Late last week I received the following questions from a TiVoBlog reader. Instead of just replying to the email directly, I thought it would be a good idea for me to post my reply here since others may have the same questions.

Hello Alex. Just discovered your site. Nice work. Alex I have a chance to get a Tivo Series 2 80 hour dual tuner DVR as a gift. I receive Comcast digital cable in Howard County Maryland. My questions to you are,

1).Can I record all if any of my digital channels?.

2).What do I need to do or buy to be able to burn movies or programs from my Tivo to a DVD, or transfer to my PC, or directly to an external DVD burner via USB or Firewire connection. My ultimate goal is to be able to turn my Tivo’ed programs into DVD’s. Thanks for any and all help.

Steve M.

Before I get into the response, you might want to check to see if you can get the TiVo software on your Comcast DVR. I know that you don’t live it the Northeast but, it’s worth a try…

1.) A dual tuner TiVo will allow you to record digital cable however, you are still going to need a set-top box in order for it to work. TiVo’s website has a great tutorial and video on how to setup a dual-tuner TiVo with a set-top box. If you don’t want to keep the set-top box, you might want to look into a TiVo HD or a Series 3 since both of these DVRs take advantage of the CableCARD technology. A CableCARD will eliminate the need for a set-top box.

2.) Burning TiVo recordings to a DVD is really simple. The easiest way is to do it is to go the “official” route and use Roxio Creator 9 on the PC or Roxio Toast on the Mac. Transferring shows to your PC is pretty straight forward. All you need to have is TiVoDesktop (free) from TiVo.com. On the Mac, you can either use Roxio Toast, Roxio Popcorn or TiVoDecode Manager.

I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you need help with anything else…

—————————————————————————————————
As a side note, I would like to thank both Richard, Jeffrey & Jonathan for putting me down as their TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Charles. It really is appreciated!

Update 07/30 @ 10:52PM: Ben Drawbaugh has posted a wonderful SDV FAQ over at TiVoCommunity.com.

In a post last week I alluded to some disturbing information that a Time Warner installer told me. According to the installer, TWC has plans to move ALL digital content in my area over to switched digital by the end of the year. I’m not sure whether or not the rep that I spoke with has his facts correct. engadgetHD recently had a post saying that only NEW channels would be implemented using SDV. In my opinion, engadgetHD’s analysis seems to make more sense.

In either case, it has me concerned that switched digital could render my Series 3 useless. Is this concern valid? Can anybody alleviate my concern or is what I’m thinking correct?

On June 12th I blogged about how my Series 3 TiVo was making a lot of noise and how it had me worried. Well, after receiving several great comments, I decided to call TiVo in order to see if I could get a replacement. Getting a replacement S3 was surprisingly easy. The tech that I worked with agreed that there was probably an issue with my Series 3 and that it shouldn’t be making as much noise as it was. Within a couple of days I received a brand new Series 3 TiVo on my doorstep.

As soon as my Series 3 arrived I called Time Warner Cable (TWC) to see if I could get the CableCARDs that I was using with my broken TiVo paired up with my new S3. The customer service rep that I spoke with told me that since the cards were going to be installed in a new S3, they had to send out an installer. I tried to explain to the rep that all she needed from me was the CableCARD id from each of the CableCARDs as well as the host id from my TiVo. The rep seemed totally confused and she insisted that I needed to setup an appointment for an installer to come out to my house.

Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with having to have an installer sent out to my house. I’ve been extremely busy as of late and the last time I had TWC come out to my house it wasn’t a good experience. Because of this, I decided to call TiVo to see if there was something they could do for me. The TiVo rep that I talked to offered to three way call TWC to see if we could get the cards paired over the phone.

Even with the TiVo rep on the phone, I was unable to convince TWC that they didn’t need to send out an installer. Since I wasn’t able to get TWC to agree to simply take the required information, I decided to setup an appointment to have the cards “installed” in my replacement S3.

The appointment that I setup took place yesterday (6/27). The TWC installer showed up at my house around 11:15 to install two CableCARDs in my S3. The tech was extremely knowledgeable and he seemed a little irritated that TWC couldn’t simply take the necessary information over the phone. Along with installing both CableCARDs, the tech also provided me with some information about switched digital which has me a bit concerned (more about this in a future post).

In conclusion, I am extremely happy with the quality of TiVo’s customer service. Returning my broken Series 3 was extremely easy. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that TiVo was willing to three way call TWC to see if we could get the CableCARDs paired over the phone without having to send out an installer. As far as TWC is concerned, I am once again irritated by how difficult they make it to get two CableCARDs. Hopefully I never have to call Time Warner again :).

Have you had a similar experience with TWC or your cable company?

————————————————–—————————————————-
Thanks for the TiVo rewards referral Alexander & Rafael! I really do appreciate it. As always, you can send me a referral by entering my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo.

Back in February of last year, I blogged about an article on ars technica titled: CableCARD Primer. In this article, ars provides a wonderful overview of the CableCARD standard as well as some technical details about how CableCARDs actually work.

I found the technical information to be extremely useful. Prior to reading this article, I had a tough understand what my Series 3’s CableCARD diagnostic screens meant. Read on if you are thinking about getting a Series 3 or if you like to know more about CableCARDs in general. The article will definitely provide you with some useful information….

Last Thursday I blogged about my phone conversation with Time Warner Cable and how I setup an appointment to get two CableCARDs installed in my Series 3 TiVo. Well, my appointment was yesterday and after two hours of dealing with Time Warner’s incompetence, I am happy to say that I now have two CableCARDs installed and working in my Series 3 TiVo. Before I get into any more detail about the installation, I’d like to make it clear that the issues I encountered, had nothing to do with my S3 TiVo. All of the problems I had, stemmed from the fact that the Time Warner Cable (TWC) reps that I worked with had no clue about CableCARDs and how to install them. If the TWC reps were more capable, it would have only taken a couple of minutes to get both cards installed. I’m not trying make a blanket statement that all TWC employees are bad. Instead, all I’m trying to say is that the individuals that I had to work with didn’t know how to install a CableCARD and get it working properly.

My appointment was scheduled for 12-5PM however, around 11:15AM my wife called me at work to let me know that the TWC installer was at our house (45 minutes early). Since I expected there to be a problem, I left work to go home. While on the way home, my wife called me and told me that the rep asked if the TV could be removed from its wall mount so that he could install the cards. I told my wife that it wasn’t necessary and that I would be home shortly. Along with this comment, the rep also mentioned to my wife that he “hates this kind of job”. I’m not sure what that means. Maybe it is because he didn’t know what he was doing and TWC should get him some training?

When I arrived home, I was surprised to see that the console table that holds my electronic devices had been moved. There really wasn’t a need for the rep to move it but I didn’t say anything because I could tell that the rep was confused. Right from the get go, the rep was puzzled as to why I needed two CableCARDs, I explained it to him why I need two cards and he went ahead and got another card out of his truck. I gave the rep the instructions (PDF) that are included with all Series 3 TiVos and the rep proceeded to install each of the cards.

I can’t even tell you how many times the rep popped each of the cards in and out of my TiVo. Each time he did, he seemed to be hoping that something would magically start to work. In the end, the problem had to do with the fact that the agent that he spoke with, didn’t actually “activate” the second CableCARD. Until they activated the second card, I wasn’t able to get any high definition content on the second CableCARD. The entire time the rep was pretty much helpless. He wasn’t able to understand any of the diagnostic screens and I even had to help him troubleshoot the problem. On a number of occasions, I mentioned to the rep that he probably had to activate or pair the cards with my DVR. Maybe I should get a job with TWC. What do you think?

The entire experience really was a pain. Like I said before, the Series 3 worked just fine, all the problems that I encountered were the result of TWC not knowing how to install and configure their CableCARDs properly. Maybe the latest FCC mandate will force TWC to become smarter.

For whatever reason, my S3 TiVo doesn’t get all the channels that a standard TWC DVR receives. For example, I no longer am able to get A&E HD as well as ESPN2HD. I’m not sure if that is because the channels are switched digital or if it because of some other reason. Maybe somebody could shed some light on this? Along with A&E and ESPN2, I’m also not able to get any of the video on demand (VOD) content which I knew I wouldn’t get with a S3 due to the fact that the CableCARD 1.0 standard only supports one way communication.

Honestly, I really don’t care that I can’t get the content mentioned above. The S3 is so much better then a TWC DVR that I’m willing to give up VOD and some other channels for the sake of having the TiVo experience. If you’ve ever used a cable company DVR then you know what I am talking about. In actuality, I’m really not giving up a lot of content since my S3 allows me to record HD over the air using my antenna. Prior to the S3, I use to watch OTA content live.

I hope that this post doesn’t detract you from buying a Series 3 TiVo. In my opinion, the S3 is the best DVR on the market. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you awhile to get CableCARDs installed in your S3. It really is well worth it….

————————————————————————-

As a side note, I would like to thank Jeff for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Jeff!

Here’s some good news for anybody who owns or is thinking about getting a Series 3 TiVo. Starting July 1, the FCC will require that all cable companies provide boxes that utilize the CableCARD technology.

How does this help Series 3 owners you ask? Well, if the cable companies are required to use CableCARDs, they will have a vested interest in making sure that the technology works and that any glitches get ironed out. The way it works now, the cable company could careless about CableCARDs.

The second phase begins July 1, when cable providers are banned from providing new boxes that integrate both the security and navigation functions. Existing subscribers can continue to rent their current boxes.

The new boxes will have to use the same cable card technology as the competition. The FCC is hoping that forcing cable companies to do that will motivate them to make sure the cards work like they’re supposed to. The agency hopes it will eliminate some of the problems that have faced customers like Ken Hornstein, a 36-year-old computer programmer from Vienna, Va.

………..

Once cable companies have to use the same security technology as their competitors, the hope is that they’ll suffer fewer problems because it will be in the cable companies’ interest to keep them free of glitches.

Last night I finally got a chance to call Time Warner (TWC) and order two CableCARDs for my Series 3 TiVo. To my surprise, it was rather easy to order the cards and get the installation scheduled. I know that some people have had a tough time with getting their cable company to provide them with CableCARDs for their Series 3 TiVo. In my case it really wasn’t that bad. The CSR that I spoke with did provide me with some false information however, I don’t think this was done on purpose. According to the CSR, the installation is free and each CableCARD will cost $2.73/month. I have an appointment scheduled for next Tuesday between 12 - 5PM. I’ll be sure to let everybody know how the installation goes.

On an unrelated note, I’d like to thank both Jonahthon and Trevor for providing me with a TiVo referral.

Here’s a video that I took while I went through the guided setup for my Series 3 TiVo. I know it’s kind of boring but, for me it’s rather exciting. I still need to call Time Warner and setup an appointment for them to install two CableCARDs. I also need to figure out what’s wrong with my antenna so that I get start recording over the air HD. Stay tuned for more information. I may give TWC a call later tonight….

My free Series 3 TiVo is here! Right now I am going through the process of setting it up. I haven’t spoke with Time Warner yet so, as of right now, I am setting it up with basic cable (NTSC only). I plan on give TWC a call either later tonight or sometime tomorrow to setup an appointment for them to install two CableCARDs (wish me luck). I also plan on using my antenna for over the air HD content (I’m not setting it up now because something is wrong with my antenna).

When I first placed the order for my S3, a confirmation email from TiVo said that it could take up to ten weeks for the DVR to arrive. Luckily for me, it only took TiVo eight days!

I’ll post more late tonight or tomorrow when I get some free time. For now, I just wanted to let everybody know that my Series 3 has arrived. I also would like to thank everybody who gave me enough referrals for this DVR. I really do appreciate it.