CableCards, Tivo, and SDV

Been reading up on CableCards and Tivo with Oceanic Time Warner service here in Hawaii. Sounds dicey. In order to get any type of HD content using a Tivo with Oceanic, you need at least one CableCard (two if you want to use dual tuners). Oceanic does rent CableCards for about $3 per month.

But paying for digital service and HD service is of question. The rep I talked to over the phone said I needed to get the cards along with the extra service but after reading this Tivo Community thread, there are options to get basic HD channels without paying for them.

Now it seems that Oceanic is moving channels to SDV (Switched Digital Video) in order to save bandwidth but also to keep customers using their rented hardware. Worse it the CableCards are worthless for SDV channels. You’d need a forthcoming Tuning Adapter in order to get SDV stations. These new Tuning Adapters are only hitting the market now.

Supposedly, by the end of this year, Oceanic will support Tuning Adapters (and current Tivos already having Tuning Adapter support). I guess I’ll wait until later to attempt getting basic HD channels. In any case, most things I’ve been reading portray Oceanic in a very bad light, not wanting to provide anything outside of their own packaged deals.

Technorati Tags: Hawaii, television, tivo