# TiVo HD, Comcast and Motorola M-Card



## hclyatt (Oct 25, 2007)

I would like to know of any Comcast customers and which city, state they live in that have TiVo HD working with the Motorola M-Cards. I live in Baltimore County, MD and my local Comcast office can't seem to get any TiVo HDs to work with their headend. I am not asking for support as I now have quite a history working with Comcast on this issue, information on which can be found on the Tivo DVR Setup forums under the subject "New Tivo HD, Cablecars, and Comcast".

I am just hoping to get a list of Comcast offices that have been able to get the THD's to work, so that I can forward them to my local Comcast office.

Hank


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## Stimpy5050 (Jun 3, 2002)

I have a TiVo HD connected to Comcast in Montgomery County (DC suburbs) with a Moto M-Card. It's actually working like a charm so whatever Comcast Baltimore is saying, they're wrong. At first, they gave me two S-Cards, but one was not working so when they came to replace it, they brought an M-Card instead which worked out nicely.

Keep trying. Once you get it, it's a great setup. HD on TiVo is the only way to watch TV. 

Good luck.


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## dmedeiros (Jan 24, 2003)

In Chemlsford, MA with a TivoHD and a M-Card (Moto). Works like a charm.


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

Another M-Card working fine just south of you in Germantown MD, in Montgomery County MD.

They came, they installed two cards - and I didn't really care since they bill the same for 2 S-Cards as they do a single M-Card. Then the TivoHD died, I replaced it, and when I moved the cards I noticed one was a M-Card (in slot 2 where it wasn't recognized as a M-Card).

I put the single M-Card in slot 1, called up Comcast and gave them the new pairing information, and both tuners were hot in under 30 seconds. Now I need to return the unneeded S-Card.

Don't listen to them - it can be done!

-Ken


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## boettcht (Mar 14, 2003)

Comcast, HDTivo, 1 Moto M Card, Brighton, MA


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## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

Comcast, TiVoHD, one Moto M-card, Verona, NJ.

My second TiVoHD, however, had to make do with two S-cards.


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## BankZ (Aug 16, 2007)

Sorry for the stupid question, what benefit is there to an M card?


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

A single M-Card can do the work of two (or more) S-Cards. So, instead of installing and configuring two S-Cards to enable both tuners - you can just install one M-Card in slot #1, and it will support both tuners.

Besides the fact that it's easier/faster to configure, and more reliable (theoretically) - a lot of people prefer them for billing reasons. Many areas bill x$ per cable card, regardless of type. So with a single M-Card instead of two S-Cards, your can often save money.

-Ken


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## Robs67 (Dec 26, 2001)

In Templeton, MA with a TivoHD and a Moto M-Card. No issues at all.


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## josh1014 (Apr 16, 2003)

hey hclyatt, I'm in Baltimore County also and am hearing the same story. Two brand new TiVoHDs, no-go with the M-cards. They told me that they haven't gotten any to work in the area and using two S-cards doesn't work either. What could they be doing wrong that other comcast areas seem to be doing right? (right being pretty subjective)


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## hclyatt (Oct 25, 2007)

josh1014 said:


> hey hclyatt, I'm in Baltimore County also and am hearing the same story. Two brand new TiVoHDs, no-go with the M-cards. They told me that they haven't gotten any to work in the area and using two S-cards doesn't work either. What could they be doing wrong that other comcast areas seem to be doing right? (right being pretty subjective)


Hey Josh,

There are now four of us from Baltimore County with the same problem. I am starting to believe that there may be even more. This is appears to not be the standard CableCard issues that most people have. It really is looking more and more like Comcast Baltimore County has some incompatibility.

Hank


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## drflounder (Jul 29, 2007)

It sounds like you're having the same problem that we're having in Augusta GA. A Comcast tech is supposed to come to my house next week and work with a Motorola engineer to try to figure out the problem. If they get anywhere, I will ask them what they did and let you know.


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

hclyatt said:


> I would like to know of any Comcast customers and which city, state they live in that have TiVo HD working with the Motorola M-Cards. I live in Baltimore County, MD and my local Comcast office can't seem to get any TiVo HDs to work with their headend. I am not asking for support as I now have quite a history working with Comcast on this issue, information on which can be found on the Tivo DVR Setup forums under the subject "New Tivo HD, Cablecars, and Comcast".
> 
> I am just hoping to get a list of Comcast offices that have been able to get the THD's to work, so that I can forward them to my local Comcast office.


It took me 6 weeks and about 6 truck rolls in Carroll County in January/February of this year to get my S-Cards working in my S3. In the end, it took a 3-way conference call with myself, a Comcast engineer, and several Scientific Atlanta engineers.

I now have two issues that are just nightmares waiting to happen. I bought my Father In Law a THD, he lives in Baltimore County (Reisterstown). If M-Cards are still an issue there, this is going to be a nighmare of a gift. Here you go, I bought you a headache with a lifetime subscription.

Secondly, one of my S-Cards has been out of commission for a few months. Haven't bothered dealing with it during the summer programming drought. It wouldn't update its firmware, so I popped it out and let it sit until last week. Comcast Carroll County came out with a new card for me, but all they have now are M-Cards which they haven't yet gotten to work with TiVos.

The tech just left the card with me anyway, since I was the person who worked for hours on end with their engineers to make the S3 a possibility in Carroll County. Now I get to spend more hours on the phone with them. Fun!

Sorry to vent. I just saw that you are in Baltimore County and now I know that I'm going to have to struggle with two headends to get M-Cards to work in my S3 and my FIL's THD.

-Mike


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## spaceboytom (Jan 8, 2006)

Houston. Tivo HD. Comcast. M-Card. 

Self installed setup working fine now, had a bad M-card the first time around though.

SBT


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## Scarri (Jul 29, 2003)

Howard County, MD Comcast 2 s-cards working fine


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## retired_guy (Aug 27, 2004)

Saratoga, California. HD with Motorola M-card. Working fine; took Comcast guy about 15 minutes to get it set up.


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## jstaso (Mar 9, 2004)

Monroe, Michigan - TiVo HD with Comcast M-card. When I ordered the card, none of the reps had heard of an M-card, only S-cards, but the tech arrived with an M-card.

I later noticed some of the channels weren't working and they came out again. Turned out the home office had one of the ID numbers written down wrong.

Everything is working now.


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## haslip (Jul 16, 2004)

Comcast of Pottstown, PA ( I live in Phoenixville). 1 m-card in TIVO-HD worked perfectly, truck roll arrived with 24 hours of my request, took tech 10 minutes.

I don't know why really, but support for comcast so far has actually been rather good, although prices rather high.

Scott


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## linkj (Oct 20, 2004)

In Redmond, WA
I have a TivoHD with 1 Motorola MCard I picked up myself from the local Comcast office.

Worked like a charm. No issues.


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

spaceboytom said:


> Houston. Tivo HD. Comcast. M-Card.
> 
> Self installed setup working fine


same


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## kdmorse (Jan 29, 2001)

Lemme throw in a related question...

Those of you who have had TivoHD's running with one M-Card in Comcast areas, how does it show up on your bill?

-Ken


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## Langree (Apr 29, 2004)

kdmorse said:


> Lemme throw in a related question...
> 
> Those of you who have had TivoHD's running with one M-Card in Comcast areas, how does it show up on your bill?
> 
> -Ken





> Additional Cablecard 2.00


directly from my statement. Dunno why it says additional, I only run 1.


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## uforia (Jul 30, 2004)

I have one THD with a Motorola M-Card (and an S3 and two S2's....) and I've set up two THD's for my parents with the Motorola M-Card. All work just fine with self installation. Plug it in and call to activate, and a few hours later we have all channels.

So that's a total of 3 THDs with Moto M-Cards working fine in Houston, TX area.


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## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

kdmorse said:


> Lemme throw in a related question...
> 
> Those of you who have had TivoHD's running with one M-Card in Comcast areas, how does it show up on your bill?
> 
> -Ken


I personally never plan to ask that kind of question since Comcast here in Montgomery county isn't charging me for either cablecard in my series 3 right now. They are charging me rental on a cable modem I own but that's less that the CC and I don't want to fix one thing and screw up another.


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> I personally never plan to ask that kind of question since Comcast here in Montgomery county isn't charging me for either cablecard in my series 3 right now. They are charging me rental on a cable modem I own but that's less that the CC and I don't want to fix one thing and screw up another.


Funny! Exactly the same situation as me, except I'm being charged for a digital remote that I don't have. Perhaps their back office doesn't see where to charge for the cablecards and randomly picks some other line to charge on  .


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## DrBlove (Aug 9, 2007)

For what it is worth, I live in Baltimore county and I got 2 M-Cards for my S3 (despite me asking several times for S-Cards, but since it took two trips out here to remember to bring cards I did not complain). My tech did not know what to do, do he sat on the couch while I installed... to be honest it took about 1 day for all the channels to filter in on the Tivo box, have not had any problems until recently with one card (but I think it is the Tivo and the channels it is displaying)


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## cr33p (Jan 2, 2005)

kdmorse said:


> Lemme throw in a related question...
> 
> Those of you who have had TivoHD's running with one M-Card in Comcast areas, how does it show up on your bill?
> 
> -Ken


Its included with my one outlet = FREE 

Comcast Ann Arbor MI One M Card 3 hour install but works great ever since


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## gilbreen (Sep 5, 2007)

3 TivoHDs each with one M Card (Firestone, CO). Each install took a tech and approx. 30 minutes to complete.

Bill shows - Tivo3 Cable Card Pkg - $1.50 (for each one)


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## Snotface (Nov 1, 2007)

Working great in Chester Springs, PA. Installed and working within 24 hours of contacting Comcast.


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## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

I have no idea yet how much they're charging me for the CableCard. I'll probably know next month.


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## BGPu (Nov 3, 2007)

My experience with Comcast here in the Chicago suburbs was mixed.

I called them a few weeks ago to set up an appointment. I asked specifically for a M card or 2 S cards. The guy brought 2 cards. He set the cards up in around 20 minutes and I thought everything was cool. A few days later I was enjoying HD network shows but I discovered that the TiVo wasn't recording programs on basic cable.

I checked the TiVo manual and it said something about the cards not being validated by the cable company. I pulled the CableCards out to see if I would pick up the channels that were grayed out, which I did. I also proved a hunch right as the technician had installed and M card and an S card, in the wrong slots no less.

I put the M card in and gave comcast a call about the missing channels. It turns out the definition of basic cable has changed since we first subscribed. What we *should* be getting is really just the local channels, even though we're used to the package that has ESPN, USA, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, etc. Of course, that cable package costs $40 more a month, which is ridiculous.

At this point I've pulled the CableCards altogether and am looking for a good antenna to mix the OTA signals with the cable. We get all the channels we were used to through the regular cable connection, we just can't record from them if the CableCard is installed in the TiVo. And the convenience of the cablecard and not having to have more wires and cables running behind the TV is not worth an extra $42 a month.


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## kgt12 (Oct 23, 2007)

You can read my experience with Comcast in Howard County, MD here : http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5662286#post5662286

Long story short, I have 1 working Tivo HD and 1 non working Tivo HD.

Supervisor told me they are having all sorts of CC issues around Baltimore.

No disrespect to Tivo, but I don't see how it can be worth it. 3 visits by comcast, 12 hours in my house, 4 hours more on the phone, a pen stain on my recliner downstairs courtesy of a contractor, and not much to show for it.

Cheers.


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## bmoura (Oct 20, 2002)

retired_guy said:


> Saratoga, California. HD with Motorola M-card. Working fine; took Comcast guy about 15 minutes to get it set up.


Same here in Redwood City, CA. HD with Motorola M-Card. Comcast did a truck roll, was here for 15 minutes or so and it worked right out of the gate!


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## Speed RacerX (Jan 30, 2004)

One M-Card in my TiVo HD with self install and all works great. I couldn't be happier with how it all went.


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## TheOrkinMan (Oct 23, 2007)

Same here in the Pacific Northwest. One M-Card in a THD self-instlaled. Took all of 10 minutes on the phone with Comcast to get it authorized.


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## bbalfour (Jan 24, 2001)

I have on M-Card in a TiVoHD in Montgomery County MD.

Brad


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## johnspalm (Dec 24, 2002)

Just had a Comcast MCard installed on my TiVo-HD this past weekend. Install took about 15 minutes. Works great!

I live in the Chicago suburbs.


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## murph1016 (Mar 20, 2006)

Let me first start off by saying this is being written without reading anyone elses comcast issues. 

I've had it with them. Here's there really short version...

July 07 purchased a Series 3 tivo and had a tech use 4 different cards before getting me set up with digital, basic, extended, hbo and HD programming. 

Oct 5, 2007 tried to add Showtime. No luck just sending a signal. 8 tech visits later and swapping of countless cable cards, both S and M cards, and nothing. In fact I have less programming than before. I've filed a complaint with the FCC and they are taking action. I encourage everyone to do the same. I also, and I hate to say it, think we all have a serious class action law suit waiting to happen. My bill has been royally screwed up since all of this and I've literally only gotten a few bucks back so far. I'm not forced to use their STB for HD dual tuner and it sucks. Anyone interested in filing with me? murph101699 gmail if interested in banning together.

Thanks,
Good luck to all,
-Murph


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## hclyatt (Oct 25, 2007)

drflounder said:


> It sounds like you're having the same problem that we're having in Augusta GA. A Comcast tech is supposed to come to my house next week and work with a Motorola engineer to try to figure out the problem. If they get anywhere, I will ask them what they did and let you know.


Hey Doc,

Is there any resolution after the Motorola engineer has been out to your house? Here in Baltimore County MD we are still having the problem. It appears that TiVo may finally be working with Comcast on the issue so there is hope. From what I am hearing from Comcast is that the activation issue they are having is not with just the THD, but also with newer Series 2 and 3's. Perhaps this is a wide spread issue that has been created by newer TiVo software. If that is the case people with their CableCards already activated would not see it unless they made a service change. I'm hoping that it can be resolved soon. I haven't been able to use my TiVo since I got it almost a month ago.

Hank


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## drflounder (Jul 29, 2007)

No. Comcast still hasn't gotten back to me. I'm going to try to call them again on Monday to see where they are.

The return period for Circuit City just passed so I'm in this for the long haul.


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## Kiros (Oct 7, 2007)

hclyatt said:


> Hey Josh,
> 
> There are now four of us from Baltimore County with the same problem. I am starting to believe that there may be even more. This is appears to not be the standard CableCard issues that most people have. It really is looking more and more like Comcast Baltimore County has some incompatibility.
> 
> Hank


I have a TivoHD with an M-Card working, and I live in Baltimore County, MD. So apparently it is possible in this area. I haven't had any issues, except the vast majority of recordings on the box (from several channels) are marked as non-transferrable to my other Tivo Series 2.

Kiros


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## hclyatt (Oct 25, 2007)

Kiros said:


> I have a TivoHD with an M-Card working, and I live in Baltimore County, MD. So apparently it is possible in this area. I haven't had any issues, except the vast majority of recordings on the box (from several channels) are marked as non-transferrable to my other Tivo Series 2.
> 
> Kiros


Kiros,

How long have you had it, and when was the card activated? Do you know what version your TiVo was on when you had the CableCard activated? Do you know of you have an SA card or Motorola?

Thanks,
Hank


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## BPlexico (Sep 17, 2007)

Located in San Rafael, CA (Marin County)

TivoHD, Motorola M-Card, and Comcast - all work fine.


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## Kiros (Oct 7, 2007)

hclyatt said:


> Kiros,
> 
> How long have you had it, and when was the card activated? Do you know what version your TiVo was on when you had the CableCard activated? Do you know of you have an SA card or Motorola?
> 
> ...


They put the card in around the 3rd week in September. Sorry, I don't remember what version my Tivo was when they did it. It is a Motorola M-Card. Let me know if there is some other way I can help.

Kiros


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## zvadim (Nov 9, 2007)

Metro-Detroit, MI. Had comcast (contractor) here earlier today to install cablecards into my new THD. They brougth an M-card and an NG?card. M-card appeared to install ok, but then the tivo went into "searching for channels" and came back 10-15 minutes later saying that it was unable to retrieve them from the cable card. If I yank the card out, I get my analog basic channels, but no digital. If I connect the cable directly to my TV, I get analog basic and digital versions of some of the channels. Called TiVo's hotline, they 3-way-called with comcast & had them re-initialize the card which didn't do much, then said to try replacing the card. Going to try that on monday if comcast will give me one -- tech said they will.

Comcast tech came out today. He was way better then the contractor on Sat, but only had one M-Card with him. And that one didn't work any better then the first. The weird thing is, if I yank the card, i get analog basic just fine, but with the card inserted, paired & initialized tivo fails to get channel info from the card -- times out after 15 minutes or so. Expecting a call from them tomorrow.


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## Larry in TN (Jun 21, 2002)

TiVoHD with M-card from Comcast in Nashville, TN.

Nashville allows self-install so I picked up the M-card at the local office and tried the self-install. When the card was inserted I lost most of the analog channels and gained only three or four digital channels. Remove the card and all of the analogs channels came back.

Did all the usual things and had a tech out who checked everything at our end and didn't find any problems. They decided that it was a problem with the channel maps in part because of the out-dated digital package that was on the account. It took four days and multiple phone calls to finally get it resolved on their end. 

The person on the phone who finally got it fixed had a hard time getting it done. I'm not sure what he ended up doing but I was on the phone with him for almost an hour. He wasn't a front-line tech, either. He had a lot of specific knowledge about the system and cablecards yet he still had a heck of a time getting it working.


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

Just as I suspected, today's install in Baltimore County was fruitless.

The contractor had never dealt with CableCARDs, so I pretty much took the helm. The woman at the office he was speaking to over the NexTel knew less than he did. She kept insisting she didn't need the HostID, which we all know is patently false unless they don't do pairing (and everybody does pairing now).

She didn't know squat, he didn't know squat.

He brought two Motorolla M-Cards. I didn't bother looking into the proper pairing much further than having them likely miscommunicate the numbers back and forth. Neither card was getting Channel Information, so there was little sense moving forward.

What has been the other Baltimore County experiences? Did others at least get the Challen Information?


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## quick (Jun 1, 2004)

Houston, Texas

Comcast w/ Motorola M-Card on TiVoHD

I picked up the card from the local Comcast store, installed it myself, activated it over the phone, all channels working except scrambled channels were unlocked the following day by Comcast activation dept.

Card was/is free, no monthly charge they said with 1 card.

Has worked flawlessly for a month or so, except past couple days since the latest service update from tivo, I keep getting this Cable provider screen coming up which keeps happening on at least a daily basis...


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## hclyatt (Oct 25, 2007)

Mike Farrington said:


> Just as I suspected, today's install in Baltimore County was fruitless.
> 
> The contractor had never dealt with CableCARDs, so I pretty much took the helm. The woman at the office he was speaking to over the NexTel knew less than he did. She kept insisting she didn't need the HostID, which we all know is patently false unless they don't do pairing (and everybody does pairing now).
> 
> ...


I only know of one person who has a TiVo HD working with Comcast in Baltimore County. I know of five that don't including myself. All five are having the same issues you have now seen. TiVo engineering and Comcast Baltimore County are now working on this issue together. Hopefully there will be some resolution soon.

Hank


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## atomicteevee (Nov 22, 2005)

#6 Baltimore County (Essex) Tivo HD problems

Contractor brought 2 M-Cards on Sat, loads of missing channels. I'm getting most of the local hi-def channels w/ the M-Card, no premium channels and no channels like Food Network, etc. I'm prob. receiving a total of 15 channels. Install was Saturday, lots of calls to office, left and said new channels would slowly filter in which we know isn't happening.


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## jrm01 (Oct 17, 2003)

hclyatt said:


> I only know of one person who has a TiVo HD working with Comcast in Baltimore County. I know of five that don't including myself. All five are having the same issues you have now seen. TiVo engineering and Comcast Baltimore County are now working on this issue together. Hopefully there will be some resolution soon.
> 
> Hank


Hank,

Have you tried contacting the one person who says his is working (maybe PM)? It could be useful for you to know exactly what is on his Pairing Screen and CA screen under the diagnostics.

Also, you could find out when he had it done, maybe even who did it. That info could be usefull to yur Comcast contact there.


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## missdona (Apr 19, 2004)

Bergen County, NJ. M-card worked on the first try. Easy-Breezy.


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## Craig T (Nov 1, 2007)

Knoxville, TN. I installed the M card myself in my Tivo HD and *most* channels are working(not HBO and Starz along with a few others) after my first activation call. I called Comcast several more times but they said I must have a bad card. Thanks to the FAQ I finally figured out it must be a card pairing problem and probably due to the fact that nobody so far(multiple CSR's and techs) has a clue what the DATA number I gave them is for or how/where to enter it in the system. I do have a tech/installer(that I have to pay for) scheduled for tomorrow but I have to wonder how much that's going to help unless they can enter the numbers themselves via laptop or whatever. Any ideas about how to get this number in their system? Thanks.

Craig


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

Count me as another Baltimore County TiVo HD owner with missing channels. Basically anything that is not encrypted comes through fine. I have left messages with Jay and have a case open with TiVo; we will see. Stange how this is a local issue.


Bernie


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

elbaz said:


> Count me as another Baltimore County TiVo HD owner with missing channels. Basically anything that is not encrypted comes through fine. I have left messages with Jay and have a case open with TiVo; we will see. Stange how this is a local issue.


Jay Peppi?


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## BurnBaby (Sep 21, 2007)

elbaz said:


> Count me as another Baltimore County TiVo HD owner with missing channels. Basically anything that is not encrypted comes through fine. I have left messages with Jay and have a case open with TiVo; we will see. Stange how this is a local issue.


I have a working M-card (Motorola) with Tivo HD in PA area but had some issues during setup that had nothing to do with pairing or host ID or any of the FAQ cablecard problems. The problem was that there was a lock on my account b/c Comcast had been running a promotion of $99/mo for cable, internet and phone when I signed up. Comcast had to lock the accounts that had this promotion b/c people were trying to steal that promotional pricing. The tech who installed the cablecards tried for 3 1/2 hrs to get it working and still I was missing most of the channels. I called customer service after he left and the CSR noticed that the cablecards could not properly be added to the account until the lock was lifted (even though to the tech and the supervisor he talked to when he was setting up all looked fine). Once the lock was temporarily lifted, she made the change to the account and an hour later, all my encrypted channels came in fine. Was there some sort of promotion like this running in Baltimore?


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

Mike Farrington said:


> Jay Peppi?


Yes; no response yet but hopefully will hear something when they find a fix. If not I'm sure someone will post here.

Bernie


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

BurnBaby said:


> I have a working M-card (Motorola) with Tivo HD in PA area but had some issues during setup that had nothing to do with pairing or host ID or any of the FAQ cablecard problems. The problem was that there was a lock on my account b/c Comcast had been running a promotion of $99/mo for cable, internet and phone when I signed up.
> (snip)
> Once the lock was temporarily lifted, she made the change to the account and an hour later, all my encrypted channels came in fine. Was there some sort of promotion like this running in Baltimore?


I also had the promotional rate; very interesting. I'm not sure I would know how to explain this to the CSR but I will try.

How about the rest of you?

Bernie


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

elbaz said:


> Yes; no response yet but hopefully will hear something when they find a fix. If not I'm sure someone will post here.


He's the same person who helped me with my Carroll County issues back in January. Someone else in my area had his email address... I should have asked for that since leaving voicemails is a pain.

-Mike


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## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

How does someone "steal" a promotional package?


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## atomicteevee (Nov 22, 2005)

I had some sort of promo pricing, I tried to drop some premium channels and then they offered me a deal... wonder if that has something to do w/ the troubles? I'm getting no channels now, I was getting some hi-def but now on those channels I get a snippet of audio and a frozen screen.


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## BurnBaby (Sep 21, 2007)

atomicteevee said:


> #6 Baltimore County (Essex) Tivo HD problems
> [snip]Install was Saturday, lots of calls to office, left and said new channels would slowly filter in which we know isn't happening.


That's exactly what happened to me. When the channels didn't show up after several hours I called back to see what was wrong. The CSR unlocked my account, added the cablecard properly to the account, sent a signal through to the box (she said she couldn't tell whether or not the tech had done this step but it's required to make the card work). An hour later, I had all my channels. May or may not be the problem with your unit though as it seems Comcast has endless ways to mess up cablecard installs.



Graymalkin said:


> How does someone "steal" a promotional package?


I have no idea. Only one of the five CSRs I talked to mentioned a specific reason for the lock and wouldn't really elaborate. I got the feeling that promotional price stealing was an internal Comcast problem b/c a different department was required to unlock the account and it took them some time to approve the unlocking. My account had to be unlocked for me to even order the cablecards and schedule the tech to come out for the install (which took quite me calling in four times over two days). Then the account was probably re-locked. Then it had to be unlocked after the cablecard was installed to actually properly add the cablecard to the account - otherwise the card would not be authorized. Kinda nuts and it would've been nice if they had told all this to the tech, so he wouldn't have been out here for hours.



elbaz said:


> I also had the promotional rate; very interesting. I'm not sure I would know how to explain this to the CSR but I will try.


Don't know if you've made this call already but if you haven't, you could ask if the cablecard is showing up properly on your account when he/she is looking at the account info. Mine was not and that's why the last CSR caught the mistake. I don't have all the specifics but from what I understand the cablecard was listed in general on my account but not added to the specific cable outlet.


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

I talked to Jay this morning; he had been out in the field until today and was catching up on his phone mail.

I asked him about the 'locked' account problem and he said that those systems are upstream of where he is working and don't affect his testing. He is working with directly with the controller that communicates with the cards; and is entering the data directly into the controller. What he is seeing is that TiVo is communicating with the controllers receiving the channel mapping but is not recognizing/accepting the authorization codes. I'm going from memory so I may not have the terminology exactly right.

He is working directly with Motorola on this, but as of our conversation had not heard anything new from TiVo. He did say that he had talked to TiVo but that TiVo felt that this is Comcast&#8217;s problem. From our conversation I got the impression that he is not sure if it is Comcast&#8217;s problem or not. At least he was not just finger pointing. He also mentioned that the problem appears to be with TiVo HDs that were purchased in the October / November time frame; that other TiVo HDs seam to be working. 

I also asked him about the 2 S-Card vs. 1 M-Card solution and he said that in their testing this did not help in these cases.

He told me that opening a ticket with TiVo and giving them his name and number was enough for now. I asked him how many people did he know of with this problem and he said that he knows of at least 8. According to Jay Comcast is not going to role anymore trucks for TiVo cable card problems (at least in this area) until they find a solution; with that in mind I feel like there must be something else that we can do to get TiVo off the bench and into the game.


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## BurnBaby (Sep 21, 2007)

I hope you are able to get this resolved. What a pain. I just saw this post in the Comcast Cablecard thread. Perhaps it will help?



david4788 said:


> Finally!!!
> 
> The short version of a long saga...There was a huge batch of cards that Comcast and their contractors were using and having problems with. It took a senior install supervisor who found out that none of the cards were not entered, or were entered improperly, in the Comcast system at the warehouse. The in-house installer came out with 4 m-cards that were verified yesterday. It was working within 30 min with the first card. Most of the time was on hold waiting to activate the card.
> 
> If you live in the Baltimore area (surrounding counties to) and are having problems with Comcast and the Cablecard (including confusion on billing) PM me and I'll let you know who to talk to get it straight. :up:


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

Thanks Burnbaby, I have PM'd david4788. If it works I'll let everyone know.


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## Ezzie00 (Jan 19, 2003)

I got me a TiVo HD here in Seattle, WA. I stopped by the Comcast office and picked up 2 SCards. They were a bit scratched on the label, so looked like they were from the "used" stock. I messed with them during the guided setup on TiVo to no avail. Just couldn't get either one to recognize. Constant 161-1 errors.

I made an appointment, but before they came out I stopped into the office again to exchange them. The nice lady at the counter gave me 2 new MCards! So I took them home, popped one in and it worked exactly as advertised, no problems, no trouble getting setup. Love it now. 

I keep wondering if the 2nd MCard would enable another channel switching in the TiVo, but don't want to push my luck.


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## Qwertinsky (Oct 24, 2006)

I just got an HD-Tivo and self installation of an M card went off without a hitch.

Over all the entire process took about ten minutes and was pretty painless.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5687541#post5687541

Interesting I am in the same region as Ezzie00 and also was giving TWO M cards at the Comcast office. I also stopped at one card as it was working didn't want to push my luck.


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## d_anders (Oct 12, 2000)

Does anyone know whether Comcast supports and provides mcards for St. Paul, MN?

P.S. Yes, I've searched.


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## drflounder (Jul 29, 2007)

hclyatt said:


> Hey Doc,
> 
> Is there any resolution after the Motorola engineer has been out to your house? Here in Baltimore County MD we are still having the problem. It appears that TiVo may finally be working with Comcast on the issue so there is hope. From what I am hearing from Comcast is that the activation issue they are having is not with just the THD, but also with newer Series 2 and 3's. Perhaps this is a wide spread issue that has been created by newer TiVo software. If that is the case people with their CableCards already activated would not see it unless they made a service change. I'm hoping that it can be resolved soon. I haven't been able to use my TiVo since I got it almost a month ago.
> 
> Hank


Just to update, everything is finally working. I'm getting all channels on both tuners. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to talk to anyone who knew exactly what Comcast did to fix the problem. My installer said that the CSRs were entering the Cable Card Id number into the Model number field instead of the Tivo model number, but that doesn't sound right to me. I wouldn't think the Tivo model number would matter.

Anyway, I'm sorry that I can't help you out. You could try getting your guys to call the Augusta, GA office. My contact there was a guy named Wayne (sorry no last name) who is a supervisor of their technicians.


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## elbaz (Nov 12, 2007)

Update: I have not talked to anyone at Comcast since my last report but I started recieving the low channels last night. When I go to the diagnostic screen I see that these channels are coming in as analog as oppsed to digital. This is a change from before. I'm still not seeing any digital channels except for the HD broadcast channels which we all know are not encrypted. So the decryption problem is not fixed but somehow a new channel map has been sent to my TiVo HD.


Bernie


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## SuperRob (Nov 27, 2000)

Just got TiVo HD today to use with my Comcast Seattle service, picked up an M-Card at the Lynnwood Comcast Store, and had everything set up in 15-20 minutes. Getting all my HD channels and HBO/HBO-HD. Piece of cake!

I'm thrilled to be part of the TiVo community again!


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

Denver area. 2 boxes with an M-Card, soon to be 3. Comcast.


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## CDCMicro (Nov 27, 2007)

TiVo HD with Motorola M-Card in Mission Viejo CA, Cox.

Looks like it's all working. Install was mostly uneventful. After a couple of Cox-initiated reboots, I see HBO HD, and the other HD channels


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## atomicteevee (Nov 22, 2005)

Any updates with the Baltimore County M Card problems? Still no luck for me, I guess I'll get a tech to come out this weekend.


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## dr_lha (May 13, 2005)

Central PA, Tivo HD + 1 M-Card. Working, but not without a lot of blood sweat and tears getting Comcast to sort out their head end issues.


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## ZigZagZiggin (Nov 27, 2007)

atomicteevee said:


> Any updates with the Baltimore County M Card problems? Still no luck for me, I guess I'll get a tech to come out this weekend.


I'm in Anne Arundel County, just south of Baltimore, and I'm dealing with the exact same problem:

1. Tech tried to install 2 single stream cards in my Tivo HD, showed me my HD channels were coming in. He left, and I realized no channels were coming in on second tuner.
2. Called comcast, told them the problem, the lasy on the phone sent out multiple hits (so she says), and I heard her supervisor in the background saying "I don't ever try to figure these things out on my own. Just send a tech out there". So, they scheduled me for appointment #2.
3. Tech comes by says the two Single stream cards were different brands, so that is why they aren't working. He puts in a new Motorola Multi stream card, and checks the channels. He sees that the locals are coming in and says, "Don't worry. Sometimes it takes a few hours for the channels to all load." Then he leaves, and the other channels (only locals and HD locals work, nothing else) never load.
4. Called comcast again, they say they send out more hits, and nothing is working, so they send out tech #3.
5. Two guys show up, and trample mud through the house, and ask me where the box that needs to be replaced is. I tell them, my cable card in my Tivo isn't working. They say they don't know anything about cable cards. They stare at the screen for 20 minutes, just flipping through the channels hoping they would just start working. They call in, and check on the pairing, and they say everything is fine, and that they'll send their "lead tech" out to me within the hour. Two hours later, there 'lead tech' shows up. (Comcast guy #4), He seems to knwo how to get through the menus of the Tivo, so it gives me some hope. He tries pairing 3 other multistream, motorola cards, and they all have the same problem (only the regular and HD locals work). He lays on my floor, literally for 2 hours, just flipping through the channels, hoping it will just start working. Then he says "Give it a few hours and hopefully the channels will start working Of course they never start working.

So, I started doing my own research and noticed, that when I tune it the channel that I am not getting, and check the 'Conditional Access' page, it says *'Auth: MP'*. This means, I do not have authorization to view these channels. Something is messed up on my account. I've asked them to check for the on my account before, but they said everything was fine. Apparently, it's not. I didn't have the energy to call them, and deal with those idiots last night, but I'm going to call tonight. On page 56 on the Comcast cable card thread, someone says you have to talk to someone who has access to the other part of the computer system (not the billing part, but the other part). I'm going to try to get through to these people tonight, and tell them to look at that part of my account and verify all my channels are authroized to the cable card. If they try to roll one more truck with their 'lead tech', I will refuse it.


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## ZigZagZiggin (Nov 27, 2007)

*Here is post from the Comcast cable card thread, I refered to in my post above. Anyone having these problems should try this out. It seems the key is trying to get someone on the phone who can get to the "Provisioning" computer system. I'm going to try to call tonight, hopefully, this will work*
_"Everyone here should keep in mind that "Provisioning" and "Billing" are two completely different "computer" systems. The actual "Provisioning" computer systems are ONLY allowed to be accessed by MSO System administrative personnel. All other employees must go through the "Billing System" interface. This is were most of the problems lie. If the correct codes are not entered in the "Billing System", that system can never correctly inform the actual Provisioning Servers of what you're authorized to receive. In addition, if there is a "disconnect" between the Billing platform and the Provisioning Servers, it doesn't matter HOW correct your entries look in the "Billing" screens. Until the actual Provisioning Servers have the correct information, you will be unauthorized.

(And this my friends was exactly MY issue for installation....but no one at Comcast/Adelphia had a clue about this. After several days of "pain", I was finally able to speak to someone who followed my instructions and was able to get the CCs working....unfortunately, I already KNOW my bill is going to be incorrect....which is most likely going to screw up my CCs authorization once they correct...we'll see...)

If I could make one suggestion here for everyone about CC install (Which I'm sure has been mentioned already)....DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT, let them put all the CCs on your account at once! DO ONE CC at a time, make sure it works, and then move on to add the next card to your account."_


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## pusta (Aug 2, 2007)

I live in Chelmsford, MA and I have a Tivo HD working with a Comcast Motorola M-Card. The funny part was they told me on the phone they don't support M-Cards, so I asked for 2 S-Cards. The installer showed up with 2 M-Cards


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## Sotexn (Nov 30, 2007)

Seeking advise

Here is my story

M Card #1 - never received a cable line up. Comcast states I should receive 2-73, rebroadcast local HD and music. They would take down the numbers and go through the pairing process once I received those channels. I verified the card was receiving OOB messages. Went overnight and the card never received the lineup

Went back to Comcast for another M Card

M Card #2
Ditto, I've never received any channels. Spent an hour on the phone with Tivo Support and part of the time in a 3 way call with Comcast level 3 support. Comcast took the numbers and put in the request to their 9-5 people to pair the card. Waited though the whole next day. Still cannot receive any channels. Called Comcast again, they sent a hit to the card. I asked them also to send a cold intitialization to force a firmware update. I never saw a TIVO diagnostic screen that indicated the card firmware was updating. Comcast support could not find a record that the 9-5 group did anything, but I knew by the cc screen showing Val:? that it was not pairs

I plan on going again to Comcast and picking up 3 or 4 M cards and maybe a pair of S cards and playing pot luck.

Most of the problems I've seen in this forumn has been getting the scrambled / pay channels. I rarely see where no channels come through. 

Any Ideas'
Steve


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## Mike Farrington (Nov 16, 2000)

Well, another bust install in Baltimore County Maryland today. A contractor shows up today, even though I specifically requested a senior Comcast tech. He arrives with two cards and tells that this is his first time dealing with CableCARDs. He has one card and one spare, but it turns out that he was given SCards, not MCards. So I was actually a little hopeful that we could get SCards to work since most of the problems in the area are with MCards. To add to my excitement, he was able to talk to someone who actually knew what they were doing with respect to setting up the cards on the Comcast end. Not an engineer, but a knowledgabe CSR.

This time around the cards at least seemed to download channel mappings, something it hadn't done in the past installation of the MCards. But the weirdest thing was happening, after authorization only HD must-carry channels would show up. No premiums. No analogs. No extended basic. No basic digitals. ONLY HD must-carry.

This happened on both cards before he gave up and left.

Another wasted weekend morning. This is the third one (second actual visit).

Last Sunday we got a call in the morning confirming the 10am-1pm visit. We waited around until 2:15pm before we decided to leave and live our lives. I even tried to call Comcast to get an ETA, but was on hold for 25 minutes before giving up. The installer called at 2:45pm and left a message saying we were't there. He had the nerve to sound annoyed AT US!!!


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## Sotexn (Nov 30, 2007)

Update

Comcast Houston
Tivo HD

I went through 2 more M Cards without any channels being found. Took the pair of S Cards and I had the 2-100 and local HD within a minute or two. I had the picture lock up 2 or three times, usually when trying to access a channel that I shouldn't get until the pairing process was done a Tivo reboot solved this.

Pairing was done later Saturday by the back office and both cards show paired and I'm receiving the channels I should be.

If I was a betting man, I'd say Comcast (local) does not know how to set up the M Cards before they leave to the field.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

installed one today in Chicago, no dice. won't activate, the signal apparently just bounces back with an error code. he's elevating it to the techs and i guess calling me back tomorrow. :sigh:


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## mjasoncc (May 19, 2006)

briansemerick said:


> installed one today in Chicago, no dice. won't activate, the signal apparently just bounces back with an error code. he's elevating it to the techs and i guess calling me back tomorrow. :sigh:


Did you ever get a resolution on this?

I live in Chicago (northside) and am waiting for Comcast to come for the third time to activate the cablecard. They installed a single M-card, Tivo lists a bunch of channels that I should be able to see, but I still only see the local channels (e.g. 2,5,7,9,32, gov access, CLTV...). Discovery, History ... are just grey screens.

The first tech said they were temporarily out of stock for cards. The second tech had a card (one day later) but had NO IDEA how to install it or how to understand the Tivo menus.

Anyone in Chicago have any luck with Tivo HD & comcast? If so, anything you can share to assist the Techs to properly install?

Thanks.


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## ajny (Apr 25, 2008)

mjasoncc said:


> Did you ever get a resolution on this?
> 
> I live in Chicago (northside) and am waiting for Comcast to come for the third time to activate the cablecard. They installed a single M-card, Tivo lists a bunch of channels that I should be able to see, but I still only see the local channels (e.g. 2,5,7,9,32, gov access, CLTV...). Discovery, History ... are just grey screens.
> 
> ...


I was in a similar situations as you a few days back. This post in another thread has addresses the issue:
<Credit goes to Thanatos Z06> 
CableCard self install TivoHD with Comcast service ... not all channels viewable ...
It took 4 calls and a quick look at the Tivo support page for troubleshooting this issue, but I finally got things working.
The issue seems to be that most Comcast phone support technicians DO NOT have the authority to send the right signal to the Cable Card. Most of them dismissed me with a simple "we resent the signal", however, they CAN NOT send the proper signal!
In Messages & Settings --> Settings --> Remote, CableCard, & Devices --> CableCard Decoder --> Configure CableCard 1 (Multi-Stream) --> CableCARD Menu --> Conditional Access in the mid section of this screen is an "AUTH" code. If you have a multi-stream card and they sent the wrong signal (default) it will read "MP" here and should read "S".
YOU MUST INFORM THEM OF THIS SO THE "LEAD" WILL SEND THE CORRECT SIGNAL.
Check the "Cannot View Encrypted Channels" portion of the Tivo FAQ for more info:
http://tivosupport2.instancy.com/Lau...chor=undefined
I hope this saves other people from the hours of frustration I went through!
Regards

===============
Taken from http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6009612 post #71.

The only problem in my case was that comcast guys did not even know how to change the value of Auth from MP to S. The lead person on the head end made a few phone calls to regional center etc and was finally able to do it (after abt 2 hrs of troubleshooting). I asked my local tech (one who was in my home) what/how did they do it, he was so frustated by that time, he said "I have no idea, but it works now" and left.

Good luck!


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

mjasoncc said:


> Did you ever get a resolution on this?
> 
> I live in Chicago (northside) and am waiting for Comcast to come for the third time to activate the cablecard. They installed a single M-card, Tivo lists a bunch of channels that I should be able to see, but I still only see the local channels (e.g. 2,5,7,9,32, gov access, CLTV...). Discovery, History ... are just grey screens.
> 
> ...


yeah, it randomly started working when i got home the next day. go figure.


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## mjasoncc (May 19, 2006)

Thanks ajny and briansmerick,

My wife has reported from the homefront that today's Comcast technician was able to activate the cablecard and that all of our subscribed digital and HD channels now work. 
The Tivo Tech I consulted was very knowledgeable too and indicated that there are various types of "bad" Mcards. Some don't work at all and some work for a while but can't hold or maintain the required codes over time (bad paraphrase of his explanation). I'll hold my breath over the weekend to see if this install holds steady.

Also, anjy's additional info will be helpful b/c I've (foolheartedly?) ordered a second Tivo HD to add to the home network in another room. Maybe comcast will send the same tech if I beg and plead...

Thanks again. The install was beginning to frustrate me and this forum was the only real basis for gaining useful knowledge and working to a solution.


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## steinercat (Nov 16, 2007)

I got my M-Card in Foster CIty (SF area) installed without a hitch.

For some rason though, Starz SD channels are not being received. Except for 1 Starz SD channel.

Starz and HBO HD is fine. HBO SD is fine.

Comcast hit me with a signal, and they said nothing wrong from their end.

Anyone ever experience anything like this?

This is an M-card issue correct?

Thanks!


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## pbw (Apr 11, 2003)

Steinercat: Perhaps you're not talking to service reps with the proper authority (see post by Thanatos):
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5990587#post5990587

I'm in your neck of the woods and had a pretty bad installation experience (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6317027#post6317027). I must have talked to at least 5 different reps (2 or 3 "supervisors") before they figured out how to send out the right signals. I'm not even going to mention here the bait and switch they pulled on me... Good luck


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## steinercat (Nov 16, 2007)

pbw said:


> Steinercat: Perhaps you're not talking to service reps with the proper authority (see post by Thanatos):
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5990587#post5990587
> 
> I'm in your neck of the woods and had a pretty bad installation experience (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=6317027#post6317027). I must have talked to at least 5 different reps (2 or 3 "supervisors") before they figured out how to send out the right signals. I'm not even going to mention here the bait and switch they pulled on me... Good luck


thanks pbw!

I just checked, on the Cable Card Menu and my 'Auth' Status, does have "S" - which is what its supposed to.

I'm going to try and get higher up in the Comcast Tech foodchain for this.

Just read your post....sorry for the bait-and-switch.


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## pbw (Apr 11, 2003)

By the way, Thanatos' post has a broken link to the Tivo site. This link might have some more info:
http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport..._CableCARD_Activation_and_Channel_Issues.html

However, even this page has a dead link for Motorola M-Card status codes. I couldn't find anything else using a Google site search.


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## MWGM0708 (Dec 15, 2008)

I am suffering though the same problems as reported by others - Comcast has been here numberous times to no avail. I too get the MP instead of the S but can't find anyone in Comcast who knows how to resolve the issue - any help or names to contact would be great.

Jack


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