Another QAM Channel Guide issue..

Tivo does not provide guide data for the QAM channels. In most cases, the FCC requires that cable companies provide cable cards. There are exceptions for small cable companies. You can ask them if they can supply cable cards, but I suspect they probably have an exemption if they are that small.

Rerunning guided setup and selecting cable and antenna is not going to help, unless you connect an antenna. If you are close to the broadcast stations, you may be able to receive over the air (antenna) broadcasts with an indoor antenna. Tivo does provide guide data for OTA, including sub channels, so at lest you would have guide data for the major networks.

You can still record the QAM channels manually by selecting the date, time, and channel, but it kind of defeats the purpose of having a Tivo.

 

There are threads that go on for ever talking about this subject. Bottom line is if your cable company has an FCC exemption and does not have to provide cable cards you are SOL.

You can do manual recordings using a paper TV Guide or you could tell the TiVo you get OTA (over the air) and see if the channels are listed so you could possible use the guide data to look at but you would still have to do manual records and the TiVo would not know what it recorded.

I would see what you get with a good indoor antenna.

Good Luck,

 

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What he is telling you is probably right. However, in order to see that mapping you need a cable box or in your case, a cable card for the Tivo. Ask him if they offer cable cards. If they don't then you'll be stuck using the manual recordings or an antenna like others have mentioned.

ETA: Even if they do offer cable cards, you may be stuck since it is your condo that has the service and not you specifically.

 

As others have suggested, your first step is to see if your cable company offers CableCARDs. If they are exempt, then your second step is to pressure the FCC to revoke your cable company's waiver. That's probably going to be very difficult, and is probably more work than you're going to want to engage in, so as an alternative you'd have to just accept the way things are and make the best of the situation.

No. The only thing the cable company needs to do is (assuming they haven't secured a waiver from the FCC) offer CableCARDs for a nominal fee.

 

Or you can build/buy a HTPC and use Windows 7 Media Center which makes QAM channel mapping a very easy thing to do indeed.

 

Or a Moxi, which does the same thing and is a lot easier for a novice to setup and use.