SDV Tuning Adapter-Time Warner

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I did the same thing! Luckily a couple hours later I realized my mistake...

 

They have had their testing equipment for a while - they are waiting on the customer equipment.

 

On my first CableCARD install, I spent most of a day (about 5 hours) with a CSR who made this mistake. I had the cable running through my UPS and he insisted on undoing that before attempting the installation; he unplugged the coax from the wall to the UPS and plugged it into TiVo on the open coax connection (leaving the cable from the UPS to TiVo plugged in ). He'd thrown up his hands, sure that the installation failure was the TiVo's fault and was outside packing up his truck and about to leave when I spotted the problem and called him back.

 

UPDATE: They brought out the replacement TA for the defective one and it also works perfectly fine. I had all of my gear turned on: First we disconnected the existing defective TA and then reconnected the new TA. We let it go through it's green light blinking for about 10 minutes. I could not tune in any of the SDV channels so I pulled the power cord from the TA to initiate a reboot. Once it came back up it worked as it was supposed to.

FYI that you should get an on screen message from your TIVO that a Tuner adapter has been connected and then it ask you if you'd like to test the channels. This is when the TA should be fully working once you get this message

 

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Yeah, I have signed up three times I believe. First time was before the form was put up in the WNY Time Warner site. I will give them a call today.

 

I'm in WNY/Amherst. I got a tuning adapter a couple days ago. Got it all hooked up. I'm having issues tuning SDV channels randomly. CNNHD, for example, works fine on minute but I can't tune to it the next. All SDV channels seem to be working at some time or another. I don't think its a signal strength problem. TWC says some other people have reported this issue and it is a problem with the Cisco firmware. Is anyone here having this problem?

 

I have noticed this occasionally as well where I try to tune a channel and I'll either get the "Channel not available, try again" or it just won't tune with NO message. If I switch to another channel and back I almost always get it to tune in then. I know it's inconvenient to have to do this but at least we can get the channels now with the TA. My guess is it also has something to do with their SDV technology and it being glitchy at times.

 

Yes I have gone thru this as well at TW/Rochester. I just unhooked the adapter since it became unusable..

 

I'm not so sure that is a TA issue. Do you also have a TWC set top box?
I frequently cannot tune SDV channels on my TWC DVR. The TWC box will say "Channel not currently available, try again later". My understanding is that this can mean that they have placed more channels on SDV then they have available frequencies to support. So when you request that channel, they have no open freq to place it on.

 

Good to hear they are finally going out. I'm also in Waukesha and am getting sick of not getting all my HD channels. I'll have to give them a call bugging them tonight.

 

Correct. Setting up SDV requires acheiving a balance between the channels choosen for conversion to switched broadcast and the amount of bandwidth to dedicate to the SDV pool. If they choose the channels poorly, such as switching many channels that are likely to be in use by one or more people at all times in every network segment, they waste the space in the pool and there's none left to allocate to less frequently used services. Alternately, they might have choosen to use an amount of bandwidth for switch broadcasts that is unrealistically small for the number of switched broadcasts.

It may take some providers a while to get this right.

 

I have TWC in Rochester, NY. I've had the tuning adapter for a couple of months. I have the same issue where I can't tune to many of the channels and either get the message or nothing. I have also had a number of other problems. I've had to reboot the device plenty. One time, no channels whatsoever were available on the Tivo and I had to reoboot it. A couple of other times the Tivo locked up and required a reboot. I have also had many problems where the video drops out, skips, etc. Reboots have always solved the problem. For a while I was considering abandoning it altogether. It has gotten better of late, so I'm hoping it stays that way.

 

If you go into TA Diags... hit select twice... about half way down the page you will see

RDC: xx dBmV

What is the xx on your box?

 

I'm having problems tuning SVD channels randomly. Still on the old firmware in Buffalo, NY.

Tivo TA firmware number STA1.0.0_1520_LR_F.0701
SARA v1.61.32.1

RDC: 41

 

RDC: 44dBmV.

Why, what does this mean?

Thanks,
Z.

 

That is the signal level the TA is using to be able to talk back to the node (Reverse Data Carrier). If you cannot talk back to the node... then SDV wont work. 44 is OK.

 

Got an email today. Tuning adapters will be available beginning April 1st in NEO/WPA. Until now, I hadn't been able to get anyone to admit that they were using SDV although I've been missing channels.

 

...and of course still don't have one as I live in central Ohio.

I probably don't get about 60 channels including MSNBC which I used to Tivo all the time, not to mention all the newer HD channels. I've made multiple phone calls and eMails to TW and their response is always the same, "We're testing them". Really??? These things were rolled out in NY and Texas months ago by those TW affiliates, so just how much 'testing' has to happen locally? Interesting to hear from others on this forum that Ohio might actually be getting them soon.

When I complained (the last time I called) that this was going on 3 months past the publicized initial rollout date, they gave me $15 off this months bill. Whoopee. I'd rather get all my channels now -- not just the new ones, but the ones I used to get.

When the revolution comes, the cable operators need to be the first up against the wall.

Bitter -- table for one!

 

COLUMBUS OHIO UPDATE:
I talked to the person in charge of the tuning adapters LAST night. He said there shipment arrived in on Tuesday. Columbus TW recieved about 600 in. They may start rolling them out as early as next week (seems like if you signed up early then you will get yours next week). Im trying to get mine this week, but most likely will be next week. They have been testing them in Columbus and have not had any major problems. Il update you guys asap. If you have any questions let me know.

 

This is the best news I've heard in a while. I hope what you heard is true. Keep us posted!