Where the !*%& is my tuning adapter?

[MurrayJimW]

From my latest "chat" with TWC Triad Region, NC

Stacy Spencer: Thank you for your patience.
Stacy Spencer: Could you elaborate the issue?
Jim : Sure.
Jim : I'm using Tivo boxes here. These boxes require that cablecards be installed which they are. TWC has begun moving their channels to a system called switched digital video whereby the channels are only sent through the system when a user requests them.
Jim : This is fine and transparent on a Time Warner converter box, but for cable card users the device has no way to request the channel as the TWC converter does.
Jim : Because of this a new product is being rolled out to TWC customers in switched digital video areas called a tuning resolver. This device plugs into the back of the Tivo and allows the Tivo to make requests for channels on your system just as a TWC converter box would.
Jim : I am looking for any information about the projected timeframe for availability on these devices. I have been using this setup for almost 2 years and receiving less and less of the channels I pay for. It seems I miss one or 2 more every month
Stacy Spencer: Thank you for the information.
Jim : sure
Jim : I hope you can find something on it
Stacy Spencer: What I understand is that, you want to know about the Tuning Resolver that incorporates the features of a digital convertor box to a cable card.
Jim : yes
Stacy Spencer: I suggest that you contact our Sales department on 336-379-0200 for further assistance in this matter.
Jim : tried that - they have no information either and I had hoped your resources were more extensive - thanks anyway
Stacy Spencer: Jim, we would be glad to share any information in this matter. Currently, we do not have an update. I apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.
Stacy Spencer: Do you have any other questions or concerns we can assist you with now?
Jim : nope thanks - have a good day
Stacy Spencer: Thank you for chatting with Time Warner Cable. My name is Stacy. Have a nice day ahead.

[ToddNeedsTiVo]

I have nothing to add about the tuning resolver, but those chat systems are all the same! The "boilerplate" language sounds just like Dell's.

It's worse when the transcript has the timestamps on it. Then you can be angry all over again when you read it and notice the minutes that pass between the simple exchange of a sentence or two.

"Do you have any other questions or concerns we can assist you with now?" As if what you had already asked about was really all wrapped up at that point.

Nearly every bit of text from "Stacy Spencer" was useless. :rolleyes:

Cable companies' ignorance, both real and feigned, of cablecards and tuning resolvers is so infuriating.

[nemein]

I've often wondered if these things aren't just a more elaborate Eliza system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA tied into a knowledge base.

[MurrayJimW]

I've often wondered if these things aren't just a more elaborate Eliza system http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA tied into a knowledge base.

Even more infuriating (if there can be such) are the "submit a technical support ticket" features. You can submit the ticket with extraordinary detail and the fact that this has happened to you before with a plea to not send the standard response about what to check and you STILL get the same form letter back every time. I've been going through this with an intermittent problem with a VOIP provider for 6 months now. By the time you actually get someone to read the original ticket the problem has mysteriously disappeared again and you must wait for a recurrence to start over with the same ticket madness again. Perhaps we are all just typing to a master computer somewhere that knows everything and nothing at the same time.....

[ZeoTiVo]

Perhaps we are all just typing to a master computer somewhere that knows everything and nothing at the same time.....

there is no such thing. Please report to your local government office at 0-9-hundred local time tomorrow morning.

[TexasGrillChef]

If your in the San Antonio/Austin area the Tuning adapter will be available mid November.

IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!

The Phone techs/Customer service agents won't know about the units being available, prices, or adding to your account until the DAY THEY are made available.

So if your in the SA/Austin area... Start calling TWC daily around November 15th.

TGC

Oh... and YES... a TRUCK ROLL will sadly be required. My "contact" with TWC does NOT have any information on what the pricing will be on the Tuning adapters.

[pmiranda]

Consider yourself lucky, last time I looked TW-Austin only supports chat for Roadrunner help...all cable/phone issues must go through the voice system which takes 10X as long as getting someone on chat.

[MurrayJimW]

Consider yourself lucky, last time I looked TW-Austin only supports chat for Roadrunner help...all cable/phone issues must go through the voice system which takes 10X as long as getting someone on chat.

Yeah - I do feel lucky. Especially since they are always so helpful.

I have been missing channels since day 1 of the CC install which was 2 days after s3's were made available. I think the saddest thing about all of this mess is that I have been such a proponent of Tivo since acquiring my first 1 in 1999. I have literally sold a dozen of them to friends and family members. It's been hard watching everyone upgrade to HD and not being able to replace their Tivo boxes and watching them get TW DVR's. There was simply no way I could explain to them the benefit of spending hundreds of dollars on a DVR that was missing 3/4 of the HD channels offered here when they could get the TW DVR for free and it received everything plus on demand. The cable companies (and the FCC) really put it to Tivo on this one.

Thanks for the info on Austin. Hopefully the rest of the TWC areas will follow shortly.

[ewilts]

If your in the San Antonio/Austin area the Tuning adapter will be available mid November.

IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!

We've never heard that before...

In other words, it is still vaporware for another couple of months, and if it really does ship then, you can't have one because they'll have run out.

[blacknoi]

I can't wait to pay cablevision another 48 dollar truck roll fee to get 2 tuning resolvers installed at my house... .cant WAIT...

//sarcasm off

(I have no factual info that a truck roll will be required for Cablevision customers, nor if one is required, that they will make me pay again... I am just making educated conclusions based on prior Cablevision business practices and trends).

[DavidJ]

I sis a quick Google for the Cisco STA1520 and it showed a device as big, if not bigger, than the Tivo itself... can anyone confirm what the dimensions are?

BTW... FWIW, I spoke with a Tivo rep today and she said that they were due out in Feb '09, and that they (Tivo) were working closely with the cable partners to ensure Tivo customers were a priority to get them.

I really don't know (or care I guess) if we're a priority, my biggest concern is the size. I though it was going to be something smaller than a router... if it's the size of the Tivo itself I'm gonna be extremely unhappy and probably good bye Tivo.

[rv65]

I sis a quick Google for the Cisco STA1520 and it showed a device as big, if not bigger, than the Tivo itself... can anyone confirm what the dimensions are?

BTW... FWIW, I spoke with a Tivo rep today and she said that they were due out in Feb '09, and that they (Tivo) were working closely with the cable partners to ensure Tivo customers were a priority to get them.

I really don't know (or care I guess) if we're a priority, my biggest concern is the size. I though it was going to be something smaller than a router... if it's the size of the Tivo itself I'm gonna be extremely unhappy and probably good bye Tivo.

Thats if you use a Cisco network. Motorola customers get a much smaller tuning resolver that is the size of their DCT700 cable box which is a compact all digital SD only cable box. It doesn't have IR so you can hide the thing.

[dig_duggler]

There's not a good place for this, so I'm putting it here. NGC HD, which my cable company told me I could not get b/c they implemented SDV is sitting unencrypted on my QAM tuner.

Freaking lying bastards.

[MurrayJimW]

There's not a good place for this, so I'm putting it here. NGC HD, which my cable company told me I could not get b/c they implemented SDV is sitting unencrypted on my QAM tuner.

Freaking lying bastards.

Not Necessarily. Wait until tomorrow. If someone in your neighborhood is actively watching that channel you may very well be getting it QAM unencrypted tonight, but if they (the neighbors) change the channel, it's going to disappear. I fell for the same bait shortly after getting my cablecards way back when. If it's still in the same location in a couple of days then you may be right (or your neighbor is addicted to NGC HD).

Jim

[TexasGrillChef]

I sis a quick Google for the Cisco STA1520 and it showed a device as big, if not bigger, than the Tivo itself... can anyone confirm what the dimensions are?

BTW... FWIW, I spoke with a Tivo rep today and she said that they were due out in Feb '09, and that they (Tivo) were working closely with the cable partners to ensure Tivo customers were a priority to get them.

I really don't know (or care I guess) if we're a priority, my biggest concern is the size. I though it was going to be something smaller than a router... if it's the size of the Tivo itself I'm gonna be extremely unhappy and probably good bye Tivo.

Depends on the Cable company and market on which Tuning resolver they purchase.

Yes... The Cisco unit is as big as a small DVD player. It's about 2.5" thick, as wide as the Tivo and about 12" deep. The reason for this is some people put their Home theater equipment in a Rack or Stack unit. Other sizes of equipment make this harder to put into a Rack &/or Stack units. Not impossible just harder.

The Motorolla unit is SMALLER. The size is similar in size to the average size Cable Modem box that many of us use allready.

I am glad I don't need one & that SDV isn't in my area. For me personally, I would prefer the Cisco unit as it would be EASIER for me to put into my Stack/Rack than the Motorolla unit.

TGC

[jmpage2]

This whole thing is a cluster. I could really use a 2nd HD Tivo unit for the upstairs but I am not going to buy one until there is either a Tivo integrated with the SDV tuning resolver or a Tru-2-Way Tivo that will prevent us from dealing with a lot of this crap.

I don't blame Tivo for this, I blame the FCC and their buddies at Comcast/Cox/TWC/etc. However, I would be an idiot to keep buying hardware that isn't going to work with the cable network as SDV gets rolled out over the next twelve months.

I'm just hoping that at CES we will actually see a real next gen Tivo product, not that warmed over higher capacity Tivo HD stuff they tried convincing us was a new unit.

[classicsat]

There will not be a TiVo with an integrated SDV resolver, being the the SDV resolver is cable company specific hardware.

That leaves the Tru2Way capable TiVo, which would be a miracle to show up at CES, and be out by fall (or likely winter) next year.

The external SDV resolver is much closer, if your provider cares to participate.

[dig_duggler]

Not Necessarily. Wait until tomorrow. If someone in your neighborhood is actively watching that channel you may very well be getting it QAM unencrypted tonight, but if they (the neighbors) change the channel, it's going to disappear. I fell for the same bait shortly after getting my cablecards way back when. If it's still in the same location in a couple of days then you may be right (or your neighbor is addicted to NGC HD).

Jim

True enough. Still there today, it will be interesting to see if it ever disappears (but theoretically as you mention, my neighbor(s) could just really dig that channel). I just assume they are liars at this point given some of the lies I've been told in the past.

[jmpage2]

There will not be a TiVo with an integrated SDV resolver, being the the SDV resolver is cable company specific hardware.

That leaves the Tru2Way capable TiVo, which would be a miracle to show up at CES, and be out by fall (or likely winter) next year.

The external SDV resolver is much closer, if your provider cares to participate.

I can only say I hope that you are wrong about how long it will take to get a Tru-2-Way box to market!

[michaelb1478]

If your in the San Antonio/Austin area the Tuning adapter will be available mid November.

IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!

The Phone techs/Customer service agents won't know about the units being available, prices, or adding to your account until the DAY THEY are made available.

So if your in the SA/Austin area... Start calling TWC daily around November 15th.

TGC

Oh... and YES... a TRUCK ROLL will sadly be required. My "contact" with TWC does NOT have any information on what the pricing will be on the Tuning adapters.

TexasGrillChef, Do you know if the Austin availability will apply to the Temple/Belton area?

[cableguy763]

TexasGrillChef, Do you know if the Austin availability will apply to the Temple/Belton area?
Yes it will, Austin-Temple/Belton/Waco are now the central Texas division.

[George Cifranci]

Here in the Columbus, Ohio area we got a letter from Time Warner Mid-Ohio telling us about more channels that are moving to SDV. The letter also mentioned the Tuning Resolver and said that it is in testing and should be out later this year. That's all they have said so far.

[lrhorer]

BTW... FWIW, I spoke with a Tivo rep today and she said that they were due out in Feb '09, and that they (Tivo) were working closely with the cable partners to ensure Tivo customers were a priority to get them.
Oh, how thoughtful. Since no one but Tivo owners can make use of a TA, the notion TiVo owners get priority is meaningless.

[allietx]

If your in the San Antonio/Austin area the Tuning adapter will be available mid November.

IN LIMITED QUANTITIES!

The Phone techs/Customer service agents won't know about the units being available, prices, or adding to your account until the DAY THEY are made available.

So if your in the SA/Austin area... Start calling TWC daily around November 15th.

Why o why does it have to be so difficult? But thanks so much for the heads-up. I actually talked to a tech support person the other day who I swear understood what multistream cards were and I felt hopeful. But he suggested I just go into the office and ask for them. Sigh.

Will post on here the instant I hear of TWC Central Texas having tuning adapters... glad to know we are not alone!

-Allie in Austin