# Comcast cable card problems - acquiring channels



## gothaggis (Mar 3, 2010)

The com cast tech has been here for 3 hours, TiVo just displays "please wait... Acquiring channels" no one can figure out WTF is going on. Anyone here have any ideas?


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

Bad card?


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## gothaggis (Mar 3, 2010)

He tried 2 brand new Cards, same issue


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## 20TIL6 (Sep 7, 2006)

gothaggis said:


> He tried 2 brand new Cards, same issue


I have seen others post where they have gotten TiVo on the phone, with Comcast, in a conference type call and that sometimes gets it resolved.


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## DaveWhittle (Jul 25, 2002)

I saw that screen during my cablecard install for a long time. 

The Comcast installers (in-house, not contractors) brought 2 M-cablecards , and admitted they didn't have much experience with cablecard installs. They had problems pairing the Tivo to the first card, which they plugged in "live" or "hot" (while the Tivo was running). After about 45 minutes of trying, they couldn't get it to pair and decided to try the second card.

The installer unplugged the Tivo, put the other card in the system, re-plugged the unit, and once the Tivo was up and running (about 5 to 10 minutes), called into Comcast, gave the revised serial numbers, host ID/whatnot, and that card paired fine.

So it was either a bad card (and you might have got two bad cards), it didn't like being inserted while it was running, or just needed a hard reboot.

Hope this info offers some clues to your problem -- good luck!


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## CubsWin (Mar 20, 2010)

I had the same experience last week when the Comcast technician showed up with 1 M-Card and we spent 2+ hours and couldn't get past the Acquiring Channels screen.

They scheduled a follow-up appointment this morning and it was with a different technician. Shortly after walking through the door, he admitted that he hadn't installed a CableCARD in about 2 years. He didn't even know that he had to call in to pair the card and I immediately thought "here we go again", but after he called it in we waited a few minutes and everything was working properly.

The only thing I can suggest is to ask the technician to bring a whole pile of cards and keep trying them until one works. If you're stuck on "Acquiring Channels" for much more than 5 minutes, it has been too long.


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## MichaelJHuman (Aug 3, 2005)

Bad cards seem somewhat common, for some reason.


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## gothaggis (Mar 3, 2010)

The guy that came out was one of the top techs in the area. Only reason I know this is because I had a frustrating experience with Comcast yesterday (tech failing to show up..not even calling...then Comcast flat out lying to me telling me that the tech was on his way and was delayed because he had faulty m-cards...i contacted comcast through twitter and next think you know, Corporate is on the phone with me). The guy that came out said they always send him after someone has a bad experience with a tech, heh. He was a very knowledgeable guy and had just come from going a cablecard install on a XL unit. He couldn't figure out what was wrong and thought it must be something the people at the 'home office' were doing incorrectly (the ones who do the actual activating) - said all the IT people are off on the weekends so might have better luck on Monday.

One thing that was very frustrating is that I guess in order to save on phone charges, Comcast (of Baltimore City) requires the tech to do everything over..text messages. I could tell the guy wasn't too happy about that, because it's much easier to solve problems when you have a live person on the phone.


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## LoneWolf15 (Mar 20, 2010)

gothaggis said:


> One thing that was very frustrating is that I guess in order to save on phone charges, Comcast (of Baltimore City) requires the tech to do everything over..text messages. I could tell the guy wasn't too happy about that, because it's much easier to solve problems when you have a live person on the phone.


That is wacked. My tech. was able to do everything over the phone.

I still wonder if a good percentage of Cablecards being thought of as bad are just due to inexperienced techs. I am glad mine worked; it was the only card the tech had with him.


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## NickDG (Apr 4, 2010)

I had the same thing happen to me when I was setting up my Premiere today. I was told at my local Comcast office that the card should just work, but that wasn't the case. I called and got Comcast to send a signal to activate the card. Everything started working a few minutes after that.

So make sure your Tivo is on with the cablecard inserted with the cable hooked up so it can activate when they send the signal.


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## test drive (Jan 23, 2010)

test drive said:


> Just wanted to share with others a Comcast M-card problem fix...after many cycles on phone with Comcast technical supervisor following initial M-card pairing where the basic channels were available, but no premium channels could be found, I used a previous tip from TC posters and asked for them to run "staged hit" which they did, but that did not work for us. After that, CSR researched it and found a separate application internally called a "warm install hit", she sent it, and within seconds all premium channels appeared. Cool.
> 
> If needed, hope this saves you some time...


From another thread...fyi


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## gothaggis (Mar 3, 2010)

I've been following this guide: http://support.tivo.com/app/answers...heckingtheOOBorFDCconnectiontothecableheadend

looks like the connection to the cable headend is fine - if i check the network setup screen, the value of 'messages' increases when i exit and come back to it.

Additionally, when I go to the DVR Diagnostic menu, it shows Signal Lock: Yes. I am asusming this means the same thing as OOB Signal Lock. Also on this page it says "CableCARD Association: None" - should that be something different?

However, when I look at the "Conditional Access" menu, it looks different than the one TiVO has on their site for my Motorola M-CARD (https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=...om/euf/assets/files/Moto_MCARD_Activ_auth.pdf)

Mine only has 3 lines...it displays the Unit Address

Encryption is set to DES
Con:No EBCP:Yes Val:? 0x00

According to that TiVO page, it seems that Con should be set to use and this page should also possibly display more information. Since it appears the DVR is communicating over OOB, TiVO suggests that the card is not activated...which goes back to probably incorrect setup of my account or something along those lines.

Ugh.


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## mattisapal (May 11, 2010)

Gothaggis, 

I'm having the exact same issue you are. Same diagnostic messages. Unfortunately, I'm about ready to pull my hair out. I've had no luck with Comcast, and so far no luck with Tivo. It's like neither want to help me get this resolved. I'm so frustrated I can hardly see straight. 

Did you ever get your issue resolved? What did you wind up doing?


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## kitt050383 (May 1, 2007)

To all those that have had it with comcast and are tired of seeing the Acquiring Channels Screen and are ready to pull your hair out! Don't worry I'm here to help!

I used to be a comcast tech and I had the same problem alot of you are having when I had my tivo premiere installed!

The problem has nothing to do with the m-cards most of the time or your signal for part of the time it's actually the people at the headend that provision the cards don't really know what they are doing!

All cable boxes and cable cards are assigned outlets at the headend...
Alot of them enter in the wrong outlet and send the activation to the wrong unit or to no unit at all! Unfortunately to get this worked out you are going to have to call and call till you get someone knowledgeable that will look over your account and get things straightened out. Also sometimes they have the wrong promotion codes or cable package codes which will only give you partial channels!

Hope this helps you all so you can tell your cable tech to call and cal until they get someone that knows what an outlet is so yo can get things up and running!

-kitt


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## cobber44 (Jul 17, 2010)

Your statement that problems with the CableCard is caused by individuals at the headend that provision the cards not knowing what they are doing is, for the most part, right on. Exactly the same comment from the tech rep when trying to solve the recurring problem I was experiencing (Searching for signal on this cable channel & not authorized to view this channel Comcast message). He spent over an hour trying to get the correct signals sent. First we would get HD but no Digital channels, then Digital channels but no HD, then wouldn't get either. He finally hung up on the individual he was talking to and made the comment "The heck with this, I am calling someone in dispatch that knows what to do" Sure enough he called this person and within five minutes we were getting all the channels I should be getting. I commented on how fast she solved the problem and his response was "it all depends who you get back at the office to send the correct signals. That is one hell of a note. Solving a customer's problem is a matter of luck. Still have issues with losing stations so I am having the CableCard changed out for another one.


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## timstack8969 (May 14, 2004)

I'm using the "M-Card" here on Comcast of Garden State, NJ so far so GOOD! No problems at all since I received the TIVO Premiere in April. Very happy since I was using a Cisco HD-DVR with Lousy SARA guide.


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## RAlfieri (Apr 3, 2008)

test drive said:


> From another thread...fyi


Thank you so much for the info about the warm install hit. I had to make multiple calls to Comcast and no one knew about this. They made several attempts to correct my issue with receiving premium channels (which magically stopped yesterday for unknown reasons).

After trying the Staged Hit I had them do the Warm Install Hit and it worked. Note that the box needed to be rebooted after the Warm Install Hit in order to see the premium channels. It did not work on the fly.

I don't what we would all do if it wasn't for this community to help us resolve our problems. Thank y'all for being there!

Regards,
Rob


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## DonB. (Apr 4, 2010)

I got my card installed today and when the tech came in he said right off the bat that he hopes it is an easy install as they have had a bad batch of cards lately here in Florida, but they received a new batch from Scientific Atlanta and said these ones were suppose to be good, he was in and out in 10 minutes, thank god, lol he also mentioned that Comcast was trying to merge with Tivo and he said they love the Tivo interface versus the Comcast DVR one


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## windsurfdog (May 1, 2009)

Click here for my Comcast experience from last Saturday. Notice the "Host Type" comments. I'm guessing most "bad card" issues are related to pre-installation card misconfiguration.


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## tomhorsley (Jul 22, 2010)

kitt050383 said:


> The problem has nothing to do with the m-cards most of the time or your signal for part of the time it's actually the people at the headend that provision the cards don't really know what they are doing!


You got that right . The tech that came to my house was first told that the card he initially installed wasn't a valid card because it wasn't listed in some database back at the office (even though he had just gotten the card from the office that morning). After being on the phone a while they got that fixed, then when I finally started getting some channels, other channels wouldn't show up. He had to talk to them two or three more times before they finally got the right set of channels authorized for the card. At least it did only take one service call.

I think part of the problem with channels is that comcast themselves do not have any idea what product they are actually selling. The different service tiers change names every three months or so at the whim of marketing, and the name of the service listed on my bill that I'm actually paying for is nowhere to be found on their web pages. If you were to try to get an official statement from comcast saying what channels you are actually supposed to get, I don't think they could provide one if their lives depended on it.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

I tried to do a Comcast CableCard self-install today in a new TiVo Premiere. I had no trouble getting the CableCard from the local Comcast service center, and the guy who did the activation on the phone really seemed to know what he was doing. He said it might take 10-15 minutes for the activation to complete, so I went out to grab some dinner.

When I came back, the TiVo was stuck on the "Acquiring channels" screen, which eventually timed out. I called back, and the CSR claimed to send the card a couple hits, but there was no effect. She suggested a restart. (I hate when people suggest restarts.) Since I hadn't yet gone all the way through guided setup, I hung up with her, let the TiVo do its thing (for over an hour), and tried again. Still no luck.

The next CSR also tried sending it a couple hits, without success. He then scheduled a tech to come out tomorrow.

Of note:

The "Conditional Access" screen says "Con: No" so it looks like my card isn't even activated. The CSRs I spoke to tonight didn't seem to know the difference between "activated" and "paired."
When I look at this screen on my TiVo, I see that OOB Signal Lock is Yes, but OOB SNR is only 2dB. That seems _really_ low to me, since most reports I've seen refer to an SNR of 18-20dB as "fair" and 24+dB as "good." Could that be a problem?
Bear in mind that I had a perfectly functional (such as it is) Comcast DVR hooked up in this exact same spot until this morning. So for what it's worth, I know the cable's working.
It's clear from looking at the CableCARD that it's been used before, and I wonder if it has some leftover remnants of earlier provisioning that are screwing with its ability to activate/pair with the TiVo. One thing I noticed on TiVo's CableCARD Troubleshooting Page is that having the card configured as a two-way card can prevent activation, since the TiVo's a one-way device and can't send an acknowledgement back to the headend.

I'm convinced by the posts above that this is a headend issue (unless it's the SNR), and if I could just talk to the right person, I could get it fixed. I figure I may have better luck with the day shift, so I'm going to try to call tomorrow morning before work. Any suggestions or magic phrases I can use to get them to get the configuration right and send the right kind of hit? What if it's an incorrect outlet/node issue and the hit isn't even getting to my device? How do I resolve that?


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## DaveWhittle (Jul 25, 2002)

mbklein said:


> I'm convinced by the posts above that this is a headend issue (unless it's the SNR), and if I could just talk to the right person, I could get it fixed. I figure I may have better luck with the day shift, so I'm going to try to call tomorrow morning before work. Any suggestions or magic phrases I can use to get them to get the configuration right and send the right kind of hit? What if it's an incorrect outlet/node issue and the hit isn't even getting to my device? How do I resolve that?


It looks like you have an excellent understanding of the situation. The only advice I could give that I remember from my Comcast activation is: 1) request a "staged" hit, and 2) make sure billing for your cablecard is setup correctly at the headend.

Your theory that the cablecard was previously used is another clue. I know the first cablecard didn't work in my install, but the installers brought two. Once they scrapped the first cablecard and input the numbers for the second, it went through immediately. The installer told me sometimes the cards aren't "cleared" at the office before they go to the next customer, so they won't pair. I don't know if he knew what he was talking about, so take that with a grain of salt.

Good luck! Once you get it working, I think you'll like the Premiere much better than that Comcast DVR.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

w00t! The tech came by today at 4pm. He couldn't activate the card either, but he did confirm that my signal strength was tragically low. He didn't have an amp with him rolleyes, and suggested setting up another appointment. Instead, I went to Fry's and got a digital cable+cable modem compatible amp. I hooked it up in the cable closet outside, called Comcast to hit the CableCard again, and it worked.

I'm still surprised that the cable modem worked when the TiVo didn't, but at this point, I'm not complaining.


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## caddyroger (Mar 15, 2005)

mbklein said:


> w00t! The tech came by today at 4pm. He couldn't activate the card either, but he did confirm that my signal strength was tragically low. He didn't have an amp with him rolleyes, and suggested setting up another appointment. Instead, I went to Fry's and got a digital cable+cable modem compatible amp. I hooked it up in the cable closet outside, called Comcast to hit the CableCard again, and it worked.
> 
> I'm still surprised that the cable modem worked when the TiVo didn't, but at this point, I'm not complaining.


To me the premiere is more finicky about the signal strength.
my comcast and Tivo s3 was ok with the signal strength but the premiere is not.


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## jcook123 (Dec 11, 2010)

Hopefully this post helps somebody......I'm pretty convinced that a very large % of Tivo Premiere customers are going to have a problem "activating" their Comcast Cable Cards. I just spent some extensive time on the phone with a "Comcast Supervisor" who was the only person who knew nearly all the issues internally at Comcast..but admitted that nearly all regular reps don't know ANY of the following:

1) If you have more than 1 Tivo box in your house with Comcast Cable Cards there is a > 50% chance the Comcast reps actually "pings/pairs" the wrong box and or wrong card

2) Comcast identifies each of your Tivo's in your house by "outlets" (Comcast internal terminology). You/I call it the Tivo in our "Living Room" or "Bedroom". Comcast labels it internally as "Outlet A", "Outlet B". SO MAKE SURE THEY ARE PINGING THE RIGHT OUTLET!! This requires identifying an re-identifying the correct Tivo Box Service ID and Comcast Cable Card Host ID, Data ID, etc.....

3) IMPROPER Cable Card Activation will give you (on Comcast side) will give you all the lower end channels...but won't give you the higher end channels (for me it was channels 719 and above). Nothing to do with HD vs Non-HD channels as I did get HD 702-719....just nothing above 719

4) PROPER Comcast Cable Card Activation requires them to actually send THREE (3) Unique Pings in the PROPER ORDER

IF THE REP YOU ARE TALKING TO ARGUES WITH YOU ABOUT THESE STEPS OR WORSE PAUSES OR DOESN"T UNDERSTAND - DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME. ASK TO TALK TO A CABLE CARD SUPERVISOR UNTIL YOU FIND SOMEBODY WHO DOES GET IT WHEN YOU DISCUSS STEPS 1-4 ABOVE


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

Well I'm thankful for this post, but I have not had any luck yet. I have a bad story.. First I got my Premiere and the tech trying to install the cards couldn't get them to even be recognized. Another tech came out and noticed it was a problem with the pins inside the Tivo. Tivo exchanged it promptly. 

Tech told me while I was waiting for the exchange unit to go to the cable store and get a card and I can do a self-install. I did that. Friday I got my new unit, and had the card to self install. Called to pair it and was told the "Acquiring Channel Information" screen would take an hour or so. I went to bed and woke up with the same screen.

Numerous CSRs told me it was the tivo. OK, so I scheduled a tech to come out this morning. He was here for an hour and 15mins and on the phone with a dispatcher who says it's Tivo, not Comcast. I called Tivo. They say it's Comcast.

I have called numerous times to make sure they have the proper Host ID & proper Data ID. They do. they have "hit" my box numerous times. I even asked about the staged hit / warm install hit.. Not sure if the guy did anything different but it didn't work.

Tried to get a Radio Shack amp booster because I also see 2dB under SNR too. Not sure if I got the right thing but it didn't work.

Tried unplugging the TiVo and then removing the card, putting it back in, then plugging the Tivo in. Nothing..

What is this "3 pings in proper order" thing? Anything else I should ask about? I am very lost here and just want my Premiere to work! I have had Tivo for over 10 years with 4 different units (upgraded my Series 1 and transferred the Lifetime over, and I still have my Series 2 and Series 2 DT units w/ Lifetime). So I want Tivo really bad, and I just got a new HDTV set so I got Premiere along with it. But this is bugging me and it's been a 2 week ordeal already, probably about 4 hours with CSRs and 3 different techs. 

Help?


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

If anyone can help, I am basically having this exact same problem.

When I look at the "Channel List Received" line, it says "no"

So I am sure there is a problem with the card contacting comcast, and then comcast sending info to the card. But when they "hit" the card, it works (if I am on the Decoder page, I see the green "M-Card Inserted" line, and when they hit it, it goes off, then comes back on...

Yet Comcast is convinced it's a setting on the Tivo....Which I don't believe for a minute, but I'm pretty much at a loss as far as options on my end. Although I have a hankering to dangle a $100 bill in front of a tech tomorrow for him to stay until he gets it to work.. haha..

Seriously though, can anyone help?



gothaggis said:


> I've been following this guide: http://support.tivo.com/app/answers...heckingtheOOBorFDCconnectiontothecableheadend
> 
> looks like the connection to the cable headend is fine - if i check the network setup screen, the value of 'messages' increases when i exit and come back to it.
> 
> ...


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

It ain't the TiVo. It may be signal strength, but the weird thing is that even after installing my amp and getting the system working, I _still_ see "2dB" under OOB SNR. But on the same screen, under Tuner 0 and Tuner 1 (which were completely empty until I got the unit working), I now have SNR in the high 30s and signal strength in the mid 90s.

I had to get the tech to hit the card again after I installed the amp, and then it took about 3-5 minutes to acquire the channel list.

Here's what the key was for me where I knew I was onto something: Before I installed the amp, I kept seeing *Con:No* every time I went to the Conditional Access menu. Immediately after I installed the amp, it changed to *Con:Yes*. So you might check that out.

Finally, did you make sure the amp you bought was Broadband/Digital HD/Cable Modem compatible? (Even if you don't use Comcast for Internet, the "Broadband compatible" designation can help you find one that supports the frequency range you need. See this page for details. (They specifically warn about certain Radio Shack amps, but that info may be incomplete or out of date.)

The amp that worked for me was a Motorola Broadband Drop Amp that I picked up at Fry's for about $35.


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## Bonanzaair (Aug 26, 2006)

I"ve had this issue with my bedroom Premiere for several weeks now. I would get pissed and walk away from it for days at a time. The local best Comcast cablecard tech and I are buds I've called him so much. This same tech told me Saturday night he was working with several customers with multiple Premiers with the same issue. At first they thought it was bad cablecards now they don't know what it is. I will call the Tech for an update. The issue seem to start for me about the same time the update was pushed for the new remote. Just saying.

Bonanza


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

I am on the phone with Comcast now and asked them to do the staged hit and then warm install. They said they cannot do a warm install because it comes up "restricted". She said she could do a warm reset. Which of course, even after rebooting didn't work. I just asked for a supervisor.


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

and what is the status of your tivo now stinastina? i am having a comcast tech come out here in a few hours. i'm at my wit's end with them... i just want to watch some hdtv on my new set, preferrably thru tivo!


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

The supervisor supposedly sent a warm hit and then I rebooted. I still don't have HBO. They promised to have someone call me but no one did. I am calling them back now.

How did yours go ?

BTW, my VOD doesn't work. I contacted TIVO via chat and they told me to call service but of course they are closed.

Comcast is supposed to come back on Thursday.


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

I had a tech out today who was fairly helpful (and nice) but unsuccessful. Basically he was on with his dispatcher/supervisor/IT guy (whatever) and they tried to troubleshoot. 

In the end though he is once again pointing the finger at Tivo. He says that because it says "Channel List Received: No" it is a problem on Tivo's end, because everything "appears normal" on the Comcast end.

I am getting no digital channels, because basically when I install the cablecard I get stuck on the "Acquiring Channel Info" screen. If I take out the card, I can get network channels (Fox, CBS, ABC) but no digital cable channels (Food Network, TBS, etc).

I guess my next step is going to be to get a tech out here and then call Tivo tech support and have them conference call type deal and they can blame each other until someone gets it working.

The tech tried to tell me that another customer had to go through 3 Tivo boxes before he got it working. This is my 2nd.. The first had a problem with the pins in the cablecard slot, so the card wasn't reading whatsoever. Whether it was the original tech being sloppy while putting the card in, or just a bad mfg job by Tivo, I don't know.. But either way this one recognizes the card, and seems to be all set, except somewhere something is getting lost as the card tries to connect to Comcast and download the channel list.


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

BTW, Stinastina, it is my understanding that Video On Demand will not work with a CableCARD. They are one way devices, meaning all it does is receive info. It cannot send info, like "I want to watch _____" and then download it.

I found that on Comcast's website.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

grillguy22 said:


> In the end though he is once again pointing the finger at Tivo. He says that because it says "Channel List Received: No" it is a problem on Tivo's end, because everything "appears normal" on the Comcast end.


Mine said the same thing, and it was absolutely Comcast's issue. Did you check the "Con:" status on the Conditional Access screen like I mentioned above? What does it say? What about your amp? Did you check its specs?


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

Mine says Con: Yes but that screen only shows 4 lines. A while back the Tivo tech said it's supposed to have more. 

I'm going to tinker with the amp a little more but I don't think I had it hooked up right. The link you gave me for the Amazon one looked different. You said you hooked yours up outside in a "cable closet" though? I tried just hooking mine up to just my cable outlet and then into the tivo.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

grillguy22 said:


> Mine says Con: Yes but that screen only shows 4 lines. A while back the Tivo tech said it's supposed to have more.
> 
> I'm going to tinker with the amp a little more but I don't think I had it hooked up right. The link you gave me for the Amazon one looked different. You said you hooked yours up outside in a "cable closet" though? I tried just hooking mine up to just my cable outlet and then into the tivo.


My version of that screen only shows four lines also.

You gotta hook the amp up before any cable splits in your house. You can't amp a noisy signal -- the noise gets amped as much as the signal does.

I've heard of a couple cases where a TiVo Cablecard specialist has initiated a three-way conference call with Comcast and handled the issue on the customer's behalf. But that was a few years ago.


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

grillguy22 said:


> BTW, Stinastina, it is my understanding that Video On Demand will not work with a CableCARD. They are one way devices, meaning all it does is receive info. It cannot send info, like "I want to watch _____" and then download it.
> 
> I found that on Comcast's website.


I meant the tivo vod which lets you use netflix & amazon. BTW, that popped up this morning. Still no HBO.

Grillguy, is your cable attached to splitters at all ?

I have several, thanks to Comcast. Maybe that is my problem. I will go back in this thread and see if I can figure out how to look at the amps.

I checked and my OOB SNR is 2 dB. I am going to look around for an amp and if I can't find one, I will ask them to bring one before they come tomorrow.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

I'm thinking there's just something about the Premiere that pegs the OOB SNR at 2dB. I have yet to see a post from a Premiere owner with a higher OOB SNR than that. All the other posts and support documents talking about higher levels were for other TiVo models.

I no longer think it's a useful metric. Focus more on "Con" and "Channel List Acquired"

Are you getting non-premium cable-only channels like Lifetime and Bravo? What about the middle tier stuff like Encore and Sundance?


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

mbklein said:


> I'm thinking there's just something about the Premiere that pegs the OOB SNR at 2dB. I have yet to see a post from a Premiere owner with a higher OOB SNR than that. All the other posts and support documents talking about higher levels were for other TiVo models.
> 
> I no longer think it's a useful metric. Focus more on "Con" and "Channel List Acquired"
> 
> Are you getting non-premium cable-only channels like Lifetime and Bravo? What about the middle tier stuff like Encore and Sundance?


I have bravo but I don't get encore because that's the next package up. I am only missing hbo at this point.

I don't see CON under diagnostics for the card but it does say channel list received:yes. At the very end it says:
Tuning Adapter: Not available
Last Status: Not connected
Channel List Received: No

I have no clue what that refers to.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

A tuning adapter is a separate USB device that some providers force on their CableCARD customers to enable certain channels and features. Comcast doesn't use them, so don't worry about it.

The Con setting is on the Conditional Access screen under the CableCARD menu, but since you're getting some channels, and you have received a channel list, Con is definitely Yes.

This is a package provisioning or card configuration/authorization problem with Comcast. There's absolutely nothing your TiVo can or should do differently to get your premium channels.


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

mbklein said:


> A tuning adapter is a separate USB device that some providers force on their CableCARD customers to enable certain channels and features. Comcast doesn't use them, so don't worry about it.
> 
> The Con setting is on the Conditional Access screen under the CableCARD menu, but since you're getting some channels, and you have received a channel list, Con is definitely Yes.
> 
> This is a package provisioning or card configuration/authorization problem with Comcast. There's absolutely nothing your TiVo can or should do differently to get your premium channels.


I thought you were recommending the amp to help get those last channels ?


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

Sorry, I've been posting a lot of general information and responding to multiple people, and not always keeping good track of whose issues are whose.

I recommended the amp to grillguy to help get "Con:" to "Yes" and to work around potential signal strength issues. I no longer believe the "OOB SNR" reading to be a reliable indicator of overall signal strength.


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

I asked comcast to bring an amp tomorrow just in case. I don't know what else to do or recommend. I tried everything else in this thread.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

stinastina said:


> I asked comcast to bring an amp tomorrow just in case. I don't know what else to do or recommend. I tried everything else in this thread.


Step 5 on this page might provide some useful information, at least diagnostically. Check out the section on _Troubleshooting channels that are suddenly "missing"_ also.


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

Thank you for suggesting that troubleshoot. So now I see that Con is No.

Will the amp fix this ?

I have this problem also:

If the CableCARD is activated, but not paired, you can still view encrypted digital channels. When you tune to a copy protected channel, however, a gray-and-black screen with pairing information pops up, prompting you to call your cable provider.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

That's good news, actually, that Con is No. It implies a signal strength problem, which an amp may very well fix.

Your second problem could easily be related to the first. There's a good chance that the card was activated on another system, or provisioned/activated before it was given to you. But it can't be paired without receiving a series of signals ("hits") from Comcast. But that "Con:No" in the Conditional Access menu indicates that the CableCARD isn't receiving _anything_ from the headend, so the hits aren't getting through.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the amp fixes your problem. Have the tech install the amp, remove any unnecessary splitters, check for "Con:Yes," then call home to have another series of hits sent from the headend.

(You could also have a bad cable somewhere, but if you're getting any digital channels at all, that's unlikely.)


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## grillguy22 (Dec 12, 2010)

The tech this morning couldn't get the MCard working, and is coming tomorrow to install an S-Card to see if the problem is simply Tivo not recognizing my mCards or if its an issue with the Tivo not recognizing any cablecards. Of course Comcast would not admit it might be an issue on their end. Supposedly the guy did "everything they could" and "everything looks good on their end" so of course, "it must be the Tivo unit". 

I'll give the amp a try.. Someone's coming out tomorrow to do the s-card install, which I think is pointless since I don't want an s-card obviously. Hopefully he will have an amp on him, and if not I will order the one from Amazon and try a self-install.


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## mbklein (Oct 24, 2000)

You're right about "pointless" -- the Premiere won't even attempt to do anything with an S-card. It's an M-card only device.


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

I did ask dispatch to have the tech bring an extra card. 

Grillguy, how many cards have they tried ?

Well, comcast did not show up today because they kept calling my husband's cell instead of me. They re-scheduled for Sunday. I called sales and asked if I could pick up the card from the store and they said yes. They actually put me on hold to verify. I drove down there and guess what ? They didn't have any. They are going to end up giving me a free visit because they don't know their behinds from their elbows and cause their customers a lot of stress, aggravation and lost time.

I finally got a call back from a supervisor who said it looks like the host id for the m-card was associated with the cable box in my bedroom (which is not a dvr) and she couldn't figure out how to change it but will have someone call me in the morning. sigh


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## stinastina (Apr 24, 2006)

Today a new tech came out and brought a new card. He activated it with the supervisor and voila ! within minutes I was up and running ! Thanks, guys ! It seems to be a matter of comcast utilizing someone who knows what they are doing. :/


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## MrJerome (Dec 22, 2010)

The problem is NOT the Cablecard itself, it was that the cablecard was not paired correctly with the headend. They could not reboot the card from their end and once they figured that out, they fixed it. Now I see all my channels


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## texasgardener (Jul 3, 2010)

I have just installed the Premier and called to order the mcard. they told me I had to come to the store to return the cable box and get the card. I noticed that the cable box has an mcard installed. Can I take it out and use it in my TiVo?


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## cnsayre (Feb 27, 2003)

Sorry to necropost, but I'm having the same issues with my new Premiere 4. 

Spent some time with Comcast on the phone last night. The Conditional access menu says that the card is active (the Val: data has a V next to it, and per the tech on the phone, it's been seen by the home office), but the Con value is no, even after hooking it up all night.

In the network menu, the messages number is increasing, so it's seeing data. I also have a Premiere XL that's got a cablecard and works just fine out of the outlet I've been trying. 

I switched to a cable that's coming right out of the splitter that distributes the cable to the outlets overnight. Nothin'. The acquiring channels screen is stuck on 50% and not moving.

Any thoughts?


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## DaveWhittle (Jul 25, 2002)

cnsayre said:


> Sorry to necropost, but I'm having the same issues with my new Premiere 4.
> 
> Spent some time with Comcast on the phone last night. The Conditional access menu says that the card is active (the Val: data has a V next to it, and per the tech on the phone, it's been seen by the home office), but the Con value is no, even after hooking it up all night.
> 
> ...


My money would be that the new cablecard is not set up correctly on the Comcast end... "billing", or maybe previous data not cleared. Suggestion: request a Comcast tech to come to the house, and have him bring extra cablecards.


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## hybucket (Nov 26, 2004)

I'm in Boston - just got a Premiere, installed cable card I got from the local office. Called Cable Card support at Comcast, spent an hour with someone in probably Bangladesh who could barely speak English. Being a dummy, I stayed with her til she got most of the channels up and running, and she said the pay channels and a few others would be up shortly (I think that's what she said). Of course that didn't happen. Long story short- after several calls and hourson the phone with various Cable reps, a couple of techs came down and had the thing up and running in less than five minutes. They said it happens all the time, they call a "special" advanced tech department and presto! I asked why that number was not available to customers, and they said, because they would be swamped with calls and, this way, the techs can get right to them. Does the word "Ridiculous" come to mind? The techs said that, if you're getting a cable card, always ask for a tech to bring it and install it, and don't let them leave the house til you get all the channels you're supposed to. Insanity, thy name is Comcast.


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