If you follow my Twitter feed you probably already know that I recently started to revisit the CCI byte issue that has frustrated me for quite a while now. Thanks to Time Warner’s draconian settings, Multi-Room viewing and TiVoToGo has become essentially useless within my household. Like Dave Zatz, I am completely irritated with the fact that I am not able to use MRV or TTG within my household. After all, it’s not like I’m trying to do anything that is illegal. I simply want to be able to transfer my four year old son’s programs from one TiVo to another TiVo within my household. Does that make me a criminal?
Thanks to a Tweet by terry_durkin, I am hopeful that I will be able to get TWC to change their practice of enabling Copy Once (0X02) any virtually all non-premium subscription channels. A Time Warner Headend Engineer is supposed to call me back so, stay tuned for more information….
Updated 10/15 @ 8:39PM – As I alluded to on Twitter, I recently heard back from TWC and unfortunately I really don’t have any good news to report. The manager that I spoke with told me that her engineers said that TWC sets the CCI byte based on the contractual agreement that they’ve established with the content producers. I’m by no means a lawyer however, my understanding of the law (PDF) is that TWC is obligated to set the CCI byte to Copy Once (on premium content) if the content producers do in fact request this setting.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a way of verifying that the content producers have in fact requested this setting. On top of that, a commenter in Albany, NY has me wondering whether or not TWC has implemented the CCI byte because they’re required to or if they’re doing it for no apparent reason. Albany, NY is only 1 1/2 hours away from where I live and for whatever reason Albany TWC decided to relax the CCI byte in the Albany area. Am I crazy or does that seem ridiculous? How is it possible that two Time Warner locations that are only separated by 1 1/2 hours have a different policy when it comes to the CCI byte? Does that make sense to you?
So where do I stand? Well, I was recently was contacted by a TWC employee on Twitter so I’m going to see if I can get something accomplished via the Twitter route. Stay tuned for more information and be sure to leave a comment if you have anything to add.
Updated 11/5 @ 10:35 PM – I just wanted you all to know that I’m still working on this issue. I’ve been working closely with Mariam Asmar (TWC PR coordinator) ever since I last updated this post. Mariam has been very helpful and willing to listen to my concerns.
Essentially I’ve gone ahead told Mariam how my research seems to indicate that Time Warner Cable is the worst when it comes to the CCI byte. I question why TWC uses the CCI byte to the extent they do when other cable providers such as Comcast and Verizon don’t. In fact, several of my Twitter followers have told me that their cable provider either doesn’t use the CCI byte or that the byte is only set on premier channels such as HBO. Why then does Time Warner seem to be setting the CCI byte on virtually all channels (other than broadcast channels of course)? Does this make sense to you? It sure as hell has me confused and frustrated.
Stay tuned for more information….
I sure hoe you work this worked out and look forwared to the update.
I myself just got a TiVo HD and have TWC in North Orange County CA.
I was mortified when I discovered this was a problem with TWC !!!
I have yet not had time to try TiVoToGo here to see if it works yet for me.
Working With TWC Hudson Valley NY to Change CCI Flag. Tivo said to contact FCC but I think that might irritate them and get me no were.
Be sure to keep us posted.
Alex´s last blog ..TiVo and the CCI Byte (My Frustration Continues)
Another Write up of CCI Flag.
FYI: It is against the channel FCC License to place CCI Flag or encrypt PBS and Public service Channels. (But they do it anyway!)
Opps messed up the html tags sorry
I sent a Certified Letter to my Time Warner Network Operations Regional President about CCI Flag. They replied that CCI Flag settings are now at discretion of Local Head End Engineer. Trying to make appointment with Local Head End Engineer left Email and Cell #. Looks like Albany NY region has gotten things moving. Hope this bodes well for Hudson valley NY region.
If not I had a call with My local Town supervisor about having Technology committee file a formal complaint with Time Warner. They are required to give a written response with real reason explaining issue.
As of this morning 10/10/2009 Channel 713 – PBS HD and 715 – Discovery HD are now copy freely in the TWC Hudson Valley Region. I will check other channels but most are still Copy once. I called and TWC HVR still won’t discuss the CCI Flag.
Are you sure that PBS was copy once? My understanding is that TWC can’t set broadcast channels to anything other than copy freely.
Yup PBS HD and CSPAN was encrypted QAM and CCI Flag of Copy Once. That is one of things I menioned in letter to Time Warner Network Operations Regional President that were using encrypted QAM and CCI Flag and that violated the Public broadcast and Public service licence with the FCC. Now PBS and CSPAN is encrypted QAM and CCI flag is copy freely. Now I hope they change CCI Flag on other channels. Removing encryption from the PBS and public service QAM channels will really help our local schools. They won’t have to pay cable company for the cable boxes any more.
I have written Certified letter to a few of the CCI Copy once channels I would like have changed to Copy Freely. The only reply I have received so far has been form NBC Universal about Syfy and Syfy HD they stated that their agreement with Time Warner Hudson Valley contains nothing about CCI byte settings. They also stated that could provide no assistance in getting Time Warner to change the setting. But I think that is enough Time Warner tried to pass the buck to NBC Universal say it was at their request. Now I know that is hog wash and the local reps just can’t be bothered.
Keep up the good fight Alex!
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Good luck! I’ve been running into the same problems. No need to rehash, but my frustration matches yours, and can’t wait to see if Time Warner ever resolves this.
This is exactly why I ditched cable/satellite and went to OTA antenna and Netflix.
Carlton Bale´s last blog ..Professional Installer Takes Credit for my Family Room
Please let know how this works out for you. I would like to TWC of Albany NY to clear the CCI byte. I’ll take any tip that you can provide for getting the cable co to change this setting.
Chris Miller´s last blog ..I don’t care who signs a petition, Roman Polanski is a convicted sexual predator who needs to do his time.
After we got the Tuning Adapter here in Albany, NY, I started this thread at TiVo Community:
Tuning Adapter: YES!…Now onto the CCI flag
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=417139
There hasn’t been any posts since February 2009.
After becoming very frustrated that I could not use TTG or MRV with either of my TiVoHD units, I activated an old Series2 unit. In order to transfer shows to my daughter’s ipod, I use this Series2 TiVo to transfer to my computer via TiVo Desktop Plus and then convert it for an ipod.
I am VERY INTERESTED to see how you fare with TWC. They have basically ignored my requests to change the CCI byte here in Albany, NY.
Did some tests here today with my TiVo HD and TWC.
I tested with iTiVo and many networks are blocked here in Orange County too… :’(
A member of the AlbanyHDTV.com webiste has posted that he has successfully negotiated with Albany TWC to reduce the CCI Byte on all channels except premiums and PPV. Check it out here:
http://albanyhdtv.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=boxes&action=display&thread=3221&page=1
I say we all rally around and tweet TWC! I live in Irving TX, I moved from a FIOS area where I had full tivo capabilities (in my house its BARNEY that needs to move to the spare TIVO *s*)…I say we pick a date to slam TWC with emails and tweets to force them to set to copy once. I emailed ROVI (formally macrovision) part of the response i received is as follows:
You might also be interested in knowing that some copy protection technology allows for a single copy (‘Copy Once’) while others do not allow for even one copy (‘Copy Never’). For the particular channel/shows you mentioned (SyFy, Barney, Seasame Street), I would not expect those to be configured as ‘Copy Never’. ‘Copy Never’ is usually reserved only for Video On Demand (VOD) and/or Pay-Per-View (PPV) program material.
So if TWC has a legit doc from the content provider those should be available for public viewing. I rang up TWC and got no where when I asked to view this document. I figure if it is something that the affects the consumer then it should be public notice. I found nothing on the websites of channel provicers (ie, BBC America, Syfy, etc.). The power of the internet is awesome and can be used to voice our opinion!
Sorry to burst the “only TWC is blasting all channels with the crappy CCI cripple flag” In my area Comcast also did the same thing with all but the on air programming within the last 10 days and killed my MRV, Tivo to Go and Transfer to PC.
It looks like Albany TWC is NOT changing the CCI byte to copy freely. They have been told by their corporate headquarters to leave the CCI settings as is. I was given this information from an Albany TWC employee.
Chris Miller´s last blog ..Just watched a movie in HD using Amazon Video On Demand through my Tivo
Have there been any updates on this since the last blog update on Nov. 5? I use TWC in Austin, TX, and I just got Toast yesterday. Iwas so excited to start transfering programs through TiVoToGo, and I was crushed to see how many programs had that red X by it. I called TWC, and they claimed the copy protection tags were required by the FCC. Has anyone found a way to get them to change the settings to copy freely yet?
Jill,
TWC corporate has pretty much tied the hands of the local TWC entities. As for the copy protection being required by the FCC, that is not true. Their contract with the programmers may dictate the usage the flags, but they are not being forced into this by the FCC.
Chris Miller´s last blog ..Just watched a movie in HD using Amazon Video On Demand through my Tivo