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?

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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.

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….

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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!

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.

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.

I just received an email from TiVo letting me know that my Series 3 TiVo is on its way. I guess it isn’t going to take 10 weeks like TiVo had initially said.

Now I need to get on the phone with Time Warner cable and setup a service call so that they can install two CableCARDs. Wish me luck….

Great news ! Your TiVo Store order was shipped on 05/29/2007. Depending on your choice of shipping methods, it may take four to six days for your order to arrive.

Thanks to John (a.k.a Mr. Tangent), I placed my order today for a free Series 3 TiVo! That’s right, John as well as several other TiVoBlog readers have been kind enough to give me enough referrals for a free Series 3 TiVo. In fact, since October 2004, I’ve referred 22 people via the TiVo Rewards program.

Back in Oct. 2006 when TiVo added the Series 3 TiVo to their rewards program, I thought it was nearly impossible for me to ever get enough referrals for the Series 3.

Obviously, I’m very excited to get this DVR. I look forward to being able to record HD OTA as well as being able to get rid of my Time Warner DVR. I plan on keeping my Series 2 and using it mainly for transferring shows to my iPod. I also plan on using my Series 2 for my son’s TV shows. The Series 3 will be used mainly for HD content as well as an occasional standard def program. As soon as my Series 3 arrives I’ll be sure to let everybody know. Stay tuned for more information. TiVo said that it could take up to 10 weeks for me to get my Series 3. I really hope it doesn’t take that long….

TiVo.com is running a great special on the Series 3 TiVo. For $499.99 you can get the Series 3 TiVo plus a wireless TiVo adapter (no rebates required & free shipping)! The offer expires on April 30th so you better act fast.

If you do decide to take advantage of this offer, I’d appreciate it if you put me down as your referrer (raianoat AT gmail DOT com)

This is the lowest I’ve ever seen the Series 3. It looks like Gizmodo may have been correct when they said we would see the Series 3 price drop.

Details on the offer:

* Early termination fee and other restrictions apply. See offer for full details. Offer available for a limited time while supplies last.

† Instant Savings:

1. You save $180 instantly on the 80-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT (MSRP $249.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $239.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.
2. You save $230 instantly on the 180-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT (MSRP $349.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $289.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.
3. You save $300.00 instantly on the 300-hr TiVo® Series3 HD DMR (MSRP $799.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $359.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.

$500 is still a lot of money but it has me thinking that I should get a Series 3. I’m currently using a Time Warner DVR for my HD content however, I’m extremely unhappy with the DVR. The only thing that is nice about my SA 8300 is that I didn’t have to pay anything up front and if it breaks all I have to do is go down to my cable company’s local office and pick up another one.

Are you going to get a Series 3 TiVo now that you can get it for $500?

Spotted On Gizmodo

Tonight (Sunday) is one of the best nights to watch TV in high definition.  Two of my most favorite shows (Desperate Housewives & 24) are both broadcast in HD.  In order for me to watch both of these shows in HD I have to forgo the benefits of my Series 2 TiVo and watch both shows live.  Unfortunately tonight, 24 is on from 8 -10PM and Desperate Housewives is on from 9 -10PM.  As you can see, it’s kind of difficult to watch both shows at once.

A keen reader would suggest that I pick up my cable company’s DVR so that I could record both of these shows at the same time in HD.  The problem with this solution is that my cable company (Time Warner) doesn’t offer Fox or ABC in HD.  In fact, I’m currently only able to get CBS and ESPN in HD (how sad is that). In order for me to get the most HD possible, I’ve gone through the hassle of putting up an antenna so that I can get both Fox and ABC in HD for free. As far as I know, the DVR that Time Warner has to offer isn’t capable of recording over the air (OTA) HD (my assumption is correct, right?).

This dilemma has made me start to think that the $800 Series 3 TiVoisn’t such a bad deal.  If I had a Series 3 TiVo, I could record both shows at once using my antenna.  Without the Series 3 TiVo I am forced to watch one show live and record the other one using my somewhat antiquated Series 2 TiVo.  I know that this isn’t that big of a deal for most people but, for a geek like me who is totally obsessed with HD it is a big deal. 

Has anybody else encountered a situation similar to mine?  How well does the Series 3 TiVo handle OTA HD content?

Update 1/11 @ 8:37 AM: A number of blogs including PVRBlog, TiVoLovers and PVRWire have posted screenshots from the Comcast TiVo. The interface looks clean and easy to use. Check it out if you haven’t already…

Damn I wish I was at CES this year :(. According to Yahoo Finance, TiVo and Comcast are going to demonstrate their integrated service at this year’s CES. It’s great to see that the Comcast & TiVo partnership is finally getting somewhere considering the fact that I’ve been reporting on it since March ‘05. Now if only Time Warner would do the same thing (Time Warner is my cable provider)…

Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA - News, CMCSK - News), the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services, and TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO - News), the creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), are demonstrating a new TiVo® service for Comcast DVRs at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The companies began trialing the TiVo service for Comcast DVRs in late 2006.

The new service will offer consumers the ease and convenience of using a single digital cable set-top box to enjoy popular TiVo DVR features along with Comcast’s innovative video-on-demand (VOD) service and the most high- definition (HD) television viewing choices for the first time. Working in concert with Comcast, TiVo has developed a software application that will enable Comcast to deploy the service for a modest monthly fee to existing set- top boxes without an additional in-home visit by a technician.