# TiVo HD without subscription - can it replace my cable company digital box?



## MitchV (May 26, 2009)

I have two TiVo HDs that I have upgraded with 1TB drives. My wife can work the DVRs without assistance and that makes me a happy guy.

My problem is that I have 4 TVs in the house, two of which are hooked up directly to the analog cable lines and the other two use the TiVos. I _hate_ paying monthly fees to rent Comcast equipment. I would much rather spend money up front, thus both of my TiVos have lifetime subscriptions.

I just spoke with a Comcast rep and they told me that I could not buy a digital cable converter, instead I would have to rent one of their boxes if I want to view digital channels. That being said... I know from recent experience that they will come to my house and install a cable card free of charge and there is no additional charge for the equipment (I get one per outlet).

That leads me to my question... if all I want is the ability to view digital channels (no guide, no DVR, etc), would I be able to do this if I purchase a used TiVo HD without a subscription? All I want to be able to do is plug in a channel number and/or use the channel up/down.

Thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks!

p.s. I think it's criminal that a cable company can force you to rent their equipment in order to receive digital content.


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## RoyK (Oct 22, 2004)

I don't see why that wouldn't work.


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## GBL (Apr 20, 2000)

While it should work, a no-cost solution should be available from Comcast, either now or at some point in the future, called "Digital Adapters", explained on Comcast's Digital Migration FAQ:



> Will I pay more for my cable services with the Comcast Digital Migration?
> 
> Most customers will not see a change in their bill. We will provide Expanded Basic subscribers with one set-top box and up to two Digital Adapters at no additional monthly service charge.
> 
> ...


 For more information, see this comcast website:

Comcast Digital Migration | Help & Support | Comcast customerCentral


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

I assume the original poster does not want to add the "three-digit" channels to the two TVs currently connected directly to the cable line (but just wants to be able to watch things like CNN and ESPN, which are now scrambled). In this case, go with the Digital Adapters; like the reply said, you can get two of them for free (I have one, and while it appears on my monthly bill, there is no charge for it).

-- Don


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## MitchV (May 26, 2009)

Thanks for the info... I browsed the FAQ and found this:

_
How will my broadcast high-definition (HD) channels be affected by using a Digital Adapter?

The Digital Adapter (DTA) does not support HD signals. Comcast offer HD set-top boxes for a monthly service fee, which provides access to over 1,000 HD choices. ...
_

So while a DTA appears that it would get my digital channels, I still get hosed with a monthly fee if I want HD channels.

I'm just waiting for the day when I can stream all the content that I want, when I want, without commercial interruption... I can do this with Netflix, but the content selection is too limited.


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## GBL (Apr 20, 2000)

MitchV said:


> So while a DTA appears that it would get my digital channels, I still get hosed with a monthly fee if I want HD channels.


True, but you didn't mention HD in your OP. You wrote "analog cable" and "digitial channels", which implied no HD, which is impossible with analog cable.



> I'm just waiting for the day when I can stream all the content that I want, when I want, without commercial interruption... I can do this with Netflix, but the content selection is too limited.


I'm waiting as well ... hopefully in our lifetime!

Edited to add:
With a Tivo HD, you may have to pay an additional outlet fee to get any encrypted digital channels like ESPN-HD.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

YOu get one free box from Comcast afaik.

Not sure if Cablecards affect that policy or not. But, if they do, make the Comcast Box your "free" box because cablecards are cheaper per month. That's 3 TVs covered.

For your 4th TV just add another Tivo or rent a Comcast box or get a DTA and do without or ...

IF want newer commercial-free content streamed to your house then expect to pay a few times more for it then you already pay Comcast. Renting a Comcast box would look cheap in comparison.


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## ltxi (Feb 14, 2010)

Cable cards count....against the box first and then against the adapter allotment.


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## sg0014 (Nov 14, 2010)

Hey MitchV,
I have the exact same issue. Did you try it?

HD TIVO + Multi Stream Card - TiVo Service = HD Channels?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks


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## WPe (May 5, 2007)

sg0014: Read the thread "Tivo HD for $99.99 at Blockbuster stores"

Short answer is that it will work, but there are a couple minor gotchas. One is that you will always get a "TiVo Service Interrupted" whenever you try to change channels because you disconnected the unit from the internet. You can reduce the time displayed but not eliminate this nag. Second is that you lose program & channel updates so if your cable company adds/moves channels in the future, you cannot tune to them via UP/DOWN. You would have to input the channel directly such as 4-8-3.


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## JTYoung1 (Aug 13, 2006)

Comcast will charge you the price for an additional digital outlet if you request a cable card for another device. A cable card is treated the same as one of their set top boxes. The do not charge you for an additional outlet for an analog connection since they have no additional equipment involved in it.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Only in certain areas - they only charge $1.50 for a card here, no outlet fees. Comcast charges always vary by area - some folks are reporting that they have removed the CC fees now due to the latest FCC regs requiring the cableCos to list CCs separately if they charge for them.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

WPe said:


> Second is that you lose program & channel updates so if your cable company adds/moves channels in the future, you cannot tune to them via UP/DOWN. You would have to input the channel directly such as 4-8-3.


I don't think this is true if you have a Cablecard installed - channels are added/deleted per the map received from your cableCo regardless of sub.


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