Comcast Cable Card

Source: Comcast to Offer CableCARD Self Installs And Will Issue Credits to ...

As we've discussed for years, the CableCARD has struggled to see adoption, with incompetent regulators certainly playing a starring role in the saga. Cable operators deserve their fair share of the blame as well. To protect set top box rental revenues, operators rarely advertised the technology and made installations frequently nightmarish and expensive. When sub-par CableCARD adoption stats emerged annually, the cable industry then just shrugged and incorrectly insisted consumers weren't interested .

Last October the FCC passed new rules (pdf) aimed at fixing some of the dysfunction in the CableCARD world. Part of those rules involved ensuring that cable operators provide interested users with a self-installation option -- if that company allows users to install their own broadband line. The rules also required that cable companies provide a credit to customers who have a CableCARD installed in a customer owned device, and if the customer subscribes to a Comcast video service which includes equipment as a part of the service.

An insider at Comcast tells us Comcast will soon provide self-install option for CableCARDs, and is preparing to issue credits. According to internal Comcast documents obtained by Broadband Reports, users interested in self-installing CableCARDs will be able to obtain a self-install kit starting on August 1. However, interested users won't be mailed the kits, and will have to visit a Comcast service center to obtain one. Credits will begin showing up on existing CableCARD users bills starting with the July billing cycle. Credits will vary by region and in-home setup.

Some of this reform may come a bit too late. A far more contentious debate awaits as the FCC begins to pursue their AllVid initiative, which as we discussed last year is aimed at creating an open, broadband-powered competitive set top market with cross-carrier compatibility. Granted there's an ocean of meetings, public commenting periods and a lobbying gauntlet this effort will have to wade through before we see the end result.

Schnauzer Logic Podcast: This is why Comcast/CableCARD Support is ...

(UPDATED: June 22, 2011) sonovista, my friends!!! so today i received my new TiVo Premiere XL box and went about getting it all set up... now this is my 4th TiVo to use a CableCARD (the thing you need so a TiVo can get subscription and premium channels) and i know that in order for it to work on Comcast here in northern california, the card needs to be both Activated (connected to my account) and Paired (a second-level encryption scheme used to protect the HBO and Showtime-type-channels). a post on the TiVoCommunity suggested it might be possible to bypass the challenges of getting a customer service representative to understand that a CableCARD is not a cable box, and that 'hitting it with a signal' isn't the same as "Pairing" it to set up the decryption chain, but after 3 attempts at http://www.comcast.com/activate, i gave up and decided to use their online chat service (as recommended on the activation page) - here is the transcript so i then called the 888 number (above) and got hung up on 3 times! finally i called another comcast number and got straight through to a fellow (i wish i remembered his name) who understood that a CableCARD is not a cable box and has to be both authorized and paired and within 10 minutes (literally while i watched the screen and waited) everything was working great. so after i posted this on my @SchnauzerLogic twitter feed, i received a number of directed tweets from @ComcastMelissa offering to handle the issue directly. i thanked her and noted that the final CSR (who goes down as the unsung hero of this fustercluck) was knowledgeable and apologetic and got it all taken care of 'tout de suite'! she then asked for my account info, via direct message, so she could pass it up the chain in customer service, and this morning i received a phone call from another very nice woman who was equally apologetic and mentioned that she had read through the transcript and was going to be working with the CSR managers to make sure everyone had a refresher course on CableCARDS and the like... she also made an offer of 'good faith' in connection with my account (not necessary, but a clear indication that "Comcast Cares"!)... so all is good and working well... if only a call to customer service could do something about the quality of the programming!

just talked to a comcast CSR about activating my cable card and he had the nicest things to say about TiVo CSRs - quite classy, actually.

Moms setting up the HD TiVo. Comcast is coming tomorrow to put the cable card in. I really, really hope this one works. It's like the third.

The Comcast Cable Modem Adventure

Thinking of switching to broadband for home Internet access, but uncertain whether to choose cable modem service, DSL or ISDN?

Business week

The Comcast cable feed is connected to the ATI box, a CableCARD slides into a slot, and the unit sends decoded TV signals to the Dell. ...

Maximum PC

nect to Comcast's service— with live telephone assistance from three ... THE CABLECARD QUANDARY ATI's solution for receiving digital cable on an HTPC ...

Maximum PC

nect to Comcast's service— with live telephone assistance from three ... THE CABLECARD QUANDARY ATI's solution for receiving digital cable on an HTPC ...

Maximum PC

We replaced everything from the out main line to the TV itself and replaced the CableCard multiple times. I wouldn't blame Comcast for your issues. ...