Comments on: Comcast CableCARD Experience

By: David

David — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:30:16 +0000

Also having problems with the Cable Card. Have a Sony 42″ Rear Projection. Apparently, Comcast has 2 different cards. The OLDER one is the only one that will work with Sony. It worked perfectly for a week, then lost signal. I refreshed it, and it worked again for a week. That time frame has now gotten smaller and smaller, and now it requires a refesh once a day. I can NOT believe that they can’t get these to work reliably

By: Drake Bliss

Drake Bliss — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:54:39 +0000

I live in Southwest Florida and just received a TIVO HD which needs one or two cable cards. Comcast does not have any cards in stock and no ETA on when they will get them. I am on a waiting list. Has anyone else had this problem.

By: Tom Saxe

Tom Saxe — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:47:52 +0000

Has anyone had any bad experiences with Time Warner’s cablecards in the Southern California area? My theory is that they are deliberately cutting me off on a daily basis in order to drive me back to using a box, (I have to call each evening and have them send a signal)

By: Michael Astle

Michael Astle — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 19:39:04 +0000

I had nearly the identical experience in Salt Lake City. I installed a cablecard when I purchased my Sony Grand Wega about a year ago, and it worked fine for several months. But then, at the same time Comcast was supposedly upgrading its service, the digital picture started breaking up and channels disappeared.

I called Comcast, and they told me the card was probably bad. I swapped it for another card, but that one didn’t work, either.

A technician came to the house and told me they have nothing but trouble with the cards and that I should get a settop box. I insisted on trying a couple of cards first. He had to look through a tutorial on his laptop before he could do what I had done with the first card–plug it in and wait for the channels to download. He called for help but the only person who knows anything about cablecards was not in. He never was able to get the cablecards to work.

I can understand that a cablecard might go bad, but I cannot believe Motorola is building nothing but nonfunctioning cablecards. The problem has to be in the installation and setup.

Now I have a set-top box, and a higher cable bill.

Comcast clearly has no incentive and apparently no intention to train its technicians on cablecards.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:25:27 +0000

It’s June 2007 and apparently they still haven’t worked out the kinks in NJ. Apparently, they don’t want to. I wish I had read this post before I got a cablecard… which doesn’t work. The guy installed it this morning and advised my wife to let the TV run in some weird blinking mode for up to 24 hours. Needless to say, I turned it off after about 7 hours and blasted the cable company for such insane behavior. This stinks. Looks the like cable company got us again.

By: Brad MI

Brad MI — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 21:25:40 +0000

I am having the same problems as everyone else on this list. I have had techs here 6 times over the last four weeks and one cable card worked for two days.

Every tech comes and puts in a new card and then calls in to have the card “hit” to be programmed for my account and then a big nothing. The hit never happens and then card never works.

Does anyone have a success story and what was finally done to get the card working? How did you get Comcast off their a$$ to fix it?

By: Dennis CT

Dennis CT — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 03:01:27 +0000

I have had HD service for about 2 years and have been through 5 boxes. Tomorrow they are coming out to install #6. So wether the card or the box, Comcast really isn’t very reliable. I thought about the card when I had HD brought to the house but decided I didn’t need the headach of another item that they cannot keep working reliably. ( two week ago I was without internet for 3 days waiting for service to replace something in their box.)

I had Dish Network for 11 years with very few interruptions and was extremely satisfied with their service. Unfortunately the neighbors trees grew and closed my window.

Verizon cable isn’t in this area yet and I’m not sure that if they were they’d be the answer, but Comcast seriously needs some competition. They need to realize that WE PAY THEIR WAGES!!!

By: Dave NJ

Dave NJ — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 02:03:10 +0000

I was told by the sales guy who wants me to by the 3-Pack (phone, cable TV with Cable Internet), to just go in and get a card. They’re free… Went to the local Comcast office who said the sales guy was wrong, and it would be an install ($$). Secondly, they said they don’t like the cards, because they can’t hit (or update) the cards from the office. What’s in it for them you ask… They like the monthly 10 bucks, and they like the total control that the box gives them over the card… Just a theory…

By: Marc

Marc — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:10:54 +0000

Now you guys got me worried!

My TiVo Series 3 just arrived today and I’m going to have to call Comcast and get them to install TWO CableCARDs. I hope that they have figured this stuff out by now and that I don’t go through the nightmares that you guys went through.

By: Nick Anderson

Nick Anderson — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 16:36:09 +0000

Rest assured, Comcast has the technology implement the Cablecarfd system properly. However, they have no incentive to do so because limitations in the technolgy itself prevent them from charging for extending services like pay-per-view etc. When 2-way cablecards are release, 2 year plus, Comcast will be first in line at your door.

By: Travis Salley

Travis Salley — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 20:15:48 +0000

I am going throught the same thing with Comcast ATLANTA. We have tried 4 cards, numerous phone calls and numerous people in my house. I am in a brand new subdivision and everything out here is brand new.(PART OF THE PROBLEM) The techs have come out and got my broadband internet working. All of them state that the everything thing is good on the account and inside and out. The send hits and tell me that the card is getting the hits. When I was with Charter Cable. The guy was in my house for 5 minutes. He plugged the card in, called dispatch, the channels went out and came back in and everything was working fine. I told Comcast to call Charter to get some insight on how to get this this working.

By: David Padnes

David Padnes — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 16:33:35 +0000

My experience in NJ echoes what has been stated above. At the moment, with the Comcast furnished Scientific Atlanta Cablecard in my Sharp Aquos set I can get analog channel 2. period. no digital, no hdtv, nada. The nightmare has been ongoing since last November. We did get things working for awhile but then software upgrades have introduced other problems. Comcast really is not interested, they will rent you there box, period. And, the FCC no longer handles cable complaints. But, i am fortunate to live in NJ where there is an “Office of Cable TV”. I have filed a complaint and the jury is out as to whether this state agency has the wherewithall to do anything about the issue.

Quite, frankly, the service reps at Comcast are neanderthal as they do not have even a basic understanding of a cable tv system. Further, the average service person is unequipped to handle cablecard issues and can splice cable and connect a cable box.

My only recourse appears to be simply not paying the bill.

In the meantime, I am investigating satellite and optical fiber offerigns through verizon. Hopefully, someday there will eb a choice. And, Comcast will not be one of them.

By: Rick Grosse

Rick Grosse — Sat, 21 May 2005 21:36:34 +0000

My experience was very similar. It took Comcast five weeks to get a CableCARD working for me. I had lead techs and supervisors involved. I too suggested to Comcast the activation hits were not going through, even though their equipment said it was. Finally after trying seven different cards we tried one that had a serial number out of sequence with the others we had tried and it worked. The card worked well for about one month but as of about 10 days ago I get so many picture and sound break ups the CableCARD is not usable anymore.