# TiVo and Comcast HD Technology Fee



## wintermute2_0 (Mar 15, 2002)

I picked up an HD DTA for a new bedroom TV yesterday. After I activated the DTA, I only received standard definition channels. When I contacted Comcast, they told me I would have to pay a $10 monthly HD Technology Fee to receive HD channels on my bedroom TV. They told me that I have to pay this fee because I don't have a standard Comcast cable box. 

My primary box is a TiVo Roamio with a CableCard. Must I really pay an additional $10 fee just to receive HD on a second TV? This policy seems like little more than a blatant money grab from Comcast. Have any TiVo owners had any luck getting this fee waived? Thanks for any help you can provide. Thanks.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Return the HD DTA and get a Mini, problem solved. And yes, it's very common for Comcast to throw that bogus charge at you anytime you get one of their boxes.


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## DeltaOne (Sep 29, 2013)

wintermute2_0 said:


> After I activated the DTA, I only received standard definition channels. When I contacted Comcast, they told me I would have to pay a $10 monthly HD Technology Fee to receive HD channels on my bedroom TV.


Comcast pricing varies from one region to another.

Here in Maryland I'm paying the $10 HD Technology fee. But I get a $5/month credit for "customer owned equipment." I have no set top boxes from Comcast. I use a Roamio Plus and two Minis. And the CableCard on my monthly statement is $0.00.


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## aristoBrat (Dec 30, 2002)

Cox Cable has a similar fee. 

They call it "Advanced TV", it's $5.99/month, and it applies to any account that has more than one cable card, set top box, or combination of the two.

It's in addition to any of the rental fees they charge for cable cards/set top boxes.

It was nice being able to drop this fee when I switched from having six cable cards (four stand-alone TiVos in various rooms throughout the house) to one cable card (a Roamio + three Minis).


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## Crazy Newt (Jul 15, 2014)

I just recently got a Roamio Plus, and now that it seems to be working with Comcast services as expected, today I went to return the HD non-dvr box I was using at the nearest service center. Comcast removed the HD Technology fee from my bill since I no longer have any of their set-top boxes in use.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

Crazy Newt said:


> I just recently got a Roamio Plus, and now that it seems to be working with Comcast services as expected, today I went to return the HD non-dvr box I was using at the nearest service center. Comcast removed the HD Technology fee from my bill since I no longer have any of their set-top boxes in use.


If you have only one outlet it is free as it comes with your cable plan, having both a cable card and a cable box is the reason for the extra HD Technology fee, remove one and the extra fee goes away.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

lessd said:


> If you have only one outlet it is free as it comes with your cable plan, having both a cable card and a cable box is the reason for the extra HD Technology fee, remove one and the extra fee goes away.


Not true. Like everything past in Comcast, it depends on how the local franchise interprets the rule.

Locally, they just added the HD technology fee to my bill, as they re-evaluated my setup. I have no Comcast boxes and one Comcast cablecard (plus one Verizon cablecard plus a couple of Minis, plus an OTA TiVoHD).

It's pretty explicit in their local franchise rules. If you have one of the top-of-the-line triple plays (including several premiums), then the HD technology fee is included; otherwise it is not and you will need to pay it locally even with a single Comcast box.


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## Crazy Newt (Jul 15, 2014)

Yes, I only had the one additional cable box for Comcast, so now I don't have any Comcast equipment. I wasn't expecting to have any luck, but when I asked about the HD Technology fee when I returned the box, they seemed to understand what I was talking about and the $9.95 fee was removed along with the $9.95 charge for having an additional outlet. The additional outlet fee (another BS charge by the Cable providers) was only a temporary thing as I was hesitant to return my equipment until I could verify that the cable card was working with the Tivo.

My setup is rather simple as I am the only person in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I have an HDMI splitter that simultaneously plays video on 2 TVs from a single source. I have the Tivo connected to 2 TVs and the RF remote is the perfect solution.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

CrispyCritter said:


> Not true. Like everything past in Comcast, it depends on how the local franchise interprets the rule.
> 
> Locally, they just added the HD technology fee to my bill, as they re-evaluated my setup. I have no Comcast boxes and one Comcast cablecard (plus one Verizon cablecard plus a couple of Minis, plus an OTA TiVoHD).
> 
> It's pretty explicit in their local franchise rules. If you have one of the top-of-the-line triple plays (including several premiums), then the HD technology fee is included; otherwise it is not and you will need to pay it locally even with a single Comcast box.


If your cable plan does not include one HD cable box and the HD technology fee that goes with that box you would be correct, Comcast (CT) does offer a low price plan that does not have HD chs as part of the plan.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

lessd said:


> If your cable plan does not include one HD cable box and the HD technology fee that goes with that box you would be correct, Comcast (CT) does offer a low price plan that does not have HD chs as part of the plan.


Correct. Locally, since all plans except Ultimate Triple Play do not include the HD fee, it means that having a cable card implies an HD technology fee unless you are getting all the premiums.

And this is NOT the explanation for CrazyNewt, since he was being charged the fee explicitly before going down to one box. (The fee is an account fee, not one charged per box).


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

Crazy Newt said:


> Yes, I only had the one additional cable box for Comcast, so *now I don't have any Comcast equipment*. I wasn't expecting to have any luck, but when I asked about the HD Technology fee when I returned the box, they seemed to understand what I was talking about and the $9.95 fee was removed along with the $9.95 charge for having an additional outlet. The additional outlet fee (another BS charge by the Cable providers) was only a temporary thing as I was hesitant to return my equipment until I could verify that the cable card was working with the Tivo.
> 
> My setup is rather simple as I am the only person in a small 1 bedroom apartment. I have an HDMI splitter that simultaneously plays video on 2 TVs from a single source. I have the Tivo connected to 2 TVs and the RF remote is the perfect solution.


Correction: You *do* have Comcast equipment, to wit: one CableCARD. This becomes relevant for service reasons (they own the equipment and are responsible for maintaining/servicing/replacing it) and for billing reasons. Although in most regions Comcast is no longer billing for CableCARDs per se (i.e., there is no specific line item charge), they will result in the infamous Additional Digital Outlet (sometimes called Digital Service) fee of around $10 each if you have more than one digital device authorized to receive a Comcast cable signal. This way, Comcast can charge you $10 or more per CableCARD without having to justify why the fee exceeds the FCC guidelines. And that's how shiny new billion-dollar headquarters get built!


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## Crazy Newt (Jul 15, 2014)

From what I can find online, the Comcast HD Technology fee is simply a renaming of the old service fee for a primary outlet.

_IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Effective 11/01/10, the Digital Converter with HDTV Capabilities charge on the primary outlet will be renamed HD Technology Fee. The HD Technology Fee provides access to Comcast HD technology on all outlets in the home connected to a HD
converter or other HD capable equipment. The current monthly prices of $6.00 for subscribers with a minimum subscription of Digital Preferred and $9.25 for all other Digital subscribers will remain the same._

This was probably done so that Comcast could still collect a fee, now increased to $9.95, for those customers that only had a single box or for those customers that were offered there first outlet as part of there service.

Here are the various order summaries from the process going through when I only had a single Comcast HD box, a Pace RNG110; to when I added my Tivo Roamio before I returned the Comcast HD box; and then after I returned the Comcast HD box.

I upgraded to a promotion for Digital Preferred after discovering that I no longer had to pay the HD Technology fee. So my overall Comcast bill is now lower than before, but now I have Digital Preferred instead of Digital Starter, although I have the Tivo subscription to consider now. But to be fair, I did not have ANY DVR capabilities before, where now I have an awesome 6-tuner DVR with tons of room to save my shows.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

Yes, the service upgrade explains the lack of HD fee.

Locally, I'm sure Comcast wants to get its advertised prices as low as possible. We're one of the few franchise areas in the country where Verizon has continued to build out its FIOS network. So Comcast can advertise the triple play price without the HD fee, but almost everybody will pay the fee for their first outlet (just like Verizon advertises its low price, but charges for the first outlet also).


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## bryan4980 (Dec 2, 2011)

DeltaOne said:


> Comcast pricing varies from one region to another.
> 
> Here in Maryland I'm paying the $10 HD Technology fee. But I get a $5/month credit for "customer owned equipment." I have no set top boxes from Comcast. I use a Roamio Plus and two Minis. And the CableCard on my monthly statement is $0.00.


I don't think you should be any fee, if you have only one box there should be no charge from Comcast on that. Last time Comcast tried to charge me the HD tech fee I just lied and told them I don't watch HD so I am not paying for it they removed it and the HD channels stayed.
I am in the Chicago market btw.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

bryan4980 said:


> I don't think you should be any fee, if you have only one box there should be no charge from Comcast on that. Last time Comcast tried to charge me the HD tech fee I just lied and told them I don't watch HD so I am not paying for it they removed it and the HD channels stayed.
> I am in the Chicago market btw.


The key is in one sentence from the post that you cited: "Comcast pricing varies from one region to another." Only it's not so much the pricing that varies as the billing practices.

Also, as you found out, a persistent or persuasive consumer can usually get special pricing, free services or other compensation. It's only fair to push back when we're the victims of such a duplicitous, patchwork fee structure. I like Comcast's services but really wish they would get their billing department standarized.

And, oh yeah, Go Bulls!


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