# XFINITY CUSTOMER WARNING - Cable Card Almost Non-Existing = You are buying a boat anchor



## EDISFM

Have less than a year old Tivo Edge.

Constant dropping of internet connections forcing you to reboot the unit to watch anything.

Took the Cable Card out of Tivo Edge went to Xfinity Store Front and they provided a different Cable Card.

The Card I turned in and the replacement Card they gave me were both made in 2014

Guy at Xfinity said these cards are hard as heck to get a hold of and most store fronts get 1 or 2 a month.

Cheers.


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## southerndoc

All the CableCARDs were made back then. I have a 2010 model that has been going strong for 12 years. The cards rarely malfunction. It's mainly a bad card when it was created/flashed and not really something that goes bad.


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## cwoody222

Your issue of dropping internet connection has nothing to do with your CC.

A new card will do nothing to solve your issue.

The age of the card also has nothing to do with anything.

Get your new card paired (a step you could have avoided) and then address your internet connectivity issue.

This is hardly anything to scream “BOAT ANCHOR” about.


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## southerndoc

I agree. CableCARDs may not be around forever, but there's no sign that Xfinity is going to drop support for them in the next few years. There will be advance notice (probably a year or two notice).


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## Soapm

I remember when TV's had card slots but I guess that cut out the rental fee for their boxes?


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## cwoody222

Soapm said:


> I remember when TV's had card slots but I guess that cut out the rental fee for their boxes?


Cable cards in general cut out box rental fees.

TVs don’t have slots any more because no one wanted that functionality (cable service with nothing else - no OnDemand, no DVR, etc.).


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## Soapm

cwoody222 said:


> TVs don’t have slots any more because no one wanted that functionality (cable service with nothing else - no OnDemand, no DVR, etc.).


I would, I don't use any of that on any of our TV's.


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## cwerdna

IIRC, I'm still using the same CableCARD that Comcast began loaning me in mid-2011 when I moved back to California. 

It was in a TiVo HD (which had its lifetime subscription transferred away) and now is in my Bolt+ (where the lifetime sub went to).


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## Texbox

EDISFM said:


> Have less than a year old Tivo Edge.
> 
> Constant dropping of internet connections forcing you to reboot the unit to watch anything.
> 
> Took the Cable Card out of Tivo Edge went to Xfinity Store Front and they provided a different Cable Card.
> 
> The Card I turned in and the replacement Card they gave me were both made in 2014
> 
> Guy at Xfinity said these cards are hard as heck to get a hold of and most store fronts get 1 or 2 a month.
> 
> Cheers.


Last year when I had an issue and went to the Xfinity store, I was told that none of the stores carried cable cards anymore. They gave me an 800 number which I called and was told that one would be sent. He said that they were getting low on inventory and had no plans to replenish them. Once they're gone, they're gone. Since I mentioned I had multiple Tivo devices, he sent me a spare as well (no charge until it's activated). If my wife wasn't so addicted to the Tivo software, I would have dumped them long ago. Eventually, she'll have to get used to something else.


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## ITGrouch

southerndoc said:


> I agree. CableCARDs may not be around forever, but there's no sign that Xfinity is going to drop support for them in the next few years. There will be advance notice (probably a year or two notice).


Comcast is currently working on rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 for faster Internet and symmetrical up/down speeds. This is expected to be rolled out nationwide by 2026. This will mean that the QAM Xfinity TV will be no more and all TV will be IPTV based. And yes, this will be the end for TiVo DVRs on Comcast and they will give advanced notice when they start sunsetting CableCARD service. Charter Spectrum has already started sunsetting CableCARD service and they have started notifying customers. This is why TiVo is deep discounting the CableCARD Edge DVRs. My TiVo Bolt+ is a OTA/CableCARD model with All-In service and I stopped using it with a CableCARD and configured it for OTA because our area has moved some channels to IPTV, which the TiVo cannot receive. I am now renting an Xfinity XG1v4 4K DVR.


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## kdmorse

ITGrouch said:


> Comcast is currently working on rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 for faster Internet and symmetrical up/down speeds. This is expected to be rolled out nationwide by 2026. This will mean that the QAM Xfinity TV will be no more and all TV will be IPTV based. And yes, this will be the end for TiVo DVRs on Comcast and they will give advanced notice when they start sunsetting CableCARD service. Charter Spectrum has already started sunsetting CableCARD service and they have started notifying customers. This is why TiVo is deep discounting the CableCARD Edge DVRs. My TiVo Bolt+ is a OTA/CableCARD model with All-In service and I stopped using it with a CableCARD and configured it for OTA because our area has moved some channels to IPTV, which the TiVo cannot receive. I am now renting an Xfinity XG1v4 4K DVR.


We (Comcast Tivo Users) have been on borrowed time for a very long time. We'll be on borrowed time for years to come. But at some point, our time will indeed run out.


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## southerndoc

It doesn't have to run out. TiVo could do what Channels DVR does and record over IPTV/TVEverywhere.


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## tnorfleet

ITGrouch said:


> Comcast is currently working on rolling out DOCSIS 4.0 for faster Internet and symmetrical up/down speeds. This is expected to be rolled out nationwide by 2026. This will mean that the QAM Xfinity TV will be no more and all TV will be IPTV based. And yes, this will be the end for TiVo DVRs on Comcast and they will give advanced notice when they start sunsetting CableCARD service. Charter Spectrum has already started sunsetting CableCARD service and they have started notifying customers. This is why TiVo is deep discounting the CableCARD Edge DVRs. My TiVo Bolt+ is a OTA/CableCARD model with All-In service and I stopped using it with a CableCARD and configured it for OTA because our area has moved some channels to IPTV, which the TiVo cannot receive. I am now renting an Xfinity XG1v4 4K DVR.


We have Charter Spectrum and there’s been no mention at all of discontinuing cable cards.


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## mark.havlek

southerndoc said:


> It doesn't have to run out. TiVo could do what Channels DVR does and record over IPTV/TVEverywhere.


Won't happen. TiVo merged with Xperi back in 2020. Xperi is a company that makes money by acquiring and licensing patents and intellectual property. They historically have no interest in designing, building and selling products. So at some point Xperi will shut down the hardware business, and go back to their business model of licensing the patents and IP. TiVo had a lot of patents relating to DVRs. I can see a couple of possible ways this could happen. 

The TiVo hardware business is spun off to a separate company that sells and supports the units. This would protect Xperi from having to support units in the field
They just wait until the cable companies cease support for QAM broadcast and they are off the hook. Well off the hook for those units, but could still have to support units for a few more years

So the time that the TiVo units cease to work is coming closer. Comcast is moving fairly quickly to start upgrading their network to provide synchronous up and down data rates as fiber is starting to cut into their business. This will take a few years to complete, though it will happen much quicker in some areas. They just upgraded the network in our area to support this migration. Right now I am planning on going to Channels DVR, which I already have running on my Synology NAS.


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## merccat

I had called Xfinity earlier this year to see about changing plans and was told I couldn’t without renting their boxes because my “equipment was obsolete.”

Once they end support completely, that’ll end my Xfinity subscription, although I will probably need to keep them for internet until fiber reaches our neigborhood.


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## southerndoc

I thought TiVo's patents were expiring soon?


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## mark.havlek

southerndoc said:


> I thought TiVo's patents were expiring soon?


Some probably are, but Comcast entered into a 15 year patent license agreement with Xperi right after the merger in 2020 so there is still a lot of $$ to be made off the TiVo IP.


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## EDISFM2

cwoody222 said:


> Your issue of dropping internet connection has nothing to do with your CC.
> 
> A new card will do nothing to solve your issue.
> 
> The age of the card also has nothing to do with anything.
> 
> Get your new card paired (a step you could have avoided) and then address your internet connectivity issue.
> 
> This is hardly anything to scream “BOAT ANCHOR” about.


I used WireShark and some other packet sniffers and was surprised at the meta data volume and content between the EDGE, CC & the Apps. FWIW - (1) of the CC would throw an exception when NetFlix-HBO Combination was active - 4th time was the charm, CC works with Apps, been solid for 72 hours.


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## kdmorse

merccat said:


> I had called Xfinity earlier this year to see about changing plans and was told I couldn’t without renting their boxes because my “equipment was obsolete.”
> 
> Once they end support completely, that’ll end my Xfinity subscription, although I will probably need to keep them for internet until fiber reaches our neigborhood.


If you want to, you can fight them on that. The front line CSR you talk to (and the web site) only knows how to choose bundles off the current menu, and that doesn't include any bundles that support cable cards, and all those bundles force a rental box on you. You have to get to a CSR that can edit your plan in place without just throwing a new plan on it. It can be done - whether it's worth the effort depends on what you were trying to change. People making discrete plan changes can normally get it done. People trying to roll to a new discount bundle generally have problems getting it done.


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## Bruce24

EDISFM said:


> Have less than a year old Tivo Edge.
> 
> Constant dropping of internet connections forcing you to reboot the unit to watch anything.
> 
> Took the Cable Card out of Tivo Edge went to Xfinity Store Front and they provided a different Cable Card.
> 
> The Card I turned in and the replacement Card they gave me were both made in 2014
> 
> Guy at Xfinity said these cards are hard as heck to get a hold of and most store fronts get 1 or 2 a month.
> 
> Cheers.


Just as an FYI, I've been having a problem for several months with my two Bolts. It started when one of them lost all the non-broadcast (aka non-local) channels and was giving me a V58 error. The same thing happened to the other Bold about a month later. Over this time, because they kept making me, I have gotten and tried 8 different cable cards, 6 I got at stores two they send me via the mail...as mentioned by others all of them were old and previously used. After having done all this and them having replaced the 40 year old cable run from the street to my home they finally sent someone to my home who determined while my signal strength is fine (I have an X1 box that works fine) their is a lot of noise on my line coming from the headend. This was last week, and they told me that the group that resolves these issue has a 3 week turnaround, so I am still waiting. My current status is one of two Bolts has a card paired but only receives broadcast channels they other will not pair...even though I have tried so many cards.


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## NickTheGreat

I think i'm still on my same Cable Card since 2015 or so. I had one before that, but got a new one then. 

Once my cable company quits offering that I'm done. I'm just gonna ride the wave as long as I can.

I'm almost 40 and I've never actually had a STB.


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## cwoody222

Bruce24 said:


> Just as an FYI, I've been having a problem for several months with my two Bolts. It started when one of them lost all the non-broadcast (aka non-local) channels and was giving me a V58 error. The same thing happened to the other Bold about a month later. Over this time, because they kept making me, I have gotten and tried 8 different cable cards, 6 I got at stores two they send me via the mail...as mentioned by others all of them were old and previously used. After having done all this and them having replaced the 40 year old cable run from the street to my home they finally sent someone to my home who determined while my signal strength is fine (I have an X1 box that works fine) their is a lot of noise on my line coming from the headend. This was last week, and they told me that the group that resolves these issue has a 3 week turnaround, so I am still waiting. My current status is one of two Bolts has a card paired but only receives broadcast channels they other will not pair...even though I have tried so many cards.





Bruce24 said:


> Just as an FYI, I've been having a problem for several months with my two Bolts. It started when one of them lost all the non-broadcast (aka non-local) channels and was giving me a V58 error. The same thing happened to the other Bold about a month later. Over this time, because they kept making me, I have gotten and tried 8 different cable cards, 6 I got at stores two they send me via the mail...as mentioned by others all of them were old and previously used. After having done all this and them having replaced the 40 year old cable run from the street to my home they finally sent someone to my home who determined while my signal strength is fine (I have an X1 box that works fine) their is a lot of noise on my line coming from the headend. This was last week, and they told me that the group that resolves these issue has a 3 week turnaround, so I am still waiting. My current status is one of two Bolts has a card paired but only receives broadcast channels they other will not pair...even though I have tried so many cards.


Your cards are not properly paired. You’re going to need to find someone at the cable company who knows how to properly set your account in their system.

Getting replacement cards isn’t going to help.


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## dianebrat

cwoody222 said:


> Your cards are not properly paired. You’re going to need to find someone at the cable company who knows how to properly set your account in their system.
> 
> Getting replacement cards isn’t going to help.


We keep saying it, no one ever believes it, then after 3 sets of CableCARDs don't change it, they get someone who knows how to pair it and magically everything is better.
<shrug>


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## Bruce24

cwoody222 said:


> Your cards are not properly paired. You’re going to need to find someone at the cable company who knows how to properly set your account in their system.
> 
> Getting replacement cards isn’t going to help.


Yes and after 8 cards Comcast agrees.


here is a bit more info:

Bolt 1 working for 4+ years, without being unpaired, is reduced to broadcast channels

Many calls and tech support attempts to resend channel authorizations and repair cards and replace cablecard. Nothing works. So I now get nothing on Bolt 1, only use I get out of it is as Mini.

They replace the cable going to my home, this doesn't help get Bolt 1 working but does more than double my broadband download test speed to over 1Ghz.

Over a month later Bolt 2, which had been working for 6ish years, stops getting HBO & Showtime (maybe some other channels). Call Comcast, they try and send the channel authorization codes. Not luck.

A few weeks later Bolt 2 is only getting broadcast channels. Agree (knowing it will not help) to try another cablecard. wouldn't pair, re-tried the original it wouldn't pair, tried a third and it paired, but I still only get broadcast channels.

They send a tech who seem to know about cable cards and tivos, he tried to pair the card in bolt 1, and tried a new card. While on the phone with person who was going the actual pairing knew to look at the conditional access screen and network screen to see if the card was paired and receiving OOB messages. They didn't have any success. The tech then checked the cable signal both in my home and at the street, he noted a lot of noise at the street and escalated the call to some other group.

Throughout this, I have had 5 tech visit my home and had at least 8 different people including tier 3 cable card support try and pair my card and authorize my channels. At this point I find it hard to believe they all are incapable of correctly pairing a card.


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## ITGrouch

tnorfleet said:


> We have Charter Spectrum and there’s been no mention at all of discontinuing cable cards.


Charter Spectrum has started sunsetting CableCARD in areas of the country, as they are beginning to move to DOCSIS 4.0. It will be a matter of time when your area will be affected. Here's a link regarding this.



https://www.nexttv.com/news/charter-cuts-off-cablecard-support


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## charlesjbiller

cwerdna said:


> IIRC, I'm still using the same CableCARD that Comcast began loaning me in mid-2011 when I moved back to California.
> 
> It was in a TiVo HD (which had its lifetime subscription transferred away) and now is in my Bolt+ (where the lifetime sub went to).


Same here. I am still using the card from premier4, 11 years ago.


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## cwoody222

ITGrouch said:


> Charter Spectrum has started sunsetting CableCARD in areas of the country, as they are beginning to move to DOCSIS 4.0. It will be a matter of time when your area will be affected. Here's a link regarding this.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.nexttv.com/news/charter-cuts-off-cablecard-support


No. They have stated at some point in the future they will likely be sunsetting CC support, with what that exactly entails, unknown.

They have not started yet.


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## SVMike

I have a cable card from 2007. It has been on 3 Tivos, now an Edge. Switching it to the Edge 2 years ago was difficult. I had to go through the Comcast phone menu and say I wanted to cancel service until I got someone that knew what to do. Fixed in 2 minutes. This was after 2 long phone calls and 2 trips to the Comcast store


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## t1v0fan2004

Bruce24 said:


> Yes and after 8 cards Comcast agrees.
> 
> 
> here is a bit more info:
> 
> Bolt 1 working for 4+ years, without being unpaired, is reduced to broadcast channels
> 
> Many calls and tech support attempts to resend channel authorizations and repair cards and replace cablecard. Nothing works. So I now get nothing on Bolt 1, only use I get out of it is as Mini.
> 
> They replace the cable going to my home, this doesn't help get Bolt 1 working but does more than double my broadband download test speed to over 1Ghz.
> 
> Over a month later Bolt 2, which had been working for 6ish years, stops getting HBO & Showtime (maybe some other channels). Call Comcast, they try and send the channel authorization codes. Not luck.
> 
> A few weeks later Bolt 2 is only getting broadcast channels. Agree (knowing it will not help) to try another cablecard. wouldn't pair, re-tried the original it wouldn't pair, tried a third and it paired, but I still only get broadcast channels.
> 
> They send a tech who seem to know about cable cards and tivos, he tried to pair the card in bolt 1, and tried a new card. While on the phone with person who was going the actual pairing knew to look at the conditional access screen and network screen to see if the card was paired and receiving OOB messages. They didn't have any success. The tech then checked the cable signal both in my home and at the street, he noted a lot of noise at the street and escalated the call to some other group.
> 
> Throughout this, I have had 5 tech visit my home and had at least 8 different people including tier 3 cable card support try and pair my card and authorize my channels. At this point I find it hard to believe they all are incapable of correctly pairing a card.


This has been my experience as well (see see V58 woes). It seems like if its not an easy fix of re-pairing the cards over the phone you're pretty much SOL. There doesn't seem to be anyone left in Comcast who really knows CCs.


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## Bruce24

t1v0fan2004 said:


> This has been my experience as well (see see V58 woes). It seems like if its not an easy fix of re-pairing the cards over the phone you're pretty much SOL. There doesn't seem to be anyone left in Comcast who really knows CCs.


Tomorrow Comcast is coming to my home again to put some different device on my line and then they are going to try and pair the unpair bolt and authorize all my channels. Ironic thing is sometime this morning the one Bolt that I still have paired started to get more channels. I am now getting everything but my premium stations...yes for local + AMC, HGTV, ESPN, DIscovery.... no to HBO, Showtime, EPIX and probably some others I haven't noticed.


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## gweempose

I agree that it's probably a pairing problem. About a year ago I had to replace the hard drive in my Bolt, thus necessitating a need to re-pair the card. I spoke with several different people at Comcast and nobody could properly re-pair the card. They concluded that the card was broken, but I knew that was unlikely. It had been working just fine in my TiVo for years. Eventually, I got someone on the phone that actually knew what they were doing and the card paired right up. It's been working fine ever since. I think Comcast just doesn't have many people left that understand how to properly input the information into the account.


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## duffman1980

Bruce24 said:


> Tomorrow Comcast is coming to my home again to put some different device on my line and then they are going to try and pair the unpair bolt and authorize all my channels. Ironic thing is sometime this morning the one Bolt that I still have paired started to get more channels. I am now getting everything but my premium stations...yes for local + AMC, HGTV, ESPN, DIscovery.... no to HBO, Showtime, EPIX and probably some others I haven't noticed.


I had an xfinity cable card fail in my tivo bolt a couple months ago. After tech visits and going to xfinity stores and multiple hours long calls with support, one tech support person said he had to cancel my service and then start new service under a "new plan" in order to pair the cable card. He did this, and it worked.


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## slowbiscuit

mark.havlek said:


> Comcast is moving fairly quickly


LOL, Comcast has NEVER moved quickly on IPTV migration.


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## t1v0fan2004

Bruce24 said:


> Tomorrow Comcast is coming to my home again to put some different device on my line and then they are going to try and pair the unpair bolt and authorize all my channels. Ironic thing is sometime this morning the one Bolt that I still have paired started to get more channels. I am now getting everything but my premium stations...yes for local + AMC, HGTV, ESPN, DIscovery.... no to HBO, Showtime, EPIX and probably some others I haven't noticed.


Comcast is planning to do the same thing next week. Did they fix your issue?


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## Bruce24

t1v0fan2004 said:


> Comcast is planning to do the same thing next week. Did they fix your issue?


They had to reschedule for next week. When the guy called I asked him about the equipment and if understood him correctly it is an older cable box with a cablecard that is setup to log all the cablecard related messages it receives. I guess they will set it up, send a bunch of message and see if they can figure out why I'm having problems pairing and authorizing channels.


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## lessd

Bruce24 said:


> They had to reschedule for next week. When the guy called I asked him about the equipment and if understood him correctly it is an older cable box with a cablecard that is setup to log all the cablecard related messages it receives. I guess they will set it up, send a bunch of message and see if they can figure out why I'm having problems pairing and authorizing channels.


To pair a cable card you must tell the Comcast person to first un-pair the card, then it can be paired to your system.


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## LarryJay

Just as an FYI, I've been having a problem for several months with my two Bolts. It started when one of them lost all the non-broadcast (aka non-local) channels and was giving me a V58 error. The same thing happened to the other Bold about a month later. Over this time, because they kept making me, I have gotten and tried 8 different cable cards, 6 I got at stores two they send me via the mail...as mentioned by others all of them were old and previously used. After having done all this and them having replaced the 40 year old cable run from the street to my home they finally sent someone to my home who determined while my signal strength is fine (I have an X1 box that works fine) their is a lot of noise on my line coming from the headend. This was last week, and they told me that the group that resolves these issue has a 3 week turnaround, so I am still waiting. My current status is one of two Bolts has a card paired but only receives broadcast channels they other will not pair...even though I have tried so many cards.

Same situation here. MLB & HBO went out. Call to CS - couldn't pair. Tech comes and says 'need a new card' so down to store, install card that won't pair - _and _*NO channels at all.* Mucho cards, calls, visits, tickets, case #s, escalation to level 3 - even _bought another_ Roamio - still _no channels at all_ for *21st day. *

Everyone at Comcast is very nice. Unlike the old days.
And totally unable to fix this. Just like the old days.


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## KevTech

Self activation site: Welcome Page


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## t1v0fan2004

KevTech said:


> Self activation site: Welcome Page


This site hasn't worked for me for many years. Keep getting an error saying they're having trouble accessing my account. I've always had to call to get the pairing setup.


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## Bruce24

t1v0fan2004 said:


> This site hasn't worked for me for many years. Keep getting an error saying they're having trouble accessing my account. I've always had to call to get the pairing setup.


Same here


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## Bruce24

The issues with my two Tivos was resolved today. 

This morning a tech stop by with an older cable box that had a cablecard in it. With a Tivo data is one-way to the cablecard, with this cable box it is two way so they hoped they could use it to figure out what was going on. 

The tech set it up and called someone else at Xfinity. He had this guy on speaker phone so I was able to listen. They weren't able to get their cable box to work, which seem to have confirmed what I had thought, which was the messages they were trying to send to the cablecard were not making it or not making it reliably to the cablecard. 

The guy on the phone then asked the tech to take the cable box to another location, not sure if it was their headend or some substation. He did this and came back a couple of hours later. 

When the tech came back he said that when they connected the cable box at this other facility, the other guy realized that their system was setup incorrectly. I didn't get any specifics. 

The other guy then called the tech who put him on speaker phone. He has us go to Tivo that was getting everything but premium channels to verify it was still pair and that the OOB msgs were increasing as he sent message, which it was. He then had us verify if I was getting premium stations, which I was...so one box working! 

The other one still wasn't working, the conditional access screen indicated it wasn't paired while the network screen showed the OOB message counter increasing as he was sending messages. The guy on the phone then had us remove the cablecard, reinsert and wait 5 minute. We did that and then it started to work for all channels and the conditional access screen showed it as paired. 

I asked had happened and the guy on the phone said he has no idea what the original problem was , but he believes that at some point in time while people were trying to help me, they changed something that had nothing to do with pairing or authorizing a cablecard and from that point no matter how many cards we tried to pair nothing would have worked. 

For the first time in month, my two Tivos are working, so I am very happy. While the X1 cable box is a huge step up from the prior cable co DVR, IMHO for recording and playing back shows it is still far behind a Tivo. 

While they guy on the phone was having us go through all the cablecard menus to check things out he mentioned that he has a Bolt. Before he hung up I asked for his contact info, but he was not willing to give it out. I guess they don't want people starting with level 4 support.


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## t1v0fan2004

Coincidentally our issues were resolved this week as well. First the regular channels came in followed a few days later by the premiums. The lady I was working with doesn't know what changes were made on the backend  . The whole situation reminds me of this scene from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation:


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