# How do I know if I need a Tuning Adaptor?



## bcb1200 (Nov 5, 2016)

Hi folks:

Tivo newbie here. We are moving to a town in December that has Charter cable. It is pretty miserable. No multi-room DVR, etc. We are used to more "Modern" cable providers like Xfinity with X1 and Verizon Fios. Moving to Charter is like going back in time 10 years.

Anyway, I think Tivo Bolt+ will solve most of my issues with Charter. I plan on getting a Bolt+ with two mini's for 2 additional TV's (connected by wired Ethernet network.)

I know I need to add an M-Cablecard from Charter. No biggie.

My question is do I need to get a Tuning Adaptor from Charter as well? What determines if I need one or not? 

I know from reading here that if I need a Tuning Adaptor that I need to split the cable coming out of the wall and connect one to TA and the other to Bolt+. And then connect TA to Bolt+ via USB.

Thanks,


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

bcb1200 said:


> Hi folks:
> 
> My question is do I need to get a Tuning Adaptor from Charter as well? What determines if I need one or not?
> Thanks,


A TA is used to allow the headend to make a channel active and tell the TiVo what channel to tune. Here's a post that contains a pdf from TWC describing that info and showing channels affected. Your local provider may have something like it.TimeWarner Cable is dumping CableCard for Switched Digital Video

Also: Switched video - Wikipedia


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## hbherman (Nov 21, 2016)

bcb1200 said:


> Hi folks:
> 
> Tivo newbie here. We are moving to a town in December that has Charter cable. It is pretty miserable. No multi-room DVR, etc. We are used to more "Modern" cable providers like Xfinity with X1 and Verizon Fios. Moving to Charter is like going back in time 10 years.
> 
> ...


I needed a tuning adapter when setting up my Bolt with Time-Warner. Otherwise, I couldn't see any of my authorized channels. At the end of setup, my cable connection went to the tuning adapter, and the tuning adapter was connected to the Bolt by two cables, on of which was a usb cable. I did not need a spliter. I followed the directions given me, set up the cablecard and tuning adapter online, and only one call to Time-Warner was required, because the cable card was missing one step.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

The website for your provider may tell you if they use SDV, which is equivalent to saying "if you need a TA".

Post the location involved and if you're lucky a forum member from that location will answer your question.


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## mcpostal (Oct 29, 2016)

You probably will but charter will give you one if you do. It will come with everything you need. Check the box when you get it and make sure it contains a tuner, coax cable, USB cable, and power supply. I had to go back and get a power supply that was missing. 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## neel (Feb 7, 2016)

I have Charter cable (we are a Charter legacy area) here in San Gabriel Valley, CA and definitely need a TA. We use the Cisco one. 
Mine works without using the splitter method. 


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## SlackBlade (Nov 24, 2016)

I have the same concern. Reading this forum, I am now confused. I have a Bolt and a Cisco Tuning Adapter. I have a splitter going to the Bolt and the Tuning Adapter. That is it. There is no USB connection or any other connection between the two. I am getting all the channels I believe I am supposed to, but have not verified it. 

Do I need to do something different? Am I going to need a Tuning Adapter in the future because I am on an old system? 

I live in a small town in Connecticut, and none of the installers knew what the heck to do when they installed it. 

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## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

SlackBlade said:


> I have a splitter going to the Bolt and the Tuning Adapter. That is it. There is no USB connection or any other connection between the two. I am getting all the channels I believe I am supposed to, but have not verified it.


Without the USB connection, the TiVo has no idea that the tuning adapter is there. The tuning adapter is effectively not there.

First step is to determine what channels you're paying for in your TV package, and then go through them all on your DVR to determine if the DVR can tune them.

You could also check with your local cable provider's office and request a list of channels for which a tuning adapter is required.


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