# How to look up a tsn number for a TiVo Stream



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

I have a TiVo Stream that I bought off of eBay and TiVo says they cannot activate it because it is tied to a cable provider I would like to verify that information on my side.
How do I go about doing that?
Or do I just have a giant paper weight that I need to throw in the trash?


----------



## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

bob5731 said:


> I have a TiVo Stream that I bought off of eBay and TiVo says they cannot activate it because it is tied to a cable provider I would like to verify that information on my side.
> How do I go about doing that?
> Or do I just have a giant paper weight that I need to throw in the trash?


Does that mean it was actually the property of the cable company and not the person who sold it?


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

Yes, it is a paperweight. Ask for a refund. I've been trying to buy a Stream off ebay for over a year now. Every one so far has been cable company property. When you buy in the future, make sure they accept returns.

I'm not sure what you mean by verifying on your side. When you enter the TSN on Tivo's activation page, it tells you whether it belongs to a cable company or not. Sound's like you already did this, so what else did you need to verify?


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

I'd like to verify what TiVo is telling me and what they see on their screen.
I cannot find one cheaper than what TiVo is selling them for.


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

You cannot activate service on this DVR. Please contact Suddenlink Customer Support at 1-877-457-9849 for assistance. If you purchased your TiVo box at retail or on tivo.com, please check your TiVo service number and try again.


----------



## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

Even if the seller doesn't except returns you could file a complaint with eBay. Sounds like they were selling something they didn't own. (i.e. Technically it was stolen from Suddenlink even if they were charged a non-return fee or something similar.)


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

bob5731 said:


> You cannot activate service on this DVR. Please contact Suddenlink Customer Support at 1-877-457-9849 for assistance. If you purchased your TiVo box at retail or on tivo.com, please check your TiVo service number and try again.


If you get that message, it is definitely property of Suddenlink, and you cannot use it. Feel free to call Suddenlink, but that will likely create even more problems for you as they might want it back.

You probably bought from the same seller as I did. Mine was also Suddenlink, and the seller had a big lot of them. He gave me a refund right away and told me not to bother returning it.

I'm just going to keep searching as I have been for the past year. My magic number is $90 shipped if anybody here is interested in selling me one that's not cable company property of course. In the mean time, I'll continue using my Slingbox.

EDIT: I finally found one. Woo-hoo!


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

Was it recycleTech2003.


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

bob5731 said:


> Was it recycleTech2003.


Yep, that's the guy. Since the cable company doesn't mark them in any way, it's impossible to tell unless you get the TSN and attempt to activate before you buy.

I just checked the listing again, and it's still active with 22 sold and counting. I thought he would have pulled it by now.

Well, let our experience be a warning to anyone else.


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

What other way can you recommend to get my recordings to the internet for cheap? My price range is $50


----------



## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

bob5731 said:


> What other way can you recommend to get my recordings to the internet for cheap? My price range is $50


Slingbox 350 might be a bit out of your budget but they are pretty reliable and work when other options fail. There are also older and cheaper versions but I have no experience with them. http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=slingbox+350&_sop=15


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

I have a Romeo?


----------



## ajwees41 (May 7, 2006)

mdavej said:


> Yep, that's the guy. Since the cable company doesn't mark them in any way, it's impossible to tell unless you get the TSN and attempt to activate before you buy.
> 
> I just checked the listing again, and it's still active with 22 sold and counting. I thought he would have pulled it by now.
> 
> Well, let our experience be a warning to anyone else.


I bet he will not pull it, but ebay might if they are notified


----------



## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

bob5731 said:


> I have a Romeo?


Are you saying you don't know?


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

I got my Slingbox 350 for $60 on Amazon. But mine's connected to a Mini. You'll need a more expensive one for a Roamio. You'll have to keep looking for a cheap Stream. $50 is going to be impossible though.


----------



## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

bob5731 said:


> I have a Romeo?


Don't know what you mean "Roamio"? You can use the component outputs if you have a Plus or a Pro, better anyway no DRM crap.
If you only have the Roamio base, you can still use the composite with one of the adapter cables with the slingbox....depending on what you are viewing it on, it might still give you a decent picture.


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

I have the roamio base model


----------



## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

bob5731 said:


> I have the roamio base model


Have you thought of selling that and upgrading to a Bolt or Roamio Plus/Pro?


----------



## mdavej (Aug 13, 2015)

waynomo said:


> Have you thought of selling that and upgrading to a Bolt or Roamio Plus/Pro?


He has a $50 budget.


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

I would keep reviewing craigslist. I have purchased two, at different times, for around $25. They don't pop up often, but they do pop up.


----------



## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

bob5731 said:


> What other way can you recommend to get my recordings to the internet for cheap? My price range is $50


Is your tivo connected to a computer. You can use the web server feature of KMTTG to streamany any show which isn't copy protected to a web browser.


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

What I'm trying to do is get my content to my mobile devices like an Android tablet Android cell phone and an iPad Air.


----------



## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

Do you have a computer? There a variety of ways of getting nonprotected content to Mobil devices using a computer as an intermediate step.


----------



## bob5731 (Jul 9, 2012)

What are some of the apps for Windows?


----------



## lew (Mar 12, 2002)

bob5731 said:


> What are some of the apps for Windows?


Go to the tivo home media tivo to go forum. Read the threads for kmttg and archivo. Both will let you transfer non protected shows to your computer and convert them to a format compatible to your portable devices. kmttg will also let you stream non protected shows from your tivo to a web browser on your portable device.

Tivo stream is a lot easier. Almost no learning curve.

Kmttg isn't that complicated but you'll have to invest some time.


----------

