Cable Card & Mediacom

[ihawktech]

I just ordered my TIVO HD receiver. My question is, what exactly do I need the cable card for? I called Mediacom and the lady made it sound like I do not need the card for anything. She was very convincing. She said I will only get premium channels and HD with the card. I currently have family service with them. Do I need more than that for the card? Why do other people want the card if I can hook up the cable right to the back of the box? Maybe I am just not understanding something. Thank you very much

[jfh3]

You can hook the cable directly to the box w/o cable cards. You will get the analog versions of channels you get today below 100. You can also hook up an antenna to get the digital (typically HD) broadcasts of the big 4 networks. If this is all you need, you may not need or want a CableCARD.

The CableCARD allows your new Tivo to replace the cable box you had before. If all of your channels that you get today are below 100, you MAY not need a cable card, though it would still be preferably (only realistic way to get your networks HD feeds, unless you have good OTA reception).

In a nutshell, the CableCARD tells the Tivo to map the channel frequencies that are distributed over the cable to channel number assignments you recognize and Tivo uses and authorizes decryption of the digital channels you subscribe to.

Take whatever you hear from a cable company CSR about CableCARDs with a large grain of salt. Very few understand it well. Many want to discourage use, so you will rent their DVR instead.

[sieglinde]

I have an HD and I have Mediacom. I called up Mediacom and ordered cable cards and got an appointment for a technician to come out and install them. They called me back today on the day of the appointment and said that they did not have cable card service in this area.

Now I have a nice expensive box that I have to try to hook an outside antenna to. This really sucks. At least I have lifetime on it so if in the next million years, they get cable card service here I can use it.

Do you think that contacting the FCC would have any effect?

[caddyroger]

I have an HD and I have Mediacom. I called up Mediacom and ordered cable cards and got an appointment for a technician to come out and install them. They called me back today on the day of the appointment and said that they did not have cable card service in this area.

Now I have a nice expensive box that I have to try to hook an outside antenna to. This really sucks. At least I have lifetime on it so if in the next million years, they get cable card service here I can use it.

Do you think that contacting the FCC would have any effect?

I would call back and ask again if they have cable cards If they say no tell them by the a fcc rules that they must provide cable cards. If that gon't call tivo and contack tivo and the fcc

[lafos]

Mediacom has supplied cablecards in Iowa. I don't think they can exclude an area like that. Does sound like an FCC communication is in order if they insist they don't support the cards.

[gastrof]

Only "Mom'n'Pop" type cable companies are excluded, but I wonder how large the Mediacom outlet is where sieglinde lives, and if it's company owned, or just a locally owned franchise?

They may be able to wiggle out of this, tho' you'd be wise not to give them any hint they might.

[sieglinde]

My area is a town of about 25,000 people. Cablecom and two satellite companies and a local over the air repeater is the only way to get TV in my area. The repeater is starting to broadcast HD so that may be the way to go but I would rather have cable cards since Mediacom is using the lousy GE boxes that don't always switch channels.

I will be contacting the FCC and the whatever state agencies regulate the cable industry.

[Adam1115]

I just ordered my TIVO HD receiver. My question is, what exactly do I need the cable card for? I called Mediacom and the lady made it sound like I do not need the card for anything. She was very convincing. She said I will only get premium channels and HD with the card. I currently have family service with them. Do I need more than that for the card? Why do other people want the card if I can hook up the cable right to the back of the box? Maybe I am just not understanding something. Thank you very much

If you don't want HD, why did you buy a TiVo HD? Sounds like the lady told you that you need cablecards to get HD.

[kmdmb]

I have Mediacom in a small town of 1200, and I got cable cards. Install went fine. If all you have is the family basic, a card will do you no good. I have their digital tier of channels and need the cards to get those channels. Unless you are paying extra for digital channels, don't waste your money on cards.