[nenemc]

I do not know what to do. I have brighthouse cable and tivo hd. Slot one scientific atlanta cable card is working on all channels...although a lot of pixelation problems. I have the b2 upgrade, which hasn't improved anything that I can tell.

In Slot 2 the scientific atlanta cable card, some channels do not tune in properly, only get blank grey screen.

Had truck roll out yesterday, he called to see if cable cards authorized, they were. He changed to another SA cable card and it didn't help. He had never worked on a tivo before, and knew they were trouble before he even began. He also had never heard of an M card.

WHat do I do now?
1) Return the tivo for a new one? I have read about the slot two problem, will a new unit solve the problem?

2) Try more cable cards? I have heard SA cards seem to have more issues than motorola. Not sure if brighthouse uses motorola or i I can get an M card from some place else and have it work?

The tech said he doesn't see bad cable cards that often, is tivo more picky with cable cards?

HELP?

 

[BitMonkey]

I feel your pain, you can search for my posts - it sounds like we are both having the same issue. I called TiVo and explained to them how I had diagnosed the issue to the second tuner and they responded that they had never seen this issue before and agreed to process an RMA for me. Hopefully I will get that box next week and then I will be able to confirm whether or not my issue appears to be software or hardware related.

It may help you to go through the same troubleshooting that I wrote about so that you can confirm your issue is tied to the second tuner. At that point you can call TiVo for support and push for an RMA. You could also wait a few days to see what I come up with, if it turns out the new box acts the same then maybe this issue is software related and will be fixed soon.

For the time being, I removed the second cablecard and reran guided setup to configure my box as a mostly functional (I still receive an annoying amount of macroblocking) single tuner TiVo HD box.

Good luck!

- BitMonkey

 

[nenemc]

Or should I upgrade to a series 3? THey do not seem to have the issues the tivo hd has, am i right?

 

[wiredmonkey]

This same problem happened to me. Cable card slot 1 worked great on all channels but slot 2 cable card refused to show all channels. As the cable guy said " it won't show scrambled channels". For example, past 100, DiscoveryHD, nat. geographic, etc.

Long story short it took 3 guys 4 hours to get it working. They didn't change a thing here, just sat on the phone telling the 'head end' to do this and that. I wish I could tell you exactly what they did but they tried so many things I lost track.

In the end, for this problem there is nothing wrong with the TiVo or the SA card in slot two. Just get the 'cable card expert' at your local cable company to come out and fix it.

EDIT: I also still get the macroblocking on all channels, no improvement after the b2 update.

 

[jfh3]

In the end, for this problem there is nothing wrong with the TiVo or the SA card in slot two. Just get the 'cable card expert' at your local cable company to come out and fix it.

One small correction - don't waste everyone's time by having someone come out.
EVERY SINGLE CABLE COMPANY THAT SUPPORTS CABLE CARDS CAN FIX THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM OVER THE PHONE !!!

 

[wiredmonkey]

One small correction - don't waste everyone's time by having someone come out.
EVERY SINGLE CABLE COMPANY THAT SUPPORTS CABLE CARDS CAN FIX THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM OVER THE PHONE !!!

Yes, except the 1-800 people are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Everytime I tried to fix the problem their solution was to have someone come out. Every... single... time....

The guys who come out seem to know the right people to call.

 

[jfh3]

Yes, except the 1-800 people are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Everytime I tried to fix the problem their solution was to have someone come out. Every... single... time....

The guys who come out seem to know the right people to call.

That's why you escalate to a supervisor or have them get you to dispatch (the folks the installers are likely talking to).

It's been my experience that more often than not, it's a waste of time to continue with a CSR. Just be firm and persistent.

All they need is the CableCARD serial number (at least for Comcast - others may need the unit address in addition/instead of the serial #), the host id and the data (both reported by the Tivo) for each card. Make them write it down and ask them to get it to dispatch.

 

[nharris]

I am also having this problem with CableCard #2. It will drop out. A reboot of the box seems to fix it for a while. I'm on BrightHouse cable with two SA cards. I have two TiVoHD boxes, both with dual cards.

 

[jimmylevans]

I am also having this problem with CableCard #2. It will drop out. A reboot of the box seems to fix it for a while. I'm on BrightHouse cable with two SA cards. I have two TiVoHD boxes, both with dual cards.

This is frustrating. I had the same Slot 2 problem and called Tivo and had them RMA me a new box. Had the Cox cable (contractor company) come out the second time with different CC's and try again. It was better but I am still getting the pixelization/blocking along with audio drop outs. I am using the HDMI directly to the TV so I don't know if that is causing any issues also. Cox doesn't know what to do. The CC installer said his company will not let them use the 2007 CC because of all the problems, only 2005 and 2006 CC. I don't know where to turn to. I feel like returning the Tivo and giving up until they figure it out!

 

[jfh3]

If you have SA cards, read this:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=363335

There may be nothing you can do until the fix is released. In the meantime, have the cable company ensure that you have a good quality signal that is not hot.

 

[nenemc]

is this SA fix for pixelation/macroblocking (viewing quality issues) or is it for actually tuning in channels?

 

[nenemc]

Technician came out today and of course had little clue about tivo. All we did was try another cable card and the powerkey status went to ready!! All technician did was call in host id and cable card number and it worked.


It was the third scientific atlanta card tried in slot two. So either the cards are unpredictable or the tivo is picky, or a combo of both..

Hopefully it keeps working, still get the pixelation quite often but i think i can live with that, but half a tuner i would not have.