Swivel search was replaced by an enhanced search function on the TiVo sourced Premieres. I assume that the Amazon Instant Video would violate the same contracts as NetFlix and Hulu do.
Suddenlink Leased TiVo Crippled
I need some help here. I've just had SuddenLink install a TiVo Premiere for me, and it seems that they have decided to disable any feature of the box that competes with their Video On Demand service. I have no Universal Swivel search, no Amazon video, no Hulu, no Netflix. They are claiming "contractural issues" for Hulu and Netflix (read: they cheaped out of paying), but they refuse to explain why Swivel Search and Amazon Instant Video are missing.
Is there a way to re-enable these features? A hidden menu, a software or firmware upgrade, or the like? My alternative is to just go buy a Premiere box, lease a CableCard-M from SuddenLink, and be free of their crap.
Of course, that will make their Video-On-Demand service completely inaccessible to me ... but given these tactics, they know where they can put their VOD anyway as far as I'm concerned.
At the very least, I'd like to let people know that the leased TiVos are crippled.
Thoughts?
Is there a way to re-enable these features? A hidden menu, a software or firmware upgrade, or the like? My alternative is to just go buy a Premiere box, lease a CableCard-M from SuddenLink, and be free of their crap.
Of course, that will make their Video-On-Demand service completely inaccessible to me ... but given these tactics, they know where they can put their VOD anyway as far as I'm concerned.
At the very least, I'd like to let people know that the leased TiVos are crippled.
Thoughts?
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
Yep, that's the price you pay for "renting" from the cable company.
Competetive features are often disabled on CC provided equipment, but there might also be added benefits. For instance, (IIRC) Suddenlink Premieres have the ability to display caller ID on the TV when your phone rings.
rolleyes
It all depends on what you care about. If you don't care about cable only features such as VOD/PPV, you might as well get a stand alone Premiere.
Competetive features are often disabled on CC provided equipment, but there might also be added benefits. For instance, (IIRC) Suddenlink Premieres have the ability to display caller ID on the TV when your phone rings.
rolleyesIt all depends on what you care about. If you don't care about cable only features such as VOD/PPV, you might as well get a stand alone Premiere.
Crippled compared to a stand-alone TiVo, sure. Though still light years better (at least one light year better) than your generic cable box.
Agreed; the TiVo replaced the cable company's Scientific Atlanta "Explorer" DVR, which was such a piece of garbage that the expletives have not yet been invented to describe it. You can't even search the program guide!Crippled compared to a stand-alone TiVo, sure. Though still light years better (at least one light year better) than your generic cable box.
I'm paying exactly the same monthly price for the TiVo as I was for the S/A, so I've lost nothing and gained the features I'd been missing. (I was a TiVo user for years and years when I lived in Atlanta and was on DirecTV.)
I can get Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon video on my Blu-Ray player, but it's a Sony and that's a whole 'nother story. (It doesn't really access Netflix, but a COPY of Netflix on Sony's servers, which are unreliable.)
Still, I wish there were a way to go in and turn on what they've turned off. Or am I running some special version of the software that doesn't have those features? I hope that's not the case, because then I'll have to wait longer for upgrades, probably.
Yeah, your best bet is to find an inexpensive media box that will provide the services you want or buy a Tivo with lifetime. An S3HD with lifetime can be had for somewhere in the $300-$325 range on eBay. I know that Amazon was supposed to be disabled on the Suddenlink Premieres because it directly competes with their VOD. Sounds like the other services are being held hostage as well. I have Suddenlink but chose to have my own Tivos. They will pay for themselves in less than 3 years vs the Suddenlink Premiere. I lost Suddenlink VOD but I use Amazon for movies when I want them.Agreed; the TiVo replaced the cable company's Scientific Atlanta "Explorer" DVR, which was such a piece of garbage that the expletives have not yet been invented to describe it. You can't even search the program guide!
I'm paying exactly the same monthly price for the TiVo as I was for the S/A, so I've lost nothing and gained the features I'd been missing. (I was a TiVo user for years and years when I lived in Atlanta and was on DirecTV.)
I can get Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon video on my Blu-Ray player, but it's a Sony and that's a whole 'nother story. (It doesn't really access Netflix, but a COPY of Netflix on Sony's servers, which are unreliable.)
Still, I wish there were a way to go in and turn on what they've turned off. Or am I running some special version of the software that doesn't have those features? I hope that's not the case, because then I'll have to wait longer for upgrades, probably.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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