TWC Cable Card

[Tivoman44]

Hello all,

I think I'll be going back to TWC from Direct TV even before my contract.  

Questions (for Loadstar) and anyone else.  Does TWC still support the multi stream cable card and Tuning Adapter for Tivo?  Is the Tuning Adapter still free?  How much does the cable card cost monthly?

Does TWC still support basic analog cable (I think that's what it's called, where all you need is a coax connected to your TV and you get something like channel 2-78)?  

Also for Direct TV, I need to find my contract to know for sure, but does anyone know the termination fee for canceling early.  I am 1 year into a 2 year contract.

[kevbeck122]

Regarding DIRECTV, I believe you're looking at $240 for ETF.  $480 minus $20 per month into your contract.

[Jack 1000]

Hello all,

I think I'll be going back to TWC from Direct TV even before my contract.  

Questions (for Loadstar) and anyone else.  Does TWC still support the multi stream cable card and Tuning Adapter for Tivo?  Is the Tuning Adapter still free?  How much does the cable card cost monthly?

Does TWC still support basic analog cable (I think that's what it's called, where all you need is a coax connected to your TV and you get something like channel 2-78)?  

Also for Direct TV, I need to find my contract to know for sure, but does anyone know the termination fee for canceling early.  I am 1 year into a 2 year contract.

Very interesting!  So many leave TWC for Direct TV because of the better guide and cable boxes.  But TWC still has best Phone, Internet, and Retention Deals.  What's making you consider going back to TWC?

Jack

[LoadStar]

Questions (for Loadstar) and anyone else.  Does TWC still support the multi stream cable card and Tuning Adapter for Tivo?  Is the Tuning Adapter still free?  How much does the cable card cost monthly?

Checking my bill, the Cable Card is $2.50, and the tuning adapter is free.

Does TWC still support basic analog cable (I think that's what it's called, where all you need is a coax connected to your TV and you get something like channel 2-78)?

Yes, although they periodically continue to remove channels from the analog lineup. You can request a Digital Transport Adapter (for free) to continue to receive all the channels in the standard package. A DTA is a box that strictly tunes channels; it has no on-screen guides, no ability to do PPV, etc.

[beerbrat]

Analog service begins on 3 (TBS) and ends on 66 (FoodNetwork).  I'm pretty sure there's nothing on 2 - used to be TVGuide channel.

I cancelled my video sevice in May, not because of any issues with my cablecard service, just because the tv season was over and I lost interest in watching the Brewers.  We'll see what fall brings.

[LoadStar]

Analog service begins on 3 (TBS) and ends on 66 (FoodNetwork).  I'm pretty sure there's nothing on 2 - used to be TVGuide channel.

Those are all the channels transmitted in analog, correct. However, the Standard TV package includes channels 72-75, 76-80, 85, 95-97, and a bunch of channels above 100, all of which should be able to be received with a Digital Transport Adapter.

Time Warner has done a *crappy* job of letting people know that they may not be getting all the channels they're paying for.

[Tivoman44]

Thank you for the answers.  

Yea it was $240.00 for Direct TV cancellation.

To Jack, the reason I'm switching back to TWC is for a few reasons.  You are right that the Direct TV boxes are better but I don't like the long 2 year contract (which they seem to start over if you ever upgrade equipment or add something, for example if I wanted a wireless card for my box that would have extended the contract).  

The signal was great at the beginning, even in really hard rain but gradually became worse (wonder if they somehow boost your signal at the beginning then change it more to normal).  For example Friday morning it rained for a little bit, but wasn't that hard and I lost signal.

My whole house has a TWC connection everywhere from all bedrooms to kitchen, to living room, basement.

I think having two Tivos with lifetime service makes the cable card/Tuning Adapter a better deal in the long run.  

Probably lastly NFL network was brought to TWC a month after I got Direct TV.  I loved Sunday Ticket but I'm not paying for it a second year.

[LoadStar]

The signal was great at the beginning, even in really hard rain but gradually became worse (wonder if they somehow boost your signal at the beginning then change it more to normal).  For example Friday morning it rained for a little bit, but wasn't that hard and I lost signal.

The signal is the signal, there's no change in the strength. The fact that you describe a gradual degradation in the signal makes me wonder if the dish was falling out of alignment. Either that, or the LNB might have been failing.

Either way, I'd have gone to DirecTV and talked retention into getting someone out to take a look at the system and see why things were getting worse. Retention may have also been able to get you hooked up with newer hardware.