The first Tuning Adapter is unleashed by Comcast

No this isn't another demo at a trade show, but instead a real life solution for TiVo owners to address the incompatibility with 3rd party CableCARD host devices and recently very popular Switched Digital Video (SDV). Late last week Comcast sent some of its customers that were renting CableCARDs, a letter letting them know the Tuning Adapter would be available today and Jesse, a lucky member of TiVo Community, scored a Cisco STA1520 Tuning Adapter today from Comcast in NJ and finally gained access to all those new HD channels he'd be denied up until now -- assuming SDV is even already deployed where he lives. So if you've been waiting over a year to get your hands on one of these, now might just be the time to start calling your provider and giving them a hard time. The full picture after the jump.

[Thanks, Jesse!]

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 6th 2008 8:51PM]

Can't wait to get my hands on one of these things. We've had SDV for 2 years now on TWC in Albany, NY. There are 121 SDV channels, of which 36 are HD.

Come on TWC, get on the ball and start distributing these Tuning Adapters!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 13th 2008 3:30PM]

http://www.timewarnercable.com/albany/products/cable/sdv/order_sdv.html

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 6th 2008 9:37PM]

I got mine today...Comcast hasn't started the service yet in South Jersey, however.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 9:20AM]

How does this new Comcast box hookup to a Tivo Series 3/HD?? Does it replace the cable cards? Is a separate Comcast SDV box required for each cable card rented? Please provide some functional information. Thanks. mchiles

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 9:21AM]

It connects via USB, and the CableCARDs are still required. All this does is send a signal upstream to let the headend know you want to watch a channel.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 9:53AM]

Does it work with Tivo exclusively or can this tuning adapter work with the ATI digital cable tuners and Vista Media Center?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 10:13AM]

Microsoft has publicly stated that it is working on support of the TA for Vista Media Center, no time line was given.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 10:35AM]

Has anyone in SDV markets noticed improved picture quality? I am in the Denver area and I believe we are the other market that has SDV, although I have cablecard service and haven't seen any related communications.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 1:49PM]

Sorry, Nate, dunno what's up with EHD today, but my post below about quality/quantity was supposed to be in response to your post. ;-)

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 11:07AM]

That cable modem is being propped up by a "Take-one Holder."

[MickBurke Posted Oct 7th 2008 12:20PM]

This wouldn't do anything for the folks outside the tivo / vista media center cable card community right? Meaning I'm looking for the best way to get HD into my SageTV box... Aside from several Haupague HD box and several STB's

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 8th 2008 12:01PM]

Correct. You're SOL, and it is decidedly unlikely the situation will change anytime soon.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 1:46PM]

Clicks *send* on email to Cox: "Get off your asses and give me this damn box! I NEEEEEEED Battlestar Gallactica in HD!!!!!!"

This will take like 30% of my Season Passes to HD. Gonna have to get that eSATA drive for my S3 now. *sigh* :-)

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 1:48PM]

They aren't wasting the bandwidth they recoup from SDV on quality improvements like increased bitrate. Its purely about quantity--the race for the most HD channels. So, personally (Cox) I've seen absolutely no increase in quality on any non-SDV channel -- but I'm missing out on SciFi, Discovery, CNN, TLC, Food, USA, Versus, and about a dozen other HD channels.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 7th 2008 2:04PM]

That sucks. Maybe when they are 100% SDV and not operating a mixed environment they will up the bit rate. I could see two oppotunities for cable companies with SDV:

1. Opportunity to offer 1080p like sat providers are starting to do
2. Offer everything up at a higher quality level as a competitive advantage over satellite.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 8th 2008 11:08PM]

Satcasters are not providing 1080p content regularily. You have to DL it and it takes hours, and the quality is NOT near BluRay as they are advertising. They will probably get sued for it soon too.

I have used the STA1520, and it works as advertised. Makes me wish I hadn't sold my TiVoHD.

I work with SDV all day long. Cable will not go 100% SDV in the near future, rather use it for lesser watched stations, and in our case, HD programming.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 9th 2008 2:23PM]

I wan't expecting the tuning adapter to be another box. I was under the impression it was to be a USB dongle. Kind of disapointing. I'm guessing you need one for each TiVo in the house?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 10th 2008 2:29PM]

The TA should also be able to resolve the tuning of Clear QAM channels when CableCARDs are not present. This has been a longstanding issue with TiVo: no guide data for clear QAM channels in the absence of CableCARDs. Can someone who has a TA do an experiement: reboot with no CableCARDs and only the TA attached, and see if you get guide data and full TiVo support on the clear QAM channels?

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 12th 2008 1:55PM]

How big are the boxs??

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 20th 2008 3:43AM]

11.75 in. x 8 in. x 1.75 in.

Those are the dimensions for the cisco box. Not a big box. Maybe the size of a dvd player.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 17th 2008 1:52PM]

Cablevision continues to dodge the issue as to when the Tuning Adapter will be available, however in their "customer service FAQ" they do state that a device will eventually be made available:

http://optimum.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/optimum.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2289&p_created=1205422410&p_sid=iiTFbAgj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=2289&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MSwxJnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MSZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PXR1bmluZyBhZGFwdGVy&p_li=&p_topview=1

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