Comcast Tivo Install Story

[Calmante]

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking about this forum (and others) and have decided to share my experience with Comcast Tivo. Before I continue, I would like to say that I like it, but Comcast mustn't leave things the way they are for very much longer, or I will change my mind. Having said that, here's my story...

I live in Southeastern Massachusetts and was, according to the dispatcher, the first install for the general public in this area. Whether that was true or not doesn't really matter, but that may color the rest of the story.

The install did not go smoothly at all. My DCT box was replaced with a DCH 3416, and I was told that the new processor in this model would be more capable of handling the new interface. This may be the case, as from what I have read, this does seem to be a more robust system. The dedicated button for switching resolution is pretty neat, but the loss of Dolby Digital output is not (I know that this is a temporary setback, so I'm not freaking out... Yet). In any case, the install took a total of six hours, with the tech returning (twice) with backup. The main issue with these installs stems from the fact that most operators are not aware that both the cable-card and the box need to be "flipped" before the software will download. So you tend to have some very insistent people that will swear up and down that they did everything right when, in fact, they haven't. It seems at this point that only Advanced Technical Support (ATS) at Comcast are capable of working on these installs.

Moving along... The Tivo interface is a great starting point and is much better than the standard Comcast one. I won't go into the annoyances because, for one, they have been reported extensively, and two, I'm holding out hope that they will be resolved in this rumored software update (DD5.1, Intrusive suggestions on current tuner, etc.).

My first box turned out to be a dud, and would reset itself once or twice a day, showing the welcome screen for fifteen minutes at a time. Often, this was at the most inopportune time, cutting off viewings and recordings. The first tech sent to identify the problem dealt with my wife, and left without doing anything, saying that the problem was due to a connection in our basement that "wasn't tight enough." Needless to say, that wasn't the issue.

The next call resulted in visit number 5 and tech number 4, who replaced the box. Fortunately, this unit seemed to function much better. Unfortunately, it suffered from an issue that caused the audio to pop and hiss loudly every three seconds or so. Hey, these these things happen, and a couple of days later, I received DCH box number 3, on visit 6, with tech number 3, who was now accompanied by the local tech coach (let's call him tech number 5!)

The good news is that it is now working well, and I like it. It's hard to say that this product was rushed out, because it took three years. But it sure feels like it. It is definitely a big problem that the techs themselves were apparently not allowed to get this service ahead of time for their own evaluation. Comcast must have reasoned that customers should come first, but it would have saved countless headaches and service calls if they were at least familiar with the product through first hand experience instead of some short orientation talk.

I have read many people bash Comcast. Some of these posts have good points. There's absolutely no excuse for these outrageous prices, for example. When there is a viable alternative in my area, I intend to explore it. But it seems like most of the bashing is just plain crazy talk.

End point: Comcast Tivo good. Bugs bad. Fix them, please. Quickly.

Call me Calmante...

[BlackBetty]

welcome to TCF. Thanks for sharing your story and input.

[miricle]

Hello everyone,

I have been lurking about this forum (and others) and have decided to share my experience with Comcast Tivo. Before I continue, I would like to say that I like it, but Comcast mustn't leave things the way they are for very much longer, or I will change my mind. Having said that, here's my story...

I live in Southeastern Massachusetts and was, according to the dispatcher, the first install for the general public in this area. Whether that was true or not doesn't really matter, but that may color the rest of the story.

The install did not go smoothly at all. My DCT box was replaced with a DCH 3416, and I was told that the new processor in this model would be more capable of handling the new interface. This may be the case, as from what I have read, this does seem to be a more robust system. The dedicated button for switching resolution is pretty neat, but the loss of Dolby Digital output is not (I know that this is a temporary setback, so I'm not freaking out... Yet). In any case, the install took a total of six hours, with the tech returning (twice) with backup. The main issue with these installs stems from the fact that most operators are not aware that both the cable-card and the box need to be "flipped" before the software will download. So you tend to have some very insistent people that will swear up and down that they did everything right when, in fact, they haven't. It seems at this point that only Advanced Technical Support (ATS) at Comcast are capable of working on these installs.

Moving along... The Tivo interface is a great starting point and is much better than the standard Comcast one. I won't go into the annoyances because, for one, they have been reported extensively, and two, I'm holding out hope that they will be resolved in this rumored software update (DD5.1, Intrusive suggestions on current tuner, etc.).

My first box turned out to be a dud, and would reset itself once or twice a day, showing the welcome screen for fifteen minutes at a time. Often, this was at the most inopportune time, cutting off viewings and recordings. The first tech sent to identify the problem dealt with my wife, and left without doing anything, saying that the problem was due to a connection in our basement that "wasn't tight enough." Needless to say, that wasn't the issue.

The next call resulted in visit number 5 and tech number 4, who replaced the box. Fortunately, this unit seemed to function much better. Unfortunately, it suffered from an issue that caused the audio to pop and hiss loudly every three seconds or so. Hey, these these things happen, and a couple of days later, I received DCH box number 3, on visit 6, with tech number 3, who was now accompanied by the local tech coach (let's call him tech number 5!)

The good news is that it is now working well, and I like it. It's hard to say that this product was rushed out, because it took three years. But it sure feels like it. It is definitely a big problem that the techs themselves were apparently not allowed to get this service ahead of time for their own evaluation. Comcast must have reasoned that customers should come first, but it would have saved countless headaches and service calls if they were at least familiar with the product through first hand experience instead of some short orientation talk.

I have read many people bash Comcast. Some of these posts have good points. There's absolutely no excuse for these outrageous prices, for example. When there is a viable alternative in my area, I intend to explore it. But it seems like most of the bashing is just plain crazy talk.

End point: Comcast Tivo good. Bugs bad. Fix them, please. Quickly.

Call me Calmante...

I can't say that my experience was as bad as yours, but I think it certainly comes down to lack of training by the comcast techs. I had a clueless tech for my rollout, and it wasn't until he called in to ATS that mine was working properly. I do seem to gather that the Comcast Tivo requires better signal than the iGuide software because it uses the built-in cable modem rather than the out of band data signal.

[Calmante]

Yep... the signal strength was fine. Apparently, it can also be too strong for Tivo, which I learned through this experience.

In any case, since the installation of my third DCH box, the system has had no resets, no welcome screens, and no unexpected issues (apart from the previously mentioned bugs). This kind of begs the question, where exactly is Motorola in all of this? We are so quick to point the finger of blame at the Comcast/Tivo engineers. Perhaps there are some issues at the hardware level as well... Maybe not, but wonky hardware is nothing new.

Actually, this whole Tru2way stuff is what is exciting me the most about this whole thing. Has anyone seen the next generation iGuide software at CES? Jeepers, it looks slick... I hope we get an upgrade to an HD UI soon.

-Calmante

[BlackBetty]

where exactly is Motorola in all of this? We are so quick to point the finger of blame at the Comcast/Tivo engineers. Perhaps there are some issues at the hardware level as well... Maybe not, but wonky hardware is nothing new.

Actually, this whole Tru2way stuff is what is exciting me the most about this whole thing. Has anyone seen the next generation iGuide software at CES? Jeepers, it looks slick... I hope we get an upgrade to an HD UI soon.

-Calmante

I believe I remember reading somewhere that there was going to be a firmware update from motorola coming out soon.

[VivaLasVegas]

Showed up on time, very nice guy.
Box he brought was only 120GB (DCT6412) instead of 160GB.
Doesn’t have another box with him.
Not sure if he had a Tivo remote with him. (He tried to use my DirecTV Tivo remote with his Comcast Moto box.)
Box he brought isn’t even compatible with Tivo upgrade.
Next appointment scheduled for Wed.
I got him to hook my satellite back up in the meantime.

Again, very nice guy - polite and helpful. Comcast hasn't made a great first impression, though. We'll see what Wed. brings....

[alanronkin]

After 5 boxes and multiple Comcast visits I dumped the product. Its terrible and not ready for prime time... I bought a Tivo HD and hopefully the cable cards will work.

[Bruce24]

I bought a Tivo HD and hopefully the cable cards will work.


If you meant to type cards...get them to give you an Mcard (multi-stream) which will support the decoding of two channels. You only need one Mcard vs two Scards (single-stream) and they charge you by the card.

[VivaLasVegas]

That's been my dilemma all along - HDTivo vs. Comcast w/Tivo.
I figured for no money up front I'd try this and see. HD Tivo is still on my radar, though.

[aadam101]

After 5 boxes and multiple Comcast visits I dumped the product. Its terrible and not ready for prime time... I bought a Tivo HD and hopefully the cable cards will work.

I have had mine for a week and haven't had a single problem

[Bruce24]

I have had mine for a week and haven't had a single problem

i've had two boxes for about 6 weeks and some problems, but it's never missed a making a recording for me.

The problems i have (can think of now) are:

* Not providing Dolby Digital (DCH-3416 only problem)
* HDMI sync problem, i sometimes get a green screen (DCH-3416 only problem, i think)
* The guide data ran out a couple of time (hasn't happened since early Jan, i think it was a problem at the central office)
* After changing channels, if you go to the guide again to soon, the guide starts on the previous channel.
* One of the two boxes hung once while i was watching a show, had to power cycle.

In addition, anytime I do something that requires the Tivo to re-calculate the To-Do list, it takes time 5 to 20 seconds before I have control back. It still records and plays the show in the PIP windows, but I have can'tdo anything.

After using the Comcast Tivo for over a month and because I had the option of transferring a lifetime subscription from a Series 2 Tivo to a TivoHD for $200 (offer expired last week), i decided to get a TivoHD and I'll be returning one of the Comcast DVR's.

-Bruce

[boxerboys]

My experience is middle of the road compared to others out there; but thought I'd share anyways.

Installer showed up on time and he admitted this was his first install so he needed help from the start....he didn't even know what it was before this appointment.

I have 2 DVRs; but only wanted 1 updated. I clearly stated this to him and told him that if I lost the programs on the other box my wife and daugheter would not be happy. When he called ATS he told them that I only wanted the one specific box updated.

So....we sit and wait. He makes a few calls. Turns out they pushed the install to the wrong box! Of Course! They repush it to the right box. Surprisingly the push to the 2nd box flies in record time; box restarts; and low and behold Comcast TiVo!

We go back to the 1st box (the one that was not supposed to get the TiVo update in the first place). We can see channels, but no Guide, TiVo, Info, OnDemand..etc. He checks the Diagnostics, etc. It says it downloaded and it is enabled. He spends an hour on the phone with ATS; but no one seems to know what to do. They decide to repush it down. After another 30 minutes or so it completes and TiVo is loaded on this box too. After he left, I realized that this box still has issues: It won't record or show program info. Recordings play, On Demand plays, but it is not possible to record anything. The other box is fine.

In summary; the install took a full 2 hours and the experience was not so bad; but I explicitly did not want it on the 1st box at this point with all the bugs....but the CS rep told him they could not revert it back to basic DVR. If it continues to not record, I won't be happy.

As for the actual use: To soon to tell; but I can already tell the delays in response will be an issue with my wife; but hopefully that will get worked out soon enough.

I have both a DCT and a DCH; if I see any glaring issues with one or the other (aside from those noted) I'll post back.

[Eric90gt]

My experience is middle of the road compared to others out there; but thought I'd share anyways.

Installer showed up on time and he admitted this was his first install so he needed help from the start....he didn't even know what it was before this appointment.

I have 2 DVRs; but only wanted 1 updated. I clearly stated this to him and told him that if I lost the programs on the other box my wife and daugheter would not be happy. When he called ATS he told them that I only wanted the one specific box updated.

So....we sit and wait. He makes a few calls. Turns out they pushed the install to the wrong box! Of Course! They repush it to the right box. Surprisingly the push to the 2nd box flies in record time; box restarts; and low and behold Comcast TiVo!

We go back to the 1st box (the one that was not supposed to get the TiVo update in the first place). We can see channels, but no Guide, TiVo, Info, OnDemand..etc. He checks the Diagnostics, etc. It says it downloaded and it is enabled. He spends an hour on the phone with ATS; but no one seems to know what to do. They decide to repush it down. After another 30 minutes or so it completes and TiVo is loaded on this box too. After he left, I realized that this box still has issues: It won't record or show program info. Recordings play, On Demand plays, but it is not possible to record anything. The other box is fine.

In summary; the install took a full 2 hours and the experience was not so bad; but I explicitly did not want it on the 1st box at this point with all the bugs....but the CS rep told him they could not revert it back to basic DVR. If it continues to not record, I won't be happy.

As for the actual use: To soon to tell; but I can already tell the delays in response will be an issue with my wife; but hopefully that will get worked out soon enough.

I have both a DCT and a DCH; if I see any glaring issues with one or the other (aside from those noted) I'll post back.

Once the detailed info comes up on the guide, youll be able to record, give it a bit

[boxerboys]

Once the detailed info comes up on the guide, youll be able to record, give it a bit

Yes it did; Thanks. Took 4 hours; but it now works.