Cable Cards

[DJay]

I have a 42"cable card hdtv. My question is how many HD stations can I get with it using a TWC cable card and what is the cost? I am trying to get by without using a box and receive more hd! I know TW does not like endorsing cable cards!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Jack 1000]

I have a 42"cable card hdtv. My question is how many HD stations can I get with it using a TWC cable card and what is the cost? I am trying to get by without using a box and receive more hd! I know TW does not like endorsing cable cards!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

To get all the TWC stations, you will also need a tuning adapter.  What is your current receiver?  The cable cards have not worked well after TWC guide updates and channel alignments.  To be honest, you're almost better off getting TWC's latest digital box or DVR and just going with that, OR switch to another provider for your TV service vendor.  TWC and cable cards DO NOT play nicely with each other!

A guy I know is on his THIRD or FOURTH Tivo Series 3 box, with TWC as his provider and he has had constant problems due to using the cable card and his tuning adapter.  After much frustration, he's just going to go back to renting a DVR from TWC.

Jack

[LoadStar]

To get all the TWC stations, you will also need a tuning adapter.  What is your current receiver?  The cable cards have not worked well after TWC guide updates and channel alignments.  To be honest, you're almost better off getting TWC's latest digital box or DVR and just going with that, OR switch to another provider for your TV service vendor.  TWC and cable cards DO NOT play nicely with each other!

A guy I know is on his THIRD or FOURTH Tivo Series 3 box, with TWC as his provider and he has had constant problems due to using the cable card and his tuning adapter.  After much frustration, he's just going to go back to renting a DVR from TWC.

Jack

Huh. And I'll provide the opposite opinion. I have a TiVo HD, M-card, and tuning adapter, and I would never go back to using a Time Warner DVR. Ever. I shudder at the thought, Time Warner's software is just THAT BAD.

The cable cards by themselves work just fine... but unfortunately, due to Time Warner's use of Switched Digital, unless you have a device that also works with a Tuning Adapter (which, I believe, only includes TiVo and Moxi DVRs), the cable card by itself really only gets you a small number of channels.

Have I had issues with the tuning adapter? On occasion, yes. Specifically, two occasions, both in the last month or so. The tuning adapter starts giving me the "8-blink" pattern on the LED indicator on the front, indicating that it has lost its authorization. A call to Time Warner, a transfer up to Tier 3, and a "hit" on the box later, and I'm back in business.

I don't know what Jack is referring to above when he says the "cable cards have not worked well after TWC guide updates and channel alignments." The cable cards themselves have next to nothing to do with either of these... with TiVo at least, TiVo themselves provides the guide data and lineup (courtesy of Tribune Media Services). After the major channel reorg, I just had to wait a day or so, reselect a new channel lineup, and I was back in business.

(Yes, there is a bit of a role the cable card plays in this as well... but it's mostly behind the scenes, TiVo users will generally be unaware of any of it. The only time they'll know about this is when a channel is added to the lineup, but Tribune hasn't added the guide data to the lineup. When this happens, you'll see there's a channel there and see a name for it, but you won't have proper guide info.)

I'm aware that others have had far more issues with the tuning adapters than I have. I'm pretty certain that most are signal level related, although some are bugs in the tuning adapter software. In any case, "your mileage may vary."

[kevbeck122]

I have a Sony TV with Cablecard and used it on TWC before they started using switched digital video.  I would say at most you'll be able to get maybe 10-15 HD channels (if that) in addition to the local channels.  When I dropped TWC a little over a year ago they were in the process or already moved most of the existing HD over to switched digital video.

[Jack 1000]

Huh. And I'll provide the opposite opinion. I have a TiVo HD, M-card, and tuning adapter, and I would never go back to using a Time Warner DVR. Ever. I shudder at the thought, Time Warner's software is just THAT BAD.

The cable cards by themselves work just fine... but unfortunately, due to Time Warner's use of Switched Digital, unless you have a device that also works with a Tuning Adapter (which, I believe, only includes TiVo and Moxi DVRs), the cable card by itself really only gets you a small number of channels.

Have I had issues with the tuning adapter? On occasion, yes. Specifically, two occasions, both in the last month or so. The tuning adapter starts giving me the "8-blink" pattern on the LED indicator on the front, indicating that it has lost its authorization. A call to Time Warner, a transfer up to Tier 3, and a "hit" on the box later, and I'm back in business.

I don't know what Jack is referring to above when he says the "cable cards have not worked well after TWC guide updates and channel alignments." The cable cards themselves have next to nothing to do with either of these... with TiVo at least, TiVo themselves provides the guide data and lineup (courtesy of Tribune Media Services). After the major channel reorg, I just had to wait a day or so, reselect a new channel lineup, and I was back in business.

(Yes, there is a bit of a role the cable card plays in this as well... but it's mostly behind the scenes, TiVo users will generally be unaware of any of it. The only time they'll know about this is when a channel is added to the lineup, but Tribune hasn't added the guide data to the lineup. When this happens, you'll see there's a channel there and see a name for it, but you won't have proper guide info.)

I'm aware that others have had far more issues with the tuning adapters than I have. I'm pretty certain that most are signal level related, although some are bugs in the tuning adapter software. In any case, "your mileage may vary."

I also needed to add that the person that had the trouble is from I believe the New York area.  This was a discussion on the AVS Forums that several got involved in on the use of Cable Cards.  I am happy to see based on the local input here that Wisconsinites had a better experience!

Jack

[DJay]

Thanks for all of your useful info!!! Will put it to good use!!

[Mark Strube]

I'm considering trying cable again with the Tivo Premiere. Question about the Milwaukee area cable cards: do the M-cards provide access to ALL the HD channels, or no? (not including onDemand).

Also, what is a tuning adapter, and what's its purpose? Is it separate from the cable card? Is it provided by TWC?

Thanks!