Cablevision + Tivo Series 3 + SDV Tuning adapter = no HBO?!?

Morfious · 05-02-2009, 05:41 PM

I am trying to figure out if my problems are hardware based, content flag based, or if everything is working as it should. I have 3 Motorola S cable cards in my video setup. 1 plugged directly into the rear of my Sony HDTV (XBR960) and 2 in my Tivo Series 3. Normal and HD recordings work fine on the Tivo for routine broadcast channels (fox, NBC etc.). My problem comes with trying to record HBOHD or StarzHD on any of its channels. For example HBOHD (750) will tune in perfectly fine on the television, but will error out on either cable card via the Tivo. On the Tivo the channel will tune in to the correct show for 1 second and then display the gray and black diagnostic screen for the cable card with the message: "In order to start service for this device, please contact customer service at Ph# Please Contact (866)4"

Hitting clear will display a black screen. Any scheduled recordings will just record a black screen. I have had Comcast/Optimum resend / hit the cable cards with no change in behavior. In an effort to correct this I have recently picked up a SDV TA (Tuning adapter). This was installed and activated without problem. The unit seems to be working according to the instructions and all the diagnostic screens say the Tuning Adapter is activated and ready. Trying to tune to HBOHD or StarzHD via the tuning adapter yields the same results. I have the iO Silver package and should be able to tune in to the following channels via the tuning adapter:

Code:

Channel               #Channel Name


773               Starz Kids & Family HD
774               Starz Edge HD
775               HBO Signature HD
776               HBO Family HD
777               HBO Comedy HD
778               HBO Zone HD
779               HBO2 HD
793               HBO Latino HD

None of these seem to work through the tivo and since the TA is not hooked up to the television directly they will not show there either. Is my setup working correctly? Does HBO or Starz use a broadcast flag to prevent the show from playing on the Tivo? Any help or guidence would be greatly appreciated. Even a post saying this is my setup and I can record HBO in Central NJ would be helpful. Thanks for your time and attention.

BobQ · 05-02-2009, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morfious

HBOHD (750) will tune in perfectly fine on the television, but will error out on either cable card via the Tivo. On the Tivo the channel will tune in to the correct show for 1 second and then display the gray and black diagnostic screen for the cable card with the message: "In order to start service for this device, please contact customer service at Ph# Please Contact (866)4"

On my system (Cablevision, Wappingers Falls) I can tune HBOHD (750) with a Series 3 and Cablecards with no problems. Same with StarzHD (740). Not sure this works on all of Cablevisions various systems, but it has worked fine on my system for two years. No tuning adapter needed.

From your description, it sounds like your two cablecards in your Series3 are not properly setup by Cablevision. I would call them and have them reset the cards in the Series3. If the reset does not work, they may need to re-bind the cards, which may require a truck roll, but this should be free.

Did 740/750 ever work for you on the Series3??

I'd expect the other channels (773-779; 793) and the tuning adapter will work properly once the cablecard problem is fixed...

vittoria · 05-02-2009, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morfious

I am trying to figure out if my problems are hardware based, content flag based, or if everything is working as it should. I have 3 Motorola S cable cards in my video setup. 1 plugged directly into the rear of my Sony HDTV (XBR960) and 2 in my Tivo Series 3. Normal and HD recordings work fine on the Tivo for routine broadcast channels (fox, NBC etc.). My problem comes with trying to record HBOHD or StarzHD on any of its channels. For example HBOHD (750) will tune in perfectly fine on the television, but will error out on either cable card via the Tivo. On the Tivo the channel will tune in to the correct show for 1 second and then display the gray and black diagnostic screen for the cable card with the message: "In order to start service for this device, please contact customer service at Ph# Please Contact (866)4"

Hitting clear will display a black screen. Any scheduled recordings will just record a black screen. I have had Comcast/Optimum resend / hit the cable cards with no change in behavior. In an effort to correct this I have recently picked up a SDV TA (Tuning adapter). This was installed and activated without problem. The unit seems to be working according to the instructions and all the diagnostic screens say the Tuning Adapter is activated and ready. Trying to tune to HBOHD or StarzHD via the tuning adapter yields the same results. I have the iO Silver package and should be able to tune in to the following channels via the tuning adapter:

Code:

Channel               #Channel Name


773               Starz Kids & Family HD
774               Starz Edge HD
775               HBO Signature HD
776               HBO Family HD
777               HBO Comedy HD
778               HBO Zone HD
779               HBO2 HD
793               HBO Latino HD

None of these seem to work through the tivo and since the TA is not hooked up to the television directly they will not show there either. Is my setup working correctly? Does HBO or Starz use a broadcast flag to prevent the show from playing on the Tivo? Any help or guidence would be greatly appreciated. Even a post saying this is my setup and I can record HBO in Central NJ would be helpful. Thanks for your time and attention.

I have no problem getting HBOHD with Cablevision and an S3 (no tuning adapter) in the Oakland NJ system.

Morfious · 05-03-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobQ

From your description, it sounds like your two cablecards in your Series3 are not properly setup by Cablevision. I would call them and have them reset the cards in the Series3. If the reset does not work, they may need to re-bind the cards, which may require a truck roll, but this should be free.

Did 740/750 ever work for you on the Series3??

I'd expect the other channels (773-779; 793) and the tuning adapter will work properly once the cablecard problem is fixed...

740/750 has never worked on my series3 Tivo. After installing the tuning adapter 773-779 do not work either. They just display a black screen. Going to call Cablevision again to see if they can correct this problem. (As part of the TA setup process they "reset" my cable cards, but this did not seem to fix the problem). If anyone can verify that HBOHD works with a Tivo HD / Series 3 in the Raritan Valley section of NJ would be greatly appreciated (Edison New brunswick area). Thanks for your help.

ycrazyy · 05-04-2009, 07:43 AM

This definitely sounds like there is a problem with how your cable cards are setup. There is no way for them to decide whether or not a cable card can tune to a channel. I have cable cards in my TiVo's and have never had any issue tuning to HBO, Starz, etc.

My guess is that they do not have those channels as authorized channels for those cable cards (hence the "Call to start service" message). You may have bad cable cards or they just need to start the process of binding and setting up the cable cards from scratch (may require a truck roll that should be free).

joy_division · 05-04-2009, 08:04 AM

Just to add a little, HBOHD and STARZHD do not require the tuning adapter on Long Island. It's all the other added HBO and STARZ channels that were added (the SDV channels).

I picked up my tuning adapter a few weeks backk and all those channels now work for me.

NJ_HB · 05-04-2009, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morfious

I am trying to figure out if my problems are hardware based, content flag based, or if everything is working as it should. I have 3 Motorola S cable cards in my video setup. 1 plugged directly into the rear of my Sony HDTV (XBR960) and 2 in my Tivo Series 3. Normal and HD recordings work fine on the Tivo for routine broadcast channels (fox, NBC etc.). My problem comes with trying to record HBOHD or StarzHD on any of its channels. For example HBOHD (750) will tune in perfectly fine on the television, but will error out on either cable card via the Tivo. On the Tivo the channel will tune in to the correct show for 1 second and then display the gray and black diagnostic screen for the cable card with the message: "In order to start service for this device, please contact customer service at Ph# Please Contact (866)4"

Hitting clear will display a black screen. Any scheduled recordings will just record a black screen. I have had Comcast/Optimum resend / hit the cable cards with no change in behavior. In an effort to correct this I have recently picked up a SDV TA (Tuning adapter). This was installed and activated without problem. The unit seems to be working according to the instructions and all the diagnostic screens say the Tuning Adapter is activated and ready. Trying to tune to HBOHD or StarzHD via the tuning adapter yields the same results. I have the iO Silver package and should be able to tune in to the following channels via the tuning adapter:

Code:

Channel               #Channel Name


773               Starz Kids & Family HD
774               Starz Edge HD
775               HBO Signature HD
776               HBO Family HD
777               HBO Comedy HD
778               HBO Zone HD
779               HBO2 HD
793               HBO Latino HD

None of these seem to work through the tivo and since the TA is not hooked up to the television directly they will not show there either. Is my setup working correctly? Does HBO or Starz use a broadcast flag to prevent the show from playing on the Tivo? Any help or guidence would be greatly appreciated. Even a post saying this is my setup and I can record HBO in Central NJ would be helpful. Thanks for your time and attention.

Sounds like a problem with the config of your cablecards, I get all these chanells with my TA + TiVoHD here in Piscataway, Cablevision service.

Morfious · 05-05-2009, 11:07 PM

Thanks for the input everyone. After a few phone calls to Cablevision, and 1 to Tivo, I have determined that it is my cable cards that are the problem. They are not responding to the authorization requests sent by cablevision. There will be an "Advanced Technician" coming to the house on 5/13 to install 2 M cards to replace my S cards, which will hopefully fix my problem. After several attempts to repair and rehit my cards the service call was set up.

Here are a few things I learned from the TiVo CS lady in case anyone is wondering what some of the information means on the cable card diagnostic screens,
From TiVo Central go to:
Messages & Settings/Account & System Information/CableCARD Decoders/Configure CableCARD #(1 or 2)/ CableCARD Menu/SA CableCARD CP Screen (Wow that's a bunch of clicking)

Auth Status: Waiting for CP Auth (Menas your cableCARD is not programmed to recieve copy protected shows) like mine is now
Prog number: channel number currently tuned in by the cablecard
CCI byte: 0x00 - 0x03 (Level of copy protection on the given channel 0x00= no copy protection 0x03 highest level (maybe more?) record once or Do Not record flag. FYI HBO and other top tier channels are listed as 0x02
ECM count: number of signals that have hit the cable card (if these are very different from one card to the other it may be an indication of a signal problem)

For Reference my problematic cards are Sceintific Atlanta S cards with OS Build: 2.3.149s2 (0) [Monday May 2 2005]