Let's get digital!

I broke down. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I gave in and signed up for digital TV from Comcast (aka "the man"). I think I did it because I wanted the Hallmark channel back, or maybe I did it because I saw an ad for a Tivo HD ($249 at Frys) which I decided I couldn't live without (it's replacing my SnapStream BeyondTV and Hauppauge MediaMVP)

It doesn't matter why, but I did it. After many calls to Comcast, I was happy that I could get a decent plan that had the things I wanted (basic digital cable, with local channels in HD), and, most important, no cable box

The appointment was set for between noon and 4pm on Tuesday; Comcast even called to make sure someone would be home. they called three times in fact. They called on Saturday. Then they called at 11:30am on Tuesday and left a message. I called them back and confirmed. They called again at 1pm. Sheesh, you people worry too much.

CableBoy showed up at 2:30pm and we discussed his mission - install an M- CableCard™ in the Tivo, and an S- CableCard™ in my TV. Seemed straightforward to me, and to the person I scheduled the appointment with who was fluent in CableCard™-speak. But not so with CableBoy.

He had never seen a TivoHD, so he didn't believe that it could operate both digital tuners with a single M- CableCard™. I showed him the Tivo documentation. Nope, not a believer. I told him the "M" meant multi-stream. Nothing still. So he called his colleague - characterized as the Tivo HD "Subject Matter Expert." The SME confirmed what I said, but pointed out that I couldn't get OnDemand nor Pay-Per-View (BFD).

Alas, CableBoy only had S-cards with him (he refered to them as "the green ones"), no M-cards ("the pink ones"). SME pointed out that there were two slots in my Tivo, so two S-cards would work fine. Yes, they would, but, as I pointed out, I'd then be paying for a third card; at $1.79/month, it adds up, so CableBoy got a timeout and sat in his truck until a colleague with "the pink ones" arrived.

Installation started with CableBoy testing the cable that went from my surge protector to the TV/Tivo (through a splitter). He decided, I guess, that he didn't like what he saw, because he installed his own splitter, bypassing my surge protector completely.

The rest of the install was fine, apart from a mistyped ID somewhere that initially prevented the M-card from pairing. CableBoy tested the encrypted channels on the Tivo, they worked fine. I asked him to test the ones on the TV, he said "they won't work." Why, I asked (like a two year old?). He said "because the TV needs a cable box for that." Err, isn't that why we put a CableCard™ in there? He gave in and tuned the TV to channel 702, and magically it worked.

As he was packing up to leave, I asked him about the splitter he had installed. He said it was necessary. I pointed out that it now bypassed my surge protector. He said that wasn't a problem, the cable was grounded outside (didn't inspire confidence). I asked what was wrong with my surge protector. He said "you can't have anything between the cable and our device (the CableCard™).

I was going to point out that a mere 8 feet below him, in the white box on the garage wall was a big freaking amplifier that was effectively sitting between "the cable" and his device, but thought that would make him cry, so I let him off easy - Merry Christmas CableBoy.