# New Tivo Questions. Can I really ditch my Fios STB's?



## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Wow. I can't believe I'm back. I was a long ago series 1 user who managed to take a simple series one, upgrade the HD, put it on a RF/IR modulated system and basically give my entire house a network dvr. Tune to channel 99 and there was tivo. Back in 1998 that was pretty amazing.

I left tivo when I went HD and now am sick and tired of my Version equipment rental fees. I just sent their DVR back when Verizon scrapped my DVR for life credit because of a screw up. This has me wanting to get rid of the other 6 STB's and brought me back to tivo. Here are my questions: (assume a tivo romaio plus with a cable card, and several tivo mini's.

1. How many tivo mini's can you attach to a single tivo romaio plus?

2. using a romaio plus and mini's can I really replace my Fios STB's? (I have no need for any of the fios on-demand content, never used any of it) Is the tivo guide good enough? Is the channel changing really slow? OR is it amazingly well designed and actually pretty responsive? This has to pass muster with the family and also pass the WAF.

3. I'm a lifetime only kind of guy. So I have to get a lifetime sub for the romaio plus, but do I have to get a lifetime subscription for each of the mini's? I see a deal for 149.99 with lifetime service. I see bestbuy sells the mini for 149.99 but no mention of service. Please set me straight on how service fees work with the mini.

4. I see a "buying service" auction on eBay for 49 bucks to _help_ you buy a tivo at a 200+ discount. What's this all about. Sure I want a discount, but I would rather do it myself and not have to spend another 49 bucks. What are these guys doing to get discounted hardware/service?

5. How does Tivo handle protected content on FIOS? My understanding that HBO, Showtime and other premium channels as well as TMC, ESPN and some others have a copy once protection. Will Tivo allow watching these live on the romaio plus? Will it allow the mini's to watch those channels live? Will it allow recording and playback on the romaio plus and mini's? Set me straight on how content protection is handled on Tivo.

6. Check my math:

Fios Monthly Equipment Rental Fees 7 STB's, 7.99 each/month=55.93*12=671.16 per year.

At full price, tivo romaio plus, 399.99+ lifetime service 499.99+6 mini's (if that many can actually be connected to 1 romaio plus) at 149.99=1,799.92 for hardware.

Divide the 55.93 into the 1799 and you come up with 33 months before you break even. After that, you are getting DVR+STB service for FREE. I didn't take into consideration the cable card rental fees at 4.99 each month, but I can accept that.

My first Tivo I ran for over 10 years and would still be running it if it weren't for HDMI and HD. I'm into long term savings and would be willing to shell out big bucks now in order to save lots in the long run.

Very interested in your thoughts on this.

So fire away. Let me know if any of this makes sense or if I'm going down a slippery slope. I'm really interested in knowing how well the system works as a STB replacement. Understand everything will be Ethernet cabled. No wifi. I'm going to try and get a demo on the hardware if possible.

Roveer


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Roveer said:


> 1. How many tivo mini's can you attach to a single tivo romaio plus?


11



Roveer said:


> 2. using a romaio plus and mini's can I really replace my Fios STB's?


Yes



Roveer said:


> Is the tivo guide good enough?


The guide is excellent.



Roveer said:


> Is the channel changing really slow? OR is it amazingly well designed and actually pretty responsive?


Can't speak to Verizon, but the channel changing on my Roamio Plus is faster than my old TWC DVR was. Changing channels on my Minis takes about 1 second longer than on my Ramio Plus, which is still faster than my old crappy TWC cable boxes did.



Roveer said:


> 3. Do I have to get a lifetime subscription for each of the mini's? I see a deal for 149.99 with lifetime service. I see bestbuy sells the mini for 149.99 but no mention of service. Please set me straight on how service fees work with the mini.


Activating lifetime service on all Minis is now free, at least until January 6.



Roveer said:


> 4. I see a "buying service" auction on eBay for 49 bucks to _help_ you buy a tivo at a 200+ discount. What's this all about. Sure I want a discount, but I would rather do it myself and not have to spend another 49 bucks. What are these guys doing to get discounted hardware/service?


See this thread:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=520530



Roveer said:


> 5. How does Tivo handle protected content on FIOS? My understanding that HBO, Showtime and other premium channels as well as TMC, ESPN and some others have a copy once protection. Will Tivo allow watching these live on the romaio plus? Will it allow the mini's to watch those channels live? Will it allow recording and playback on the romaio plus and mini's? Set me straight on how content protection is handled on Tivo.


Someone who has FiOS needs to confirm this, but I think that FiOS only copy-protects HBO and Cinemax. The Minis can still view copy-protected content. The only thing it really prevents is out-of-home streaming through the stream chip in the Roamio Plus, or transferring the recordings to another hard drive.



Roveer said:


> 6. Check my math:
> 
> At full price, tivo romaio plus, 399.99+ lifetime service 499.99+6 mini's (if that many can actually be connected to 1 romaio plus) at 149.99=1,799.92 for hardware.


Don't pay full price. You can get a Plus on Amazon right now for $349 and Minis for $131, and if you shop around, you can probably find them cheaper than that. You should check out the "Roamio Deals" thread. Also, using the code "PLSR" will get you $100 off when you activate lifetime service on the Plus. You can potentially save even more if you use one of the ebay codes.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Excellent reply. Thank you for contributing. After I posted I did find the buying thread and found some of the deals you mentioned. It's sounding really promising for Tivo at this point. I'm still going to try and get a demo and then make my decision.

I'm actually kind of excited to come back to Tivo. It was one of my most liked consumer electronics devices of all time.

Roveer


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Someone who has FiOS needs to confirm this, but I think that FiOS only copy-protects HBO and Cinemax. The Minis can still view copy-protected content. The only thing it really prevents is out-of-home streaming through the stream chip in the Roamio Plus, or transferring the recordings to another hard drive.


Confirmed.


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## waynomo (Nov 9, 2002)

The Minis work fine. I just recently got rid of 2 FiOS STBs and added 2 Minis. I'm happy I did. The only FiOS feature I miss is caller ID popping up on the screen. (It's not a big deal) Also there is no on demand, but I rarely used it and thought it didn't work that well anyway in addition to the poor interface. (No real loss for me.)


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

I can tell you that I am very happy I replaced my crappy TWC DVR and cable boxes with a Roamio Plus and Minis about a year ago. It is saving me $55/month on my cable bill in rental fees, and my break even point is around 24 months. The only thing I regret is not doing it sooner.

Early on, I did have an issue with the SDV/Tuning Adapter, but the problem was eventually resolved. The good thing for you is that you are on FiOS and won't have to deal with any of that stuff. From everything I have read, TiVo works best on FiOS, as TiVos have the least amount of problems on FiOS, and most FiOS routers already have MoCA built in, so you don't even need to buy a MoCA adapter.


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## Sixto (Sep 16, 2005)

You'll love it. All those answers were correct. Yep, just HBO/Cinemax copy once. 

And you'll love the App if you have iOS. And the Slider Pro remote control is great. 

FiOS/Roamio perfect fit these days.

I also still have a 7232 with the free DVR for life but I never use it. Had it for backup and if I ever need VOD but haven't touched it in months.


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## The Merg (Dec 2, 2007)

Sixto said:


> You'll love it. All those answers were correct. Yep, just HBO/Cinemax copy once.
> 
> And you'll love the App if you have iOS. And the Slider Pro remote control is great.
> 
> ...


I'll concur with Sixto. He was one of the reasons why I switched over to FIOS and TiVo. I have a Roamio Pro and a Mini and find all aspects of it exceptional. With the ability to use MOCA for connecting to the Mini, I find a terrific that I can now watch Amazon, Netflix, and VUDU up in my bedroom without a direct Ethernet connection up there.

The discount program that you read about is what I used and it definitely saved me a lot of money. With the new pricing of the Mini though, it might be best to order the Mini outside of the program. I believe the Mini with lifetime for the program is $175, while TiVo's new pricing is the $150 with lifetime service.

With connecting to the Roamio, one of the neat things is that if the Mini is not watching live TV does not actually use a tuner on the Roamio.

- Merg


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

I'm feeling even better and better.

One final question. I have enough AMEX points to be able to grab 1 mini. They do have them in their catalog. In order to get lifetime service for the mini do they have to be bought from a certain place or will tivo allow you to get them anywhere and they will just give you lifetime? Same goes for the mini's on Amazon.com at 131 instead of 149. 

Just want to make sure I get hardware at the cheapest rate and still be able to get free lifetime. Thanks.

Roveer


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Roveer said:


> I'm feeling even better and better.
> 
> One final question. I have enough AMEX points to be able to grab 1 mini. They do have them in their catalog. In order to get lifetime service for the mini do they have to be bought from a certain place or will tivo allow you to get them anywhere and they will just give you lifetime? Same goes for the mini's on Amazon.com at 131 instead of 149.
> 
> ...


Lifetime service can be activated on all Minis for free (at least until Jan 6). It doesn't matter where you buy it, when you bought it, or how much you paid for it. Back when they changed the Mini pricing model a couple months ago, some people (myself included) were able to buy Minis at the old price (~$85) and were still able to activate lifetime service on those units for free.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Lifetime service can be activated on all Minis for free (at least until Jan 6). It doesn't matter where you buy it, when you bought it, or how much you paid for it. Back when they changed the Mini pricing model a couple months ago, some people (myself included) were able to buy Minis at the old price (~$85) and were still able to activate lifetime service on those units for free.


Ditto


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Lifetime service can be activated on all Minis for free (at least until Jan 6). It doesn't matter where you buy it, when you bought it, or how much you paid for it. Back when they changed the Mini pricing model a couple months ago, some people (myself included) were able to buy Minis at the old price (~$85) and were still able to activate lifetime service on those units for free.


Hmmm... I posted on Tivo's own message board and a user (tivosupport_kaitlyn) who appears to be one of their CSR's responded with the following:

"To answer your question about service on the Mini's, the Best Buy price is for the device only. The price on our website includes a Product Lifetime Service. Just like TiVo DVRs each of your TiVo Mini's would need a payment plan."

I'm assuming that she is just mis-informed. I'm guessing your guys have bought mini's from non-tivo sources and had no problems getting lifetime service.

Roveer


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Roveer said:


> Hmmm... I posted on Tivo's own message board and a user (tivosupport_kaitlyn) who appears to be one of their CSR's responded with the following:
> 
> "To answer your question about service on the Mini's, the Best Buy price is for the device only. The price on our website includes a Product Lifetime Service. Just like TiVo DVRs each of your TiVo Mini's would need a payment plan."
> 
> ...


While she is technically correct that Minis bought directly from TiVo come pre-activated with service and Minis bought at other retail outlets do not, in this case it makes no real difference because you can now activate lifetime service on a Mini for free. Now, it is possible that TiVo could change that at some point in the future, perhaps on January 6.

This is discussed in more detail here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=522950


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Roveer said:


> Hmmm... I posted on Tivo's own message board and a user (tivosupport_kaitlyn) who appears to be one of their CSR's responded with the following: "To answer your question about service on the Mini's, the Best Buy price is for the device only. The price on our website includes a Product Lifetime Service. Just like TiVo DVRs each of your TiVo Mini's would need a payment plan." I'm assuming that she is just mis-informed. I'm guessing your guys have bought mini's from non-tivo sources and had no problems getting lifetime service. Roveer


I bought mine from Amazon for ~$85 and activated it on TiVo's website and received the free lifetime service on it.


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## Bigg (Oct 31, 2003)

Roamio and FIOS is a great fit. Other than losing VOD, everything else is just plain better than on Verizon's equipment, and without SDV or excessive copy protection, plus high bitrates, TiVo can really strut it's stuff on Verizon.


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## Sixto (Sep 16, 2005)

Bigg said:


> Roamio and FIOS is a great fit. Other than losing VOD, everything else is just plain better than on Verizon's equipment, and without SDV or excessive copy protection, plus high bitrates, TiVo can really strut it's stuff on Verizon.


Yep, and I have the Free DVR for Life 7232 just sitting there for possibly VOD and never touch it, especially with the Netflix, Amazon, and now VUDU access.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

HarperVision said:


> I bought mine from Amazon for ~$85 and activated it on TiVo's website and received the free lifetime service on it.


I bought a Mini and activated it on my account and now Tivo is sending me emails saying thay want payment of 160.00 What have I done wrong?

Roveer


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## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

Roveer said:


> I bought a Mini and activated it on my account and now Tivo is sending me emails saying thay want payment of 160.00 What have I done wrong?
> 
> Roveer


That makes no sense. If you activated the Mini, if any payment was due, you would have had to make the payment at that time. I have never heard of TiVo activating a piece of equipment and then billing the customer, especially by email.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Roveer said:


> I bought a Mini and activated it on my account and now Tivo is sending me emails saying thay want payment of 160.00 What have I done wrong? Roveer


Who did you buy it from?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Roveer said:


> I bought a Mini and activated it on my account and now Tivo is sending me emails saying thay want payment of 160.00 What have I done wrong?
> 
> Roveer


That makes no sense to me either. What do the emails say the payment is for? Can you post a copy of the email?


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

Diana Collins said:


> That makes no sense. If you activated the Mini, if any payment was due, you would have had to make the payment at that time. I have never heard of TiVo activating a piece of equipment and then billing the customer, especially by email.


He's not alone in this today, FWIW. I woke up to a pair of emails from Tivo telling me that my payment was past due on the two Roamio Plusses that I activated on Nov. 17. Now, I purchased them from Best Buy, but provided my payment info for Lifetime at the time of activation with Tivo - and they've been working just fine. So I don't know what the heck is going on. I tried to call Tivo today, but after sitting on hold for 25 minutes sent them an e-mail instead. Still waiting to hear back. (The charges have not popped on my Amex yet either.)


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

sangs said:


> He's not alone in this today, FWIW. I woke up to a pair of emails from Tivo telling me that my payment was past due on the two Roamio Plusses that I activated on Nov. 17. Now, I purchased them from Best Buy, but provided my payment info for Lifetime at the time of activation with Tivo - and they've been working just fine. So I don't know what the heck is going on. I tried to call Tivo today, but after sitting on hold for 25 minutes sent them an e-mail instead. Still waiting to hear back. (The charges have not popped on my Amex yet either.)


Sounds like tivo had a billing problem - and is paying for it with call center overload!


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

tarheelblue32 said:


> That makes no sense to me either. What do the emails say the payment is for? Can you post a copy of the email?


I bought it at best buy using points from AMEX.

My account says this:

MINI XXXXXXXXXXXX 
TiVo Mini 
Add extended warranty	11/16/2014	TiVo Mini Service Only, Product Lifetime	N/A	This device currently has an outstanding balance.

The email says this:

Dear X,

We have not received your latest payment for your TiVo service and your account is now past due. This may have occurred because your current credit card on file has expired or been cancelled.

Account details
 TiVo Service Number: XXXXXXXXXXXXX
 Device Name:
 Past Due Amount: $ 160.49

Updating your credit card information is easy. Just go to www.tivo.com/manage and log into your account to change your credit card information. You can also call us at 1-877-367-8486 and speak to a TiVo Customer Service Representative.

If you have updated your credit card or sent us a payment already, please disregard this message.

Thank you for being a TiVo subscriber!

Your friends at TiVo

NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE, AS THIS EMAIL ADDRESS IS NOT MONITORED.

Frustrating...


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

That's the exact same email I received today.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

Looks like you're both using AMEX to pay initially. Maybe it's an issue with them not honoring your payment to TiVo?


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

It was in my "Temporary Authorizations" until yesterday, then just disappeared. Plus, I used two different CCs for Lifetime fees - one on AMEX, one a VISA. I've changed my CC info to another card(s) on the Tivo website, so we'll see. Still haven't heard back from anybody regarding the issue and the service is working fine, so I'm as confused as anybody.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

sangs said:


> It was in my "Temporary Authorizations" until yesterday, then just disappeared. Plus, I used two different CCs for Lifetime fees - one on AMEX, one a VISA. I've changed my CC info to another card(s) on the Tivo website, so we'll see. Still haven't heard back from anybody regarding the issue and the service is working fine, so I'm as confused as anybody.


I did mine last Sunday. It was in "processing" or something like that pretty much all week. I don't have a Romaio yet so I haven't even opened the box. I pretty much knew this was going to be too good to be true. I'll see if i can get it straightened out if not I'll tell them to "de-authorize" it and will just sell it. They probably won't be able to do that either. I had already bought a Romaio at BB but they wouldn't honer the 10 year returning customer lifetime for 99 because they said it wasn't purchased from them. So I returned that. I can see that Tivo is not going to be for me. Not at the price I'm willing to pay at least. I'll give it another try but I'm not expecting much.

Roveer


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

Well whatever it was, it's all fixed on my end as of this morning.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

A call to Tivo today got me escalated and put on hold several times. They came back and said they did not know why it wasn't activating and that they would "work on it" and manually activate it. I will wait with great anticipation.

They also asked how much I paid for the unit and whether it was a "discounted" unit or not. In my case it was not.

Hopefully this has a successful outcome. Will report back.

Roveer


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

Roveer said:


> New Tivo Questions. Can I really ditch my Fios STB's?
> 
> Wow. I can't believe I'm back. I was a long ago series 1 user who managed to take a simple series one, upgrade the HD, put it on a RF/IR modulated system and basically give my entire house a network dvr. Tune to channel 99 and there was tivo. Back in 1998 that was pretty amazing.
> 
> ............


I've been using TiVos on FiOS since Summer 2007. The only difference today is that there are more HD channels on FiOS. And HBO and Cinemax are copy protected. So I can't transfer any HBO or Cinemax recordings. But I have no issues transferring recordings from the other chnanels.

Of course you won't have access to FIOS VOD. that was the only reason I had a FiOS STB years ago. But I found that I was rarely using the FIOS STB since I could get the same content from other services. So I returned the HD STB to save the $10 a month. The only way I would consider going back to having a FiOS STB is if they gave me one for free. ANd it would still only be for VOD, which I would very rarely use from FiOS. Since their VOD quality has always been lacking. And I can still get the same VOD content from other services with better audio and video quality.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Well, 3 days later and my account still hasn't changed. So Tivo hasn't done a thing to correct the problem. I guess I'll have to take another hour to plead my case with them on the phone and see if they can get it resolved.

It's kind of funny. I see "free lifetime service" all over the place including on eBay. I message an ebay seller of Mini's and he said he hadn't heard of any problems.


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## spicybrown (Apr 3, 2005)

There is a current promotion for those that have had service (lifetime service?) for 10 years. $100 for lifetime service on the unit. 

Just call and ask. I've seen that you do not have to purchase the device from TiVo to take advantage of the discount but not sure how that works. I bought the roamio plus for 400 plus 100 for lifetime.

So this is my return to TiVo from my S2 days and my first cablecard, do I need to call FIOS or can I just go pick up a cable card at a local FIOS store? I need to return all my stb's. 

Sorry if off topic.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Another Phone call to Tivo today and they still are not resolving my problem. Now they are asking for a receipt from BB showing it was purchased with lifetime service. My receipt does not say that but i have sent it anyway.

What are all the people doing that have purchased from other outlets at a discount doing? I'm seeing < 130.00 on Amazon and many other on-line merchants I'm also seeing listed as "free lifetime service" on eBay.

If Tivo is giving me such a hard time what is happening to all those people?

Also, I've seen many posts about people buying for huge discounts and getting free lifetime. Why am I having such a hard time? I paid the freaking 149.99 for the damn thing. Now I'm starting to get pissed.

Roveer


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## BigJimOutlaw (Mar 21, 2004)

I would email margret-at-tivo with your service number and direct her to this thread.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

Roveer said:


> I did mine last Sunday. It was in "processing" or something like that pretty much all week. *I don't have a Romaio yet so I haven't even opened the box.* I pretty much knew this was going to be too good to be true. I'll see if i can get it straightened out if not I'll tell them to "de-authorize" it and will just sell it. They probably won't be able to do that either. *I had already bought a Romaio at BB but they wouldn't honer the 10 year returning customer lifetime for 99 because they said it wasn't purchased from them. So I returned that.* I can see that Tivo is not going to be for me. Not at the price I'm willing to pay at least. I'll give it another try but I'm not expecting much.
> 
> Roveer


If I understand your comments that I underlined, you do not have a qualifying DVR with lifetime service on your account. You also make it sound like you actually have no DVR at all. I seems like you are just trying to register a mini with no other hardware, If so this is why you are having issues.

Nobody on this forum works for or represents TiVo, except Margret Schmidt, so I would use extreme caution about any advice given here. Any deals that people get is at the discretion of TiVo and may not apply to other customers.

If you are looking for a low cost Roamio unit you will not find it. Most current deals are only a small discount, about $25 to $50 off, on the DVR itself. You can get $100 off lifetime service if you enter the PLSR code when registering your first DVR, but even this is not guaranteed to work.
You maybe able to locate a used DVR on ebay with lifetime included if you want to go that route. Other than that then be prepared to pay around $500 or more dollars for the Roamio DVR.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Jed1 said:


> If I understand your comments that I underlined, you do not have a qualifying DVR with lifetime service on your account. You also make it sound like you actually have no DVR at all. I seems like you are just trying to register a mini with no other hardware, If so this is why you are having issues.
> 
> Nobody on this forum works for or represents TiVo, except Margret Schmidt, so I would use extreme caution about any advice given here. Any deals that people get is at the discretion of TiVo and may not apply to other customers.
> 
> ...


That totally makes sense. I don't have a qualifying Roamaio lifetime DVR in order to qualify the MINI for lifetime. You would think in 3 phone calls to Tivo, each one escalated someone would have pointed that out. I'm in the process of purchasing a Roamio so hopefully that corrects the problem. One would think I wouldn't have to resort to an internet message board to get the straight story, but I appreciate the information you have provided. Regretfully, the nearly dozen people I have spoken with at Tivo were unable to provide that clarity. I find that lacking. The way of the world these days. But you can buy an unlimited data plan to make sure you can stream all the fail videos. I fear for the future of my children.

Roveer.


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## Jed1 (Jun 18, 2013)

Roveer said:


> That totally makes sense. I don't have a qualifying Roamaio lifetime DVR in order to qualify the MINI for lifetime. You would think in 3 phone calls to Tivo, each one escalated someone would have pointed that out. I'm in the process of purchasing a Roamio so hopefully that corrects the problem. One would think I wouldn't have to resort to an internet message board to get the straight story, but I appreciate the information you have provided. Regretfully, the nearly dozen people I have spoken with at Tivo were unable to provide that clarity. I find that lacking. The way of the world these days. But you can buy an unlimited data plan to make sure you can stream all the fail videos. I fear for the future of my children.
> 
> Roveer.


Your Welcome.
I agree with you as I find it baffling that no one at TiVo picked up on this. This is really basic TiVo protocol. The support you got definitely does not inspire any confidence in their capabilities.


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## Roveer (May 28, 2003)

Well I checked back today and now my Mini shows up as lifetime service and the note about unpaid balance is gone. Guess they got tired of hearing from me.

Also, Called in at 4pm and Ordered a Roamio Plus on the loyalty program for 499. Took all of 4 minutes. No hassles no mess. 

Things are starting to look good. Now I have to grab a few more Mini's and a CC from Verizon and I'll be all set.

Whooaaa...

Roveer


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## mlippitt (Apr 26, 2003)

Looking to move an OTA Roamio to Verizon FIOS with a Cablecard. I have FIOS today with a Verizon supplied DVR. The online Verizon order system requires me to order an HD Set Top Box for $10.99/month when I add the cablecard to my account. The cablecard is an additional $4.99/month. The Verizon chat tech says the HD STB is required because the cablecard is not HD. And the Verizon tech seems to have no idea how the STB gets wired to the Cablecard/Tvio. My goal is to ditch the Verizon DVR and its monthly charge and replace it with just the Roamio/cablecard. I can't seem to find any indication on this forum that a STB is required. Could something have changed since Roveer did this thread?


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

mlippitt said:


> Looking to move an OTA Roamio to Verizon FIOS with a Cablecard. I have FIOS today with a Verizon supplied DVR. The online Verizon order system requires me to order an HD Set Top Box for $10.99/month when I add the cablecard to my account. The cablecard is an additional $4.99/month. The Verizon chat tech says the HD STB is required because the cablecard is not HD. And the Verizon tech seems to have no idea how the STB gets wired to the Cablecard/Tvio. My goal is to ditch the Verizon DVR and its monthly charge and replace it with just the Roamio/cablecard. I can't seem to find any indication on this forum that a STB is required. Could something have changed since Roveer did this thread?


Nothing has changed, your CSR was equally clueless about what a CableCARD is, and you still don't need a STB.

That being said, it's very possible the online ordering system isn't smart enough to realize that you can just have a CableCARD as your system device and a GOOD CSR will be able to resolve that issue and set up an account with just a CableCARD.


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## joblo (Jun 5, 2002)

mlippitt said:


> The Verizon chat tech says the HD STB is required because


... who cares?

I went round and round with a chat tech over the STB issue one time and in the end was told I need to call some toll-free number or other.

Save grief, skip chat, use phone.


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## Sixto (Sep 16, 2005)

The consensus has been to order an STB and a cablecard, and then return the STB. 

The only reason I still have my STB is because I originally got the free DVR for life program though I very rarely use it, mostly just as a backup and to play with on demand every once in a great while.


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## aaronwt (Jan 31, 2002)

mlippitt said:


> Looking to move an OTA Roamio to Verizon FIOS with a Cablecard. I have FIOS today with a Verizon supplied DVR. The online Verizon order system requires me to order an HD Set Top Box for $10.99/month when I add the cablecard to my account. The cablecard is an additional $4.99/month. The Verizon chat tech says the HD STB is required because the cablecard is not HD. And the Verizon tech seems to have no idea how the STB gets wired to the Cablecard/Tvio. My goal is to ditch the Verizon DVR and its monthly charge and replace it with just the Roamio/cablecard. I can't seem to find any indication on this forum that a STB is required. Could something have changed since Roveer did this thread?


Do you have an OTA Roamio or a Roamio Basic using OTA? Because the OTA Roamio doesn't do cable cards while the Roamio Basic will.


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## mlippitt (Apr 26, 2003)

aaronwt said:


> Do you have an OTA Roamio or a Roamio Basic using OTA? Because the OTA Roamio doesn't do cable cards while the Roamio Basic will.


It is a Roamio Basic, good to go for the cablecard.

Thanks everyone for all the help !
Much appreciated. 
Will try the phone next.


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## mlippitt (Apr 26, 2003)

Update: I phoned Verizon. Ordering the CableCARD without the STB went smoothly. Thanks again.


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