“Comcast is slowly deactivating the cablecards”

They’re not doing that. They are continuing to support all current working CableCards installed in customer’s homes.

If a card fails (I’m not convinced your did, but it’s moot now), they simply won’t replace it.

 

That's incorrect. I have two, and my service died on both at exactly the same time. They did not fail, they were failed. It may be true that some cards have different EOL's, but that's different from failing.

L

 

Couldn't have said it better. I just spent a couple of hours with Comcast Cablecard Support to no avail. I'm pondering my next move, but since there's basically no competition for Comcast where we are, I think I'm stuck for now, but, as soon as I can, it'll be Buh Bye Comcast.

Loren

 

>“Comcast is slowly deactivating the cablecards”
They’re not doing that. They are continuing to support all current working CableCards installed in customer’s homes.
If a card fails (I’m not convinced your did, but it’s moot now), they simply won’t replace it.

One if my CableCards (the oldest - a PowerKEY Model PKM800) was deactivated by Xfinity this past Saturday afternoon. The phone technicians are clueless but finally talking to the folks that understand CableCards confirmed that Xfinity/Comcast is deactivating all PowerKEY cards.

They claimed they could not send me a new card of any kind and recommended visiting a storefront. The stores here in Houston claim the opposite - that they don't have any and I need to call technical support to have one mailed to me - a vicious circle.

My OTHER card in my newer TiVo is still working fine. For now.

 

No, the card was not “deactivated”.

Doing so purposely would have required them giving you advance notice in change of your service equipment.

Either your card was impacted by the PowerKey bug and failed due to technical failure on the known date: or your card failed to complete a needed firmware update (to address that bug) and got bricked.

But Comcast is not “deactivating” any cards.

 

Comcast is essentially deactivating cablecards by forcing updates that don’t complete successfully. (That is what happened to one of mine.)

If they gave the customer the option to not upgrade, it would be a different story. Therefore, it is Comcast’s fault that the cards are failing.

 

There is no “option”. The update is required or else the cards will fail due to a preexisting bug.

They‘re TRYING to keep their cards working. For whatever reason, some updates are failing and the cards are unrecoverable. That stinks and they should offer a replacement card in those cases which are their fault, but they’re not doing that. That also stinks.

But none of that equates to “deactivating” cards. It does equate to incompetence and poor customer service.

 

What you said. Came back from a TG holiday to find both my Roamios deactivated. After spending over an hour on the phone today, their answer was the same to me as to you: "we tried, it ain't working, come get a new DVR from us".

I have two TiVos and four Minis. I'm going to get one X1 box for our main TV. I have an antenna I just hooked up to the other TiVo, and it gets all the locals. I'll have the Minis feed off the OTA Roamio (not at the same time), because most of what my wife watches is the broadcast channels during the day. And we can use the X1 to watch any cable shows. We already use a DirecTV Genie at another location, so we can learn to use an X1.

“Comcast is slowly deactivating the cablecards”

They’re not doing that. They are continuing to support all current working CableCards installed in customer’s homes.

If a card fails (I’m not convinced your did, but it’s moot now), they simply won’t replace it.

I'm not sure why you're working so hard to defend Comcast. Both our cards failed over the weekend, at the same time. Whether it's intentional or accidental, it seems all of us (at least here in Houston) are losing our Tivos at the exact same time. It's pretty clear Comcast has screwed the pooch on this.

It doesn't matter to any of us whether it was "deactivated" or "unable to update". I've come to EOL on my 22 year TiVo history. Because of the way Comcast has handled this.

 

What you said. Came back from a TG holiday to find both my Roamios deactivated. After spending over an hour on the phone today, their answer was the same to me as to you: "we tried, it ain't working, come get a new DVR from us".

I have two TiVos and four Minis. I'm going to get one X1 box for our main TV. I have an antenna I just hooked up to the other TiVo, and it gets all the locals. I'll have the Minis feed off the OTA Roamio (not at the same time), because most of what my wife watches is the broadcast channels during the day. And we can use the X1 to watch any cable shows. We already use a DirecTV Genie at another location, so we can learn to use an X1.




I'm not sure why you're working so hard to defend Comcast. Both our cards failed over the weekend, at the same time. Whether it's intentional or accidental, it seems all of us (at least here in Houston) are losing our Tivos at the exact same time. It's pretty clear Comcast has screwed the pooch on this.

It doesn't matter to any of us whether it was "deactivated" or "unable to update". I've come to EOL on my 22 year TiVo history. Because of the way Comcast has handled this.

Because “deactivated” could lead other customers to think they’re next on the hit list.

”Accidental” - which is the case here - should not likely be long term and impact many customers.

You had a rare, unfortunate occurrence. Most current card customers should not be concerned.

That’s “why”.

 

Well...

Received a call from the Comcast cablecard team this afternoon.

They were asking for my help. They wanted me to go to our TiVo to see if a new refresh fixed the problem.

Evidently they pushed a software update out in our area (Houston), which caused a lot of cablecards to be disabled - we weren't the only customer impacted by this update. They were backing out the software update and trying to reactivate the affected cards.

But, I explained it was too late for us. I had already removed all of our TiVo gear - and did a wipe on our DVR - and began installing Amazon Fire Sticks to use the Xfinity Stream app on all of our TVs.

The tech confirmed that even if they were able to resuscitate the disabled cards, this would only keep us running for a few months more - because they are planning to shut off the cablecards at some point. Sounded like this software update was planned to go out - but later...

On Wednesday, I'm posting our TiVo system on eBay for sale - Edge for Cable 2TB (lifetime subscription), Bolt+ (non-working, needs new hard drive), 6 Mini Luxes, 4 Minis, 10 TiVo voice remotes, 5 older TiVo remotes.

If Comcast had indicated over the weekend that they understood what happened, and that they could get us up and running for a few more months - we would have kept our TiVo system running - and spend more time planning for a smoother transition.

But what they did increases the probability that we'll drop Comcast completely and shift to a fiber internet provider with faster internet, unlimited data, and at a lower price.

Great work Comcast!

 

I highly recommend Directv Stream. They have a free trial that I've used and has the same channel selection as Comcast.

Our cable cards still work but once those stop working we are going to Directv Stream.

 

"Coincidentally" my Comcast CableCard died on November 10. Same all channels not authorized. They couldn't fix it, and they didn't have Cablecards to send out. I had to get the X1 box, but I got them to give it to me free for a year.

What a clunky piece of crap! I stopped using my Tivo to actually record long ago because everything I watch is streaming. But just using it as a cable box was so much better. The X1 box is terrible. I'm going to return it and just stream through my AppleTV.

 

We are Comcast "auto-pay" customers, so instead of receiving a monthly statement by mail or e-mail, we just get an e-mail notifying us that they'll be posting a charge in a few days.

Bob, You appear to be well familiar with the technology, but there are a couple of areas that may need a bit more clarification.

Firstly, you ARE in fact getting a monthly statement from Comcast; if you fail to peruse it from month to month, you do so at your peril (I deal all the time with customers who are unaware of what is on their billing statements, including (sadly) in my own family). You can access your most recent statements (as well as a forecast of your upcoming statement's billing total) from your on-line Xfinity account under Billing > Bill details > Current statement ( or, alternatively, Statement history). From there, you can download/print the statement pdf. The statement history should contain a five-year archive.

If you click on the hyperlink in the e-mail notice you receive every month, it should take you to your on-line account.

Statements are also available on the Xfinity mobile app under Manage billing. Periodically, the statement will contain important notices regarding changes to the system, fee increases, or other advisories, some of which are mandated by law (such as privacy notices). It is possible (although not certain) that your CableCARD issue may have been addressed in this manner, allowing you to anticipate the interruption/disturbance.

With Comcast, the best we can get right now is their Xfi Complete package which provides up to 1.2Gb/s download and 35Mb/s upload, with unlimited data.

Secondly, xFi Complete is not a package, but rather what Comcast refers to internally as an add-on pack; thus, it does not entail, nor is it tied to any specific HSI service tier. It provides the Comcast gateway (a combination cable modem, router, and MoCA bridge), unlimited data, and a few other benefits.

Rather, what you are referring to (and which I assume is your current service) is Xfinity's Gigabit (nominally 1000Mbps, which, with Comcast's typical 20% overprovisioning, equates to ca. 1200Mpbs in real-world terms) or Gigabit Extra (nominally 1200Mbps) speed tier. If you have a term contract, it may have included xFi Complete at no additional or reduced cost for a limited period; otherwise, it is an add-on (which incurs an additional cost, typically $25 p.m.) that you can remove if desired. Perhaps this is what you meant; if so please excuse the quibble, but the way you worded it could lead to misinterpretation.

At least for now, we've decided to stick with Comcast TV and use our existing X1 DVR.

Thirdly, you are not tied to the X1 DVR. Of course, as mentioned above, it will be included as part of your xFi Complete service; but if xFi Complete is not being provided free of charge and you do not need its other benefits (e.g., waiver of the 1.2TB data cap), you can have it removed from your account and rely solely on the Xfinity Stream app.

Hope this helps.

Full disclosure: I am not affiliated with Comcast in any way but have been dealing with them for over two decades regarding both residential and bulk service contracts.

 

Was coming here to see if others were experiencing the same issue we did, and I see I am not alone! We were watching TV on our TiVo Bolt Monday evening when suddenly all the channels stopped working and gave the V58 error. Reboot was no help. But channels were still working fine on our older Premiere. Figured maybe the cablecard had died, was annoyed because I knew I couldn't get a replacement but thought I'd maybe work on switching the card out of the Premiere and into the Bolt the next day. Channels were still coming through on the Premiere when I went to bed around midnight. Got up yesterday morning and the Premiere was also giving the V58 error. Spent over an hour on the phone with Xfinity "cablecard support", he said he tried unpairing and pairing, sending refreshes, and a couple "other things" on their end, and then gave the same spiel as others have gotten, "your cards are end-of-life, nothing else I can do, do you want our X1 box?" I pressed back on how both cards would suddenly die, not at the same time but within 12 hours of each other, and it not be something Xfinity had done, but got nowhere with that. So I got pretty pissed, cancelled our TV service, and we'll just stream. I will certainly miss TiVo, we have had various boxes for almost 20 years now. :-(

 

Evidently they pushed a software update out in our area (Houston), which caused a lot of cablecards to be disabled - we weren't the only customer impacted by this update. They were backing out the software update and trying to reactivate the affected cards.

I’m in the area and that might be why it didn’t take a lot of pushing to get them to agree to approve me picking up a cablecard in Pearland. They did warn that it may not be activated though. I’ll keep checking to see if they were able to back out the update.

But what they did increases the probability that we'll drop Comcast completely and shift to a fiber internet provider with faster internet, unlimited data, and at a lower price.

AT&T fiber has been working near flawlessly for me since July. I do miss being able to record things impromptu but I‘m not missing much with so many streaming services which also include “live” TV channels. TiVo guides are still accurate so it is easy to see what is available.

My contract is up next month and Comcast will need to do something special to keep me even as a cable TV customer.

 

One if my CableCards (the oldest - a PowerKEY Model PKM800) was deactivated by Xfinity this past Saturday afternoon. The phone technicians are clueless but finally talking to the folks that understand CableCards confirmed that Xfinity/Comcast is deactivating all PowerKEY cards.

They claimed they could not send me a new card of any kind and recommended visiting a storefront. The stores here in Houston claim the opposite - that they don't have any and I need to call technical support to have one mailed to me - a vicious circle.

My OTHER card in my newer TiVo is still working fine. For now.

What are the symptoms? Can you see a video?
One of my Romeo Tivos started rebooting about every 15 minutes. When I removed the network cable, the rebooting stopped, and I could watch Live and recorded shows.
After a few days, the guide data ran out, so I connected the network cable and forced a download. After the download finished, I still did not have any shows in the to-do list, so I found I did not have any guide data. It has been a week, and there is still no guide data or to-do list.
When I look at the guide, all the channels show "Title not available." Does the guide information come from the network download, or does it come down the cable connection?
If I can still watch live TV, does it indicate that the cable card is working?

 

One if my CableCards (the oldest - a PowerKEY Model PKM800) was deactivated by Xfinity this past Saturday afternoon. The phone technicians are clueless but finally talking to the folks that understand CableCards confirmed that Xfinity/Comcast is deactivating all PowerKEY cards.

They claimed they could not send me a new card of any kind and recommended visiting a storefront. The stores here in Houston claim the opposite - that they don't have any and I need to call technical support to have one mailed to me - a vicious circle.

My OTHER card in my newer TiVo is still working fine. For now.

What are the symptoms? Can you see a video?
One of my Romeo Tivos started rebooting about every 15 minutes. When I removed the network cable, the rebooting stopped, and I could watch Live and recorded shows.
After a few days, the guide data ran out, so I connected the network cable and forced a download. After the download finished, I still did not have any shows in the to-do list, so I found I did not have any guide data. It has been a week, and there is still no guide data or to-do list.
When I look at the guide, all the channels show "Title not available." Does the guide information come from the network download, or does it come down the cable connection?
If I can still watch live TV, does it indicate that the cable card is working?

The Gude comes from TiVo, from the network connection.

It has nothing to do with your cable or cable card.

If you can watch live tv, your cable card is working.

 

So far, our transition from TiVo to X1 DVR and Fire Sticks has gone pretty well. We lose commercial skipping on the Fire Sticks (which we can do on the TV connected to the X1 DVR).

It's unfortunate that TiVo didn't release an app version that would run on smart TVs or streaming devices (Google TV, Fire Stick, ...) - because if they had, it would be easy for me to reconnect just the TiVo Edge and set it back up again (if I could get a usable cablecard from local Comcast) - and if/when the cablecard stopped working, I'd be able to quickly shift over to using just the X1 DVR.

But at this point, with all of the TiVo Minis disconnected and our network of HDMI over CAT6 taken down (to share a Mini between TVs) - just not worth it.

Instead, we're hoping someone will be interested in buying our Edge, Bolt+ (with a dead HDD),6 Mini Luxes and 4 Minis on eBay.

 

So far, our transition from TiVo to X1 DVR and Fire Sticks has gone pretty well. We lose commercial skipping on the Fire Sticks (which we can do on the TV connected to the X1 DVR).

You are referring to the automated ad skip feature on the DVR; on the Fire Stick you have to skip manually via the transport controls (right direction or FF button).

BTW, be prepared for price increases as of January 1 unless you have a fixed-price term agreement. In most Comcast regions, almost all of the services and equipment fees will go up by at least a few dollars (e.g., across-the-board $5 increase in all the HSI tiers). The Broadcast TV and Regional Sports fees alone will hit around $50 p.m.; for comparison, you can currently get YouTubeTV for that price on a two-month discount.

 

Thank you so much. You make a lot of sense. I really really love my TiVos, but like you said: They blew it! That's really unfortunate.
I thought I was the only one with problems with the TiVo app, I could not get it to work half or most of the time. IT'S JUST LIKE MY CO-WORKERS!🤬.
Click.

 

I hope I die before my last Tivo/cable card combination dies.

 

Another 3 hours wasted.
1. They said they would send an X1 box a couple of weeks ago (no charge) but didn’t. Another call got a box sent but they charged me $25 which they promised to credit back.
2. After a chat and a phone call, the box can’t be activated. They offered to send out another. (I don’t think so as I only have a month left on my contract. This is another sign that I should dump Comcast.)
3. That agent sends me a link to generate a return label. It doesn’t work as the equipment is not on my account. (I don’t want to go to a store.)
4. Another 45 minute call to Xfinity to get a return box to be received some time after Christmas.
The last guy said that the problem was that they didn’t properly scan the box to my account and when they tried to do it again, it wouldn’t allow it because it had already been scanned. Whatever.

 

What is the super secret 800# for Comcast cable card issues? I've not yet encountered this issue and want to avoid it.

Okay, just found this: For any questions about your CableCARD, please call 1-877-405-2298.

Thanks.

 

The tivo documentation states that a romio can be activated without a cablecard. You can watch all except "encrypted channels". Anyone knows what channels what channels from basic can work? I would assume all premium tv channels are encrypted... Trying to determine if I can reactivate a tivo with a new lower cost basic package from Comcast.

 

Ever since the completion of the cable digital transition all QAM channels are encrypted with the exception of the EAS channel (and the one channel that told you you needed to have a TV subscription, but I think that channel has since been removed in most markets).

 

Yeah, there was a time you could get the basic channels (ABC et al) thru cable without any encryption. Even a TV could get them.

No longer.

 

Technically, the "even a TV" needed to be a cable-ready set. I remember buying one with that feature back in ye olden days when older TV sets didn't know what cable input was. I doubt today's newest TVs even have that option anymore, as the industry moves forward into the future.

 

File a FCC complaint it will be resolved. My exact situation and I am back up and running with 3 cards shipped and doing great.

 

Your situation is atypical.

You are giving people false hope.

At minimum you should tell people to TRY. But those people should know, chances of success are slim.

 

The cablecard page has been updated so Comcast now has no obligation to give anyone a cablecard going forward.

Use a CableCARD instead of a TV Box

Learn about CableCARDs.

www.xfinity.com

 

The cablecard page has been updated so Comcast now has no obligation to give anyone a cablecard going forward.

Can we use a cable card we buy on Ebay?

 

Since Xfinity essentially bricked some of our TiVos, it would be nice if there was a company that could convert them into OTA models so we could record OTA content.

Also, it would be great if Xfinity would allow all devices to stream with their app outside of their network. Today, the only way to stream to televisions using an Apple TV is through Airplay and even that is limited to certain channels.

 

Keep an eye on eBay. I bought a couple OTA Roamio Tivos on there a few months back. If you're patient and check often you can sometimes find them in the $50-100 range.

 

Again, this is FALSE info. I was also called by Comcast within 24 hours of my FCC complaint. And was told by Comcast, after several days of "we're working on it", that there was nothing they can do, or will do.

Comcast did the following after my FCC complaint:

• called me
• tried in vain to update/fix the cablecard they broke
• offered me to rent one of their DVRs (one year gratuit),
• encouraged use of streaming (with its many limitations).

I haven't heard back from the FCC but the issue will be closed. Hopefully my claim will add fuel to any class action years from now.

My take — It‘s fine and after 18 years, it is time to dump Comcast completely anyway. I remember when they told me that the “triple play package” which included all premium channels would cost $159/mo forever not just 5 years.

The issue is likely "outside of their network". Comcast has lots of limitations on out-of-household streaming.

Yep. Far too often when Xfinity cable TV is down, their internet is also down. Not relying on their internet at least allows me some access. Both were down for a week during hurricane Beryl. (T-Mobile and AT&T were back up within 24 hours. )

 

Comcast did the following after my FCC complaint:

• called me
• tried in vain to update/fix the cablecard they broke
• offered me to rent one of their DVRs (one year gratuit),
• encouraged use of streaming (with its many limitations).

I haven't heard back from the FCC but the issue will be closed.

This was identical to my experience. I did hear back from the FCC, asking if I was contacted by Comcast. It was either yes or no, they don't care if it was fixed, only if I was contacted.

 

You are free to uninvite yourself from the class action lawsuit and pursue legal remedy yourself.

The main reason for their existence is simple - what's the difference between stealing $1,000,000 from 1 person, versus $1 from 1,000,000 people? The answer is the 1,000,000 people will likely not do a thing about it.

So you see companies do things like jack up rates by say, $5/month. Even if you have a "contract" that says your rates are fixed for 2 years. Are you going to do anything about it? Filing a legal action? Even in small claims, your damages would be limited to $120 tops, and after filing fees, serving summons, taking a day off work, etc, it'll cost you more to pursue it than it's worth. (And chances are, the company will let it go into default and just cut you a check at the end - meanwhile the hundreds of thousands of others they're making bank on).

That's why there's class action - because those million people otherwise have no recourse, and companies would routinely jack up your price as they do so because they can. The actual threshold for a small claim is around $1000 to be worth it, so as long as companies screw you over for less, it's free money for the CEO's yacht for them.

And yes, lawyers do get a lot, because until the case is resolved, they're paying out of pocket for everything - it can take between 5 to 10 years to resolve a class action - and multiple lawyers billing out at lawyer rates, plus court costs, research costs, and other things aren't cheap. Like any business, there's an ROI calculation involved because they themselves will have to invest millions in your case. And there may not be a huge payout - or they can lose (most class actions go nowhere), which means you've just spent millions and got zilch out of it, so you have to rely on winnings to fund the unsuccessful cases.

Most places with a western legal system have a form of class action lawsuit. Places that don't typically either the problems stay local (you versus some business in your community), or a government that owns basically the big businesses (telecoms, etc) and thus suing them is suing the government (which is usually a "good luck with that"). And even in countries with "loser pays", you'll find class actions still pay lawyers millions, but they tend to be far more restrained because well, loser pays, and includes the parties bringing the class action forward. So you've got a good chance of getting screwed over and no one will take your case because they can't afford to lose.

 

You are free to uninvite yourself from the class action lawsuit and pursue legal remedy yourself.

The main reason for their existence is simple - what's the difference between stealing $1,000,000 from 1 person, versus $1 from 1,000,000 people? The answer is the 1,000,000 people will likely not do a thing about it.

So you see companies do things like jack up rates by say, $5/month. Even if you have a "contract" that says your rates are fixed for 2 years. Are you going to do anything about it? Filing a legal action? Even in small claims, your damages would be limited to $120 tops, and after filing fees, serving summons, taking a day off work, etc, it'll cost you more to pursue it than it's worth. (And chances are, the company will let it go into default and just cut you a check at the end - meanwhile the hundreds of thousands of others they're making bank on).

That's why there's class action - because those million people otherwise have no recourse, and companies would routinely jack up your price as they do so because they can. The actual threshold for a small claim is around $1000 to be worth it, so as long as companies screw you over for less, it's free money for the CEO's yacht for them.

And yes, lawyers do get a lot, because until the case is resolved, they're paying out of pocket for everything - it can take between 5 to 10 years to resolve a class action - and multiple lawyers billing out at lawyer rates, plus court costs, research costs, and other things aren't cheap. Like any business, there's an ROI calculation involved because they themselves will have to invest millions in your case. And there may not be a huge payout - or they can lose (most class actions go nowhere), which means you've just spent millions and got zilch out of it, so you have to rely on winnings to fund the unsuccessful cases.

Most places with a western legal system have a form of class action lawsuit. Places that don't typically either the problems stay local (you versus some business in your community), or a government that owns basically the big businesses (telecoms, etc) and thus suing them is suing the government (which is usually a "good luck with that"). And even in countries with "loser pays", you'll find class actions still pay lawyers millions, but they tend to be far more restrained because well, loser pays, and includes the parties bringing the class action forward. So you've got a good chance of getting screwed over and no one will take your case because they can't afford to lose.

"Uninviting yourself from the lawsuit" is meaningless because no one, no one, ever goes it alone. And it just gets those who remain an additional two cents added to their check. But you already knew that.

The entire process, which seems to be a wink-wink symbiotic relationship between criminal corporations who spend much of their time figuring endless ways to screw over consumers and the attorney class, is predicated on giving the rubes the very false feeling of "I'm sticking it to the corporation that ripped me off in some way!"

Let me be clear - a check for $12.79 at the end of the process going to class members while the law firm gets 25-35 percent of the, say, $8 Million judgement regardless of the work involved which, except for court appearances, is done almost exclusively by low paid paralegals and others with no law degree, is akin to legalized theft.

With very few exceptions that can be counted on fingers and toes, no law firm has ever invested 'millions' in a class action case. And the vast majority of 'contracts' governing class action suits are written such that the law firm gets their percentage of the spoils plus their 'expenses', so regardless of the sad story you told about the poor law firm investing millions, their out of pocket is almost zero.

My post was to tell people that their expectations of the big payout must be tempered with reality - you will almost always get less than $50 on a class settlement (and often far less) no matter how things go. My ~$500 check from the JVC class settlement involved misrepresentation of a TV set selling for $10K, and was an outlier so far afield it may as well have taken place on the moon.

The corporation gets to write off 100% of the settlement (not that most of them pay any tax anyway), never ever has to admit fault, does not have to stipulate that they won't do anything similar again, and carries on the exact same predatory behavior the following Monday.

The class each get a check for $12.79, which gets them a breakfast for one at Denny's.

The attorneys who filed and settled the case laugh at the rubes all the way to the bank.

 

If you signed up for Xfinity you agreed to non-binding arbitration anyway unless you specifically called them or filled out the form below to opt out within 30 days of activating service, so a class action lawsuit isn’t even an option.

Arbitration Opt Out

www.xfinity.com