I had an HD DVR from TWC, and the instant I got it last year, I hated it. The sound was completely distorted, and the picture was so pixelated that I could not watch anything recorded. It also rebooted all the time. I took it back and got a new one from TWC, and had better experience with the second one.
That is not to say I loved TWC's DVR. I still hated it. The UI is not easy to use. It recorded repeats so often it took me minutes every day to delete the shows because I had already seen them. I ended up having to spend quite a bit of time scrolling through the horrible TV Guide part of the UI to find the show and then just stopped all recording so the program.
I went with the TWC DVR last year as a second DVR in my house while I waited for Tivo to release the Tivo Series 3. The first DVR I had (and still have and still use and still love) was a Tivo series 2. The Tivo series 2 was the primary DVR I used in the living room while the second DVR, the one from TWC, was put into the bedroom.
I just received my Tivo Series 3 two weeks ago, called for an appointment for a tech to come out and install three cable cards, one for the TV and two for the new Tivo Series 3. I also requested the tech take the TWC DVR back. I could not get rid of the TWC DVR fast enough! LOL
I had the Tivo Series 3 all setup and waiting for the cablecards the day the tech was due out. I would have preferred to have gone to TWC's office and picked the cablecards up myself, but TWC insisted a tech has to do it because it's "difficult." LOL Yeah, right, and I need a tech to change my TV channel too! (that was rhetorical). The tech came out and I took him into the living room. I gave him the installation guide from Tivo on how the cablecards are supposed to be setup. I left the room for a few minutes, and when I came back, he was trying to get the cable cards to authorize. The cablecards weren't authorized, and he was telling me that we should really go with TWC's DVR because it's so much better, we'll get to keep Video-on-demand, their TV Guide, Pay-per-view, etc. I told him flatly, "No. Time Warner Cable's DVR is horrible." He went on and on about how everyone else liked them etc. I told him that those other people have obviously NOT tried a Tivo.
After about an hour, the tech could not get the cable cards to authorize and left. The cable card for the TV however authorized right away. I called TWC back a couple of hours later and said the tech left without getting the card to authorize. They setup a call for a tech to come out the next morning, which he did.
As soon as the tech came and saw the Tivo, he said TWC does NOT support Tivo. I told him, "I know that. Tivo supports Tivo. Time Warner supports the cable cards and it's Time Warner's job to get the cable cards to work." So, he changed the cable cards out, and could not get them to authorize. The tech left without getting the cable cards to authorize, and I told the tech I would call Tivo just in case Tivo support was aware of something the tech and I were not aware of.
I called Tivo that night (which was last night), and while I was on hold, I decided to take a look at the back of the Tivo to check to make sure the cable cards were pushed all the way in, etc., and right away I noticed the coaxle cable was screwed into the top coaxle outlet on the Tivo Series 3. I hung up the phone immediately because I KNEW what the problem was at that point. The first tech tried so hard to get me to use TWC's DVR that he had, while I left the room for a few moments when he first arrived, unscrewed the coaxle cable from the bottom coaxle outlet which was the correct one I had screwed the coaxle to when I set it up to the top one which is for an antenna. It's no wonder the cable cards weren't authorizing! They weren't getting any signal at all from the cable company because the tech switched the coaxle to the wrong coaxle outlet on the back of the Tivo Series 3.
I called TWC and asked the rep to unpair and repair the cards, one at a time of course, and the first one instantly authorized, but the second would not authorize. The TWC rep setup a call for today to replace the second cable card. The tech came out today, and as soon as he put the new cable card in and paired it, it received authorization right away.
For anyone looking to order cable cards for their TV and/or their new Tivo Series 3, the cable companies IMMEDIATELY try to persuade you to keep your set-top box AND to get their DVR. Don't fall for it. When the reps from the cable companies fail to get you to take their huge klunkly set-top boxes or their much inferior DVRs, they screw around during the install to make it look like, in my case, the Tivo Series 3, would not work. I even had two TWC employees, one on the phone, and one of the three techs that came out, tell me that Tivo is not supported. Don't fall for it. Cable Cards DO work in Tivo Series 3 AND in TVs.
Time Warner Los Angeles (North Division) refuses to give me a CableCARD for my Dell XPS 420 with ATI TV-Wonder DCT's. They say "they are not ready for installation in PC's yet", which is complete garbage. I don't need them to install the card, I have the know-how. They will not issue me a card, under any circumstances. The XPS 420 w/ATI DCT's is a CableLabs certified UDCP. Aren't they violating FCC regs?
I'm sure this has something to do with their fear over having to provide support, which I don't need or expect. Either that, or if they ever deploy SDV in my area (which they currently haven't), they're afraid they'll have one more unhappy customer when I can't get all my channels. I am aware of the risks, I still want a CableCARD.
I've spoken to a manager in the customer service area, he flat out told me I would never get a CableCARD from them. I showed up at my local TWC office, and they read me the party line that Tivo's and HDTV's are OK, but no PC's. I already filed a FCC complaint. What other recourse do I have?
"I'm a college student looking for a new laptop, but almost all of my media I receive digitally. I'm looking for a laptop, not a netbook, without an optical drive, and budget sensitive. The optical drive will just be a waste of space, when I can have thinner laptop. What's out there?"
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I had an HD DVR from TWC, and the instant I got it last year, I hated it. The sound was completely distorted, and the picture was so pixelated that I could not watch anything recorded. It also rebooted all the time. I took it back and got a new one from TWC, and had better experience with the second one.
That is not to say I loved TWC's DVR. I still hated it. The UI is not easy to use. It recorded repeats so often it took me minutes every day to delete the shows because I had already seen them. I ended up having to spend quite a bit of time scrolling through the horrible TV Guide part of the UI to find the show and then just stopped all recording so the program.
I went with the TWC DVR last year as a second DVR in my house while I waited for Tivo to release the Tivo Series 3. The first DVR I had (and still have and still use and still love) was a Tivo series 2. The Tivo series 2 was the primary DVR I used in the living room while the second DVR, the one from TWC, was put into the bedroom.
I just received my Tivo Series 3 two weeks ago, called for an appointment for a tech to come out and install three cable cards, one for the TV and two for the new Tivo Series 3. I also requested the tech take the TWC DVR back. I could not get rid of the TWC DVR fast enough! LOL
I had the Tivo Series 3 all setup and waiting for the cablecards the day the tech was due out. I would have preferred to have gone to TWC's office and picked the cablecards up myself, but TWC insisted a tech has to do it because it's "difficult." LOL Yeah, right, and I need a tech to change my TV channel too! (that was rhetorical). The tech came out and I took him into the living room. I gave him the installation guide from Tivo on how the cablecards are supposed to be setup. I left the room for a few minutes, and when I came back, he was trying to get the cable cards to authorize. The cablecards weren't authorized, and he was telling me that we should really go with TWC's DVR because it's so much better, we'll get to keep Video-on-demand, their TV Guide, Pay-per-view, etc. I told him flatly, "No. Time Warner Cable's DVR is horrible." He went on and on about how everyone else liked them etc. I told him that those other people have obviously NOT tried a Tivo.
After about an hour, the tech could not get the cable cards to authorize and left. The cable card for the TV however authorized right away. I called TWC back a couple of hours later and said the tech left without getting the card to authorize. They setup a call for a tech to come out the next morning, which he did.
As soon as the tech came and saw the Tivo, he said TWC does NOT support Tivo. I told him, "I know that. Tivo supports Tivo. Time Warner supports the cable cards and it's Time Warner's job to get the cable cards to work." So, he changed the cable cards out, and could not get them to authorize. The tech left without getting the cable cards to authorize, and I told the tech I would call Tivo just in case Tivo support was aware of something the tech and I were not aware of.
I called Tivo that night (which was last night), and while I was on hold, I decided to take a look at the back of the Tivo to check to make sure the cable cards were pushed all the way in, etc., and right away I noticed the coaxle cable was screwed into the top coaxle outlet on the Tivo Series 3. I hung up the phone immediately because I KNEW what the problem was at that point. The first tech tried so hard to get me to use TWC's DVR that he had, while I left the room for a few moments when he first arrived, unscrewed the coaxle cable from the bottom coaxle outlet which was the correct one I had screwed the coaxle to when I set it up to the top one which is for an antenna. It's no wonder the cable cards weren't authorizing! They weren't getting any signal at all from the cable company because the tech switched the coaxle to the wrong coaxle outlet on the back of the Tivo Series 3.
I called TWC and asked the rep to unpair and repair the cards, one at a time of course, and the first one instantly authorized, but the second would not authorize. The TWC rep setup a call for today to replace the second cable card. The tech came out today, and as soon as he put the new cable card in and paired it, it received authorization right away.
For anyone looking to order cable cards for their TV and/or their new Tivo Series 3, the cable companies IMMEDIATELY try to persuade you to keep your set-top box AND to get their DVR. Don't fall for it. When the reps from the cable companies fail to get you to take their huge klunkly set-top boxes or their much inferior DVRs, they screw around during the install to make it look like, in my case, the Tivo Series 3, would not work. I even had two TWC employees, one on the phone, and one of the three techs that came out, tell me that Tivo is not supported. Don't fall for it. Cable Cards DO work in Tivo Series 3 AND in TVs.
Time Warner Los Angeles (North Division) refuses to give me a CableCARD for my Dell XPS 420 with ATI TV-Wonder DCT's. They say "they are not ready for installation in PC's yet", which is complete garbage. I don't need them to install the card, I have the know-how. They will not issue me a card, under any circumstances. The XPS 420 w/ATI DCT's is a CableLabs certified UDCP. Aren't they violating FCC regs?
I'm sure this has something to do with their fear over having to provide support, which I don't need or expect. Either that, or if they ever deploy SDV in my area (which they currently haven't), they're afraid they'll have one more unhappy customer when I can't get all my channels. I am aware of the risks, I still want a CableCARD.
I've spoken to a manager in the customer service area, he flat out told me I would never get a CableCARD from them. I showed up at my local TWC office, and they read me the party line that Tivo's and HDTV's are OK, but no PC's. I already filed a FCC complaint. What other recourse do I have?