Tivo HD vs. TWC HD DVR

[ou5thguy]

I'm fed up with missing all of the shows I have scheduled using my TW HD DVR. Only about half of the scheduled shows actually record on a daily basis. When they don't record I get a message that says "Will not record be the channel is not available." I've had TW at my house half a dozen times with new DVR boxes, and the last time they drilled a new hole in my wall and installed a completely new cable from outside in. It STILL isn't working.

So, what I'm asking from those of you know who would know, if I buy a an HD Tivo and lease the cable cards from TW, will this solve my problem or will I continue to miss shows because the cable cards come from TW? I don't want to buy the Tivo and monthly service and still not be able to record.

Any info is appreciated.

[Rob052067]

The series recording failures are a software problem with the new TWC Navigator on some boxes. You can try cancelling the series recordings and setting up individual recordings instead, but that is a pain and may not resolve the problem 100%. You can also try leaving the box on all the time, rather than turning it off when you are not watching.
http://www.timewarnercable.com/MidOhio/products/cable/mdn/default.html

You can also try swapping out a few more boxes. Some of the more recent SA8300HDC STB's made since June 2007 have been buggy. They were rushed into production to meet an FCC mandate. You don't necesarily have to schedule an appointment and wait for a tech to come to your home. You can take back your current box to a TWC office and exchange for a new one. There's an office in Westerville, and just north of downtown off of 315, and one on the east side somewhere.
http://www.timewarnercable.com/MidOhio/products/cable/CableCard_SA.html

You can purchase a Tivo HD ($299.00-$599.00 depending on model) and pay the monthly DVR service fee to Tivo ($12.95/mos or as little as $8.31/mos if you pre-pay for 3-years) and also pay to rent the cable card ($2.50/mos + $19.95 install) from TWC. It's an expensive option, but it would resolve your recording problems. However, you would have no access to any VOD programs offered by TWC (although this is supposed to change soon).
https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do#tivoServicePricing

If you are in Columbus, you could try switching to WOW. They use the same boxes as TWC, but they use the SARA DVR software. It's not pretty to look at, but it is stable. SARA is made by Scientific Atlantic (Cisco), the same company that makes the cable box. WOW also offers high speed Internet and Digital Phone bundles, just like TWC.
http://www1.wowway.com/home/index.aspx

AT&T uVerse is another new option, but they still have some growing pains and are not yet available everywhere.
https://uverse1.att.com/un/launchAMSS.do

[Scott]

Outstanding post Rob!

[Rob052067]

Outstanding post Rob!

Too much time on my hands at work today. :D

[ou5thguy]

Thanks for the great response.

I called TW for another tech to come visit. He had the same issues I had, so he brought a different model number DVR, the 8240HDC. It worked well for about 24 hours, then it started doing the same thing. I think it's just my house and signal issues, although he said the signal was perfect.

On the same day as he came I went to Circuit City and shelled out $320 for the HD TiVo. It of course is awesome and I haven't had any trouble with it. TW is bringing cable cards this week. I hope this solves my problems.

[Rob052067]

Thanks for the great response.

I called TW for another tech to come visit. He had the same issues I had, so he brought a different model number DVR, the 8240HDC. It worked well for about 24 hours, then it started doing the same thing. I think it's just my house and signal issues, although he said the signal was perfect.

On the same day as he came I went to Circuit City and shelled out $320 for the HD TiVo. It of course is awesome and I haven't had any trouble with it. TW is bringing cable cards this week. I hope this solves my problems.

The TiVo software is great. You shouldn't have any problems with it. Enjoy.

Also, I doubt that the problems you had were the fault of your wiring or connections or signal strength. The Navigator software is still just full of bugs.

[MeleeDave]

On the same day as he came I went to Circuit City and shelled out $320 for the HD TiVo. It of course is awesome and I haven't had any trouble with it. TW is bringing cable cards this week. I hope this solves my problems.

If they haven't come out yet to install your cable cards, make sure they bring a single multistream card, instead of two normal cards. Both tuners of the Tivo HD work with just one multistream card, and you'll save $2.50 per month by only renting one card.

--Dave