Time Warner Cable planning free Tuning Adapters for all in need

Confirming that the plan for free Tuning Adapters isn't just for San Antonio, Time Warner Cable has posted a website for customers to sign up for info on when the boxes will be available in their region (like after the current tests are finished.) Of course, if this had been done prior to TWC changing some areas to switched digital video, cutting off CableCard users from certain channels, they probably could've avoided the whole FCC fine thing and gone straight to the "more HD capacity" part of the plan. Still, better's late than never as it follows Cox's lead, so if you plan on keeping to CableCard setup head over to Time Warner's official site to get on the list first. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]

[Via Cable Digital News]

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 4th 2008 4:22PM]

How would moving over to SDV affect the TVs in my house that are connected directly to the cable, and are receiving analog?

[darklighter Posted Nov 4th 2008 5:05PM]

It won't. SDV only affects digital channels.

[darklighter Posted Nov 4th 2008 5:04PM]

That page doesn't let you sign up for info. It just redirects you to your local TWC site, which may or may not have info on tuning adapters. San Diego, for instance, doesn't.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 5th 2008 12:54AM]

Same thing in Garland, TX - 75043

I don't got to a Tuning adapter page, I just go to the standard North Texas page for TWC.

The Dallas / North Texas area doesn't use SDV from what I can gather, but I cannot use PPV or on demand, so I'd need a tuning adapter for those.

Hope we get the option.

[rv65 Posted Nov 5th 2008 1:08AM]

Joe,

The resolver will not get VOD and PPV. You can get PPV on a Tivo HD/Series3/HD XL. You have to call them in order to recieve PPV on a UDCP. Same with Cable Card TV's. VOD requires the new Series 4 tivo that has a Tivo mode and a cable mode. SDV does work in Tivo mode which is nice. Cable Mode is where it will have your cableco's tru2way/OCAP IPG and it will let you fully access all 2 way services that aren't SDV like VOD and interactive PPV, games and so on.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 4th 2008 5:44PM]

Got my pre-order in for Huntington Beach, CA ... Which is strange, since we don't have SDV yet (afaik). But anyhow, I ordered one anyways, for whenever they do roll it out...

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 5th 2008 12:04AM]

Freaking awesome! SDV came to columbus, ohio a few months ago. Im missing about 7 or 8 HD chanells and I know theres about 25 or so SD chanels that are switching to SDV any day now. I really hope I get this within a month... Im going to call everyday about it. Im very glad its free! Makes me hate TW a little less :) I love my Tivo HD

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2008 7:50PM]

Here in San Diego TWC continues to play dumb on the tuning adapter issue. The letters were sent out several months ago, but repeated calls to customer service only reveal total ignorance of the status of the tuning adapters (some ops didn't know what a TA was). Rather than offer info, I noted recently that the story has now changed from the two cablebox offer to replace our S3 to a (IMO bogus) statement that TWC is experiencing "unknown technical issues" with certain channels for cablecard users. In the meantime the disparity of service offered to ccard users continues to grow.

Nothing's changed with TWCSD; they're handling of this issue is completely in character with my experience as a customer of theirs for the last 8 years.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 9th 2008 8:30AM]

We are now well into December and still no sign of the Tuning Adapters. Supposedly, Time Warner in Albany NY did a field test in November and they are still not ready. There's a rumor that TWC customers in Buffalo were sent letters (http://albanyhdtv.proboards18.com/index.cgi?board=boxes&action=display&thread=2876&page=2#7173) stating that the tuning adapters will not be out until February 2009. Almost all of the digital channels carried by Time Warner Albany are SDV, it's not just the HD lineup. The only benefit of CableCard is to allow a TiVo to pickup the local HD content that TW is mandated to provide.