Yet another Comcast/CableCard question... (TiVo HD)

[Techaddict90]

Okay so I have a bit of a specific predicament here...

I own a Tivo HD DVR that I have had for about a year now (had a Series 2 for two years, so I know my way around a Tivo). I recently moved from home Detroit, MI up to college at Michigan State University.

I get basic cable through the university and I was happy with that, but this year they changed the cable system from analog to digital QAM for most of the channels, which is great for quality, but inherently frustrating for Tivo HD owners.

As you've heard before I don't get any of the guide data which makes the Tivo so much less useful. I have contacted both the university and Comcast about the issue, but Comcast in their typical unhelpful fashion informed me that they cannot give me cable cards without making me subscribe to a $40 a month digital cable package. I am a college student and I don't have that kind of money, and am perfectly satisfied with the basic cable I get from the university (I get the locals and a few other stations like Discovery and ESPN in HD).

Now it seems to me like Comcast is lying because I have read in other places on this forum of people getting cable cards for the sole purpose of mapping their guide data, which is all I want to do.

So I guess my question is am I wrong? and how can I get Comcast to give me the CableCards the FCC allows me to have?

[bicker]

Welcome to TCF. It seems to me like you suffer from some unfounded expectations. I don't know where you got the idea that you're owed what apparently you think you are owed, but I hope I can clear up your confusion and help you understand that you aren't entitled to what you think you're entitled to:

The FCC "allows you to have" CableCARDs for the purpose of decryption. You cannot demand CableCARDs unless your service level includes encrypted services, because you are not entitled to demand CableCARDs unless your service level includes encrypted services. That's the law.

You're directing your overly bolded diatribe at the wrong company. TiVo is the reason why you need CableCARD, not Comcast. TiVo decided that manual QAM channel mapping is not important enough to implement. If you want to learn about that issue, you can check out THIS (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=362736) thread.

I just encountered a similar situation myself. I downgraded my service from Digital Starter to Digital Economy, because I wanted to save money. As a result, though, I now only get the cable channels I pay for on one television in my home. That's the choice consumers always have to make, between economizing and getting less, or upgrading and getting more. If you want more, you have to pay for more. If you don't want to pay more, or cannot pay more, then you have to make-do with what is available for the amount you are willing to/able to pay.

[Techaddict90]

Thanks for your response, I wasn't implying that Comcast was lying totally, it just seemed that way and I have had a terrible experience with them and TiVo in the past like when it took them two weeks and 5 cable guys to get the cable cards working in our other Tivo.

I have read in other places of people successfully doing this, obviously not on Tivo Community, but I have come across threads of people using the Cable Cards to map, and getting them from their cable provider with only extended basic service.

Any sorry if the bolding got on your nerves as it seems it has I just tend to write long and bolded the important points so you didn't have to read all my babble like you are now, lol

[bicker]

I think it is important to note that there are places where you can get CableCARDs even without digital service. The point is that it is not something that is required, and so it isn't something we should expect. If it is offered; great. If not; darn it.

CableCARD is comparatively complex high-technology. It is a heck of a lot better, though, then essentially not having any way of using your own host devices, which is the case if you subscribe to satellite services. They absolutely refuse to let you use your own devices for their services. Hopefully, one day, that injustice will be rectified.

[Techaddict90]

Yeah that would be great, but unfortunately that seems like that's not going to happen any time soon...

I'm going to visit my local Comcast office Monday to see if they are one of those lucky ones who would let me get cable cards, since calling 1-800-COMCAST doesn't seem to solve any problems.

Once again, thank you for your help.

[silhouett]

Recently Comcast has started providing TIVO Service for rentals to it's customers. That said I have been a TIVO Customer since 2000 and a Comcast Customer about the same. Recently within the last week Comcast has sent a letter to all it's customers stating that they are making channels 24 - 69 Digital only... I now find that my Tivo Series 2 that I have a lifetime Subscription to and purchased in 2007 is a paper weight. My only option is to buy a TIVO Series 3 unit and rent cable cards from Comcast. This would sound like one company did something and the other company was separate from the action except for the fact that Comcast and TIVO have a business relationship renting TIVOS. End Result I have whaled out money for a TIVO 3....

[CrispyCritter]

Recently Comcast has started providing TIVO Service for rentals to it's customers. That said I have been a TIVO Customer since 2000 and a Comcast Customer about the same. Recently within the last week Comcast has sent a letter to all it's customers stating that they are making channels 24 - 69 Digital only... I now find that my Tivo Series 2 that I have a lifetime Subscription to and purchased in 2007 is a paper weight. My only option is to buy a TIVO Series 3 unit and rent cable cards from Comcast. This would sound like one company did something and the other company was separate from the action except for the fact that Comcast and TIVO have a business relationship renting TIVOS. End Result I have whaled out money for a TIVO 3....
I think you have some misunderstandings - or Comcast is doing something much different in your area than in the entire rest of the country.

Your Series 2 unit should be fine - Comcast makes DTA boxes available to all locations that they are doing this mass conversion to digital. Your Series 2 box can control that box and you'll have full capability to record all standard digital shows. The worst that may happen is that if your Series 2 is a dual tuner model, it may not be able to record 2 shows at once.

The Comcast-TiVo relationship can't possibly have anything to do with any decisions made by either party in this situation. It's miniscule...

[bicker]

You are correct that the Comcast-TiVo relationship is completely irrelevant.

However, in many parts of the country, many service providers (not just Comcast) are providing cable networks (not all channels) only in digital, requiring a S2 to gets its input from a box (DTA for many, and sometimes all, channels; STB for all channels, always) for anything more than just the local over-the-air broadcast channels. This does make it so that S2DTs can only record only one program at a time.

Note, however, the TiVo retains the capabilities it has always had: To tune in analog in-the-clear channels. All that has occurred is that, again, as is happening all over the country, with most service providers, inefficient analog service is being discontinued, in favor of more efficient digital service. Indeed, Comcast was one of the last service providers in each area to stick with analog service as much as long as it has. Many customers feel that Comcast's transition to digital is overdue.

It should be noted that folks could purchase a Moxi HD DVR instead, rather than the TiVo S3. The TiVo is better/less expensive, but the point is that TiVo S3 is not the only way of upgrading.