[gregbert]

I just got a new tivo hd. I do not have any cable cards, but my cable company provides HD local channels through the cable wire. I can find them if I scan for Hd channels, but they dont have any programming info. Web sites such as zap2it.com show my correct lineup. Not sure how to fix this....

ideas?

 

[richsadams]

I just got a new tivo hd. I do not have any cable cards, but my cable company provides HD local channels through the cable wire. I can find them if I scan for Hd channels, but they dont have any programming info. Web sites such as zap2it.com show my correct lineup. Not sure how to fix this....

ideas?

Assuming Comcast is the same where you are as it is here...you'll need cable cards (plus pay for a higher tier service) to receive HD. OR if you're within range you can connect an external antenna to receive HD channels OTA.

 

[MScottC]

Even though your TiVo can tune in all those HD channels, and a good chance it can also tune in a bunch of Digital Simulcasted SD channels via the QAM tuner, the TiVo has no idea what each of those QAM (xx.x) channels are. Program Guide data is published with the virtual channels that your cable provider assigns each channel. For instance, while WCBS-DT on my Comcast system is QAM 111.4, Comcast calls it channel 233. That "233" is really just an arbitrary number that has nothing to do with any reality, except that it is easier to remember than the QAM number. The CableCard has a dual functionality. First it authorizes the decryption (and perhaps actually does) the decryption of the encoded channels. But equally as important, it maps the QAM channel to the virtual channel with information downloaded from your cable company.

There is an informal campaign going on to try to get TiVo to allow us users to manually do that mapping without cablecards, but unfortunately now, the only way to get any digital channel from cable and have it associated with its guide data is with the cablecard.

 

[ZikZak]

ideas?

Install cable cards.

 

[gregbert]

Hmmm.. Thats disappointing. Maybe I'll submit an e-mail to tivo to try to fix the lineup for comcast.

 

[jlb]

Install cable cards.

Only if you want to record. It is possible the OP wants to just be able to watch live, but I Would doubt that.

 

[Doit2it]

I live in Nashville, TN with Comcast. I just got my Tivo HD last Thursday. I do NOT have cable cards installed, and don't plan on doing so until M-cards are FCC approved here in Feb (maybe). I do get the HD rebroadcasts on QAM with Tivo.

To get QAM channels on Tivo you have to do a channel scan. Go to 'Message & Settings', 'Settings', 'Channels','Channel Scan'. It took about 10 minutes for Tivo HD to scan and it found 420 channels, only about 40 channels actually broadcast video plus the 46 music channels Comcast Nashville has on QAM.

A quick way to see what has video, and what doesn't is to use the 'Signal Strength - Cable' function under the same menu as above. You'll have to mute as you scroll thru the channels. it may take 2 - 3 seconds for video to appear, so scan slowly. I guess that tone you will hear is the actual digital signal.

Once you find what you want, go to 'Channel list' on same menu and select the QAM stations you want to add. They will now show up in your Guide listings but you will NEVER have any guide information for these station. It will always say 'To be announced'. You have to use 'Manually Record Time/Channel' to record on the QAM stations. No Season Pass, no suggested recordings in HD, nothing. I've set up manual recording for Earl, The Office, Smallville, etc. so I can watch them in HD!!
Of course, if there is ever a time change and I don't manually make the correction, I will miss the show.