# Cablecard experiences with Comcast --how has yours been?



## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

Okay, I know this may vary slightly from state-to-state (I'm in MI), but I wanted to find out what your experiences with obtaining a Cablecard from Comcast were, as I'm gearing up to obtain one for the first time.

I'm a DIY kind of person with my electronics and computer gear, as it is my career background. Did Comcast let you just pick up a Cablecard from your local office, or did they require an install? I'd like to just go and get one if it is possible, since then I won't have to wait for the Premiere to arrive to schedule, I can get one and do it myself.

The policies I've seen currently state that Comcast will give you one Cablecard for free. Has this been the case for you, or have you had to print it out their policies online and argue your case to get one without paying?

I currently have just the Basic cable, which will become Digital Basic once Comcast completes their switchover this summer. Does anyone know if the type of cable plan you have makes a difference in obtaining a card from them?

Have you had issues getting the Type-M card you needed (vs. the S-Card) or has it been relatively straightforward?

Thanks guys (and gals). I'm interested in knowing your experiences.


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## WhiskeyTango (Sep 20, 2006)

I had no problem getting an M card. During the install, the tech put the card in and then I basically did all of the Tivo stuff. Then he called the office and had the card activated. They wouldn't allow me to just pick up a card, they required a tech to come.


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## jimiz (Dec 26, 2009)

I had some issues. I live in the Grand Rapids, MI area. I got a notice that they were turning off Analog. So I had to get a Digital box (for free) I called them up and mentioned that I had a tivo and a windows media center and the box was useless to me. After a long discussion and the person on the phone not understanding that the Tivo needed a cable card I got a Tech that understood.

I had a comcast tech scheduled to come and install (with instructions to only come if they had an Mcard). I made it clear (in writing) that I did not want 2 single cards.

It took 3 visits but I finally got the M-card installed and working.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

No problems here in Chicagoland. One trip to install and they have never been back.


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## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

jimiz said:


> I had some issues. I live in the Grand Rapids, MI area. I got a notice that they were turning off Analog. So I had to get a Digital box (for free) I called them up and mentioned that I had a tivo and a windows media center and the box was useless to me. After a long discussion and the person on the phone not understanding that the Tivo needed a cable card I got a Tech that understood.
> 
> I had a comcast tech scheduled to come and install (with instructions to only come if they had an Mcard). I made it clear (in writing) that I did not want 2 single cards.
> 
> It took 3 visits but I finally got the M-card installed and working.


I'm in your area --I really hope that doesn't happen.

Did you call Comcast's 1-800 number or did you speak with the local office?


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## LuckyDad (Jan 21, 2010)

LoneWolf15 said:


> Okay, I know this may vary slightly from state-to-state (I'm in MI), but I wanted to find out what your experiences with obtaining a Cablecard from Comcast were, as I'm gearing up to obtain one for the first time.
> 
> I'm a DIY kind of person with my electronics and computer gear, as it is my career background. Did Comcast let you just pick up a Cablecard from your local office, or did they require an install? I'd like to just go and get one if it is possible, since then I won't have to wait for the Premiere to arrive to schedule, I can get one and do it myself.
> 
> ...


I am in the Detroit area and no problems with the install, took them a couple of times to make the initial pairing. Had to have a truck roll, no local pickup. I was told over the phone that I could go to local center and pick it up, so when I arrived to do so, they told me no. Because of that, they waived the trip charge.

I am however, being charged for the single cable card, $1.50 when I was told te first one would be free. After 25 minutes on the phone trying to get them to explain why the first box or card for a TV would be free, but a card for a TiVo is not, I gave up. I have their product listing and fee sheet that says it's free but haven't called back to wrestle yet. Good luck.


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## bigpuma (Aug 12, 2003)

I helped my dad install 3 m cards in 3 HD TiVos in Palo Alto, CA. It couldn't have been easier because they allowed us to pick up the cards at the local office and install them ourselves. Setup was a breeze, we just had to restart the TiVo once Comcast activated the card and all channels were working.


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## ewilts (Feb 26, 2002)

LoneWolf15 said:


> Did Comcast let you just pick up a Cablecard from your local office, or did they require an install? I'd like to just go and get one if it is possible, since then I won't have to wait for the Premiere to arrive to schedule, I can get one and do it myself.


Comcast did the install for me several years ago. One trip on a Sunday that cost me under $20 to install 2 cards in my Series 3.



> The policies I've seen currently state that Comcast will give you one Cablecard for free. Has this been the case for you, or have you had to print it out their policies online and argue your case to get one without paying?


I currently have 2 for free on Basic Cable. I had Digital Starter for a while when I first got my CableCARDs but dropped to basic cable. Comcast originally tried to charge me an "additional outlet fee" but dropped that after I explained that I have only a single outlet. Even on the basic cable package at $10.66 per month, I have access to the locals in HD. I tell the TiVo that I have a digital package and then unselect all of the channels I don't get. That gets me proper guide data for the HD stations since the CableCARDs map them to where they're supposed to be.


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## jtreid (Jan 12, 2006)

ewilts said:


> Comcast originally tried to charge me an "additional outlet fee" but dropped that after I explained that I have only a single outlet.


What the &$%#[email protected]#!$ kind of magic pixie dust did you use to get them to drop the additional outlet fee? I've had monthly calls with those baffoons since my bill started itemizing the additional outlet fee since last September. I've got an S3 with two s-cards. The first card is free and they charge me $1.75 plus and additional outlet fee of $8.90 for the second card. The CSRs insist is the only way in their system to code the card so that it can receive digital classic. I've even had a tech come out to audit my hardware in the hopes these morons would finally see it's one freakin' outlet, but they were still clueless. I've emailed the We_Can_Help folks this morning and hopefully I'll get some satisfaction. They've been charging me this bogus additional outlet fee since April of 2007.


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## jtreid (Jan 12, 2006)

I just got an email response from We_Can_Help saying they're looking into it and will give me a call. Fingers crossed.


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## ewilts (Feb 26, 2002)

jtreid said:


> What the &$%#[email protected]#!$ kind of magic pixie dust did you use to get them to drop the additional outlet fee? I've had monthly calls with those baffoons since my bill started itemizing the additional outlet fee since last September. I've got an S3 with two s-cards. The first card is free and they charge me $1.75 plus and additional outlet fee of $8.90 for the second card. The CSRs insist is the only way in their system to code the card so that it can receive digital classic. I've even had a tech come out to audit my hardware in the hopes these morons would finally see it's one freakin' outlet, but they were still clueless. I've emailed the We_Can_Help folks this morning and hopefully I'll get some satisfaction. They've been charging me this bogus additional outlet fee since April of 2007.


Write a letter to your franchising authority if you haven't done so already. Explain to them that you have a single cable to a single device for your single TV and ask them why Comcast is charging you for 2 outlets. They will have a definition of "outlet" and you have 1. Explain to them politely that if you had a Comcast DVR instead of your TiVo that there would be no charge and that you're being unfairly charged for having a TiVo.

They can code it properly. They're just too lazy to find out how to do so. They also have the ability to give you credits for specific periodse' no reason at all that they couldn't give you a $8.90 month credit to work around their system limitations. If it's ONLY a technical restriction on their coding and they try to feed you that line, get them to give you an annual credit. 3 years at $8.90 per month is a $320 overcharge - also known as a TiVo tax. Ask the franchising authority to order Comcast to repay that to you.


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## CraigK (Jun 9, 2006)

There is a long thread here Official Comcast CableCard Thread!. You can look at the last few pages to read about the most recent adventures from forum members.

Here's another thread that has some interesting info.. Comcast Billing for HD, Cablecards .

Basically Comcast's policies are localized and seemingly at the whim of whoever you talk to. It can vary widely even in the same city.

I was able to pick up my CableCARDs and the install them myself and calls to Comcast to get them paired went well. No problems whatsoever.

The billing on the other hand has been iffy. I have two TiVo HDs, each with an M-card. I'm charged $6.10 for one additional digital outlet (the first TiVo is included as part of my package). They still charge me $1.60 a month for each CableCARD as "TiVo Series 3-cable Card" as if it's a second card on an original Series 3. I've called several times and talked with several folks at Comcast both in billing and repair and they don't seem to have the ability (or interest) in getting it right. There should be no charge for these even according to their own online FAQ. 

I can hardly wait to see what the local office's interpretation of the upcoming "HD Technology Fee" works out to regarding CableCards.


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## jtreid (Jan 12, 2006)

Yesterday, I got a call from the regional exec office about my problem. She tried to tell me that I was being charged correctly. God! What a bunch of knuckleheads! I went through the same spiel I've gone through a half dozen times. She said they don't support Tivo boxes. Yada, yada yada. I finally put it this way. 

"I've got three boxes in my house and you're charging me for three additional outlets. It should not matter that one of those outlets had two cable cards, but you are effectively charging me $10.65 (1.75 + 8.90) for the second cable card on the one outlet. Think about it for a minute. I have three boxes. I should only be charged TWO additional outlet fees."

That's when I heard the gears strip in her head. She said these cablecards are very confusing to her. (Geeze! They are not). She would have to talk to someone and call me back.

Well, she did and they removed the 3rd outlet, but not directly for the reason I was claiming. She claimed that back in Feb, I had another box which I did when I added the new TivoHD and when I turned the box in, they did not remove the additional outlet. Well, fact of the matter is, back then I was being charged for 4 additional outlets. I didn't have the strength any longer to fight it. I said, "thank you" and hung up.

To end the horrid tale (until my next bill comes in I'm sure), I should be credited the additional outlet fee back to April of '07 when they started all the crap, but they won't because this ditz still doesn't understand and I've had so many problems with my bill, no one can make sense out of the history. So I lost the credit battle, but won the war of the additional outlet fee.


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## Alphi (Dec 11, 2004)

LoneWolf15 said:


> I'm in your area --I really hope that doesn't happen.
> 
> Did you call Comcast's 1-800 number or did you speak with the local office?


For what it's worth, I'm in the Grand Rapids area too (technically I'm actually between Hudsonville & Grandville), and I had Comcast come out about 6 months ago to install my M-card, and it went without a hitch.

As is already mentioned - it's not something you can do yourself. I think that's just because the guy had to call and have the card activated (not sure why we couldn't do that, but I digress).

In fact, I even have a funny story about it: while the tech had no problem installing the card (other than the fact that he was on hold waiting to get it activated for about 20 minutes - not the fault of the tech), he told me that the cable cards weren't very reliable, and that I should expect lots of problems with it.

That was 6 months ago, and I've yet to see a problem at all.


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## backstr (Jan 15, 2010)

One multi-stream in a TivoHD. No problems with or since the install. One call back, but it was my fault and the tech did not charge me. I'm in Eden Prairie, MN


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## Unseen Llama (Nov 29, 2005)

Alphi said:


> In fact, I even have a funny story about it: while the tech had no problem installing the card (other than the fact that he was on hold waiting to get it activated for about 20 minutes - not the fault of the tech), he told me that the cable cards weren't very reliable, and that I should expect lots of problems with it.
> 
> That was 6 months ago, and I've yet to see a problem at all.


Sorry to generalize...but I presume most of the techs says this because most of the tech don't know what they are doing.


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## c.hack (Sep 8, 2004)

First Comcast CC install - Tech spent all day trying to get CC to work and gave up saying all his cards were bad. Then tried installing a HD cable box and it failed. He blamed the splitter. Next day Tech #2 showed up and found out they had been activating my neighbors house. Cause = General Comcast incompetence

Second Comcast CC install - Tech arrived 3 hours late. Did not know how to install a cable card and asked my wife. She showed him the TiVo. He said he is not allowed to touch customer's electronics and left without installation. 4 days later Tech #2 arrived and thought TiVo S3 can use dual tuner CCs - it does not. After 4 hours of trying he finally installed 2 CCs and left.

In general, only a few Comcast techs have the slightest idea of what they are doing. In general I am paying a lot of money for a bunch of incompetent buffoons to rebroadcast programming.


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## real_goose (Oct 24, 2009)

I am near Detroit and played CSR bingo until I got the correct answer about the cost of a cable card. I called about every 5 days until I found a CSR that knew the correct price - free. I pay $15.99 + taxes and BS fees for limited basic. There is no additional charge for the cable card in my TiVo HD. As usual the installer came after the end of his install window so the install was free as well. He entered the card and pairing info into a hand held unit, no calls were needed.


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## patatrox (Nov 30, 2006)

LoneWolf15 said:


> Okay, I know this may vary slightly from state-to-state (I'm in MI), but I wanted to find out what your experiences with obtaining a Cablecard from Comcast were, as I'm gearing up to obtain one for the first time.


1) First phone call, went rather well. The agent knew what a cablecard was and there was a small one-time fee for the card (< $10) and they sent someone out. They wouldn't let me just pick it up at the time (this may have changed)

2) Installer showed up, didn't know much about TiVo - but was professional and I showed him how to install it. It really just slides in, not much more than that.

3) Installer had to call his office twice to get them to activate the card, but he was good about it and waited around of his own accord.


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## telcoman (Dec 27, 2007)

LoneWolf15 said:


> Okay, I know this may vary slightly from state-to-state (I'm in MI), but I wanted to find out what your experiences with obtaining a Cablecard from Comcast were, as I'm gearing up to obtain one for the first time.
> 
> I'm a DIY kind of person with my electronics and computer gear, as it is my career background. Did Comcast let you just pick up a Cablecard from your local office, or did they require an install? I'd like to just go and get one if it is possible, since then I won't have to wait for the Premiere to arrive to schedule, I can get one and do it myself.
> 
> ...


No problem here in Central New Jersey. We have three Series3 HD TIVOs with single M Cards. They insist on sending a tech out that only took a few minutes when we upgraded the last series 2 to series 3.
If you call when the bill comes and complain about having to pay to have a tech insert a card into a TIVO when they will ship you a cable box that you install yourself they will in most cases remove the charge.

Telcoman


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## TolloNodre (Nov 3, 2007)

My experience has been the opposite of most, the tech really knew what was going on - but he did a lot of installs. He told me the 800 people don't have a clue about cablecards and he would have to fix the billing and he did. First card free, second card for $1.50, no extra outlet fee - been setup that way for two years now and no problems.


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## tedshred (Jan 27, 2006)

In Seattle I was able to pick up an M card directly from the local Comcast service center. This was about 5-6 months ago when I bought a Tivo HD. I activated the card myself w/ no problems. Called the 800# that popped up on the screen when my Tivo read the data coded onto the card. No problem getting the card paired, and haven't had any issues since.

I upgraded my Tivo HD w/ a 1TB drive about a month ago using WinMFS tools, and didn't lose the pairing w/ the upgrade. I used the copy option that transferred my programs.

Took awhile to get billing straightened out. I never have had any charges for the cablecard. We had also switched to CC for phone, and this was about the time CC transitioned to digital in Seattle. The tech that set up the phone dropped off a CC digital tuning adapter, but that quit working b/c it was only for the higher tier packages. I'm signed up for an "economy" digital out here for $29.99 / mo. that gets locals plus Comedy Central and a few channels from their expanded tier. That stripped down package only includes 1 outlet. I had to get an older set top box that incurred a $6.10 monthly charge for a 2nd outlet to hook up to my Pioneer Tivo. Just sold that Tivo after upgrading the Tivo HD, and building up a small Windows Media center PC to handle DVD's. At this point I just have the Mcard in the Tivo, an the Media Center PC gets the analog local channels via an old analog TV tuner card I had kicking around the house. Works well w/o issue for us.

I'll reiterate the advice of others in this thread- KNOW your local franchise agreement. It'll help you get the best pricing, service, and avoid the run around from the CSR's on the pnone.


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## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

Hey guys, I'm curious --what TV package do y'all have?

I'm wondering if anyone here in Michigan has their CableCARD hooked up with Digital Starter or Digital Economy. I just want to make sure it's possible to get a CC with one of the entry digital packages.


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## Videodrome (Jun 20, 2008)

Its depends who you get, if the rep actually cares, they will schedule an appointment, or lie and say they dont have cards, and dont know when there will be arriving. Overall my experience was an F.


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## real_goose (Oct 24, 2009)

LoneWolf15 said:


> I'm wondering if anyone here in Michigan has their CableCARD hooked up with Digital Starter or Digital Economy. I just want to make sure it's possible to get a CC with one of the entry digital packages.


I had no problem ordering cable cards for Limited Basic in Michigan. Getting them with any digital package should be no issue.


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## RayChuang88 (Sep 5, 2002)

So far so good, though the first time the M-Card CableCARD was installed by the Comcast technician it promptly locked up my TiVo box.







Fortunately, reinserting the card fixed the problem. 

I'm on _Digital Preferred_ service, especially since Comcast offered me a deal for upgrade from Digital Basic to Digital Preferred for very low cost for one year.


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## Fist of Death (Jan 4, 2002)

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and the Redmond, WA Comcast office is fairly close. Having read so many Comcast CableCARD stoires, I went in yesterday ready for battle. Imagine my surprise when I encountered an employee who knew all about these things, correctly understood the pricing structure, and was able to answer my questions! Not only that, but she was pleasant and thanked me for being a Comcast customer!!! UPS tells me my TiVo is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, so I haven't actually put my new M-card into anything yet, but so far, so good. :up:


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## Fist of Death (Jan 4, 2002)

Update to Comcast experience described above: my TiVo Premier XL arrived Friday morning, so I pulled the Series 3 out of primary duty, inserted the new M-card into the XL, and installed it into my entertainment center. After some downloads and reboots, I called the 877 number shown on the TiVo screen and activated the Comcast M-Card - with NO problems. The entire CableCARD activation process took about 15 minutes, and the Comcast employee I spoke with knew all about what he was doing. Congratulations Comcast: two good, knowledgeable employees IN A ROW! Could this be a trend???

BTW - got my e-bill yesterday. There was only an incremental $1.60 monthly charge for the additional card. Where are the screw-ups I was expecting?


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

YMMV - you're lucky to be living in a decent area for Cablecard activations, that's all.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

(Shorter version of a story I put in one of the other threads.)
I got a new M card on Saturday. I moved the 2 S cards that were previously in my TivoHD to my Series 3. I put the new M card in my TivoHD.

Tried to get everything set up via the online chat (while it's slow, it seems to be less annoying than trying to do it over the phone). I think all they did was "ping" them.. I also realize I think I gave the wrong number at one point (not the Host/Data, the # shown above that..)

Called up yesterday. They took a LONG time and put me on hold, were unable to add the new cablecard. The guy (or at least when talking to his co-workers) seemed to have somewhat of a clue about cablecards. They SAID they'd call me back, but didn't.

They again 'pinged' the two S cards. I got the *good* error (IIRC 161-4).. and rebooted the Tivo as instructed. I still am not getting HBO (tuning to that channel gives me the cablecard page describing I need to call Comcast). I *am* getting some other channels, like Game Show Network, which I am still not getting on the TivoHD.

Since I personally don't care much about HBO (it's for others in the house + I have been trying to convince them to cancel it anyway -- as I'm paying the cable bill), I haven't made a big deal about it yet (though I would like to get all of the non-premium digital channels on the new cablecard).. I may end up emailing that Comcast address others are mentioning. 

I _can_ get the "normal" stuff (broadcast channels and what used to be known as extended basic) even on the new apparently unpaired card..

Oops, wasn't as short as I had tried..


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## fnord (Jan 3, 2006)

I'm in Houston. Was kind of expecting an ordeal when I went into the comcast office and asked for two cablecards. They gave them to me and I was on my way in five minutes. I plugged in the new tivo's, and called the number that popped up on the screen, they just needed the "unit ID" (or whatever it's called), and I had live TV 10 seconds after I read off the last digit.

I'm using the "expanded digital basic" lineup that includes everything except the movie channels. 

The cablecard was about the only thing that worried me - I had read horror stories when they were first introduced. I think they've got it settled down nicely now.


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## EvilMonkey (Nov 5, 2005)

I'm in SE Pennsylvania & just scheduled my card install for Friday from 3-5. I will update on how it goes.


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## ItsRounder (Feb 28, 2010)

My install for the Premier wen't pretty well. It was working fine and as the tech started to walk down the steps to leave the screen went blank. He ended up calling back to remove the card settings and setting it back up from scratch. About 10 minutes later it was working fine. There was some odd intermittent pixellation for a few minutes after it was reconfigured but it went away not long after. Total time was about 20 minutes.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

The Premiere marked the 7th CableCARD on my account. To my surprise, it was the smoothest installation I've experienced to date. Within 15 minutes, it was fully activated and working perfectly. Perhaps Comcast in my area has finally gotten a clue.


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## robm15 (Feb 23, 2004)

I did a self install last night. This is the third TiVo I have with cable cards. And it was extremely easy compared to past installs. Just gave the representative on the phone the cable card numbers, and it was working fine in minutes. 

Only question I ran into, is do I need to do a guided setup to get the guide data? If the guide data is not updated by the time I get home from work, that will be 24 hours, then I'll try rerunning the guided setup.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

If you're adding a cablecard to a tivo that doesn't have cablecards, it should tell you you need to run guided setup...


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## chabuchie (Sep 16, 2006)

mattack said:


> If you're adding a cablecard to a tivo that doesn't have cablecards, it should tell you you need to run guided setup...


I ran the guided setup without the cable card installed and when I installed the cable card it didn't ask me to run guided setup.

Oh, and in Chesterfield County, VA the Comcast tech who came out definitely knew what he was doing. Two Premieres took 40 minutes to install, and most of that time was taken waiting for the firmware to update.


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## Ron C (Feb 14, 2010)

Well....my experience has not been too good so far. On monday, the tech was here and after almost four hours, he couldn't get the card up and running. There were some headend issues with incorrect input of some numbers. The tech left but promised someone would be here on Tues. 
On Tues, another tech showed up with a new card. He called in to pair it up. Nothing happened. We pulled the card out and re-inserted it and started to get some changes in the tech menus on the TiVo. Finally the box started to receive the cable signals, but there is a whole block of channels, including the HD ones, that I can't receive. The tech checked the cable for signal strength and said it was good. He then swapped out some connections and a length of cable in the house to see if that solved the problem. No Luck.
He is coming back today to change the cable coming in from the pole. Wow!!! 
The TiVo cable strength meter indicates that the signal is coming in under 50 (yellow) for these channels. My other TV is working fine, and the HD DVR they took out was also working fine.
Also, some of the HD channels that won't tune in says I am not authorized to receive them but I actually am.
I am at wits end with this problem. The tech said if the pole line swap doesn't solve the problem, he will bump it up to another tier of support.
I live in Fall River, MA and am setting up a TiVo Premiere with a My DVR expander.


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## GIJoeHole (Apr 7, 2010)

I bought a new TiVo premiere and have Comcast in Puyallup, WA

I had a few points I just wanted to share.


My first Two M cards were bad, but nobody at Comcast had any confidence with TiVo so it took a long time to diagnose
The easiest troubleshooting step after pairing is to go to the conditional access screen and look for the line that says "Con: Yes EBCP: Yes Val: V 0x06"
If the Val: is not followed by a V it isn't working. It will look like Val: 0x00. Don't let them tell you different, get a new card!
There will be more lines on the conditional access screen after the channel list are updated

The step by step process that should work is:

Insert cable card
Go to the CableCARD options (for installers)
Go to the CableCARD menu
Go to CableCARD pairing screen
The installer will need to tell the 'operator' (for lack of a better term) the cablecard ID, host ID, Data, and card S/N
The operator 'hits' the device twice (whatever that means)
After a few minutes the conditional access screen should show the VAL: V 0xXX described above
You should be all set after that

Also my Harmony 890 seemed to lock up the TiVo premeire until I manually learned every button. So far so good since then.

I will feel good if this post saves 1 person the hours I wasted arguing with uncertain Comcast installers. I went through 3 techs and three cards to get one that worked and it worked the first time as described above with the working card. The tech was in and out in 10 minutes after returning with a valid M card.


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## redwineman (Apr 7, 2010)

Last itme it was 8 visits 47 cards and finally a free box


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## Ron C (Feb 14, 2010)

Well today, the third day of the saga, we finally have the HD and digital channels. After the tech changing out the line to the house, and another tech checking the signal strength at the pole, the 4 of them (yes, I said 4) came in and started to re-check the set-up. During our conversation, I stated that I had no problems with the HD DVR from Comcast and everything else was working well. The Tech supervisor had a flash of insight. He said the headend need to re-initialize because once they took out the box, they shut off the HD service. WTF....anyway, after another 20-30 minutes, the guy at the other end of the phone finally did something and, BINGO, I now have service.
The techs that came over were super and tried everything they could do on their end to ensure they were not at fault. Lesson learned for the CC installer. The saga is complete!


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## Philo (Apr 4, 2002)

Pathetic.

Summary of email just sent to Comcast Alexandria (VA):



> To recap: 1) I apparently can't get two cablecards on the same outlet *at all* even though your own website says I should be able to for $2-odd a month. This caused a tremendous amount of confusion and difficulty with your own personnel, causing the initial install to fail and leaving *me* to mediate the problem between various parts of *your* company; 2) Your installer was late and then left before finishing the job, forcing me to wait for a second service call. Obviously, either his time is more important to you than mine or the man is overworked and cant provide proper service. To complete what should be a very simple matter, I have now spent four hours of a weekend waiting, and about three more hours on the phone with your installer and customer service.


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## DonnieZ (Feb 12, 2007)

First install in my first TiVoHD took about an hour and a half. Tech showed up with two M cards in his possession. Couldn't get the card to pair activate on the Comcast system because either the tech was reading the data back to the head end tech improperly or the head end tech wasn't entering it correctly. Once they got it right, we were receiving all channels within about 10 minutes.

Second install experience was when I got a TiVo HD for my mother in law this summer. Tech showed up on time (at the very end of the window, of course..) and didn't bring the cable card. He said he had to call another tech who was about 15 minutes away to bring one to the site. By the time he did all his other normal testing that Comcast likes to do when they come in, the other tech showed with the card. He showed the first tech how to activate it and somehow they activated it via an application on their Comcast Windows Mobile phone/device they have. However, the experienced tech with the cable card was basically trashing the TiVo unit to the learning tech throughout the process.. (Unreliable, loses picture, loses pairing, lots of service calls, etc..) 10 minutes later we had channels and they left.

Third experience was last Friday for my new to me Bedroom TiVo HD. Comcast tech showed up at the very end of the arrival window, this tech again did not have any cable cards with him. Called another tech to bring a card, who was again 15 minutes away. He did all his regular testing they do and the card showed up about 15-20 minutes later. He called it in and activated it, however it took about 25 minutes to get channels to authorize. Looking through the cable card menues I saw that the cable card was downloading a firmware update from 2.2.x to 3.0, which was probably slowing up the process. At least the tech was a nice guy.

All these installs were out of the Comcast Romeoville, IL head end. Why Comcast would twice send out techs to do cable card installs and NOT send them with cable cards is beyond me. It's absolutely beyond comprehension.

Comcast told me over the phone this last time that I could do a self install, however I made the phone agent verify and the phone consultant said "Oh, since it's a TiVo, we have to come out and install it.." Grr.. The other two times, self installs were never an option.

So far, so good though. On all three TiVos in my command, we've had good luck with the cable cards since installation, with the longest being about 17 months installed.


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## mchief (Sep 10, 2005)

Philo said:


> Pathetic.
> 
> Summary of email just sent to Comcast Alexandria (VA):


Not sure what you problem really is? I have had 3 cable card installs and minor problems with the first two, but the third was about 15 minutes.

Give me more details and I may be able to help


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## Tivoitis (Sep 12, 2005)

I remember it being a huge pain with Comcast. It required a tech to come, and was days after my original install despite my double-checking to make sure that it was understood that I had Tivos, would not need a cable box, and would need enough cable cards to cover 2 Tivos. My cablecard install wound up taking the whole day as the tech or his assistant had to take multiple trips back to the warehouse to pick up additional cablecards until everything was finally working.


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## robdam1001 (Mar 19, 2005)

No issues with my Comcast Cable cards running in 2 Premieres. I'm in CT FYI.


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## Davelnlr_ (Jan 13, 2011)

Been 4 hours now, two reboots, and several hits, and the Conditional Access screen still says Con: No

Geeze. These people do this for a living?

3 hours now...wanted MAC address off cablecard...escalating it to the "cablecard" department. Maybe come on tonight, maybe the call me tomorrow... At least the CSRs are trying, but they dont have access to the computer to do the authorizations and verifications, so everything having to be done via their internal email...very strange. But hey, the antenna works, and the 5 analog channels left work


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## akc (Mar 13, 2003)

I guess I consider myself among the fortunate... A completely smooth process.

I ordered the Tivo Premiere on Mon, it arrived on Thurs AM. I called Comcast (Baltimore City, MD) on Monday as well. They scheduled an appointment for Friday 10 - 1 PM. I did request a contractor based on the advice of these boards, though I'm not sure it would made a difference.

I went through all of the usual set up this AM so it was ready to go with the exception of the cable card. That was key b/c it took an hour to do the software update!

The tech arrived at 10:30 AM - had 3 M cards with him, just in case. He tested signal (check), tested network (check) and inserted card. The Tivo showed that the M Card had been correctly installed. He went to the Cable Card installation menu and went to the screen with all the info on the card, got the number to call and activate it, called it in (line busy for about 2 min but then he got through), they activated. Tivo went to a screen where it said it was searching for channels - then up it came.

All channels working correctly, both tuners, all HD is fine. Picture is perfect. Menu is working great.

All in all, the most I have to complain about is that the tech clearly smoked as he smelled like a chimney and he brought a little dry dirt in and on to our carpet. BUT, he was here for maybe 15 minutes, and we were good to go!

Wishing that experience holds true for many others. I count myself lucky!


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## ac3dd (Mar 2, 2002)

I've had a TiVo Series3 with CableCards for about 4 years now.

When initially installed, they insisted on sending a tech to my place to handle the installation. But there was no charge for the installation, so I didn't fight them about it.

The first year or so was problematic. At least once a month I'd lose access to the digital channels, and I'd have to resort various tactics to get them back, such as plugging out and reinserting the cards, and/or rebooting the TiVo, and/or calling Comcast to send a "refresh" signal, and/or having a tech sent over. It was particularly frustrating when an episode of something failed to record. Sometimes I'd make it record the analog version of a channel, just to be sure I wouldn't miss it.

The following year was a lot smoother, and last year just about perfect except for an outage during the World Cup (of all times!) that required a tech to be sent over. Fortunately it wasn't during a game I cared about.

They charge me $1.50/month for each CableCard.


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## Lyzardo (Sep 25, 2003)

Tivo HD with M-card installed in May 2010. Went well, except the Comcast Tech could not get the first CableCard to work. He told me he always tries to bring a second card with because this happens on occasion. Second card installed fine. Took about 90 minutes total.

Added a Premiere and had cablecard installed early Feb. 2011. Tech showed up on time and everything went smoothly. Took about 45 minutes.

I'm subscribed to Digital Economy in the eastern edge of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. No charge for the first card (included in the Digital Economy package) second card and outlet fee is $7 something per month.) 

FYI, Digital Economy does not include HD feeds of any channels except locals, nor is it eligible for any DTA boxes. Bummer, but I did it to save money as I'm down in a river valley and OTA is spotty.


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## kaylus (Feb 12, 2011)

About to find out, installation for the M-Card is tomorrow -- I spent about 2 hours total. Aguing with the CSR before she transferred me to her supervisor, who then put in a few calls to the engineers, and finally a bit more arguing before she called the supervisor of the engineers who agreed that I could indeed have the M-Card for free, with just the $11.95 basic limited.

They stated that they wouldn't have done this before and that due to DOCSIS 3.0 being rolled out already in the area that they now had the capability. Not sure how much of that is true from a technical standpoint, as the Basic limited should still be capable of being picked up by an M-Card.

My question is: Is it worth it? I only need the beginning channels anyway, but I thought that the M-Card would help with the 73-5, 73-7, 103-5, issue I have with some of the channels. I'm thinking that it might not now.. after winning the argument.


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## Torgo (Dec 31, 2001)

kaylus said:


> About to find out, installation for the M-Card is tomorrow -- I spent about 2 hours total. Aguing with the CSR before she transferred me to her supervisor, who then put in a few calls to the engineers, and finally a bit more arguing before she called the supervisor of the engineers who agreed that I could indeed have the M-Card for free, with just the $11.95 basic limited.
> 
> They stated that they wouldn't have done this before and that due to DOCSIS 3.0 being rolled out already in the area that they now had the capability. Not sure how much of that is true from a technical standpoint, as the Basic limited should still be capable of being picked up by an M-Card.
> 
> My question is: Is it worth it? I only need the beginning channels anyway, but I thought that the M-Card would help with the 73-5, 73-7, 103-5, issue I have with some of the channels. I'm thinking that it might not now.. after winning the argument.


DOCSIS 3 is related to Cable Modem speed, not sure if that has anything to do with Cablecards. Probably just the usual Comcast 'we don't really know so we'll say some scary words to make the customer feel dumb".

As far as sub-channels (75-3), you'll never get those on Comcast that way, they end up remapping the subchannels to different regular channels.

eg 10-1 is channel 805
10-2 is channel 750
10-3 is channel 751

So, if they offer the sub-channels, and they're included in your basic package, you'll get them, otherwise you won't. Doesn't matter if you have a Tivo w/ a cablecard, the Comcast DVR or a Comcast receiver.


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## kaylus (Feb 12, 2011)

Yes, it was likely an attempt at giving some random answer, though I had already over-talked them to the point of stupor while they tried to explain that it was a technological limit that I couldn't receive Basic with Cable Cards. I personally fail to see how the DOCSIS 3 implementation would affect the programming of an M-Card.

Anyways, back to the point -- thanks for the answer, I started to figure as much as soon I got my way. I doubt the basic limited cable carries the HD alternatives for the standard stations. While it is region dependent, I'm sure someone can give an answer on whether they do or not.... I doubt it.

Which means it's probably a good idea for me to pick up an Antenna, eh?


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