Series 2DT with Digital Cable

[tigercat74]

Hi. I am thinking of switching to cable from satellite now that it is being offered in my area. I am going to get the high speed internet and I was just wondering how well Series 2DT work with digital cable? I have read through the forums and see people are having trouble with it not recording the right show. I see where people say you should only use the TIVO remote and not the cable remote. If any of you have suggestions, I would really appreciate it. It will be Time Warner and I do not know which cable box they would be sending. Thanks in advance.

[WayneCarter]

Tivo expects to have sole control of "its" channel selector, so you really shouldn't use the cable remote.

I don't have a DT unit (*sniff*), so I can't say how they'll work with digital cable, but one question you might want to ask your prospective cable provider(s) is whether they provide any channels that are accessible without requiring a cable box. And if they do, what channels are they? Having channels available without using a cable box allows you to use additional TVs (bedrooms, office, workshop, ... ) without having to rent additional cable boxes AND you can also put a splitter ahead of the cable box and hook one of splitter's outputs the cable box and the other direct to another input on the TV. This allows you to watch live TV while Tivo is recording another channel.

Our local cable service (ComCast Digital) provides a fairly comprehensive array of channels that are accessible without need for a cable box (all the local stations, the major networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, ... ), and a fair assortment of specialty channels (A&E, Discovery, Food, History, Travel, ... ) ... ). We have one cable box, primarily for the premium channels (Encore. HBO, ... ) and On-Demand, but have 7 TVs (2 with Tivo). Both Tivos have bypasses as described above to allow watching one show "around" Tivo while the Tivo records another.

Another thing you might want to ask about is the possibility of getting a cable box that can be controlled by a serial interface. Using a serial interface is faster and more reliable than using IR.

[Lyrical1]

I recently moved from DTV to cable because of a relocation to where I cannot get satellite. I purchased a Series 2 DT and asked Comcast if they had the Motorola tuners that have serial inputs (they look just like the 9-pin serial ports on old PCs).

Comcast gave me a Motorola model DCT 2224 (it has a sticker that looks like it may been manufactured 09/03). This works pretty well with the serial cable supplied with the TiVo.

When you set up the TiVo it will provide the opportunity to tell it which input it should use for which channels. Naturally I set it up to record channels under 100 (all the free "expanded" basic channels) using the direct cable input and the Motorola tuner for anything over that. It's a little frustrating on occasion only being able to record one of the higher numbered channels at a time, but since I still have standard TV it just didn't seem to make financial sense spending the money on a Series 3. (One day. [sigh])

I'd check the Time Warner cable website and see if in your location a similar channel line-up applies.

Good luck.

[gastrof]

Hi. I am thinking of switching to cable from satellite now that it is being offered in my area. I am going to get the high speed internet and I was just wondering how well Series 2DT work with digital cable? I have read through the forums and see people are having trouble with it not recording the right show. I see where people say you should only use the TIVO remote and not the cable remote. If any of you have suggestions, I would really appreciate it. It will be Time Warner and I do not know which cable box they would be sending. Thanks in advance.


Umm...

For starters, you NEVER use the cable remote when you have TiVo connected to a cable box.

All that does is royally mess things up.

This isn't a case of "people saying" it. It's the way it works.

TiVo controls the cable box, and does all channel changing. You use the TiVo remote and the TiVo tells the cable box.

The Series 2 DT works with any kind of cable box (digital or analog), but it can only record from one "box channel" at a time. (Naturally, since the box can only output one channel at a time.)

The DT also has an RF input it can use with analog cable. Put the two together, and you have a pretty good combination of "two at once" recording possibilities.

Problem is, Time Warner is known for having discontinued analog cable service, and in such cases this leaves the DT with only the cable box to work with...thus ONE tuner.

[tigercat74]

Thanks for all the replys. I was looking at their channel lineup and I could get by with just the basic package with no cable box. With this, I would run the coax right into the TIVO and then it would work as a dual tuner. Am I correct? Thanks in advance.

[gastrof]

That's what I understand. A single cable input will still allow you dual tuning of all unscrambled analog channels.

As mentioned, tho', TW is known for having ended its analog cable service in some (if not many) areas.

If I were you, I'd ask them about this before the installer gets there.

"If I connect the cable directly to a cable-ready TV device, no cable box, what channels will I get?"