# Wow!! Nobody uses Tivo with Time Warner



## lp142 (Sep 23, 2010)

I'm trying to decide wether I should invest in a Tivo system in NC triad area and apparently either no one uses tivo in my area or no one reads these forums in North Carolina. I asked a question on how it works with the local Time Warner Cable, but no one has even replied, I need to move....


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## eric_n_dfw (Jul 15, 2003)

Could be true - In my experience in DFW, TWC seems to actively hate Tivo, corporate policies that pushed me back to DirecTV a couple of months ago. ( http://tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=453144 )


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## crazywater (Mar 7, 2001)

I was a TiVo Series 3 / TWC customer in the Raleigh area. I was given a Tuning Adapter and had nothing but trouble with constant pixelation and dropouts with my service. I had TWC out at least 10 times and they never could fix the problem. Finally I got fed up and switched to DirecTV.

I will say that the techs that came out were familiar with the TiVo and seemed comfortable with navigating through the diagnostic panels. So that was not an issue.


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## Bluestraveller (Sep 27, 2010)

I just got a Tivo Premiere. It was set up by Time Warner on Saturday and I must say the Tech was knowledgeable and cooperative. The SDV adapter is not working and will be changed on Tuesday but I'm able to see and record all the non-SDV channels just fine


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## eric_n_dfw (Jul 15, 2003)

Bluestraveller said:


> I just got a Tivo Premiere. It was set up by Time Warner on Saturday and I must say the Tech was knowledgeable and cooperative. The SDV adapter is not working and will be changed on Tuesday but I'm able to see and record all the non-SDV channels just fine


Glad to hear you got someone who could help. My last tuning adapter experience was that some signal had to be sent down the wire to sync it up. Even then I'd find channels would dissapear for days at a time.

Hopefully, for your sake, if you ever want to use multi-room viewing, Tivo will come up with a way to stream it between DVR's because TWC will not let you do it otherwise due to their draconian CCI bit usage. (that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me)


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## Bluestraveller (Sep 27, 2010)

eric_n_dfw said:


> Glad to hear you got someone who could help. My last tuning adapter experience was that some signal had to be sent down the wire to sync it up. Even then I'd find channels would dissapear for days at a time.
> 
> Hopefully, for your sake, if you ever want to use multi-room viewing, Tivo will come up with a way to stream it between DVR's because TWC will not let you do it otherwise due to their draconian CCI bit usage. (that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me)


Already hit the CCI bit problem on non-SDV channels (will post a separate item on this)


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

lp142 said:


> I'm trying to decide wether I should invest in a Tivo system in NC triad area and apparently either no one uses tivo in my area or no one reads these forums in North Carolina. I asked a question on how it works with the local Time Warner Cable, but no one has even replied, I need to move....


Well.. I have 4 TiVo's with CC's and TA's running fine in Raleigh/Apex.


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## PedjaR (Jan 4, 2010)

lp142 said:


> I'm trying to decide wether I should invest in a Tivo system in NC triad area and apparently either no one uses tivo in my area or no one reads these forums in North Carolina. I asked a question on how it works with the local Time Warner Cable, but no one has even replied, I need to move....


I have Premiere in Cary (Raleigh area). Installing cable card and tuning adapter was quick and easy (tech knew what he was doing). Tivo (using it with SD UI, HD UI is much slower) works fine. Had issues with the first tuning adapter (used to lock up every few days); the second one, so far, so good (6 days, no lockups). Overall, happy with the decision to buy (TWC DVR lacks some basic features, like 30 second skip and guide filtering).


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## drewpydog (Jan 10, 2005)

Hey OP,

I have a Tivo HD and Tivo Premiere both working great with cablecards and tuning adapters here in Winston-Salem, on Time Warner. PM me if you have specific questions.


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## Bluestraveller (Sep 27, 2010)

Tech came back today with a new tuning adapter and got it working. Apparently the previous box was unable to load the latest firmware.

Of course after TA was working (as demonstrated by the diagnostics) I was unable to get pretty much any of the HD channels. The tech tried to convince me that I will not get "Some of the SDV Channels" and I kept telling him that I was not getting "Almost all the HD channels". After some pushing around he finally called the office and turns out that as part of moving me to a cablecard TW had graciously bumped me out of the HD tier.

All working now finally. Lets see how stable the setup is going to be.

I can't believe how complicated they've made this system for 99% of the people to stop the remaining 1% from doing something illegal and to squeeze in all the PPV channels.

Also disappointed by the pervasive copy protection flag all the non-network channels.


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## jiovine (May 15, 2010)

I live in Wake Forest and use the Premier on TWC. My experience has been mixed as my tuning adapter locks up and says channel is not available on a daily basis. I have grown tired of paying TWC and will be switching to OTA within the next month.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

I live in Raleigh. I got 2 cablecards and TAs this week in my new Premiers. So far, so good. The install went very well, despite the installer admitting he hated doing Tivos and "it always takes forever." Whoever he got on the phone to activate them apparently knew what they were doing, and everything was working within a few minutes on the first try. I also got a Cisco 8640 to compare with my Tivos, but I haven't even checked it out yet since the Tivos are working so well.

Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> I live in Raleigh. I got 2 cablecards and TAs this week in my new Premiers. So far, so good. The install went very well, despite the installer admitting he hated doing Tivos and "it always takes forever." Whoever he got on the phone to activate them apparently knew what they were doing, and everything was working within a few minutes on the first try. I also got a Cisco 8640 to compare with my Tivos, but I haven't even checked it out yet since the Tivos are working so well.
> 
> Ted


Have you decided how to hook up the TA's RF? You have two choices... Use a splitter and split the cable from the wall and drive the TA from one splitter output and drive the TiVo with the other splitter output.... OR Use the RF passthru of the TA. Personally, I prefer the splitter method since Cisco TA's have gain on the passthru and TiVo's are typically sensitive to excessive signal. You can always go into TA diags and read the signal strength that the TA sees and determine if all is well afterwards.


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## jsmeeker (Apr 2, 2001)

I use it with Time Warner in Dallas. Tech knew to bring a tuning adapter. Knew about the cable cards and all that.. Biggest issue was people back at the home office when the tech was trying to get them to set everything up. But eventually, it all got squared away.

It works.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> Have you decided how to hook up the TA's RF? You have two choices... Use a splitter and split the cable from the wall and drive the TA from one splitter output and drive the TiVo with the other splitter output.... OR Use the RF passthru of the TA. Personally, I prefer the splitter method since Cisco TA's have gain on the passthru and TiVo's are typically sensitive to excessive signal. You can always go into TA diags and read the signal strength that the TA sees and determine if all is well afterwards.


Right now, it is setup to use passthrough. What is considered excessive signal and where can I see that my signal is?

Thanks,
Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> Right now, it is setup to use passthrough. What is considered excessive signal and where can I see that my signal is?
> 
> Thanks,
> Ted


TA Diagnostics. On the first couple pages you will find the level. With TA passthru I would want to see something like -3 to -5 dbmv.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> TA Diagnostics. On the first couple pages you will find the level. With TA passthru I would want to see something like -3 to -5 dbmv.


Hopefully I'll have time to check tonight.

Thanks,
Ted


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> TA Diagnostics. On the first couple pages you will find the level. With TA passthru I would want to see something like -3 to -5 dbmv.


These are the levels reported:

Premier XL
Tuner: -6d BmV
FDC: -8 dBmV
RDC: 48 dBmV

Premier
Tuner: -7 dBmV
FDC: -9 dBmV
RDC: 48 dBmV

Thanks,
Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> These are the levels reported:
> 
> Premier XL
> Tuner: -6d BmV
> ...


Is this while using the RF passthru thru the TA? Looks pretty good.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> Is this while using the RF passthru thru the TA? Looks pretty good.


Yes, the coax comes out of the TA and into the Tivo. So, I should keep it this way then?

Thanks,
Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> Yes, the coax comes out of the TA and into the Tivo. So, I should keep it this way then?
> 
> Thanks,
> Ted


If you arent seeing bad things... I would say yes.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> If you arent seeing bad things... I would say yes.


The only bad thing I have seen is my XL wouldn't respond to input from the remote last night. Live TV was still displayed and a recording apparently was happening just fine, but I could not pause, change the channel, etc. I eventually gave up and power-cycled it. Would signal issues cause that?

I plan to mess around with my wiring a bit. What range of values should I stay in?

Thanks,
Ted


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## lp142 (Sep 23, 2010)

Another week went by with no card from Time Warner...rescheduled for next Thurday.....sigh


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## lamotte (Oct 11, 2004)

sorry to hear that. took them 5 tries to get me up and running properly


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## Schmye Bubbula (Oct 14, 2004)

Time-Warner in Triad NC just moved one of my deal-breaker channels (C-SPAN 2) off analogue. Will I be able to get my two single-tuner Series 2 TiVos to work with this Tuning Adapter thing (whatever that is)? How about a full cable box?


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

Schmye Bubbula said:


> Time-Warner in Triad NC just moved one of my deal-breaker channels (C-SPAN 2) off analogue. Will I be able to get my two single-tuner Series 2 TiVos to work with this Tuning Adapter thing (whatever that is)? How about a full cable box?


S2's cant deal with Tuning Adapters. You can set up the S2 to control a cable box via an IR Blaster though... I would use the SVideo connection between the cable box and the S2.


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## Schmye Bubbula (Oct 14, 2004)

SCSIRAID said:


> S2's cant deal with Tuning Adapters. You can set up the S2 to control a cable box via an IR Blaster though... I would use the SVideo connection between the cable box and the S2.


OK, I think I now *understand* why my S2 can't use a Tuning Adapter (because it doesn't use a CableCARD); rather, according to *this*, I need something called a Digital Transport Adapter. But I have _*two *_single-tuner S2s, and that TiVo Support document doesn't address that.... If I went with a full cable box, would _*it *_handle two single-tuner S2s?

I've got a bad feeling about this. What the hell happened last February when everybody  including Time-Warner  said that analogue cable users wouldn't be affected by the OTA digital transition? I was happy with the way cable was the last twenty years, damnit! I'm unemployed and can't afford a new TiVo.


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

Schmye Bubbula said:


> OK, I think I now *understand* why my S2 can't use a Tuning Adapter (because it doesn't use a CableCARD); rather, according to *this*, I need something called a Digital Transport Adapter. But I have _*two *_single-tuner S2s, and that TiVo Support document doesn't address that.... If I went with a full cable box, would _*it *_handle two single-tuner S2s?
> 
> I've got a bad feeling about this. What the hell happened last February when everybody  including Time-Warner  said that analogue cable users wouldn't be affected by the OTA digital transition? I was happy with the way cable was the last twenty years, damnit! I'm unemployed and can't afford a new TiVo.


You will need one cable box or DTA per single tuner S2. The S2 will act like a remote control via the IR Blaster and change channels on the cable box and then record the output of the cable box.


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## Schmye Bubbula (Oct 14, 2004)

SCSIRAID said:


> You will need one cable box or DTA per single tuner S2. The S2 will act like a remote control via the IR Blaster and change channels on the cable box and then record the output of the cable box.


OK, now we're getting somewhere  thanks and a tip o' the hat, *SCSIRAID, *for being so helpful.... Now I have some more questions:
- How do I decide whether I want DTAs or full cable boxes?
- Will I need a *third *DTA or cable box to view live TV directly?
- Does a DTA or cable box mean that when I'm channel surfing on live TV, it'll take forever to go from channel to channel? (I've heard rumors.)
- When viewing live TV, do I now lose my regular remote control, or am forced to augment it with yet another goddamn remote?

I'm going to have more & more pixelization & dropouts now, aren't I? God, I *hate *digital! Everything's getting _worse, _not better!


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

Schmye Bubbula said:


> OK, now we're getting somewhere  thanks and a tip o' the hat, *SCSIRAID, *for being so helpful.... Now I have some more questions:
> - How do I decide whether I want DTAs or full cable boxes?
> - Will I need a *third *DTA or cable box to view live TV directly?
> - Does a DTA or cable box mean that when I'm channel surfing on live TV, it'll take forever to go from channel to channel? (I've heard rumors.)
> ...


1) DTA vs Cable box - depends on what level of subscription you have.. if you want to be able to record 'digital cable' and subscribe to those channels above and beyond standard analog cable then you want a cable box. If you just want basic cable... DTA should do (we dont have DTA's here in TWC land)

2) With the cable box / DTA you will be able to do exactly the same as if you had cable directly attached to TiVo S2. You can watch live tv thru TiVo just like you could with the S2.... The cable box/dta just 'replaces' the internal tuner in TiVo S2.

3) You use the TiVo remote. Make sure that you locate the IR receiver in the cable box/dta and mount the IR Blaster right over it. I then would use electrical tape to complete cover the 'window' around the ir receiver to be sure it cant 'see' any IR from any outside sources.

4) channel surfing will likely be slower.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

ncted said:


> The only bad thing I have seen is my XL wouldn't respond to input from the remote last night. Live TV was still displayed and a recording apparently was happening just fine, but I could not pause, change the channel, etc. I eventually gave up and power-cycled it. Would signal issues cause that?
> 
> I plan to mess around with my wiring a bit. What range of values should I stay in?
> 
> ...


My XL froze again this morning. So far, TWC has been pretty reliable, but my XL freezes about once a week. The regular Premier has not frozen yet. I have a few more days to return my XL, so I need to make a decision soon. The wife is asking if I want to go back to Dish, so I think she is getting annoyed.

Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> My XL froze again this morning. So far, TWC has been pretty reliable, but my XL freezes about once a week. The regular Premier has not frozen yet. I have a few more days to return my XL, so I need to make a decision soon. The wife is asking if I want to go back to Dish, so I think she is getting annoyed.
> 
> Ted


Freezing is not something I would expect to see anything more than once in a blue moon. I would return it for replacement. Dont forget to remove the cablecard. TWC will reauthorize it over the phone via the cable card support desk.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> Freezing is not something I would expect to see anything more than once in a blue moon. I would return it for replacement. Dont forget to remove the cablecard. TWC will reauthorize it over the phone via the cable card support desk.


The other one is doing it now, and I have it's cable split out before the TA. It still records, but I cannot interact with the device when this happens. All the remote codes I found here to reset the UI don't seem to help either. I am using the SDUI. This is a very annoying bug.

Ted


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## SCSIRAID (Feb 2, 2003)

ncted said:


> The other one is doing it now, and I have it's cable split out before the TA. It still records, but I cannot interact with the device when this happens. All the remote codes I found here to reset the UI don't seem to help either. I am using the SDUI. This is a very annoying bug.
> 
> Ted


Hmmm... that is odd. Does it ever recover or is the only way out to pull the plug? These are both S4's.. right? What if you switch to the HDUI? Does it still happen?


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

SCSIRAID said:


> Hmmm... that is odd. Does it ever recover or is the only way out to pull the plug? These are both S4's.. right? What if you switch to the HDUI? Does it still happen?


I've not tried the HDUI. These are both S4s. If it does recover, it takes longer than my patience will allow, but I did wait for over an hour one time with no change in results. I noticed on the non-XL unit, the amber LED was not lighting up all each time I pressed something on the remote, so I changed the batteries, but that did not help either. After reboot, it was fine again though.

Ted


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

No freezes last night. I turned on the HDUI, and no crashes, but it is godawful slow. I might as well have Navigator, so I can't say it is worth it at this time.

Ted


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

The XL froze this morning. Bah!


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