Cablecard diy or truckroll?????

stiege · 03-22-2010, 04:15 PM

Can I just switch the cablecard out of my hd into my premiere? Or do I need a service call?

Thanks in advance,

Jason

innocentfreak · 03-22-2010, 04:25 PM

It depends on your cable company. With FiOS I have had no problem switching cards. I know some companies handle it differently though.

bpurcell · 03-22-2010, 05:05 PM

If you have Comcast, it entirely depends on where you live. If you already have the card, then I imagine you should be able to just call to pair the card to the new TiVo, no matter where you live. If they have trouble pairing, then they'll require a truck roll.

stiege · 03-22-2010, 06:00 PM

Thanks, so then I can't just switch the card, the cable company needs to know that the card is in a new machine and needs info on that machine?

I'm guessing in that case, I'll need a truck roll. Cablevision in CT is a customer service nightmare.

Jason

Resist · 03-22-2010, 07:12 PM

Yes the cable company needs to know what machine the card is in. This should be a simple DIY thing but no doubt the cable company will want to send a tech and charge you. It's such a scam in my opinion.

When I first needed cable cards installed in my Series 3, I had to show the tech how to set them up. For that they charged me $35!

DaveWhittle · 03-22-2010, 07:23 PM

I currently have Comcast with Basic cable, but not hooked up (just wanted the internet discount).

Now that I'm getting a Premiere and adding a cablecard, what is going to be the cost to connect the Tivo to the cable and install a m-card? Will there be a monthly fee for the card?

TrueTurbo · 03-22-2010, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveWhittle

I currently have Comcast with Basic cable, but not hooked up (just wanted the internet discount).

Now that I'm getting a Premiere and adding a cablecard, what is going to be the cost to connect the Tivo to the cable and install a m-card? Will there be a monthly fee for the card?

Call your cable company and ask them. Some TV packages include 1 DVR in the price which you can have as either their OEM DVR or a cable card for your TiVo.

Resist · 03-22-2010, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveWhittle

what is going to be the cost to connect the Tivo to the cable and install a m-card? Will there be a monthly fee for the card?

Depends on your cable company and area. Charter Cable billed me $35 to install and setup the cablecards. They also charge me $2 per card each month.

caddyroger · 03-22-2010, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveWhittle

I currently have Comcast with Basic cable, but not hooked up (just wanted the internet discount).

Now that I'm getting a Premiere and adding a cablecard, what is going to be the cost to connect the Tivo to the cable and install a m-card? Will there be a monthly fee for the card?

Some area will let you pick up the cards and install them and then call in the pairing information but other will require a truck roll. The card will not cost any thing if it it is the first card. A second card you will be charged a fee. They could be a $7.00 outlet charge.
I picked up 2 s cards the day I got my tivo and Installed them following the Instructions. I am charged $1.79 for the second card.

Bsteenson · 03-23-2010, 12:56 AM

If you're with Mediacom (booo, hisss) it depends entirely on who you talk to. Telephone support says sure, pick a card up at your local office and install it yourself with a phone call to pair it. Local office says no way, it's a truck roll.

By the way, local office doesn't stock them and says it will take 5 business days to get a card. They told me that when I ordered 2 M cards on Feb. 18, ALMOST FIVE WEEKS AGO. Still don't have them.

At this point I'm not pressing the issue because I'm going to wait and install the second M card that I have ordered in the Premiere instead of the second HD.

I called tech support and asked if I could just swap the card in my first HD into my Premiere and they said sure, no truck roll needed. Just call to give them the information so they can pair it to the new machine.

I just wish Mediacom's head would know what its a** is doing.

By the way, I get charged $1.99 per month per card for the two S cards I have now. I am trying to exchange them for two M cards, and the price will be the same.

noah82 · 03-23-2010, 01:44 PM

For Cox in San Diego they require a truck roll and $75 for the convenience, but I was able to talk to a Cox rep at Best Buy and he is going to try to waive that for me.

gweempose · 03-23-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noah82

For Cox in San Diego they require a truck roll and $75 for the convenience ...

That's highway robbery!

mchief · 03-23-2010, 05:00 PM

You need to move to Alexandria where the truck roll is ZERO. Come to think about it - I'd rather be in SDiego.

noah82 · 03-23-2010, 05:04 PM

Tell me about it...Cox has done everything in their power to make it nearly impossible to watch TV on anything other than their sorry excuse for a DVR.

i2k · 03-24-2010, 02:57 PM

I just had Verizon come out this week after adding another MS card to my account, the guy said to activate it in my existing Series 3 then just put it in the new box when it arrives. Easy... and because your 'adding' service they will not charge you for the callout.

moyekj · 03-24-2010, 03:46 PM

Probably the biggest single hurdle to get over buying a Premiere is the thought of having to deal with cable company having to do a truck roll. Here for Cox in Orange County they also charge like $70 for truck roll and always insist they don't have M-cards (even though they do) and don't even know what a Tuning Adapter is. The installers are usually incompetent enough you can make a case for a refund of the truck roll seeing as I end up doing the install anyway once they show up. All that is much more of a hurdle for me than the $500 for a lifetime Premiere. It should be as easy as picking up M-card + TA at one of the retail offices and then logging into a web page to do the pairing yourself...

gweempose · 03-24-2010, 04:28 PM

You would think if they have the audacity to charge you $70 for the truck roll, they would at least use some of that profit to properly train their installers.

Unseen Llama · 03-24-2010, 05:59 PM

Posted this in the pre-order thread, but this one is more appropriate.

So I called 1 800 Comcast tonight to try and reserve an M-card at my local office. They said that they couldn't do that on the phone, but I can go to my local office and pick one up (Fishers, IN). They will do some initial setup of the card there, and I will be able to take it home and call in to complete the setup. No truckroll at all! This is a much different attitude from previous years trying to get cablecards installed. Looks like I'm going to stop by the local office tomorrow on the way home from work!

jacksonian · 03-29-2010, 02:32 PM

Well, since I have a pair of S-cards in each of my Series 3's, I'll have to have TWC send a tech with M-cards. Hopefully it will go smoothly.

digitalfirefly · 03-29-2010, 02:46 PM

Yeah, it depends on your cable company. I work for a small cable company in PA. We carry single turner and M-cards. They're $3 a month, or $125 to buy. You can pick them in the office for self installs. We have lots of customers that come in for cable cards for Tivos.

ascuser · 03-29-2010, 03:02 PM

I have Comcast in Massachusetts, and they are charging me $16 for the truck roll. The first card is included with the digital starter service for free in lieu of a cable box. I personally thought the $16 was worth it for me just not to have to go down to the cable office so I didn't argue it at all.

paulnelson20 · 03-29-2010, 06:47 PM

I was pleasantly surprised, I have Charter(central MN) and I popped my m-card out of my TivoHD an put it into my premiere and had all my digital and hd channels, plus my premiums worked a-ok. But your results may differ.

riekl · 03-29-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulnelson20

I was pleasantly surprised, I have Charter(central MN) and I popped my m-card out of my TivoHD an put it into my premiere and had all my digital and hd channels, plus my premiums worked a-ok. But your results may differ.

Then either a) none of your channels are encrypted or b) they are all going to stop working as soon as the card tries to reauthorize.

You can not just take a ccard from one box to another in any system.

SoBayJake · 03-29-2010, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by riekl

You can not just take a ccard from one box to another in any system.

Yes you can, check with all the users (including myself) on FiOS.

If the provider does not set the CCI byte (meaning it is always 0x00), and the card is authorized, it WILL work.

If the provider uses a CCI byte other than 0x00 on a given channel, then the card will need to be repaired to the new device.

paulnelson20 · 03-29-2010, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoBayJake

Yes you can, check with all the users (including myself) on FiOS.

If the provider does not set the CCI byte (meaning it is always 0x00), and the card is authorized, it WILL work.

If the provider uses a CCI byte other than 0x00 on a given channel, then the card will need to be repaired to the new device.

Yeah, none of my channels are locked, I can transfer anything to my computer or another TiVO.

matguy · 03-29-2010, 08:18 PM

I dropped by the local Comcast office (Redmond, WA) and they simply handed me a card (in a very small plastic blister-case) and a receipt and said I'd have to call in to pair it when my Tivo shows up. So far it's been the easiest thing I've ever had to do with any cable company, we'll see if it works in a week or so.

Dr_Diablo · 03-30-2010, 03:53 AM

guess u could be the cards still gotta be paired up to the new box, an if you dunt speak the lingo tech talk u r SOL

brettatk · 03-30-2010, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr_Diablo

guess u could be the cards still gotta be paired up to the new box, an if you dunt speak the lingo tech talk u r SOL

It's not too hard to read numbers off the screen. The biggest challenge will be getting the Comcast Employee on the other end to enter the correct numbers where they need to be entered. IMO it's ridiculous to require a truck roll for something so trivial.

dmb4040 · 03-30-2010, 10:11 AM

Called Cablevision for my card today. I was told that there is a $35 dollar fee to have the guy roll the truck out and install it. I asked "why can't I just smack that card in myself" to which he reluctantly said, "You can just pick up a card from a local cablevision office and do it yourself."

I wonder how many people he suckered in since he never gave the "pickup" option unless you asked.

DaveWhittle · 03-30-2010, 10:50 AM

I was going to do it myself, but since I'm switching back from DirecTV to Comcast and I haven't had cable TV hooked up in a decade (only internet), I decided it was worth the $30 to have a Comcast dude come out and make sure I was wired correctly.

btw, I got a deal in my area called "Dish buy-back", which is "digital preferred + 1 pay" (HBO) and a DVR for $50 a month for a year. That deal alone will almost pay for the Tivo Premiere w/ Lifetime sub over what I was paying DirecTV.

I'm going to put the Comcast DVR in another room (rarely watch TV there now, but what the hey), but that's an additional one-time $20 for the install. And the cablecard is an additional $7 a month.

I told the CSR to make sure the installer brought an "M" (or multistream) card, and she said that's all they had anymore, but would note it anyway. I also requested a Comcast installer and not a contractor.

All this happens Friday morning... we'll see.