Return of The Plip-Plops, or how I ditched the Time Warner Cable box and returned to TiVo

December 7th, 2009

tivoLike many households around the country, ours upgraded to HD television and switched to Time Warner Cable’s set-top box.  Our TiVo was too old to get HD and the TWC box was free.  But you get what you pay for.

The TWC box was slow. It lagged when changing channels or pressing buttons.  Basic tasks like scheduling a recording or deleting a recording took way too many steps and button pushes.  We missed the TiVo interface and the audio feedback of the plip-plops.  And streaming iTunes music through the entertainment center.  And the ability to transfer recordings to a computer. The worst part was that we rarely used the movies on demand, the only advantage that the TW cable box has over TiVo.

So here is how to ditch the bland box and use TiVo.  This is the procedure for Time Warner Cable in KCMO, but it should be similar for other cable systems. You need three things to get started:

  1. A TiVo HD. $299 new or $199 rebuilt.  Even cheaper if you are a long-time TiVo customer.
  2. Two CableCards. These little cards go inside the TiVo and let it get the HD channels.
  3. An SDV Tuner. This device lets the TiVo get encrypted channels.This article explains SDV.

Call Time Warner and ask for an appointment for a technician to bring you numbers 2 and 3. Be aware that many front-line reps aren’t familiar with this process, so be persistent.  I have found that when I call in the late even my call often goes right to tech support instead of sales, and to people who know about this stuff.

While waiting for your appointment, go ahead and setup the TiVo without the HD channels.  Just connect it to the cable and go through the guided setup.  TWC will install the cards in your TiVo, attach the SDV tuner, and you will be good to go for all HD channels in your package.

Caveat: On-Demand channels
The one thing TiVo can’t do yet is the on-demand movies. If this is important to you, then you will have to wait until the cable companies release the CableCard 3.0 standard, which is supposed to allow third-party boxes to access on-demand content.

There are alternatives like Netflix and Amazon Unbox, which are built into TiVo HD.  Any Netflix movie available for Watch Instantly can be watched on the TiVo.  Amazon offers thousands of movies for download to your computer and/or TiVo, both for rent and purchase. TiVo HD also has Blockbuster On Demand, Disney on Demand, and YouTube. There are even rumblings of Hulu possibly coming to TiVo. Overall, the selection is actually better than TWC on-demand.

Update: I forgot to mention the cost… TWC charges about $4/month for the CableCards.  Combined with the $13/month for TiVo, this setup is a little spendier than the TWC cable box.  However, TiVo does have some alternative plans like $10/month with a one year commitment.


Posted in Technology | Comments (2)

 

2 Responses to “Return of The Plip-Plops, or how I ditched the Time Warner Cable box and returned to TiVo”

  1. Christy says:
    12/8/2009 at 11:21 am

    Thanks for posting this! I’ve actually been thinking about switching from my SureWest DVR to a TiVoHD box and I think you just talked me into it. :-) On Demand with SureWest is pretty terrible, so having Amazon and Netflix would be an improvement!

  2. Marti says:
    12/19/2009 at 5:44 pm

    Glad you have something that works for you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!