# Comcast HD Technology Fee



## V-Bomb (Apr 21, 2015)

Hi, I'm currently looking into getting a Tivo, I'm on an internet plus plan with comcast so I essentially get local channels and HBO, unfortunately OTA is not an option in my area. I was wondering if I get a Tivo would I have access to the HD channels without paying the $10 HD Technology Fee that comcast requires to receive those channels through their set top box? Obviously I would only be getting the channels I currently subscribe to, but I would like to get HD versions of them without paying the $10 monthly fee to comcast. We only have 1 tv and only use 1 outlet.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Call comcast. Their policies are not consistent, but if a fee is otherwise in the package you choose, they cannot charge you separately.

Knowing your area could help find what the locals are doing if you do not want to make that call.


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## TheBroodwich (Apr 21, 2015)

When i was signing up for my comcast account (philadelphia) I did not pick an HDbox I picked the standard x1 box that was included. It said HD technology fee was included in my bill. If i happened to select X1 HD box then the bill changed to HD Technology fee (included) HD Technology Fee 9.99 (it would be listed twice). Because the tivo is a jacked HD box you can get the standard box thats included and plug the tivo in with a cable card and in theory they shouldn't assess the fee because the HD channels are always available, its whether or not you have an HD tuner. At least that is my understanding.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

You *probably* will be able to get the HD *broadcast* stations with a cablecard, even if you're not on a "HD package"..

But IMHO, that's starting to get unethical. I think it's stupid that they charge a HD fee in this day and age, but you should play by the rules and pay for what you actually want.


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## TheBroodwich (Apr 21, 2015)

I dont think there is an "HD package" HD is always on, its whether or not you have an HD tuner or not. The $10 a month charge, I believe is for the HD box, not for HD service. If you have a roamio you already are paying for an HD box, so its not really unethical. I could be wrong, thats just how i currently understand it.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

mattack said:


> You *probably* will be able to get the HD *broadcast* stations with a cablecard, even if you're not on a "HD package"..
> 
> But IMHO, that's starting to get unethical. I think it's stupid that they charge a HD fee in this day and age, but you should play by the rules and pay for what you actually want.


What's unethical is for Comcast to charge you a fee to receive all of the channels in the package for which you are already paying. The "HD technology fee" is just as bogus as the ADO fee. They charge it because they can.



TheBroodwich said:


> I dont think there is an "HD package" HD is always on, its whether or not you have an HD tuner or not. The $10 a month charge, I believe is for the HD box, not for HD service. If you have a roamio you already are paying for an HD box, so its not really unethical. I could be wrong, thats just how i currently understand it.


Exactly. There is no flag that adds or removes the authorization for the HD channels in your package.


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## beartrap (Nov 8, 2005)

TheBroodwich said:


> The $10 a month charge, I believe is for the HD box, not for HD service.


My local Comcast pricing guide says this: "Must subscribe to HD Technology Fee to receive HD programming." That sure makes it sound like it's tied to the programming and not the equipment.


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## TheBroodwich (Apr 21, 2015)

Looking at my bill HD technology fee is included even though I only asked for the standard X1 box that i dont plan on using. If i select X1HD its 9.99. that is the box rental cost. The HD technology fee should already be part of the TV package.


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## NorthAlabama (Apr 19, 2012)

TheBroodwich said:


> Looking at my bill HD technology fee is included even though I only asked for the standard X1 box that i dont plan on using. If i select X1HD its 9.99. that is the box rental cost. The HD technology fee should already be part of the TV package.


why would you order an hd box you're not planning on using, and that isn't needed for tivo service?


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

TheBroodwich said:


> Looking at my bill HD technology fee is included even though I only asked for the standard X1 box that i dont plan on using. If i select X1HD its 9.99. that is the box rental cost. The HD technology fee should already be part of the TV package.


To keep it simple, my feed (not a big company) has a "service" that gives me channels 2 through 99. For an $9.99 "HD/3D Technology Fee", I get the same content in HD on channels 502 through 599. We did have a 3D channel, but it died. My guess is that since you are paying for HD, you will get HD on the TiVo. Or should.


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## TheBroodwich (Apr 21, 2015)

NorthAlabama said:


> why would you order an hd box you're not planning on using, and that isn't needed for tivo service?


The standard (non-hd) X1 box comes with my service. I didn't order it, they just provided it. I dont plan on using it because I got a cable card. If you plug the cable card into the TIVO its the same thing has an HDbox from comcast. Except TIVO is way more jacked.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

TheBroodwich said:


> The standard (non-hd) X1 box comes with my service. I didn't order it, they just provided it. I dont plan on using it because I got a cable card. If you plug the cable card into the TIVO its the same thing has an HDbox from comcast. Except TIVO is way more jacked.


And presumably they will be charging an ADO fee for the TiVo, which they wouldn't do if you if you returned their box.


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## beartrap (Nov 8, 2005)

lpwcomp said:


> And presumably they will be charging an ADO fee for the TiVo, which they wouldn't do if you if you returned their box.


Yes. Return your Comcast box (make sure you get an itemized receipt), and you should be eligible for a customer-owned equipment credit on each month's bill.


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## V-Bomb (Apr 21, 2015)

So, I haven't made the switch to Tivo yet, but I asked Comcast to remove the HD Technology Fee from my account, to my surprise they told me I would not need to switch to a different cable box so I now have the same box I was receiving HD channels on before, but access to the HD channels are blocked, so I assume that means it would be the same situation with a TiVo.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

V-Bomb said:


> So, I haven't made the switch to Tivo yet, but I asked Comcast to remove the HD Technology Fee from my account, to my surprise they told me I would not need to switch to a different cable box so I now have the same box I was receiving HD channels on before, but access to the HD channels are blocked, so I assume that means it would be the same situation with a TiVo.


There's no way to know until you actually get the TiVo and install, pair and authorize the CableCARD.

This appears to be yet another example of Comcast being less of a single company and more a confederation of individual fiefdoms.


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## telemark (Nov 12, 2013)

V-Bomb: 
What kind of box is that? What city?

It's something they should have wanted to do but best I could tell they had a technical limitation to implementing it before.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

V-Bomb said:


> So, I haven't made the switch to Tivo yet, but I asked Comcast to remove the HD Technology Fee from my account, to my surprise they told me I would not need to switch to a different cable box so I now have the same box I was receiving HD channels on before, but access to the HD channels are blocked, so I assume that means it would be the same situation with a TiVo.


With the current package you have that will probably end up being true. You also have to make sure you are not getting any special pricing deal with a two year contract. If you break the contract you may be penalized.

I was thinking of giving my sister one of my TiVos but she has almost a year on her contract and they told her she will lose her discount and be penalized for breaking the contract. I think she has the Infinity HD XF Premiere Triple Play package with the HD DVR.

The reason pricing maybe different throughout Comcast is the Corporation is made up of probably 100 or so different cable systems that have been bought up and constantly merged into a bigger and bigger company. It is enormously expensive to merge cable systems together. Comcast probably has dozens upon dozens of different billing systems through out their company.


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## beartrap (Nov 8, 2005)

Jed1 said:


> I was thinking of giving my sister one of my TiVos but she has almost a year on her contract and they told her she will lose her discount and be penalized for breaking the contract. I think she has the Infinity HD XF Premiere Triple Play package with the HD DVR.


Comcast's own written policy allows the use of customer-owned equipment in place of Comcast's equipment. I don't see how using her own TiVo and turning in her Comcast box can be considered breaking the contract, as long as she stays with the same programming package.

http://www.comcast.com/equipmentpolicy/

http://cdn.comcast.com/~/Media/File...NED_EQUIPMENT_POLICY_revised_6_13_11.pdf?vs=1


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## TheBroodwich (Apr 21, 2015)

This is also from comcasts website 

Get a true HD experience and enjoy every scene and sound in crystal-clear quality with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Plus, XFINITY offers more HD choices than Satellite TV providers do, including access to STARZ® HD movies On Demand before their network premieres. You&#8217;ll get an amazing library of HD movies available at your fingertips. And with XFINITY television service, you won&#8217;t be charged additional HD programming fees.

as well as this:

To view high-definition (HD) programs, you'll need:
An HD-enabled cable box, such as an HD-DVR box or HD set-top box. We&#8217;ll provide this box for an additional monthly fee. Contact us to order.
HDMI or component cables: See Types of Cables Used to Connect Your Set-Top Box to Your TV to learn more.
An HD-ready television. (Most standard TVs have 525 horizontal screen lines and a 4:3 aspect ratio. High-definition televisions have 720 or 1,080 horizontal screen lines and a 16:9 ratio. Refer to your TV manual for information regarding 1080i and 720p.)


As far as I can tell, you just need an HD capable tuner.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

V-Bomb said:


> So, I haven't made the switch to Tivo yet, but I asked Comcast to remove the HD Technology Fee from my account, to my surprise they told me I would not need to switch to a different cable box so I now have the same box I was receiving HD channels on before, but access to the HD channels are blocked, so I assume that means it would be the same situation with a TiVo.


As with everything Comcast and Tivo, this fee varies by area (just like Cablecard rental fees). In the ATL we do not have to pay it but others have reported that if they don't pay the fee they don't get the channels.

Only way to know is to get the Cablecard properly paired without the fee and then see what you get.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

beartrap said:


> Comcast's own written policy allows the use of customer-owned equipment in place of Comcast's equipment. I don't see how using her own TiVo and turning in her Comcast box can be considered breaking the contract, as long as she stays with the same programming package.
> 
> http://www.comcast.com/equipmentpolicy/
> 
> http://cdn.comcast.com/~/Media/File...NED_EQUIPMENT_POLICY_revised_6_13_11.pdf?vs=1


Thanks for the info but I have two problems. First is my sister is very hard headed and two Comcast CSRs keep telling her the same thing.

Comcast sent her a replacement modem after two years as the modem she has is outdated. She got it in January and still did not hook it up yet. I am expecting her to call me any time now that Comcast is going to start charging her for having two modems.


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## cthomp21 (Jul 15, 2007)

I am currently on the OTA Channels + HBO at the $40/month. I'm using a single MCard in a Roamio Basic. I've got all of my local channels plus a few of the HBO channels in HD. I don't pay a technology fee, and I get a $2.50 monthly credit for customer owned equipment.

The HD channels are just on different channel numbers than the SD feeds. Your situation sounds just like what I'm doing (except that I've also got 5 Tivo minis being fed by the Roamio).


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

JoeKustra said:


> To keep it simple, my feed (not a big company) has a "service" that gives me channels 2 through 99. For an $9.99 "HD/3D Technology Fee", I get the same content in HD on channels 502 through 599. We did have a 3D channel, but it died. My guess is that since you are paying for HD, you will get HD on the TiVo. Or should.


I just got a preview of our new bill and SECV removed the "HD" from the HD Technology Fee. It now just says "Technology Fee" $13.00.
SECV removed the "3D" from the "HD/3D Technology Fee" last August.

I guess I can assume that in SECV's eyes they no longer charge for HD. It will be interesting to see how the CSR's will try and spin the new language. It will be also interesting to see what Technology means and what it is comprised of.

The rate card still shows HD Technology Fee $13.00 for line 9.
http://www.secv.com/cdocs/rate_card_mah.pdf


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks, I meant to say $13 for the fee. I did notice the "fee" is no longer in the "fee" section of the bill. They need someone to help with their communications. Although they do keep the web site fairly up to date.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

JoeKustra said:


> Thanks, I meant to say $13 for the fee. I did notice the "fee" is no longer in the "fee" section of the bill. They need someone to help with their communications. Although they do keep the web site fairly up to date.


What I am now wondering is what does the "Technology Fee" cover since the HD moniker has been removed. Is it technology related to HD or just general technology.
If it is general technology will all customers be required to pay the fee. That means that a lot of customers will see their bills rise by $13/month and ours will stay the same. If the "Technology" is related to HD then why remove the "HD" moniker from the fee.

Since I am really bored I think I may call during the week to see what the new spin is on the "Technology Fee". Hopefully they do not say it is related to HD.
This would be a good subject for John Oliver to cover on his show.


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Jed1 said:


> What I am now wondering is what does the "Technology Fee" cover since the HD moniker has been removed. Is it technology related to HD or just general technology.
> If it is general technology will all customers be required to pay the fee. That means that a lot of customers will see their bills rise by $13/month and ours will stay the same. If the "Technology" is related to HD then why remove the "HD" moniker from the fee.
> 
> Since I am really bored I think I may call during the week to see what the new spin is on the "Technology Fee". Hopefully they do not say it is related to HD.
> This would be a good subject for John Oliver to cover on his show.


It would at least qualify for a new thread on DSLReports. Love it.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

JoeKustra said:


> It would at least qualify for a new thread on DSLReports. Love it.


I tried to add this to the current thread for our cable company on that forum but all replies just keep getting added to my last post. There is a growing number of complaints as the forum owners changed the posting format and nobody likes it.
If this issue does not change soon I am dropping out of that forum. Usually when changes like that happen it means the forum is on life support.

it is sad because the thread is now large enough to end up in the top five spots if someone does a search. This is why there was new people starting to post in that thread.


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## SnazzyJazzy (Feb 8, 2015)

I am in the SF Bay Area and I have Comcasts Blast Plus with Digital Economy (45+ Channels) package. I replaced the standard digital cable box with a Cable Card and the TiVo Roamio Plus in late February of this year. I receive a $2.50 credit each month for owning my own cable modem, wireless router, and TiVo Roamio Plus and I am able to watch HD without paying the Comcasts HD Technology Fee.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

SnazzyJazzy said:


> I am in the SF Bay Area and I have Comcasts Blast Plus with Digital Economy (45+ Channels) package. I replaced the standard digital cable box with a Cable Card and the TiVo Roamio Plus in late February of this year. I receive a $2.50 credit each month for owning my own cable modem, wireless router, and TiVo Roamio Plus and I am able to watch HD without paying the Comcasts HD Technology Fee.


Same here in the Hartford CT area.


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## eds65 (Sep 11, 2006)

I have never paid the "Technology Fee" to get Comcast HD with my TiVo HD with two cable cards. I do get a $2.50 a month credit for Customer owned equipment, but am charged $1.50 a month for one of the cable cards, so have a net gain of $1 per month. So, I decided I would like to get HD on another set connected to Comcast, but with an analog digital transport adapter. No problem, says the lady at the Comcast store, the HD DTA is the same $2.99 a month as the analog DTA, so no extra cost. So, when she went to make the change in the system, it wouldn't let her, unless she added the $10 a month tech fee. So, I guess even if you have HD with customer owned equipment, you can't get HD with Comcast owned equipment without paying the extra fee. This is all really stupid!!


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

eds65 said:


> So, I guess even if you have HD with customer owned equipment, you can't get HD with Comcast owned equipment without paying the extra fee. This is all really stupid!!


That was my understanding that the fee was only charged if you had Comcast HD equipment. I'm not being charged for it with my 2 S3 OLED TiVo's.

Scott


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

eds65 said:


> I have never paid the "Technology Fee" to get Comcast HD with my TiVo HD with two cable cards. I do get a $2.50 a month credit for Customer owned equipment, but am charged $1.50 a month for one of the cable cards, so have a net gain of $1 per month. So, I decided I would like to get HD on another set connected to Comcast, but with an analog digital transport adapter. No problem, says the lady at the Comcast store, the HD DTA is the same $2.99 a month as the analog DTA, so no extra cost. So, when she went to make the change in the system, it wouldn't let her, unless she added the $10 a month tech fee. So, I guess even if you have HD with customer owned equipment, you can't get HD with Comcast owned equipment without paying the extra fee. This is all really stupid!!


The solution for people with premiere 4 or Roamio units would be to use a TiVo mini instead of the transport adapters, thus avoiding the fee, but alas you only have 2 TiVo HD units. Maybe it's time to look into upgrading? You can get a Roamio for $0 down and $19.95/month for two years, then change the plan to an annual one once it's in your online account and within the first 30 days, for $129/year if you use your MSD, making it a little over $10/month instead, as well as reducing your two year commitment to only one year. This way your monthly cash outlay is about the same, but you have a new Roamio!


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