# Does Tivo work with Charter cable?



## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Hi all, new member here. I have been with Dish Network for about 6 years, I love the channels and guide, but hate the cost. Yesterday we had Charter come and install their cable, phone and internet. I hate their cable box, and guide.

I have been checking around looking at Tivo's, and am wondering if I can use a Tivo with Charter.

My wife went to Charter today and they make it sound like they don't support Tivo.

Thanks for any help,

Tony


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## buscuitboy (Aug 8, 2005)

Charter should support TiVos. You will need to obtain a cable card from them. Either from a local office or they may be able to send you one in the mail. This will then insert into your new TiVo. You then need to call Charter and have them "pair" the new cable card with the new TiVo you got. 

I have Comcast and they have a dedicated cable card hotline. Not sure if Charter has this and/or how hard it is to pair cable cards with TiVos with Charter. While I didn't need this, I know some cable companies require a SDV adapter as well. Maybe someone else with Charter can confirm this or not.


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## shrike4242 (Dec 1, 2006)

buscuitboy said:


> Charter should support TiVos. You will need to obtain a cable card from them. Either from a local office or they may be able to send you one in the mail. This will then insert into your new TiVo. You then need to call Charter and have them "pair" the new cable card with the new TiVo you got.
> 
> I have Comcast and they have a dedicated cable card hotline. Not sure if Charter has this and/or how hard it is to pair cable cards with TiVos with Charter. While I didn't need this, I know some cable companies require a SDV adapter as well. Maybe someone else with Charter can confirm this or not.


I have Charter in St. Louis and have been using CableCards since I had my S3 back in 2006. I've gone through Tivo HD units, Premieres and now a Roamio Pro.

You will need a CableCard and Tuning Adapter per Tivo. In St. Louis, they use Motorola cards and Motorola TAs. I did run into an issue when moving one of my CableCards from my S3 to my Roamio Pro as Charter couldn't get it to work over the phone with the phone install. A tech had to come up with a newer card with newer FW for it to work and so far, it seems to be working on my Roamio Pro.

If you're starting fresh with a new Tivo install, you may need a truck roll to get it all working if you can't pick up the equipment locally and do an over-the-phone pairing of the card and TA to the Tivo.

You will be looked at like the redheaded stepchild since they seldom do many things with CableCards and they don't have a dedicated group like Comcast seems to. You'll call into the regular tech support number and you may have to get shuffled around to a rep that is versed on CableCards in trying to get this dealt with for a new install.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I have found a set of Roamio pro and mini for 680.00 shipped new that I may get.

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

I don't have Charter, but I'm pretty sure all cable TV companies in the U.S. are required to support the CableCard standard under federal regulations. From my own experiences with Time Warner Cable, I can tell you that cable companies do their best to discourage you from it. They want to lock you into their crappy, overpriced equipment if they possibly can. Their most popular strategy for this seems to be getting their employees playing dumb about it and trying to get you to question whether you know what you're actually talking about. Just be persistent and firm. Eventually you'll get Charter to live up to their legal duty to support your TiVo.

I did find references to CableCard and TiVo on Charter's website:

http://www.myaccount.charter.com/Customers/Support.aspx?MenuItem=79

http://www.myaccount.charter.com/customers/support.aspx?SupportArticleID=15

It looks like there is some useful info there and it at least proves that they do support CableCards and TiVo. If any Charter employees try to tell you they don't support it, just reference their own website and that should shut them up about it.


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

Charter does support CableCards and TiVos. It can be a trying experience, but once you get it setup and going you'll be in good shape.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for all the good comments and help. Just got off the phone with Charter and the customer rep said that I would have to find out what cable card that I need before they can get me one.

They carry one type in their office, and they other they would have to send it to me from somewhere else.

How do I know what type card that I need?

Tony


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

godsey1 said:


> Thanks for all the good comments and help. Just got off the phone with Charter and the customer rep said that I would have to find out what cable card that I need before they can get me one.
> 
> They carry one type in their office, and they other they would have to send it to me from somewhere else.
> 
> ...


Charter is supposed to know what kind of card you need. It's dependent on what system they use in your area (Cisco or Motorola).

They're "supposed" to be able to mail them to you, but I have never had that happen. Just go to your local Charter store and get a CableCard and Tuning Adapter, or you can schedule a tech to bring one out.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> the customer rep said that I would have to find out what cable card that I need before they can get me one.
> 
> They carry one type in their office, and they other they would have to send it to me from somewhere else.
> 
> ...


That's a strange thing for them to tell you, as the brand of card (Motorola vs. Cisco) used in your area is the brand you will need. However, I think what the customer service rep was probably referring to was not the brand of card but rather single-stream card ("S-card") vs. multi-stream card (M-card). I'm sure they probably only keep M-cards in stock these days as all current TiVos use them. Only if you went on ebay and bought a really old TiVo would you need a single-stream card.

Just get the brand of card they keep it stock at your local office and just make sure that it's an M-card. It's almost certainly the type of card you will need.


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

tarheelblue32 said:


> That's a strange thing for them to tell you, as the brand of card (Motorola vs. Cisco) used in your area is the brand you will need. However, I think what the customer service rep was probably referring to was not the brand of card but rather single-stream card ("S-card") vs. multi-stream card (M-card). I'm sure they probably only keep M-cards in stock these days as all current TiVos use them. Only if you went on ebay and bought a really old TiVo would you need a single-stream card.
> 
> Just get the brand of card they keep it stock at your local office and just make sure that it's an M-card. It's almost certainly the type of card you will need.


Actually, a Series 3 can use an M-Card, it'll just be in single stream mode. They should really only be dealing in M-Cards these days. Probably just got an unfortunately educated CSR


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes that's the cards she said. I will send my wife in there when the box gets here and get the card. Thanks a bunch for the help, and I look forward to reading and posting on here a lot,

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> Yes that's the cards she said. I will send my wife in there when the box gets here and get the card. Thanks a bunch for the help, and I look forward to reading and posting on here a lot,
> 
> Tony


From the Charter website it looks like Charter uses Switched Digital Video (SDV) in most places, so your wife will also probably need to pick up a tuning adapter when she's there getting the CableCard.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

ok thanks. I cant wait to get this thing and get it running.

Tony


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

When you call Charter to pair it, just say "Cablecard" at the voice prompt and you will usually get someone who knows how to pair the card over the phone.


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## MrDell (Jul 8, 2012)

I think you will be very happy with your Tivo........ I really like my Premiere. I wish it was as responsive as the Roameo but I like it just the same. You will also save a lot of money on the overpriced rental fees that the cable companies love to charge!!


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I hope the wife likes the guide. If it is anything better than the Charter one. It will save us around 30.00 a month.

Tony


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## tatergator1 (Mar 27, 2008)

godsey1 said:


> I hope the wife likes the guide. If it is anything better than the Charter one. It will save us around 30.00 a month.
> 
> Tony


Below is the "Grid Guide"










The other option is the "Live Guide"


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

I didn't even know there was a "grid guide" option. I learn something new every day around here.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

That grid guide is perfect for us. My wife has a big smile on her face after i showed it to her. I cant wait to get this thing and get it running.

Tony


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## hazelnus (Nov 3, 2007)

I am in St. Louis area with Charter and have it working fine. It was a hassle to get set up but here are a few pearls I picked up along the way:
- Initial setup, get a tech visit. However, they never have the equipment, so set up the tech visit but go pick up your tuning adapter and M-card at the main Charter store in your area.
-Make sure that you call tech support and that tech visits are 8-5 hours so that their one tivo expert is around for tech to consult.
-you don't need all-digital cable to get it to work
-It can be done
-educate yourself about TA setup with splitter (parallel calls to TA and Tivo, not in series)
-familiarize yourself with Murphy's Law


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for the advice. I am going to try to do it myself at first. It shouldn't be too hard, but Murphy's Law is always there. If I understand this set up it should be:

Cable coming into the house-----into TA-------into Tivo Then cable run from Tivo to Mini.

Install cable card and call Tivo to have them start my account.

Am I close to being correct?

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> Thanks for the advice. I am going to try to do it myself at first. It shouldn't be too hard, but Murphy's Law is always there. If I understand this set up it should be:
> 
> Cable coming into the house-----into TA-------into Tivo Then cable run from Tivo to Mini.
> 
> ...


You'll want to get a high frequency cable splitter and split the cable going to the TA and the TiVo. The tuning adapters are cheaply made and the coax pass through on the tuning adapters is horrible. I actually tried doing it that way at first and I couldn't get a moca signal through it. Once I used the splitter, everything worked fine.

I also got an extra POE filter to filter out moca signals from going to the tuning adapter, as I read somewhere that sometimes the tuning adapters don't like the moca signals. This probably isn't actually necessary, but I did it anyway. For the same reason, I also put a filter on the coax going to my cable modem. Again, probably not actually necessary, but I like to be overly thorough.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Splitting the cable? So does that mean that the TA is on a cable by itself? Meaning main cable, splitting it in to 2 different cables, 1 running to the TA and ending, the other cable running to the Tivo, then running from Tivo to the mini? Thanks so much for the help,

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> Splitting the cable? So does that mean that the TA is on a cable by itself? Meaning main cable, splitting it in to 2 different cables, 1 running to the TA and ending, the other cable running to the Tivo, then running from Tivo to the mini? Thanks so much for the help,
> 
> Tony


Yes, the TA is on a cable by itself. So, from the wall jack to a high-frequency 2-way splitter, one cable going to the coax in port on the TA and the other cable goes to the coax in port on the TiVo. You won't connect anything to the coax out port on the TA. Just pretend it's there for decoration. Charter's own website actually has a visual display of this setup.

http://www.myaccount.charter.com/Customers/Support.aspx?MenuItem=79

Apparently even Charter knows their TA's are so bad that you shouldn't use the coax out port on the TA.

The Roamio will connect and send TV content (either live TV or recordings) to the mini through moca signals sent over the same cable that is bringing the cable channels into it. The moca network operates at a higher frequency (which is the reason you need a high-frequency splitter) than the cable company uses, so the moca signals won't interfere with the signals the cable company is sending you TV channels on.

The Roamio Plus/Pro and the mini have built-in moca adapters, but you will probably still need another moca adapter (TiVo sells these on their website) to bridge your internet connection if your internet router is in a different location from your Roamio. See the TiVo website for a diagram of this:

https://www.tivo.com/shop/mini

Lastly, you're going to want to install a point-of-entry filter (as the name describes) at the place where the cable company's line enters your home before it splits off to all of the outlets in your home. TiVo also sells these on their website. This filter helps keep your moca signals in and any moca signals of your close neighbors out of your home, which increases the reliability and security of your moca network.


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Yes, the TA is on a cable by itself. So, from the wall jack to a high-frequency 2-way splitter, one cable going to the coax in port on the TA and the other cable goes to the coax in port on the TiVo. You won't connect anything to the coax out port on the TA. Just pretend it's there for decoration. Charter's own website actually has a visual display of this setup.
> 
> http://www.myaccount.charter.com/Customers/Support.aspx?MenuItem=79
> 
> ...


There's two problems with the coax pass through. Mainly, it doesn't pass through MoCA, so if you're using your TiVo to bridge MoCA to your internet connection or to deliver your internet connection to your TiVo, using the passthrough on the TA will block that.

Secondly, at least on the Cisco TAs, the passthrough actually has an amp on it that strengthens the signal going to the output (IE: TiVo). Oftentimes this amp will fail, and the TA will work fine, but the coax output to the TiVo will not.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

OK. I think I have it now. I will get the splitter and filter. I will try at Radio Shack, and will have them make a couple 2-3 foot cables for after the splitter. Hopefully the system will be here today, and I can work on it a little. Thanks again for the GREAT information,

Tony


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

If I want to use my Ethernet from my router, would that be easier? Hook both the pro and mini up on separate wires. We have most of our wiring under the house and it is easy to get to. IF I go this route, what all would I need? I hate to keep bugging you all, but I want this to work. Thanks again,

Tony


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

godsey1 said:


> If I want to use my Ethernet from my router, would that be easier? Hook both the pro and mini up on separate wires. We have most of our wiring under the house and it is easy to get to. IF I go this route, what all would I need? I hate to keep bugging you all, but I want this to work. Thanks again,
> 
> Tony


Ethernet is the simplest and preferred method to use for connecting TiVos to your home network. So if you can do it, then I would use that method.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

That would be easy for me to do. I will look into that setup. Thanks,

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Just fyi, the Mini only has 10/100 ethernet, whereas I think i get 270 Mbps on my Moca connection with the Mini. So moca has a higher theoretical speed for the Mini than ethernet, not that it should really matter all that much.


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## shrike4242 (Dec 1, 2006)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Just fyi, the Mini only has 10/100 ethernet, whereas I think i get 270 Mbps on my Moca connection with the Mini. So moca has a higher theoretical speed for the Mini than ethernet, not that it should really matter all that much.


I'd have to second this about using MoCA over Ethernet.

If you were going between Roamio Plus/Pro models only and had GigE as an option, I would suggest going that way over MoCA, though if not, use MoCA as mentioned above.

It's not that much more work (at least in my experience), though streaming and transfers work so well under MoCA.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I will give it a shot if it works that much better. Thanks again,

Tony.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

godsey1 said:


> I will give it a shot if it works that much better. Thanks again,
> 
> Tony.


MoCA will not work any better. If you have means to run ethernet, then you will not have to worry about setting up a MoCA network (and having to install a POE filter). While MoCA is great, I'm not sure why people here are advocating it so much. Theoretical speeds are pointless since you will be using it to stream to a Mini and not download.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I will check with Tivo and see what they say about it.

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

rainwater said:


> MoCA will not work any better. If you have means to run ethernet, then you will not have to worry about setting up a MoCA network (and having to install a POE filter). While MoCA is great, I'm not sure why people here are advocating it so much. Theoretical speeds are pointless since you will be using it to stream to a Mini and not download.


I said in my post that it shouldn't really matter all that much, but MoCA is theoretically better on the Mini due to its ethernet being limited to 100 Mbps. But really the decision of whether to use ethernet or MoCA should be decided based on which is easier for you to install in your home. Since most people don't have a home wired for ethernet but they do have a home wired with coax cable, MoCA will be the better choice. However, if you already have a home that is wired with ethernet cable, then just use that.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I think I will do the Ethernet first and see how that do. If it isn't fast enough, then I will go the MoCa route. I just want to get it up and running. Thanks for all the help, and I will reply back when it gets here and how the install goes.

Tony


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Hi again. Got my tivo and have it hooked up to the ethernet, TA and cable card put in. I went through the guided setup and Charter was suppost to have activated the card.

I have a solid yellow light on the TA, and only 2 channels show up. The tv guide is populated. Any suggestions? I hqve not gotten a Tivo subscription yet, waiting to see if a very nice member here gets a discount coupon today to give me. Do you have to have the service activated to veiw the cable channels? 

Thanks again,

Tony


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

godsey1 said:


> I have a solid yellow light on the TA, and only 2 channels show up. The tv guide is populated. Any suggestions? I hqve not gotten a Tivo subscription yet, waiting to see if a very nice member here gets a discount coupon today to give me. Do you have to have the service activated to veiw the cable channels?


That means your tuning adapter is working and assuming you have the usb hooked from the tuning adapter to the TiVo, then the issue is the cablecard activation.

What type of cablecard do you have? Motorola or Cisco?


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

It is the Motorola.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

The light is staying solid orange.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

Just got off the phone with charter, with no luck . I am going to call tivo and see if they cqn help.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> Hi again. Got my tivo and have it hooked up to the ethernet, TA and cable card put in. I went through the guided setup and Charter was suppost to have activated the card.
> 
> I have a solid yellow light on the TA, and only 2 channels show up. The tv guide is populated. Any suggestions? I hqve not gotten a Tivo subscription yet, waiting to see if a very nice member here gets a discount coupon today to give me. Do you have to have the service activated to veiw the cable channels?
> 
> ...


Did you call the Charter CableCard line and go through the pairing process with them over the phone to pair the card to the TiVo? You should be able to see all the channels before you actually activate the service with TiVo. Even without the Tuning Adapter attached, you should still be able to see the linear channels that don't use switched digital video.

If you're planning on going with lifetime service, you can get $100 off with the code "PLSR".


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I got it fixed. I re-ran the setup again, and it works perfect now. I love this thing, it is as good if not better than our dish dvr. Thanks for all the help and patience.


Tony


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## tatergator1 (Mar 27, 2008)

Good to hear. Enjoy!


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

It had me scared for a little while. Is there a way to re-number the channels? That is the only thing that is keeping it from being a perfect DVR.I have already deleted a bunch of the channels that we don't watch. Thanks again to you all,

Tony


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

godsey1 said:


> It is the Motorola.


Under CableCard options (for installers)/CableCard Menu/Conditional Access make sure the "Con" line reads something like:
Con:Yes EBCP:Yes Val:V ...

The Val:V means it is paired correctly. If you don't subscribe to premium channels it may not matter but save yourself the trouble and make sure it is paired correctly now in case they make changes in the future.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

godsey1 said:


> It had me scared for a little while. Is there a way to re-number the channels? That is the only thing that is keeping it from being a perfect DVR.I have already deleted a bunch of the channels that we don't watch. Thanks again to you all,
> 
> Tony


You can't re-order the channels. You can create a favorites list so the guide will show only your favorites. Also, you may want to try the different guides (there are two). Some people like the live guide. I prefer the grid guide however.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I have spent about 3 hours deleting channels and setting up our shows to record. I love this Roamio, it is 100 times better than the hopper. 

I checked the settings and they are just like this, except for some numbers at the end of it: Con:Yes EBCP:Yes Val:V , so that should be good. 

I messed up last night. To get our shows recorded I went ahead and signed up for 1 year commitment with the roamio, but have not done the mini yet. I wonder if I could cancel the 1 year service and try it with the code that was posted to get the lifetime on it and the mini? They have the 30 days refund on the service also (if I was reading their site right.

Tony


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I went to the Tivo website and was looking around at my account and seen a place that said "Change subscripition" so I clicked on it, and was able to change to a lifetime sub for the Roamio at the discounted price. Thanks for the code. Very happy now.

Tony


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

godsey1 said:


> I went to the Tivo website and was looking around at my account and seen a place that said "Change subscripition" so I clicked on it, and was able to change to a lifetime sub for the Roamio at the discounted price. Thanks for the code. Very happy now.
> 
> Tony


Another happy TiVo user. Welcome to the club.


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

I got the Mini installed and running. I had to run the setup again as something didn't get installed on it right the first time around.

We ended up having to buy another tv to hook up to it. Now the wife can watch her soaps when I'm home 

Tony


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## Blitz28179 (Dec 31, 2006)

JosephB said:


> Charter is supposed to know what kind of card you need. It's dependent on what system they use in your area (Cisco or Motorola).
> 
> They're "supposed" to be able to mail them to you, but I have never had that happen. Just go to your local Charter store and get a CableCard and Tuning Adapter, or you can schedule a tech to bring one out.


Just be carefull to call one out.They came out to fix my internet WHILE i wasnt there(my son was there) and they charged me a $50 fee and the guy didnt even fix our problem.Tried getting the $50 taken off and got SHOT down.Left a bad taste in my mouth about charter.I am between a rock and hard place though.Dont have alot of ISP options in my area 

BTW I am reading through this thread now.Just got me a TIVO DVR and letting charter have thier crappy setup back


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## Blitz28179 (Dec 31, 2006)

godsey1 said:


> I hope the wife likes the guide. If it is anything better than the Charter one. It will save us around 30.00 a month.
> 
> Tony


Hey godsey.I am looking at my bill and it looks like they are charging me 
$19.99 DVR service and a 
$6.99 Digital Set-top Box fee

I will no longer get those charges after I hook up my TIVO, correct?


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## JosephB (Nov 19, 2010)

Blitz28179 said:


> Hey godsey.I am looking at my bill and it looks like they are charging me
> $19.99 DVR service and a
> $6.99 Digital Set-top Box fee
> 
> I will no longer get those charges after I hook up my TIVO, correct?


As long as you take your DVR back, you are correct. If you turn in ALL of the set top boxes from Charter, those fees will go away. You will only have a $2 CableCard rental fee instead (plus, whatever TiVo fees you have to pay).


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## godsey1 (Jan 23, 2014)

JosephB is correct. The lady at our local office took the charges off our bill while I waited for her to complete everything. If you all are going to do the lifetime, just get the promo code and use it for $100.00 off the price. I used it and it worked great. 

This is a great place and got plenty of help setting my system up, so don't hold back your questions. 

Tony


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## KNAsh (Aug 12, 2015)

I just had a chat with my inside person at our local Charter office. I asked if TiVo would work as I am now paying for their DVR. They told me I would need a cable card which I expected but, on-demand would not work due to that the cable card only communicates in one direction. That was a deal killer for me.


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## UCLABB (May 29, 2012)

KNAsh said:


> I just had a chat with my inside person at our local Charter office. I asked if TiVo would work as I am now paying for their DVR. They told me I would need a cable card which I expected but, on-demand would not work due to that the cable card only communicates in one direction. That was a deal killer for me.


With a six tuner TiVo I find little or no use for on demand. Of course if you like purchase content ahead of its regular showing, then on demand is going to be essential.


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## Chuck_IV (Jan 1, 2002)

KNAsh said:


> I just had a chat with my inside person at our local Charter office. I asked if TiVo would work as I am now paying for their DVR. They told me I would need a cable card which I expected but, on-demand would not work due to that the cable card only communicates in one direction. That was a deal killer for me.


Not sure if you are on a promo plan or not, but I know with the one I just set up, if I went with just one DVR, the DVR fee and box were free, but since I went with more than one initially, they charged me the $10+$6.99 for each box. However, I am wondering if you reduce to one Charter box, does the one box and DVR fee become free? If so, you can keep one for On Demand stuff.

Another option is to grab a Roku. This will give you most of the on-demand style stuff from the premiums like HBO(HBG Go) Cinemax(More MAX) and Showtime(SHO Anytime), plus apps like Watch Disney, Watch ABC and others without having to pay a fee. Charter cable allows login with those services(although I hear Charter has an issue with Apple TV and authenticating).

For PPV, there's VuDu and Amazon on Demand built right into the Roamios(plus they are on Roku as well).


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## MikeBear (May 21, 2015)

tatergator1 said:


> Below is the "Grid Guide"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How do you activate/change to the "grid guide" on a Roamio? I can't seem to find a way to do this...

Thanks!


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## series5orpremier (Jul 6, 2013)

MikeBear said:


> How do you activate/change to the "grid guide" on a Roamio? I can't seem to find a way to do this...
> 
> Thanks!


While in the guide hit the yellow A button on your remote for Guide Options. Scroll to the Style option at the bottom and change it. But the Live Guide is far superior to Grid because it packs multiple times more information into one screen, focusing on one channel at a time. I think much further ahead than two hours.


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## MikeBear (May 21, 2015)

series5orpremier said:


> While in the guide hit the yellow A button on your remote for Guide Options. Scroll to the Style option at the bottom and change it. But the Live Guide is far superior to Grid because it packs multiple times more information into one screen, focusing on one channel at a time. I think much further ahead than two hours.


I agree, I like the live guide better.

However, I'm trying to ease my wife into accepting the Roamio over the Dish VIP722k, and she's horrible when it comes to any sort of "tech change". I figure once she gets use to the grid guide, I'll swap it back to the live one, and see if she can live with it.

Happy wife, happy life... 

Thanks!


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## thefisch (Jul 25, 2015)

Grid is good for surfing. If you use what to watch now instead of channel surfing, then the grid guide loses some relevance. Live guide is great for favorite channels. I do wish there was a one button option to toggle the guide view like you have with sort and zoom.


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## ej42137 (Feb 16, 2014)

I like the Live Guide better myself, but sometimes the Grid Guide is handy because you can change the Channel List settings directly from it by moving the cursor onto the channel and selecting it. If you have a lot of settings to change and you know ahead of time what channels are to be set, the Channel List is faster, but if you have to look at the channel to tell what to set the Grid Guide is faster.

For some reason my wife likes the Grid Guide better too. Is there some pattern here?


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## kambergk (Dec 9, 2009)

shrike4242 said:


> I have Charter in St. Louis and have been using CableCards since I had my S3 back in 2006. I've gone through Tivo HD units, Premieres and now a Roamio Pro.
> 
> You will need a CableCard and Tuning Adapter per Tivo. In St. Louis, they use Motorola cards and Motorola TAs. I did run into an issue when moving one of my CableCards from my S3 to my Roamio Pro as Charter couldn't get it to work over the phone with the phone install. A tech had to come up with a newer card with newer FW for it to work and so far, it seems to be working on my Roamio Pro.
> 
> ...


I have been trying to get my Dad set up with Charter in St. Louis, to no avail..

We are trying to use my Tivo HD (Series 3). I have used it for years as an OTA DVR, and just upgraded to a Roamio. I wanted him to have a DVR, but we have had nothing but issues trying to set it up with Charter.

Basically, we put the CableCard into the Tivo, (into slot 1), and the Tivo detects it as a M-Card. We then go to CableCard setup, and we go to the sub menu where we should see the host id and data id.

What we see instead is:

*Your cable provider has not supplied any information for this card.*

Press LEFT to go back.

We have gone through guided setup multiple times (it takes hours), and this doesn't help.

I've been on the phone with Tivo and Charter, and they both say it is the other one's issue. Tivo said that they don't believe the cablecard is configured correctly, which is why we are not getting a host id / data id. (It is a motorola cablecard)

Charter says that Tivo is the one that provides the information, and they need the host id and data id to do anything.

The setup is cable coming in, goes to a two way spliter, the one cable to the Tivo, and one to the tuning adapter. I have a USB cable from the tuning adapter going to the Tivo. (I can get some info about the tuning adapter on the Tivo, so I don't think this is the problem)

I have tried 3 separate cablecards, but they all do the same thing. Really could use some help, as I tried to set it up while I was visiting, and now I am 1000 miles away.

My dad got a 4th cablecard, (they said it needed to end in "17"), but that did the same thing.

Any help would be appreciated.


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## MikeBear (May 21, 2015)

kambergk said:


> I have been trying to get my Dad set up with Charter in St. Louis, to no avail..
> 
> *I have tried 3 separate cablecards, but they all do the same thing. Really could use some help, as I tried to set it up while I was visiting, and now I am 1000 miles away.
> 
> ...


Where did you get these cablecards from? You have to get them from CHARTER (your dad's local cable franchise), you can't simply buy them from Ebay, or even bring them from a different cable system.


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## Isaiah (Nov 14, 2016)

MikeBear said:


> Where did you get these cablecards from? You have to get them from CHARTER (your dad's local cable franchise), you can't simply buy them from Ebay, or even bring them from a different cable system.


If you got those cable cards directly from Charter Communications, I would suspect that the TIVO Series 3 that you are using has a defective cable card slot.


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