[Stinkweed8]

Im sure this has been asked before...but I cant find it. WIth Ponys announcement I went and bought and HDTivo off amazon (sorta impulsive, but...)

I will call my cable company (cox) and have the cards brought over...will I need to wait for them to install them to activate the box? Will it do anything without the cable cards? will it work at all to record non hd or non digital channels ?

or is it a doorstop without the cards?

Im excited..my wife might kill me, but ehh...she will quickly see the light im sure!

Z

 

[lament]

plug your coax cable into the back of the box, plug it in and set it up. You'll only get your analog channels for now (2-100 or whatever - no digital channels). The M-card or single-stream cable cards provide your digital channels.

i think Tucson uses M-cards (multistream cable cards) (scan this thread to check to see if Tucson Cox people are using M-cards).

You only need 1 M-card - so be persistent with Cox. You shouldn't have to pay for 2 single-stream cablecards when 1 M-card will work for both tuners.

 

[bkdtv]

Until you get the CableCards, you can use the TivoHD with off-air channels from an antenna. You can also use it with analog channels from cable.

 

[jtlytle]

If we don't use CableCards, will the MVR work?

 

[classicsat]

If we don't use CableCards, will the MVR work?

Now, no, trasnfers are disabled altogether. When transfers are enabled in November, you can use MRV, CCs or not.

 

[Doit2it]

Are you sure about those answers?

The Tivo website states: "The Series3 and TiVo HD DVR can receive over-the-air (ATSC) HD channels through the antenna input. Some cable providers rebroadcast these channels and send them, unencrypted, over the cable connection. If you perform a channel scan, these channels (which are also known as "clear QAM channels") appear in your channel list, but you will not receive Guide data for them unless you order CableCARDs from your cable provider." 05-11-07 Search Reference Number

To me this means you can get QAM stations, but no program guide info for them on both S3 Tivos. Unless your answers are based on the fact that Cox doesn't rebroadcast HD stations in the clear (I'm in Comcast land and get QAM rebroadcast on my HD TV currently). Also, the remote for the Tivo HD has a dash over the Advance button, supposedly for QAM channels (89-1, 75-3, etc.)

I've also read that you can set up manual recordings for the QAM channels. Of course Season Pass is unavalable due to no Program Guide for these channels.

I'm about to make the jump from S280DT Tivo to the Tivo HD, so that's why I'm chiming in to comfirm what I just said is true.

 

[xhopefullookx]

FYI Cox are sticklers when it comes to cable cards, They tried to tell me I still needed a cable box. So if they give you crap, ask for a supervisor