# Cox Cable Card in Bolt



## Wexlerbob (Apr 4, 2015)

I ordered my new Bolt from Amazon, it should arrive Wednesday.

I picked up the cable card from cox cable today and the also gave me a tuner box bigger then the Bolt.

They said because they are now all digital, the bolt can not receive and unscramble the digital signal without the tuner box between the wall and the Bolt.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THAT IS TRUE?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Wexlerbob said:


> I ordered my new Bolt from Amazon, it should arrive Wednesday.
> 
> I picked up the cable card from cox cable today and the also gave me a tuner box bigger then the Bolt.
> 
> ...


No, it isn't true. The Bolt can tune and decrypt digital channels with just the CableCard. The box they gave you is likely a tuning adapter. It is only needed to receive certain channels (usually less watched channels) that are delivered using a technology called Switched Digital Video (SDV). Your Bolt will be able to receive non-SDV digital channels with just the CableCard.

I suggest you just focus on getting the CableCard working in the Bolt. Once you do that, you'll be able to tell if there are any channels you care about that are SDV and require you to hook up the Tuning Adapter. If none of the channels you want to watch are SDV channels, then you can just stick the Tuning Adapter in a closet somewhere and forget about it.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

A Tuning adapter is nowhere near the size of the Bolt. It's almost certainly a full STB and whoever gave it to you is a complete moron.


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## markyr17 (Mar 21, 2016)

lpwcomp said:


> A Tuning adapter is nowhere near the size of the Bolt. It's almost certainly a full STB and whoever gave it to you is a complete moron.


I disagree... Tuning adapters are definitely at least near the size of a Bolt. And, I would add, that in my situation, anyways, the tuning adapter is definitely necessary that receive most important channels.


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## Wexlerbob (Apr 4, 2015)

Thanks for the replies.

I am going to set up my Bolt when it gets here with cable card only, and see if it works. I hope it does.

Then I am going to hang one of my 2 TB Western Digital Green Drives off the ESATA port and see if the bolt likes it. Once I have everything figured out and working I will order my second Bolt.

Wish me luck.


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## foghorn2 (May 4, 2004)

The Bolt won't work with that drive. Check out the Cox Soulution Store, most of them stock the only current drive that will work- the 1TB WD My Book DVR Expander. It's 99 bucks and won't void the warranty.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

markyr17 said:


> I disagree... Tuning adapters are definitely at least near the size of a Bolt. And, I would add, that in my situation, anyways, the tuning adapter is definitely necessary that receive most important channels.


Ok. But what he was told is still nonsense. The TA is needed because COX uses SDV, not simply because they're all digital.

It being COX, a TA is probably needed, but if the installation kit does not include a USB cable and a splitter, then it may not be a TA.

Connecting a TA should go as follows

Cable from wall to splitter

One leg of splitter to RF In of TA

Other leg of splitter to Cable In of TiVo.

USB of TA connected to upper USB port of TiVo.

Power


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

Wexlerbob said:


> I ordered my new Bolt from Amazon, it should arrive Wednesday.
> 
> I picked up the cable card from cox cable today and the also gave me a tuner box bigger then the Bolt.
> 
> ...


Maybe you can get more information from Cox: http://www.cox.com/residential/support/tv/article.cox?articleId=a6842300-fad1-11de-f523-000000000000

And: https://www.google.com/search?num=3....0....0...1c.1.64.hp..0.24.2162.0.AN6kETD0Wqc


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## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

lpwcomp said:


> Ok. But what he was told is still nonsense. The TA is needed because COX uses SDV, not simply because they're all digital.
> 
> It being COX, a TA is probably needed, but if the installation kit does not include a USB cable and a splitter, then it may not be a TA.
> 
> ...


or the Tech gave a DTA instead of SDV adapter


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## thyname (Dec 27, 2010)

What you received is the Tuning Adapter. As other mentioned here, it is required to get the SDV channels from Cox. Unfortunately, it is a necessary piece of equipment needed for Cox to work properly with TiVo. I had the same setup before. Also unfortunately, there is a a bunch of Cox channels that are SDV, and not just premium channels. You must have the TA for your setup up to work properly with Cox.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

ajwees41 said:


> or the Tech gave a DTA instead of SDV adapter


The DTA's I had at one time _*were*_ way smaller than any TiVo, even a Bolt. But anything is possible.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

The Cisco TAs I got from Cox San Diego a year ago (model STA1520) is actually larger than TiVo Bolt in all dimensions, width, length and depth, and a hell of a lot heavier, having a metal enclosure. (I got two CCs and TAs, in case I chose to use one with my Premiere, which has PLS. I haven't had a use for the Premiere in the past year, so I dug up the other TA and compared the two devices directly).

The TA's specs give its dimensions as 12.5 in. x 13 in. x 2 in., 3.5 lbs, whereas TiVo Bolt's dimensions are 11.4"W x 7.3"D x 1.8"H w/feet, 1.9 lbs. Hell, my TiVo Roamio Basic isn't much if at all larger at 14.3" W x 7.4" D x 1.9" H, 3.7 lbs.

I have no idea why this thing is so bulky. It has a surprisingly large board and the section with its power supply is shielded.

The Motorola TA (model MTR700) is visually much, much smaller. I can't find its dimensions online, but you can see someone holding it in their hand here.


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