs so I will need to replace it. Probably with a Electroline EDA-UG2402 zero gain splitter/amp.

I have read in the past that Austin TWC is better than most at helping Tivo owners. Any advice from Austin TWC users (or anyone) would be appreciated.

[dlfl]

So I am considering adding a Tivo to my collection. I currently have a Series 3 and an HD. I'm in Austin on TWC and have some reservations about going digital. We currently have analog only and use OTA for HD. I have been reluctant to try digital cable because of all the CC and TA problems I read about here and elsewhere in Tivocommunity.

I'd like to get an XL 4, but that would be a huge investment to make if the CC doesn't want to work or is trouble prone. I have a cable drop that splits outside and sends a line to the cable modem and one to an amplifier (old Channel Master 3044.) The amplifier splits to various rooms including the living room where all the AV equipment and Tivos live. There, the signal hits a passive splitter to feed the Tivos. I could probably simplify this if needed, by running some new cables to create a more direct path. Also after doing a little research I see that my amplifier probably doesn't pass digital cable co specs so I will need to replace it. Probably with a Electroline EDA-UG2402 zero gain splitter/amp.

I have read in the past that Austin TWC is better than most at helping Tivo owners. Any advice from Austin TWC users (or anyone) would be appreciated.
Hopefully you will get a good response from Austin TWC users to really answer your question, but one thought occurs to me. You could try upgrading to digital cable and getting CC (and tuning adapter?) for your HD and/or S3 as a test. You would have to upgrade to the Electroline and you might want to upgrade your passive splitter if you're not sure it's top quality. However the expense of these upgrades is minor compared to the XL 4, and you can cancel the digital cable upgrade if things don't work out. The Electroline upgrade would be a good thing anyway, even if you don't keep digital cable.

[Teeps]

I have read in the past that Austin TWC is better than most at helping Tivo owners. Any advice from Austin TWC users (or anyone) would be appreciated.

I suggest you look at this thread: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=481894 ; take away from "gteague's experience as worst case... Note: gteague has not posted to this thread since 07-07-2012.
Don't know if all is well with his system or he gave up...

Because of posts like gteague, and others, I've been on the fence, for a year, regarding purchase of a Premier XL4, too, for reasons found in the Premier forum. Most of which have become quiet over the summer.

I have a S3-OLED with 2tb DVR_Dude upgrade drive, cable card (from new) and Tuning Adapter (installed June2011) that works.
Not perfect, but is mostly acceptable.
Cable service from Time Warner, is what it is, mostly good but some SDV channels pixelate, or tile on some shows.
Your mileage will vary, I'm sure.

As stated in the post above, get cable card(s) and T/A install on one of the the existing TiVos and see how it goes.

Not related: big fan of black & tan terriers.

[Welshdog]

Teeps and dlfl: thanks - I think I will do just what you said. Upgrade my infrastructure and try out digital cable with the existing Tivo hardware and see how it goes.


Not related: big fan of black & tan terriers.

Once you try black (and tan), you can't go back! :D

[dcstager]

Patrick Stewart's battle with Time Warner:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2205680/Patrick-Stewarts-battle-Time-Warner-Cable-saps-live.html

[dlfl]

Patrick Stewart's battle with Time Warner:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2205680/Patrick-Stewarts-battle-Time-Warner-Cable-saps-live.html
Sure hope the Federation doesn't try to distribute Tuning Adapters, CableCARD or cable co service to the rest of the universe! That would surely result in a mass attack on Earth! :D

[Teeps]

Teeps and dlfl: thanks - I think I will do just what you said. Upgrade my infrastructure and try out digital cable with the existing Tivo hardware and see how it goes.


Well I stepped off the curb and bought a Premier XL4 the other day.
And, got TiVo to sell me a life time service on my S3 for $99.

[whitepelican]

Help. I'm having some severe pixellation problems on a few channels that have just popped up on my two S3 OLEDs. I have TWC in Northeast Wisconsin with two M-cablecards and a Cisco TA on each S3. I've been running this setup for over a year now with very few problems.

The gist of the issue is this: I have at least 3 HD channels that have the picture breaking up quite badly. Unfortunately, one of them is ESPN which I watch frequently. The same 3 channels are effected on both Tivos, and I've verified that the channels are non-SDV. They also all share the same frequency - 525MHz. The DVR Diagnostics screen shows that these channels only have a Signal strength of about 55, whereas all other channels are between 90-100. This pixellation issue exists on both tuners and both Cablecards, and also still happens even when I remove one of the cablecards.

For troubleshooting, I have removed the TA and all splitters/amplifiers and connected one of the Tivos directly to the incoming cable feed, and the issue persisted. I also tried it with just the amplifier and oddly enough the signal strength on those channels was exactly the same whether the amplifier was in line or not. I know the amp is working, though, because the signal levels on all of my other channels drops when I remove the amp. So, can anyone tell me why this problem only effects the 525MHz frequency, and why the amp seems to have no effect on that frequency?

For some further info - this issue just popped up this week after a TWC tech was here to swap out one of their crappy SA8300 DVRs with a new one. I believe the guy might have monkeyed with my wiring (for no reason whatsoever) where my amp and distribution splitters are. But I can't seem to "un-monkey" it no matter what I do with those splitters and amp. I believe he even went so far as to cut off the connectors and re-terminate some new ones on some of my cables. Is it possible for a bad cable connection to affect just this one frequency? What am I missing here? What else can I check?

I have a TWC tech scheduled to come back this weekend, and I'd like to be able to suggest a solution for him before he further screws things up.

[Teeps]

Help. I'm having some severe pixellation problems on a few channels that have just popped up on my two S3 OLEDs.

Same here on: USA HD, Food HD, NatGeo HD, Discovery HD; but in my case no hardware changes in my system.


I have a TWC tech scheduled to come back this weekend, and I'd like to be able to suggest a solution for him before he further screws things up.

I would call his/her attention to the signal strength discrepancy first thing.

Also, shortly after insertion of tuning adapter (last year) I started seeing the same problem with pixelization or tiling of many channels.
That was a problem with the home run cable from the pole to my house; a rodent chewed the cable.

[OneAn9ryN00b]

timewarnercable.com/Corporate/learn/programming/sports/nfl_redzone.html yay NFL Network finally coming to TWC....but if you notice the (*) at the end, and the small print at the bottom "Some services are not available to CableCARD customers." Quick question....is that legal per FCC rules.

I have noticed my cablecard updated last night with the new channels....but I don't think my Tuning Adapter has updated, because there not showing up in my guide.

(I know this is a Tivo forum. And i have a Ceton, but this issues/FCC rules are the same as far as CablCARDs and Tuning Adapters go.)

[Teeps]

timewarnercable.com/Corporate/learn/programming/sports/nfl_redzone.html yay NFL Network finally coming to TWC....but if you notice the (*) at the end, and the small print at the bottom "Some services are not available to CableCARD customers." Quick question....is that legal per FCC rules.

I have noticed my cablecard updated last night with the new channels....but I don't think my Tuning Adapter has updated, because there not showing up in my guide.

(I know this is a Tivo forum. And i have a Ceton, but this issues/FCC rules are the same as far as CablCARDs and Tuning Adapters go.)

You might want to check here for the answer to your concerns.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1336614/latest-ceton-infinitv-4-info-thread

Far as I know, no "on demand" or "PPV" features function with cable cards.

[samsauce29]

timewarnercable.com/Corporate/learn/programming/sports/nfl_redzone.html yay NFL Network finally coming to TWC....but if you notice the (*) at the end, and the small print at the bottom "Some services are not available to CableCARD customers." Quick question....is that legal per FCC rules.

I have noticed my cablecard updated last night with the new channels....but I don't think my Tuning Adapter has updated, because there not showing up in my guide.

(I know this is a Tivo forum. And i have a Ceton, but this issues/FCC rules are the same as far as CablCARDs and Tuning Adapters go.)

After reading this post I checked and all is well in NW PA. NFL Network on 1346 and tuning fine via cable card and TA. I can't check Red Zone on 1347 since I don't have the Sports Tier.

I wouldn't expect guide data for a week or two due to the suddenness of the change.

[hsuthard]

After switching out cablecards, tuning adapters, and USB cords (just in case, you never know), we once again switched just the TiVo box and concluded the problem was in the TiVo box. The working TiVo still works in the other location with the other TA and Cablecard, and the Premiere box doesn't work even in the once-working location with the once-working TA and Cablecard.

I went to call TiVo support and they had already closed, I'll have to call first thing in the morning tomorrow. The box really does seem to be working except that it doesn't want to show me all my channels. It's not a problem I've ever had before that was truly a problem with the TiVo box, so I'm a bit skeptical. However, I'm ready to have tv again, and willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

Updating our still non-working situation:

I spoke with Tivo and they had me check a few screens on the TA diagnostics and agreed everything seemed to be working. They mailed out a new box to me and I received it yesterday. I set it up and found we still had the same problem: non-SDV non-HD and non-Premium channels show on some channels, but most channels do not display, and I get a Cablecard error message.

I called Oceanic TWC and after another attempt to pair (they refer to it as binding) the CC, they scheduled another technician for next Saturday. This morning, I called Tivo to get their advice. They had me go through several TA Diagnostic screens and also some CC diag screens. They noticed that while the TA seemed to be working fine, the CC showed as "Waiting for Authorization", i.e., it wasn't paired. I hate how TWC knows nothing about all the different diagnostics screens on the Tivo. It seems there is so much information right there in front of them and they just have no idea how to interpret it. Grrr.

So anyway, I called back TWC, hoping to be able to get this fixed over the phone and not have to waste another week, and my Saturday, waiting for a technician who would ultimately fix my problem with a phone call. After a 55-minute hold, I finally got through to a Level 1 Customer Support Rep.

The rep tried again to pair my card, but with no luck. He insisted there was no way to tweak the pairing signal, and nothing could be done except through an on-site technician. This is so incredibly frustrating. I KNOW the problem is in the office, and yet this will be my fourth service call, and we've now been in our home for a full month without the cable working properly.

I hope the next technician is prepared to keep trying cablecard pairing techniques until we find one that works. If anyone has any tips on how to get that signal to work, I'd love to be able to give them some direction. Thanks for all the support so far.

[Teeps]

Updating our still non-working situation:

They noticed that while the TA seemed to be working fine, the CC showed as "Waiting for Authorization", i.e., it wasn't paired.

The sentence above sounded familiar to me.
I had trouble pairing the cards; but it was a HDD upgrade, to my S3-OLED TiVo.

Time Warner's solution:
a) Disconnect the Tuning Adapter from TiVo; Both, RG6 and USB cables.
b) Connect the TW cable in directly to TiVo.
c) send the pairing signal
d) Viola! Authorization completed...
e) reconnect Tuning Adapter, Enjoy...

[dlfl]

The sentence above sounded familiar to me.
I had trouble pairing the cards; but it was a HDD upgrade, to my S3-OLED TiVo.

Time Warner's solution:
a) Disconnect the Tuning Adapter from TiVo; Both, RG6 and USB cables.
b) Connect the TW cable in directly to TiVo.
c) send the pairing signal
d) Viola! Authorization completed...
e) reconnect Tuning Adapter, Enjoy...
Bizarre! But easy to do so definitely worth a try. If that works it suggests the TA isn't properly passing out-of-band (OOB) signals (FDC and/or RDC channels) between the TiVo and the cable plant. Or the coax cable between the TA and TiVo is defective. Or the OOB signal levels are marginal and just removing the TA from the path makes the difference. In either case I would expect operational problems even after the cableCARD is paired.

[hsuthard]

The sentence above sounded familiar to me.
I had trouble pairing the cards; but it was a HDD upgrade, to my S3-OLED TiVo.

Time Warner's solution:
a) Disconnect the Tuning Adapter from TiVo; Both, RG6 and USB cables.
b) Connect the TW cable in directly to TiVo.
c) send the pairing signal
d) Viola! Authorization completed...
e) reconnect Tuning Adapter, Enjoy...

That sounds amazing! I'm going to be trying that today, and if it works ill be sending some happy aloha your way, Teeps!

[whitepelican]

Also, shortly after insertion of tuning adapter (last year) I started seeing the same problem with pixelization or tiling of many channels.
That was a problem with the home run cable from the pole to my house; a rodent chewed the cable.

Wow. You nailed that problem for me. I couldn't believe it was the incoming cable line since I only had the tiling problems on one frequency. But sure enough, the TW tech checked the signals out at the street and on the outside of my home and ended up running a new line from the street. Now the channels that were breaking up and showing 50-60% signal strength are all in the 90s. Apparently, I've had this problem for over a year now, but they move the channels around to different frequencies occasionally so I had never noticed it on a channel I actually watched.

To the credit of the tech, as soon as I mentioned it was only one frequency that was an issue he asked "is it 550MHz?". When I told him he was correct, he said that that one is usually the problem as it is the "{something or another} frequency". I wish I remember what the term he used was.

[cwoody222]

Bad news... Got a letter from TW today stating that they're moving DOZENS of more channels to SDV. THeyre supposedly "lesser watched" ones but they include popular ones like HBO (all), Showtime (all).

This is gonna suck as more and more and more of my shows are recorded as black screens.

TiVo...fix the stupid SDV adapter so it's more reliable!!!

[franzey]

TiVo...fix the stupid SDV adapter so it's more reliable!!!

I am not sure this is a tivo thing. I think TWC does the adapters. However I cannot agree more. I've had TWC out to my house 4 times because of various issues related to channels that are switched. It's becoming extremely annoying. The adapters works some of the time at best and support has almost no experience with them (nor do they care about them in my opinion). Twice in 4 months, I've had someone out and the support tech said mine is the only one he's ever worked with.

[cwoody222]

I blame both since they created the technology together.

They got it "sorta" working and then stopped.

I don't bother reporting it to TW because the ONLY thing they do is offer to send a tech which is worthless and just a waste of my time.

[jsmata1977]

I am new to TWC but not Tivo. I had my service hooked up after a move on Monday. All channels were working fine but then last night I noticed channels were no longer receiving signal, mainly TruTv & CMT as well as C-Span. Contacted TW and they said I needed to call and have my Tivo boxes activated on their service. Call the # and they have no idea what Im talking about or why the rep told me this info. Anyone know what is going on? I have basic cable lineup with no m-cards. I was told I didnt need them since I wasnt ordering premium channels. Was that incorrect info also? The same channels are out on both Tivos so I doubt its a hardware issue. Please help if possible! Im already fed up with TW after only a few days.

[cwoody222]

My dad is upgrading this weekend to HD cable and trading his TiVo S2 for a Premiere.

I had coached him on what to say to TW at their local office. Good thing because he said they insisted that "TiVo won't work with our equipment". He said if he hadn't known what I had told him for months he likely would have just ordered their DVR and returned his TiVo.

It's almost 2013... why is this still happening?!?!

I'm nervous they're not going to bring the CableCARD and/or SDV box for the install... I'm going to have to double-check.

I'm going to be there for the install to see how big of an idiot the installer is.

They also didn't know if the modem for their Internet service included a wireless router or not.

[tatergator1]

I am new to TWC but not Tivo. I had my service hooked up after a move on Monday. All channels were working fine but then last night I noticed channels were no longer receiving signal, mainly TruTv & CMT as well as C-Span. Contacted TW and they said I needed to call and have my Tivo boxes activated on their service. Call the # and they have no idea what Im talking about or why the rep told me this info. Anyone know what is going on? I have basic cable lineup with no m-cards. I was told I didnt need them since I wasnt ordering premium channels. Was that incorrect info also? The same channels are out on both Tivos so I doubt its a hardware issue. Please help if possible! Im already fed up with TW after only a few days.

I assume you have plugged the coax cable directly from the wall to your Tivo and are receiving most of your Basic Cable channels via the old Analog signals. Based on the channels you're referencing and the fact you do not have a CableCard, these channels have likely been moved to a Digital only broadcast.

The only way to receive these channels via your Tivo would be get a CableCard from TWC so that the Tivo can decode the encrpyted Digital signals for those specific channels.

The on thing to consider would be that once you insert the CabelCard into your Tivo, you will then receive the Digital versions of all your Basic Cable stations, along with the copy protection that TWC annoyingly applies to every station they are legally allowed to (everything but the local broadcast stations, CBS, ABC, etc.). If you currently like to transfer shows to your computer or have another Tivo with which you use MRV and transfers shows between boxes, this will now be prevented for all stations other that the local broadcast stations.

[videobruce]

The problem isn't the card it's their damn SDV and their TA's that apparently don't communicate!

Here is their stated response to SDV;
http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/support/faqs/faqs-tv/switcheddi/does-the-tuning-adapter-work-w.html

If that doesn't work here is the quote. Note, the Preimier is not listed.;
TV >> Switched Digital Video (SDV) >> Does the Tuning Adapter work with all models of TiVos?

Question:
Does the Tuning Adapter work with all models of TiVos?

Answer:
No. Only TiVos with CableCARDs: HD, HD XL, and TiVo Series3 HD DVRs are compatible with the Tuning Adapter.

Currently, Tuning Adapters are compatible with the following devices:
UDCP devices (retail set top boxes/DVRs):
TiVo DVR (Series 3, HD, or HD XL)
Moxi HD DVR

OCUR devices (for use with a Windows 7 PC):
Ceton InfiniTV 4 Multi-Tuner PC Card

[SASouth]

I am new to TWC but not Tivo. I had my service hooked up after a move on Monday. All channels were working fine but then last night I noticed channels were no longer receiving signal, mainly TruTv & CMT as well as C-Span. Contacted TW and they said I needed to call and have my Tivo boxes activated on their service. Call the # and they have no idea what Im talking about or why the rep told me this info. Anyone know what is going on? I have basic cable lineup with no m-cards. I was told I didnt need them since I wasnt ordering premium channels. Was that incorrect info also? The same channels are out on both Tivos so I doubt its a hardware issue. Please help if possible! Im already fed up with TW after only a few days.

This is typical. TW has given you bogus information.

Most cable channels, especially high definition channels, are now encrypted and in order to receive them you'll need to get an M-card for each Tivo. If Switched Digital Video (SDV) has been implemented in your area--and it is likely that it has--you'll also need a tuning adapter for each Tivo.

[tatergator1]

The problem isn't the card it's their damn SDV and their TA's that apparently don't communicate!

Here is their stated response to SDV;
http://www.timewarnercable.com/en/residential-home/support/faqs/faqs-tv/switcheddi/does-the-tuning-adapter-work-w.html

If that doesn't work here is the quote. Note, the Preimier is not listed.;

Yes, the Premiere is not listed, but that is a symptom of TW's ineptitude in general, as they haven't updated that particular FAQ entry since TA's were first introduced.

I've had my CableCard and TA up and running with my Premiere for nearly 4 months now, with only one freeze on the TA, it has otherwise worked perfectly. I'm not defending TWC, I just dislike inaccurate generalizations.

Besides, the OP only gets Basic Cable. This is not an SDV or TA problem, he can only be viewing Analog Cable without a CableCard, and the simple answer is that the three stations, which are relatively unpopular, have been moved to Digital Only and he needs only a Cable Card to view them. I find it highly unlikely that TWC has put Basic Cable stations on SDV yet.

[dlfl]

jsmata1977,
Please give your location (preferably add it to your profile so it shows on every post). Also, what model is your TiVo?

This is typical. TW has given you bogus information.

Most cable channels, especially high definition channels, are now encrypted and in order to receive them you'll need to get an M-card for each Tivo. If Switched Digital Video (SDV) has been implemented in your area--and it is likely that it has--you'll also need a tuning adapter for each Tivo.
True but the fact the channels he mentioned were received recently without CableCARD means those channels were available as analog signals, at least at that time.
I assume you have plugged the coax cable directly from the wall to your Tivo and are receiving most of your Basic Cable channels via the old Analog signals. Based on the channels you're referencing and the fact you do not have a CableCard, these channels have likely been moved to a Digital only broadcast.

The only way to receive these channels via your Tivo would be get a CableCard from TWC so that the Tivo can decode the encrpyted Digital signals for those specific channels.
...........
I think this scenario is the only one that fits the described situation. I believe it is typical for TWC to "simulcast" the basic SD channels (1-100) as both digital and analog signals. The two versions of each channel are on different frequencies but usually map to the same channel numbers whether you are tuning the analog or digital versions. When you have a CableCARD you get the digital versions only. Without CableCARD you get the analog versions.

The tuning adapter will normally be furnished free of charge by TWC. The CableCARD will typically cost $2 per month. You can't assume anything about the quality of TWC support of TiVo's. The FCC has regulated good support and the Cable Cos maintain they are giving it. But the reports of bad support keep rolling in.

[cwoody222]

My guess is that those channels recently moved to SDV for the poster. TWC recently moved a LOT of channels to SDV here and I'm almost positive C-SPAN was one of them and I bet CMT and TruTV was too.

[cwoody222]

Well, Time Warner messed up another TiVo install today. My dad ordered HD cable, Internet, a CableCARD and a SDV Adapter in his local store the other day. The install day was today.

The morons from Comtec showed up... without a CableCARD or SDV Adapter. He said the adapter should have come in the mail. He had no idea about the CARD. He said, "We don't carry those". Great.

He also had down to collect 2 SD STB's from the home... nope, we're only turning in 1.

Was ANYTHING on the order correct?

While he called in to straighten things out (for another day), the other guy got started on the Internet install. We needed to run Ethernet under the floor, thru the basement, to where the PC was. They didn't have a Enternet cable nearly long enough (like their longest would barely go from behind the TV to the set). Luckily I brought two 20' + ones. So we used mine.

They also used my dad's existing cable splitter instead of offering a new one.

My father and I ran the Ethernet thru the basement and up thru the floor while they watched. They basically plugged in the modem and typed some numbers onto a webpage to authenticate everything (couldn't even use Firefox for that... "had to" use IE he said... I didn't ask what happens when the customer has a Mac).

And then they left. TW is supposed to call my dad back to schedule ANOTHER visit with the SDV Adapter (maybe... if they "carry them", the installer said) and the CARD.

The installer said we're "not allowed" to do a self-install (uh, huh, sure we're not) but I want an installer to come anyway since I can't drive out there again and my dad won't be comfortable doing it himself. I'm just worried without me there the installer will screw it up and - worse - leave before it's done correctly.

And I'm worried the SDV Adapter won't arrive until after the install date which means my father still won't get all his channels.

What a mess. They really are morons at Time Warner Cable. The prove it every. single. time.

[kevin120]

My guess is that those channels recently moved to SDV for the poster. TWC recently moved a LOT of channels to SDV here and I'm almost positive C-SPAN was one of them and I bet CMT and TruTV was too.

actually they were not moved to SDV they were moved to digital only. All of the expanded basic digital simulcast channels were actually moved off of SDV. So no TWC did not move more to SDV they moved channels off of SDV :) TWC launched SD and HD DTA's that are one way devices for expanded and basic customers so they that they could free up some bandwidth for DOCSIS channels.

[kevin120]

Noticed that TWC finally got SDV up in running in the former comcast areas of southern california and they are not switching as many channels in the 750MHz areas that have expanded basic digital only as they are in the 860MHz/1GHz hubs in Socal. I noticed that 16 QAMs are allocated for SDV in the former comcast areas while the former adelphia areas and legacy TWC areas have either 22 or 24 QAMs allocated to SDV. The former comcast areas don't need as many SDV QAMs because they still have a lot of the HD channels and regular SD channels on fixed QAMs in the range where the old scrambled analogs used to be.

[cwoody222]

I chatted with Time Warner customer service about my dad's botched install last night.

They weren't very apologetic of helpful. They basically told me to have him go get a CableCARD and install it himself and then wait for the SDV adapter to come in the mail. And they couldn't tell me how long that would be.

They escalated it to a supervisor and gave me an escalation # but wasn't clear what would happen next.

I'm not even sure if the adapter has been ordered yet.

My dad is reluctant to try the CableCARD install himself but I want him to on Monday. What is the 800 number that he should call? TiVo or TW? Will TiVo still do a three-way call and walk him and the dumb TW person thru everything?

I'm also worried that they haven't upgraded his account info for the HD package... Can they do that at the same time when pairing the card?

If he will have to call back again to upgrade the package and sit on hold he won't do it... No patience ;)

[mrelectron]

I chatted with Time Warner customer service about my dad's botched install last night.

They weren't very apologetic of helpful. They basically told me to have him go get a CableCARD and install it himself and then wait for the SDV adapter to come in the mail. And they couldn't tell me how long that would be.

They escalated it to a supervisor and gave me an escalation # but wasn't clear what would happen next.

I'm not even sure if the adapter has been ordered yet.

My dad is reluctant to try the CableCARD install himself but I want him to on Monday. What is the 800 number that he should call? TiVo or TW? Will TiVo still do a three-way call and walk him and the dumb TW person thru everything?

I'm also worried that they haven't upgraded his account info for the HD package... Can they do that at the same time when pairing the card?

If he will have to call back again to upgrade the package and sit on hold he won't do it... No patience ;)

TWC National Cable Card and Tuning adaptor Support Center at (866) 532-2598. I called a few weeks ago, These people were very helpful and knew exactly how to accomplish all things tivo.

Good luck

[Joey Bagadonuts]

TWC National Cable Card and Tuning adaptor Support Center at (866) 532-2598. I called a few weeks ago, These people were very helpful and knew exactly how to accomplish all things tivo.

Good luck

mrelectron, would this be the same number I should call if I am getting the message reading, "This channel not authorized" on channels I should be getting? It's only happening on one of our 4 Premier DVRs and it's happening more and more frequently.

[cwoody222]

Well, the escalation number must have helped because a supervisor just called my father to tell him a CableCARD and SDV Adapter would arrive at his house within 2 business days as long as he agrees to the self-install.

So that's good.

But of course today his Internet stopped working. Either it's a coincidence or, I suspect, they screwed up his account with all these changes/fixes and deactivated his Internet. Grrr.

[Teeps]

But of course today his Internet stopped working. Either it's a coincidence or, I suspect, they screwed up his account with all these changes/fixes and deactivated his Internet. Grrr.

That's what happens when too many hands get involved.

I had a new cable modem authorized a few weeks ago with no problem. Did it via Time Warner Support "chat" session.
About 14 days later, I had to authorize a different cable modem (don't ask) and it took 3 phone calls to get "it" working.
On the last call, the third agent told me that the first and second agents didn't enter some "data in the right field."

The 3rd call took about 45 minutes; but the internet was working when I ended the call.

[cwoody222]

To be fair, the Internet problem was due to the router. Power cycling it fixed it.

It's an old non-wireless router that I had sitting around in a box for years. It may be on it's way out.

[Teeps]

To be fair, the Internet problem was due to the router. Power cycling it fixed it.

It's an old non-wireless router that I had sitting around in a box for years. It may be on it's way out.

Is there still such a thing as a non wireless router?

[cwoody222]

My father's CableCARD and SDV Adapter arrived today, as promised. He was able to install the card and he can get all non-SDV channels now.

The operator could not get the Adapter to go to all solid green lights. Naturally, she blamed a hardware defect and told him to return the box for another one (little does she know they don't even stock them in stores).

He's trying the TiVo 800 number now for help.

[cwoody222]

TiVo 800 number couldn't help with the Adapter, they said.

So he went to the local store and lo and behold they DO stock the Adapters there. No clue why they didn't seem to know that last week when he walked in to order HD service nor why the tech on Saturday didn't know that either.

Anyway, the replacement box also won't get back blinking lights. He tried to power cycle everything in the required order. Still no go.

Via Facebook (which he shouldn't need to seek out), their customer service offered him a truck roll tomorrow morning which he accepted.

So... so far, 2 visits to store, 2 toll free calls and 2 truck rolls and about a week of effort. And we're not done yet.

[Teeps]

TiVo 800 number couldn't help with the Adapter, they said.

So he went to the local store and lo and behold they DO stock the Adapters there. No clue why they didn't seem to know that last week when he walked in to order HD service nor why the tech on Saturday didn't know that either.

Anyway, the replacement box also won't get back blinking lights. He tried to power cycle everything in the required order. Still no go.

Via Facebook (which he shouldn't need to seek out), their customer service offered him a truck roll tomorrow morning which he accepted.

So... so far, 2 visits to store, 2 toll free calls and 2 truck rolls and about a week of effort. And we're not done yet.

Did he try a different USB cable?

[cwoody222]

Well he got two whole Adapter box packages so yes, he had two USB's.

[cwoody222]

It wasn't hardware. The 2nd installer, the one who came today, was able to Provision the Adapter box by making a phone call. Clearly the operator my dad got on the phone yesterday when he tried his self-install didn't know what she was doing and just blamed the hardware.

So, 2 phone calls, a lengthy Facebook chat, 2 trips to the local store, 2 installation trips, 2 SDV boxes, and a few hours of my time... and he's finally set up. At least it only took a week (3 days, counting from the first install date).

Ridiculous.

[cwoody222]

It wasn't hardware. The 2nd installer, the one who came today, was able to Provision the Adapter box by making a phone call. Clearly the operator my dad got on the phone yesterday when he tried his self-install didn't know what she was doing and just blamed the hardware.

So, 2 phone calls, a lengthy Facebook chat, 2 trips to the local store, 2 installation trips, 2 SDV boxes, and a few hours of my time... and he's finally set up. At least it only took a week (3 days, counting from the first install date).

Ridiculous.

Spoke too soon. His account isn't correct; he's not getting all his channels. Making call #3...

[cwoody222]

Call #3 was met with a "we'll have a tech call you back". No one called back. He went to local store today and they properly authorized his channels on his CableCARD from there.

As of Thursday, his set up may finally be done.

Take these posts as a cautionary tale about EVER doing business with Time Warner!

[smoberly]

(I posted this as a separate post in the premiere page, sorry for the duplication)

I have been running three TiVo's (two premieres and a series 3) with Time Warner cable cards and tuning adapters for months....no issues.

Over the weekend I switched to Time Warner internet. Part of the promotion was that I am to receive all of the movie channels for free for three months. After the install, I made sure that all of my TiVo's could connect to the new internet...what I did not check was whether I was receiving all of my channels.

I was not.

I was not receiving all of the movie channels, just the HBO and Showtime primary channels...plus all of the other channels I was previously receiving.

After multiple calls to Time Warner, I finally got to the cable card help line and after a 45 minute wait and a lot of troubleshooting; we got the master bedroom and the guest room working properly. After multiple attempts, resending the signal several times, I never got to the point where I was receiving all of my channels, and we finally stopped when I was receiving only two of my local network channels (Fox and NBC) and the primary HBO and Showtime. We stopped and agreed to an onsite technical visit.

The technician with whom I was speaking did suggest that if I did not want to wait for my appointment, that I could try going to my local Time Warner office to simply swap out the tuning adapter, since he believed this to be the problem. My appointment is for tomorrow, so I decided I could wait.

In the interim, I decide to do some of my own troubleshooting, so I swapped out the tuning adapter in the guest room (which was receiving all of my channels) with the one in the living room. Same problem with the new tuning adapter.

The only change that was made to the living room set up during the internet install was the installation of a cable splitter, so that I could have one feed going to my router and the other to my TiVo. We also rearranged the living room furniture, so that I was now plugged in to a different cable outlet.

Has anyone seen the use of a cable splitter as the cause of a problem with channel reception?

It does not seem the tuning adapter to be the problem...troubleshooting with the Time Warner tech did not seem to reveal a cable card issue....
Is the splitter causing the problem? Could switching cable outlets have created a problem?
Any thought on this?

[Welshdog]

I'm on TWC Austin and will be moving to a Cablecard soon. Fortunately TWC Austin has one of the better track records regarding Tivo, CableCards and TAs as far as i can tell. So my apprehension level is not too high just yet. :eek:

However, I read on another Tivocommunity thread that TWC enable copy protection on ALL digital channels. Does anyone know if this is true? Does TWC Austin do this? If they do, that will be a problem as my wife sometimes likes to put Tivo recorded shows on her iPad when she travels. I use Toast and a new Mac Mini to prepare the files, but if they are copy protected I assume this will no longer work.

[cwoody222]

When I ordered Showtime I lost some channels until they fixed it.

Some idiot borked up your account by trying to add things. A tech visit or a new adapter ain't gonna fix it.

Call 'em back and try to get someone competent.

[cwoody222]

I'm on TWC Austin and will be moving to a Cablecard soon. Fortunately TWC Austin has one of the better track records regarding Tivo, CableCards and TAs as far as i can tell. So my apprehension level is not too high just yet. :eek:

However, I read on another Tivocommunity thread that TWC enable copy protection on ALL digital channels. Does anyone know if this is true? Does TWC Austin do this? If they do, that will be a problem as my wife sometimes likes to put Tivo recorded shows on her iPad when she travels. I use Toast and a new Mac Mini to prepare the files, but if they are copy protected I assume this will no longer work.

You are correct. All TWC markets do this.

You will be limited to only transferring your local broadcast channels. It sucks :(

[Welshdog]

Has anyone seen the use of a cable splitter as the cause of a problem with channel reception?

It does not seem the tuning adapter to be the problem...troubleshooting with the Time Warner tech did not seem to reveal a cable card issue....
Is the splitter causing the problem? Could switching cable outlets have created a problem?
Any thought on this?

This does seem to be the likely source of your trouble. Either the splitter is inadequate or the cable outlet you moved to has an issue. One thing I have seen in home video cables and cables where I work (video post production) is that a single strand of the shielding braid can sometime get caught in the connector and can even touch the center conductor. With analog it usually will work anyway even though the signal will be degraded. With digital it will not work. In fact digital is very sensitive to this and many other things like cable kinking. For digital to work, your cabling has to be perfect.

EDIT: In fact I am upgrading some of my wire and devices in anticipation of going digital/cablecard. I added an Electroline Drop Amp (unity gain because my runs are not very long). It passes all signals (digital and analog) in both directions. http://www.electroline.com/product_EDA_UG.php Also making sure the cables I have are properly terminated and are good quality RG-6.

I have concerns about an outdoor splitter TWC put in years ago when I got Roadrunner. If I have problems when I get the Cablecard I'll have the option of removing the splitter and using the Electroline to split off the various TV cables and the cable modem line without any losses.

[scole250]

Has anyone seen the use of a cable splitter as the cause of a problem with channel reception?

It does not seem the tuning adapter to be the problem...troubleshooting with the Time Warner tech did not seem to reveal a cable card issue....
Is the splitter causing the problem? Could switching cable outlets have created a problem?
Any thought on this?
Any time you change something on the coax wiring, you risk causing a signal quality problem that TA's are sensitive to. Putting a splitter in divides the signal strength, adds new connections that if not done well add noise. Go to the TA diagnostic page and check the FDC and SNR levels. FDC should be no more than +/- 10 (closer to 0 the better) and RDC should over 30.

[smoberly]

Any time you change something on the coax wiring, you risk causing a signal quality problem that TA's are sensitive to. Putting a splitter in divides the signal strength, adds new connections that if not done well add noise. Go to the TA diagnostic page and check the FDC and SNR levels. FDC should be no more than +/- 10 (closer to 0 the better) and RDC should over 30.

got it...I'll do it.

Thanks.

[scole250]

Just to clarify which FDC and RDC stat...
FDC +/-10 dBmV (closer to 0 the better)
RDC over 30 dBmV

[smoberly]

Just to clarify which FDC and RDC stat...
FDC +/-10 dBmV (closer to 0 the better)
RDC over 30 dBmV

okay...I didn't find RDC, and there ARE TWO fdc'S...here is what the screen says:

Downstream status, OOB Freq: 75.250 MHz, carrier lock: yes, SNR 17dB fair, data:yes, hunt mode: none

inband freq: 693.000 MHz QAM256, carrier lock: yes, SNR 32 dB Good

[scole250]

What model TA do you have? These are the TA diag pages from my Cisco STA1520
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17859&d=1357651816
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=17860&d=1357651831

[smoberly]

I don't recognize that screen...will have to check when I get home later today...Time Warner scheduled for a 4:00 appointment this afternoon...let's hope they can resolve this.

[smoberly]

My TA's are Motorola....

[scole250]

Well, them's shoes of a different sort. Not sure if the Motorola equipment operates the same way or has the same signal specs.

[dlfl]

okay...I didn't find RDC, and there ARE TWO fdc'S...here is what the screen says:

Downstream status, OOB Freq: 75.250 MHz, carrier lock: yes, SNR 17dB fair, data:yes, hunt mode: none

inband freq: 693.000 MHz QAM256, carrier lock: yes, SNR 32 dB Good
On a Cisco system at least, both these SNR's would be on the low side. My OOB SNR is typically 26 dB and inband QAM256 (i.e., a tuned channel) SNR is typically in the 34+ dB range.

Measure the signal strengths for some channels. I suspect they will be on the low side (i.e., below 75).

[smoberly]

so what exactly does the SNR tell me?

[scole250]

SNR (and S/N on Cisco) is the signal to noise ratio. It's recommended to be higher than 30 dB. SNR of 17 dB is too low. Could be from low signal level due to too many splits or high noise level due to bad cable or connectors. Did cable tech not find anything yesterday?

[smoberly]

SNR (and S/N on Cisco) is the signal to noise ratio. It's recommended to be higher than 30 dB. SNR of 17 dB is too low. Could be from low signal level due to too many splits or high noise level due to bad cable or connectors. Did cable tech not find anything yesterday?

he no-showed....very frustrating...I spent an hour on the phone last night..when setting the appointment, I had asked them to do the appointment pre-call to my cell phone because my plan was to just leave the office and head home when he called....well, he called my home number instead...no one was there, so they cancelled the appointment.

After an hour, being transferred seven times, and receiving no satisfaction, I finally got to the retention/cancellation group....we are re-scheduled for this afternoon.

More to follow.....

[SCSIRAID]

SNR (and S/N on Cisco) is the signal to noise ratio. It's recommended to be higher than 30 dB. SNR of 17 dB is too low. Could be from low signal level due to too many splits or high noise level due to bad cable or connectors. Did cable tech not find anything yesterday?

Acceptable SNR differs with modulation type. 30+ is required for QAM256 but the OOB channel is QAM64 which requires less SNR.

[scole250]

I think QAM64 still needs SNR over 24 dB maybe.

[SCSIRAID]

I think QAM64 still needs SNR over 24 dB maybe.
I dont know the actual value needed... but QAM64 can definitely cope with quite a bit more noise than QAM256 and thus can operate at a much lower SNR than QAM256..... BUT... In the same cable system, I wouldnt expect such large delta between the FDC and the channel you are trying to watch. With my TA, the SNR delta between FDC and watched channel is about 5db (33db FDC vs 38db RDC) as measured by the TA. The signal level is 5dBmV different (-4dBmV vs 1dBmV). To have a 25db SNR difference means the FDC is at a pretty low level in comparison with the active channel (which is also showing a questionable SNR of 32db).


Page 14 shows a table with error probabilities for both schemes at various SNR's. It shows 24db SNR as pretty much sucking for both schemes. At 30db SNR, it shows QAM64 as having 8 orders of magnitude better error probabilities than QAM256.

http://docsis.beckitrue.com/documents/sunrise/QAM_Impairment_Effects_on_MER_BER_104.pdf

lrhorer could do this subject more justice than I could.

EDIT: Found another reference to acceptable SNR's..

http://www.dslreports.com/faq/5862

QPSK: 12 dB minimum. 15 dB or higher recommended. (often used in upstream channels)
16 QAM: 18 dB minimum. 21 dB or higher recommended. (often used in upstream channels)
64 QAM: 24 dB minimum. 27 dB or higher recommended. (often used in downstream channels)
256 QAM: 30 dB minimum. 33 dB or higher recommended. (often used in downstream channels)

[scole250]

So do you think smoberly's issue is due to poor signal or too much noise or something else?

[SCSIRAID]

So do you think smoberly's issue is due to poor signal or too much noise or something else?

I think he has a poor signal problem. Low overall level with too much negative tilt. Bad cable, bad splitter etc etc.

However, that may not be the only problem there is. TA's and Cablecards are notorious for issues leading from cableco account configuration problems... (improperly balanced or configured accounts etc). Since TWC is mostly Cisco based and that is what is typically discussed here, I dont know if Moto based systems have the same kind of issues. That said... the first thing I would do is clean up the signal and get the SNR's up to snuff. Then I would reinitialize the account and re-hit the boxes and see what results.

[smoberly]

I think he has a poor signal problem. Low overall level with too much negative tilt. Bad cable, bad splitter etc etc.

However, that may not be the only problem there is. TA's and Cablecards are notorious for issues leading from cableco account configuration problems... (improperly balanced or configured accounts etc). Since TWC is mostly Cisco based and that is what is typically discussed here, I dont know if Moto based systems have the same kind of issues. That said... the first thing I would do is clean up the signal and get the SNR's up to snuff. Then I would reinitialize the account and re-hit the boxes and see what results.

SCSIRAID--Thanks so much for the input....by means of update, Time Warner no-showed again last night. The tech actually called me at 3:30 to tell me he would be late for the 4:00-5:00 appointment...said it would be closer to 5:45 as he was still on a job. I told him that was fine and that I would be home at that time...just call back when on the way. 6:30 rolls around and I call TW to check on the status...appointment has been closed because no one was home when the tech arrived (this is not true--wife home all day, I got home by 5:15). I blew a gasket, but a lot of good that did....I am now rescheduled again for Friday afternoon...the best retention department would do was to offer a $20 missed appointment credit, or as I was told by the supervisor I spoke to....we would be happy to process a disconnect order for you.

At any rate...needless to say, were it not for the fact that TW is the only option for me to continue to use my TiVo's, I'd be gone so fast....

So, SCSIRAID, back to the issue at hand….when the tech theoretically arrives tomorrow, what should he do to make sure that he, “Cleans up the signal and get the SNR's up to snuff.” What exactly should I expect that he will do?

I appreciate your help….we started losing channels in the bedroom last night, too…which is so odd…I had none of these problems prior to the appointment last weekend when all they did was add internet service….I can’t begin to understand why that would affect my two bedroom units.

[Teeps]

or as I was told by the supervisor I spoke to....we would be happy to process a disconnect order for you.

TWC must be your only option, as that person clearly threw that in your face.

Far as troubleshooting; have you tried connecting a new RG6 cable from the first split to the problematic TiVo(s)?

[SCSIRAID]

SCSIRAID--Thanks so much for the input....by means of update, Time Warner no-showed again last night. The tech actually called me at 3:30 to tell me he would be late for the 4:00-5:00 appointment...said it would be closer to 5:45 as he was still on a job. I told him that was fine and that I would be home at that time...just call back when on the way. 6:30 rolls around and I call TW to check on the status...appointment has been closed because no one was home when the tech arrived (this is not true--wife home all day, I got home by 5:15). I blew a gasket, but a lot of good that did....I am now rescheduled again for Friday afternoon...the best retention department would do was to offer a $20 missed appointment credit, or as I was told by the supervisor I spoke to....we would be happy to process a disconnect order for you.

At any rate...needless to say, were it not for the fact that TW is the only option for me to continue to use my TiVo's, I'd be gone so fast....

So, SCSIRAID, back to the issue at hand….when the tech theoretically arrives tomorrow, what should he do to make sure that he, “Cleans up the signal and get the SNR's up to snuff.” What exactly should I expect that he will do?

I appreciate your help….we started losing channels in the bedroom last night, too…which is so odd…I had none of these problems prior to the appointment last weekend when all they did was add internet service….I can’t begin to understand why that would affect my two bedroom units.

I would expect him to take his signal analyzer and look at signal quality where the cable enters your house. That would tell him whether the problem is backward or forward from that point. Then he would walk forward or backward thru the cabling and replace coax connectors and spltters till he finds the culprit. He can look at the levels on TA's and other STB's without even being at your house IF they are in 2 way mode and able to communicate else he can check there with the same signal analyzer.

[smoberly]

I would expect him to take his signal analyzer and look at signal quality where the cable enters your house. That would tell him whether the problem is backward or forward from that point. Then he would walk forward or backward thru the cabling and replace coax connectors and spltters till he finds the culprit. He can look at the levels on TA's and other STB's without even being at your house IF they are in 2 way mode and able to communicate else he can check there with the same signal analyzer.

Thanks...let's see what happens...at this point, I'll be happy to just have someone show up at my apartment.

[smoberly]

Time Warner tech on the way now...took an executive level escalation to get someone's attention....hopefully he is successful.

[SCSIRAID]

Time Warner tech on the way now...took an executive level escalation to get someone's attention....hopefully he is successful.

Hopefully they send an actual TWC Employee and not a contractor. The in house techs seem to be more knowledgeable.

TWC worked their butts off with me back when TiVo had undiagnosed pixelation problems on SDV channels. They ended up sending an engineer up from Charlotte with about 100K of test equipment which allowed us to figure out what was going on.

[dlfl]

I would expect him to take his signal analyzer and look at signal quality where the cable enters your house. That would tell him whether the problem is backward or forward from that point. Then he would walk forward or backward thru the cabling and replace coax connectors and spltters till he finds the culprit. He can look at the levels on TA's and other STB's without even being at your house IF they are in 2 way mode and able to communicate else he can check there with the same signal analyzer.
How sophisticated is that signal analyzer? How does it assess tilt, or variation of signal strength or SNR with frequency over the band? I guessing maybe it looks af several discrete 6 MHz bands spread over the band. Does it do any QAM demodulation to check the bitstream quality? My guess is it doesn't.

I'm still amazed (and grateful) at the work you did with TWC and TiVo to get the SDV glitch problem fixed. I get momentary pixelations several seconds after transitions between programs and commercials which I suspect result from an inability of the Tivo HD decoders to handle something. These things don't occur with the Cisco or Samsung DVR's on the same cable system and they don't occur for antenna (OTA) signals. I wonder if the Premiere and Elite tuners would perform better.

[SCSIRAID]

How sophisticated is that signal analyzer? How does it assess tilt, or variation of signal strength or SNR with frequency over the band? I guessing maybe it looks af several discrete 6 MHz bands spread over the band. Does it do any QAM demodulation to check the bitstream quality? My guess is it doesn't.

I'm still amazed (and grateful) at the work you did with TWC and TiVo to get the SDV glitch problem fixed. I get momentary pixelations several seconds after transitions between programs and commercials which I suspect result from an inability of the Tivo HD decoders to handle something. These things don't occur with the Cisco or Samsung DVR's on the same cable system and they don't occur for antenna (OTA) signals. I wonder if the Premiere and Elite tuners would perform better.

The analyzers they carry here are quite sophisticated. The even do QAM analysis and show constellation diagrams.

I had a lot of fun with the pixelation issue... It drove me crazy but the 'hunt' for the problem was very enlightening. Im just glad we found it and TiVo fixed it. TWC was good about providing the info as to what was wrong to TiVo.

[dlfl]

The analyzers they carry here are quite sophisticated. The even do QAM analysis and show constellation diagrams.
.........

Can they tune to any 6 MHz band or just to selected frequencies? Also, I wonder if there are different (less sophisticated) boxes that most technicians use. I had one in my house and neither he nor the instrument he used to check signals seemed to be that sophisticated -- and he couldn't explain what it did very well. The instrument was handheld and about the size of a shoe box but not as deep. I suppose the equipment they use could vary with TWC region, of course.

I definitely suspect the attitude towards TiVo varies with TWC region -- I can't imagine my TWC dispatching a fully equipped team of engineers to debug a TiVo problem!

[scole250]

smoberly, let's get an update on Stump the Chumps. Did the TWC tech solve the issue?

[AJ500]

I've been away from using TiVo on TWC cable for about 12 years. My previous experience was with a Series 2 on TWC basic analog cable.

I recently purchased an XL4 and contracted for TWC digital service. They mailed me a cable card but said I needed to stop by the local Cincinnati TWC store to pick up a Tuning Adapter. The store did not have a TA in stock and said they would call when it would arrive at the store in a few days. The TWC rep gave me his mobile phone number to call. After not receiving a call for several days, I called and left messages several days to get a status. I never got a call back. I didn't want to go back to to store and stand in line again. After two weeks of no call back, the rep finally answered his cell and acted surprised that I didn't have the TA. He said the TA would be sent to me by mail and it arrived in two days.

I called the national TWC CC support line and the tech was helpful in authorizing the CC, but I couldn't receive many of the digital channels that I was supposed to get. For example, I could get a good signal on the local ABC HD channel, but no signal on the local NBC HD channel. Using the CC and TA diagnostic screens on the TiVo, the tech said the signal levels were barely in range and he set up a service call.

The service tech came today and found that some of the frequencies were within spec and others were very low at the wall jack. Then it came to me that the last time I used TWC was the basic analog service (locals plus public access channels) and the other channels were blocked by a trap. The rep removed the trap at the entrance to the house and replaced the 40-year-old coax back to the pole.

Now, I look forward to having TiVo again!

[dlfl]

I've been away from using TiVo on TWC cable for about 12 years. My previous experience was with a Series 2 on TWC basic analog cable.

I recently purchased an XL4 and contracted for TWC digital service. They mailed me a cable card but said I needed to stop by the local Cincinnati TWC store to pick up a Tuning Adapter. The store did not have a TA in stock and said they would call when it would arrive at the store in a few days. The TWC rep gave me his mobile phone number to call. After not receiving a call for several days, I called and left messages several days to get a status. I never got a call back. I didn't want to go back to to store and stand in line again. After two weeks of no call back, the rep finally answered his cell and acted surprised that I didn't have the TA. He said the TA would be sent to me by mail and it arrived in two days.

I called the national TWC CC support line and the tech was helpful in authorizing the CC, but I couldn't receive many of the digital channels that I was supposed to get. For example, I could get a good signal on the local ABC HD channel, but no signal on the local NBC HD channel. Using the CC and TA diagnostic screens on the TiVo, the tech said the signal levels were barely in range and he set up a service call.

The service tech came today and found that some of the frequencies were within spec and others were very low at the wall jack. Then it came to me that the last time I used TWC was the basic analog service (locals plus public access channels) and the other channels were blocked by a trap. The rep removed the trap at the entrance to the house and replaced the 40-year-old coax back to the pole.

Now, I look forward to having TiVo again!
That experience was about par for TWC Southwest Ohio. Good luck but don't be surprised if you have troubles related to your TA and CableCARD. Most common problems are missing channels and tuning failures requiring re-tuning, or causing recording failures. Check that you can receive all the channels you should (that you care about) since incorrect account setup is a common problem. After that you may still occasionally lose all the SDV channels, usually fixed by power-cycling TA and rebooting TiVo. For the tuning failures there is no solution - TiVo has known about this for years but blames it on your cable system although it seems they could have fixed it in software by detecting the failure and re-tuning.

[Teeps]

That experience was about par for TWC Southwest Ohio. Good luck but don't be surprised if you have troubles related to your TA and CableCARD.

With a new home run cable, AJ500's setup, is probably going to be ok.

If it was me, I'd replace the cable that connects to the T/A to the home run, too.

[ToFarGone]

That experience was about par for TWC Southwest Ohio. Good luck but don't be surprised if you have troubles related to your TA and CableCARD. Most common problems are missing channels and tuning failures requiring re-tuning, or causing recording failures. Check that you can receive all the channels you should (that you care about) since incorrect account setup is a common problem. After that you may still occasionally lose all the SDV channels, usually fixed by power-cycling TA and rebooting TiVo. For the tuning failures there is no solution - TiVo has known about this for years but blames it on your cable system although it seems they could have fixed it in software by detecting the failure and re-tuning.

I was a new Tivo user and TWC cable customer. I just sent my Tivo Premiere XL4 back & cancelled my service today because of this very reason. In short, after just a few seconds I would get no signal on SDV or non-SDV channels. It was random and would move from channel to channel, one would come back and another would disappear. The only time it wouldn't happen is when three of the tuners were tuned into the same channel and only one was changing channels. Once they all tuned into different channels the issue would occur immediately.

After 5 weeks of replacing cables, checking cable signals, replacing T/As & CableCards, getting a new Tivo box, and adding attenuators bring the SNR to the 29-35db range; Tivo tech support just gave up. The last tech I talked to said it just wouldn't work for me without offering any reason why.

My final call today with customer support revealed something very interesting. I was informed that the Premiere boxes will not work on a system with an analog signal. Not simply they wouldn't receive an analog signal (although mine did) but if there was an analog signal, the box would not be guaranteed to function properly at all. Tech support didn't mention this in all my conversations with them, so the rep could be mistaken (which isn't good). If she is correct then you have to wonder why their tech support didn't mention this immediately.

Sad really because I liked the Tivo. But if it fails to record and get channels on a daily basis, it is simply not worth it.

[Teeps]

My final call today with customer support revealed something very interesting. I was informed that the Premiere boxes will not work on a system with an analog signal.

Don't tell that to my Premiere XL4, as TWC in Torrance still provides analog programming, ch2 thru ch99.

Of course, the XL4 does not tune them; but it does not fail to tune digital channels because of the analog signal, either.

[rassi]

I just asked about this somewhere else - if I upgrade to a Premiere will I be unable to tune to channels 2-99??? TWC still sends us WGN America on channel 18 and it is the only way I can watch the Cubs....I have to watch the Cubs... LOL!

[scole250]

I just asked about this somewhere else - if I upgrade to a Premiere will I be unable to tune to channels 2-99??? TWC still sends us WGN America on channel 18 and it is the only way I can watch the Cubs....I have to watch the Cubs... LOL!

Digital SD channels are mapped to channels that analog would have been received on. The digital version of WGN will be received on your channel 18 and it will be crisp and clear. No analog fuzz.

TWC still broadcasts analog here and my 3 (2 tuner) Premieres could care less.

[BarryKeller]

I have been trying for three months now to get my TiVo Premier connected to Time Warner. It has never worked on TW, never. I get to the Downloading Channel information screen and it locks at 75% and goes no further. I have had two different TiVos sent to me and none of them work. I hve had 12-15 different Cable cards inserted, none work. I have had 5 or 6 Tuning Adapters, none work. Nothing works.

Today when the Time Warner guy cane by, he had an email from their home office saying that TiVo software is incompatible with Time Warner and cannot be corrected by Time Warner. In fact, they are to no longe book appointments for TiVo Premiere issues as the problem is TiVos alone.

I now own a $600 boat anchor.

[scole250]

I have been trying for three months now to get my TiVo Premier connected to Time Warner. It has never worked on TW, never. I get to the Downloading Channel information screen and it locks at 75% and goes no further. I have had two different TiVos sent to me and none of them work. I hve had 12-15 different Cable cards inserted, none work. I have had 5 or 6 Tuning Adapters, none work. Nothing works.

Today when the Time Warner guy cane by, he had an email from their home office saying that TiVo software is incompatible with Time Warner and cannot be corrected by Time Warner. In fact, they are to no longe book appointments for TiVo Premiere issues as the problem is TiVos alone.

I now own a $600 boat anchor.
I call BS. Downloading the channel guide info has nothing to do with whether you have a working cable card. If the download failed, you might have really poor broadband/DSL service, problem network or if it dials out, phone line problems.

[SCSIRAID]

I call BS. Downloading the channel guide info has nothing to do with whether you have a working cable card. If the download failed, you might have really poor broadband/DSL service, problem network or if it dials out, phone line problems.

I believe he is talking about the 'drill bit' screen where TiVo loads the channel map from the cableco. It does depend on the cablecard to locate and enable tuning the FDC. I suggest you go into DVR Diags and look at OOB SNR.

But the rest is obviously BS. TWC does support Cablecard by order of the FCC. They would love him to believe that crap and just go away but its just not true.

EDIT: However, now that I think about it, the drill bit screen doesnt say anything about percent done. Perhaps you are right and he is talking about downloading the guide info which does have percent complete.... in that case you would be on point...

[scole250]

BarryKeller, I'm calling BS on TWC, not you. I don't believe they can refuse to service the cable card install. What step is it on when it fails? Does it fail at "Getting Info" or "Loading Info??

[BarryKeller]

It is the "Acquiring Channel Information" screen. It says, "Loading..." and the status bar is at 75% and never goes any further. After 30 minuest or so it will got to "Error Acquiring Channel s". Time Warner has been to my house seven or eight times now trying to get this fixed. It never works; it has never gotten past this and this is the only screen I see when I go to "Live TV." The guy today showed me the email and the last part of it said (I parphrase here), "Do not book any support visits for TiVo Premiere issues until TiVo corrects their software." However, I don't think this email has anything to do with my problem, as it talked about some channels not coming in, not no TV at all, which is what I have.

What really pisses me off is I had TW over here yesterday and TiVo support on the phone. The TiVo person said, "Oh that just meand you have to awit two hours for the channels to download." I told them that was not what it meant at all, but they insisted and told me to tell TW to leave. We of course it did not work and so, once again I went through the guided setup and once again it failed. When I called TiVo back I got a guy who said he knew the problem and could talk a TW person through it. So we called TW and set up yet another appointment for 2:00 today. TW was here but I called TiVo and the emailed the tech guy from yesterday to call me and he never did. After an hour TW left. I ams so screwed.

[BarryKeller]

And as I understand it, it is the initial channel mapping that it is doing and failing at. If I take the cablecard out I can get all the non-HD channels, well, the basic cable package. It is one when a cablecard is installed that the error occurs.

[BarryKeller]

I believe he is talking about the 'drill bit' screen where TiVo loads the channel map from the cableco. It does depend on the cablecard to locate and enable tuning the FDC. I suggest you go into DVR Diags and look at OOB SNR.

But the rest is obviously BS. TWC does support Cablecard by order of the FCC. They would love him to believe that crap and just go away but its just not true.

EDIT: However, now that I think about it, the drill bit screen doesnt say anything about percent done. Perhaps you are right and he is talking about downloading the guide info which does have percent complete.... in that case you would be on point...

OOB SNR: 2 dB

Not sure what that means.

[SCSIRAID]

OOB SNR: 2 dB

Not sure what that means.

Well there's your problem...................

There may be a filter somewhere where it shouldnt be. Tell the tech to check signal level on FDC frequency. What was the OOB frequency? 74Mhz? The OOB frequency is what he needs to check. Do you have a TWC cable box? It shouldnt be working either when attached to the cable the TiVo is attached to.

Putting a TWC box on that cable and showing it not working would be the smoking gun for TWC. Also suggest that you ask TWC to confirm that the OOB frequency that TiVo indicates is the proper FDC frequency for your system.

[SCSIRAID]

It is the "Acquiring Channel Information" screen. It says, "Loading..." and the status bar is at 75% and never goes any further. After 30 minuest or so it will got to "Error Acquiring Channel s". Time Warner has been to my house seven or eight times now trying to get this fixed. It never works; it has never gotten past this and this is the only screen I see when I go to "Live TV." The guy today showed me the email and the last part of it said (I parphrase here), "Do not book any support visits for TiVo Premiere issues until TiVo corrects their software." However, I don't think this email has anything to do with my problem, as it talked about some channels not coming in, not no TV at all, which is what I have.

What really pisses me off is I had TW over here yesterday and TiVo support on the phone. The TiVo person said, "Oh that just meand you have to awit two hours for the channels to download." I told them that was not what it meant at all, but they insisted and told me to tell TW to leave. We of course it did not work and so, once again I went through the guided setup and once again it failed. When I called TiVo back I got a guy who said he knew the problem and could talk a TW person through it. So we called TW and set up yet another appointment for 2:00 today. TW was here but I called TiVo and the emailed the tech guy from yesterday to call me and he never did. After an hour TW left. I ams so screwed.

While you are on this screen, is there a little rotating round picture (I call it the drill bit). I dont recall a progress indicator but perhaps that came in the latest sw update.

[BarryKeller]

Well there's your problem...................

There may be a filter somewhere where it shouldnt be. Tell the tech to check signal level on FDC frequency. What was the OOB frequency? 74Mhz? The OOB frequency is what he needs to check. Do you have a TWC cable box? It shouldnt be working either when attached to the cable the TiVo is attached to.

Putting a TWC box on that cable and showing it not working would be the smoking gun for TWC. Also suggest that you ask TWC to confirm that the OOB frequency that TiVo indicates is the proper FDC frequency for your system.

Frequency is 75250 KHz

There is a TW box and it works just fine, either through the cable or off a splitter. I thought the splitter might be the issue, but it makes no difference it I use it or not.

[BarryKeller]

It looks like this:

http://www.barrykeller.com/images/tivoissue.jpg

[scole250]

What model TA do you have?

[cwoody222]

You may want this info handy:

http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/137#Step2CheckingtheOOBorFDCconnectiontothecableheadend