# Houston Texas Comcast Cable Card Experience



## wpattison (Jul 23, 2007)

I'm actually being proactive with this thread and posting before they come to install.

I just got off the phone with Comcast Customer Service. Ordered two cable cards. The CSR was very nice, and added that to my order with no problem. No quote on the charge, and I didn't ask.

Due to "rolling blackouts" while internet service is upgraded, I have to wait until July 30th for the internet and cable service installation. I was quoted $143.55 at the time of installation for this to be done.

I will report back here on my experience.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

wpattison said:


> I'm actually being proactive with this thread and posting before they come to install.
> 
> I just got off the phone with Comcast Customer Service. Ordered two cable cards. The CSR was very nice, and added that to my order with no problem. No quote on the charge, and I didn't ask.
> 
> ...


Is that the new monthly price or just install price. If just install
I would be calling back and ask them again about the price. That is way to high to install 2 cable cards by comcast. I think 
should be closer to $30.00 then $143.55.


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## cowboys2002 (Jun 15, 2001)

Maybe that is the OP's monthy charge?? 

And yes, I agree that is way too expensive.

I'm thinking about getting the digital phone and HSI. My home is already pre-wired and I already know which outlets in my home have the Comcast Signal hardwired.

I could easily do a self-install if a free install isn't available!

As far as the Cable Cards, if you have a local office, can't you swing by and pickup the cards, do the guided setup and have them activate the cards without a technician?


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## lethcoeb (Apr 19, 2002)

Looks to me like the OP is doing an initial installation, with cable, internet, and cable cards for the TiVo (?).

If it were only a cable card install, then anything above $0 would be too much (other than the gas to the pickup 6+ cards at the local office - you know, at least 6 cards to get two working ones...)


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

Don't be surprised if they show up without the cards, and just give you that cableguy blank stare. It was policy with TWC that cablecards were self install. In two instances of new cable hook-ups (both less than a few months before the official Comcast takeover), the installers arrived with no cards. Even though the order taker was told of their requirement. I had to go to one of their service centers, pick up the cards, and do the activation myself. Not a big deal. But be prepared.

Also, and this might have changed, but as recently as a couple of weeks ago I was told to AVOID Motorola cards WITH "3711" in their serial number. I was told that these cannot be activated and that they are a problem, but I was also told that these were simply not entered into their system yet for activation. What you are told depends upon who you talk with. But I have "3704"s and "3705"s, and they work fine.

And the check you have to give to the installer does include your first month's services, so depending upon what you've ordered, that could be accurate. They charged me nothing for cablecard installation, because like I mentioned, they did not do that. Cablecards are/were self install.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your S3, and put up an OTA antenna for free local HD. It's a great back-up in case of an outage. I actually record primarily from antenna anyway.


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

My experience has been nothing but positive. I already had cable service though. I picked up the cards at the local office, installed them into the TiVo, called the special cablecard number they gave me. The techs on the line are extremely knowledgable about cablecards. I gave them the numbers and hung up.

The way it works is your numbers are sent to the number entering person and depending where you are in the queue depends on how long you have to wait for the cards to get hit. It seems they work 9-5 so call in the morning to get hit that day.

With Comcast now there seems to be no charge for the cablecards.

Since you have a tech coming out he may be able to get the cards hit right away, on the phone they only promise within 24 hours.


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## taba469 (Dec 8, 2002)

wpattison,

This past weekend, I picked up my 2nd set of CC (for my 2nd S3) at the local Comcast store. Besides the cards being free (a word TimeWarner never had in their vocablulary), the installation is very simple and will save you the $100+ install fee. The employees at the store will give you a specific number to call for activation. The phone support folks are very friendly and are familiar with Tivo setups.

My experience with both my current and previous CC "do it myself" installs have been good and without any problems.

Mike


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## zackangelo (Sep 14, 2006)

Is Comcast anti-TiVo? Should I imply that the CableCards are going to go into two televisions instead?


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## b3ar (Dec 2, 2005)

To repeat something I was told by Comcast Level 3 support (posted over at AVS), apparently "something good" is coming in mid-August on the CableCard front. The hints sounded like M-stream cards, but it could just be the 8300HDC, which they should be offering anyway. Of course, m-stream cards don't necessarily buy us anything until TiVo comes out with a DVR with either DOCSIS or OCAP functionality for 2-way communication.

Bill


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## b3ar (Dec 2, 2005)

zackangelo said:


> Is Comcast anti-TiVo?


Not really. Just a bit clueless on the frontline. You need to go slowly and ask to get up the support chain quickly. Once you get to Level 3, they begin to be sympathetic. Occasionally curious. 


> Should I imply that the CableCards are going to go into two televisions instead?


Probably helps. I'd just ask for two and not mention the TiVo. See how far that gets you...

Bill


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## wpattison (Jul 23, 2007)

Followup:

Comcast contractor showed up on Monday (7/30) WITHOUT cable cards. He said I needed to go to the store to pick them up. On the ticket order, it states "Customer wants two cable cards, bring them with you." Oh well. He brought a set-top box so I wasn't without tv.

The TV was working when the cable guy left. An hour later - no channels. After spending 36 minutes on hold with Comcast, I was told the ticket was still open because of the cable cards, and they needed to close the ticket to get the channels working again. They removed the cable cards off my work order, and the cable channels began working within 15 minutes. The only problem: I had already paid for the cards ($1.50).

On Tuesday (7/31) - I spent an HOUR waiting in line at the Comcast store. Two employees working, but after 15 minutes, one of them left "on break". This is in spite of a line of people out the door. Nice. I finally get to the counter to request the cable cards - they were out! I was told Wednesdays are hardware delivery days - to come back tomorrow. I felt like I was in Russia. Ridiculous.

I skipped Wednesday, but went to the store today (8/2). Spent 15 minutes waiting, but got two cable cards - M-Cards! No charge, too. But here's the funny part - I still don't have my series-3 Tivo. I'll report back here once I get it in and setup.


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

I also live in Houston and just bought a Tivo HD. I had been using an 8300HD, and I am already a Road Runner customer. I picked up my two CableCARDs at the local (midtown) Comcast office with no issues. They are both apparently free. Without CableCARD activation, I was able to see all the unencrypted digital channels (Tivo is connected via Ethernet, and service was activated online). I called the special CableCARD activation line and immediately got a knowledgeable human, even after hours. My CableCARDs have been activated, and at times I've been able to receive all my subscriber content (HD Plus, Sports & Entertainment, HBO, MLB XI). I've had some issues with the CableCARDs losing access to my pay content, but it's been intermittent. Hopefully this will clear up before too long. Overall I prefer the features, aesthetics, and performance of the Tivo HD over the 8300HD. I just hope my CableCARD issues will stabilize soon.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

rhizopod said:


> My CableCARDs have been activated, and at times I've been able to receive all my subscriber content (HD Plus, Sports & Entertainment, HBO, MLB XI).


rhizo...let me ask you, since you may be near me (I also use the midtown location). I have fairly severe pixelation problems on ABC HD (313). I've been told it's because they pack too many channels onto certain frequencies.

Can you see if, after a day or so, you have any problems with this channel (also 312, NBC HD)? I am in the Rice U area.

I'm trying to figure out if this is an unsolvable problem, or whether switching cable cards might solve it.

Thanks!


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

Sure, I will check. I haven't watched the network channels much so far, but I will let you know what I find. On a side note, did you get Motorola CableCARDs? I did.

You're not far from me at all. I actually live in midtown, and I went to Rice for undergrad.


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## TradeViceroy (Jun 13, 2007)

Afternoon:

I picked up a Tivo HD on Tuesday along with one M-card from Comcast. Apparently, they started to get them in stock in Houston this week. I've gone through 2 M-cards already and they simply do not function well (yes I was using the correct slot). I could only tune in about half the analog channels, three or so of the HD channels, and one HBO channel. The rest would get "channel unavailable" or would almost flicker like the Tivo couldn't keep a lock on the signal. I checked the signal strength using the Tivo and all channels had a 93 percent or better lock. 

I returned the M-card the next day to Comcast. I picked up another M-card and also two single stream cards so I wouldn't have to drive back if the M-card was having issues (hey why not they are free). Well, the M-card again did the same thing. Instead this time, it worked for about 15 minutes and started to act up. I immediately removed the card, put in the two S-cards, and everything started to work after I activated them.

The kicker to all of this is that under the Test Channels option, all the channels would come in great with no issues. When trying to actually watch them, I would run into all the problems I listed above. I want to say the cablecards are to blame, but I'm really thinking the Tivo has issues with them. For everyone out there, Comcast is using the Motorola MediaCipher M-Cards in our area. Perhaps this is a wider issue?


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

I can confirm my setup is now working as expected. I'm receiving all of my content on both CableCARDs without any kind of video artifact except the regular compression artifacts I also got on my 8300HD. I checked channels 113, 312, 313, 290, 291, 292, 460, and 709 and am receiving all just fine on both CableCARDs. I watched a playback of 30 Rock from 312 last night and I can describe the playback quality as "excellent". I also watched the Astros game last night on 302 without problems. Signal strength for most channels is around 100, low 90s for some. I have Motorola CableCARDs.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Thanks, I think it's time to try a cc swap.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

My moto cards have been working fine for the better part of a year here in NW Houston. I only have one oddity since Comcast took over. The HD MTV channel is toxic -- no not the content, the signal will lock the Tivo up regularly. I had to take it out of my list.


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## b3ar (Dec 2, 2005)

I grabbed an M-card from the Bellaire location today and called customer service. A quick request to get to level 2 support got me someone who put the order into the system to activate the card. We'll see how long it takes before the Tivo is active. One thing I found is that with the M-card in the slot, the TivoHD will not tune any channels at all. Very unfortunate.

Bill


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## jakslh (Jun 26, 2007)

After fighting since July 9th, my two Series 3 Tivo's are finally working with all four Cablecards. It took almost a month. 

Here are some observations:
1) My first and worst problem was that the sales department had somehow not gotten my correct package of premium channels entered into their database. My advice: if you're having problems getting premium channels that are scrambled, verify that they have the correct lineup in their system before launching into troubleshooting of hardware. I got three of four cablecards working after this problem was identified (but it took 9 or 10 days to finally figure this out). The fourth cable card was strictly a hardware issue and the Motorola cards are very hit or miss. I finally requested that they give me four additional cards in hopes of finding one good one without repeated trips back to the store. They gave me all they had in the cabinet (three cards) and the second one worked.
2) Level 3 technicians were pretty polite. Although problem 1 made things get pretty testy. Initially they were trying to convince me that I had four bad cablecards or that my Tivo's were both bad. Luckily I was confident enough to stand my ground since I had been successfully using both Tivo's in another region for the past 8 months.
3) Because of a switchover from Time Warner to Comcast due to the acquisition, anyone who tried to do something complicated like troubleshoot a tivo/cablecard had to put up with the additional frustration of very long hold times.
4) Comcast in Houston requires that you pickup the cards at their local office and self install. This was fine with me, I just wish their office wasn't 15 minutes away and that they had Saturday/Sunday hours. Also, because of Item 3) above, lines were very bad in early to mid July. It's been better.
5) The process that is used here for activating cards makes troubleshooting very slow because you have to wait for 24 hours for their system to "hit" the card to activate the premiums you are supposed to be able to see.
6) When you pick up your cable cards, they give you their level 3 technical support phone number. These people deal only with cable cards and, while you will still encounter hold times, once you get a technician they are pretty savvy (although issues like described in 1) can take far to long to resolve). Write this number down, don't lose it. I have it on speed dial. They will answer calls on weekends and before 8 am in the morning (hold times seem to be less at these times) but I think they are restricted to following through on troubleshooting during these times rather than initiating new installs.

I came very, very close to giving up and switching from Comcast to OTA or telephone wire based digital TV. When I first installed cablecards it was with a copmany that required technicians to handle it. It was very annoying to have to wait at home for technicians to come in and pay for a truck roll for something so simple as sliding a card into a slot and reading numbers off the screen. This time with the self-install was also frustrating, especially because of Comcast's process of waiting a day to hit the cards with authorization codes.

In summary, the cablecard issue is going to be a real problem for Tivo. I'm a reasonably tech savvy person who is comfortable enough with opening computers up and moving jumpers on cards etc. So this should have been very simple. The problems I see are:
1) About 1 out of 3 or 4 cards are bad. Technicians mumbled that the Tivo seems to be pickier about cards than the televisions, but I suspect the real story is that Tivo owners are more insistent upon getting the functionality right whereas TV owners give up much more readily on cablecards.
2) It is ridiculous to have to verbally communicate four strings of numbers per cable card. Add it up, it comes to 53 numbers that have to be recited and recorded in precise order for each cable card. (Not including the serial number adds another 12 numbers.) This is way overkill and will frustrate and intimidate customers. Not to mention the small potential of error introduced. Not as big an issue as the hardware reliability of cablecards themselves.


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

Interesting, I too suffered through all of the "problems" you've described above, but I guess they didn't bother me as much. 
My only issue was not having all the premiums I subscribe to on both CableCARDs, but two calls to that direct number after scanning through both CableCARD lineups noting missing channels, and 48 hours later, everything was working fine.

Honestly, I have been quite impressed by Comcast after the takeover.... I now have channels I had been dying for TWC to add (ESPN2HD, NFL Network), more HD channels, faster internet, and now, readily available CableCARDs and official Tivo partnership/support. I even received a "courtesy call" from Comcast yesterday to make sure everything was working fine with my Tivo and their service. It was and still is.

Update: I experienced pixelation and ultimately loss of signal on HBO HD (460) yesterday. Rebooting solved the issue, but this is a new concern as I had not experienced this before. Since rebooting solved it, is it safe to assume Tivo is the problem?


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## spaceboytom (Jan 8, 2006)

My experince could not have been any smoother. Bought a TivoHD at Best Buy for $264 with 12% off coupon. Went to Comcast office (NASA Parkway/I-45) on saturday afternoon with my old DVR box, turned it in and got a new M-card in about 5 minutes total time. Performed inital setup on Tivo last night, called in this morning an activated in about 10 minutes total time. The only minor bump was the cablecard activation is only available 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, so I wasn't able to be at home for an activation until this morning. It still beats the heck out of having to get a tech to make a service call to install it though. 

With the MSD I get, I should come out $7/month ahead on my combined Comcast/Tivo bill and not have to deal with the awful cable DVR! :up: 
(Old: $13.95/month for Comcast HDTV Converter/DVR)
(New: $0.00/month Comcast Cablecard + $6.95/month for Tivo Service)

SBT

Sony Series 1 - Lifetime
Tivo Series 2 DT - MSD
TivoHD - MSD


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

After going through 4 CableCARDs (2 S-Cards and 2 M-cards) and numerous phone calls to Tivo and Comcast, I think I've finally gotten everything working. I live in an apartment and I forgot there was a 2-way splitter in my hall closet that split the cable between my bedroom and living room. I replaced that 5M-1G Regal Splitter with a Monster 2GHz splitter, and replaced my 5M-1G DigiTap Splitter with another 2GHz Monster at my equipment rack, and all my problems disappeared. I've got all HD premiums (including the pixelation-prone HBO HD 460) working fine now, with a single M-card. Never thought this day would come. The Monster splitters were pricey, and I do wonder if something like this would have sufficed at half the price, but I suppose all I care about is that everything is working now.


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## zackangelo (Sep 14, 2006)

I wonder if I'm experiencing the same problems. I have four cable outlets in my tiny 1 bedroom apartment, but I have no idea where they're being split.

Do you think something like this would work?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1042206&p_id=2872&seq=1&format=2&style=


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

zackangelo said:


> I wonder if I'm experiencing the same problems. I have four cable outlets in my tiny 1 bedroom apartment, but I have no idea where they're being split.
> 
> Do you think something like this would work?
> 
> http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...cs_id=1042206&p_id=2872&seq=1&format=2&style=


The splitters I installed offered lower attenuation and higher bandwidth compared to the ones I had in before. I'm not sure if something like the ones in your link would work (it does seem to offer higher bandwidth than the standard 2-way), though the name of the game is to minimize noise and loss, so my advice would be to spend more on a quality product, especially if your issues are related to signal loss.

Does anyone know where in the frequency band Comcast Houston packs the HD Premiums like HBO HD?


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## b3ar (Dec 2, 2005)

rhizopod said:


> Does anyone know where in the frequency band Comcast Houston packs the HD Premiums like HBO HD?


Yes, assuming Comcast hasn't moved them. 

(I'd have to go to my old notes. There is one ecnrypted QAM channel that has like 2 or 4 channels on it. One of my old tuners would show one of them as HBO HD in between the encryption "hits".) It's either in the high 70s or low 80s.

Bill

(btw, once you've spent some time in the High Tech industry, you learn that brand names mean very little - it is who really makes the things, and to what spec, that matters. I haven't tried the Monoprice splitters, but I can point you to some much better splitters than Monster from a brand perspective that are consistent with Monoprice's price:

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=OBO-P-2400-2-GX)


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

> (btw, once you've spent some time in the High Tech industry, you learn that brand names mean very little - it is who really makes the things, and to what spec, that matters. I haven't tried the Monoprice splitters, but I can point you to some much better splitters than Monster from a brand perspective that are consistent with Monoprice's price:
> 
> http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=OBO-P-2400-2-GX)


Do you know what the bandwidth of Comcast Houston signal is? I tried (albeit not very hard) to find that information but was unsuccessful. The splitter above has a rated bandwidth of 900 MHz - 2.2 GHz, cutting off earlier on the low end than all the other splitters I tried (including the Monsters, at 5 MHz). I don't know if that would cause problems with Cable TV or Internet or not (something tells me using a splitter like that with cable TV is just asking for problems, though). The only other splitter I found that looked like it was worth spending money on was the one from my previous post; but I wanted something now, so I went ahead and paid the highway robbery price of $20 each for the Monsters at Fry's and I don't have any more pixelation/loss of signal problems.


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## Micah (Aug 18, 2007)

I live in an apartment in the med center and I currently have cable internet with Comcast (Formerly TW). I went to the Comcast store in Bellaire to order the digital starter package, and I'm using a TIVO HD (already activated). I have been through 4 cable cards Moto (single-stream and M-card). I'm currently having trouble getting the channel 305 and 777 even after a channel scan or cableCARD Is Stuck on "Please wait... Acquiring Channel Information". The Comcast reps told me that I should at least get those channels before they activate the CC. I've hooked up a Comcast STB from a friend in the same apartment complex and I'm able to pick up these channels 305 and 777, but I'm not able to pick them up with the Tivo HD or my Pionner (with CC slot). I believe that I could not receive those channels because my cards were not activated. I was able to do a digital channel strength and I descrambled some basic cable channels. I'm currently using 2 Single-stream CC (Moto), and I lied to the Comcast tech and said I have those channels 305 and 777. They took my numbers (CC #, Host, Data, unit address..) for both cards and slots, and I'm currently awaiting for Monday 8-5pm when they can activate it. If nothing pops up, then I'll probably cancel and return my TIVO HD. My concerns are why couldn't I pick up basic cable channels and why did they need those channels before they could activate my cards?


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## zackangelo (Sep 14, 2006)

I just got off the phone with a Comcast rep. We finally got my cable working. I asked him a couple of questions about the new M-Cards they've been handing out. He said they've been available for about a month and that they've had a lot of luck with them compared to the old single stream cards (which were apparently giving them a lot of problems). 

You need to make sure that you are subscribed to the correct channel lineup. He said its very common for CSRs to order the wrong packages in conjunction with CableCARDs because their procedures have recently changed.


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## spaceboytom (Jan 8, 2006)

spaceboytom said:


> My experince could not have been any smoother. Went to Comcast office (NASA Parkway/I-45) on saturday afternoon with my old DVR box, turned it in and got a new M-card in about 5 minutes total time. Performed inital setup on Tivo last night, called in this morning an activated in about 10 minutes total time. The only minor bump was the cablecard activation is only available 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, so I wasn't able to be at home for an activation until this morning. It still beats the heck out of having to get a tech to make a service call to install it though.


Well... I spoke too soon. The cablecard didn't pass authorization after all (they said wait 24 hour for all the channles to get authorized). The activation rep tells me the numbers reported by Tivo for the card aren't valid. I read them to 2 different reps, so I know it is correcton my end. Of course second rep didn't have any clue what an M card was and said that I didn't get it from Comcast. So I will try and call again tomorrow and hopefully get someone who can fix the problem, otherwise I guess I will swap out the card and see if that works. For the channels I was getting though, the Tivo looked great after the b2 update! With b1, I had initially blocking on CBSHD (311) and FOXHD (309). I still have faith in Tivo.

SBT


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## spaceboytom (Jan 8, 2006)

Swapped out the Mototrola M-Card for another one and all seems to work well now. I am a happy Tivoer in HD now! :up: :up: :up: 

SBT


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## b3ar (Dec 2, 2005)

rhizopod said:


> Do you know what the bandwidth of Comcast Houston signal is? I tried (albeit not very hard) to find that information but was unsuccessful. The splitter above has a rated bandwidth of 900 MHz - 2.2 GHz, cutting off earlier on the low end than all the other splitters I tried (including the Monsters, at 5 MHz). I don't know if that would cause problems with Cable TV or Internet or not (something tells me using a splitter like that with cable TV is just asking for problems, though). The only other splitter I found that looked like it was worth spending money on was the one from my previous post; but I wanted something now, so I went ahead and paid the highway robbery price of $20 each for the Monsters at Fry's and I don't have any more pixelation/loss of signal problems.


Comcast is 900MHz, but the key is that you want as clean of a signal as possible. Thus, I "overspec" the bandwidth I need for splitters under the assumption the the 2.2GHz ones are built to a higher standard. If Comcast begins to start using more bandwidth, I will definitely find out. However, that is pretty unlikely. The cost of changing would be prohibitive, from what I understand.

Oh, yeah, the splitter, above, has bandwidth from 5MHz to 2200 MHz.

Bill


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## CCourtney (Mar 28, 2006)

Any of you m-card users check your bill to see if they're charging you an 'Additional Cable Card Fee?'

When I picked up my cable cards back on 7/27 they were claiming they didn't have m-cards (I think Bellaire got them ~ 8/2) anyway on this months bill I now see a $1.50 charge for additional cable card.

After Comcast took over the billing, I saw the cable card fee disappear (one cable card on my Sony DHG-HDD DVR) now I'm at two cable cards (Sold my Sony on e-bay) if I can swap out the for any m-card it's worth the $18/yr savings.

CCourtney


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## rhizopod (Aug 2, 2007)

I returned my Tivo HD & CableCARDs and went back to 8300HD. While I had the CableCARDs out, the first one was free and I was being charged $1.50 for the second.


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## spaceboytom (Jan 8, 2006)

CCourtney said:


> Any of you m-card users check your bill to see if they're charging you an 'Additional Cable Card Fee?'
> 
> When I picked up my cable cards back on 7/27 they were claiming they didn't have m-cards (I think Bellaire got them ~ 8/2) anyway on this months bill I now see a $1.50 charge for additional cable card.
> 
> ...


I have an M-Card plus 1 converter box for upstairs, all inlcuded in the $56.99 digital preferred package price. No extra fees from COmcast Houston (as of right now).

SBT


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

nirvanayoda said:


> I'm in Houston also and having problems with channels 290-291, 312-320.


What part of town are you in? And what equipment (S3 or THD)?


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

nirvanayoda said:


> I'm in Upper Kirby (think Richmond at Buffalo Speedway). I'm using the original S3.


Yep, we have the same master feed from ComCast. I'm about a mile from you (Shepherd & Sunset), and have pixellation on the exact same channels. It started this summer. Different parts of town will experience problems with different groups of channels; it seems most people in our area have problems with the ones you listed.

My project over the next week or so is to narrow down what causes this, and solve it. With the new TV season less than a month away, I need to get crackin' on this. I've got a few ideas to try (cables, cablecards, splitters, etc), and will post my results.


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## damonnoah (Aug 19, 2003)

Hi folks,

Live in West U and have an original Series 3 HD. When i first purchased the unit (the week it came out), i had immediate pixelation issues. A few weeks later it just dissappeared. Than this summer it came back with a vengence. The most problematic channels are 312, 294 and 225. I can watch an entire sports show on 311, 309 etc and have very few issues with pixelation but on the channels i specifically mention it is terrible. 

I have had comcast at my home 5 times and now they won't come over without charging an additional fee. They've run cable from the pole directly to the tivo box, i've purchased two other Tivo S3 (both have been returned since) and still have this pixelation issue. 
I've been reading all the forums and it appears i'm not alone but what i find interesting is that somone else in this forum started to experience the pixelation the same time i did, earlier this summer. Was there a Tivo update? Was this when comcast took over TWX?

The comcast folks have been nice and have redone our cabling, added amplifiers, run additional lines and more. They've done quite a bit to support hardware that is not theres but nontheless it is still annoying. So in summary i've done just about everything imaginable to figure out this pixelation issue with no resolve. 

Any additional suggestions would be terrific. also , what is the different between S-cards and M-cards?


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## lethcoeb (Apr 19, 2002)

damonnoah said:


> Hi folks,
> 
> Live in West U and have an original Series 3 HD. When i first purchased the unit (the week it came out), i had immediate pixelation issues. A few weeks later it just dissappeared. Than this summer it came back with a vengence. The most problematic channels are 312, 294 and 225. I can watch an entire sports show on 311, 309 etc and have very few issues with pixelation but on the channels i specifically mention it is terrible.
> 
> ...


In West U also, with same issues (documented in previous posts). Optimized my setup all that I intend to at the moment - waiting for the overall Comcast system in this area to improve at this point. Clearly not a TiVo issue (at least in my mind).


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## bensler (Sep 9, 2007)

I have a series 3 TIVO. I live off of Buffalo Speedway, near Main Street. I think I am experiencing what those are experiencing in West. U. I had comcast come again today and they put in an amplifier for me. I have a couple of questions:
1. Does anyone think it would be beneficial for me to go out and buy a "better" amplifier? He brought the signal up to +2.3 (not sure what that means, but he said it was good).
2. Is this a cable card issue? Maybe I just need to switch out the cards - never mind, that it will be my 5th set of cards that i will be going to try out.
3. Is TIVO doing anything to help us? I called and at first they said it was a software issue, but has since retracted and said that I was misinformed and that they are not working on any software updates for series 3 - just the one that recently came out for the TIVO HD.

Any comments are very much appreciated!!! I am desperate to get some resolution. Fall tv is on its way and I get quite annoyed when a show I was planning on watching is drowned out with pixelation
Thanks!!!


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## CCourtney (Mar 28, 2006)

Does anyone know if the Cinemax HD changed QAM Channels?

On my TiVo HD I'm getting no A/V when it tries to tune into 419 (not sure what the QAM Channel was.) All my other HD channels (HBO, SHO, ESPN, ESPN2, DISC, MOJO, GOLF/VS, MHD, UHD, TNTHD, Locals) are not having any problems at all.

I did some poking around and found that on my SA8300HD channel 419 (CinemaxHD) is being tuned to at 537MHz (76.x channels) (309 is at 633MHz used to sanity check w/ TiVo HD at 309 both are at 633MHz - This corresponds to QAM 92.x channels)

I then checked my TiVo HD and whole crap channel 419 is trying to tune to 533MHz that's set to tune across bands. That's just a plan screwup.

I guess I get to call Comcast and try to explain this to them.

CCourtney


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

nirvanayoda said:


> Went to Frys and bought the Motorola Signal Booster for $40 after reading positive reviews on amazon.com and circuit city.com (beware, it's $99 at CC...it's worth the drive to Frys).
> 
> So far I've watched tv for about 20 minutes with the amp on and it's beautiful...no artifacts at all even on the channels that were heavily pixelated before. I'll give you an update after a day or so.





nirvanayoda said:


> wow...the signal booster really did solve all the problems


Uggh. Did nothing for me. Got it yesterday, hooked it up last night. When I first hooked it up, before I even powered it up, the picture was identical. Still pixelating on bad channels, fine on the others. Then when I hooked up the power (coax adapter), the picture went blank. I was unable to get any video thru the amp/cleaner once power was on. I fiddled for a while--nada. Unplugged it, it came back. 

I now have a 100' RG-6 cable (my house has RG-59). I am going to run it from the head-end on the house, direct to the TiVo. No splitters, no nothing. I want to see if that solves anything. If so, I know my problem. Unfortunately, I doubt my wife will allow me to leave a raw cable laying thru the house  And I have an older house that will be very difficult to rewire.

If that's not it, I know it is a 100% ComCast problem. And I also have my new DB2 antenna waiting for me. I will install it, and use the 100' RG-6 to wire it. Still working on my plan to hide THAT cable.


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## lethcoeb (Apr 19, 2002)

astrohip said:


> Uggh. Did nothing for me. Got it yesterday, hooked it up last night. When I first hooked it up, before I even powered it up, the picture was identical. Still pixelating on bad channels, fine on the others. Then when I hooked up the power (coax adapter), the picture went blank. I was unable to get any video thru the amp/cleaner once power was on. I fiddled for a while--nada. Unplugged it, it came back.


I also had that Motorola amp installed (which improved the pre-TiVo S3 SD/HD signal, did not stop the pixelization TiVo S3 pixelization), so I stepped up to the Electroline 8 port drop amp (EDA-FT08100). Improved things somewhat, but still have pixelization on the same channels everyone else has the pixelization on in my neighborhood (West U) with the S3. At least I'm now all set to have 8 TV's operating throughout the house when Comcast fixes the problem.

I grabbed a Comcast SA 6250HDC box yesterday for the plasma above the garage, and will see if that TV has any of the problems I get on the TiVo S3 in the living room. Still have the S2 connected to this TV as well, but at least now I can watch SNF/MNF in HD while on the elliptical...


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Nothing worked. Amps, new splitters, new RG-6 cables, I've tried everything I can think of. Certain channels just will not come in clean on my S3. I even had some breakup on StarzHD this week, which has never happened before. Let's hope that's a one-time event.  

So I installed an external antenna (DB2). I now get the local OTA HD channels crystal clear. Strength is 98+ on CBS/NBC (11-1, 2-1), and high 80's on ABC (13-1). Not sure why ABC is lower than the others? I deleted all my SPs on 311/312/313, and moved them to the OTA channels. So far, so good. Reception is perfect; watched some football & golf, compared it to ComCast, and the OTA is as good, maybe better.

The only negative is my wife complaining about having to enter/remember 13-1 instead of 313. Hey, if that's what it takes to get HD, I can live with that!

I have been emailing b/c with another local ComCast user with the same problems. She has a new S3 with these problems, so TiVo is going to send her another one under warranty. She also mentioned that ComCast said they have SA cards available, and that might help. In the past, they have only had Moto cablecards. If either of these make a difference, I'm there!


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## golubian (Apr 5, 2001)

astrohip said:


> Nothing worked. Amps, new splitters, new RG-6 cables, I've tried everything I can think of. Certain channels just will not come in clean on my S3. I even had some breakup on StarzHD this week, which has never happened before. Let's hope that's a one-time event.
> 
> So I installed an external antenna (DB2). I now get the local OTA HD channels crystal clear. Strength is 98+ on CBS/NBC (11-1, 2-1), and high 80's on ABC (13-1). Not sure why ABC is lower than the others? I deleted all my SPs on 311/312/313, and moved them to the OTA channels. So far, so good. Reception is perfect; watched some football & golf, compared it to ComCast, and the OTA is as good, maybe better.
> 
> ...


Well, this kind of answers my question. See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=366518

Astrohip, I seem to recall from another post that you're fairly close to Bellaire (where I am) (West U maybe?). My problems are with 312, 313 and Starz HD. Am I really going to have to install an antenna to fix this? Did you go external or did you try an indoor model first?

Thanks.


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## lethcoeb (Apr 19, 2002)

golubian said:


> Well, this kind of answers my question. See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=366518
> 
> Astrohip, I seem to recall from another post that you're fairly close to Bellaire (where I am) (West U maybe?). My problems are with 312, 313 and Starz HD. Am I really going to have to install an antenna to fix this? Did you go external or did you try an indoor model first?
> 
> Thanks.


A bunch of us are in the West U / Rice area, and have the same problems. I've optimized all that I'm going to at this point, and am awaiting Comcast and/or TiVo to fix the problem.

Hopefully with all of the extra money all of us will be throwing at Comcast starting next month they will be able to begin to fix the problems...


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

golubian said:


> Well, this kind of answers my question. See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=366518
> 
> Astrohip, I seem to recall from another post that you're fairly close to Bellaire (where I am) (West U maybe?). My problems are with 312, 313 and Starz HD. Am I really going to have to install an antenna to fix this? Did you go external or did you try an indoor model first?
> 
> Thanks.


Rice U (Southampton). I tried a couple indoor antennas. One didn't work, the other was ok, but not perfect. My signal strength was 80-84. I was still getting some signal breakup. If I could have moved them around some more, it might have gotten better. But my wife was really giving me grief about the rabbit ears look. I would try internal first, as it may work for you (want a couple antennas?).

I ended up installing a DB2 external on the back of our garage. SS is now 98+ (except ABC which is ~88, but still comes in perfect). Fortunately, I was able to run a coax that is pretty much hidden (again, the WAF).

My priorities:
TiVo
dog
wife

Wife's priorities:
who cares

<jk>


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Can someone please message me or post the cable card activation line for Comcast Houston. 

I've tried "regular" support number three times today and I've been cut off 3 times while waiting


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

bluetex said:


> Can someone please message me or post the cable card activation line for Comcast Houston.
> 
> I've tried "regual" supprt number three times today and I've been cut off 3 times while waiting


713.341.8080


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Thanks.. that's what I was looking for.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

It looks like some VOD upgrades that they did on Wednesday caused some of my channels to go away. 

Then when I re-booted my S3 without the cards and re-seated them (in the same slots) the pairings went bad. 

Two conversations later with the cable card techs, and they want me to swap cards. I really hope that this isn't the beginning of the end with Comcast and the Series3. I live in fear of them rolling out some "upgrade" which will render our Tivo to a doorstop.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

bluetex said:


> It looks like some VOD upgrades that they did on Wednesday caused some of my channels to go away.
> 
> Then when I re-booted my S3 without the cards and re-seated them (in the same slots) the pairings went bad.
> 
> Two conversations later with the cable card techs, and they want me to swap cards. I really hope that this isn't the beginning of the end with Comcast and the Series3. I live in fear of them rolling out some "upgrade" which will render our Tivo to a doorstop.


blue, don't scare me like this. I was on my way out of town Thur when I did a last minute TiVo check (can you tell what my priorities are?  ). Sure enough, both the S2 & S3 had just received the 9.1 upgrade. The only time in my life I *didn't* want to get the upgrade, and it happens. So I quickly played around & checked things out, and they both looked to be working correctly. Since they already had 9.1, I assumed they had rebooted. The To-Do list and Now Playing looked good, so off to San Diego I went (where I still am).

Being Week One of the Fall Season, there are gazillions of shows being recorded. Every tuner is working overtime & double time. And I was confident that when I got home late tonight all of my shows would be there.

Until I saw your post . . .


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## golubian (Apr 5, 2001)

astrohip said:


> blue, don't scare me like this. I was on my way out of town Thur when I did a last minute TiVo check (can you tell what my priorities are?  ). Sure enough, both the S2 & S3 had just received the 9.1 upgrade. The only time in my life I *didn't* want to get the upgrade, and it happens. So I quickly played around & checked things out, and they both looked to be working correctly. Since they already had 9.1, I assumed they had rebooted. The To-Do list and Now Playing looked good, so off to San Diego I went (where I still am).
> 
> Being Week One of the Fall Season, there are gazillions of shows being recorded. Every tuner is working overtime & double time. And I was confident that when I got home late tonight all of my shows would be there.
> 
> Until I saw your post . . .


Astrohip,

Any improvement re the pixelization on 312 and 313 since the update to 9.1?


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

I'm in Spring and don't see any pixellation. Right now I'm mostly OTA but during the summer when I was mostly watching cable channels everything seemed fine. This problem appears regionalized.

BTW, looking for more HD channels?

"Comcast of Houston will be making changes to its channel lineup, as follows. Effective 10/16/07, the following channels will be moved: TBS from channel 31 to channel 51, Spike TV from channel 32 to channel 68, Women's Entertainment (WE) from channel 48 to Digital Cable channel 350, Golf from channel 68 to channel 32, ABC Family from channel 70 to channel 48, Court TV from channel 71 to channel 67, FX from channel 72 to channel 31, MSNBC from channel 73 to channel 80. Effective 10/23/07, the following new HD channels will be available: National Geographic HD on channel 283, USA HD on channel 284, A&E HD on channel 285, History HD on channel 286, HGTV HD on channel 287, Food HD on channel 288, CNN HD on channel 299, TBS HD on channel 303. The Fox Business Channel will be available on channel 234."


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

golubian said:


> Astrohip,
> 
> Any improvement re the pixelization on 312 and 313 since the update to 9.1?


I'll check it out tonight. Since I installed my antenna a couple weeks ago, I've been recording the OTA shows on 2-1, 11-1 & 13-1. And they are *perfect*! Absolutely glorious HD. But I'll record a few shows manually on 312/313 just to see how it does. Good question.

I just got home late last night, and haven't even looked at the S3 to see if everything went ok during my absence. With the new fall season, I have about 4-6 shows recording each night!



andyf said:


> BTW, looking for more HD channels?
> 
> "Comcast of Houston will be making changes to its channel lineup, as follows. Effective 10/16/07, the following channels will be moved: TBS from channel 31 to channel 51, Spike TV from channel 32 to channel 68, Women's Entertainment (WE) from channel 48 to Digital Cable channel 350, Golf from channel 68 to channel 32, ABC Family from channel 70 to channel 48, Court TV from channel 71 to channel 67, FX from channel 72 to channel 31, MSNBC from channel 73 to channel 80. Effective 10/23/07, the following new HD channels will be available: National Geographic HD on channel 283, USA HD on channel 284, A&E HD on channel 285, History HD on channel 286, HGTV HD on channel 287, Food HD on channel 288, CNN HD on channel 299, TBS HD on channel 303. The Fox Business Channel will be available on channel 234."


Wow, I hadn't seen that announcement yet (where did you see it?). That is great news: (1) A couple of those I have *really* been wanting, NGHD especially, and (2) Comcast appears to continue to add HD thru regular means and not SDV. :up:

At least they are following their price increase with more HD. I can handle that trade-off!. I'm an HD addict.


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

http://www.tvpredictions.com/comcasthouston092307.htm

Sorry! Should have added a link to the source.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Well here we go... 

My wife picked up 2 s-cards from the Retail center on 290. Went home. Called the 8080 number, talked to a tech who obviously knew nothing about Tivo S3s. She tried to talk my wife into re-wiring stuff. 

Thankfully she stopped -- I had her call again and ask that they simply activate the new cards. They took the numbers down.

Then today, nothing's changed. I don't get any Digital or Subscription channels with the cards in the Tivo. Wife called them, they said, "oh we have a note saying the activation failed for some reason"... why? It doesn't say.

They want us to come get 2 more new cards.

This is NOT the time of year to mess with a Man and his TiVo. Thankfully the S2 is dutifully pulling its weight as a backup.

I'm starting to get mad, but I'm trying to keep calm.


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

FYI, 303 TBS HD is live now. No guide data yet but you can view the channel live.

Edit: It's a little pixellated but I'm sure they're just testing right now.
Edit: NFL HD on 300 is in the channel list but shows black screen. It may be a part of a package I don't receive.


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## AlanH220 (Aug 20, 2006)

I got my 9.1 update on my S3 this morning. Swapped out the 2 ex-TWC S-cards for 2 M-cards about 3 weeks ago. Not sure this will hold over the long term, but.... all the pixellation on Comcast 312 and 313 seems to be gone.

It's all a mystery to me, but I'm glad the channels are at last watchable. I'll report if the situation changes.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

We're still striking out. We've swapped our cards (s-cards) which worked until a week ago today -- 2 times already. So far.. no go.

The techs on the cablecard setup line are not doing much good this time. So far we had the one suggesting my wife rewire the Tivo, and today another asking that we make sure the Tivo is compatable with this equipment.

(Mind you they've given us 3 sets of S-cards ... the same we've been running for a year) 

I'm about ready to come unglued and start escallating this. Do we just NEED the M-Cards now (which they've not had yet at the retail center we've visited)?!?

What's the story.. they do a VOD upgrade in my neighborhood and now I don't get the Digital Music, Anything from around 200+ (except the basic HD channels).

Do I now have an overpriced doorstop? Ebay's looking like a pretty promising option.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Priced out U-Verse today.. since nothing is improving on the Comcast front. They don't admit to changing anything in my neighborhood nor do they claim that any other Series 3 in Houston is having issues.

I'm still getting pairing screens everywhere since they can't seem to activate any cable cards to my S3.

I'll start my eBay auction next week.


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## sgcrockett1 (Apr 8, 2004)

Looking at the card how can you determine if it is M or an S card.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

My comcast issue cleared up. They did a VOD upgrade on 9/26 in Copperfield and hosed my setup totally. It took almost 3 weeks of nightly calls and just as quickly as the problem showed up, it vanished.

So beware of the Comcast truck in your neck of the woods claiming to be adding great new services.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

sgcrockett1 said:


> Looking at the card how can you determine if it is M or an S card.


the Moto cards say M-Card right on em. And their serial numbers start with M.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

AlanH220 said:


> I got my 9.1 update on my S3 this morning. Swapped out the 2 ex-TWC S-cards for 2 M-cards about 3 weeks ago. Not sure this will hold over the long term, but.... all the pixellation on Comcast 312 and 313 seems to be gone.


9.1 appeared to fix my 312/313 problem too. I haven't switched any cable cards lately, or done anything else. In fact, I put an external antenna in so I could enjoy (?) the new fall season. Only in playing around did I notice that 312/313 now worked. Also 290/291 (HDNets) were a problem for me; they also have cleared up.

Either 9.1 did something about this, or it's amazingly coincidental timing. Since TiVo doesn't release any info as to what any particular release does, we have no way of knowing.

Like you, I'm mystified but happy :up:


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

astrohip said:


> 9.1 appeared to fix my 312/313 problem too. I haven't switched any cable cards lately, or done anything else. In fact, I put an external antenna in so I could enjoy (?) the new fall season. Only in playing around did I notice that 312/313 now worked. Also 290/291 (HDNets) were a problem for me; they also have cleared up.
> 
> Either 9.1 did something about this, or it's amazingly coincidental timing. Since TiVo doesn't release any info as to what any particular release does, we have no way of knowing.
> 
> Like you, I'm mystified but happy :up:


I was having sporadic issue with 312/313 too, like you it seems to have been corrected. I haven't had issues since.


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## golubian (Apr 5, 2001)

astrohip said:


> 9.1 appeared to fix my 312/313 problem too. I haven't switched any cable cards lately, or done anything else. In fact, I put an external antenna in so I could enjoy (?) the new fall season. Only in playing around did I notice that 312/313 now worked. Also 290/291 (HDNets) were a problem for me; they also have cleared up.
> 
> Either 9.1 did something about this, or it's amazingly coincidental timing. Since TiVo doesn't release any info as to what any particular release does, we have no way of knowing.
> 
> Like you, I'm mystified but happy :up:


Ditto. My pixelization on 312/313 essentially disappeared upon the upgrade to 9.1 Whatever they did, it fixed the problem.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

golubian said:


> Ditto. My pixelization on 312/313 essentially disappeared upon the upgrade to 9.1 Whatever they did, it fixed the problem.


And yet not a peep out of TiVo that 9.x had *anything* in it related to pixellation problems. 

I'd be tooting my horn about my bug fixes if I was them. I realize not everybody had every problem solved, but there do seem to be enough of us seeing results that TiVo should mention (brag about) it.


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## TradeViceroy (Jun 13, 2007)

Howdy:

Is anyone else having to reboot their Tivo HD every month? I have a family member that seems to lose every channel under 100 about once every 30 days (give or take a few days). All the digital and HD channels work fine. It's getting to be quite annoying. I went through 6 cable cards (both M and S variety) before I finally found a pair of S-cards they seem to work reliably for them (I'm the techie in the family).


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

astrohip said:


> Either 9.1 did something about this, or it's amazingly coincidental timing. Since TiVo doesn't release any info as to what any particular release does, we have no way of knowing.


Coincidental gets my vote. I do have a way of knowing.

I don't have an S3 or HD, but I do have a cable card in my TV and have suffered with the 312-313 problem. But it seems to have been fixed for me as well. Not by TiVo but by Comcast. As confirmation, I no longer see the extreme signal strength fluctuations on that frequency. All the subchannels on that frequency are now solid.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

My latest Comcast Houston experience . . .

Bought another S3 last week. Went down and picked up two cablecards from the midtown SC. One was a M-card, the other a std card. They are still using Moto cards.

S3 arrived, opened it & installed a WK 500GB drive, before I even turned it on. Fired it up, went thru setup. Plugged in the cc, called the special cc #, got an idiot. She was so clueless, I couldn't stand talking to her (and she's a "special" cc tech?). Made an excuse, hung up, called back. Got a different person, went thru the cc setup (reading # after # after #...), then she said allow up to 24 hours, you're done!

Less than 24 hours later, everything works. Got all my channels--HD, pay, HBO, yada yada. Both cards work. No pixellation. Doesn't seem to make any diff that one card is an M card.

Unplugged the SA8300HD from the bedroom TV, hooked up the S3, and my wife is a happy camper. Already moving (MRV) some shows she likes from my S3 to hers.

When it works, it really works well :up:


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## zackangelo (Sep 14, 2006)

I'm located near Shepherd and Memorial and I was experiencing the problems with NBC (312) and others too. The problem inexplicably cleared itself up a couple of weeks ago. Good to see that I wasn't an isolated incident.


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

zackangelo said:


> I'm located near Shepherd and Memorial and I was experiencing the problems with NBC (312) and others too. The problem inexplicably cleared itself up a couple of weeks ago. Good to see that I wasn't an isolated incident.


Probably the patch, the timing is about the same.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

astrohip said:


> My latest Comcast Houston experience . . .
> 
> S3 arrived, opened it & installed a WK 500GB drive, before I even turned it on. Fired it up, went thru setup. Plugged in the cc, called the special cc #, got an idiot. She was so clueless, I couldn't stand talking to her (and she's a "special" cc tech?). Made an excuse, hung up, called back. Got a different person, went thru the cc setup (reading # after # after #...), then she said allow up to 24 hours, you're done!
> 
> Less than 24 hours later, everything works.


I am going through the same thing right now. The tech told me to wait 24 hours for activation to work and if it didn't I would have to get a new CC. Do you know how long it really took? It just sounds like a way of pushing you off for another couple of days so they do not have to deal with you.


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## cepheid (Feb 16, 2002)

vectorzulu said:


> I am going through the same thing right now. The tech told me to wait 24 hours for activation to work and if it didn't I would have to get a new CC. Do you know how long it really took? ...


They are right. When pairing my two cards last year, it took about 22 hours for all authorized channels to become available to me. Be patient... it'll work.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

cepheid said:


> They are right. When pairing my two cards last year, it took about 22 hours for all authorized channels to become available to me. Be patient... it'll work.


+1. It really does take about a day or so.

Check back in here if you don't have them shortly . . .


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

Ok, it appears everything is working (sort of). I am now receiving the higher channels in HD like 283 (Nat GEO HD) but I do have a few questions.

1. If I go into the CC setup section and goto conditional access the Val: tag does not show a "V" but still shows a "?". I had read in other posts that is should be a "V" once the card is active.

2. I am not receiving all of my channels. For example I should be getting 295 and 301 but those channels appear to be turned off. Do I need to call back Comcast and get them to do something?

Thanks again for any help!


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

vectorzulu said:


> 2. I am not receiving all of my channels. For example I should be getting 295 and 301 but those channels appear to be turned off. Do I need to call back Comcast and get them to do something?


Be aware these are now only available under the $5 HD package, whereas before they were free with Premium cable. Assuming you are signed up for this, then yes, you need to call them.

I don't even know what #1 means, so I'll leave that to someone else. Glad to hear it started working though--a working HD TiVo is a thing of joy! :up:


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

astrohip said:


> Be aware these are now only available under the $5 HD package, whereas before they were free with Premium cable. Assuming you are signed up for this, then yes, you need to call them.
> 
> I don't even know what #1 means, so I'll leave that to someone else. Glad to hear it started working though--a working HD TiVo is a thing of joy! :up:


295 is TNTHD and should require no special package. 301 may be part of the HD package which is now $3 but only contains 2 channels.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

andyf said:


> 295 is TNTHD and should require no special package. 301 may be part of the HD package which is now $3 but only contains 2 channels.


That is what I thought. I guess I will have to call Comcast back and see if there is something they need to do.


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## Pres8th (Jan 7, 2008)

This has been a nightmare....
I am in The Woodlands...I went and picked up 1 Motorola M-card...
I did the guided set-up without the card as instructed by Tivo
I then called Comcast to get the card activated and the first person I talked to said okay
Well I ran guided set-up again and my screen was stuck on "Acquiring Channel..."
After a 50 minute second call to Comcast he tech said that because I was not even able to see analog channels (2-99) or basic HD (308-313) then my card was no good or something was wrong with Tivo and refused to put in an activation request
Called Tivo...40 minutes later, nothing wrong with Tivo, and it is communicating with the cable service...Now on my second major call with Comcast (5th call of the day)... and 45 minutes into my hold time, longer than the first call...
IS THIS INSANE TO ANYONE ELSE BUT ME??? Shouldnt this process be seamless?


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## Temp (Jan 3, 2008)

It seems that there is a problem with comcast houston tech people and the tivo HD setup. A few of us had a similar problem in a previous thread. I spent a good amount of time with both comcast and tivo cc tech people because of it.

The comcast people will refuse to activate your card until you see basic channels, but you won't see basic channels on the tivo HD until the card is activated (at least for me, I always got stuck on acquiring channels). MAKE THEM ACTIVATE THE CARD. I used a "well it couldn't hurt anything to try right?" approach, but if I had to do it again I'd probably just lie and tell them I see basic and music channels. They will take 3 numbers from you to activate the card and it can take 24 hours. Yay working tivo!


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## ckgoodwin (Jul 2, 2001)

Sorry... wrong forum...


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

ckgoodwin said:


> Are there any deals out there for new customers switching to Bay Area Comcast - and jumping in for the whole triple play?
> - Chris


This is the Houston Comcast thread. I have no idea if Comcast runs specials across the country, or tweaks them for each market, but you may be better off asking in a less region-specific thread.

Good luck!


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## ckgoodwin (Jul 2, 2001)

astrohip said:


> This is the Houston Comcast thread. <SNIP>


Duh. I thought I was posting to the main Comcast Cable Card thread. Thanks for straightening me out...

- Chris


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## Pres8th (Jan 7, 2008)

Temp said:


> It seems that there is a problem with comcast houston tech people and the tivo HD setup. A few of us had a similar problem in a previous thread. I spent a good amount of time with both comcast and tivo cc tech people because of it.
> 
> The comcast people will refuse to activate your card until you see basic channels, but you won't see basic channels on the tivo HD until the card is activated (at least for me, I always got stuck on acquiring channels). MAKE THEM ACTIVATE THE CARD. I used a "well it couldn't hurt anything to try right?" approach, but if I had to do it again I'd probably just lie and tell them I see basic and music channels. They will take 3 numbers from you to activate the card and it can take 24 hours. Yay working tivo!


I am on my 3rd call...20 minutes into wait time, Im going to go ahead and lie and tell them that I see channels. This whole process makes me want to leave Tivo and Comcast and switch to satellite with a built in DVR. I'll see if this works.


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## thassanice (Jan 10, 2008)

I'd like to share my experience.

1. Bought TiVo HD
2. Stopped by Comcast to pick up 1st M-card
3. Installed card in Tivo, but go no channels initially.
4. Called activation line and they told me I should be getting channels.
5. Hung up and messed with the TiVo thinking I did something wrong.
6. Called TiVo and support representative told me that no channels will work if it's not activated.
7. Called back activation line, lied, and told them I had the channels so they would activate it.
8. Later that day, I started getting channels.
9. Called back and they said they hadn't activated my card yet.
10. Channels stopped working the next day.
11. Went to payment center to get replacement card.
12. Installed replacement card and did start getting basic channels.
13. Called to activate the 2nd card.
14. I was called back a couple days later to tell me the activation failed and that I should get another cable card.
15. Went to payment center and got TWO more cable cards, because I was sick and tired of waiting in the lines, and I wanted to have another backup.
16. Called to try to activate my 3rd card, and it still isn't working properly.

So basically, I'm very annoyed at this point. I've thought about returning the TiVo, canceling Comcast, and getting Dish Network. I'll probably call them tomorrow and see what they say.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

thassanice said:


> So basically, I'm very annoyed at this point. I've thought about returning the TiVo, canceling Comcast, and getting Dish Network. I'll probably call them tomorrow and see what they say.


I'm sorry to hear your experience isn't what it should be. I think most of us in this thread are surprised at how well Comcast actually handles cablecard installs; your issues show it can go the other way. Make sure you are calling the special cablecard install hotline (713.341.8080). And if you get an idiot, make an excuse to get off the phone, and call back. Here is my post from my second S3 install, and other than one hurdle (1st CSR was that idiot), it went well...



astrohip said:


> My latest Comcast Houston experience . . .
> 
> Bought another S3 last week. Went down and picked up two cablecards from the midtown SC. One was a M-card, the other a std card. They are still using Moto cards.
> 
> ...


Keep us in the loop; we'll all help where we can. :up:


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## crjonesus (Jan 10, 2008)

I got my S3 on the 8th and installed it when I got home from the Comcast office, about 6PM. I called the "special" number and got someone that insisted on me tuning to channels. She left me on the acquiring channels screen for hours. Finally I called back to tell them it wasn't doing anything, and a rep took the number and said 24 hours. Now almost 2 days later, I am still in the same spot. Every time I call they say that the cards have not been activated yet. 

Does it normally take this long? I've been pulling my hair out for 3 days trying to get this working. New HDTV, new TiVo S3 and so far the experience is really crap.

UPDATE 8:00PM -----------

After speaking with a very helpful Tier 3 rep at Comcast, I was told that I have bad cards. It was recommended that I get new cards. I went back to the local ofice and picked them up. no dice. Same issue. She noticed a pattern in the cards numbers and asked me to go to another office. I did, got the cards, and finally it worked!

Hope this update helps others. Try another office to pick up your cards.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Add another unhappy camper to the list. I have been trying since LAST Thursday to get an HD working with an M Card installed. I have tried five MCards from the Bellaire and Tidwell stores and in desperation swapped the TiVo at Circuit City. I have plugged the wall outlet directly into the TiVo to bypass all other cables, splitters, etc. Still no joy.

I get that same BS about if you can't see any channels we can't help you. And of course TiVo won't let you watch live TV until it can acquire the channel list (map). Catch 22.

I have been through the lengthy TiVo troubleshooting stuck acquiring doc and confirmed that the MCard is getting messages from Comcast. But I also confirmed that no channel list has been downloaded.

I did a channel scan and it appears that it found a bushel of digital channels. But without a map they are of no use.

I have had one conference call with TiVo and Comcast with no results. I have specifically asked Comcast if they have ever seen a case like this and they all say no. Well, what is the count up to here now in the last week?

One Comcast guy wanted me to swap the SCard in my TV with the MCard in the THD. Sure, and be without any TV at all? I went through a few SCards to get the TV working and it still doesn't get TNTHD, DHDT or MOJO.

I have also tried the trick of putting the TiVo in position A, the TV in B and the cable modem in C. But the guy said his gear would not let him move the cable modem, although he did put the MCard (THD) ahead of the SCard (TV).

I asked about a knowledgeable tech to check the line from the TV all the way to the pole outside but was told a tech could not help

What is left to do to get the THD/MCard working for us?


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

I wonder if Comcast just recycles the cable cards? If a user has a problem, they will continue to swap cards until they get a good one. In the meantime, the pool of cards gets drained of those good ones, leaving the "quirky" cards for the next user to deal with.

Anyone with knowledge of Comcast procedures able to shed any light on this? What happens when we return a card?


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## bizzy (Jan 20, 2004)

Apparently, they write "BAD" on them, and send them back out for another customer.

This isn't actually quite as pathetic as it sounds, since most of the time the card isn't bad, its simply the shaved ape installing it who can't read a string of digits into a telephone correctly.

So I guess its only partly miserable apathy on Comcast's part; and part realistic acknowledgment that their installers are generally sub-morons.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

bizzy said:


> Apparently, they write "BAD" on them, and send them back out for another customer.
> 
> This isn't actually quite as pathetic as it sounds, since most of the time the card isn't bad, its simply the shaved ape installing it who can't read a string of digits into a telephone correctly.
> 
> So I guess its only partly miserable apathy on Comcast's part; and part realistic acknowledgment that their installers are generally sub-morons.


Installers in SF may be shaved apes but Comcast Houston uses self installs and a method that is a hangover from when the system was run by Time Warner. That is indeed part of the problem because the person you call to read the numbers to just types them in and sends them on to someone else to actually use to send the hits. The user never knows when they are sent (supposedly 3-5 PM M-F) and so never knows whether they were sent and if so whether the process succeeded or failed and they can never tell you the reason for a failure. A tech even told me the reason for a failure was that I was not getting the basic channels. I told him he was confusing a symptom with a cause. If you can get through to a regular CSR you may be able to talk them into sending the signals while you are on the line with them. But which signals? There are more than one, and different people use different terminology.


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## bigray327 (Apr 14, 2000)

My experience: installed three M-cards in three new TiVoHDs and had no issues with any of the cards. One activation took a little longer than normal due to Comcast having their head up their butt, but the other two went completely flawlessly.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Most people experience no issues. Comcast actually told me 97% have none, versus 3% who do. This was from the same person who told me that the Comcast servers rejected my CC because I wasn't getting the basic channels and she could not send an activation. This person also, at my request, said she had moved my MCard to the A position in the device list. But just yesterday I was told that the computer would not allow the cable modem out of the A position. And she finally agreed to submit the pairing data again. However, I have lost all confidence in what I am being told.

I've talked to TiVo again and we will be setting up a conference call with (in their expression) a senior tech after I give it another day or two. Perhaps TiVo techs have the weight to get to the people who know the difference between a CableCARD and a Roger Clemens card.


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Did anyone else besides me lose the Non-local HD channels today? I'm not getting any of the ones aside from the local HDs repackaged. Everything's been fine since last September when they screwed up all of Bear Creek doing VOD upgrades.

I'm in Copperfield.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

No problem here (Rice U area).


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## Pres8th (Jan 7, 2008)

This is an update for me from my original nightmare post...
I lied to Comcast and told them I saw the channels when in fact I did not in order for them to activate the card...
Within 24 hours...viola! It works.
However...there are several channels that I can not get
Ch 301 (HDT), Ch 298 (MojoHD), Ch 295 (TNTD)..
I spoke with a tech who wanted me to switch out my cable card...NO WAY!! Not after all of this.
I wonder if Comcast is in violation of Federal law since the cards they are handing out are not allowing full access to all channels.
PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU KNOW HOW TO GET THOSE THREE CHANNELS TO WORK


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

@Pres8th

Good to hear. Maybe I'll try that - on a conference call I plan to make with TiVo and Comcast tomorrow. Depends on how it goes. I would rather TiVo straighten them out on the proper procedure and put an end to this merry-go-round.

As for those three channels, once upon a time I got them on an S-card in my TV and then they disappeared. No one has given me any help in getting them back. Maybe I'll bring it up tomorrow.


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## JaneMcAsh (May 11, 2002)

We've been unable to get 295 also - would love it if you'd see what Comcast says ...

Jane 
Houston - Galleria Area


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

Pres8th said:


> This is an update for me from my original nightmare post...
> I lied to Comcast and told them I saw the channels when in fact I did not in order for them to activate the card...
> Within 24 hours...viola! It works.
> However...there are several channels that I can not get
> ...





JaneMcAsh said:


> We've been unable to get 295 also - would love it if you'd see what Comcast says ...
> 
> Jane
> Houston - Galleria Area


All 3 working for me, and I'm in the Galleria area too.


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## JaneMcAsh (May 11, 2002)

Just was on the phone with Comcast support because BOTH my S3 cablecards were reporting 'not in normal operation' and the HD channels were all mixed up. We ended up turning off the Tivo, inserting card 1, then card 2 and now everything is fine again  AND 295 TNT is showing up... The Comcast guy (also a Tivo owner) said that my cards were still using the old TW #s (I've had them almost a year), at any rate, when he reset them all is well.

Jane


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## JohnP1732 (Jan 14, 2008)

Bought a TIVO S3 HD in Dec. (End of, just before christmas)
Picked up 2 cablecards from 290 & Tidwell location.
Spent 2 hours and 3+ phone calls getting them working.
Hours later, they lost the channel settings. (Supposed to be recording a football game in HD, and instead it was recording c-span.)
Called Comcast, told to get replacement cards.
Got replacement cards. (249 and Spring Cypress loc.) Tried them, didn't work.
Have 2nd set of replacement cards.
Now have questions...

1. Does the tivo have to be off before I insert the cards?
2. I lie to them when I call right? I tell them the preview channels show up in order for the cards to be paired?
3. If i lose the channel lineup again (would like to record shows in HD, that is what I bought it for), do I just reboot, or do I have to get another set of cards?
4. Which # do I call, the 800-266 # and ask for tier 3 support, or the 713 # posted previously?

Help me get this working, please....


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

JohnP1732 said:


> Bought a TIVO S3 HD in Dec. (End of, just before christmas)
> Picked up 2 cablecards from 290 & Tidwell location.
> Spent 2 hours and 3+ phone calls getting them working.
> Hours later, they lost the channel settings. (Supposed to be recording a football game in HD, and instead it was recording c-span.)
> ...


For Comcast Houston, their cablecard support number is 713-341-8080. Very knowledgable folks there. Never had a problem authorizing CCs from that number.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

Das Achteck said:


> One Comcast guy wanted me to swap the SCard in my TV with the MCard in the THD. Sure, and be without any TV at all? I went through a few SCards to get the TV working and it still doesn't get TNTHD, DHDT or MOJO.


I am seeing the same problem. I have a Tivo HD with a moto M-card. I do not get the same channels, TNTHD, DHDT and MOJO. I am also getting some channels I am not supposed to get, like current tv (107 or 109 cannot remember) lifetime movie (117 or 119) and jewelry tv (330 I think). I have the digital starter package.

Do you have any other TVs in the house? I have one a SDTV on a set top box. When I tune to those channels (TNTHD, etc.) it shows not authorized. While the other HD channels like Nat Geo do not show that message.

Comcast tech came out on Saturday. Now the set top box is getting TNTHD, etc, no more not authorized message but my Tivo HD is still showing a grey screen. Arrgh! He said I was using old TW codes.

Now a new issue! I was recording two shows last night, one on 311 (Amazing Race) & 309 (The new Terminator show). They both started @ 7 PM. While I was eating dinner I noticed at 7:15 PM that my little red record lights were off, WTF?!?! Well for some reason my CC decided to de-authorize those channels and stopped recording the shows as well as deleting what had already recorded.

Still waiting on a return phone call from Comcast.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

I was able to get tech support to hit the card today during a conference call with TiVo. It did not seem to change anything. He agreed, after he had me go through some screens, that things were properly set up, and confirmed that his screens showed the card to be operating correctly and to be properly authorized. My screens show the card to be operating properly but no channel list has been downloaded and there is no indication of being paired or authorized and I still can't get past the acquiring channels step.

So he set up a tech visit for tomorrow. At least he didn't say I had a bad card like the folks on the activation line do and said that after trying five cards there was no sense in going back for more.

I'll try to remember to see what the tech can do about the three missing channels on the S-Card in the TV. That card was installed during the TWC regime and may need some sort of update hit. I suspect this is some sort of billing code error.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

andyf said:


> For Comcast Houston, their cablecard support number is 713-341-8080. Very knowledgable folks there. Never had a problem authorizing CCs from that number.


They basically send your pairing data to another department and that is about it. If you have problems you will get different answers from different people at that number. One of the people at that number told me that a field tech could not help. Maybe not, but the real tech support decided to send one after a bit of troubleshooting on the phone with TiVo and I.

I have been trying to get a THD working with that CC Activation Line group since 1/3/08. It is time to give someone else a shot.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

Das Achteck said:


> I was able to get tech support to hit the card today during a conference call with TiVo.


How did you get to Comcast and Tivo on the phone with each other?

The tech that came out Saturday said my account did have some old TW codes on it. Once they fixed it my set top box started working on those 3 channels but not my THD. I wonder if they need to do the same thing to my CC?

Keep us updated on what happens...


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## Sotexn (Nov 30, 2007)

My experience.
Tivo HD late November early December
Tried 4 M cards from the 290 Tidwell outlet. None of them would ever recognize any channels.
Plugged in 2 S Cards Saturday morning, I received the non scrambled analog and rebroadcasted local HD. Called in the numbers. Late afternoon received all the standard HD programs

I do not believe everyone at comcast knows how to do the initial setup of the cards. There just can't be that many physically bad cards, or they just send the same ones back out.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

vectorzulu said:


> How did you get to Comcast and Tivo on the phone with each other?


TiVo support will set up the call to whatever phone number you give them. I have given them both the CC Act Line (which was a useless call after being on hold for about an hour) and the Tech Sup number that is at the bottom of the old TWC activation sheet they hand out with the cards. TiVo waded through the menus and started the conversation.

The Comcast tech started with a strong line about TiVo being non-supported, and that is why you want a TiVo tech leading the way.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Sotexn said:


> My experience.
> Tivo HD late November early December
> Tried 4 M cards from the 290 Tidwell outlet. None of them would ever recognize any channels.
> Plugged in 2 S Cards Saturday morning, I received the non scrambled analog and rebroadcasted local HD. Called in the numbers. Late afternoon received all the standard HD programs


I have had one suggestion from Comcast that I try S-Cards. But I don't want to pay for two cards when they can't make one work. Did you try to cut a deal?

Activated on Saturday? What about the 24 hour and M-F mantra? Did you plug in and report the cards separately or in one call to Comcast?


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## Sotexn (Nov 30, 2007)

Das Achteck said:


> I have had one suggestion from Comcast that I try S-Cards. But I don't want to pay for two cards when they can't make one work. Did you try to cut a deal?
> 
> Activated on Saturday? What about the 24 hour and M-F mantra? Did you plug in and report the cards separately or in one call to Comcast?


I didn't try to cut a deal. After about a week of dealing with this I was worn down. The second card is costing me 2.00 per month, but all of this and their price hikes have cost them all of their pay movie channels.

I plugged cards in individually, wrote down the numbers, and made one call. The call was early Saturday morning and they were paired later that Saturday. What I found out is the people on the phone taking the numbers down do not have access to what is called the provisioning system. The "24 hr" wait is basically the back log of those people who's scheduled work hours are M-F 8-5, but their backlog has them also working on Saturdays.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Sotexn said:


> What I found out is the people on the phone taking the numbers down do not have access to what is called the provisioning system. The "24 hr" wait is basically the back log of those people who's scheduled work hours are M-F 8-5, but their backlog has them also working on Saturdays.


I already knew that from getting a CC working in my TV a year ago. That is why I found the CC Activation Line useless when problems arise. At least some of them not only have no access, they often have limited or incorrect knowledge.

As for time, I have been told that a computer sends the hits at 3-5 PM. When someone at the real Tech Sup tells me he has just hit my card, I have to believe him. What I don't know is what kind of hit because terminology varies so much. It isn't clear just what you need to ask for. Even the TiVo tech on the phone with me asked for a "hit", not a specific kind.


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## cleancut_hou (Jan 16, 2008)

Well here's my experience....

We had Direct TIVO for 7 years and have had a Tivo since the month they came out. When we got an HD TV we wanted to keep Tivo so we decided to go with Comcast and HD Tivo. I was not going to get the piece of crap DVR. Once you have the Tivo, you never go back. So before the tivo arrive I went and picked up the Cablecards at the Bellaire office.

Several days later I get everything up and call to actiate. They can't find the cable cards in inventory. That was discovered only after my third call to activation. Depending on who you get, you can b.s. them, but most of them haven't gotten good information at all.

Finally after three days of not working, I swapped and got a new card. I called to activate. Three hours later, nothing, so I called back. Turns out the tech, could "send a signal" to activate it.... which he did... and I began receiving most channels. He said it should take a day for all the encrytped channels to show up. I'll have to check when I Get home from work. 

To all Houstonians and TiVo fans... just be patient with Comcast. It's worth it to not have the POS DVR!


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

@cleancut_hou

If you were on the CC Activation Line, those people cannot "send a signal" so I assume that you had shifted to regular tech support.

I had a tech in the house for over an hour yesterday. He knew cable cards and he knew TiVo, although he had not worked on a THD before.

He reseated the CC and booted the TiVo. He checked my incoming signal and the signal reaching both the TV (which has an S-Card) and the TiVo. He even approved my distribution amp, saying it was from the same company that makes the ones they use.

He could see that I had set things up correctly and could see that the card was not paired so he called in to get it done. That was his word - paired. He mentioned that this is one of the few things that he cannot do from his laptop. At a few minutes before 6 PM Tier 3 support told him there was no one on duty who could pair the card! They could confirm that the pairing data was already in their computer, but no one there knew what to do with it.

He then called someone further up the ladder and filled him in on this, again saying the card needed to be paired. He left me the person's name and direct number and this morning I left him a voice mail. The tech swears this person is a problem fixer and that it will get fixed. We'll see.

The tech also confirmed that I have the same problem with TNTHD, MOJO and DHT that others have reported here; he plugged his test STB into my TV and got the unauthorized message. He briefed the problem fixer on this too, saying that the "codes" need to be checked.

This is Day 14 in my saga.

And to add insult to injury, my Comcast bill had a $1.99 charge for "change of service" in addition to charges for cards that have never worked. It took two calls to get a CSR who was able to correct the bill. They do leave one card on the bill and when it starts working they will credit for the period for which it wasn't.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

Okay, I now get the extra channels that I was not getting before (TNTHD, Discovery HD, Mojo). Comcast had me restart my Tivo and they sent it a "hit".

Of course you would think I would now be a happy camper but I am still seeing an issue. My Tivo will be in the middle of recording a show and for no reason it will stop. When it does this it will not keep the partial recording, it gets deleted. So I was wondering if I could have the Houston based readers that are using a Tivo HD with an Motorola M-Card help me do a little troubleshooting?

- Goto your Tivo Central screen -> Message & Settings -> Settings -> Remote, CableCard, & Devices -> Cable Card Decoder -> Configure CableCard 1 (Multi-Stream) -> CableCard Menu -> Conditional Access.

On the Conditional Access screen the 4th line of text should end with "Val:" and some numbers like 0x00. Tivo support stated that the Val: line should be Val:V if a card is valid (which means it has been paired). My M-Card has always showed "Val:?". Which according to Tivo means that it is not Valid.

So if you are using a Tivo HD with a Motorola M-Card on Comcast in the Houston area please let me know you are seeing on your Val: line? Also what channels or Comcast package are signed up for.

FYI, I am only subscribed to Digital Starter, which means I should only get the analog channels and the digital channels from 283 to 324.​


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

vectorzulu said:


> My M-Card has always showed "Val:?". Which according to Tivo means that it is not Valid.[/INDENT]


That is what mine (non-working of course) has always shown and when the Comcast tech saw that he said the card needed to be paired, as did the last TiVo tech I talked to.

Search TiVo for reference number 05-11-08 and you will see a document with a picture of an M-Card conditional access screen and the notation "Val:? means CableCARD is unpaired".

By the time Mr. FixIt and I got together the people he needs on this had left for the day. We are scheduled to try again tomorrow morning and see if they can get it going without sending another tech out.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

Das Achteck said:


> Search TiVo for reference number 05-11-08 and you will see a document with a picture of an M-Card conditional access screen and the notation "Val:? means CableCARD is unpaired".


Thanks for the reference, the Tivo support tech pointed me to that article the other day.

Now if I could only get Comcast to understand that my CC is not paired.


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## thassanice (Jan 10, 2008)

Well, as annoying as it is that my cable card is still not paired, I take comfort in knowing I'm not the only one. Maybe it was the latest Christmas shipping of cablecards that are having the problem? It sounds like we're all having the same issue... I was promised yesterday by a cable card activation line representative that he was going to have some "guy" look at it. I haven't heard anything back yet...


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

They told me the same thing, I never heard back so I called them.


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## JohnP1732 (Jan 14, 2008)

So I plugged in my cable cards last night, and called the 713 #.
Talked to a nice, older gentleman who took all the information from the cards and then told me the people who activate the cards work 3-5pm each day, so I would have to wait until then for the cards to get activated.


Now when I called the 800# I previously used, I talked to the first tech and told them I had a cable card and needed tier 3 support. They took a second, put me on hold, and then I got to tier 3. From there I would give the same information, they would send out the activation right then and there.

I'll have to wait until I get home from work to test the tv out to see what happens.


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## vectorzulu (Nov 27, 2007)

JohnP1732 said:


> I'll have to wait until I get home from work to test the tv out to see what happens.


Did everything work out for you?


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## JohnP1732 (Jan 14, 2008)

Actually, it did.
I came home, and most of the channels I wanted to be there were there.
I think I need to go one by one, because I think I had a problem with the TNT HD station, but otherwise so far so good.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

The multi-week saga of trying to get a cable card working in a THD is over.

Mr. FixIt did deliver. I was contacted by what I believe to be the top CC tech in the Houston operation, aka Mr. CC. We were on the phone for 45 minutes. He was unable to communicate with the MCard and suggested I try an SCard. That was the second or third time that had been suggested. This time I caved in and got one (and one more MCard just in case). It worked immediately and by the next morning was paired. So I got a second one and it also worked and paired.

So what was the problem? Who knows?

Mr. CC said the MCard he was working on was "bad". But he also said it simply was not credible that I would have five (now six) bad MCards (from different stores) in a row. He was definite that the TiVo was not at fault.

But another tech I spoke to told me that he had to try three THD's at his residence before he found one that would work with an MCard. I only tried two and didn't think Circuit City would be amused at another exchange request.

And a tech on the Activation Line commented that there was a "glitch" with MCards, implying it was a Comcast problem. Maybe that is why the suggestions to try an SCard.

So I finally have a fully working THD. I have tried to stress the thing over the long weekend to make sure the cards continue working and they have. That's the good news.

The bad news for those who may be stuck in the acquiring channels loop is that it isn't easy to find an SCard. The store I usually deal with had none. The second option had one which I took. A third store had two; I took one. A CSR told me they are being (have been?) phased out. But a tech on the Activation Line told me they are trying to get more. I had Mr. FixIt check the warehouse; there were none.

One thing I did not try was to see if an MCard would operate in single stream mode in slot 2 with an SCard in slot 1. If so that would have saved me another trip to Comcast.

My bill is now a mess as you can imagine after having eight cards pass through my hands. I don't look forward to cleaning it up, including removal of the Change of Service charges they levied when I picked up new equipment (cable cards). And I will try to avoid paying for two cards because they could not get one to work.

As for the 295/298/301 issue, Mr. CC said my codes are correct and he sent new authorization signals which had no effect. From this he concluded that it is a signal problem and I need a tech visit. I also called the regular support line and they confirmed that the codes are correct and up to date and that I am entitled to those channels. But they were unable to enable them either.

Before anyone asks, I can't provide names or numbers for Mr. FixIt or Mr. CC. I don't know Mr. FixIt's title; he seems to be some sort of facilitator or trouble shooter that techs can call upon when they hit a wall. You can't just call him cold; he seems to need a report from a tech as an intro. As for Mr. CC, I can't even call him to report results; he has to contact me.


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

I'm in Houston & also missing the same channels (Mojo, TNTHD, etc.). I guess I'll play around with it this weekend and see if I can get it fixed.


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## jking777 (Jul 24, 2005)

Is anybody seeing copy protected shows lately? I've had my TivoHD for a couple months. I hadn't seen any copy protected shows at all, but starting about a week I'm seeing lots of shows on lots of different channels. For example, Top Gear on BBC America, several kids shows on Noggin and Nick, some old Star Trek episodes.


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## rangermonk (Jan 2, 2007)

Anyone have any issues with CC from the Humble/1960 location? Was thinking about getting the TivoHD and pickup a CC to save some money.


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

jking777 said:


> Is anybody seeing copy protected shows lately? I've had my TivoHD for a couple months. I hadn't seen any copy protected shows at all, but starting about a week I'm seeing lots of shows on lots of different channels. For example, Top Gear on BBC America, several kids shows on Noggin and Nick, some old Star Trek episodes.


Does this mean you can't record the shows or just that you can't offload them w/ MRV?


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

rangermonk said:


> Anyone have any issues with CC from the Humble/1960 location? Was thinking about getting the TivoHD and pickup a CC to save some money.


See here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=382723


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## rangermonk (Jan 2, 2007)

Well, I ended up getting a TivoHD and turned in my SA HD box for the Motorla M card. Comcast support was great, the tech I talked to said he's setup several TivoHD boxes already, so he knew what was going on. Now is just the waiting game for the card to be activated. I got the call in and they set it up in the cue yesterday around 4pm.

How long did it take some of you guys' cards to be fully activated? I checked this morning about 5:45, and it still wasn't active. They did say 24-48hrs. Was just curious about everyone's approx. wait times.


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## cepheid (Feb 16, 2002)

rangermonk said:


> How long did it take some of you guys' cards to be fully activated? I checked this morning about 5:45, and it still wasn't active. They did say 24-48hrs. Was just curious about everyone's approx. wait times.


It does indeed take up to a day. For me, it was about 22 hours.


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## rangermonk (Jan 2, 2007)

Well, got home yesterday evening around 5:30pm, and all was setup and running. All my HD working as well. Dunno if it got activated any sooner, but about 24hrs for me.


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## bizzy (Jan 20, 2004)

only cable companies could take an operation that should happen in under a second and make it take 24 hours


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

bizzy said:


> only cable companies could take an operation that should happen in under a second and make it take 24 hours


Ain't that the truth 

It's been said, although never confirmed, that Comcast Houston only sends the "authorize cablecard" signal out from 3-5PM each day. So if you call in the evening, as so many do, it will be about 24 hours before your card gets its autho hit.

I guess we should be thankful it's not 3-5PM on the 3rd Sunday of each month.


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

When I did mine I got through right at 5 and the CSR stayed with me til we knew it took.


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## hughes40 (Feb 13, 2008)

I have tivo series3 hd all in one. I too have pixel problems, on 312 n 313. i read about an update, what is that about? and how do i get it?


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## jerrodt (Oct 7, 2007)

About 1 month ago certain HD channels would bring up the pairing screen (TNTHD, ESPNHD, etc.) although other HD channels functioned normally. I've had two techs come out, set through at least 4 hours of technical support calls and am still not getting the missing HD channels. 

I have 3 series 3 Tivo's so I'm using S-Cards. I did notice when the problem was first noticed that the firmware on my cards was 4.15 and for a period of time one cablecard was actually receiving all of the channels but the firmware was 4.21. Of course the tech wanted to re-boot the tivo so I did and then it lost all of the channels.

I was told by one of the techs there was an upgrade for my area that caused the problem. I spent another 1+ hour on the phone today walking through all of the numbers on my cards so hopefully it will take once they send the update. If it does work then I'm thinking that it was a firmware issue so hopefully this will help others. I'll find out in about 24 hours so I'll let everyone know the results.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

jerrodt said:


> I was told by one of the techs there was an upgrade for my area that caused the problem.


Thanks for the informative post. The more info like this we share, the better we can all help each other stay in tune.

I would be particularly interested in hearing more about the upgrade you mentioned. This is the 2nd time this week I've heard reference to a Comcast upgrade that has screwed up cablecard users. Details anyone?


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## jerrodt (Oct 7, 2007)

As far as the upgrade goes I was told by the tech and the CSR they performed an upgrade for my area (Augusta Pines - Near The Woodlands). They were having to replace cablecards not only on Tivo's but also on their on boxes. Some of the cablecards were not taking the firmware update so they were replacing them with cablecards that had the right firmware. Of course they didn't know the correct firmware level the cards needed to be.

The one card that I had that was working was 4.21 and all of the others were 4.15. All of my cards now read 4.21 on firmware level so I'm hoping that the firmware levels took and now they just need the channel maps updated. Only time will tell.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

Yes, it impacted me as well. Actually my Mom as well who lives about 6 miles away. NW Houston, Cypress. I'm in Northlake Forest, she's in Stonegate.

We both have S3 units with s-cards and everything was running just fine, then we lost channels a week or so ago. Tune to a channel, and the pairing screen would come up. Called for a re-pair, did not fix it. Meanwhile, I also have a TiVo HD unit with a single m-card and it was completely unaffected (it experienced no problems). Only the S3 units with s-cards.

I swapped out my s-cards for m-cards. Now my S3 units each have two m-cards. Everything is back to normal. My Mom is swapping her cards out today. I think m-cards will be the standard going forward, whether your device can use it as multi-stream or not.

Interestingly, when I swapped my cards out, the m-cards I got had red dot stickers on the cases. I asked what that meant and the clerk said that those were for areas that had been upgraded.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Yesterday one of my S-Cards went south and I could get only analog channels; digitals were just a black screen. And that meant I could not even get 1-99 channels that are simulcast. Diagnostics said everything was OK. I was in a panic, not looking forward to another multi-week saga to get the box working.

In the American tradition of kicking the thing to see if it will start working, I pulled the offending cc for several seconds and then reinserted it. Voila! All the channels are back.

Then I noticed that the offending cc that had been 4.15 was now 4.21. Obviously I got a firmware upgrade. But like some Windows updates, it took a reboot to get it working.


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## jerrodt (Oct 7, 2007)

I now have 2.5 Tivo's getting the correct channels! I say 2.5 because on one Tivo cablecard1 receives the channels properly but cablecard2 does not. To get your missing channels Comcast needs to build your service from scratch. Meaning you need to walk through all of the pairing information numbers with them and then they need to send out the channel maps. 

I did figure out how to tell if you are going to be missing any channels or how you can confirm if it is working properly.
Under Conditional Access for the cablecard the "Copy Protection Key" needs to read "Enabled" instead of "Disabled".

Although I'm now experiencing Pixelating issues (must have been a great uprade to the system) at least I'm able to get all of my HD channels back. I've been successful in the past with pixelating problems by boosting the signal.


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

jerrodt said:


> I now have 2.5 Tivo's getting the correct channels! I say 2.5 because on one Tivo cablecard1 receives the channels properly but cablecard2 does not. To get your missing channels Comcast needs to build your service from scratch. Meaning you need to walk through all of the pairing information numbers with them and then they need to send out the channel maps.
> 
> I did figure out how to tell if you are going to be missing any channels or how you can confirm if it is working properly.
> Under Conditional Access for the cablecard the "Copy Protection Key" needs to read "Enabled" instead of "Disabled".
> ...


Good news/bad news.

I called & had them re-pair my m-card from scratch (TivoHD), now the channels I was missing are back (MOJO, TNTHD, UniversalHD, etc.). Does anyone know for sure which channels in the 280's/290's I should not be receiving w/ basic cable? I think HDNET Movies and HDNET are the only ones I'm not currently receiving.

BUT, now I'm seeing more pixelation & signal drops (lots of black frames in the Rockets game Sunday). More signal is usually around 70-75%, which until recently had never been a problem. I saw more pixelation in last week's Lost than I had seen in the previous 5 or 6 episodes combined. Located near 59 & Shepherd.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

bgtees said:


> BUT, now I'm seeing more pixelation & signal drops (lots of black frames in the Rockets game Sunday). More signal is usually around 70-75%, which until recently had never been a problem. I saw more pixelation in last week's Lost than I had seen in the previous 5 or 6 episodes combined. Located near 59 & Shepherd.


I've been seeing more pixellation too, but what's strange is it happens just as often on the OTA as cable! Like LOST. Last week's episode had several pixel tweak moments. And this is with an antenna that gets a crystal-clear, strong signal. It's random, so I can't point fingers yet; it happens to all the OTA. Doesn't seem to be weather related. But I'm also seeing far more pixellation on cable channels than I had. I've gone months with no problems, but now I would guess 25% of my recordings have some. It may only be a flash second, but sometimes it's more. I just watched Babel (aside: was the film editor on strike or something?) and there were two or three times when it pixellated something terrible, each time for 3-5 seconds. Not a biggie, but more than I'm used to.

BTW, I'm a neighbor, at Sunset & Hazard.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

I'm fed up with Comcast in Houston. I used to be a fan.

But they have implemented protection flags on channels in the digital tier that absolutely do not require it. It has busted my use of MRV. I should be able to MRV normal, commercial laden programming. Sure, protect HBO and Showtime, I understand that. But protection flags on BBCA, ESPNHD, DISCHD, NICKTOONS.....friggin' NICKTOONS?

I've called into support, played phone tag with a support manager, and he's no longer calling back.

Look, if $130 per month is not enough (TV and Internet) for them to send me a clean signal that my preferred devices can use, then I'll pay them NOTHING!

And I am seeing tiling issues a lot on cable channels lately as well.

I'll keep all my TiVo units running with OTA only. My OTA has been good.

And I'm calling UVerse this week and scheduling an install. Yeah, I can't use TiVo with their system. But for the same set of services (TV and Internet), they are about $40 cheaper. And they have MRV coming later this year. And like I said, I'll continue to use my TiVo's with OTA and keep them networked.

I will be dumping Comcast within the next two weeks. They have completely disappointed me.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

It's a shame that their poor level of service--both transmission & customer--has forced you to do this. I will be *very* interested in hearing about your uVerse experience. Especially if you can see any PQ differences. One caveat--you are aware you can only get one HD feed at a time?

Good luck!


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## penguin s2k (Mar 14, 2008)

It sucks to read about the bad experiences, I hope I can help some. I did all my transactions through the baytown office and had only one hiccup and it was a data entry mistake. 

I ordered the triple play promotion and had the installation 2 days later. The installation guy didnt have the cablecards when he came. He told me I could take the box and exchange it at the office for the cards. I performed the exchange in about 10 minutes. 

If you get the cards and install them yourself, make sure you call 713-341-8080. That is their tech support line. You give them a few numbers and in 24-48 hours all your channels update and then you are good to go. If you live on the east side of Houston, the drive may be worth it. 

Hope this little info will help someone.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

astrohip said:


> It's a shame that their poor level of service--both transmission & customer--has forced you to do this. I will be *very* interested in hearing about your uVerse experience. Especially if you can see any PQ differences. One caveat--you are aware you can only get one HD feed at a time?
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks,

The thing that sent me over is the fact that it was ALL working fine at one time. Yes, I had some issues with tiling early on, and I've swapped cards a few times. But for stretches, it's all worked. Then around early February, I started noticing the copy protection stuff. It was not there before. I had MRV and TTG capabilities across my entire Comcast line-up. I don't subscribe to HBO, or any of the movie packages, just digital preferred (I think they are calling it that) plus the sports pack.

But now, I can't MRV much at all. ESPNHD is protected, DISCHD is protected, BBCA is protected, SPEED is protected, the list goes on and on. There's no reason for it.

And lately, I've been having tiling issues show up again, and sometimes my channels just drop out for no reason. It's crazy. I certainly wish it was not the case.

I called Comcast yesterday. I just wanted to know if I had a case number about this protection issue, so that when I call to cancel Comcast services, I could just tell the CSR to reference that case number. I had to leave a vmail. I got a call back later in the day. And the support manager said he would get this issue escalated and get me an answer. He was understanding of my issue. The thing is, TiVo and its features brought me to Comcast. Comcast on their own did not persuade me to become a customer. And when Comcast starts screwing with my TiVo features, why should I stay?

My U-Verse install is on the 30th. Including taxes, etc., I am getting the same channel lineup as I have now, with HD service, and better broadband (6Mb down, 1Mb up) - all for about $15 less per month than Comcast was charging.

But the cost savings really means nothing to me. If Comcast had not messed with my TiVo features, I would not be looking at U-Verse.

I know very well about the 1 HD stream at a time. That is ridiculous, but they say that will be upgraded in the future. But, since all my TiVo units have lifetime on them, I am just going to keep them hooked up and running with OTA HD. So I'll end up with TiVo and U-Verse. By far we mainly watch locals, so I'm thinking the 1 HD stream won't impact us. We'll just switch between systems if there is an HD bandwidth conflict from U-Verse. We'll have MRV with the TiVo's on OTA, and I think U-Verse will be enabling Whole Home DVR (their MRV) later this year.

I would have much rather kept things simple. TiVo and Comcast. But if I am not getting the service for which I am paying, I am not opposed to moving.

I'll let you guys know how U-Verse turns out. I think we will mainly still use the TiVo units via OTA, but for ESPN and the cable stuff the family likes, we'll have U-Verse.

Oh, and I should say this. U-Verse got my business because of two reasons: I have a lifelong friend from high school that is part of the lightspeed project at AT&T. And because FiOS is not available in our area. If FiOS had been an option, I would have gone that way without hesitation. I would have sold out my friend for FiOS.  You hear that Verizon?


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

20TIL6 said:


> If FiOS had been an option, I would have gone that way without hesitation. I would have sold out my friend for FiOS.  You hear that Verizon?


Your friend? H*ll, I'd sell my grandmother out for FIOS. 

I've heard that FIOS is years away for most of Houston. Since Verizon is not a major player in the land-line phone business here, they have no infrastructure in place, nor motivation to start from scratch. It seems that most of the FIOS installs have been where they are already a significant phone player.


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

So I had U-Verse installed today. It's OK. We installed the receivers using only my cat5 wiring in the house. My coax wiring was untouched. So now I have both Comcast/cablecards feeding my TiVo units, and U-verse/IPTV feeding their boxes over the home network. I switch between TV inputs to use either.

Like I said, it's OK. Nothing to rave about PQ-wise. Not any better than Comcast, and if it's a bit below, it's not below by much. It is a solid feed though. No tiling or pix issues like I have had with Comcast. The DVR, well, it's passable for someone that's never had a TiVo. It's better than the cable DVRs I've seen, but it's several levels below a TiVo in both feature and ease of use.

I'm going to run both for a small while. Maybe Comcast will address this complete nonsense about applying copy protection on most of my digital channels. But I doubt they will, so in a week or so, I'll drop Comcast. My TiVo's are all being fed a healthy dose of untainted OTA antenna, so when I pull the cards and disconnect the Comcast, we will still get a lot of use out of them. Probably more than the U-Verse HW since we mainly watch local broadcast stuff. But for espn, nick, bbca, etc, etc, we can pop over to the U-Verse receivers.

BTW, the one HD stream limitation is just about ridiculous. Supposed to be fixed later to 2 HD streams at once. Woohoo! If I did not already plan on keeping my TiVo's running with OTA HD, I would have never installed U-Verse because of this limitation. But with OTA, I think I'll be OK and not get caught in an HD content tug of war.

And it's comical how the system deals with the issue. If there is a receiver bringing in an HD stream, whether it's just tuned to it, or it's being recorded, and another receiver wants to bring in an HD stream, this second receiver can basically just interrupt the first one and take it's stream. (You are prompted to confirm, but kids don't read prompts in my home). The first receiver that lost the HD stream just goes blank! It doesn't try to switch to an SD version of the channel it was on, AND it doesn't put up a fight if it was recording something. It just gets cut off.

So, it's not a great answer in the end. The best answer would be for Comcast to stop meddling with their system without regard for my use of TiVo features. But I decided, for me, it was better to not pay them anymore for that level of customer service.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Thanks for the update. It's interesting hearing about a comparison, especially from someone as versed in the TiVo world as you. I only know a couple people with UV so far, and they rave about it--but they aren't TiVoists, and know not of what they speak. 

I realized in reading your post that I have a clean, sharp antenna feed too, and could do the same as you--TiVo for OTA, <whatever> for non-ota channels. And HD-OTA is 80% of what I watch, esp during TV season. But MRV/TTG is not a big deal to me at this time, so I don't have the same issue with Comcast you do.

Happy viewing!


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

astrohip said:


> I only know a couple people with UV so far, and they rave about it--but they aren't TiVoists, and know not of what they speak.


Yep, I can see what they are talking about. If they had cable and a cable generic DVR, U-Verse is definitely a step up. The U-Verse receiver/DVR interface is not clunky, but it's not TiVo either. The search is pretty good, but there is no wishlist feature that I have found so far. The performance of the interface is good. Channel changes are very snappy. I would give Comcast the edge on HD PQ (OTA is better than both though). But I would give U-Verse the edge on signal stability. And to me, the latter is more important. Pix/Tiling issues with Comcast frustrated me quite a bit.

Sometimes I think that Comcast either has too many unskilled hands stirring the pot, or the term "integration testing" is unknown to them. As much as I dislike the direction DirecTV has taken with their DVR strategy, as a 13+ year former customer I have to admit that their signal stability spoiled me. My wife's not as bent out of shape over the MRV/TTG issues with cable, but the pix/tiling issues with Comcast really annoyed her. She's pleased with U-Verse from that standpoint.

As much as I am busting on Comcast, I have some real concerns about U-verse going forward:

Mainly this bandwidth limitation. Right now, U-Verse is an excellent option for those with one HDTV, or maybe a second one that is rarely used. If you have multiple HDTVs that are frequently used, you are likely to run into this single HD stream limitation.

The whole industry knows that the competitive edge is having more HD content (not just channels, but channels AND content). But this competitive edge just further highlights the single HD stream problem. The install tech told me that they are working to provide two HD streams at once (they have to bond an additional pair of wires going into the home at some later time). But I have to wonder, does two HD streams solve the issue? Not in my home. BTW, I have family up near Austin and they just moved into a new home, and they are getting U-Verse. But in their case, AT&T ran fiber to the home (like FiOS), so maybe some U-Verse customers will be in better shape than others.

U-Verse will only give you one DVR. Yes, it will record 4 streams at once. And yes, they are supposed to have Whole Home DVR (their MRV) later this year. But you can only get simple receivers for your other TVs. I asked for more than one DVR; they said no. My family is used to being able to pause live TV on any TV in the house. With U-Verse, we can only do that on the TV that has the U-Verse DVR. My son, who has his own TiVo HD in his room pointed this out immediately while playing with the U-Verse receiver in his room. "Daaaaad, this won't pause." The receivers can access a library of on-demand content that can be paused. Maybe that will help soften this limitation.

In summary, I think when I cut Comcast services completely, we are going to run into some minor issues. Mostly not having basic DVR functions for 'cable' channels on the bedroom TVs. And we might run into the single HD stream issue, but I'm trying to condition the family to use the TiVo/OTA units as primary, and only go to U-Verse for 'cable' channels.

Ultimately, I think the standalone TiVo S3/HD being fed by a competent and supportive cable source would be the best setup. I'm just finding that the second part of that combination does not exist. Not in my personal experience anyway.


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

I've skimmed through a couple of Comcast threads, but can anyone in Houston answer this for sure. Right now I'm being charged $3/month for "HSI Equipment" - is this for my cable card? I thought the first cable card was free?

I'm considering adding a 2nd TivoHD - what will Comcast charge me for a 2nd Cable Card?

Thanks


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

HSI = High Speed Internet. It's for your cable modem. You can use your own, I use a Linksys modem, cost around $40. It takes Comcast about 2 weeks to set it up for use though.

Oh! My 2 cablecards do not show on my bill so I assume they're free.


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

For CableCARDs the rate card says:
CableCARD................................................. NC
CableCARD (additional cards, same device)...... $2.00

The sticky point is, what is a device. I have three CCs - one in a TV and two in a TiVo connected to that TV. I am billed $4.00. A different configuration might produce a different billing for the same number of CCs.



bgtees said:


> I've skimmed through a couple of Comcast threads, but can anyone in Houston answer this for sure. Right now I'm being charged $3/month for "HSI Equipment" - is this for my cable card? I thought the first cable card was free?
> 
> I'm considering adding a 2nd TivoHD - what will Comcast charge me for a 2nd Cable Card?
> 
> Thanks


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

Thanks Andy & Das - I'll drop by one of the Comcast offices this week. Ended up ordering a TivoHD & Vizio 32" LCD from the eBay 35% off sale.


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## andyf (Feb 23, 2000)

I just checked my shows on my S3 via TD and it looks like the CP flag has been removed from all but premium channels. Of course, I've only got last weeks shows left on it so this may not be definative but ABCFAM is clear, SciFi is clear, All the HD channels except premiums are clear.

Can anyone else confirm or deny this?


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## Das Achteck (Mar 9, 2005)

Most were reset a few weeks ago but many of the channels in the sports package still have 0x02.


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## zetaminer (Aug 19, 2008)

Can you get HD television from Comcast in Houston using only a cablecard? On the phone a comcastic employee said that it is impossible and the only way to get HD is by using a 'HD box'. Previously I was living in OKC, with Cox as cable provider, and got cable HD just fine with a cablecard in my series 3. I find it hard to swallow that OKC is ahead of Houston in the cablecard technology scene. Also, from reading previous posts it seems like some of you are getting HD, so was I misinformed? I really hope I was.


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## bgtees (Dec 23, 2007)

zetaminer said:


> Can you get HD television from Comcast in Houston using only a cablecard? On the phone a comcastic employee said that it is impossible and the only way to get HD is by using a 'HD box'. Previously I was living in OKC, with Cox as cable provider, and got cable HD just fine with a cablecard in my series 3. I find it hard to swallow that OKC is ahead of Houston in the cablecard technology scene. Also, from reading previous posts it seems like some of you are getting HD, so was I misinformed? I really hope I was.


As usual, Comcast has no clue what it's talking about. I have a pair of TivoHD's, each with an M-Card, and I get HD just fine (especially since 9.4 arrived). You don't need any kind of cable box, just a cable card (or two, since you have a S3).


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## bluetex (Apr 24, 2005)

Comcast has a special Cable Card number which they don't publish. It'll avoid most of the heartache of talking directly to the nit-wits on the front line. 713.341.8080

Call them between 8am and 5pm M-F. 

Also, you don't have to tell comcast what device you're putting their cable card in. So, all you have to do is walk in to their retail centers, ask the people at the counter for either an S-Card or M-Card and they'll add it to your account. Then call the 713.341.8080 number and ask them to activate the card you got.

That's been the only technique to keep me going for almost 2 yrs on a Series 3.


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## Dogen (Jun 13, 2004)

They have just turned off the number in the last two weeks. Conveniently in time for me to buy my second TivoHD (had the first one about a year now) and be stuck in between activation processes. There is NO ONE at a number you can call directly that can set it up right now. They have to call you back, which is a problem for obvious reasons.


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## poobear011 (Feb 27, 2009)

after installing the cards from comcast did you lose all the qam clear channels you were receiving like channel 86.7 & 88.3 did you lost these ???


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