Update 08/04/2006 @ 8:57 PM EST: Time Warner Cable Raleigh, NC has apologized for providing misinformation!
Update 07/31 @ 9:22PM EST: TWC has contacted a user on TiVoCommunity.com to let him know that TWC will provide CableCARDs for the Series3 TiVo.
According to a complaint on consumerfury.com, Time Warner in Raleigh, NC has said that they won’t support installing a CableCARD in the Series3 TiVo. Nor will they allow TiVo to access their network (not sure how they would prevent this).
Dear G***** C*****, TRACKING NUMBER: 88187 Inquiry: Just to confirm, you are saying that when the Series 3 Tivo’s are released, you will not be providing cablecards for Tivo Series 3 owners? Submitted: by gc****@**********.com
Response:Time Warner Cable of Raleigh does not provide support for or allow TIVO devices on our cable network. Time Warner Cable provides DVR service and equipment for customers that would like to record programs and watch them later. Cable Cards will only be installed on Cable ready, Cable Card slot available television sets. This policy is subject to change at the discretion of Time Warner Cable of Raleigh.
If this is true there are going to be a lot of people who are going to be pissed off. I’m not even sure if Time Warner can do this since the whole CableCARD thing was a government mandate.
If you want to find out what your local Time Warner has to say about this you can contact them using this page. If they tell you that they won’t support the Series3 TiVo then you can file a complaint with the FCC.
I plan on calling my cable company (Adelphia) tomorrow. I will let everybody know what they have to say. If you get a chance, you might want call your cable company. I’m interested to hear what Comcast and other cable companies have to say.
Update: 07/27 @ 11:16 PM: Looks like TWC in Los Angeles is saying the same thing…
Update: 07/26 @ 9:58 PM: The consumerfury.com complaint has been updated. Apparently the individual who posted the complaint contacted the Raleigh Telecommunication Commission about the problem. The RTC replied back essentially saying that TW is under no obligation to support a CableCARD install in a Series 3 TiVo. Check out the complaint for more information and additional followup.
I’m especially concerned about this because my cable provider (Adelphia) is about to switch over to TW in the near future. Has anybody else contacted their cable provider to find out what they have to say?
As you mentioned I’m not sure if they have the legal right to do this as I thought that CableCARD was a congressional mandate.
Though it is possible they can use the fact that the Series3 is classified as a “Set Top Box” by CableLABS as a loophole. AFAIK it is the only CableLABS certified device with this designation.
If they are able to pull this off it won’t leave much recourse for consumers, as in practically all cases consumers only have a single choice for a cable provider, you can’t exactly go to satellite since the Series3 won’t work with satellite at all. This is why lack of competition is a bad thing.
My understanding is that they do not have the right to say this. They must provide CableCARDs for any approved host device – and the S3 is such a device. If anyone has such a problem I’m sure TiVo would love to know about it so they can go after the cable company with a big stick.
[...] Time Warner Cable, Raleigh refuses to provide CableCARD for TiVo. (TiVo Blog) [...]
Complaining to the FCC won’t work. They refuse to take complaints on this issue if you call them. You have to go to the local franchise authority. They are the only ones who have enforcement power over this.
How do you find out who your “local franchise” authority is?
This is exactly what TiVo was talking about when they sent the FCC and the cable companies the letter.
This is obviously a local Cable Co that doesn’t know what they are talking about, by the time the series 3 is release lets hope all these cable co’s get their act together.
The local franchise authority is the state now. They just passed a law removing the requirement to get approval from local municipal goverments for this stuff in NC. Great timing huh?
Someone should define the language “will not support” and “install”. Does Time Warner expect to prevent a customer from removing a CableCard from an approved television and inserting it into a S3 Tivo? What does a CableCard install involve? Does it have a MAC address that must be added to the network before it is acknowledged? And will Windows Vista Media Center’s that support the CableCard also be refused? If Time Warner or any other cable company refuses to support a CableCard device, they will only succeed in driving customers away to other services. This is an especially dumb move, when more and more prime time shows are available for download through legitimate and illegitimate services such as iTunes and torrents. Place/time shifting is here to stay, if you try to limit consumer choices, the anwers are only a few searches and clicks away.
I was wondering the same thing. Will Vista have the same problem? According to the install instructions, it looks as though there is some type of address that the cable company needs to get off the CableCARD.
I have a contact in the TWC executive offices. His response was that TWC’s policy is to provide CableCards for any verified UDCP and that they’ll straighten things out in Raleigh. There is, however, apparently some controversy as to whether the Tivo Series 3 has been fully validated.
Talkstr8t – The Series3 is on Cable Labs list of validated devices. The model is the TCD648250A and TCD648250B – it looks like they did the A, made some changes, and redid the B and that’s the one in field trials. See Page 11: http://www.cablelabs.com/udcp/downloads/OC_PNP.pdf
[...] MegaZone: Talkstr8t – The Series3 is on… [...]
It seems that this issue is not resolved. I recently called my local TWC Customer Support only to find that they told me the exact same thing. They will install the CableCard only into a cable box or a TV. Tivos were NOT supported. I live in the Dallas area. TWC recently took over from Comcast.
While this is probably just a miscommunication, they had better get it straightened out before the gifting season ends and people start trying to set their new techno gadgests up.
box464 – You can try telling them they’re required to install CableCARD in any approved host device, and that the TiVo Series3 is on the list. The model number is TCD648250B and that’s on there.
If they still refuse, call TiVo. TiVo has said that people with trouble call them and TiVo will work with the user to get the cards installed.
You can also point them to http://www.tivo.com/cablecard
I’m a subcontractor for Cox in Las Vegas, and I tried to install 2 cable cards into a Series 3 today – couldn’t get either one to authenticate, and after about 2 hours of troubleshooting my superviser told me we aren’t supposed to touch any tivo’s, and CCs can only be installed on TVs.
I’ve been installing cable for 3 years, not a really long time, but I know what I’m doing. I do TV, internet, telephony, everything.. and these cable cards are really the biggest PITA for us installers. If I’m installing one for the day I take 5, and I’m lucky if one out of five works. I really have no idea why it’s such a challenge to get them to work – as it seems like it’s just hit or miss.