TiVo and Charter?
January 22, 2011 2:31 PM   Subscribe

Do we need Charter to install cable cards in a TiVo Premier XL?

We're buying our first TiVo and are pretty clueless.
posted by tangram1 to Technology (3 answers total)
 
Best answer: I setup a TiVo using Cable Cards from Comcast, and frankly it was a pain in the ass to get working. Two weekends with 6+ hours on the phone each weekend with Comcast having them figure out how to activate cable cards on their end. I don't believe they have to install them, as they usually just give you the cards. However you do have to be on the phone with them when the Tivo sends it's activation handshake to their servers as they have to actively respond to it.
posted by msbutah at 3:19 PM on January 22, 2011


Best answer: According to Charter's support for cable-ready televisions:
Due to the technical complexity associated with the pairing of the devices, all installations of a CableCARD MUST be completed by a Charter Technician. Self-installation of CableCARDs is NOT an option for customers and thus customers cannot pick up a CableCARD from a local office.
I had to have Cablevision come out do do my Cablecard installation in my Tivo, and it didn't take very long.

Make sure Charter knows you need a multi-stream cablecard (M-card), not a single-stream one. Single-stream cards don't work in the TiVo Premieres.

Here's Tivo's instructions (pdf) for your installer, should you need it.

Oh, and run your new Tivo through its setup the day before the installer comes -- there might be software updates it needs to download and install first.
posted by mgar at 3:25 PM on January 22, 2011 [1 favorite]


mgar is on the right track. Look at the PDF, install the TiVo and let it start up a day or two ahead of time.
Comcast sent a tech out that knew next to nothing about the CableCard and it showed.
When I replaced the failed hard drive in the TiVo, I called about resetting the cards and Comcast provided a conference call with a TiVo technician along for the ride. It took a little work but once we got someone who knew what was going on, it went pretty fast.
posted by Drasher at 10:22 AM on January 23, 2011


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