Cablevission impossible
For my birfday, i got a HDTV, so I decided to get the HD DVR from Cablevision. I knew it would pale in comparison to my ReplayTV but I wanted to be able to record the HD content in its native format. Also it turns out the DVRs have dual tuners so I can be tuned to two channels while watching a recording.
It’s been a PITA ever since. The box I picked up at a Randolph Cablevision store did not work in Bergen County (well it worked fine for about a minute but then decided I wasn’t authorized). That took until the weekend to get a guy out to bring me a new one which worked, for about a week or so and then said I was unauthorized again and only gave me some basic channels The problem was resolved by a guy coming out to the property but he didn’t need access to my apt.
Throughout all this, interactive channels (on demand, OPtimum Autos/Homes, iMSG, etc), did not work, so I am now trying to get this resolved. Also, now that the season has started, I’m recording a lot and the box is rebooting a lot (probably once a day, maybe slightly less).
I’ve tried some things with Cablevision and have an appt set up to replace the box if necessary. Here’s what’s bugging me. They have two types of DVRs: ones by Sony that have Firewire, and ones that don’t have firewire by Scientific Atlanta. I have the SA box but want Firewire. (Incidentally, it’s an FCC reg that they provide customers who ask with a Firewire-enabled box) These are my options:
1) Have guy visit. get new SA box: Free
2) Have guy visit. get new Sony box:46.95
3) Go to an Optimum Store, get Sony box: free
I dunno, I think it’s reasonable that if:
a) CV offers free swaps to customers,
b) CV carries Sony boxes, and
c) CV is sending a guy over to swap my defective box for free
then I could have a free swap to a Sony. It’s not any more work for them and it’s not an ‘upgrade’ otherwise they’d charge for it.
The whole thing just makes me want to ditch it and get a Tivo HD (fully betraying my ReplayTV and making my journey to the dark site COMPLETE! - sorry for the spit). However I would get the CableCards, which cost $46.95 to install.
Tags: tv, consumerist, entertainment
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:29 am
Belated update. The guy who came to check my box said they don’t have Sony boxes ….or FireWire boxes. When he obtained my replacement from a nearby tech it was the exact model I had, but with a FireWire port! For some reason, my original had none.