Time Warner Cable Los Angeles enables CCI (no more TiVoToGo)

[phyd]

Has anybody else noticed Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles recently turned on CCI for all channels in the lineup? This has effectively killed off TiVoToGo for my Series 3 HD.

I'm really annoyed. I just chatted online with TWC, who told me this is controlled by the channel providers not by themselves. This can't be right, as the copy control flag was simultaneously enabled on the entire channel lineup simultaneously around a week or so ago.

Anybody else have this issue? TWC are being completely useless in helping resolve, although they do acknowledge others have reported this but there is nothing they can do.

--Brian.

[20TIL6]

TWC is lying to you.

File a complaint with the FCC, and write letters to TWC execs in your area. Also, each location has a cable franchise authority (Houston City Council in my case). File a complaint with your franchise authority.

I went through this with Comcast in Houston. It's a pain, and it could take a few months. But filing complaints and writing letters is the best you can do. In my case, Comcast did remove the flags.

[socrplyr]

This is very old news.
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=382958
In general, it is TWC's corporate policy to do this. They are lying to you that the content providers request it (some do, but most haven't). However, they have the power to do it under the FCC rules, so there isn't much you can do but complain. Just one final note they are not allowed to use it on local channels, so that you can get undone. I'm not sure why it wasn't on your lineup before a week ago, but I haven't talked to anyone who has TWC that hasn't had it enabled. It has gotten worse with the Tuning Adapter because all the SD channels are now received digitally with the copy protection instead of through analog. Good luck and let me know if you get anywhere, I will be willing to do something to help but don't have time to spear head anything myself.

[JimboG]

Sounds like another great reason to switch to Fios if it is available in your part of LA.

Unfortunately for me, the nearest Fios rollout to San Diego is fifty miles north in Temecula.

[Dan203]

FYI it is illegal for them to copy protect broadcast channels, so if those are protected then you should complain to the FCC, local franchise authority and any one else that will listen.

However it's completely within their rights to protect every other station in their lineup, so if all the channels except the broadcast channels are protected then you're basically SOL. All you can do is complain to TW and hope they change their mind some day.

Dan

[dlfl]

Sounds like another great reason to switch to Fios..........
And what guarantee is there that FIOS won't start copy protection?

Are there technical, business or legal factors that would explain why FIOS and TWC have such different policies?

[Phantom Gremlin]

Are there technical, business or legal factors that would explain why FIOS and TWC have such different policies?

It's simple. FiOS policies are set by Telecom a-hole managers. TWC policies are set by Media a-hole managers.

The Media a-holes are much bigger a-holes than the Telecom a-holes.

Apologies in advance if a Moderator finds this offensive. Please delete if so. I do, however, maintain that it is a realistic summary of the situation.

[Yoav]

And what guarantee is there that FIOS won't start copy protection?

Are there technical, business or legal factors that would explain why FIOS and TWC have such different policies?

I don't believe there are legal factors, but there's the obvious business factor:

Fios is Verizon. TWCC is Time Warner. One is a communications megacorp, and the other is a media conglomerate (and members of the MPAA). So I'd guess there's a very different corporate attitude towards 'making copies' of the content they provide.

As soon as Fios becomes available here (San Diego) I'm dropping time warner. I've had enough of the stupid "switched digital" garbage and the CCI flags all over my channels. Sadly, Fios is still not available here...

[Phantom Gremlin]

Fios is Verizon. TWCC is Time Warner. One is a communications megacorp, and the other is a media conglomerate (and members of the MPAA). So I'd guess there's a very different corporate attitude towards 'making copies' of the content they provide.

Yay. I beat Yoav to this. :)

Unfortunately my post was perhaps a little too crude.

[phyd]

Thanks for the heads-up guys. Since TWC now send transcripts of their online chat support, I thought you might find this interesting --

Douglas: Thank you to be patience, I still working in your account.
Douglas: I find the information already.
Brian: great
Douglas: The thing is the this controlled by the channel provider it seems like in your area you can not record programs and this is a broadcasting issue.
Douglas: We can not remove the flags because we do not control it.
Douglas: You can contact the channel provider to see if they can remove it.
Douglas: Are you still there?
Brian: yes
Brian: but it seems they were ALL turned on at the same time across the entire channel lineup
Brian: seems a coincidence every channel provider would have decided this at the same time
Douglas: Yes it happens.
Brian: It's never happened in the 18 months I've been using my TiVo with cable cards. For free-to-air channels such as the local networks this flag shouldn't be set anyway. So I'm a little confused.
Brian: Please could I ask if there is a local engineering manager I could write to in order to explain the full issue and see if they can investigate further?
Douglas: Right now everybody who has TiVo right is experiencing the same thing.
Brian: This is very frustrating.
Douglas: I really do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused to you.
Douglas: It is something out of my hands.

It went on like this for a few minutes, until...

Douglas: We can go ahead and escalate the issue one moment please.
Brian: very good, thank you
Douglas: Please wait while the problem is escalated to another analyst

He then disconnected from the support chat and nobody else joined the session. Real nice.

[dlfl]

Thanks for the heads-up guys. Since TWC now send transcripts of their online chat support, I thought you might find this interesting --

..........
Douglas: I really do apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused to you.
............
I think all the customer contact people at TWC have a hot button on their keyboard that spits out that phrase. After you have a few interactions with them you get tired of it -- about as sincere (and irritating) as "Have a nice day" used to be when everyone was overusing it.

I could provide a transcript containing the same exact phrase from yesterday when I tried to find out what channels are SDV. I got no information except three phone numbers I could call. (Why couldn't the agent call the numbers and get the info for me? Why didn't he have the list of SDV channels on hand already?)

I don't care about the insincere apologies -- what bothers me is their lack of ability to give helpful responses.

I'm probably starting out with a bad attitude when I contact them anyway, since I believe they would be happy to have TiVo and cable cards vanish forever.

[jeffwine1]

I called TIVO today. I was told Cable providers can copy protect any content that they choose. I said to the customer no service. Then why own a TIVO? she was quite.

[demars]

Well, I'm glad that I saw this thread, since now I kind of know what's going on. I have Times Warner Cable/Santa Monica and they've never turned the copy protection flag on for any content (even premium channels), but on the 21st I started seeing the slash/circle on a bunch of programs.

It isn't the whole lineup, though. Besides the local stations, Comedy Central seems to be spared. However, History, FX and Boomerang all all non-copyable now.

Ironically, i think Verizon started installing the fiber in my building today, so it won't be long until FIOS is an option. Not that there is any guarantee that they won't adopt a similar policy, as pointed out elsewhere in this thread, but let's just say that if Times Warner hadn't done this, that would have been one reason to stick with them that doesn't exist any more. And there aren't many reasons to stick with them, so it's really a bad time for them to be alienating customers.

[cuppingmaster]

And I'm just learning on iTivo how to accomplish all this stuff without using TTG. So far, everything I have since 7/17 has been copy-protection enabled. I take it there's no reasonable way around any of this stuff.

I suppose this is all the more reason to do the HD upgrade, but I would at least like to move stuff OFF the TiVo so I have more room in the interim.

I'm I'm begging that FiOS comes further east towards WLA from SM.

[djwilso]

I called TIVO today. I was told Cable providers can copy protect any content that they choose. I said to the customer no service. Then why own a TIVO? she was quite.Why own a TiVo? Uhhhh, to record shows and watch them when you want, that's why.

Why else?

I think she was probably being quiet* in order to hasten the end of the phone conversation since there was nothing she could do.

[napoleonstar]

@djwilso, i think the poster is just expressing the frustration of not having their tivo remain relevant any longer, in this sandbox TWC has us playing in. essentially, tivo owners now need to have a digitial box in every room and viewing is restricted to that room only.

no multi-room viewing, no tivo2go, no portable devices, nothing.

i LOVE my tivo. i've sold many a-tivo, bought several tivos, and proslytize tivos at every opportunity. yet i too have to search for words when i trying to justify the purchase price of a box that no longer allows me to watch whatever, WHEREVER.

yes. i can get a cable box in every room. which is basically another dvr... these days. so their dvr, with my tivo on top, and still have to stay in my the same room. how frustrating.

i'm need to research this now: does twc's or anyone else's dvr do such things? multi-room, etc.?

[Dan203]

They are not allowed to have a double standard. If they set the copy flags on every program then their own internal DVRs are required to abide by those flags just the same as TiVo does. Which means that their DVR wont be able to to do anything akin to TTG or MRV with these flagged recordings either.

At this point your only option is to exploit the analog hole and use some sort of capture device or DVD recorder to get the programs off your TiVo. Or you could just look for the programs you want on BitTorrent.

Dan