# Is it really possible that Xfinity/Comcast is not supporting TIVO with cable cards in new installs?



## peter662 (Jan 24, 2002)

Xfinity has left me confused. I have used them with different TIVOs since 2001. I was disappointed with their elimination of streaming services, but I could live with that. Recently, our family contacted Xfinity about a high speed internet student promotion. We were advised that this would be a faster, cheaper service that we could use without problem. They advised stopping the current service, and having our student, living at home (during the pandemic), sign up for new service. But as this order was about be initiated, we were told that Xfinity/ Comcast does not support TiVOs on new service (which this would be considered). I tried to confirm this repeatedly. Some Xfinity agents have never heard of TIVO!!!! Others say that they will not active cable cards for new accounts but they are not taking it away from existing accounts. When I called TIVO, they really weren't sure what to say other than to continue my existing service--which is exactly what I have done. I even wrote a letter by USPS to TIVO headquarters to ask if they had any information (since this would impact them greatly)--but I have not received a response. On the other hand, I see no reports of problems on this forum for anyone else. Anyone know what's going on? Will Xfinity no longer activate TIVO on new accounts?


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

peter662 said:


> Anyone know what's going on? Will Xfinity no longer activate TIVO on new accounts?


All I can tell you that is that, per a new FCC filing made two days ago, no cable company is now required by law to activate or support CableCARDs. See here:
CableCard coming to an end FCC 20-124

So at this point, Comcast is legally in the clear to refuse to activate any more cards/TiVos. Whether or not this is now Comcast's new policy (either nationwide or just in your area), I have no idea. Yours is the first such report I've read with regard to Comcast. Other cable companies -- Altice, Frontier, etc. -- have given lots of TiVo owners the runaround for some time now, telling them that they no longer support CableCARD when by law they had to, thereby forcing some of those folks to contact the FCC to get the provider to cooperate with them on getting a working CableCARD for their TiVo. But that's no longer an option since the FCC just killed the CableCARD mandate.


----------



## dishrich (Jan 16, 2002)

The OP might try to go to their local Comcast store (assuming they have one)...my local store has very knowledgeable reps & not only knew about CC's, but also knew in our market, CC's are now free. Last month when I redid my 2-year contract & added an X1 DVR & it would not activate, the assistant manager knew exactly what the issue was; it was due to the previous rep not arranging all my equipment in the correct hierarchy (X1 DVR, legacy DVR, CC & DTA all mixed on my 1 account) but he resolved it right in the store & by the time I got home, everything was activated & working correctly.

So I plan on continuing to use my CC Tivo as long as I possibly can, but now also have an X1 DVR, for all the new IP-only channels; the X1 box was only $5/month & my (Xfinity) DVR service fee is free for the next 2 years.


----------



## SamCarter (Jan 2, 2018)

I got a new Spectrum account just before the lockdowns and had to go pick up cards and tuning adapters at the local office. Of course 3 of 4 pieces of hardware were not working, so they sent a tech to verify that I wasn’t doing it wrong, I guess. He was agitated when I told him I had cable cards and he told me I was “lucky” to have even gotten one from the office since they won’t be supporting them for much longer. I told him about the FCC mandate and that yes, they did need to figure it out, so he said he’d send a supervisor (and again complained that the other tech would not have this equipment either). 

I ended up going to the office again and a kind lady there gave me a huge tote bag full of adapters and cards that I could try until I found ones that worked and then bring the rest back. I asked what they do with the ones that customers return as not working and she said they go somewhere to get “reset” and then come back. There are no new cards or adapters being made so they all look thoroughly beat up and they are very hit or miss.

Given the current political climate, I‘m not surprised that the cable lobbyists finally weaseled their way out of this responsibility. Actually I’m surprised it took them this long. However this means I will be done with cable. I don’t think they’ll miss me!


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

So what's the difference between this and a broadcast station supporting ntsc and atsc? At some point they need to be able to move forward and cut the cord (no pun intended) on old tech so they can focus on new tech. Why should they burden the cost of supporting old tech if they no longer legally have to? Because they're worried about losing you as a customer?  Worried about some negative review you'll post about them or tell your friends to avoid them? Please.

It's going to happen sooner or later and you're probably better off selling your gear now while it has some value on the bay. You wait too long, and your audience just keeps shrinking as more cable companies migrate away from cable cards and the resale value drops more and more.

Just saw a guy post about trying to sell his large venue $5000 wxga projector like it has a market anymore. It's like, sorry pal. You. Missed that boat years ago, and your $5k projector will be lucky to get a couple hundred on ebay as similar WUXGA projectors go for less than $500.

Makes me happy I've been selling off my gear and migrated to an HD Homerun. I feel like these threads are just going to become more and more frequent over the next two years.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

dishrich said:


> The OP might try to go to their local Comcast store (assuming they have one)...my local store has very knowledgeable reps & not only knew about CC's, but also knew in our market, CC's are now free.


Yeah, if he's getting nowhere trying to obtain a CC on the new account over the phone/online, about his only other option is to go to a store and talk to someone there. I continually read that folks have better luck getting good treatment at Comcast stores than they do over the phone or online.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what Comcast and Charter do with regard to CCs in the coming months. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they stop activating them completely and only allow the existing ones in use continue to be used.


----------



## mntvjunkie (May 13, 2009)

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, if he's getting nowhere trying to obtain a CC on the new account over the phone/online, about his only other option is to go to a store and talk to someone there. I continually read that folks have better luck getting good treatment at Comcast stores than they do over the phone or online.
> 
> At any rate, it will be interesting to see what Comcast and Charter do with regard to CCs in the coming months. Wouldn't surprise me at all if they stop activating them completely and only allow the existing ones in use continue to be used.


I can only speak to Comcast, but CableCards have been on borrowed time for 5 years now. They fully intend to shut down traditional "QAM" service in the long term. I was told this 5 years ago, and it has moved slowly, but the IPTV only channels are picking up steam as of late.

Now that they don't have to support them, I'm sure they'll start decommissioning the infrastructure and the cable-cards we have will be the last ones. I'm guessing even moving them to another box will cease to be an option soon.


----------



## krkaufman (Nov 25, 2003)

peter662 said:


> I was disappointed with their elimination of streaming services


What does this mean?


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

mntvjunkie said:


> I can only speak to Comcast, but CableCards have been on borrowed time for 5 years now. They fully intend to shut down traditional "QAM" service in the long term. I was told this 5 years ago, and it has moved slowly, but the IPTV only channels are picking up steam as of late.
> 
> Now that they don't have to support them, I'm sure they'll start decommissioning the infrastructure and the cable-cards we have will be the last ones. I'm guessing even moving them to another box will cease to be an option soon.


Yeah, probably. I will say, though, that I've expected at least a partial shutdown of QAM TV from Comcast for awhile now. It's certainly been on their stated roadmap for years now. I expected it to happen in 2020, maybe even 2019. Still hasn't happened, though. But, as you say, they have made further moves toward IPTV in the past year or so, including issuing IPTV-only X1 STBs and introducing new IPTV-only channels.


----------



## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

krkaufman said:


> What does this mean?


My guess is that OP was referring to the discontinuance of the Xfinity on Demand app for TiVo.


----------



## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

xfinity installers in my area refuse to use a customers splitter. So if you're just getting one outlet and want to use minis for the other rooms, you have to wire the other rooms, hook up the splutter and POE filter yourself. I guess you could have them install an an outlet in every room and then cancel the outlets and return the equipment.


----------



## southerndoc (Apr 5, 2003)

What ever happened to the software version of the CableCARD (basically a device would download info from the cable company to decrypt channels)? My wife and I love our TiVo and HATE HATE HATE the Xfinity X1 user interface. The thought of giving up my TiVo makes me a little anxious. Surely TiVo is working on a solution to this.


----------



## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

southerndoc said:


> What ever happened to the software version of the CableCARD (basically a device would download info from the cable company to decrypt channels)? My wife and I love our TiVo and HATE HATE HATE the Xfinity X1 user interface. The thought of giving up my TiVo makes me a little anxious. Surely TiVo is working on a solution to this.


Especially since they are selling the 6 tuner cable only Edge DVR on their website. Not sure about the wording in their terms of service, but I would think there would be lawsuits if customers cant obtain a cable card to use with the new Edge they just purchased.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

southerndoc said:


> What ever happened to the software version of the CableCARD (basically a device would download info from the cable company to decrypt channels)?


Nothing ever came of it. There was a push, dubbed "Unlock the Box," at the FCC a few years ago to come up with a software-based successor to CableCARD but that failed. The FCC decided that it would be sufficient for cable TV providers to offer up streaming apps to access their services on retail devices (e.g. Roku), as Comcast, Charter and others have already done rather than come up with a new industry-wide technical standard.

Separate to that, there was an announcement some years back that Comcast and TiVo were jointly working on a software-based solution specific to their two companies. But then nothing more developed (perhaps in part because TiVo sued Comcast over patent infringements in their X1 system).

At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

shwru980r said:


> Especially since they are selling the 6 tuner cable only Edge DVR on their website. Not sure about the wording in their terms of service, but I would think there would be lawsuits if customers cant obtain a cable card to use with the new Edge they just purchased.


Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. Is there some kind of onus on TiVo to disclose to consumers prior to purchase that the government no longer requires QAM-based cable TV providers to support access to their service by TiVo DVRs? Maybe it's sufficient for TiVo to simply offer a full refund for all hardware and services purchased if the buyer cannot get the device activated with his/her pay TV provider within X days of receiving it.

It will be interesting to see if additional reports pop up across the country -- especially among Comcast and Charter customers -- in the coming weeks that they are unable to activate new CCs. If so, it's not hard to imagine that TiVo just bails on CC-based retail DVRs completely. Mark down prices and sell through the rest of the Edge for Cable units they have in stock and that's it.


----------



## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

southerndoc said:


> What ever happened to the software version of the CableCARD (basically a device would download info from the cable company to decrypt channels)? My wife and I love our TiVo and HATE HATE HATE the Xfinity X1 user interface. The thought of giving up my TiVo makes me a little anxious. Surely TiVo is working on a solution to this.


Basically, it died in committee. The vision of the providers and consumers were radically different, no agreement was ever reached on how it would work, so it never went forward, and in the mean time it was decided that if the providers provided 'apps', it was good enough.


----------



## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing. Is there some kind of onus on TiVo to disclose to consumers prior to purchase that the government no longer requires QAM-based cable TV providers to support access to their service by TiVo DVRs? Maybe it's sufficient for TiVo to simply offer a full refund for all hardware and services purchased if the buyer cannot get the device activated with his/her pay TV provider within X days of receiving it.
> 
> It will be interesting to see if additional reports pop up across the country -- especially among Comcast and Charter customers -- in the coming weeks that they are unable to activate new CCs. If so, it's not hard to imagine that TiVo just bails on CC-based retail DVRs completely. Mark down prices and sell through the rest of the Edge for Cable units they have in stock and that's it.


But they still need to provide warranty support. Anyone without all-in service has continual care service which replaces a failed DVR for $50. They are already out of Bolts and are replacing them with Edges. Then some all-in boxes have extended warranties or are under the first year warranty. A replaced DVR requires the cable card to be paired again.

They might pull the plug on cable tv support all together like they did with the Series 1, but those hadn't been sold in years. They might give out a $50 Visa Gift card.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

The cable company not knowing about TiVo has been happening for at least five years. Nothing new.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

trip1eX said:


> The cable company not knowing about TiVo has been happening for at least five years. Nothing new.


What's new is that consumers can no longer cite an FCC mandate that their cable company provide/activate/support a CableCARD.

And as for Comcast, I don't think it's been that bad for TiVo users. Given their size, I've read relatively few reports of Comcast subs getting the run-around vs. some of the smaller cablecos.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Yep but the point was a cable company not knowing about TiVo is nothing new. Thus it’s no indication by itself that the cable company is actually cracking down on cable cards yet. 


But over the years I’ve read many similar posts as the OP’s on these forums. And you even mentioned the reason for these posts which is a small fraction a tiny fraction of cable subscribers are TiVo users. Average employee just doesn’t deal with them very often so that there’s a high chance they know little to nothing about them


----------



## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

NashGuy said:


> What's new is that consumers can no longer cite an FCC mandate that their cable company provide/activate/support a CableCARD.
> 
> And as for Comcast, I don't think it's been that bad for TiVo users. Given their size, I've read relatively few reports of Comcast subs getting the run-around vs. some of the smaller cablecos.


I have a house wired with coax for six rooms, but since I was only having a roamio with a cable card installed, comcast would not use my splitter. They said they weren't allowed to. So they just ran the cable to one room. I had to go back and reconnect it to the splitter.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

trip1eX said:


> Yep but the point was a cable company not knowing about TiVo is nothing new. Thus it's no indication by itself that the cable company is actually cracking down on cable cards yet.
> 
> But over the years I've read many similar posts as the OP's on these forums. And you even mentioned the reason for these posts which is a small fraction a tiny fraction of cable subscribers are TiVo users. Average employee just doesn't deal with them very often so that there's a high chance they know little to nothing about them


OK, but if you re-read the OP, he's not saying that he's only encountering Comcast reps who don't know about CC/TiVo. He's been repeatedly told by different agents that Comcast's policy now is that they will not activate/issue CCs on new accounts. Maybe multiple different reps are just making up the same BS line and it's not true. But, if so, that's a different issue than simply running into the garden-variety first-level rep who doesn't know what a CC is.


----------



## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

If you can get them to send the cards to you, you can activate and pair them yourself.

Pair or Activate Your CableCARD - Self-Installation Setup - Xfinity


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

NashGuy said:


> OK, but if you re-read the OP, he's not saying that he's only encountering Comcast reps who don't know about CC/TiVo. He's been repeatedly told by different agents that Comcast's policy now is that they will not activate/issue CCs on new accounts. Maybe multiple different reps are just making up the same BS line and it's not true. But, if so, that's a different issue than simply running into the garden-variety first-level rep who doesn't know what a CC is.


I didn't quite get that impression. What I did get is he called and tried to do a deal and then was told they don't support Tivo. This is very normal from reading on these forums over the past 10 years and based on my own experience as well. And then he tried to confirm this and no one could confirm it because they either didn't know or never heard of Tivo. Again no surprise. Even less of a surprise in 2020 when a lot more agents were in high school after Tivo had its hey day. And fewer people than ever have a retail cable Tivo. Then he said others said they couldn't activate cable card. But again this isn't unusual because if the reps don't know Tivo then good chance they don't know cable cards.

But it's open to interpretation. Maybe he called 20 times and talked to 20 different people over the course of many weeks. but I figured it was the typical call or two and being passed around to different people. And given the above, that this is a normal experience over the past 10 years or at least not unusual, I'm not going to jump to any conclusion based on one guy's CSR call.

Tivo was never a high priority for cable companies and the FCC rule never meant they had to provide great service for cable cards and Tivo.


----------



## JandS (Oct 1, 2010)

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, if he's getting nowhere trying to obtain a CC on the new account over the phone/online, about his only other option is to go to a store and talk to someone there. I continually read that folks have better luck getting good treatment at Comcast stores than they do over the phone or online.


Background: We live in King County, WA. We have Comcast Business internet and regular Xfinity TV, no Xfinity equipment at all. We use 3 of our 4 Tivo varietal boxes. About 5 years ago we had lineup issues and the upshot was we needed to swap out the cablecard, but several trips to the local Comcast store result saying they knew nothing about CC's, said they didn't support them, 3 trips resulting in no functioning card, online pairing didn't work, yadda.

Finally we called the Comcast Business tech support line and they were very knowledgeable about cablecards, volunteered that the regular tech support folks usually knew nothing about cards, and offered to give us multiple cards to try, just come and pick 'em up (on a long weekend, no less).

Another possibility: use the Direct Support forum on DSLReports website to contact the Comcast support people. I've had exceptional results from this route.

Copied from a [my] previous TCF posting:
The website DSLReports has a "ComcastDirect" forum where you can join and then post PRIVATE messages directly to Comcast "super" techs. They are dedicated, highly trained folks who can usually resolve even difficult problems; they can access far more high-level settings on your account and adjust settings that may not be visible to or adjustable by the regular local Comcast tech support. And are FAR more knowledgeable than the usual truck-roll folks about cable cards. If you post, you might be lucky enough to get a response from someone who can do something to make some out-of-regular effort to get you a functioning card.

Note that the Direct forum postings are Private, *only the topic title* you create is visible to other users, nothing more. And also note that the "Direct" forum is the *only *section that is private, the regular forums are open postings, so be sure that you are posting in the correct section.

DSLReports is a reputable website. I've used the Direct support several times over the years with various provider issues and have always had exceptional results.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

trip1eX said:


> I didn't quite get that impression. What I did get is he called and tried to do a deal and then was told they don't support Tivo. This is very normal from reading on these forums over the past 10 years and based on my own experience as well. And then he tried to confirm this and no one could confirm it because they either didn't know or never heard of Tivo. Again no surprise. Even less of a surprise in 2020 when a lot more agents were in high school after Tivo had its hey day. And fewer people than ever have a retail cable Tivo. Then he said others said they couldn't activate cable card. But again this isn't unusual because if the reps don't know Tivo then good chance they don't know cable cards.
> 
> But it's open to interpretation.


I'll just directly quote the relevant sentences from the OP. They're pretty clear and direct and not really "open to interpretation".



peter662 said:


> But as this order was about be initiated, we were told that Xfinity/ Comcast does not support TiVOs on new service (which this would be considered). I tried to confirm this repeatedly. Some Xfinity agents have never heard of TIVO!!!! Others say that they will not active cable cards for new accounts but they are not taking it away from existing accounts.


So, yes, he does say that some agents he spoke to have never heard of TiVo but then he says that multiple agents ("others") have told him that a CC cannot be activated on a new account. So to answer your original question of "what's new about this," that's what's new here: Comcast telling customers that they cannot use a CC on a new account. I've never seen anyone report this before. (I have, however, seen such reports in the past from customers at Altice, Frontier and maybe one or two other MSOs.)

As for not jumping to conclusions "based on one guy's CSR call," I agree, as I stated in my first response to his OP:

_So at this point, Comcast is legally in the clear to refuse to activate any more cards/TiVos. Whether or not this is now Comcast's new policy (either nationwide or just in your area), I have no idea. Yours is the first such report I've read with regard to Comcast._​


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

I think the account @peter662 was trying to set up is a unique case: as far as I can tell these Xfinity student deals do not include a cable box of any kind, much less a DVR. These are high speed internet accounts, and include TV access only via the Xfinity Stream app. The only hardware involved would be a smart TV with a built-in Xfinity Stream app, which is relatively rare.

Basically they're rolling in some type of Xfinity Instant TV account for free with the high-speed internet. So of course they don't offer a CableCARD with that account, because it's an internet account only and does not include what was traditionally called "cable". I bet if you wanted a Flex box they'd give you one with that account, though I can't imagine college kids have any need for one of those either.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> I think the account @peter662 was trying to set up is a unique case: as far as I can tell these Xfinity student deals do not include a cable box of any kind, much less a DVR. These are high speed internet accounts, and include TV access only via the Xfinity Stream app. The only hardware involved would be a smart TV with a built-in Xfinity Stream app, which is relatively rare.
> 
> Basically they're rolling in some type of Xfinity Instant TV account for free with the high-speed internet. So of course they don't offer a CableCARD with that account, because it's an internet account only and does not include what was traditionally called "cable". I bet if you wanted a Flex box they'd give you one with that account, though I can't imagine college kids have any need for one of those either.


Yeah, that could be the case. (Although, if so, then the OP is probably misquoting what he was told, which is that CCs cannot be activated on new accounts -- meaning all new accounts, not specifically new student accounts.)

And, FWIW, the regular TV packages they sell in much of the nation no longer include a cable box of any kind. Here in the Central Division, if you get broadband plus TV, the TV packages available are Basic, Extra and Preferred. All of them include HD and 20 hrs of cloud DVR but charge an additional $5/mo per box if you choose to rent them. (You're notified during the online ordering process that you can instead use the Xfinity Stream app on your own devices for no additional charge.) Since these packages don't include hardware, you get no "owned equipment" credit back if you use a CC with them. But you can apparently still get CCs to use with those packages. The official rate card now shows the price of a CC as "$0.00".

Xfinity Instant TV no longer exists here, either in their marketing communications or on the rate card. It basically just merged into the mainstream TV packages.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

NashGuy said:


> I'll just directly quote the relevant sentences from the OP. They're pretty clear and direct and not really "open to interpretation".
> 
> So, yes, he does say that some agents he spoke to have never heard of TiVo but then he says that multiple agents ("others") have told him that a CC cannot be activated on a new account. So to answer your original question of "what's new about this," that's what's new here: Comcast telling customers that they cannot use a CC on a new account. I've never seen anyone report this before. (I have, however, seen such reports in the past from customers at Altice, Frontier and maybe one or two other MSOs.)
> 
> ...


nonsense. IF it isn't open interpretation then how people did he talk to? How many told him they couldn't activate cable card? How many calls did he make? What were the exact words the CSRs used? Does the CSR know what he or she is talking about? What was the exact deal he trying to make and are there any limitations to that deal? etc.

And we've seen plenty of these types of reports over the years. IT's nothing new.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

NashGuy said:


> Yeah, that could be the case. (Although, if so, then the OP is probably misquoting what he was told, which is that CCs cannot be activated on new accounts -- meaning all new accounts, not specifically new student accounts.)


Those CSRs are probably only trained on that type of account, and do not even have the context to understand how this differs from their grandfathers' cable, so of course they made it sound like all accounts. And this is our future, in more ways than one, lol.


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

trip1eX said:


> nonsense. IF it isn't open interpretation then how people did he talk to? How many told him they couldn't activate cable card? How many calls did he make? What were the exact words the CSRs used? Does the CSR know what he or she is talking about? What was the exact deal he trying to make and are there any limitations to that deal? etc.
> 
> And we've seen plenty of these types of reports over the years. IT's nothing new.


The OP made a clear black-and-white statement indicating that he was told by more than one rep that CCs cannot be activated on new accounts but that they can remain on existing ones. To say that that is open to interpretation is basically to say that his words have no meaning.

I don't believe -- and never indicated that I do -- that his post is some sort of definitive indicator of what's going on at Comcast. Just one little report that's been posted at a particularly interesting time. Perhaps the OP misstated what transpired. Perhaps (more likely) he was given the same wrong info from more than one agent. I'd say there's a decent chance that if he or anyone else in his area went to a local Comcast store and tried to set up a new account with a CC on it today, they could.

Yes, we've seen multiple reports over the years of folks being given bad info on CC support at various MSOs. But I can't recall anyone ever being told by multiple Comcast reps -- as the OP claims -- that CCs are specifically forbidden on new accounts while allowed to remain on existing ones. If you can find such a report that someone has made in the past about Comcast, please cite it.

Folks are understandably curious what, if anything, will change in the days ahead with regard to CC support now that the FCC has issued a statement saying that MSOs no longer are legally required to support them. If an MSO wanted to phase out CCs, then the scenario painted by the OP would be a logical way to achieve that -- don't take them away from existing customers but don't allow any new sign-ups to have them. I'll be surprised if that's actually what's happening at Comcast right now but I'm keeping an open mind. We'll see.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

NashGuy said:


> The OP made a clear black-and-white statement indicating that he was told by more than one rep that CCs cannot be activated on new accounts but that they can remain on existing ones. To say that that is open to interpretation is basically to say that his words have no meaning.
> 
> I don't believe -- and never indicated that I do -- that his post is some sort of definitive indicator of what's going on at Comcast. Just one little report that's been posted at a particularly interesting time. Perhaps the OP misstated what transpired. Perhaps (more likely) he was given the same wrong info from more than one agent. I'd say there's a decent chance that if he or anyone else in his area went to a local Comcast store and tried to set up a new account with a CC on it today, they could.
> 
> ...


nonsense. "told by more than one rep" is open to interpretation. Is it 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 or 20? How many if it's so black and white to you? 

How many different phone calls did he make? What were the exact words the CSRs used? The OP is just paraphrasing obviously. ...meaning what happened is open to interpretation.

And saying maybe the OP misstated something or the CSR misstated something falls under the category of "open to interpretation."

NEvermind, as was said a few posts above, there is a great chance the OP was trying to get a package that can't have cablecard in the first place because it isn't a traditional cabletv package, but rather it's an IPTV type of package and thus the whole thing was a big miscommunication where the CSR wasn't giving out erroneous info but rather was only commenting on that specific iptv student package. ...while the OP had no clue that the student package was actually an IPTV package only. Thus the miscommunication.

And I don't for a second believe Comcast had a perfect track record of knowledgeable CSR support of Tivo and cablecard up to now for reasons already stated.

the rest is besides the point.


----------



## janitor53 (Jun 9, 2016)

NashGuy said:


> Nothing ever came of it. There was a push, dubbed "Unlock the Box," at the FCC a few years ago to come up with a software-based successor to CableCARD but that failed. The FCC decided that it would be sufficient for cable TV providers to offer up streaming apps to access their services on retail devices (e.g. Roku), as Comcast, Charter and others have already done rather than come up with a new industry-wide technical standard.
> 
> Separate to that, there was an announcement some years back that Comcast and TiVo were jointly working on a software-based solution specific to their two companies. But then nothing more developed (perhaps in part because TiVo sued Comcast over patent infringements in their X1 system).
> 
> At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


Tivo should really pivot hard to the OTA space. A great OTA device that also has all the streamers you want would be pretty desirable.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

janitor53 said:


> Tivo should really pivot hard to the OTA space. A great OTA device that also has all the streamers you want would be pretty desirable.


They already pawned off their Edge OTA to Channelmaster. You really think they have a desire to do an Android based OTA DVR?

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## janitor53 (Jun 9, 2016)

I have no idea what they want to do, just what they should do. Lots of people are jumping into the OTA space including amazon, tivo already has the hardware to do it and the software that people like.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

janitor53 said:


> I have no idea what they want to do, just what they should do. Lots of people are jumping into the OTA space including amazon, tivo already has the hardware to do it and the software that people like.


It's not like they haven't had the opportunity to do so already. Much easier to dump them and move on. Get an hdhomerun quatro and Channels DVR and call it a day. Poke Dad made me a believer. And even better, get TS4k's for your front end. No better justice than using Tivo's new device to dump their dvr ecosystem.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

There are so many cool things TiVo "could have" done over the years but didn't. I have zero faith left that they're going to do anything more at this point. Even the Stream 4K, which is a fine device, is seriously lacking on the software side. All the cool stuff they "could have" done with it were ignored and all we got was a crappy app that doesn't even work as well as free alternatives.


----------



## PSU_Sudzi (Jun 4, 2015)

dbpaddler said:


> It's not like they haven't had the opportunity to do so already. Much easier to dump them and move on. Get an hdhomerun quatro and Channels DVR and call it a day. Poke Dad made me a believer. And even better, get TS4k's for your front end. No better justice than using Tivo's new device to dump their dvr ecosystem.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Or just use something else for streaming and give TiVo nothing.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> There are so many cool things TiVo "could have" done over the years but didn't. I have zero faith left that they're going to do anything more at this point. Even the Stream 4K, which is a fine device, is seriously lacking on the software side. All the cool stuff they "could have" done with it were ignored and all we got was a crappy app that doesn't even work as well as free alternatives.


It's not like the TS4k has been out for years... I'm in for three of them and hoping they come through with at least some additional basic functionality. Better support for the usb-c port for one. Really don't care what they do with the stream app part. I'd be happy keeping it vanilla androidtv as I don't have hope that Sabrina has USB-C. Think Google will take the path of least resistance and stick with microUSB since they already have an Ethernet charger for it via the Ultra charger.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

PSU_Sudzi said:


> Or just use something else for streaming and give TiVo nothing.


I actually like the TS4k's little peanut remote as it plays well with my tv/amp setup, works well with Channels DVR and has usb-c that does the trick for my Sammy usb-c to A adapter and thumb drive.

If there was an android TV device that was that complete and had that much upside outside of the Shield, please point me in that direction.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

dbpaddler said:


> It's not like the TS4k has been out for years... I'm in for three of them and hoping they come through with at least some additional basic functionality. Better support for the usb-c port for one. Really don't care what they do with the stream app part. I'd be happy keeping it vanilla androidtv as I don't have hope that Sabrina has USB-C. Think Google will take the path of least resistance and stick with microUSB since they already have an Ethernet charger for it via the Ultra charger.


The hardware is fine, where they fell short was the app and it's "integration" with SlingTV.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> The hardware is fine, where they fell short was the app and it's "integration" with SlingTV.


Again, it's still relatively new. And again. If there is a more complete android tv device, feature wise, outside of the Shield for well under $100, please point me to it. And if you read above, I don't care about sling as I use channels dvr. Why would I want to pay for sling if I'm happy with OTA? Tmo pays for Netflix. Verizon pays for Disney. I've had prime long before they did video. And the family shares what logins we can so what little cable I do watch (mainly NBC sports) is covered by my mom's fios credentials.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## peter662 (Jan 24, 2002)

I'm the OP. I can clarify a bit. I probably spoke with 6-7 agents including two "loyalty" specialists. One loyalty specialist said that I could "transfer" ownership of the existing account...but after sending in paperwork and waiting 2 weeks, I couldn't confirm that this would not cause me to loose TIVO capability. The agents who said just "cancel" the old service and start the new service all stated that either they didn't know what TIVO/cablecards might be--or that they were no longer being supported. Furthermore, when I looked for new service as a new customer at a local address that I knew is not on xfinity (I needed to use the browser Opera since all my other browsers recognized me as an existing customer), there was no Cable card option. I did not go to the retail store which might have had a different take on things. In the end, I just chose a different existing plan, as I am out of contract. ATT is installing fiber service over the next few months, so I'll have other options in the future. As we TIVO loyalists know, even if we can figure out a streaming solution that we can manage, the less technologically inclined members of our households really don't want a change. Thanks for all the comments. My conclusions are 1. be careful if you are thinking of dropping your existing Xfinity/Comcast service and 2. be careful if you are purchasing TIVO for cable on Xfinity (probably the best thing is to be sure that it is refundable and go to the xfinity store and ask for a cablecard before you give up). This is just my experience. Hopefully my experience is just a local glitch or misinterpretation.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

dbpaddler said:


> Again, it's still relatively new. And again. If there is a more complete android tv device, feature wise, outside of the Shield for well under $100, please point me to it. And if you read above, I don't care about sling as I use channels dvr. Why would I want to pay for sling if I'm happy with OTA? Tmo pays for Netflix. Verizon pays for Disney. I've had prime long before they did video. And the family shares what logins we can so what little cable I do watch (mainly NBC sports) is covered by my mom's fios credentials.


Sounds like it's great, for you. You're right it's a fine AndroidTV device, especially given the price. But it's not a very good TiVo device. In fact it actually works better if you scrub all the proprietary TiVo stuff off and just use it as a raw AndroidTV device.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> Sounds like it's great, for you. You're right it's a fine AndroidTV device, especially given the price. But it's not a very good TiVo device. In fact it actually works better if you scrub all the proprietary TiVo stuff off and just use it as a raw AndroidTV device.


Nothing wrong with that... Disable all the tivo stuff, and if they ever make the stream part worthwhile you can always enable it again. If not, it's a decent android tv device.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> Again, it's still relatively new. And again. If there is a more complete android tv device, feature wise, outside of the Shield for well under $100, please point me to it. And if you read above, I don't care about sling as I use channels dvr. Why would I want to pay for sling if I'm happy with OTA? Tmo pays for Netflix. Verizon pays for Disney. I've had prime long before they did video. And the family shares what logins we can so what little cable I do watch (mainly NBC sports) is covered by my mom's fios credentials.


"Sabrina" coming soon. the Google-branded stick. Sept 29th is a Google event.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Oh and here's a 2 yr old post on Reddit with someone saying Comcast no longer supports cablecard. He eventually found out they (supposedly) don't support cablecard on certain plans.

other people called and agent told them they only support boxes. Others called and got the opposite from the agent. another post said the website had no option for no equipment. 
etc.

Like I said par for the course for the past 10 years-ish.


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/Tivo/comments/8w1vjx


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

trip1eX said:


> "Sabrina" coming soon. the Google-branded stick. Sept 29th is a Google event.


Its only been talked about for the past month or so... 

And no confirmation of usb-c. Could be micro with the Ethernet charger like the ultra since Google takes the path of least resistance. If so, it's all yours and going back to the previous decade of using otg adapters. And the remote looks like crap. Just another sign they can't get out of Apple's shadow. If they were serious, it would be a more useful remote, not another generic minimalist streamer remote. Even funnier is its pretty much their key feature over the CCU.

I'll stick with the TS4k for now. Will maybe give it a go when a deal at $50 or under can be had.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The TS4Ks biggest strength is definitely the remote. It's the best small form factor remote I have on all the various devices I have. Only thing I wish it had a dedicated pause/play button as not all apps support just pressing the select button for that.


----------



## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> The TS4Ks biggest strength is definitely the remote. It's the best small form factor remote I have on all the various devices I have. Only thing I wish it had a dedicated pause/play button as not all apps support just pressing the select button for that.


That's my biggest with issue with streaming in general. There are so many different apps and they are all inconsistent with each other, and even on different devices that it gets very annoying switching between them. I wish there was just a standard stream player you could install that could handle streams from all the different providers. That's why for a while I was trying to do as much as possible via Amazon including Amazon Channels to get a consistent playback interface, but now there are many services/shows you can't get via Amazon so that's out the window.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

moyekj said:


> That's my biggest with issue with streaming in general. There are so many different apps and they are all inconsistent with each other, and even on different devices that it gets very annoying switching between them. I wish there was just a standard stream player you could install that could handle streams from all the different providers. That's why for a while I was trying to do as much as possible via Amazon including Amazon Channels to get a consistent playback interface, but now there are many services/shows you can't get via Amazon so that's out the window.


The Apple TV does the best job of standardizing this out of the units I've tried. It has a 10s skip forward and back that works in every app. As well as pause/play and back buttons that work consistently across apps. Problem is the included remote SUCKS! Using a Harmony remote instead works well though so if you can get past the sticker shock of the two devices it's a good setup.


----------



## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Dan203 said:


> The Apple TV does the best job of standardizing this out of the units I've tried.......Problem is the included remote SUCKS! Using a Harmony remote instead works well though so if you can get past the sticker shock of the two devices it's a good setup.


A more cost effective option if people don't want to spend for a Harmony is this...it's the domestic version of the Salt remote:

BUTTON REMOTE FOR APPLE TV


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

jlb said:


> A more cost effective option if people don't want to spend for a Harmony is this...it's the domestic version of the Salt remote:
> 
> BUTTON REMOTE FOR APPLE TV


$50 for a much more useful remote is not necessarily cost ineffective.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

ATV remote is easily the best streaming remote. I use it everyday. And have for years now. It's just the perfection of minimalism meets the perfect amt of functionality and ergonomics.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

You are in a vast minority with that opinion. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> You are in a vast minority with that opinion.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


Actually it looks like you are in the loud minority. Go on Amazon and the remote scores 4.2 average stars in the reviews of the appletv 4k.

The listing for the remote itself has a 4.7 rating and 2800 reviews.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

trip1eX said:


> Actually not. YOU're in the loud minority.


And that's without scrolling further down or diving into more threads on Reddit, apple forums, macrumors and so on and so on and so on. But I guess the majority of professional reviews and a plethora of user based threads on multiple forum sites are wrong, and you're right. Got it. 








Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> And that's without scrolling further down or diving into more threads on Reddit, apple forums, macrumors and so on and so on and so on. But I guess the majority of professional reviews and a plethora of user based threads on multiple forum sites are wrong, and you're right. Got it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


IT's called the loud minority. Go on Amazon, you'll see plenty of complaints about the remote. But yet it still has 4.2 stars for the remote feature. Go to the remote listing and you'll see 2800 reviews and 4.7 star average.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> Its only been talked about for the past month or so...
> 
> And no confirmation of usb-c. Could be micro with the Ethernet charger like the ultra since Google takes the path of least resistance. If so, it's all yours and going back to the previous decade of using otg adapters. And the remote looks like crap. Just another sign they can't get out of Apple's shadow. If they were serious, it would be a more useful remote, not another generic minimalist streamer remote. Even funnier is its pretty much their key feature over the CCU.
> 
> ...


lol you said show me an android box under $100 besides the Tivo STream 4k...

don't shoot the messenger.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

You shouldn't need a case to protect a glass remote. A remote should not be perfectly symmetrical where it's easy to use it upside down. A remote should be ergonomic to fit in your hand so your fingertips naturally fall on the buttons you use most. Sorry. When it's plain to see form clearly trumped function 

And we all know a majority of Apple owners are lemmings. They love anything Apple and just say take my money anytime something new comes out. You point to Amazon's listing for the remote. The remote isn't something people are buying on their own just to have a remote. They are buying it to replace their lost/broken remote. It's a needed item for their ATV. Big difference than buying an item on its own outright and reviewing it on its own merits.

And of course the most popular reviews are the ones calling it trash. A popular 5 star review...works perfectly and synced flawlessly. Not really a stellar review of the remote. Just that it does what a replacement OEM remote should do. Another says it's great because they can't work their atv without it. Another glowing review:
"Easily read by Apple TV and ready to use with no problems." Well duh. It's the OEM remote. But nothing about the actual design and overall functionality. Even the good reviews mention something negative about the design. 

5*... Bought to replace a shattered remote. Bought a case for this one. In what world is it normal to buy a case for a remote? And 5*'s for a remote that got shattered and forced them to buy a new one? Yeah. That makes sense. Apple's favorite customer. 

All the less than 5* reviews talk about it's poor design, glass breaks, it's slippery and needs a case, lack of buttons, overly sensitive TouchPad and so forth.

Heck, the big complaints about it being to symmetrical and using it upside down wasn't addressed by making a more ergonomic design. They just put a ring around the one button so you had to feel to make sure you are holding it right. 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## PSU_Sudzi (Jun 4, 2015)

dbpaddler said:


> I actually like the TS4k's little peanut remote as it plays well with my tv/amp setup, works well with Channels DVR and has usb-c that does the trick for my Sammy usb-c to A adapter and thumb drive.
> 
> If there was an android TV device that was that complete and had that much upside outside of the Shield, please point me in that direction.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


I do love their remote and it's one of the reasons I am hanging on to my TiVo.


----------



## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

The Apple TV remote pretty much sucks. The only thing I like about it is the touchpad.


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

gweempose said:


> The Apple TV remote pretty much sucks. The only thing I like about it is the touchpad.


It can't suck. Everyone loves it. You must be one of the vocal minority... 

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

trip1eX said:


> ATV remote is easily the best streaming remote. I use it everyday. And have for years now. It's just the perfection of minimalism meets the perfect amt of functionality and ergonomics.


I'm an Apple fan and IMHO it's terrible! You have to treat it like you're disarming a bomb every time you pick it up otherwise you'll accidentally swipe and screw up you position in the show. I really like the Apple TV but the remote is the worst piece of Apple tech I've ever owned.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

trip1eX said:


> Actually it looks like you are in the loud minority. Go on Amazon and the remote scores 4.2 average stars in the reviews of the appletv 4k.
> 
> The listing for the remote itself has a 4.7 rating and 2800 reviews.


Who's going to leave a review for the remote when they buy an Apple TV? There is no way you can extrapolate the Amazon reviews for the replacement remote as a general feeling about the remote itself. The only people who'd buy a replacement are those that actually like the remote.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> You shouldn't need a case to protect a glass remote. A remote should not be perfectly symmetrical where it's easy to use it upside down. A remote should be ergonomic to fit in your hand so your fingertips naturally fall on the buttons you use most. Sorry. When it's plain to see form clearly trumped function
> 
> And we all know a majority of Apple owners are lemmings. They love anything Apple and just say take my money anytime something new comes out. You point to Amazon's listing for the remote. The remote isn't something people are buying on their own just to have a remote. They are buying it to replace their lost/broken remote. It's a needed item for their ATV. Big difference than buying an item on its own outright and reviewing it on its own merits.
> 
> ...


And yet the remote feature has 4.2 stars overall on Amazon despite the complaints. And the remote listing has 4.7 stars overall.

You would think people forced to buy a new remote for $50 to replace a broken or lost one wouldn't be so kind and yet, again, it has 4.7 stars after 2800 reviews.

WE also know people tend to show up when they have a complaint and not so much when they don't.

And sorry but the remote is quite ergonomic. The thumb naturally can reach every button without shifting your grip. IT's actually close to or is best in class in this regard. The buttons are rather large as well. AS big or bigger than pretty much every Tivo button. Certainly bigger than other streaming remotes. Never heard of a remote where the "_fingertips"_ fall on the buttons you use most. Maybe you lopped off your thumb in wood shop class. I've had my ATV remotes for years and never broke them. Meanwhile the back cover of my Tivo remote busted off 4 years ago and I had a piece of tape on it up until I sold it at the beginning of this year. You learn to pick up the remote correctly. The volume button is on the lower right and the only oblong button. The Menu button has a raised white circle on it and is on the upper left. You can feel that difference. I've picked up my Tivo remote incorrectly quite a few times even after mostly picking it correctly for years. IT's fairly symmetrical itself. NEvermind all the streaming remotes are pretty symmetrical.

Oh and my tv remote still has a piece of tape on the back cover as well. I've bought 3rd party remotes and had one come apart after a drop. And if you really can't pick up the ATV remote correctly after getting used to it then put a piece of tape on the bottom or something.


----------



## waterchange (Jun 29, 2010)

morac said:


> If you can get them to send the cards to you, you can activate and pair them yourself.
> 
> Pair or Activate Your CableCARD - Self-Installation Setup - Xfinity


Sadly it now eventually leads to "Sorry, we couldn't find the page you were looking for."


----------



## Phil T (Oct 29, 2003)

waterchange said:


> Sadly it now eventually leads to "Sorry, we couldn't find the page you were looking for."


Link works for me?


----------



## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Phil T said:


> Link works for me?


Me too.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> Who's going to leave a review for the remote when they buy an Apple TV? There is no way you can extrapolate the Amazon reviews for the replacement remote as a general feeling about the remote itself. The only people who'd buy a replacement are those that actually like the remote.


People that need a new remote probably lost or broke it. Those are complaints about the remote. And yet the replacement has 4.7 stars. And as many have said, they need the remote for Siri even if they hate it so I assume many buying a replacement are also haters. Also you gotta remember I'm being told that I'm in the tiny minority. IF this was so then I don't think you would see nearly as high of scores on Amazon as you do. I don't have to extrapolate it. I just have to show that it is not the case that I'm in the tiny minority.  I think showing the high review scores show that not nearly as many people hate it as some here like to think.

Also remember people who have a complaint are more likely to post something than those who don't.


----------



## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

waterchange said:


> Sadly it now eventually leads to "Sorry, we couldn't find the page you were looking for."


This is the only link that matters:
Welcome to XFINITY CableCARDTM activation & pairing!


----------



## dbpaddler (Sep 25, 2004)

trip1eX said:


> And yet the remote feature has 4.2 stars overall on Amazon despite the complaints. And the remote listing has 4.7 stars overall.
> 
> You would think people forced to buy a new remote for $50 to replace a broken or lost one wouldn't be so kind and yet, again, it has 4.7 stars after 2800 reviews.
> 
> ...


1. Many Apple owners are lemmings. And you seem to prove the point when other owners say you're wrong yet they are still the vocal minority...  Kinda funny when multiple people disagree, but you're the one in the right. How's that working out for ya?

And you obviously didn't even read the positive reviews. Even positive ones talk about it being fragile, dumb to be made of glass and not happy having to buy a silicone skin for it. Or the touch part is overly sensitive and they overshoot their mark and so on. It's more so they are reviewing their apple tv experience or apple experience in general and not the remote.

2. Last time I checked, the thumb is a finger. 

3. It's funny when so much time passes that you forget why you blocked someone. Now I remember. Bye Felecia. No more spoilers for me. Everyone else seems to be doing a good enough job for me.

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk


----------



## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

We should see what the response is to an FCC complaint. Will it be a form letter stating "The FCC no longer can help you in this matter; tough tittie". This really stinks.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

trip1eX said:


> People that need a new remote probably lost or broke it.


But the only people who'd buy a replacement are those that liked the remote in the first place. Everyone else would look for an alternative.


----------



## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

moyekj said:


> That's my biggest with issue with streaming in general. There are so many different apps and they are all inconsistent with each other, and even on different devices that it gets very annoying switching between them. I wish there was just a standard stream player you could install that could handle streams from all the different providers. That's why for a while I was trying to do as much as possible via Amazon including Amazon Channels to get a consistent playback interface, but now there are many services/shows you can't get via Amazon so that's out the window.


I agree . When you learn how to FF on say Netflix those same button presses will bring up "next episode" or something bizarre. The thing is they all are similar so its easy to never get it straight. CBS all access has me screaming out loud when I try to fast forward.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

dbpaddler said:


> 1. Many Apple owners are lemmings. And you seem to prove the point when other owners say you're wrong yet they are still the vocal minority...  Kinda funny when multiple people disagree, but you're the one in the right. How's that working out for ya?
> 
> And you obviously didn't even read the positive reviews. Even positive ones talk about it being fragile, dumb to be made of glass and not happy having to buy a silicone skin for it. Or the touch part is overly sensitive and they overshoot their mark and so on. It's more so they are reviewing their apple tv experience or apple experience in general and not the remote.
> 
> ...


lmao. look in the mirror. Just because you keep saying something doesn't make it so. The amazon review scores dispute the notion that only a tiny minority like the remote.

And you said "fingertips." Sorry you can't take a joke.

I don't block you because I always need a good laugh.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> But the only people who'd buy a replacement are those that liked the remote in the first place. Everyone else would look for an alternative.


people need it for Siri so I don't agree that only the people who liked the remote buy it again.

Also it just shows a lot of people like the remote in and itself.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

trip1eX said:


> people need it for Siri so I don't agree that only the people who liked the remote buy it again.
> 
> Also it just shows a lot of people like the remote in and itself.


It may show that "a lot of people" like the remote, it does not show that the majority of people like the remote though as you implied in the post I quoted. You're extrapolating data that doesn't exist based on your own bias.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Dan203 said:


> It may show that "a lot of people" like the remote, it does not show that the majority of people like the remote though as you implied in the post I quoted. You're extrapolating data that doesn't exist based on your own bias.


 It's a 2 part piece of evidence. I also showed that the remote feature score on the ATV reviews is 4.2. and I'm just showing there is evidence that it isn't a tiny minority. And that it certainly looks (like) it could be a majority. Obviously if I could press a button and show 100% without scientific doubt that this is the case I would. But I can't.

But you can't do the same thing the other way around either. And you can only extrapolate anything you see as well. PLus you're biased yourself. I've probably read that you hate the apple remote on these forums at least 20 times this year alone. I'm not sure I'm exaggerating either.


----------



## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

But back to the thread topic, I'll requote what I found before the side discussion into AppleTV remote hate and love.

"
here's a 2 yr old post (linked) on Reddit with someone saying Comcast no longer supports cablecard. He eventually found out they (supposedly) don't support cablecard on certain plans.

other people called and agent told them they only support (comcast) boxes. Others called and got the opposite from the agent. another post said the website had no option for no equipment.
etc.

Like I said par for the course for the past 10 years-ish.


__
https://www.reddit.com/r/Tivo/comments/8w1vjx
"


----------



## ajbeaman (Jul 24, 2004)

waterchange said:


> Sadly it now eventually leads to "Sorry, we couldn't find the page you were looking for."


Change your browser. When I used Opera I got the same response, but with Firefox it made the connection.


----------



## TKnight206 (Oct 20, 2016)

trip1eX said:


> But back to the thread topic, I'll requote what I found before the side discussion into AppleTV remote hate and love.
> 
> "
> here's a 2 yr old post (linked) on Reddit with someone saying Comcast no longer supports cablecard. He eventually found out they (supposedly) don't support cablecard on certain plans.
> ...


Either try the loyalty department or just elevate to a supervisor. Keep trying.


----------



## CarlosSanger86 (6 mo ago)

NashGuy said:


> Nothing ever came of it. There was a push, dubbed "Unlock the Box," at the FCC a few years ago to come up with a software-based successor to CableCARD but that failed. The FCC decided that it would be sufficient for cable TV providers to offer up streaming apps to access their services on retail devices (e.g. Roku), as Comcast, Charter and others have already done rather than come up with a new industry-wide technical standard.
> 
> Separate to that, there was an announcement some years back that Comcast and TiVo were jointly working on a software-based solution specific to their two companies. But then nothing more developed (perhaps in part because TiVo sued Comcast over patent infringements in their X1 system).
> 
> At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


What do you mean for this part:

At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


----------



## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

CarlosSanger86 said:


> What do you mean for this part:
> 
> At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


Many of us expect Tivo to exit the consumer market and continue on only making DVRs provided by CableCos


----------



## NashGuy (May 2, 2015)

CarlosSanger86 said:


> What do you mean for this part:
> 
> At this point, TiVo understands that the only path forward for it to live on as a system used in conjunction with cable TV is not via retail devices purchased by the consumer but rather as software built into the boxes issued by the TV providers themselves.


There are a number of smaller pay TV operators scattered across the US that license software, data and services from TiVo to power the boxes they hand out to their own pay TV customers, and also to power the backend video servers they use to run their pay TV service. 

For instance, there's a fiber/DSL internet provider that serves an area not too far from me called TDS Telecom. They have a managed IPTV pay TV service they brand as TDS TV+. The have a deal in place with TiVo to power that service. If you subscribe to that service, you must take at least one of their boxes, which runs a TiVo operating system and comes with a TiVo-designed peanut remote. 






TDS TV+ Programming & Packages |TDS


Paired with the unifying smarts and innovation of TiVo, TDS TV+ brings together your live, recorded and streaming TV favorites in one amazing place.




tdstelecom.com





I'm not sure, you might be able to access TDS TV+ through apps for devices like Apple TV and Fire TV too. But you definitely can't use it with a retail TiVo DVR with CableCARD.

A few years from now, after CableCARD is completely dead, the only folks who will be using a "TiVo" with their pay TV service will be those who get a TiVo-powered box directly from their pay TV provider, like TDS.


----------



## CarlosSanger86 (6 mo ago)

dianebrat said:


> Many of us expect Tivo to exit the consumer market and continue on only making DVRs provided by CableCos


Or better yet, the provider just uses the TiVo UI as references for their new UI


----------



## mlee (Mar 2, 2019)

I just had a new XFinity install and other than having to tech the techs about cable cards I heard nothing about it going away.


----------



## mattyro7878 (Nov 27, 2014)

dishrich said:


> The OP might try to go to their local Comcast store (assuming they have one)...my local store has very knowledgeable reps & not only knew about CC's, but also knew in our market, CC's are now free. Last month when I redid my 2-year contract & added an X1 DVR & it would not activate, the assistant manager knew exactly what the issue was; it was due to the previous rep not arranging all my equipment in the correct hierarchy (X1 DVR, legacy DVR, CC & DTA all mixed on my 1 account) but he resolved it right in the store & by the time I got home, everything was activated & working correctly.
> 
> So I plan on continuing to use my CC Tivo as long as I possibly can, but now also have an X1 DVR, for all the new IP-only channels; the X1 box was only $5/month & my (Xfinity) DVR service fee is free for the next 2 years.


I thought all this cc business was blamed on a certain president's new fcc chairman. If he was the cause whybcant we redress our grievances? New president, new fcc guy. Somebody has to make the effort. I would write the emails but is it a waste of effort? Is phasing out cc truly the right step? I personally believe as long as our boxes are around , cablecard should be supported.


----------



## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

mattyro7878 said:


> I would write the emails but is it a waste of effort? Is phasing out cc truly the right step?


I admire the thought, but time marches on and the technology in the video distribution industry has changed. Even if some retrograde FCC ruling could be brought about, the effect would be minimal with the MSOs mostly moving to all-IPTV delivery. I think it would be more likely for TiVo to adapt to IPTV (which is highly improbable IMHO) than for CableCARD to maintain industry-wide support.


----------



## CommunityMember (May 22, 2020)

mattyro7878 said:


> I thought all this cc business was blamed on a certain president's new fcc chairman.


The CableCARD death sentence occurred under the Obama administration's FCC. The next presidents FCC signed the warrant for the execution. Some operators have not yet thrown the switch, but it is now scheduling, not if, for all the majors.


> I would write the emails but is it a waste of effort? Is phasing out cc truly the right step?


Yes, as everyone for something like a decade has agreed its time has gone (it has been too limiting for too long and the follow on replacement attempts failed to achieve support). But, one is always free to tilt at windmills.


----------

