# Tivo Roamio with Suddenlink



## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

Has anyone had success activating/using a Tivo Roamio with Suddenlink? I'm thinking of switching from DTV but would like to use my own Roamio over the dated models Suddenlink currently offers. I've talked to several different techs at Suddenlink and have received several different answers regarding whether or not this possible. I've heard everything from " it will work" to "it won't work" or "it works but you won't get the guide." Any help from someone with experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. 


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

I have no Suddenlink experience but it seems logical that you'll get whatever the CableCARD can enable. If Suddenlink uses some other access control technology in the future for VOD or PPV, that won't be available.

The guide data will come via your TiVo subscription regardless of what carrier you use.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

SuddenLink provides TiVo Premiere XL4s for their DVRs, which work just like the Roamio, except the Roamio has 6 tuners vs. the Premier's 4 (and the Roamios have a Stream built-in). So, a Roamio should activate just fine. It also appears from SuddenLink's website that you activate and register your TiVo with TiVo themselves, so Guide access should be no problem.

The only possible problem I can think of is related to Cablecard firmware revision. Since SuddenLink themselves only distributes 4 tuner DVRs, they may not be running firmware in their cablecards that can support 6 tuners. Check out the Tivo Community Forums and/or TiVo.com for morw details. The key bit of data you'll need from SL is whose cablecards they use (Motorola, NDS, Cisco, etc.).


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

Right, the cable companies have to provide Cablecards that work with their system. That is a legal requirement. But they only have to provide one that supports the maximum number of tuners that their own Tivo units have.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

lparsons21 said:


> Right, the cable companies have to provide Cablecards that work with their system. That is a legal requirement.


Now that the requirement that they use CableCARDs is gone, they may start building the more advanced technology in rather than making it available as a card.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

harsh said:


> Now that the requirement that they use CableCARDs is gone, they may start building the more advanced technology in rather than making it available as a card.


Correct, the requirement that they use cablecards in their systems isn't there anymore, but the requirement to provide cablecards to 3rd party boxes is.
And as to 'building the more advanced tech', well unless you haven't been watching, the cable companies almost all offer less than what a Tivo will in the way of support for it. 
When I was looking at going cable, I thought to get Mediacom's XG1/MG1 box, but they specifically disable adding an external drive, they disable the internal Ethernet/moca bridge and they don't have Netflix or Amazon Prime apps. That is all a conscious decision on Mediacom and most other cable companies. With a real Tivo on most cable systems, you lose the ability to do VOD and PPV, but have all the other apps.
Given the history of cable providers using some of the worst equipment over the years, I would be amazed if that somehow shifted.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

lparsons21 said:


> Correct, the requirement that they use cablecards in their systems isn't there anymore, but the requirement to provide cablecards to 3rd party boxes is.


I'm not sure that's true enough to make sure that you have full access to their full services. If, as we've been discussing, Suddenlink doesn't offer CableCARDs that support many tuners, that may be the tip of the iceberg in terms of features you don't get.

TiVo may also be striking agreements that they don't make their SDV functionality fully available outside the OEM equipment.

On the other hand, they may be fully committed to offering a fully functional alternative but it is absolutely unwise to assume either extreme.


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## lparsons21 (Mar 4, 2006)

At this point in time the cable company has to provide a cablecard capable of supporting the same number of tuners in their units. So if Suddenlink is only providing 4-tuner Tivos, they only have to have cablecards that support the same number.
As to the 'full features' of the cable card, that isn't required by law. That's why most of the cablecards on all but one cable company don't support their VOD.
If you go with a Tivo unit, regardless of where you get it, there will be some tradeoffs. The Tivo from Tivo won't offer the same cable support than the Tivo powered units you rent from the cable company. Of course that all is subject to change as even with the one cable company that allows for their VOD with 3rd party Tivos just did so fairly recently and from what I read, it isn't available in all their service areas.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

Firstly, let's remember that cable companies can stop using cablecards in their own equipment at the end of the year. Until then, nothing has changed.

Secondly, what does and does not work over a cablecard in a 3rd party box like a TiVo versus a cable company unit is well known. Except for Comcast and the few US cable companies that distribute TiVos themselves, you will get no video on demand from the cable company. You will also not have any other interactive services that may be available (the basic cablecard support required does not extend to 2 way communication). Again, except for some cable company distributed TiVos, the programming guide will come from TiVo directly, so there may be up to a day's delay before channel additions or removals show up. Most cable company sponsored TiVos also get their guide from TiVo, but I can't swear they all do.

That's about it. SDV is fully supported.

The interesting question is what happens when the first "non-cablecard" equipment hits, since the regulations require that 3rd party devices receive all the channels provided via the cable company's own boxes. So, what happens if, for example, FiOS decides to deliver new HD channels via IPTV? If their own boxes can receive them then they have to be made available on 3rd party devices like TiVo, cablecard or not.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

An XBox 360 or Xbox one -can be added to get those App's but it would only apply to the Main TV it's connected to and require extra expense as well

You can get the same apps thru a blu-ray as well


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Diana C said:


> If their own boxes can receive them then they have to be made available on 3rd party devices like TiVo, cablecard or not.


Surely it can't be FIOS' responsibility to insure that someone offers a compatible third party box.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

harsh said:


> Surely it can't be FIOS' responsibility to insure that someone offers a compatible third party box.


No, but it *is* their responsibility to make anything offered in a programming tier available to 3rd party products through a cablecard...at least until the FCC waters down the cablecard regulations some more.

For example, if a cable company implements MPEG-4, those MPEG-4 signals must be made available to any third party product with QAM tuners and a cablecard. They are NOT responsible for supplying MPEG-2 signals to legacy hardware as long as they don't provide them to their boxes.

This is why they had to come up with the SDV Adapter (despite its flaky implementation). Since PPV and VOD are offered along side, but not as part of, a programming tier, they were not required to support that with 3rd party hardware.

The issue with a provider switching to IP delivery is subtle. If they deliver it to their legacy (i.e. cablcard equipped) boxes, then they may be required to provide an option for 3rd party boxes as well. If they require a replacement of their own equipment then they may not. It will likely require a court case to settle the matter.

All that said, given the lack of investment Verizon is making in FiOS TV I doubt they will be replacing anything. I expect any IPTV offering Verizon comes up with to be more along the lines of SlingTV or the new Sony service. It will work over FiOS broadband, but will likely be a distinct offering from their current TV service. Verizon is really WAY more focused on supporting mobile devices.


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## tds4182 (Jul 17, 2003)

anex80 said:


> Has anyone had success activating/using a Tivo Roamio with Suddenlink? I'm thinking of switching from DTV but would like to use my own Roamio over the dated models Suddenlink currently offers. I've talked to several different techs at Suddenlink and have received several different answers regarding whether or not this possible. I've heard everything from " it will work" to "it won't work" or "it works but you won't get the guide." Any help from someone with experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I've been using one of Suddenlink's Motorola M cards in my Tivo Roamio Plus for about 2 years now.

It took 4 cards before they found one with the firmware to support all 6 tuners and they eventually had to attenuate my signal strength down to ~85-90 before the dreaded V58 error messages stopped.

Now everything is working fine, all 6 tuners are operational and I'm a happy camper. My Roamio Plus has a WD 3 TB hard drive in it.


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