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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

All Digital Means No TV Without A Box

My cable company sent us a letter informing us that even more unscrambled channels are going digital and the only way to view them is with a cable box. And that means the end of my Tivo box, unless I purchase a new one that takes a CableCard. Otherwise I am in need of a cable set-top box, a big, ugly, brick of a box that offers none of the great features that Tivo offers.

So why can't the cable company offer at least a fuller variety of options. Currently, they seem to be either ugly or useless. Nowhere in the mailing is their information on CableCards. Want more information, go to the website. Not in this case. And have you ever tried talking to a rep; it becomes extremely clear to me that they know less than I do about what they offer. Solve a problem; perhaps, but it is evident they are simply accessing a page in a book and reading me the instructions.

And so I have a month remaining before my Tivo becomes useless and I need to make a choice; put a cable DVR in my bedroom or confirm that my cable company has a Cablecard that can go into a Tivo box. Or I can hold my breath till Tivo is part of my cable company's options.