# Tivo Roamio with Comcast: VOD freezes. Problem solved!



## beevik

I have a Tivo Roamio plus and Comcast Xfinity service. After installing my Tivo, everything worked but I got the dreaded Video on Demand (VOD) freeze problem that so many other people complained about. A VOD show would start and then the screen and sound would freeze 2-3 seconds later, but the progress would continue to advance.

I contacted Comcast support using the online chat, and the representative helped me fix the problem. (By the way, I recommend getting support online instead of on the phone; the phone techs don't know what they're doing and you'll spend time getting bounced from person to person, giving your account info over and over again. It's enough to drive a person crazy.)

Here is what the online rep told me she did to fix the problem:

She added the "Tivo Premier Cable Card Install" code, which is a free $0.00 code. When she first added it to my account, the problem didn't go away; I still got the freeze. Then she removed the code and added it again. At that point, my VOD started working.

When I asked her why it was so difficult to solve the problem, she said, "we need to really look for it, for the name is not labelled correctly in some accounts." So apparently the proper billing code is hard to find in their system. If they tell you it doesn't exist, let them know what this service rep told me.

I hope this helps someone else save time.


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## beevik

Here is the transcript of my support chat. As you can see, I was almost urged to give up. ("You need to buy a new Tivo box". Aauughh!)

Cassiopeia: Hello beevik, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Cassiopeia. Please give me one moment to review your information.

beevik: Whenever I start a VOD show, it plays a couple seconds, then the screen freezes with whatever was on it. and it does not advance.

beevik: According to this thread on the comcast forums, this is a common problem with Tivo systems, and it requires comcast to update a billing setting on my account. here is the page: http://forums.tivo.com/pe/action/forums/displaypost?postID=11043353#e11043353

beevik: sorry, here is the comcast link: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-...reezes-after-a-couple-of-seconds/td-p/1437989

Cassiopeia: May I ask for a minute or 2 to check on this beevik?

beevik: yes

Cassiopeia: Thank you.

Waiting for response from Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia: I'll get back to you shortly

beevik: here is another link that might help: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-On-Demand/Tivo-Premier-On-Demand-freezes/td-p/1604805

Cassiopeia: Thank you so much for that information.

beevik: you're welcome

beevik: i appreciate your help

Waiting for response from Cassiopeia

Cassiopeia: Thank you so much for patiently staying in the line beevik.

beevik: no problem

Cassiopeia: As per checking, beevik, we do not have problem with the access since yes you have the access to VOD , we just to need to troubleshoot.

Cassiopeia: May I ask if, you have ever reset the box before?

beevik: I reset it this evening before this chat.

beevik: But the VOD has never worked. it has always frozen.

beevik: (with the tivo.. it worked fine on my comcast dvr)

Cassiopeia: I se.

Cassiopeia: I see*

beevik: according to other people who had this exact same problem, it is always a "billing code" that isn't set correctly. something needs to indicate a special tivo billing code to get VOD to work.

Cassiopeia: The signal for reset might work in my end. I will reset the box.

beevik: ok

Cassiopeia: Yes that is correct William, but it only works when you are getting certain errors on VOD which is common to happen than freezing.

Cassiopeia: Did the box resets?

beevik: yes i think so

beevik: it still has the frozen VOD problem though

beevik: it plays for like 2 to 3 seconds, and then the screen freezes. even though the progress bar below continues to advance. no sound.

Cassiopeia: I mean now? Did it?

beevik: let me try again

beevik: Hm, now I get a "Request failed" error on the screen. Reference GSM-2. locale code tivocrd-cmc-a4p.comcast.com

beevik: that's when I try to watch a VOD show

beevik: ok i don't get that error anymore

beevik: but it still freezes

Cassiopeia: We are currently working on it now as to how we can remedy beevik.

beevik: ok thank you

Cassiopeia: No problem.

Cassiopeia: Just to update of what I am doing, I am checking on the rate codes that we can possibly add.

beevik: ok. i think on the comcast forum, someone else said the "tivo premiere 4" code was used. don't know if that's accurate.

Cassiopeia: Does it seems working? We have tried to add one that is related.

beevik: i will try

beevik: no, it still frezes.

Cassiopeia: That is the one I am still looking for until now, out of this thousands of codes, that is why I am sorry for the delay.

beevik: it's ok, take your time

beevik: I don't know if this is helpful, but here is what someone else who had the problem said: "The fix was someone in Comcast Billing department needing to add the Tivo Premiere 4 billing code for Xfinity on Demand to my Comcast account. It's called "Tivo Premier" and it's under the Bolt-On Section, not in the standard cable card section"

beevik: (also, I have a Tivo Roamio, not a Tivo Premiere)

Cassiopeia: I figured it now beevik.

Cassiopeia: It says here that the TIVO has a new version of a TIVO box and that is the Tivo Premiere 4 that supports On Demand for Comcast.

Cassiopeia: And just to clarify this is a new TIVO box and this is not a rate code that can just be added.

beevik: oh

Cassiopeia: So basically beevik, we need to have your TIVO box replaced with the new TIVO Premier 4 cable box.

beevik: oh, this is the new tivo box that came out after the tivo premiere

Cassiopeia: For you to be able to have access to Comcast On demand.

beevik: are you sure you can't set the "tivo premiere 4" billing code on my account? because other people said it was possible, and that fixed it for them.

Cassiopeia: Yes, even me cannot figure out myself beevik, since we do not have more know how with TIVO since this is a third party already and is not handled by Comcast, but it says that it is only TIVO premier 4 that can be able to support On demand access.

beevik: another person with a tivo roamio posted this on the tivo forums: "I caved in and called the Comcast CableCard line. In under 5 minutes, the issue was resolved for me. There was -one tiny additional setting- (apparently) that needed to be configured to show that I could support Xfinity OnDemand that had not been toggled when I moved the CableCard to my Roamio from my TiVoHD on Tuesday. When I called just now to say that all other channels were fine, and that my symptoms were that an OnDemand show would play for a few seconds and then stop, the woman on the phone sighed knowingly, and and said, "just one moment, sir..." then asked me to try again. All was well."

Cassiopeia: But for now, can you please check if it still freezes? I found a code, but this is not labelled premier 4, but I hope this will work, as it was labelled tivo VOD.

beevik: so apparently other pepple have got this tivo working with vod

beevik: i will try

Cassiopeia: Yes please thank you!

beevik: it's working!

beevik: what change did you make? That way I can post on the forums to let other people know what to request.

Cassiopeia: Awesome!

Cassiopeia: I just added the code, and then I removed because it seems did not work, and then I added it again and indeed it worked!

beevik: Can you tell me what the specific name of the code it was?

Cassiopeia: This is the first time I was able to handle this issue, and I am glad we are able to resolve it.

Cassiopeia: Yes I was asking our higher department for the name of the code thge exact name one moment please.

beevik: ok

Cassiopeia: Its Tivo Premier Cable Card Install its a free code $0.00. But, I wonder why is was not labelled that specifically.

beevik: ok thanks. the more info I can provide, the more it will help other people who have this problem, and the more it can save your fellow support staff time.

Cassiopeia: Yes and please I know you will post this on the forum, please specify the they need to really look for it, for the name is not labelled correctly in some accounts. Thank you!

Cassiopeia: As your representative who seeks for your HIGH SATISFACTION, I would like to know if I was able to address all of your concerns. Would there be anything else I can gladly assist you with today? I'd love to help further.

beevik: thanks again for your help.

beevik: that's everything

Cassiopeia: You are most welcome beevik. I really appreciate your patience.


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## synch22

Just wasted 20 minutes with a rep.... I tried to explain someone posted the fix regarding billing code $0.00 she wasn't having it. Reset...pull the card....jeez. 
Will try again later and this time won't touch my damn box.


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## synch22

Nt


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## shawndavid

This thread just saved me hours with Comcast. This was my exact issue also. Thank you! Chat knew exactly what I was talking about and fixed it in 2 minutes.


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## MadPB

Man, I don't know what it is, but I've got this freezing VOD issue and dadgumit, still no love from Comcast on this. After several calls and several more online support chats, telling them specifically about the billing codes I've ready about, I still got nothing.

Do I just need to request that Cassiopeia fake name next time I do an online support chat? 

I'm wondering if I have some kind of older billing code on my account that's conflicting with the "Tivo Premier" code they tell me they've added. I used to have a Tivo HD until a week ago when I got my new Roamio. Makes me wonder if I should ask them to just delete everything on my account and set it up like I'm a brand new customer, but then they'd probably mess up my phone and internet and I'd probably lose half my channels.


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## synch22

I had the issue and told the guy just delete and re-enter the code you have. 

This fixed it for me.


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## grendell

I tried chat with about 5 different techs and spent easily a few hours trying to get them to fix this for me. I copied the instructions from previous posts, etc. 

They had me do the normal resend, wait 45 minutes, reboot, etc. They all told me that the billing codes looked correct. I tried getting them to just delete and re-add the codes and they wouldn't do that. They all insisted that the codes were correct and that they knew what they were doing. 

As a last resort, I called the Cable Card activation support number since they seem to be a little more technically able. The first person that I got knew how to fix the issue and she had it fixed in 2 minutes.

Keep trying until you get a person that knows what they are talking about.


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## Risuli

"Cable Card activation support number"

Could you pass along the number you called?

Thx!


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## gonzotek

Risuli said:


> "Cable Card activation support number"
> 
> Could you pass along the number you called?
> 
> Thx!


From here I gather it's:
*877-405-2298*


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## DeltaOne

I've used the 877-405-2298 number for activating CableCards. The folks that answer don't do general tech support or customer service -- all they do is activate CableCards. No problems, they know what they're doing. Never call the regular tech support number for CableCard problems or activations.


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## MadPB

For my issue with VOD freezing, I called the cable card activation number a few times as well as online support chats. I'll agree, they were super helpful at getting the card paired and all that. But when it came to helping with the VOD freezing...not so much.

I mean, they did try, but I wonder if this issue with freezing is something they don't regularly deal with, because they seemed kind of clueless about it. It sure sounds like a lot of folks in the Seattle/Tacoma area have this problem though, so maybe whatever crazy billing codes are needed are somehow different in our area than in other places, so the usual "fixes" don't work.

Either way, I'm still getting VOD freezes, and my promised tech support call back in 24-72 hours has come and gone without hearing from them, so I guess they don't have any further info.

I'm glad I at least have a Comcast box on another TV, so for the few shows that I missed, I can catch up on my smaller screen. That all had to do with Tivo and the issue in Seattle with Fox shows not being playable, so I had to watch On Demand to catch up for a few episodes.


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## skid71

This has become a real lesson in futility. Tried the CableCARD number without luck. Unpaired and repaired the card. I suppose the good news is that I still have all channels. I'll give chat a try a little later. I sure wish I could get some of these Comcast CSR's that know what to do.


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## skid71

No love. Tried again via chat with beevik's chat help from above. Going to try another cablecard in a few weeks. Argh!


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## MadPB

I had an awesome tech at Comcast looking into things. I talked to him on the phone once a few days ago, and he looked into it for me. I got a message today from him saying he adjusted some codes and re-paired the card, and I should try the On Demand again.

Well, I tried it just this morning and it wasn't working, so I wasn't hopeful, but I went and found a show to start, hit play, and after the first few seconds came and went *without* freezing, I seriously felt like it was Christmas morning. 

I've now watched about an hour of On Demand content on my Tivo and it's going great.

He didn't mention in his message exactly what he changed, so I wish I could be more helpful to anyone who has the same problem. He just mentioned re-initializing, swapping some codes, and re-pairing.

So, to summarize, it took a while, and just like I figured from what everyone else has experienced, it ended up being something they were able to fix on Comcast's side of things. But it works now, and I'll take that.


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## kross112

Thanks for all of this info. My VOD was working on my Roamio until it received an upgrade. Afterwards; VOD did not appear. I called TIVO and they put it back on but I started experiencing the freezing problem. I was told that it's the type of cable card that I have. SA is not supposed to work but Motorola is. I'm not in a Motorola use area so my local Comcast can't give me one. However, I'm certain that the VOD was working before the upgrade, so I'm going to try your suggestion.


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## skid71

So now I'm 5 calls and 3 chats into this issue with Comcast. Last Saturday (after waiting 2+ weeks) had a truck roll and the sub-contracted "tech" didn't have a card with him. Fail.

At this point I'm considering just pulling the M-card out, taking it into our local office and getting another one. But hey, all channels we're supposed to get come in great. It's certainly possible at this point that swapping out the card will result in issues with receiving channels.

It simply cannot be THIS difficult to get VOD working. Not that we would use it often, but we're paying for this service and it should be available.

Anyone that can chime in with any info to assist would be appreciated. I've tried the billing code posted above several times on the phone and chat.

Frustrated.


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## DeltaOne

skid71 said:


> Anyone that can chime in with any info to assist would be appreciated.


From my experience (going through four CableCards to get two good ones), I'd advise you to take the bad CableCard back and ask for two or three. Hopefully at least one of them will be good.

And you know to use the special CableCard activation number.

At first I thought our OnDemand wasn't working -- I was getting there by entering channel 1 (which worked on our Comcast DVR). But going to channel 1 on our TiVo returned an error. Then I noticed OnDemand in the TiVo Central menu -- and that worked.


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## MadPB

skid71 said:


> Anyone that can chime in with any info to assist would be appreciated. I've tried the billing code posted above several times on the phone and chat.


Persistence paid off for me. In the end, after swapping a cable card and numerous attempts at contacting the cable card activation line, online support chats, and also calling the regular support line, here's what worked for me:

I opened a ticket and told them specifically that a truck roll would only be acceptable to me as a last chance effort if nothing else they did worked. I was pretty emphatic about that because, like you, everything else worked fine. Premium channels and everything else were perfectly good and everything reported that it was paired and activated just fine.

I wish I knew what magic things my assigned tech did, but he kept the ticket open and did a few things to it... about a week after I opened that ticket, he just called and left a message that he re-paired the card, changed some stuff on the account (I think he mentioned setting it all up again) and then sent a new hit.

I noticed that my cable modem had reset at the same time, so the hit probably went not just to my cable card but also the cable modem (and presumably my Comcast cable box too). Maybe that was a result of resetting all my devices properly.

Anyway, I tried VOD just like I had been (through the menu on Tivo... yeah, anyone using their Tivo should hopefully know it's not just "channel 1") and right about where it would normally freeze the picture of whatever show, I held my breath and it kept on playing! Success!

I have a feeling that maybe those of us who have had older Tivos without VOD, or just been customers for a while and getting a Tivo for the first time, may be in this predicament because some old setting in there isn't playing nice even though we have the somewhat mystical "Tivo" billing code added to our account.

My best theory is that the VOD system has it's own activation/authorization thing apart from the one used by the regular channels... playback will start by tuning into that QAM channel used for VOD, but then something on the VOD doesn't think we're authorized, so it freezes playback. The command/control of VOD works (you can try to fast-forward, rewind, etc) but it's still frozen wherever it was... exiting and resuming will pick up at wherever you managed to rewind/ff which is interesting.

Anyway, yeah, just open a ticket and INSIST that this is something on their end, and you're confident a cable card swap is useless, and a truck roll would be even more useless.


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## .mak

Xfinity On Demand finally showed up for me, took a couple of hours.. but it kept freezing after 2-3 seconds.* I called 877-405-2298* and asked them to put the "Tivo AO billing code" on my account because VOD was freezing and, after maybe 5 minutes, VOD was working great.

Just another successful call to add to the bunch.


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## Drmunk

Thanks for posting the phone number. My first CC issue took 4+ hours. This time took less than 5 minutes!


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## acr870

This also helped fixed my problems. I moved my cable card from a HD to a XL4 this weekend. After 3 calls to tech support, VOD and some select channels did not work. In each call, I started with the fact I changed the cable card from one device to another. I then went to chat, told them what this forum said. The told me to call 1-877-405-2298 because I needed to repair my cable card with the new device. Called, a live person picked up immediately. They input the device information and all problems were resolved 30 seconds later. 

So, the final solution took 2 minutes to resolve. Only a couple hours invested in talking to other tech support people, including the "tivo specialists".


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## Starfury9

I was also experiencing this issue. It would work for 2 or 3 seconds and then stop.
I called in the number for troubleshooting and they had no problem adding the additional codes to my account. As soon as that was done, my streaming from Comcast works flawlessly.


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## KevinG

So, here's my story (it doesn't end well, or at least it hasn't yet).

When I initially set up my Roamio/Mini about 1.5 weeks ago, after all was up and working, I called the cablecard hotline and told them that VOD was freezing. The person who answered said, "Oh, I know what's wrong. Give me five minutes." In about 2 minutes, she came back on the line and said, "Try it now." It worked perfectly.

Fast forward to about 5 days ago when I called to complain that after I had returned one comcast DVR and two cable-cards, my billing was still all screwed up and they were mis-charging me for various things. It took almost a half day until I was finally given a call back by a supervisor who agreed with everything I was saying, and he fixed the account correctly. Except, two days later, I realized that I was back to freezing VOD.

Yesterday, I decided to try to get it fixed again.

5:40 PM, Call the cablecard hotline. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can see the problem is that you don't have the VOD code on your account, but we are unable to fix that here. Only the billing dept. can do that. Can you hold while I transfer you?" 

6:00 PM Billing dept. finally answers the call. He has absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. At 6:20 PM he tells me that he is going to escalate to a supervisor, and says that it will absolutely be fixed within a half hour, and he will call back in 45 minutes to make sure all is well.

7:20 PM It still doesn't work, and I haven't received a call back. So I call the cablecard hotline again, hoping to win the CSR roulette game. "Oh, I'm sorry, I can see the problem is that you don't have the VOD code on your account, but we are unable to fix that here. Only the billing dept. can do that. Can you hold while I transfer you?" I say "No, I just went through that, and it doesn't work." She explains that she knows exactly what the problem is, and she will wait on hold with me to explain to the person in the billing dept. what has to be done. I'm in disbelief, and ask her to clarify. She promises that I won't have to say a word to the billing dept. other than to confirm the account. 

7:45 PM Billing dept answers the call. Guess what? She wasn't there when the billing department picked up the call. And, once again, I'm dealing with someone who has absolutely no clue what I'm talking about. 

8:15 PM He tells me that he is going to escalate to a supervisor who is "the best they have" and that the supervisor would call me back when it is fixed. I asked them to not bother with the call back, since it was time to put my kids to bed, and to just make sure that it was fixed properly.

It still doesn't work this morning.

At every step along the way, I explained to each and every person that in addition to the "VOD billing code", I also need the "Tivo Premier" or "Tivo AO" billing code. No one has any clue what that means, and they all say that it is properly set up, and should work fine...

Are we having fun yet?


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## skid71

I can totally empathize. It took almost 2 months for us to get Comcast VOD working. A total of about 8 calls and 4 chats. One day I was just lucky enough to speak to a person that knew how to fix it.

I think it's a crap-shoot, dumb luck, whatever you want to call it.

Be patient and committed and you'll get there.

Best of luck.

Skid


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## KevinG

I've sent off an email to [email protected], and pointed them at this thread as well. Hopefully they are able to help...The only other time I contacted them about an issue led to the most positive experience I've ever had with Comcast, so I do have high expectations.


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## skid71

KevinG said:


> I've sent off an email to [email protected], and pointed them at this thread as well. Hopefully they are able to help...The only other time I contacted them about an issue led to the most positive experience I've ever had with Comcast, so I do have high expectations.


Kevin,
Please report back with any success/lack thereof.
I'm sure there will be other TiVo users that would find it useful.

Hope it works, good luck.


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## KevinG

Well, I'm back to report me experience with [email protected].

Failure. They can't see this thread, as it is blocked by their firewall. Maybe we should start a thread on the comcast support forums?

Anyway, after talking to supervisors, and a million other things, the best they are able to do is send out a technician. I explained that this was useless, but I was told that the techs have access to all of the billing codes and will be able to fix it if that is what the problem is...I don't have high hopes.

That being said, they also couldn't get me a weekend appointment until a week and a half from now...which means I have a week and a half to play CSR roulette to prevent the useless truck roll.

One more thing, though...the point may be moot. As I was setting up to troubleshoot with the executive support person, my Tivo's starting getting C133 errors like everyone else across the states. Since I'm still in my 30 day return period for my lifetime support on my Mini and Pro, I'm very seriously considering just going back to my reliable S3s.


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## KevinG

So, since I have nothing but time (until the useless truck roll), I decided to try the cablecard hotline at least once per night that I am available.

Each time I do this, I plan to take extensive notes, especially including the CSR's name...afterall, how many possible "cablecard trained" CSRs can there be?

Tonight I spoke to "Kate". She isn't the one who knows how to fix this. She did unpair and re-pair my card, which was useful, because it got me out of the CL-13 Error code and back to the "freezing VOD" problem. But, no further help from her. She did the whole "I'll stay on the line with you while we contact the billing department" thing. And that's where we are right now (on hold). It's been exactly 42 minutes at this point.

Edit: 49 minutes. "Kate" lied. Just like the CSR the other night. They ARE NOT on the line when the "Billing Dept" picks up the call. The person on the other end is clueless. No idea what a Tivo is. I'm playing the game and letting her search for the correct billing code, but I know I am wasting my time...I'd rather take another shot at getting the right person at the cablecard hotline.


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## xbryan

Thank you, beevik, for this post! Thanks to you, I now have VOD working with my Roamio.

I called Comcast two previous times and they told me the Tivo VOD service wasn't available in my area. I checked the Tivo website and low-and-behold, my ZIP code showed up as service not available. I was very puzzled by this as all of the cities around me had VOD, the VOD menu showed up, and I could start playing shows but they would freeze after a few seconds. So first problem is that the Tivo website is not up-to-date.

Today I tried Comcast chat support after coming across this post. I described the problem as stated above, namely that everything works except for VOD, and I believe a billing code needs to be added or changed. He said he added the billing code but still no luck. Then I called the cablecard support line. She told me that the billing code was added correctly but that she also needed to update the Tivo model I had. I previously was using a Tivo HD with the cablecard before upgrading to the Roamio. I tried again and still no luck with VOD.

Finally, she sent an activation signal to the cablecard, and waited for a confirmation signal. Once she received that signal, she told me to change some channels. I noticed that the channel had been reset to channel 1. She then told me to test VOD. It worked! She also noted it will take up to an hour for the cablecard config to download, so in some cases it may take an hour to start working.

Anyway, thought I would share my experience in case it might help.


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## KevinG

Okay, so call #2, I hit pay dirt.

The cablecard rep that you want to talk to is "Lourdes".

Lourdes knew *exactly* what the problem was. Claimed she is very familiar with it. She noticed that there was a truck roll scheduled and asked if it was about this VOD problem. I said yes, and she told me that the truck roll wasn't necessary, she said she just had to add the "Tivo Premier CableCard Activity Code" to the account, and it would work fine. Fantastic, I found the person I was looking for!

However, it isn't over yet. She couldn't find the code. It "wasn't available" on my account. She tried to add it manually. It didn't work. She didn't know what makes it appear on an account. She thought maybe it was regional. Except, I explained, that this was working fine a week or so ago... At that point, I pressed her on how we could escalate this issue to find out what makes that "activity code" appear on an account. She said she would transfer me to the "billing department." Oh no. Here we go again. She then claimed that this was a special "cable card billing department", not the one I'm used to dealing with. So, here I am again...On hold, waiting for the "billing department" to pick up the phone. So far, this call has been exactly 41 minutes long. (complete coincidence that I documented the last one at 42 minutes!).

Unfortunately, the only thing I've learned at this point is that THERE IS a person at the cablecard hotline who understands this problem, and the information we've had all along is correct. How to make that happen for my account is still elusive. We'll see what happens when billing answers the call.


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## KevinG

Never did finish this post last night, so here goes.

Lordes lied also. When the billing department picked up, she wasn't there. I asked the rep if anyone had spoken to them before me. He said that there was a note on my account that simply said "Tivo VOD freezes." He didn't know what a Tivo was, and didn't know a damn thing about cable cards. I cut my loses at 65 minutes total.

Now the big question is this...What is it about my account that makes the special "Tivo Premier Cable Card" activity code not show up as an option anymore?...I'm at a loss as to how to figure this out, so I've reached back out to the executive support ("we_can_help") but haven't heard back yet.


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## tonosama

Here is information I didn't see mentioned which was the apparent difference for success in my case.

I called the number listed in an earlier post and went through the actions mentioned by others. The CSR was aware of the problem, but the fixes mentioned before weren't solving the problem, until she tried one thing different.

She had been sending the signal to my cable card using a web based interface which failed. On a hunch, she used a different system to send the signal which worked! She explained that they have 2 systems to send signals to the cable cards. The web based system didn't work. The program application did.


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## KevinG

Finally. Success. (EDIT: NOT REALLY, SEE LATER POST)

My guardian angel at "we_can_help" who has the (fantastic, IMHO) name of "Genesis" has cracked the case.

The only code she could find was something like "Tivo side car" (I'm hoping to get confirmation of the exact rate code). This isn't the "Tivo Premier Cable Card" code we've heard about before. She tried adding it, but there was no difference. However, she really has very little (no) experience with cable cards, so she dug a little deeper and found out that she needed to "hit" the card with this new information. I knew that from all of the dealings with these things, and just presumed that they know that any time they change a rate code associated with a cable card that they have to send it a hit.

She figured out how to send the hit, and it worked!

Hopefully, she spreads the word on how to make this happen more smoothly for others.

-Kevin

Edit: confirmed "Tivo Sidecar" (whatever that means...)


----------



## KevinG

This is beginning to be a joke (if it isn't already).

I realized on the next day that HBO wasn't working. Called the cablecard hotline, and they told me that my card wasn't paired to anything. We fixed that. HBO started working again.

Noticed last night that VOD was freezing again. I was fed some BS about a network problem between Tivo and Comcast. That story is here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=9941654#post9941654

Lost story short. I'm back where I started. VOD freezing after 3 seconds. Calling executive support again... *sigh*


----------



## sozler

I've tried the regular support line, CableCard line, and the chat several times so far with no success even after referring to the codes mentioned here.

Today, I called their regular support line (1-800-COMCAST) for something else and while waiting for a device reboot, the rep asked me if I had any other questions for him and I told him about the freezing VOD issue. He said "I think I can fix that" and he did!! I asked him how he did it and he said the product needed to be added to my account 

I still can't believe the CableCard line didn't know how to do this..


----------



## JonM in MN

sozler said:


> I've tried the regular support line, CableCard line, and the chat several times so far with no success even after referring to the codes mentioned here.
> 
> Today, I called their regular support line (1-800-COMCAST) for something else and while waiting for a device reboot, the rep asked me if I had any other questions for him and I told him about the freezing VOD issue. He said "I think I can fix that" and he did!! I asked him how he did it and he said the product needed to be added to my account
> 
> I still can't believe the CableCard line didn't know how to do this..


I hope this ends up being the definitive answer. I rec'd my Roamio and Minis on Thursday, have the same VOD freezing issue. Called tech support, card was refreshed a few times, restarted the Tivo, no luck. Will call again tonight, the consensus seems to be the Tivo Premiere code needs to be `added' to the account, it's a `sidecar'? Does this code show up on the bill as 0.00? I ask so I can clarify this to the Comcast rep.


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## KevinG

Good luck.

I now believe that my note above that the code "Tivo Sidecar" is incorrect. When they added that code, they also "unpaired" my cable card...which made VOD WORK!

As soon as they re-paired my card (to make HBO work again), VOD started freezing again.

The elusive "Tivo Premiere" code seems to be what is required...except no one can find that code to add it to my account. I'm waiting until after the holidays to call the executive support line again. The cablecard hotline has tried multiple times rebuilding my acount, and sending a hit to the cablecard. No luck (even though the "sidecar" code is still on the account).


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## lessd

KevinG said:


> Good luck.
> 
> I now believe that my note above that the code "Tivo Sidecar" is incorrect. When they added that code, they also "unpaired" my cable card...which made VOD WORK!
> 
> As soon as they re-paired my card (to make HBO work again), VOD started freezing again.
> 
> The elusive "Tivo Premiere" code seems to be what is required...except no one can find that code to add it to my account. I'm waiting until after the holidays to call the executive support line again. The cablecard hotline has tried multiple times rebuilding my acount, and sending a hit to the cablecard. No luck (even though the "sidecar" code is still on the account).


About two months ago I re-paired a Cable Card on Comcast using the CC number, and they wanted to know what model TiVo I was using, I asked why and the person told me they now have different codes they use to get VOD to work depending on the TiVo model.


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## JonM in MN

Currently chatting with Comcast, they say my Tivo is TIVOPMHST with them. Sounds like the right one, Premiere, they're looking at it.


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## JonM in MN

Referring to the Escalation Team. Great.


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## Partridge

Thanks for the info. I had the same issue. Took about 5 minutes from dialing the phone to checking that VOD was working correctly.


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## JonM in MN

Partridge said:


> Thanks for the info. I had the same issue. Took about 5 minutes from dialing the phone to checking that VOD was working correctly.


Partridge, can you be specific about who you talked to (billing, tech support, etc.) and what you asked them to do (change the billing code, add the code to my account, etc.)?


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## skid71

After dealing with this issue for at least two months, I firmly believe it all comes down to the person you are working with. After many, many attempts through calls and chat, I finally spoke to a representative that knew what they were doing, or knew what specifically needed to be done.

I wish all those going through this the best of luck.

VOD still working great here in the KC market.

*Edit: In my case, I did not speak with a rep from billing or the cable card phone number. It was (I'm assuming) a "general" tech representative.*


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## KevinG

In my case, I HAVE spoken to someone who knew exactly what the problem was (is). She claimed to have dealt with it many times before. She said "Oh, I just have to add the Tivo Premier code to your account, okay if I put you on hold?"

She came back and claimed that the system would not allow her to apply the code (she couldn't find it in the list of available codes.) She had never seen this problem, and I've been "stuck" ever since... (I should mention that before they rebuilt my account due to billing errors, I went through this same routine, and VOD worked perfectly for about a week [the Premier code was visible, and they added it], it was only after they rebuilt the account that this code became invisible to them...)


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## JonM in MN

Continuing on my saga for those who are interested --- it has a happy ending. 

Chatted with `Catherine' online yesterday and she sent my issue to the `escalation team' and said she'd try to refresh my cable card and work it at her end, has no clue about codes or Tivos. At about the same time, not coincidentally I suspect, I lost phone and internet at home, but not TV! Phone came back after I got home from work, called tech support for internet after rebooting the modem didn't work and talked to `Eva' in Houston. 

Doubt there's a way, but find her if you can, she's great. She refreshed and fixed my modem, I asked her to transfer me to someone that could help with cablecard/Xfinity VOD, she put me on hold, came back, and said `I fixed it'. And she had. Said she added the Tivo Premeire code to my account. 

Still no call from the `escalation team', but I'm happy now.


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## KevinG

I was just on the phone with Tivo to transfer my lifetime S3 that I sold on ebay. After we finished with that, I asked the rep if she had any insight into this problem. She told me that Tivo and Comcast are both aware of the issue, and are working on it as a very high priority issue (hah!).

But, the most interesting thing she mentioned is that it is a Roamio only problem...It doesn't happen on the premieres. That was very interesting to me (if true).


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## sbourgeo

I called the Comcast 877 cable card number yesterday to pair my cablecard with my new Roamio with this issue in mind. FWIW, the CSR seemed pretty knowledgeable and said he had already set up the correct billing code when I asked about it. He must have, because VOD is working fine without any issues. :up:


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## zalusky

I don't mean to thread steel but I have noticed something similar with the TIVO app where the screen goes blank for a few seconds (Audio is fine). The video will then come back. It's almost like the bit rate is not being sustained and Netflix cannot deres to support it.

Anybody seen this and is it related. The input is different but the output is the same.


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## KevinG

zalusky said:


> I don't mean to thread steel but I have noticed something similar with the TIVO app where the screen goes blank for a few seconds (Audio is fine). The video will then come back. It's almost like the bit rate is not being sustained and Netflix cannot deres to support it.
> 
> Anybody seen this and is it related. The input is different but the output is the same.


This is completely unrelated. Please start a new thread for this topic.


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## aaronbooker

I attempted all the steps listed above last week - got a rep after three calls and 90 minutes who claimed they applied the "Tivo Premiere" account, and unapplied it and reapplied it. No joy. Truck roll happening later today. If anybody would like to tell Comcast about the issue and how they got it solved - here's the VOD thread on Comcast. I started a thread called Tivo Roamio not working with Comcast On Demand (freezing after 6 seconds).

http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-On-Demand/bd-p/CTV_OnDemand

Any "kudos" or comments for my question much appreciated - would be good for Comcast to know how common this issue is. 

Aaron


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## KevinG

I replied over there...Let us know how the "truck roll" goes...


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## webcrawlr

I recently had issues with VOD freezing. Online chat had it fixed in about 5 minutes by adding the code, "TiVo Premier Stand Alone" under "bolt-ons". According to the agent it's a no fee code. :up:


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## scottkathi

I had basically the same story as everyone... talked to several clueless Comcast CSRs, chatted with them, repaired CC, set other codes, even had one tell me that XOD is not supported for Roamio. Then found the one CSR who had a clue, and using the exact quote from webcrawlr's post, had it fixed in 3 minutes.
Thanks!


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## KevinG

They all say that my account is already correct. They can see the "Tivo Premier" code on the account, and it is paired, etc...

Still, VOD freezes.


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## jmpage2

KevinG said:


> They all say that my account is already correct. They can see the "Tivo Premier" code on the account, and it is paired, etc...
> 
> Still, VOD freezes.


A friend of mine had a similar problem. It turned out that he had the lowest tier comcast service available which does not include On Demand.


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## JonM in MN

KevinG said:


> They all say that my account is already correct. They can see the "Tivo Premier" code on the account, and it is paired, etc...
> 
> Still, VOD freezes.


My freezing came back after the code was added. Deciding whether to pursue aggressively or hope for a future update that fixes it.


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## KevinG

I have a truck roll scheduled for tomorrow. Because, at this point, that's all Comcast is offering to do. I'm almost certain that it will be a waste of time, but at this point I've already spent about 40 hours on this problem (most of it waiting on hold). Fingers crossed.


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## KevinG

jmpage2 said:


> A friend of mine had a similar problem. It turned out that he had the lowest tier comcast service available which does not include On Demand.


I do not have the lowest tier, and when I had the Comcast DVR (which I turned in when I got the Roamio) VOD worked fine. In fact, VOD had worked fine on my Roamio...until they "rebuilt" the account due to some erroneous billing.


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## kbmb

I'm wondering whether you really need the Tivo Premiere code on the account for it to work.

I have 2 Roamios, and I DO have the code on my account, or at least my bill shows Tivo Premiere Card because Comcast loyalty department was finally able to code my account where I can be in a triple play bundle without needed their DVR in the house.

However, my parents, also on Comcast, they have 2 Roamios that we just upgraded from 2 TivoHD's at Christmas......I don't think they have anything on their account related to Tivo Premiere code because prior the TivoHD boxes didn't get OnDemand. We did nothing account wise when we upgraded the Roamios other than call the CC Hotline to re-pair the cards and their OnDemand worked out of the box (once the card was paired).

I will say....after hours on the phone with Comcast trying to get the right package....the folks in the loyalty department are the ones that actually know what they are doing. I wanted 2 Roamios and have the best priced package....a triple play package with Blast and phone (although I don't use the phone). Comcast has always told me in order to have that package I needed to have their DVR in my house. I finally got the nicest lady ever at Comcast. She basically said.....No effin' way we need to do this. She researched for about 30 minutes, called me back and had my account correct with the package price and no needing the DVR. Only reason I say this is....maybe calling Comcast and asking them to transfer you to the loyalty department will get you someone who knows what they are doing. Heck, you might even get to save some money (I went from needing to upgrade and pay $220/month to locking in for 2 years at $180/month).

-Kevin


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## JonM in MN

kbmb said:


> I'm wondering whether you really need the Tivo Premiere code on the account for it to work.
> 
> I have 2 Roamios, and I DO have the code on my account, or at least my bill shows Tivo Premiere Card because Comcast loyalty department was finally able to code my account where I can be in a triple play bundle without needed their DVR in the house.
> 
> However, my parents, also on Comcast, they have 2 Roamios that we just upgraded from 2 TivoHD's at Christmas......I don't think they have anything on their account related to Tivo Premiere code because prior the TivoHD boxes didn't get OnDemand. We did nothing account wise when we upgraded the Roamios other than call the CC Hotline to re-pair the cards and their OnDemand worked out of the box (once the card was paired).
> 
> I will say....after hours on the phone with Comcast trying to get the right package....the folks in the loyalty department are the ones that actually know what they are doing. I wanted 2 Roamios and have the best priced package....a triple play package with Blast and phone (although I don't use the phone). Comcast has always told me in order to have that package I needed to have their DVR in my house. I finally got the nicest lady ever at Comcast. She basically said.....No effin' way we need to do this. She researched for about 30 minutes, called me back and had my account correct with the package price and no needing the DVR. Only reason I say this is....maybe calling Comcast and asking them to transfer you to the loyalty department will get you someone who knows what they are doing. Heck, you might even get to save some money (I went from needing to upgrade and pay $220/month to locking in for 2 years at $180/month).
> 
> -Kevin


It sounds like you think re-pairing the cards is the solution? The Loyalty folks can do this?


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## kbmb

JonM in MN said:


> It sounds like you think re-pairing the cards is the solution? The Loyalty folks can do this?


No, I'm just sharing what I see between my account and my parents. And I know the loyalty folks can't re-pair cards.....last time I called even regular support they said ONLY the CC hotline people can do it. I think the only way you'd possibly what to call the loyalty department is if you want to talk to someone about the codes on your account (since the regular billing people don't seem to have a clue).

Not sure why I have codes listed on my bill and my parents don't, yet both work fine.

As for pairing the cards....I noticed when setting up my parents Tivos.....before we paired the cards, XOD was there and we could go into it....but we couldn't select anything unless the cards were paired.

-Kevin


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## KevinG

kbmb said:


> As for pairing the cards....I noticed when setting up my parents Tivos.....before we paired the cards, XOD was there and we could go into it....but we couldn't select anything unless the cards were paired.


I have the opposite experience. For a day or two my VOD worked perfectly. Then I noticed I wasn't getting HBO anymore. I called the CC hotline and they told me that none of my cable cards were paired, and that's why HBO didn't work. They re-paired them...and now I have HBO and freezing VOD.


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## kbmb

KevinG said:


> I have the opposite experience. For a day or two my VOD worked perfectly. Then I noticed I wasn't getting HBO anymore. I called the CC hotline and they told me that none of my cable cards were paired, and that's why HBO didn't work. They re-paired them...and now I have HBO and freezing VOD.


Curious....do you have SA cards or Motorola cards?

Both mine and my parents are in Motorola areas.

-Kevin


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## KevinG

kbmb said:


> Curious....do you have SA cards or Motorola cards? Both mine and my parents are in Motorola areas.


I have SA cards, so that could be the difference right there. Good catch.


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## KevinG

KevinG said:


> I have a truck roll scheduled for tomorrow. Because, at this point, that's all Comcast is offering to do. I'm almost certain that it will be a waste of time, but at this point I've already spent about 40 hours on this problem (most of it waiting on hold). Fingers crossed.


Just for completeness. It was a complete waste of time, as expected. 
(It's actually worse than that, but I won't bother you with the details...)


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## OCSMITH

KevinG said:


> Just for completeness. It was a complete waste of time, as expected.
> (It's actually worse than that, but I won't bother you with the details...)


Please tell us I have been reading your whole saga.......


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## KevinG

OCSMITH said:


> Please tell us I have been reading your whole saga.......


Well, it's mostly off-topic for this thread, and everyone is already aware of how useless most truck rolls are. But it went something like this:

Appointment is scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00 PM. On Saturday. All of our plans for the weekend have been arranged around this window, as the appointment had been made a week in advance. I was warned that there would be an automated call the night before the appointment, and to make sure that we answered it and confirmed, otherwise it would automatically get cancelled.

Friday night, at 6:30 PM, caller ID says that Comcast is calling. Answer the phone. There's no one there. So, I wait 15 minutes and then call Comcast's phone tree to confirm that I still have a scheduled appointment. I do. Whew!

8:00 PM Friday night, caller ID says that it's Comcast calling again. Answer the phone. There's no one there. I run through the same check again. I still have a scheduled appointment! Whew again! ;-)

Saturday 11:00 AM, caller ID says that Comcast is calling. Answer the phone. Hey! There's an automated message telling us we have an appointment between 3 and 5. Press 1 to confirm! Wait 15 minutes, and then call the Comcast phone tree again. (because I've had a confirmed appt canceled before...) Appointment still scheduled! [At this point I was pretty pissed already. Mostly because I was told that the automated call would come on Friday...If we had been out Saturday morning and missed the call...guess what? No appointment.]

Saturday 3:00 comes and goes.

Saturday 4:00 comes and goes.

Saturday 4:50 the phone rings. It's comcast. I answer, and there's a real person on the line. "Due to hiring shortages, we're going to have to cancel your appointment today." I tell them that under no circumstances is that acceptable. He tells me that his supervisor will have to call me back. I hang up the phone, and it immediately rings again. (sometimes, my VOIP has issues like this where as soon as you end a call, the phone rings again to remind you that you still have a call on hold, even though you don't...I thought that was what was happening...but it wasn't) It's the supervisor. [I have no idea how he knew to call me yet, other than he was already working this from another angle at the same time]. He tells me that they are really short staffed, but since my appointment had been scheduled a full week in advance, they were going to try to get someone to my house.

Saturday 4:55 (I kid you not, 5 minutes after the phone call) the doorbell rings. It's the tech. (Was he waiting outside my house when the supervisor called? WTF?)

So, in the end, they actually met their requirement and had someone at my house within the 3:00 to 5:00 timeframe. But it was still useless.

The tech didn't know that TiVo's could get on-demand. I showed him the menu, and showed him the freezing. He asked if I had called TiVo to complain. I explained how well known the issue is, and offered him printouts of this thread, and the thread on the Comcast forums explaining the issue. He didn't even look at them. He called and made sure my card was paired, and they told him it was, and that all billing codes looked correct. [even though he never mentioned the billing code that I told him about]. He checked my lines. They came up good, no signal issues. He told me it was probably a faulty cable card. He didn't have an answer as to why the cable card was working fine for HBO, and that it gets on-demand when it is un-paired. I told him I was happy to accept that it was a faulty cable card if he would install a new one. He didn't have any with him. He told me the only other time he had encountered this, the problem was solved by calling TiVo. I mentioned that he had said that he didn't know that TiVo's could get on-demand, and was confused how he didn't know that if he had encountered this before...He didn't answer me.

At this point he told me he couldn't help me, and he was escalating the issue to their "TiVo experts" and that I should expect a call back that night. But since it was getting late, the call might come on Sunday. It's now Wednesday, and I haven't heard anything...VOD still doesn't work.

Somehow, I feel better after typing all of that. Thanks for listening.


----------



## lessd

KevinG said:


> Well, it's mostly off-topic for this thread, and everyone is already aware of how useless most truck rolls are. But it went something like this:
> 
> Appointment is scheduled for 3:00 to 5:00 PM. On Saturday. All of our plans for the weekend have been arranged around this window, as the appointment had been made a week in advance. I was warned that there would be an automated call the night before the appointment, and to make sure that we answered it and confirmed, otherwise it would automatically get cancelled.
> 
> Friday night, at 6:30 PM, caller ID says that Comcast is calling. Answer the phone. There's no one there. So, I wait 15 minutes and then call Comcast's phone tree to confirm that I still have a scheduled appointment. I do. Whew!
> 
> 8:00 PM Friday night, caller ID says that it's Comcast calling again. Answer the phone. There's no one there. I run through the same check again. I still have a scheduled appointment! Whew again! ;-)
> 
> Saturday 11:00 AM, caller ID says that Comcast is calling. Answer the phone. Hey! There's an automated message telling us we have an appointment between 3 and 5. Press 1 to confirm! Wait 15 minutes, and then call the Comcast phone tree again. (because I've had a confirmed appt canceled before...) Appointment still scheduled! [At this point I was pretty pissed already. Mostly because I was told that the automated call would come on Friday...If we had been out Saturday morning and missed the call...guess what? No appointment.]
> 
> Saturday 3:00 comes and goes.
> 
> Saturday 4:00 comes and goes.
> 
> Saturday 4:50 the phone rings. It's comcast. I answer, and there's a real person on the line. "Due to hiring shortages, we're going to have to cancel your appointment today." I tell them that under no circumstances is that acceptable. He tells me that his supervisor will have to call me back. I hang up the phone, and it immediately rings again. (sometimes, my VOIP has issues like this where as soon as you end a call, the phone rings again to remind you that you still have a call on hold, even though you don't...I thought that was what was happening...but it wasn't) It's the supervisor. [I have no idea how he knew to call me yet, other than he was already working this from another angle at the same time]. He tells me that they are really short staffed, but since my appointment had been scheduled a full week in advance, they were going to try to get someone to my house.
> 
> Saturday 4:55 (I kid you not, 5 minutes after the phone call) the doorbell rings. It's the tech. (Was he waiting outside my house when the supervisor called? WTF?)
> 
> So, in the end, they actually met their requirement and had someone at my house within the 3:00 to 5:00 timeframe. But it was still useless.
> 
> The tech didn't know that TiVo's could get on-demand. I showed him the menu, and showed him the freezing. He asked if I had called TiVo to complain. I explained how well known the issue is, and offered him printouts of this thread, and the thread on the Comcast forums explaining the issue. He didn't even look at them. He called and made sure my card was paired, and they told him it was, and that all billing codes looked correct. [even though he never mentioned the billing code that I told him about]. He checked my lines. They came up good, no signal issues. He told me it was probably a faulty cable card. He didn't have an answer as to why the cable card was working fine for HBO, and that it gets on-demand when it is un-paired. I told him I was happy to accept that it was a faulty cable card if he would install a new one. He didn't have any with him. He told me the only other time he had encountered this, the problem was solved by calling TiVo. I mentioned that he had said that he didn't know that TiVo's could get on-demand, and was confused how he didn't know that if he had encountered this before...He didn't answer me.
> 
> At this point he told me he couldn't help me, and he was escalating the issue to their "TiVo experts" and that I should expect a call back that night. But since it was getting late, the call might come on Sunday. It's now Wednesday, and I haven't heard anything...VOD still doesn't work.
> 
> Somehow, I feel better after typing all of that. Thanks for listening.


Had about the same experience with one of my Roamio Plus units, the tech in the truck roll just put in another (Moto) cable card, paired it, and all than worked, don't know or care why, just that OD now works.


----------



## vagrants

I got the Roamio Plus yesterday and started playing around. 

Xfinity On Demand does not work. The CableCARD was a transfer from the older Series3. However, it does not "freeze". On all of the XOD contents, it gives me 5 seconds of viewing. If a black screen shows up first, go back to the menu and "Resume", then I see 5 seconds of images and sound; and it just stops playing. If I go back to the menu and resume again, I get another 5 seconds of viewing.

After talking to 3x to CableCARD activation department people, 2x chats (wasn't helpful. told 'em about the "code", but they always assumed the code is CableCard a0, which is a CableCard authorization and has a charge of $1.50 even if I explained "TiVo Premier" code which is separate from the CableCard a0 and has a charge of $0.00), numerous refresh signals and wait for 1 hr...

I finally found a Billing Department CSR and a Tech Support CSR who were willing to do things. Billing Department CSR tried to turn the "TiVo Premier Switch" on, but it didn't stick on my account. So, forwarded me to the Tech CSR. The Tech CSR didn't know anything about "TiVo" in general...but started to troubleshoot. At first, the tech CSR said there is no "TiVo Premier" code, etc. denying everything I've read on this forum about the XOD, then he started his own research and found that everything I've read on this forum is true. 

Supposedly, XOD works like an app on Xbox's XOD. It does not go through CableCARD but directly through Internet, which fits the story of not accessing the XOD through channel 1 or channel 1001. If the switch or code does not stick to an account, the suspect may be the cable modem (a customer owned equipment or multiple cable modems in a single location). But, then it's too early to say much...it could be the CableCARD...the tech is looking into why the "switch" does not stick on my account, and I'm waiting.


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## jmpage2

I'm pretty sure it does deliver the stream via cablecard. The internet connection might be used for authentication and determining what channel to use for delivery. If you use xod on a mini it ties up a tuner on the host Roamio.


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## kbmb

vagrants said:


> Supposedly, XOD works like an app on Xbox's XOD. It does not go through CableCARD but directly through Internet, which fits the story of not accessing the XOD through channel 1 or channel 1001. If the switch or code does not stick to an account, the suspect may be the cable modem (a customer owned equipment or multiple cable modems in a single location). But, then it's too early to say much...it could be the CableCARD...the tech is looking into why the "switch" does not stick on my account, and I'm waiting.





jmpage2 said:


> I'm pretty sure it does deliver the stream via cablecard. The internet connection might be used for authentication and determining what channel to use for delivery. If you use xod on a mini it ties up a tuner on the host Roamio.


To save *Dan203* from having to type it yet again:



> The XFinity app is a special deal TiVo has with Comcast. It's only available in some Comcast areas, not all. This is NOT the same one you can access via XBox or iPad. That one is a subset of VOD content streamed over the internet. The TiVo app will have the full selection of VOD, just like a cable box would. The way it works is that the app is able to talk directly to your local Comcast servers via the internet but when you actually select a show it tunes to a specific channel on the cable, just like traditional VOD.


-Kevin


----------



## vagrants

jmpage2 said:


> I'm pretty sure it does deliver the stream via cablecard. The internet connection might be used for authentication and determining what channel to use for delivery. If you use xod on a mini it ties up a tuner on the host Roamio.


What you said is what TiVo kind of told me now (I'm on the phone with 2nd TiVo tech currently). Apparently, it goes through a CableCARD for decryption, etc. What I guessed was from what Comcast told me hours ago. New information is coming out (for me at least)...Comcast Rep, Carrie, badge ID xxx564 and her supervisor stated that Roamio will not work with XOD--only Premier. Since that conversation was 3-way (TiVo, super of the Comcast and me), TiVo heard it. And, TiVo rep took the name and the badge ID of the supervisor. However, the TiVo tech did not properly document what was said in the conversation I later discovered.

TiVo just told me that Comcast is distributing defective CableCARDs. "Auth: S" is one of the 3 requirements for the XOD to work. If you have something like "Auth: FWK" (in my case), XOD will not work according to TiVo. TiVo told me that grab 10 CableCARDs from a local Comcast office or have a technician bring 10 CableCARDs to find the one that works. According to TiVo it has nothing to do with the Comcast's billing "code" or "switch"--"TiVo Premier CableCARD install" code, which was reported numerous times here....I still believe what were reported here are correct, Comcast's magical billing code. I really don't know why Comcast's Billing & Tech who found the "switch" couldn't toggle manually. They said that when they activated it, the system rejected it--the "switch" automatically inactivated.

I'm curious, if a CableCARD or similar is required for XOD, what is happening to iPod/iPad/iPhone/android app? Is the app decrypting on-the-fly? I unplugged the ethernet cable from TiVo and it won't let me get on to the XOD app. Says no internet available.

I think the truth lies between what Comcast and TiVo said. I tend to think Comcast is distributing defective CableCARDs, but before I transferred a CableCARD from Series3 to Roamio, it had "Auth: S". And, that was 2 days ago. Now that I messed with the Comcast, the CableCARD in the Series3 shows "Auth: FWK". Also, within this 2 day period, Comcast took accessing to XOD on their top box. That was easily fixed by Comcast messing with the billing "code".


----------



## lessd

vagrants said:


> What you said is what TiVo kind of told me now (I'm on the phone with 2nd TiVo tech currently). Apparently, it goes through a CableCARD for decryption, etc. What I guessed was from what Comcast told me hours ago. New information is coming out (for me at least)...Comcast Rep, Carrie, badge ID xxx564 and her supervisor stated that Roamio will not work with XOD--only Premier. Since that conversation was 3-way (TiVo, super of the Comcast and me), TiVo heard it. And, TiVo rep took the name and the badge ID of the supervisor. However, the TiVo tech did not properly document what was said in the conversation I later discovered.
> 
> TiVo just told me that Comcast is distributing defective CableCARDs. "Auth: S" is one of the 3 requirements for the XOD to work. If you have something like "Auth: FWK" (in my case), XOD will not work according to TiVo. TiVo told me that grab 10 CableCARDs from a local Comcast office or have a technician bring 10 CableCARDs to find the one that works. According to TiVo it has nothing to do with the Comcast's billing "code" or "switch"--"TiVo Premier CableCARD install" code, which was reported numerous times here....I still believe what were reported here are correct, Comcast's magical billing code. I really don't know why Comcast's Billing & Tech who found the "switch" couldn't toggle manually. They said that when they activated it, the system rejected it--the "switch" automatically inactivated.
> 
> I'm curious, if a CableCARD or similar is required for XOD, what is happening to iPod/iPad/iPhone/android app? Is the app decrypting on-the-fly? I unplugged the ethernet cable from TiVo and it won't let me get on to the XOD app. Says no internet available.
> 
> I think the truth lies between what Comcast and TiVo said. I tend to think Comcast is distributing defective CableCARDs, but before I transferred a CableCARD from Series3 to Roamio, it had "Auth: S". And, that was 2 days ago. Now that I messed with the Comcast, the CableCARD in the Series3 shows "Auth: FWK". Also, within this 2 day period, Comcast took accessing to XOD on their top box. That was easily fixed by Comcast messing with the billing "code".


Depending on the ch I get* FWK *or* S* and I have no problem getting OD, Comcast in CT.


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## rramstad

Hi there.

I have a Premiere XL (not the four tuner version, the older two tuner version) and have had the same problem with VOD described here.

I made many calls, but about two months ago, had an exchange with TiVo support that was enlightening, and from Internet searches, found many people with the same VOD problem (freezing after a few seconds) and not just TiVo users, also FIOS.

The alleged fix -- according to the Internet and TiVo support -- at least for my Premiere and my situation -- is that the signal coming into the box, from cable, is "too hot" -- they had me look up the strength in a TiVo menu, said the number was high, and that this could lead to problems for the decoder.

They told me to buy an attenuator and connect it between the TiVo box and the wall. I might have to try a few different values, but the right one should result in the VOD working and no visible signal degradation.

Other folks online suggested buying

http://www.smarthome.com/7800/Signal-Strength-Attenuator-Pads-Mix-Bag/p.aspx

and starting with one 20 db attenuator, and if that worked, seeing if lower values worked... basically finding the lowest value that worked, and then picking a value just slightly higher, for redundancy, was recommended.

I ordered these earlier today.

I will try to remember to come back to this thread and post with my results, but I think if you do some searching around, you'll find many examples of people online who indicate that too hot of a signal can result in VOD not working for TiVo boxes.


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## vagrants

@lessd: that's what TiVo tech told me, Auth: must have S...and I found that it doesn't matter...XOD is working now, and I can verify that. When I first got the XOD, it was Auth: S, then when I check the next time, Auth: was FWK. Right before and after I viewed the XOD. I learned that TiVo tech is as reliable as the Comcast tech support from this nightmare. 

I hate Comcast since many don't know TiVo Roamio (or Premier for this matter) is compatible with XOD. I hate TiVo because Comcast stated to the TiVo tech that only Premier is compatible, no other models on the 3-way conference call (with TiVo, Comcast and I), TiVo didn't take any actions. TiVo stated that their job is to make TiVo appear XOD icon on their devices; nothing more. But, the promise TiVo made was Roamio and Premier are compatible. Comcast was denying that, thus, the whole premise breaks...TiVo didn't care.

Anyway, I do not know exactly what made work...I changed the CableCARD. I picked 6x from the local office (I had a bitter experience w/ this particular local agent...she gave me bunch of nonsense like with TiVo, you can't watch HD, no models of TiVo are compatible w/ XOD, it'll cost me $0.30 per day per CableCARD to test them out, etc.), and very first one I chose to use made work. I did notice the part #s of the CableCARD from the pick up though: 1) 514517-012-00, 2) 514517-006-00 and 3) 541517-002-00. Part # (3) I had on my Series3 TiVo and didn't work for XOD, I decided to stay away. Either -006 or -012. I decided to use -012 because I made an assumption that 012 was released later than 006. I do not know if the Comcast "code" is account specific or device specific, but "Equipments" under My Account @ the Comcast web site clearly shows "Make & Model: TIVO MOTORHOST". 

Oh, yes, it took 2 - 3 hr before XOD started working (I read somewhere that one of the member had to wait 1 hr, so that was given).


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## KevinG

For those who think that switching their cable-card made VOD work, can any of you confirm that the card that *didn't* work was able to be paired and received a premium (HBO/Showtime/etc) channel?

I've been assuming that since my card can receive HBO then it should also be able to receive VOD, but maybe that assumption is incorrect?


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## CrispyCritter

KevinG said:


> For those who think that switching their cable-card made VOD work, can any of you confirm that the card that *didn't* work was able to be paired and received a premium (HBO/Showtime/etc) channel?
> 
> I've been assuming that since my card can receive HBO then it should also be able to receive VOD, but maybe that assumption is incorrect?


Yes, that assumption is incorrect. There is an additional billing code that also needs to be associated with your account. (Being paired and thus able for you to receive HBO is also needed, but it is not sufficient.)


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## KevinG

Well, it fixed itself.

As far as I know, nothing has changed on my account. I'm awaiting a call back from executive support to tell me what they are going to try next...but, in the meantime, it seems that comcast has pushed a new firmware to my CC, and that FIXED the problem (or so it would seem.)

I went from PKEY1.5.2_F.p.3001 to PKEY1.5.3_F.p.1101.


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## tatergator1

KevinG said:


> Well, it fixed itself.
> 
> As far as I know, nothing has changed on my account. I'm awaiting a call back from executive support to tell me what they are going to try next...but, in the meantime, it seems that comcast has pushed a new firmware to my CC, and that FIXED the problem (or so it would seem.)
> 
> I went from PKEY1.5.2_F.p.3001 to PKEY1.5.3_F.p.1101.


Out of curiosity, what's your Tivo software version? A few other members noticed a software update that Tivo pushed out starting the evening of the 28th. Via a tweet, Margret indicated it was targeted to certain regions and included a workaround for a CableCard issue, but didn't elaborate about what issue. The new version is 20.3.8.1...


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## KevinG

tatergator1 said:


> Out of curiosity, what's your Tivo software version? A few other members noticed a software update that Tivo pushed out starting the evening of the 28th. Via a tweet, Margret indicated it was targeted to certain regions and included a workaround for a CableCard issue, but didn't elaborate about what issue. The new version is 20.3.8.1...


I'll check and report back this evening. It would suck if I got both updates at the same time and can't reliably report which one fixed this issue for me...but I am happy that it is working.

To be honest, I'm considering swapping out a remaining series 3 for a mini...but that would mean returning the cable-cards, and risking this whole fiasco again!

EDIT: Damn. Had the wife check...I do indeed have the 20.3.8.1 RC version. So, hard to say which of the two changes fixed VOD here. Oh well.


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## JonM in MN

...at least as of last night. Wifey hadn't set up a series record of Sherlock and needed to get to XOD, same issue. 

Not wanting to spend hours troubleshooting an issue that's a small % of our viewing, I do hope these new `fixes' being pushed help.


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## dlongnecker

I'm having these problems on my roamio pro too. When I first got it I was impressed with how quickly it was paired and worked.

I tried the VOD and got the 5 second freeze. I called comcast support three different times and tried to give the buzzwords, but to no good.

I called tivo and they said my wifi strength wasn't good enough (my router is 20 feet away with line of site) and said I should do MoCa. 

I bought that stuff, still same problem. I opened up another comcast ticket, and no good, and they said I needed to replace my cable card. I did that, and not only did I VOD freeze, I lost my premium channels.

Tivo is on 29.3.8-USA-6-840

Try again tomorrow


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## worachj

dlongnecker said:


> I'm having these problems on my roamio pro too. When I first got it I was impressed with how quickly it was paired and worked.
> 
> I tried the VOD and got the 5 second freeze. I called comcast support three different times and tried to give the buzzwords, but to no good.
> 
> I called tivo and they said my wifi strength wasn't good enough (my router is 20 feet away with line of site) and said I should do MoCa.
> 
> I bought that stuff, still same problem. I opened up another comcast ticket, and no good, and they said I needed to replace my cable card. I did that, and not only did I VOD freeze, I lost my premium channels.
> 
> Tivo is on 29.3.8-USA-6-840
> 
> Try again tomorrow


I replaced an old S3 with a new Roamio. Everything worked fine on the new Roamio except VOD which would freeze after 5 seconds.

It turned out that Comcast had to make a change on the Billing end because it said I had an S3 TiVo which can't do VOD. They changed my billing to allow VOD.

They switched my billing from the old S3 to the new Roamio and everything works as it should. Make sure the billing end is setup correctly for VOD.


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## Davepl

FWIW, I just went through all of this and four calls later (thanks to this thread) got it solved. I can confirm that pretty much everyone at Comcast is clueless about this issue.

In fact, I only was able to get them to fix it by telling them the specific steps in this thread, and he said as much: "I had no idea but was able to follow your instructions and fix it".

Here's what I pasted into the chat; the first agent had no clue but the supervisor was able to make it through.

-----

Greetings. Please take a moment to read the description of the issue below. I believe it explains the situation in enough detail to solve it. I have also included information from the Comcast forums from other customers who encountered this and the solutions they ultimately arrived at.

There is an issue that is NEW to the "Tivo Roamio Pro" and Comcast on OnDemand. When viewing an OnDemand program it will display for about 4 seconds before freezing.

The fix for this, apparently, is to add the "TiVo Premier Cable Card Install" code to the BILLING on the account and then probably re-hit the card. Of course the card must be set to 2-way as well.

There are numerous threads on the Internet about this exact issue. The concensus is that you have to call Comcast 4-6 times until you get someone who understands the issue, because the Roamio is new (it is NOT the Premier, that's the older one).

Furthermore, it apparently must be set in TWO places in your system (or there are two places to set it, and one is required but agents often are not aware of its location in your system). Not many know about the two different places, so the average agent will see it set in the one place and give up.

Here are two quotes from the Comcast forums:

"The trick is getting the right Comcast support person to help you. They will look at your account and say that the code is correct. The problem is there seems to be more than one place to set the billing code in their system, and very few of the support reps know how to find where the second code needs to be set, and while you can tell them there is another place to set the code till you're blue in the face, the first level reps aren't always resourceful enough to find it. I've had 3 reps try, and they will even ask their higher level techs about it, but the higher level techs often don't know about it either."

And here is one from a Comcast customer that was successful in finding an agent to fix it:

"I caved in and called the Comcast CableCard line. In under 5 minutes, the issue was resolved for me. There was -one tiny additional setting- (apparently) that needed to be configured to show that I could support Xfinity OnDemand that had not been toggled when I moved the CableCard to my Roamio from my TiVoHD on Tuesday. When I called just now to say that all other channels were fine, and that my symptoms were that an OnDemand show would play for a few seconds and then stop, the woman on the phone sighed knowingly, and and said, "just one moment, sir..." then asked me to try again. All was well."


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## ncfoster

I really wish that we even had VOD in the Chicagoland area, but I don't really want to go through all of this when and if we do get it.


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## Davepl

In my case my alternative is the old Motorola box, which is just brutal for usability, so I was very happy to find out that the Roamio could do OnDemand (once fixed). I didn't even know that when I bought it, but the UI is way better than the old Motorola, so it's worth the trouble I think.


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## JonM in MN

This seems to be the consensus: It's the billing code, once that's added the problem goes away. I believe one other user said the combination of a Tivo update and a cable card update solved his issue.

Question. The billing code initially fixed my issue and it's come back. Has anyone had the code fall off their account, and had it re-added with success? 

Has anyone else has the updates fix the issue? 

Was hoping for a quick/easy fix before I wade back in the the swamp that is Comcast customer service.


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## CrispyCritter

JonM in MN said:


> This seems to be the consensus: It's the billing code, once that's added the problem goes away. I believe one other user said the combination of a Tivo update and a cable card update solved his issue.
> 
> Question. The billing code initially fixed my issue and it's come back. Has anyone had the code fall off their account, and had it re-added with success?
> 
> Has anyone else has the updates fix the issue?
> 
> Was hoping for a quick/easy fix before I wade back in the the swamp that is Comcast customer service.


There are two Comcast requirements: one is the billing code and the other is that the cablecard is paired. I haven't heard of the billing code disappearing (though I'm sure it's possible), but if you've done anything different with the cable card, possibly it lost its pairing?


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## moonscape

Everything was working fine: CC was finally paired (seemingly) correctly, I watched a pgm from OD via the Tivo menu. But - this morning, channel 1 didn't come in, nor did VOD work from the Tivo menu. The pairing data looks correct (Auth: S, etc) but it shows Host Type as One-way - shouldn't it be two-way?

Will call billing now to try and get the much-discussed code added to my account.

Wishing myself luck.


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## JonM in MN

CrispyCritter said:


> There are two Comcast requirements: one is the billing code and the other is that the cablecard is paired. I haven't heard of the billing code disappearing (though I'm sure it's possible), but if you've done anything different with the cable card, possibly it lost its pairing?


Just verified with Comcast that my code is correct. Wouldn't all channels be gone if my cable card became un-paired? They want to send a tech to the house, not sure it's worth it.


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## CrispyCritter

JonM in MN said:


> Just verified with Comcast that my code is correct. Wouldn't all channels be gone if my cable card became un-paired? They want to send a tech to the house, not sure it's worth it.


 No. the only thing you lose if your cablecard becomes unpaired (on most Comcast systems) are the premium channels and a few non-premium movie channels - the Encore movie channels are lost in many Comcast franchises, so I would check those.

I've knowingly run my cablecards unpaired for a year on a couple of my TiVos that I didn't ever watch movies on (you may not be able to do that in some franchises, but in most you can.)

TiVo has good articles buried somewhat in their support system that tell you how to determine if you are activated or paired. Look at http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2569 for the "Motorola CableCARD Troubleshooting: Roamio Series and Premiere Series DVRs" article (most Comcast franchises use Motorola; if your's doesn't, just follow the links to get to your cablecard type.


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## JonM in MN

CrispyCritter said:


> No. the only thing you lose if your cablecard becomes unpaired (on most Comcast systems) are the premium channels and a few non-premium movie channels - the Encore movie channels are lost in many Comcast franchises, so I would check those.
> 
> I've knowingly run my cablecards unpaired for a year on a couple of my TiVos that I didn't ever watch movies on (you may not be able to do that in some franchises, but in most you can.)
> 
> TiVo has good articles buried somewhat in their support system that tell you how to determine if you are activated or paired. Look at http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2569 for the "Motorola CableCARD Troubleshooting: Roamio Series and Premiere Series DVRs" article (most Comcast franchises use Motorola; if your's doesn't, just follow the links to get to your cablecard type.


Thanks for replying CC, and for the pointer, I will give this a go when I get home and report back --- Cheers!


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## moonscape

moonscape said:


> Everything was working fine: CC was finally paired (seemingly) correctly, I watched a pgm from OD via the Tivo menu. But - this morning, channel 1 didn't come in, nor did VOD work from the Tivo menu. The pairing data looks correct (Auth: S, etc) but it shows Host Type as One-way - shouldn't it be two-way?
> 
> Will call billing now to try and get the much-discussed code added to my account.
> 
> Wishing myself luck.


Update: spoke w/ about 8 different people at Comcast. Finally one guy sounded a little bored with my telling him which code to enter and said, 'I fixed it; it will work now.' I was skeptical, said it wasn't. He said he found out why it didn't right away, that I had a Motorola modem, to give it 40 min to an hour and it would be fine, guaranteed.

After an hour it still didn't work so I called Tivo. He asked what message I was getting and ... um ... voila it was working! He said normal message for Host Type was one-way, so that was indicative of nothing. Although I had used the app yesterday and it worked, I tried Channel 1 but Tivo says that will never work and one must use the app exclusively.

May everyone else have speedy success, and thanks all for the info in this thread.


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## CraigK

Called the Comcast cablecard hotline this morning (877-405-2298) to get the cablecard I moved from a TiVo HD to a Roamio paired. The card was working fine before I called (I have no premium channels), but could not get Video On Demand to work. I just received the cablecard screen when I tried to watch a program.

After the card was paired to the Roamio I thought VOD was working since I actually saw a show start, but if froze. After doing some research here I decided to call the cablecard hotline again to see if they could fix that. They could not help be since they only activate cards not fix problems. They gave me the tech support number 800-934-6489.

I explained the problem to "Mike" and answered a few questions (cablecard s/n etc). I casually mentioned the missing "premier billing code" that seemed to fix some TiVo users VOD freezing picture problem. Mike did not seem familiar with this but checked and added the code to my account and VOD started working fine. I envisioned a long nightmare call, but this was only about twenty minutes total. I hope the fix sticks. :up:


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## Davepl

CrispyCritter said:


> No. the only thing you lose if your cablecard becomes unpaired (on most Comcast systems) are the premium channels and a few non-premium movie channels - the Encore movie channels are lost in many Comcast franchises, so I would check those.


I'm not certain that's accurate on the Roamio, at least. When I pop my card out I am unable to view -any- channels. Could be user error, but I remember being surprised I could not get basic cable even. On my TVs and so forth that have a cablecard you certainly do what you state above. Maybe it's a new weird Roamio behavior.


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## CrispyCritter

Davepl said:


> I'm not certain that's accurate on the Roamio, at least. When I pop my card out I am unable to view -any- channels. Could be user error, but I remember being surprised I could not get basic cable even. On my TVs and so forth that have a cablecard you certainly do what you state above. Maybe it's a new weird Roamio behavior.


I don't understand what you're saying here; I think you misread what I said. Yes, if you don't have a cablecard (one that's been authorized for your account) you won't be able to view many channels, if any. I was talking about the case where you have an authorized cablecard in your TiVo, but haven't bothered to have it paired to the TiVo (in my case, I changed TiVos that the cablecards were in). Pairing is not needed in most Comcast franchises except for the premium channels and a few movie non-premium channels.


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## tim1724

Davepl said:


> I'm not certain that's accurate on the Roamio, at least. When I pop my card out I am unable to view -any- channels. Could be user error, but I remember being surprised I could not get basic cable even. On my TVs and so forth that have a cablecard you certainly do what you state above. Maybe it's a new weird Roamio behavior.


Your TVs are probably picking up analog channels when you remove the cablecard. The Roamio doesn't have an analog tuner so it can only receive digital channels. If you're on a cable system where every digital channel is encrypted (very unusual, but possible now that the FCC has been granting waivers to encrypt local channels) then it's possible to see the behavior you're seeing.


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## JonM in MN

Well, it seems my problem, as I'd hoped, has gone away on it's own. 

A Tivo and cable card update? Who knows. But my XOD now works, with no changes initiated by me. 

Now...who knows then we'll be able to watch Amazon Prime videos on the Roamio? )


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## firemonkey411

I too encountered the OnDemand freezing problem recently with my Tivo Roamio. I Googled for a forum about the problem and found this one. I wrote down the gist of all the fixes, "Tivo Premier code", and had no success after 3 calls to Comcast over 2 hours on Saturday afternoon. I also used the 877-405-2298 number that seemed to be popular. My cable card was reset, reinserted host ID, reset again all to no avail. The last tech insisted on sending a truck with a new card because mine was probably "bad". I did point out all of the info I had gleaned from the Forum but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The truck came the next day, Sunday, at 1:30pm. I invited Jason in and explained the problem and asked if he had a card with him. he replied that they don't give out cards and he has nothing to do with card problems. I wasn't really surprised but went ahead and told him about the code problem that seemed to work for a good percentage of other customers. He then started emailing from his phone and after a few minutes waiting for a response said to try OnDemand again. It worked! I then went on to say he might be able to get a promotion if he could somehow get Comcast to recognize this problem. He smiled, I thanked him, he left.


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## javabird

firemonkey411 said:


> I too encountered the OnDemand freezing problem recently with my Tivo Roamio. I Googled for a forum about the problem and found this one. I wrote down the gist of all the fixes, "Tivo Premier code", and had no success after 3 calls to Comcast over 2 hours on Saturday afternoon. I also used the 877-405-2298 number that seemed to be popular. My cable card was reset, reinserted host ID, reset again all to no avail. The last tech insisted on sending a truck with a new card because mine was probably "bad". I did point out all of the info I had gleaned from the Forum but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
> 
> The truck came the next day, Sunday, at 1:30pm. I invited Jason in and explained the problem and asked if he had a card with him. he replied that they don't give out cards and he has nothing to do with card problems. I wasn't really surprised but went ahead and told him about the code problem that seemed to work for a good percentage of other customers. He then started emailing from his phone and after a few minutes waiting for a response said to try OnDemand again. It worked! I then went on to say he might be able to get a promotion if he could somehow get Comcast to recognize this problem. He smiled, I thanked him, he left.


Did you have to pay for the truck roll?


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## JohnAynes

ncfoster said:


> I really wish that we even had VOD in the Chicagoland area, but I don't really want to go through all of this when and if we do get it.


Morning all: I noticed that xfinity On Demand was on my Romio Pro so tried to access. SAME issue many are reporting with freezing. Called comcast received all the same BS that everyone is reporting, one said that we just turned it on for Tivo in Chicago this week, should take a while to get the bugs out - check back!

Anyway, this thread helped me a lot (even though it still required multiple calls). I finally got a tech support guy and did the following;

1. Delete and re-add same code (as suggested by others). 
-this was done by Sales dept (not even billing or cc activation line)
2. Transferred to tech support and he did 2 things
2.a. Cable Card/Validation Hit <CCV>
2.b. Immediately sent a Re-hit <RHT>

This worked. Apparently just deleting and adding the same billing code back in isn't enough.

Even though this whole damn process took a few hours to get to the bottom of it would have been MUCH MUCH worse without the help of this forum!

Thanks to all for posting this.....


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## ncfoster

JohnAynes said:


> Morning all: I noticed that xfinity On Demand was on my Romio Pro so tried to access. SAME issue many are reporting with freezing. Called comcast received all the same BS that everyone is reporting, one said that we just turned it on for Tivo in Chicago this week, should take a while to get the bugs out - check back!
> 
> Anyway, this thread helped me a lot (even though it still required multiple calls). I finally got a tech support guy and did the following;
> 
> 1. Delete and re-add same code (as suggested by others).
> -this was done by Sales dept (not even billing or cc activation line)
> 2. Transferred to tech support and he did 2 things
> 2.a. Cable Card/Validation Hit <CCV>
> 2.b. Immediately sent a Re-hit <RHT>
> 
> This worked. Apparently just deleting and adding the same billing code back in isn't enough.
> 
> Even though this whole damn process took a few hours to get to the bottom of it would have been MUCH MUCH worse without the help of this forum!
> 
> Thanks to all for posting this.....


For the record, mine worked on both my Roamio and my Mini after a single reboot on each, and no other steps. <fingers crossed>


----------



## javabird

firemonkey411 said:


> I too encountered the OnDemand freezing problem recently with my Tivo Roamio. I Googled for a forum about the problem and found this one. I wrote down the gist of all the fixes, "Tivo Premier code", and had no success after 3 calls to Comcast over 2 hours on Saturday afternoon. I also used the 877-405-2298 number that seemed to be popular. My cable card was reset, reinserted host ID, reset again all to no avail. The last tech insisted on sending a truck with a new card because mine was probably "bad". I did point out all of the info I had gleaned from the Forum but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
> 
> The truck came the next day, Sunday, at 1:30pm. I invited Jason in and explained the problem and asked if he had a card with him. he replied that they don't give out cards and he has nothing to do with card problems. I wasn't really surprised but went ahead and told him about the code problem that seemed to work for a good percentage of other customers. He then started emailing from his phone and after a few minutes waiting for a response said to try OnDemand again. It worked! I then went on to say he might be able to get a promotion if he could somehow get Comcast to recognize this problem. He smiled, I thanked him, he left.


I had the same problem, even though when I first picked up my CC I asked the guy in the Comcast store to make sure the correct code was added to my account because I had heard of this issue, and he assured me he had. I also called the same number 877-405-2298 but they said they could only handle a technical problem and then I was transferred multiple times to different departments and no one seemed to know what I was talking about, so I hung up.

When I went back to the Comcast store 2 weeks later to return a CC from my old Tivo, I mentioned to the lady that I was having this problem, and she said she already had noticed it was missing from my account and she fixed it -- just a couple of clicks on her computer. Indeed, when I returned home I found it now worked.


----------



## Sevrin grey

just got off chat support with them and it was a mess but in the end the issue was resolved and now works after freezing trying to watch anything.

analyst Jade has entered room

Jade: Hello joan, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Jade. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Jade: Welcome to Comcast Billing department. Let me extend a warm smile to make your day even brighter! I look forward to helping you today. How are you doing today, Joan?

joan: My Issue: hello i recently got the xfinity on demand app on my tivo roamio and every time i try to watch a show or a movie it freezes after about 5 seconds every time so i searched it online and i came across a link

joan: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-On-Demand/Tivo-Premier-On-Demand-freezes/td-p/1604805

joan: something about it being a billing code issue

Jade: Thank you for providing that information.

Jade: Oh, I understand you have issue about watching movie on demand and it freezes after 5 seconds, am I correct?

joan: yeah and shows

Jade: Thank you for confirming. I really appreciate it.

Jade: Let me check that on the account first.

Jade: Rest assured that I will exhaust all possible resources that I have to resolve your concern today.

Jade: Our goal is to provide you with a consistently superior customer experience - that's our guarantee. Learn more about the Comcast Customer Guarantee at http://www.comcast.com/corporate/Customers/CustomerGuarantee.html?fss=customer guarantee

Jade: So I can better assist you, do you mind if I ask a few questions?

joan: ok

Jade: Great!

Jade: For the integrity and security of the account, can you please verify the Account Number listed on the account?

joan: yeah hold on let me find it

Jade: Sure, take your time.

joan: **************

Jade: Excellent! Thank you.

Jade: I assure you that Comcast is all about protecting customers' confidentiality and privacy. Whatever you provide to us will remain between us.

Jade: Let me pull up your account.

Jade: While waiting, let me share this link to you http://www.comcast.net/benefits/ , with this you can actually explore on what you can get from Comcast. Moreover, if you like to know more about comcast products and features, please feel free to visit this site: rofileid=31731FAE-E477-447E-82F1-9D3BB822FF49&lid=4ShopBundles&lpos=Nav" target="_blank">http://www.comcast.com/localization...E-82F1-9D3BB822FF49&lid=4ShopBundles&lpos=Nav

joan: it says something about in the "bolt on section" and the "TIVOAO" section in the link i sent you

Jade: Thank you for patiently waiting.

Jade: Joan, I also want to make sure that your issue will be dealt with expertise, however, your chat has been routed to billing department that supports payments and disputes.

Jade: Our Cable Department is better equipped in handling this request. What I will do now is to transfer this chat to my partners there as they have the right tools and information regarding this matter. Is that okay with you?

joan: yes thats fine

Jade: Great!

Jade: To recap no changes made on your account.

Jade: Do you have any other questions or concerns I can help you with today?

joan: no

Jade: Thank you.

Jade: It's been a wonderful to assist a customer like you.

Jade: It was a pleasure assisting and chatting with you today! Have a great day and thank you for choosing Comcast. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 1-877-870-4310 or visit us at www.comcast.net for technical support. We appreciate your business!

Jade: By the way, please take time to answer the short survey. This is done by just clicking the "EXIT CHAT" button located at the top right of the chat screen and click on the "TAKE OUR SURVEY button. Thank you very much for your time and patience all throughout the chat. Have a wonderful day!

Jade: Please stay connected while I am transferring the chat.

joan: ok

Jade: Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst

analyst Marilene has entered room

Marilene: Hi! How are you doing today?

joan: im ok

Waiting for response from Jade

analyst Jade has left room

joan: have you seen everything i sent with the link and everything?

joan: hello? are you there

Marilene: Yes, I am here.

joan: did you get my link?

joan: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-On-Demand/Tivo-Premier-On-Demand-freezes/td-p/1604805

joan: it says something about in the "bolt on section" and the "TIVOAO" section in the link i sent you

joan: having to do with a billing code issue

Marilene: I am sorry to know that you are having issue with On demand.

Marilene: I will help you resolve this.

joan: thank you

Marilene: You are most welcome.

Marilene: May I ask what are the troubleshooting steps you have followed to resolve this issue?

joan: i rebooted my tivo and i called the comcast cable card line and then they repaired it the cable card to my tivo roamio and told me to wait 45 mins and it should work

Marilene: Thanks for the information.

joan: and then looked on tivocommunity.com and read about this issue

Marilene: Same issue persist, is that correct?

joan: yes everything freezes after 5 seconds.

Marilene: Since that is the case, I will send tech to your house to check and fix the On demand issue.

Marilene: May I ask for a good call ahead number?

joan: no i don't need a tech to come to the house did you look at the link i sent you ?

joan: it can be done in the billing section

Marilene: May I ask how many Tivo you are using?

joan: if read the link you would see what the issue and resolution is

joan: I'm using 1 tivo roamio dvr

Marilene: I have read it. May I ask for the serial number of the Tivo?

Marilene: I will check if that is correct on your account.

joan: is it the service number?

Marilene: It starts with 03501.

Marilene: I can see the correct code here, I will just verify if the serial is correct as well as the cable card.

joan: I'm looking for it

Marilene: Thanks for your cooperation.

joan: is it on the box itself?

Marilene: Yes it is.

joan: TSN ???

Marilene: Does it starts with 03501?

joan: TSN ****************

joan: and theres a sku gc5800

joan: nothing with 03501

Marilene: Are you seeing the word Host there?

joan: no

Marilene: I am checking the notes on your account instead.

joan: i have the cable card sn:***********

joan: ok

Marilene: Thanks for the information.

Marilene: I checked the notes here and I can see here that the cable card ********** is already paired to your new Tva nd has the correct service code which is TIVOHOST.

Marilene: TIVOAO is used for additional Tivo.

Marilene: Which means there is no problem on the biller.

joan: maybe try tivo roamio

joan: instead of tivohost

joan: is there a way to edit that?

joan: chance the billing code to "tivo roamio"

Marilene: There is no tivo roamio but there is Tivo premier host.

Marilene: Would you like me to try that?

joan: thats the problem it need to be tivo roamio

joan: yes''

Marilene: There we go, I have change the service code.

Marilene: I am sending signal to your box now.

joan: ok

Marilene: I just sent signal to the cable card and host. Are there any changes?

joan: yes its working!!!

Marilene: Perfect! I am so happy to know that it is working fine now.

Marilene: We have resolve your concern by changing the service code on your Tivo box and sending signal to the box.

Marilene: Have I resolve your reason for chatting?

joan: thank you so much for sticking with me with all that

joan: yes you have

Marilene: Wonderful and it's my pleasure helping you Joan.

Marilene: Just to let you know, at the end of this chat there will be a short survey. I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete it so we can continue to improve the service we provide to you. Is that okay with you?

joan: ok


----------



## javabird

Sevrin grey said:


> just got off chat support with them and it was a mess but in the end the issue was resolved and now works after freezing trying to watch anything.
> 
> analyst Jade has entered room
> 
> Jade: Hello joan, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Jade. Please give me one moment to review your information.
> 
> Jade: Welcome to Comcast Billing department. Let me extend a warm smile to make your day even brighter! I look forward to helping you today. How are you doing today, Joan?
> 
> joan: My Issue: hello i recently got the xfinity on demand app on my tivo roamio and every time i try to watch a show or a movie it freezes after about 5 seconds every time so i searched it online and i came across a link
> 
> joan: http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Video-On-Demand/Tivo-Premier-On-Demand-freezes/td-p/1604805
> 
> joan: something about it being a billing code issue
> 
> ...
> 
> Marilene: Just to let you know, at the end of this chat there will be a short survey. I would appreciate it if you would take a moment to complete it so we can continue to improve the service we provide to you. Is that okay with you?
> 
> joan: ok


I can't believe they were going to send a truck roll to your house (and probably charge you extra) for something they can just fix by adding the billing code. Seems like Comcast really needs to get their act together.


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## Sevrin grey

javabird said:


> I can't believe they were going to send a truck roll to your house (and probably charge you extra) for something they can just fix by adding the billing code. Seems like Comcast really needs to get their act together.


I know I was so frustrated about it I was like no I don't need a service technician to come to the house they aren't going to be able to do anything this can be done over chat or phone thank god she stuck with me when I said that cause I wasn't gonna agree to have someone come out when it's not even gonna help the employees need to be taught more about issues like this it's ridicoulous all that I had to go through to get it fixed I basically walked her through it.


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## MoreDrums

As mentioned by many others...thank you for all the posts and ideas here. It saved countless hours. Here is what worked for me:

The Issue...same as others, got the long-awaited Comcast email that VOD was available for TIVO in Chicago market. Anxiously checked the TIVO Menu and found it there. (Visions of taking back about 6 Comcast boxes and replacing with some Tivo Minis...ahhhhh). Alas, the dreaded freezing issue. All VOD menus were there and fast navigation...only to select a movie and freeze in 5 seconds.

The approach...Google search to find out this is a HUGE issue...yikes! So I browse forums and waste time calling Comcast...who sympathetically (emphasis on pathetically) transfer me to Tivo support. Nice man verified my Tivo was working fine and communicating with them...something I knew. But he echoed the most valuable advice: 877-405-2298 the Comcast CableCard line.

The Solution...Spoke to "Grace" who walked me into the CableCard menus to retreive my serial number, HostID and DataID. She had me do a hard reset...physically unplug the Tivo and replug it and restart. (WARNING...no matter how important this is, make sure wife is not recording Grey's Anatomy at the time...big mistake!) Anyway, once the box recovered, Grace sent a signal (which is apparent, but I trust her.) Then she says...try the VOD. Voila! it all works.

Summary...I asked her what she changed and she wasn't terribly specific...but...she said that the issue relates to the back end billing system "knowing" that my Tivo is authorized for VOD. So, it may be a billing code, or could be anything...but one call to the CableCard Help line was all it took and it's working exactly as expected...sweet!

MoreDrums


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## javabird

MoreDrums said:


> As mentioned by many others...thank you for all the posts and ideas here. It saved countless hours. Here is what worked for me:
> 
> The Issue...same as others, got the long-awaited Comcast email that VOD was available for TIVO in Chicago market. Anxiously checked the TIVO Menu and found it there. (Visions of taking back about 6 Comcast boxes and replacing with some Tivo Minis...ahhhhh). Alas, the dreaded freezing issue. All VOD menus were there and fast navigation...only to select a movie and freeze in 5 seconds.
> 
> The approach...Google search to find out this is a HUGE issue...yikes! So I browse forums and waste time calling Comcast...who sympathetically (emphasis on pathetically) transfer me to Tivo support. Nice man verified my Tivo was working fine and communicating with them...something I knew. But he echoed the most valuable advice: 877-405-2298 the Comcast CableCard line.
> 
> The Solution...Spoke to "Grace" who walked me into the CableCard menus to retreive my serial number, HostID and DataID. She had me do a hard reset...physically unplug the Tivo and replug it and restart. (WARNING...no matter how important this is, make sure wife is not recording Grey's Anatomy at the time...big mistake!) Anyway, once the box recovered, Grace sent a signal (which is apparent, but I trust her.) Then she says...try the VOD. Voila! it all works.
> 
> Summary...I asked her what she changed and she wasn't terribly specific...but...she said that the issue relates to the back end billing system "knowing" that my Tivo is authorized for VOD. So, it may be a billing code, or could be anything...but one call to the CableCard Help line was all it took and it's working exactly as expected...sweet!
> 
> MoreDrums


Unfortunately, not everyone at the 877-405-2298 number appears to know how to correct the VOD freezing issue. There needs to better training so the ALL Comcast techs will know how to resolve this issue when getting support calls.


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## usa98j30t4

Alright. I will not bore everyone with the entire story. I have had my Roamio Plus for about 10 days now. From the beginning, my XOD has frozen. I have spoken to Tivo and Comcast. Comcast pushed a firmware update to my cable card. That did not seem to fix it.

I also have a Premier XL down in the basement. My Roamio is in the living room. After the firmware update did not seem to work, I took the Roamio downstairs and swapped it with the Premier. The Roamio started to work!!!! XOD with no freezing. I took it back upstairs and plugged it back in. Work flawlessly until yesterday. Started freezing again!!!

Took it back downstairs again. Unplugged the Premier XL and plugged in the Roamio Plus. IT IS WORKING AGAIN!!! I have left it downstairs for now and the Premier XL is upstairs with XOD working (as it always has with the XL).

No idea what is going on and neither Comcast nor Tivo know how to fix it. I will check on the Roamio XOD periodically to see how long it lasts.

Prior to this and based on what I had read on the forums, I have had everything checked and triple checked by Comcast. They swear my account is correct. I am at a loss.

Well, that lasted two days. Back to freezing again.


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## mjjspencer

Just wanted to add another experience with Cable Card support. Chicago just added VOD. I checked and same 5 second freeze on VOD play. Called card support. Agent said since the card was already paired to Tivo, this is a tech issue and may she "please transfer me to tech (Comcast general) support." I explained this problem has been resolved many times through her department and referenced the forums. She repeated herself to "please transfer" and said she does not know of this Tivo VOD issue. I politely thanked her for her time and said I would try later. 10 minutes later called the same number. Spoke to "Kim" this time. I explained the problem and she said that she had in fact heard about this problem and that her supervisor had asked her agents to report what solutions worked for them. 

I explained the highlights from the above posts (thanks everyone!). She verified "Tivo premier" code was on account and re-paired card. She asked me to test. It worked! No restart or hard reboot necessary. I asked if she deleted and re added "Tivo premier" and she said no. I emphatically thanked her and she assured me she would report this to her supervisor and I requested they disseminate info on this issue to all their support agents since the previous agent I spoke with was not aware of it. 

If at first you don't succeed...

Good Luck!


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## midas

I must have gotten lucky. Since they turned on VOD here in Chicago mine has worked fine. Well not fine, I did have a short time when I was getting 301 errors, but that went away on it's own. But no freezing yet.


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## Shanezam203

JohnAynes said:


> Morning all: I noticed that xfinity On Demand was on my Romio Pro so tried to access. SAME issue many are reporting with freezing. Called comcast received all the same BS that everyone is reporting, one said that we just turned it on for Tivo in Chicago this week, should take a while to get the bugs out - check back!
> 
> Anyway, this thread helped me a lot (even though it still required multiple calls). I finally got a tech support guy and did the following;
> 
> 1. Delete and re-add same code (as suggested by others).
> -this was done by Sales dept (not even billing or cc activation line)
> 2. Transferred to tech support and he did 2 things
> 2.a. Cable Card/Validation Hit <CCV>
> 2.b. Immediately sent a Re-hit <RHT>
> 
> This worked. Apparently just deleting and adding the same billing code back in isn't enough.
> 
> Even though this whole damn process took a few hours to get to the bottom of it would have been MUCH MUCH worse without the help of this forum!
> 
> Thanks to all for posting this.....


Thanks for these steps, does anyone know direct line for Cable Card support through Comcast?


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## worachj

Shanezam203 said:


> Thanks for these steps, does anyone know direct line for Cable Card support through Comcast?


CableCARDs: Cable Company Support and Contact Info 
http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2747


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## usa98j30t4

Well, my on demand worked for two days this time and is back to freezing.


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## efilippi

midas said:


> I must have gotten lucky. Since they turned on VOD here in Chicago mine has worked fine. Well not fine, I did have a short time when I was getting 301 errors, but that went away on it's own. But no freezing yet.


My experience isn't as clean as Midas's but ok and makes everything upthread a bit questionable.

I got a new Roamio Pro about a week ago, drove to Comcast and picked up a cable card, got it paired and everything seemed to work except Xfinity on demand. Did the recall, repair bit and still no luck. They suggested I try a new card, so I did.

Same as first card except now Premium channels no longer worked. Recalled, repaired, no success. Tivo was involved and pointed out that the Val had to be V whereas it varied for me from none to ? Comcast person said they would send a technician.

A guy came yesterday, called a number and re-paired the card. Boom, everything worked. What? I asked. He said the data number was incorrect but host id and the other numbers were ok. I was a tad incredulous since I know every time I called I gave the numbers and the clerk read them back to me perfectly.

I asked the tech guy about whether the fact that my equipment roster referred to my box as Motorola thomdta wasn't perhaps a problem because I read here that it must be Tivopmhst or other things in order to work. He said that's nonsense as we flipped from ondemand show to another and watched HBO etc.

So this may not be helpful to others but I guess it shows that there is a lot of anecdotal evidence floating around that will support just about anything.


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## NWFrequentFlyer

DIRECT LINE for CABLEcard support: 1-877-405-2298 (they solved my problem)

I had the freezing issue w/ my Premiere Series4. I tried cable card activation line (877-405-2298)... she was not amused and sent me to TIVO(877-367-8486). I talked to Doug at TIVO and he was awesome, listened, gave me the Comcast number at top of post(1-877-405-2298). It worked. When I called it sounded like I called a closet w/ two tech guys working--laid back and knowledgeable, no script. He spent sometime going through my account, said it appeared ok.

I asked about deleting cable card install code and re-adding it... he said "hmm..."

A minute later he "found the problem," the code originally attached to my account was the wrong code. He worked his magic, re-sent the signal and minutes later On Demand played perfectly!

Wait and see for now. Crossing fingers this lasts.


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## javabird

NWFrequentFlyer said:


> DIRECT LINE for CABLEcard support: 1-877-405-2298 (they solved my problem)
> 
> I had the freezing issue w/ my Premiere Series4. I tried cable card activation line (877-405-2298)... she was not amused and sent me to TIVO(877-367-8486). I talked to Doug at TIVO and he was awesome, listened, gave me the Comcast number at top of post(1-877-405-2298). It worked. When I called it sounded like I called a closet w/ two tech guys working--laid back and knowledgeable, no script. He spent sometime going through my account, said it appeared ok.
> 
> I asked about deleting cable card install code and re-adding it... he said "hmm..."
> 
> A minute later he "found the problem," the code originally attached to my account was the wrong code. He worked his magic, re-sent the signal and minutes later On Demand played perfectly!
> 
> Wait and see for now. Crossing fingers this lasts.


I had a similar experience. I found out the 877-405-2298 is only for technical issues with the CC, like pairing the card, etc. The VOD freezing issue is a billing issue, and the tech support CC can't help with that.


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## rowelle

I've been having VOD problems for almost a year. I've called Comcast spoke with their tech support, billing support and even called the dedicated Cable Card line with no help.

I was getting frustrated and PISSED OFF. They kept telling me that they've reset the signal and that it would be working fine and if not that instant, for me to check again in an hour. I would check an hour later with no luck.

Today I decided to give it another go and I found this thread. I used the chat support and pasted the link to this thread in the chat. The person who helped me, his name is Ramon, said that they couldn't click on links for security reasons or something. I forgot what he said. So I told him that I would copy and paste.

I pasted these two lines:
_She added the "Tivo Premier Cable Card Install" code, which is a free $0.00 code. When she first added it to my account, the problem didn't go away; I still got the freeze. Then she removed the code and added it again. At that point, my VOD started working.

Cassiopeia: Yes and please I know you will post this on the forum, please specify the they need to really look for it, for the name is not labelled correctly in some accounts. Thank you!_

Ramon then asked me if my TiVo was a Series 4 or a Premier and I said Premier. He then said he found the code but that it had a $1/month charge to it. I was bummed about that news because VOD should be free for Comcast subscribers unless they're renting special content. I was almost going to give up on the whole thing if it cost an extra $12/year because my cable bill is so expensive already. I was thinking of the $0.00 code that was mentioned in this thread and was thinking that Comcast must've added that charge recently.

Ramon told me that he would look for other codes and found a free one and applied it to my account. I tried to access On Demand and I began to cry.

Rowelle: OMG RAMON I'M CRYING RIGHT NOW
Ramon: Oh, my. Why is that?
Rowell: I've been dealing with this problem for MONTHS and you've fixed it! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!

I'm so glad that he was able to fix it! I couldn't have done it without this thread.


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## CMOS1

I've been trying to resolve this problem as well. Today, Comcast tried to charge me $1.50/month to add the "Tivo Card" to my account. I told them to forget it, I'm not paying another $1.50/month for something I should be getting already.

I will have to chat again and see if I can find someone that knows hot to fix this. If you know what code was added free of charge, that would be great.


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## jmpage2

Well you do have to pay for the cablecard if you already have another cablecard or cable box on the account. 

If the cablecard is the only device on the account Comcasts own website indicates that the first cablecard is free.


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## DeltaOne

CMOS1 said:


> I've been trying to resolve this problem as well. Today, Comcast tried to charge me $1.50/month to add the "Tivo Card" to my account.


The CableCard charge varies market by market.

Here in Maryland I have two CableCards for no charge and a $5 credit because I'm using my own equipment.

But I am paying a $9.95 charge for HD and $9.95 for a second outlet.


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## 68mustang

I just wanted to post my experience of Comcast VOD freezing and my resolution is case it can help others. I went form Series 3 and Premiere both with VOD working. With the new Roamio, I could play VOD for 4 seconds and it would freeze. It took 10 days with at least a dozen calls and over at least 10 hours of my time to resolve the issue. I called Comcast cable card activation several times to pair and unpair my cable card without luck. I called Comcast customer service who kept resending the signal without luck. I asked Comcast billing to add the infamous Tivo sales code without luck. Tivo customer support stated that my SNR was to high at 39 db. They recommended placing attenuators to lower the signal because a hot signal may cause problems. I had Comcast come out and test my lines, no problem there. They added the attenuators, no luck either. After Comcast customer support could not fix my issue, they escalated my case to level 2 support and stated that I would receive a call back in 1-2 days. They stated they could not transfer me to level 2 support because they did not have the phone number. After 5 days and no call back, I called Tivo support back and stated what had been tried and that a technician came out and tested the line. This Tivo support representative had the number to Comcast level 2 support (which Comcast stated did not exist) and started a 3 way conference call. After a call back from level 2 support the same day, they finally figured out that my account was setup incorrectly. They stated it was set up for 2-way transmission, but should have been setup as 1-way transmission. I post this to help others who could have the same problem. I must say Comcast level one support is ridiculous, after not resolving my issue and retrying the same thing over and over, my case should have been escalated to level 2 support sooner. They should have transferred me immediately and not have to wait 10 days and waste my time. For a company as big as Comcast, I was very disappointed in how my problem was handled. Finally VOD works now. All is good again.


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## Davepl

CMOS1 said:


> I've been trying to resolve this problem as well. Today, Comcast tried to charge me $1.50/month to add the "Tivo Card" to my account. I told them to forget it, I'm not paying another $1.50/month for something I should be getting already.
> 
> I will have to chat again and see if I can find someone that knows hot to fix this. If you know what code was added free of charge, that would be great.


Having been through the frustration I'd pay a buck and half not to have had to do it all. Of course it's unlikely they'd have fixed it, so you'd be out the $1.50 for nothing most likely.


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## tiffakia

Thanks so much for this thread! Because of this I was able to get the issue resolved via chat by giving them the information about the code. This was after I called the regular tech support line and they suggested a get a new cable card and then scheduled a visit to come to my house and 2 calls to the cable card activation line. I'm sure I would have been in for many hours of frustration if not for this thread. Instead, I was able to get it resolved in about 2 hours which is nothing compared to it taking 2 weeks to get the cable card paired recently after I upgraded units!


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## warlordav

I'm about 3 phone calls, 4 local office visits, and 6 chats in without any success so far. I did, however, receive some information from my local office that I thought might help someone. She gave me some of their documentation that included a list of codes by name. Hopefully this helps someone. It hasn't helped me yet. 


These are labeled as Northeast
-----------------------------
Tivo Premiere CableCARD: TiVo CC (F'2)
Tivo Premiere A/O: TiVoCCAO (F'4)
Primary CableCARD: OXPKGTiVoCC (VE277)
CableCARD A/O: DIGAOTiVo (VE278)
Professional Installation: TiVoPMINSTL (VI224)

These are labeled as West
-------------------------
TiVo Primary (VF134)
TiVo a/o (VF135)
TiVo install (V1224)


----------



## Amzey

I am getting error CL-14 over and over. I can see the On Demand menus but the videos won't start. I moved the cable card from my old series 3 TiVo to the new Roamio yesterday, had it paired, everything looks right with the card. So far I've had it suggested that I need a new card, that I need to call the billing department, and that I need to have a tech come out. 

Here is a bit from the latest chat:

AMY_ > My Issue: Video on demand does not work on TiVo. Menu comes up, then error CL-14. Cable card works great, paired and activated correctly. Many others have had this problem and need a code added to the account.
AMY_ > Here is a post from the TiVo community forum where someone had this problem corrected: "I recently had issues with VOD freezing. Online chat had it fixed in about 5 minutes by adding the code, "TiVo Premier Stand Alone" under "bolt-ons". According to the agent it's a no fee code."
Vinyl > Hi, Amy. I understand that your are getting error CL-14 on your on demand.
Vinyl > Please be assured that I'll do my best to help you.
Vinyl > Just to set your expectations, Once we are done with the troubleshooting steps, we will decide whether a technician is needed to completely resolved the issue.
Vinyl > I'll be here to walk you through out the troubleshooting process, Amy.Shall we proceed?
AMY_ > Here is another person's post on the subject: "Here is what the online rep told me she did to fix the problem: She added the "Tivo Premier Cable Card Install" code, which is a free $0.00 code. When she first added it to my account, the problem didn't go away; I still got the freeze. Then she removed the code and added it again. At that point, my VOD started working. When I asked her why it was so difficult to solve the problem, she said, "we need to really look for it, for the name is not labelled correctly in some accounts." So apparently the proper billing code is hard to find in their system. If they tell you it doesn't exist, let them know what this service rep told me."
AMY_ > It seems from the experience of everyone who has been there before that a visit to the home is not needed. The cable card is working properly, it is a code that needs to be added
AMY_ > I have already had a signal sent to the box, re-started it, unplugged it, and tested the cable card to make sure it is activated properly
Vinyl > I completely understand, Amy.
Vinyl > No worries as I will diagnose where the issue is coming from.
AMY_ > Thank you!
Vinyl > You are most welcome.
Vinyl > An error in On Demand indicates a weak or degraded signal going into the box. This error message is generated when there is a loose or bad connection going from the wall jack to the back of the cable box.
AMY_ > I don't have a cable box, I have the TiVo, and I have checked the signal strength and it is strong
Vinyl > I meant the cablecard
Vinyl > On your TIVO?
AMY_ > Can you please add the code, or is there a way to connect me to someone who can?
AMY_ > Many others have had this solved by adding the code
Vinyl > I can, Amy.
AMY_ > Yes, I have checked the cable signal strength on the TiVo
Vinyl > I am already looking for it.
Vinyl > Thank you.
AMY_ > Thank you 
Vinyl > Can you please tune away from the On Demand Screen and tune into a channel?
AMY_ > My old TiVo did not support VOD so I believe there is a code that needs to be added to activate that. Just for reference, I have a set-top box in another room and my VOD is working in there!
AMY_ > Yes, I am on channel 674
Vinyl > Thank you.
Vinyl > Would you mind waiting for 2-3 minutes while I add the code and send signals to your cablecard?
AMY_ > Sure! Thanks!
Vinyl > Thank you.
Vinyl > You are most welcome.


So this did not work. Neither did removing the card, nor waiting 45 minutes. S/he added the code again and sent another signal, no luck. Then the depressing part of the chat:

"Vinyl > The reason why you're getting an error message is because of the insufficient signal going to your cablecard due to some inteference.
Vinyl > The best resolution for this are
Vinyl > 1. we schedule you a technician appointment
Vinyl > 2. you may easily replace the box at a Comcast Center near you for Free.
Vinyl > I meant cable card not box
AMY_ > What interference do you think it could be?
Vinyl > May I ask which option is convenient for you?
AMY_ > But the cable card works fine in all other ways and the signal strength is listed as strong?
AMY_ > I would prefer not to replace it because it has worked fine in my other TiVo for 3 years
Vinyl > It could be that the cablecard is not properly working with your TIVO or your TIVO eligible on broadcasting on demand.
Vinyl > I understand.
Vinyl > I can set up an appointment for you, Amy.
Vinyl > Shall we proceed?
AMY_ > No thank you, the technicians I have experienced in the past do not have any training in cable cards. But thank you for asking. I will keep trying with tech support.
Vinyl > I completely understand, Amy.
Vinyl > I deepely apologize for the inconvenience.
AMY_ > I appreciate you doing your best to help!
Vinyl > You don't need to mention it, Amy. It has been my pleasure assisting you today.
Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
Vinyl > Anyway, here is your ticket number as your referrence : CR390752580
Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
AMY_ > Just wanted to mention that I checked the signal strength and it says 98%
Vinyl > I completely understand, That should show because I have snet proper signals to your cable card.
Vinyl > Thanks for letting us know as well, amy.
Vinyl > My deepest apology if we are unable to adress your on demand issue as of now.
Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
AMY_ > Thank you, is there a way to escalate the chat to the next level of technical support?
Vinyl > What we can do is to wait for around 30-45 minutes for on demand features to fully load since we have tried all the troubleshooting steps to ensure this gets taken cared of.
Vinyl > Please do not access on demand within that time.
AMY_ > Okay
Vinyl > After, 45 minutes and the issue still persists, I would highly appreciate your chat or call back, Amy. No worries, I have all the basic steps noted here in your account to assist the next representative for your call back. I am positive though that all the basic steps that we have been done will resolve your cable issues."

Does anyone have any wisdom or suggestions? I'm in Seattle. Thank you so much!


----------



## javabird

Amzey said:


> I am getting error CL-14 over and over. I can see the On Demand menus but the videos won't start. I moved the cable card from my old series 3 TiVo to the new Roamio yesterday, had it paired, everything looks right with the card. So far I've had it suggested that I need a new card, that I need to call the billing department, and that I need to have a tech come out.
> 
> Here is a bit from the latest chat:
> 
> AMY_ > My Issue: Video on demand does not work on TiVo. Menu comes up, then error CL-14. Cable card works great, paired and activated correctly. Many others have had this problem and need a code added to the account.
> AMY_ > Here is a post from the TiVo community forum where someone had this problem corrected: "I recently had issues with VOD freezing. Online chat had it fixed in about 5 minutes by adding the code, "TiVo Premier Stand Alone" under "bolt-ons". According to the agent it's a no fee code."
> Vinyl > Hi, Amy. I understand that your are getting error CL-14 on your on demand.
> Vinyl > Please be assured that I'll do my best to help you.
> Vinyl > Just to set your expectations, Once we are done with the troubleshooting steps, we will decide whether a technician is needed to completely resolved the issue.
> Vinyl > I'll be here to walk you through out the troubleshooting process, Amy.Shall we proceed?
> AMY_ > Here is another person's post on the subject: "Here is what the online rep told me she did to fix the problem: She added the "Tivo Premier Cable Card Install" code, which is a free $0.00 code. When she first added it to my account, the problem didn't go away; I still got the freeze. Then she removed the code and added it again. At that point, my VOD started working. When I asked her why it was so difficult to solve the problem, she said, "we need to really look for it, for the name is not labelled correctly in some accounts." So apparently the proper billing code is hard to find in their system. If they tell you it doesn't exist, let them know what this service rep told me."
> AMY_ > It seems from the experience of everyone who has been there before that a visit to the home is not needed. The cable card is working properly, it is a code that needs to be added
> AMY_ > I have already had a signal sent to the box, re-started it, unplugged it, and tested the cable card to make sure it is activated properly
> Vinyl > I completely understand, Amy.
> Vinyl > No worries as I will diagnose where the issue is coming from.
> AMY_ > Thank you!
> Vinyl > You are most welcome.
> Vinyl > An error in On Demand indicates a weak or degraded signal going into the box. This error message is generated when there is a loose or bad connection going from the wall jack to the back of the cable box.
> AMY_ > I don't have a cable box, I have the TiVo, and I have checked the signal strength and it is strong
> Vinyl > I meant the cablecard
> Vinyl > On your TIVO?
> AMY_ > Can you please add the code, or is there a way to connect me to someone who can?
> AMY_ > Many others have had this solved by adding the code
> Vinyl > I can, Amy.
> AMY_ > Yes, I have checked the cable signal strength on the TiVo
> Vinyl > I am already looking for it.
> Vinyl > Thank you.
> AMY_ > Thank you
> Vinyl > Can you please tune away from the On Demand Screen and tune into a channel?
> AMY_ > My old TiVo did not support VOD so I believe there is a code that needs to be added to activate that. Just for reference, I have a set-top box in another room and my VOD is working in there!
> AMY_ > Yes, I am on channel 674
> Vinyl > Thank you.
> Vinyl > Would you mind waiting for 2-3 minutes while I add the code and send signals to your cablecard?
> AMY_ > Sure! Thanks!
> Vinyl > Thank you.
> Vinyl > You are most welcome.
> 
> So this did not work. Neither did removing the card, nor waiting 45 minutes. S/he added the code again and sent another signal, no luck. Then the depressing part of the chat:
> 
> "Vinyl > The reason why you're getting an error message is because of the insufficient signal going to your cablecard due to some inteference.
> Vinyl > The best resolution for this are
> Vinyl > 1. we schedule you a technician appointment
> Vinyl > 2. you may easily replace the box at a Comcast Center near you for Free.
> Vinyl > I meant cable card not box
> AMY_ > What interference do you think it could be?
> Vinyl > May I ask which option is convenient for you?
> AMY_ > But the cable card works fine in all other ways and the signal strength is listed as strong?
> AMY_ > I would prefer not to replace it because it has worked fine in my other TiVo for 3 years
> Vinyl > It could be that the cablecard is not properly working with your TIVO or your TIVO eligible on broadcasting on demand.
> Vinyl > I understand.
> Vinyl > I can set up an appointment for you, Amy.
> Vinyl > Shall we proceed?
> AMY_ > No thank you, the technicians I have experienced in the past do not have any training in cable cards. But thank you for asking. I will keep trying with tech support.
> Vinyl > I completely understand, Amy.
> Vinyl > I deepely apologize for the inconvenience.
> AMY_ > I appreciate you doing your best to help!
> Vinyl > You don't need to mention it, Amy. It has been my pleasure assisting you today.
> Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
> Vinyl > Anyway, here is your ticket number as your referrence : CR390752580
> Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
> AMY_ > Just wanted to mention that I checked the signal strength and it says 98%
> Vinyl > I completely understand, That should show because I have snet proper signals to your cable card.
> Vinyl > Thanks for letting us know as well, amy.
> Vinyl > My deepest apology if we are unable to adress your on demand issue as of now.
> Vinyl > I really appreciate working with you today. Is there anything else that I can assist you with? I am more than glad to help you out further.
> AMY_ > Thank you, is there a way to escalate the chat to the next level of technical support?
> Vinyl > What we can do is to wait for around 30-45 minutes for on demand features to fully load since we have tried all the troubleshooting steps to ensure this gets taken cared of.
> Vinyl > Please do not access on demand within that time.
> AMY_ > Okay
> Vinyl > After, 45 minutes and the issue still persists, I would highly appreciate your chat or call back, Amy. No worries, I have all the basic steps noted here in your account to assist the next representative for your call back. I am positive though that all the basic steps that we have been done will resolve your cable issues."
> 
> Does anyone have any wisdom or suggestions? I'm in Seattle. Thank you so much!


I live in Bellevue and you can see my previous post here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10049774#post10049774

I went into the Comcast store in Redmond. The supervisor there noticed the billing code was not on my account and she added it. That fixed it. I wish I could remember her name - she was a young woman and I think her name was Deanne or something like that (I've talked to other people there who have given me wrong information in the past, but she seems to know what's going on). Maybe you can go into your local store if Redmond is too far away for you, and ask them to replace the CC and then ask them check to ensure the billing code is on that card. Good luck.


----------



## bweb1122

Any ideas on why a simple roamio reboot fixes the 5second freeze? The irritating thing is after a while I will have the same issue, once I do another reboot all is fine for some time. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## buckyswider

warlordav said:


> I'm about 3 phone calls, 4 local office visits, and 6 chats in without any success so far. I did, however, receive some information from my local office that I thought might help someone. She gave me some of their documentation that included a list of codes by name. Hopefully this helps someone. It hasn't helped me yet.
> 
> These are labeled as Northeast
> -----------------------------
> Tivo Premiere CableCARD: TiVo CC (F'2)
> Tivo Premiere A/O: TiVoCCAO (F'4)
> Primary CableCARD: OXPKGTiVoCC (VE277)
> CableCARD A/O: DIGAOTiVo (VE278)
> Professional Installation: TiVoPMINSTL (VI224)
> 
> These are labeled as West
> -------------------------
> TiVo Primary (VF134)
> TiVo a/o (VF135)
> TiVo install (V1224)


Hmm. My Hardware is a Roamio Plus with a Mini. Had the "Freezing" problem. Had support add the "Tivo AO Billing Code" as suggested by page 1 of this thread. Went from bad to worse:  Was getting an error message. Now an hour later I'm back to where I was- freezing on the Mini, and the cablecard activation screen ("this screen is provided on behalf of your cable provider") when starting OD on the Roamio.

So now this makes me think they're region specific and I screwed up when asking them what to add. Now my question is, do I want the "Premiere Cablecard" or the "Premiere A/O" code? Hopefully they'll add it if I ask them, but I want to get the right one.

On a side note, does anyone have any idea what "A/O" mean?

BTW, I'm in PA, just outside of Philly.

Thanks!


----------



## HarperVision

buckyswider said:


> Hmm. My Hardware is a Roamio Plus with a Mini. Had the "Freezing" problem. Had support add the "Tivo AO Billing Code" as suggested by page 1 of this thread. Went from bad to worse:  Was getting an error message. Now an hour later I'm back to where I was- freezing on the Mini, and the cablecard activation screen ("this screen is provided on behalf of your cable provider") when starting OD on the Roamio. So now this makes me think they're region specific and I screwed up when asking them what to add. Now my question is, do I want the "Premiere Cablecard" or the "Premiere A/O" code? Hopefully they'll add it if I ask them, but I want to get the right one. On a side note, does anyone have any idea what "A/O" mean? BTW, I'm in PA, just outside of Philly. Thanks!


I would say you should have them use "Premiere Cablecard" and that it is the very first device listed as the first outlet on your account. If it isn't it will cause problems, as you're probably seeing. A/O means "Additional Outlet", so they should only use that if you have a second and subsequent TiVos (not a mini) and they should be listed in order after your first initial one.

BTW, I'm originally from just outside Philly as well, Bucks County. Parents and siblings still all live around there.

E-A-G-L-E-S...........EAGLES!!!!


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## buckyswider

Didja stay up and watch the whole game Monday night??  I was born and raised in Manayunk; now I live a whole 5 miles away in the Lafayette Hill area. 

So the 2nd support chat person "Matthew" was pretty clueless. He would never give me a straight answer until the end- I told him if he wouldn't activate it, we should just end the chat and I would try again. Then he said something about not seeing it available to my account- which wouldn't have been so egregious, had he said that right away after I asked specifically for that, and then at least 8 more times. But he kept doing things and he wasn't telling me what it was and tied me up for 45 minutes with pointless nonsense. So I just closed the chat window.

Next I emailed the we_can_help thing. Got a call back in two hours. Very nice helpful person; at first she mused that TiVo couldn't get on-demand because her neighbor has a TiVo and they kept one Comcast box just for on-demand  . But she heard me out and then suggested a truck roll. I told her about the experiences I read about here, and she said no, we don't want that to happen. So she allegedly found the code, loaded it, and hit the box. No good. She was going to research. Called back in 2 minutes and said a coworker told her it could take some time for the CC to download everything. So 29 hours later and nothing- she is off Fri/Sat so she pledged to call me on Sunday. She said she's committed to making this work and she sounds like she means it. Stay tuned!


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## buckyswider

Well, after a month and they couldn't fix it, they insisted on a truck roll.  Very nice guy came out, checked all the signals, cablecards, etc., and made a phone call and the "fix" was that TiVO has to do a "forced network reset" and it will all work. LOL

Well, TiVO support isn't in yet- 9 more minutes!- so I will have TiVO do that. 99.9% sure it's not going to change anything, but hey, I'll play their game...


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## buckyswider

TiVO support has never heard of a "forced network reset". Best they could recommend is a reboot & forced connection. Did both, still no VOD.

This is comical.


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## acousticbiker

AI've also been trying to solve this issue, including through countless sessions with phone and online Comcast support, a visit by a Comcast tech, and efforts by TiVo 'executive support'. No luck. Have asked for the 'Tivo Premier' code added. I've been told that my plan (Internet Plus = locals + HBO + Streampix/VOD for $40) is not eligible for VOD and that I need at least a Digital Basic plan (guess mine is considered Limited Basic) - but I can access VOD via Comcast app and basic SD box on secondary TV no prob. 

One more thing I noticed is that my primary receiver on my TiVo online account page is called 'MOTOROLA TIVOPMHST'. Does that seem right?

Any other suggestions?


----------



## javabird

acousticbiker said:


> AI've also been trying to solve this issue, including through countless sessions with phone and online Comcast support, a visit by a Comcast tech, and efforts by TiVo 'executive support'. No luck. Have asked for the 'Tivo Premier' code added. I've been told that my plan (Internet Plus = locals + HBO + Streampix/VOD for $40) is not eligible for VOD and that I need at least a Digital Basic plan (guess mine is considered Limited Basic) - but I can access VOD via Comcast app and basic SD box on secondary TV no prob.
> 
> One more thing I noticed is that my primary receiver on my TiVo online account page is called 'MOTOROLA TIVOPMHST'. Does that seem right?
> 
> Any other suggestions?


Mine says "MOTOROLA TIVOHOST". (I have Blast Plus which includes internet + Digital Economy with Streampix. )


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## acousticbiker

javabird said:


> Mine says "MOTOROLA TIVOHOST". (I have Blast Plus which includes internet + Digital Economy with Streampix. )


Does your VOD work?


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## javabird

acousticbiker said:


> Does your VOD work?


Yes. But it took a few attempts.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=10049774#post10049774


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## buckyswider

Well here we are now. 

Came back from vacation to find I had zero channels. V58 message, looks like it started 0245 Monday morning as per a half recorded show. Comcast was clueless (as usual) but finally on my third go-round to have somebody re-pair my cablecard all my channels came back instantly. 

AND, on a lark, I tried Xfinity on demand and VIOLA- it's working now!! I hadn't tried it in a couple weeks, so I can't *definitely* attribute it to the re-pairing, but that's the best I can come up with. So now that's all good! (for now). 

On a side note, while I was on the support chat trying to get this fix (attempt #1), my internet went out. the "my services" page then only listed phone and TV as my comcast services (no internet). First support buffoon had me powering down and rebooting everything including the toaster. After that chat person disconnected, I tried to 'test' internet from the router config screen and I got thrown to the comcast activation portal. It wouldn't complete automatically, so I had to call the activation number. I went through the normal activation steps with that person and internet came back on. Between both issues, four hours of my life I'll never get back. What is it with comcast? They just randomly run some sort of system updates that drop subscribers enrollments? I don't even

So all I need to do now is get android LTE streaming working and I'll be totally up and running!! Only four and months so far!!!!


----------



## viggin

Guys I'm at a loss of what to do here.

I had working OnDemand when I first moved to this Comcast region almost 2 years ago (May 2013). At some point my OnDemand quit working. Some time last year -- around April I think -- I made a big effort to get it working again. Multiple calls to Comcast, made a stink on twitter, tried all the billing codes, re-paired the CableCard...it just never worked. I gave up.

Last week we got a Comcast store just up the street from my house. I decided I'd give it another go-around. I spent the last 2 hours getting the CableCard (Took them about 10 minutes in the store just to get the CableCard to attach to my account. Not something that I felt like was a good sign!), bringing it home, re-pairing it, etc.

The new CableCard seems to be paired and it's probably brand new (This is really a brand brand new Comcast store). My premium channels (HBO) are working. My OnDemand is not. It's the exact same problem I had before -- plays for about 3 seconds and locks up. The time bar across the bottom of the screen will keep progressing as if it's actually playing but it's not. 

I've also heard the line that my package doesn't include OnDemand but I have the same package as JavaBird above (Digital Plus with Internet, local channels, HBO) and I live in the same greater Comcast market (He indicated Redmond area -- I'm in Everett).


Anybody? Anybody?


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## viggin

Well this is interesting.

I posted 3 days ago that I had tried (again) to fix my VOD not working, without much success. After this I just gave up. Gave up! The Comcast Xfinity Go app works well enough for the twice a year I want to OnDemand something (That's the point of having a TiVo right? Build your own VOD library?).

This afternoon at work I got a call from a tech at Comcast. I wish I'd written his name down (But more on this in a second). He said he thought he had my issue fixed?!? This was an unsolicited call, by the way. The service center gave me a new CableCard Monday -- so there was no ticket open with them, and the CableCard activation line was able to help me activate the CableCard, so no ticket open there as well. I hadn't called back on the broken VOD yet.



When I came home from work I checked and IT'S WORKING. I have NO CLUE how it was fixed, who fixed it (I'll get his name when he calls me back Sunday and ask him where to send the $Million), or how my problem ticket got reopened but I'm happy! If I learn anything worth sharing I will do. And if the gentleman who fixed my VOS is reading this (It's really cosmic people!) MY THANKS TO YOU!


**EDIT**
Monday I also made a brief posting to Comcast community support forums. Someone there ComcastTeds (I think I've seen that name mentioned in another thread with this issue re:CableCard firmware upgrade) escalated my issue and now it's working etc. For what it's worth, my Mororola firmware was (and still appears to be?) at 6.25...so who knows.


----------



## badstink

viggin said:


> Well this is interesting.
> 
> When I came home from work I checked and IT'S WORKING. I have NO CLUE how it was fixed, who fixed it (I'll get his name when he calls me back Sunday and ask him where to send the $Million), or how my problem ticket got reopened but I'm happy! If I learn anything worth sharing I will do. And if the gentleman who fixed my VOS is reading this (It's really cosmic people!) MY THANKS TO YOU!
> 
> **EDIT**
> Monday I also made a brief posting to Comcast community support forums. Someone there ComcastTeds (I think I've seen that name mentioned in another thread with this issue re:CableCard firmware upgrade) escalated my issue and now it's working etc. For what it's worth, my Mororola firmware was (and still appears to be?) at 6.25...so who knows.


Congrats Viggin! Hopefully Comcast is still reading these posts and that they realize there are hundreds or thousands more of us who still don't have it working.

I activated my Tivo Roamio Plus in July 2014 but they never got VOD working despite 1 replaced Tivo unit, 25+ cable cards, 10+ visits from Comcast technicians, and 20+ phone calls to Tivo and Comcast technical support.

I really want VOD to work. I paid for it.

If someone from Comcast elite support is reading this, please reply to the thread with instructions on how to call and get the help we need.

Thank you


----------



## RFEngineer

Just a quick note to add to this lengthy and long-lived thread.

When I got my Roamio Pro last year, and tried to get the VOD from Comcast enabled, I was prepared for an uphill-battle.

Little did I know HOW uphill it would be. Think: Everest.

I kept track, and had to make - get this - 17, yes that would seventeen, calls to tech-support over the course of three weeks to get this (finally) enabled.

The person that finally understood what I was asking for had just discovered how to fix this for a prior caller - so basically, I got lucky. (If you can call have to contact them 17 times to get a resolution "lucky")

How I managed to maintain composure during this ordeal is all down to having a wife and two teenaged daughters. Lots of practice there.


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## markis

I thought I would add my experience getting VOD to work. After 3 calls and no success yesterday I decided to do more searching and reading and came across mention that a splitter may not be passing the right frequency for VOD.

After my calls yesterday, I could select a VOD show and press play, but all I would see was just the message: "This program previously aired. Fast Forward is disabled." The program never started playing. Later, when I took the 5Mhz - 1Ghz splitter out and connected the cable directly I would get 5 seconds of playback, then the program would freeze.

When I called earlier, I had the splitter on. Today, I made sure to connect the cable directly before calling again. I asked the service rep to make sure the "TiVo Premiere Cable Card" setting and everything was enabled for my account. He said everything was already there and correct, then he re-sent the validation/authorization signal again.

After that, my On Demand was playing correctly without freezing. So, it seems possible that part of the authorization signal that needs to go back and forth was blocked by my splitter.

I thought I might have to take the splitter off everytime or figure out the right frequencies and find a new splitter to watch On Demand, but I tried putting the splitter back in line and On Demand was still working. 

Anyway, I don't know if the splitter was really the culprit or if removing it was the solution, but I suggest removing it and connecting the cable directly when you call into to activate or change service on the cable card. 

(Of course, maybe it was something else the service rep did and didn't tell me or just the fact that he re-sent the signal again, but he told me all my account settings looked correct from the start.)


----------



## rgreenpc

Called - 877-530-6950

Explained and he knew exactly what to do... fixed in 5 minutes.

Ours occurred when we changed plans


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## boxedit

rgreenpc said:


> Called - 877-530-6950
> 
> Explained and he knew exactly what to do... fixed in 5 minutes.
> 
> Ours occurred when we changed plans


Thank you so much for this number!! Fixed in 5 minutes (yup billing code).

6 calls total, asked them to do the remove and re-add the billing code with no luck so they must have been doing it wrong or were just humoring me and did not actually do it :/

Comcast, if your listening you may want to add this to the tech troubleshooting guide so we don't have to call x times a week trying to get it fixed.


----------



## HarperVision

boxedit said:


> Thank you so much for this number!! Fixed in 5 minutes (yup billing code). 6 calls total, asked them to do the remove and re-add the billing code with no luck so they must have been doing it wrong or were just humoring me and did not actually do it :/ Comcast, if your listening you may want to add this to the tech troubleshooting guide so we don't have to call x times a week trying to get it fixed.


Welcome to "Wheel of Torture", sponsored by Comcrap. Thanks for playing, see you next week, goodbye everybody!


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## rgreenpc

NEW issue... never tried this so maybe its a comcast limitation... 

Have a VOD stream playing on Roamio, when I go to play one on the mini it freezes the Roamio or vice versa....


Something wrong with my CC or service or known issue?


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## falterx

rgreenpc said:


> Called - 877-530-6950
> 
> Explained and he knew exactly what to do... fixed in 5 minutes.
> 
> Ours occurred when we changed plans


Yup, same here. Talked to a nice guy who took care of my problem in just a few minutes. I had recently switched to a different channel lineup, which goofed everything up.

And, rgreenpc, the guy on the phone actually had me try out streaming simultaneously on my Romio and TiVo mini. Sure enough, if I'm streaming on my Romio, starting up a stream on my TiVo mini causes the stream on my Romio to freeze. He said that he was planning on bringing the issue to TiVo.


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## nhuston

+1 for 877 phone number & rate code! Perhaps the most painless interaction I've ever had with Comcast (admittedly, low bar).


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## jim jean

same issue as most, VOD would freeze after a second. even with all the help in this forum, 10 calls/chats with comcast couldnt fix issue. but on the 10th, they transferred me to their "tivo department", which turns out to mean they gave up and transferred me to tivo tech support! the tivo tech chuckled, then said it was a bit of good fortune. he teleconferenced level 3 tech support at comast, also known as escalations, the same group that comcast technicians call when onsite. took a little while, but the lvl3 tech was able to fix the problem. she said it was indeed an obscure billing code problem.


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## h2oskierc

Any of you that have been able to get this resolved that can tell me exactly what I need them to do? The people I keep getting either in chat or on the phone are so grossly incompetent if I wasn't experiencing it, I wouldn't believe it...


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## Markus57

Called Comcast after reading this thread. Note the 877 escalation team would not take my call as they are too busy now and only deal with customers with existing ticket #'s. So I called regular 1-800-Comcast line and selected Cable TV>VOD issues option. Described issue. Rep looked at my account, then added a code to the account (something to the effect the Tivo box is alone with no other Comcast boxes present in the household). Asked me to try again and VOD worked fine. Took <5 minutes to fix. 

Earlier in the day I was on the phone with Comcast cablecard pairing support. They are clueless on this issue so if it's paired OK as mine is/was, forget about them for any additional help.

Also called Tivo support who first told me it was an issue with the Romio Plus they were working on. After reading this thread and contacting Comcast, I called Tivo back to let them know it was a Comcast account code issue in my case rather than a Tivo device issue.


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## Mikeguy

Markus57 said:


> After reading this thread and contacting Comcast, I called Tivo back to let them know it was a Comcast account code issue in my case rather than a Tivo device issue.


(That was very considerate of you to do--TiVo should value and reward such courtesy by you.)


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## medalik

Markus57 said:


> Called Comcast after reading this thread. Note the 877 escalation team would not take my call as they are too busy now and only deal with customers with existing ticket #'s. So I called regular 1-800-Comcast line and selected Cable TV>VOD issues option. Described issue. Rep looked at my account, then added a code to the account (something to the effect the Tivo box is alone with no other Comcast boxes present in the household). Asked me to try again and VOD worked fine. Took <5 minutes to fix.
> 
> Earlier in the day I was on the phone with Comcast cablecard pairing support. They are clueless on this issue so if it's paired OK as mine is/was, forget about them for any additional help.
> 
> Also called Tivo support who first told me it was an issue with the Romio Plus they were working on. After reading this thread and contacting Comcast, I called Tivo back to let them know it was a Comcast account code issue in my case rather than a Tivo device issue.


My fix has a name...his name is *Jordan*, he is Comcast emploee who should be Comcast CEO. He went above to help me fix this and most important I have his direct # so you won't have to speak to any idots all over the world Comcast outsourcing costumer service. Call *888-824-8988* when prompt his extention is *18932*. Let him know why you calling and he will take care of it. He works evening and late night. If only comcast had more emploees like Jordan!


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## Brdwygurl

Another thumbs up for the phone number and information about the codes :up::up:

I spent the same frustrating hours as other posters. Speaking to five different support individuals and nobody being able to help me or even understanding the problem. I had several people "transfer me" when they actually just hung up. I also was told everything from VOD is not available in my our area, it was a bad cable card and they wanted to send out a technician.

I called the number above and spoke to a wonderful gentleman named Danell. He took all my card information and was able to get it fixed very quickly. I didn't even need to give him the rate code . Plus he was very nice and wonderful about it 

Thank you thank you


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## javabird

This is great information - no one has been able to find out the code before.

Is there a way to bookmark this post?


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## forgie716

I went through Comcast support hell over this issue also. I tried calling Jordan that another poster suggested, but always just got voicemail and no callbacks. After spending 3+ hours with various techs, some who actually made the issues worse, I emailed the Comcast CEO at [email protected] and told him I was ready to jump to a competitor if this couldn't be fixed. In less than 6 hours I was contacted by executive support and within the hour they fixed the issue, which was simply that the CableCARD info had been entered incorrectly. Ugh!


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## HarperVision

forgie716 said:


> I went through Comcast support hell over this issue also. I tried calling Jordan that another poster suggested, but always just got voicemail and no callbacks. After spending 3+ hours with various techs, some who actually made the issues worse, I emailed the Comcast CEO at [email protected] and told him I was ready to jump to a competitor if this couldn't be fixed. In less than 6 hours I was contacted by executive support and within the hour they fixed the issue, which was simply that the CableCARD info had been entered incorrectly. Ugh!


That is the reason for 99.9% of the failed Cablecard pairings. It's utterly ridiculous and inexcusable at this point in the game. I've literally had raised voice arguments with the inept CSRs on the other end who kept insisting that everything was "all good on our end", so it must be the OCUR device you're using (TiVo, HDHomerun, Ceton InfiniTV, etc) or the Cablecard. Give me a break!


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## samccfl99

HarperVision said:


> That is the reason for 99.9% of the failed Cablecard pairings. It's utterly ridiculous and inexcusable at this point in the game. I've literally had raised voice arguments with the inept CSRs on the other end who kept insisting that everything was "all good on our end", so it must be the OCUR device you're using (TiVo, HDHomerun, Ceton InfiniTV, etc) or the Cablecard. Give me a break!


Hi! now you sound like me a bit....LOL. can you imagine how *I* write and talk to tivo csr's??? LOL. let me tell you a short story. i got my XL4 in 05-2012. they had NO comcast VOD interface yet although both tivo and comcast said they did. took them about 5 months in my area and i got a small box for free for the living room while they were creating the interface. so glad it had the new guide format over that old comcast crap for years. did you see the stupid tiles in the X1? ridiculous. anyway the only reason i am mentioning this at all is that i never had a freeze problem. my problems with "their interface" is that sometimes it gets stuck and cannot rewind and my most biggest ***** is that the 5 min skip does not work with the PGUP/DN commands. i have tried and tried to get tivo idiots to find out if the control code is being blocked in the tivo or being ignored by the comcast app, BUT of course even though i directly tell them to email the department who worked with comcast to begin with to find out why, they still cant manage to do it or even get back to me. this is a function that works with ALL COMCAST DVRS that they took away from us and refuse to do anything about. and if you are wondering, FF still works with some networks and of course premium channels. also, sometimes it does not save your selections in "saved video". NO ONE TO CALL TO HAVE SOMEONE DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. i asked tivo to look into this (for the last 2 years periodicially) because there would be NO ONE at comcast to contact about this. OH TIVO!!!! yes a bit off topic, but i thought a bit of *****ing and history would be enlightening.


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## Becnjer

So I've been having the same problems as a lot of others apparently. It all started when I purchased a new Tivo Bolt. I previously had the Tivo Premiere. The Comcast VOD worked properly on the old TiVo but when I got the new TiVo I just took that card out and put it in the new Tivo Bolt. All of the channels came in properly but the VOD wouldn't work. I would get the CableCard screen. So, after unsuccessfully taking with Comcast support, they claimed it was a Tivo problem. I chatted, then called with Tivo support who did a three-way call with Comcast support. 

At that point Comcast support made some adjustments because the card wasn't pairing properly (apparently) and I was then able to access VOD. However, I didn't let it play long enough to determine that I was actually now getting the dreaded freeze after a couple of seconds. So, I then called back Tivo who sent me back to Comcast. I was "transferred" twice which must be Comcast code for hanging up on you. I spoke with two different people who insisted it was a hardware issue. I insisted it wasn't since the card worked fine just a few days ago. So I got a ticket and a promise to call me back. Ugh. 

So I tried the 888-824-8988 number listed above which is apparently advanced support for Comcast and I ended up with an American who seemed to know what my issue was. Corbin promised to call back in a few minutes after he corrected the problem. Well, he didn't have any luck apparently. He has escalated my call to their "Engineering" department who are supposed to call me back. Wasted my weekend on all this nonsense and still no resolution.


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## HarperVision

I've read that if you tweet @comcastcares you get pretty fast resolution.


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## badstink

It took 10 months but I was finally able to get my VOD issues resolved. Once I sent an email to CEO of Comcast, I finally received full support from the supervisor of the local Comcast field technicians.

Here's what was wrong:

1. Comcast had configured me with wrong head end.
2. My Tivo Roamio was defective.

The supervisor figured out the head end issue himself. He also deserves credit for figuring out that my Tivo was defective. He determined this after bringing his office's Tivo Premier to my house and confirming that his Tivo works fine. Once I pointed out to Tivo Support that the Premier is working but the Roamio isn't (and that we've played with bill codes a million times to no avail). it was easy to convince Tivo to replace my Tivo Roamio.

I got the new Roamio a week later and it works perfectly. All of the GSM-11 errors are a thing of the past. I am now able to use VOD without any issues.


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## CTMCCURDY

It took less than 15 minutes and "Michelle" said "I just sent refresh signal to your on demand feature to be stable."

Now my Roamio and Minis can use On Demand.

Thanks for posting and saving me a ton of time.


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## redbeard25

So, we changed packages last week (Nashville area) to the X1 Preferred / Extreme 250 bundle. It was pulling teeth to get the package, and when they finally got us configured correctly, no on demand. 

I tried the first number listed in this thread tonight and was transferred from Cable Card support to Security to X1 billing, and no one could help me. They actually told me to call Tivo!

Then I called the 888-824-8988 and tried on a whim, Jordan's extension above. Well, they have seven digit extensions now, so that didn't work. But I bailed out hitting asterisk and got a rep almost immediately. She saw that my rate codes were configured wrong, but she couldn't do anything about it because she didn't have access to billing. So, she is contacting them, and calling me back in 30 minutes to let me know the resolution.

All that to say:
* It helps to read the whole thread, or at least the first and last pages.
* Just saying "Tivo A/O" won't fix it. At least not for some people, and not now.
* They really are trying to make it work... but someone hasn't come up with the right script to help people like us. ¯\_(&#12484_/¯


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## jspatro16

[Re-posting my reply on Comcast Support Forum ==>]: I had this same problem on both my Roamio and Premier boxes. It is critical that you call the toll-free number on the error screen which is the cable card tech support line. The tech needs to input both the "Host ID" and "Data" fields into his system to correctly pair the cable card in the TiVo with Comcast. Once they do this, the XOD shouild come right up after the card syncs-up after a minute or so. Both of my TiVo's now can access Comcast XOD without issue, both SD and HD programming. This is current information as this fix/set-up was done just yesterday (2/22/2016) on both of my boxes.

The regular Comcast support desk does not know how to do this, as after about 5 minutes of checking, they came back and told me the XoD was only available in KY and TN, and if I wanted it, I had to rent their X1 set-top box.


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## Knoxout

Thanks so much for this thread!!! After several fruitless attempts using both the normal customer service number and even the cable card service number, the freeze issue is resolved. Thanks to this thread I gave up on the regular customer service reps. One of them had even tried to convince me that I had to move up from the Digital Preferred Package to the Digital Premier Package for $30/mo more.

I was hopeful when I found out about the cable card number to call, but even then the first cable card rep gave up and said he would have the Advanced Technical Team call me. The second cable card rep gave up and transferred me to Tivo. Yes Tivo, not a Comcast team knowledgeable about Tivo.

The third rep at the cable card number was the charm though. I explained that I have a Tivo Premier and Xfinity on Demand freezes a few seconds into the program I've selected. I also explained that this issue had been identified as a billing code issue on the forums I had found online. He had me provide several of the cable card parameters such as Host ID, etc. He then went through the process of re-pairing the card, as others had, which didn't fix it of course. He told me his "system" then suggested it could be related to a billing code issue. He then put me on hold while he went through those settings. When he came back he said there were some settings there that needed to be changed, but he didn't give the exact details. He then had me try it again, and it worked!

In total I have about 6-7 hours invested, and I feel lucky. How sad is that? Anyway, good luck out there everybody!


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## Angrycub

I, too, had the VOD start and immediate stop issue. I called into general support, I described the problem and the rep contacted another department with an agent who solved the issue. I asked him to talk to her since he still had her on the line while he verified the fix. 

I was transferred to Allie (hopefully I spelled that correctly) who told me that in my case the billing code was set incorrectly and should be "Cablecard Primary", but was set to Set-top Box. Apparently, there is a department who routinely changes this code during account audits. Once she made that change I was good to go immediately. 

She did also say that if I ever had this problem in the future to call 877-405-2298 and that would get me to an Oklahoma call center who was more prepared for cable card questions. 

Hopefully this helps the next poor soul


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## slowbiscuit

Thanks for letting us know that the CC hotline could fix this, will try them next time it happens.


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## NorthAlabama

Angrycub said:


> I, too, had the VOD start and immediate stop issue. I called into general support, I described the problem and the rep contacted another department with an agent who solved the issue. I asked him to talk to her since he still had her on the line while he verified the fix.
> 
> I was transferred to Allie (hopefully I spelled that correctly) who told me that in my case the billing code was set incorrectly and should be "Cablecard Primary", but was set to Set-top Box. Apparently, there is a department who routinely changes this code during account audits. Once she made that change I was good to go immediately.
> 
> She did also say that if I ever had this problem in the future to call 877-405-2298 and that would get me to an Oklahoma call center who was more prepared for cable card questions.
> 
> Hopefully this helps the next poor soul


i'm sure i'm way beyond the next poor soul, but i can't thank you enough for your post with the resolution.

i just switched internet from u-verse to comcast, and on top of a bad firmware load to my first modem, combined with a 65% signal integrity issue from the local node creating constant internet outages (they're working on it ), on-demand had stopped working, too. it was amazing to be able to call in with the issue _and_ solution, and have it up and going within 2 minutes - both i and the rep were very pleased - thanks! :thumbsup:


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