Upgrade Question...CableCard

1969 Views 16 Replies 8 Participants Last post by phenom5, Jan 25, 2012

phenom5

Discussion Starter · Jan 21, 2012

So here's the quick and dirty of the situation. We have a TivoHD as our main unit, and our old S2 as a backup/ someplace for my wife to record her shows that she doesn't care if they're in HD or SD. The S2's HDD is toast as of yesterday. I haven't really done any in depth troubleshooting on it because it's a pretty old unit.

So now we're thinking of replacing our 2 Tivos with one Premiere/ XL. I'm debating whether we need to go with the XL, or if the regular Premiere would work.

My questions are concerning my Comcast CableCard.

I've been reading, and there seems to be some conflicting info. If I do a factory reset of the TivoHD, swap the card to the new Premiere, then I should be able to get Comcast to pair the card to the new unit over the phone, no?

If I do a factory reset of the old Tivo, does it wipe the hard drive?

Can I hook up the old Tivo and watch stuff that I have recorded? Easier/ faster to do than transfering stuff around.

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danjw1

· #2 · Jan 21, 2012

No, you need Comcast to remove the card from their "inventory" and add it back and pair it with the new device. At, least that is my understanding. I haven't been through that particular issue.

BTW, if you don't already know this, they can't force you into a truck roll. They are now required by the FCC to allow self installs for CableCards.

Heron

· #3 · Jan 21, 2012

I think you'll need to go to Comcast and switch out the cards. They tie the cable card number to the particular TiVo unit. You can always call and ask Comcast if they can do it the way you want to, but I've found it can be hard to find someone who knows much about how cable cards work. You'll probably save yourself frustration by just switching the cards out at your nearest Comcast location.

danjw1

· #4 · Jan 21, 2012

Heron said:
I think you'll need to go to Comcast and switch out the cards. They tie the cable card number to the particular TiVo unit. You can always call and ask Comcast if they can do it the way you want to, but I've found it can be hard to find someone who knows much about how cable cards work. You'll probably save yourself frustration by just switching the cards out at your nearest Comcast location.

If you look in the Series 3 forum, for the Comcast CableCard thread, people have been able to do it over the phone. Usually, it takes second tier support.

JosephB

· #5 · Jan 21, 2012

I'm currently online chatting with Charter to do this exact thing. Upgraded a TivoHD to a new Premiere. All they should need to do is update the host id and re-hit the card. Can't guarantee Comcast does it that way, but technically it should work that way

jmpage2

· #6 · Jan 21, 2012

I did something similar myself recently, I bought a TiVo Elite to replace one of my two TiVo HDs. The HD with lifetime had two single stream cable cards the one that was on a $99 annual plan (which is the one I retired) had an M-card (I also picked up another M-card for the new Elite and had them pair that over the phone.

I simply popped the M-Card from the retired HD into the one I was keeping (after removing the single stream cards) and it simply worked, no call to Comcast was necessary.

slowbiscuit

· #7 · Jan 22, 2012

But the premium movie channels probably won't work because you lost the pairing. That's the way it used to be on Comcast.

phenom5

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 22, 2012

Thanks for all the input. Still not entirely sure if I can or cannot get this done with a we'll be there between 10:00 and 2:30, only to show up @ 3:30, day wasting, why a Comcast DVR box is better sales pitch service call.

I'll have to look through the Comcast CableCard thread (that thread is a monster) and see what I can get out of that.

Do you guys think I'd be better trying to switch out my existing card, or going and picking up a new card/ returning my old card?

What about watching the stuff that's on the old unit's hard drive without any cable cards installed? Shouldn't be a problem, right?

jmpage2

· #9 · Jan 22, 2012

You can view and transfer recordings without a cable card installed. I don't have any premium movie channels but my 2nd tier HD channels like discovery HD are all working after I swapped my card myself.

danjw1

· #10 · Jan 22, 2012

JosephB said:
I'm currently online chatting with Charter to do this exact thing. Upgraded a TivoHD to a new Premiere. All they should need to do is update the host id and re-hit the card. Can't guarantee Comcast does it that way, but technically it should work that way

This is silly. Not even every place covered by one cable company is the same, to try and suggest you know what Comcast does, when you don't have any experience with it is silly.

danjw1

· #11 · Jan 22, 2012

phenom5 said:
Thanks for all the input. Still not entirely sure if I can or cannot get this done with a we'll be there between 10:00 and 2:30, only to show up @ 3:30, day wasting, why a Comcast DVR box is better sales pitch service call.

I'll have to look through the Comcast CableCard thread (that thread is a monster) and see what I can get out of that.

Do you guys think I'd be better trying to switch out my existing card, or going and picking up a new card/ returning my old card?

What about watching the stuff that's on the old unit's hard drive without any cable cards installed? Shouldn't be a problem, right?

You can definitely do this without a truck roll. If you are willing to spend the time on the phone to get to second tier support to do the right thing, that will work. Otherwise, yes, go exchange the card and put that one in the new system. It really is a choice of which you think will be least waste of your time. Swapping the card is a set amount of time, the phone is going to depend on the quality of the CSR you talk to.

If they don't want to give you a new card at the service center. Tell them they have to, that it is an FCC rule that they MUST supply you with a CableCard install kit.

btwyx

· #12 · Jan 23, 2012

I've switched cards several times with Comcast. The card will work in the new TiVo with no intervention from Comcast, except for premium channels. To get Premium channels working again you just need to call Comcast and get the card paired.

No need to get them to add the card back to inventory or anything else labyrinthine. I've never needed second tier support.

JosephB

· #13 · Jan 23, 2012

danjw1 said:
This is silly. Not even every place covered by one cable company is the same, to try and suggest you know what Comcast does, when you don't have any experience with it is silly.

I was referring to the fact that it is possible from a technical sense. I never once claimed knowledge of Comcast's business practices or policies. No need to be a jerk about it.

phenom5

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jan 24, 2012

New Premiere XL should be here tomorrow. I think I'm going to just going to swap out the card and work with Comcast over the phone...hopefully.

I'll report back on how it goes.

gconnery

· #15 · Jan 24, 2012

I would definitely swap the old card with Comcast before you try to pair it with the new Tivo.

I've been through this with Comcast myself a number of times and it simply never works out if the card has been previously paired. The phone reps are always certain it will work. No trouble. But it never does. They never know why. When you eventually do find somebody who knows how to fix the problem it turns out to be simple enough to fix, and they act like those other people are idiots. But that's after you've spent HOURS of your life on the phone.

Do yourself a favor and trade the old card in.

As others have said the new card will work on Comcast even before you pair it on virtually all the channels. The exceptions will be the premium channels--HBO, Starz, Encore, Showtime, CineMax. All the normal SD and HD channels will decode right away. If they don't the card is probably bad and will need to be exchanged.

danjw1

· #16 · Jan 24, 2012

BTW, recently when I moved, I needed the CableCard to be setup on the new account to get anything. They are now encrypting, everything where I live, the San Francisco Bay area. Some people have said that chat people seem to be more clued in than the phone techs, so that is another option.

phenom5

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jan 25, 2012

Got the new unit today. End up that I needed to run some errands, and since I needed to return the digital converter that the S2 was using anyway, I swapped out the cards.

Ran through the guided setup, popped in the new card, and called Comcast's activation number. Took 5 minutes or so, and done. Up and running.

Thanks for all the help.

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