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ghart999 · 2014-01-29, 22:01

Looking to go from OTA to a cablecard via a Silicon Dust STB. Do I just call comcast and ask to set up basic digital TV with a cablecard? Is the pricing dfiferent than going mainstream? I read somewhere that basic channels are like $8/month via cablecard. I just don't want to call Comcast blind until I have some info. Thanks all.

monkeysez · 2014-01-29, 22:23

I am very curious about this as well. I'm in the same boat.

ghart999 · 2014-01-30, 01:51

Ugh. Comcast is retarded. The rep told me there is no such thing as a cable card and I have to use a full STB and pay $30/month for the basic networks. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

~~Ned Scott~~ · 2014-02-02, 00:53

(2014-01-30, 01:51)ghart999 Wrote: Ugh. Comcast is retarded. The rep told me there is no such thing as a cable card and I have to use a full STB and pay $30/month for the basic networks. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell the rep that he is required the the FCC to provide a cable card upon request. If he still doesn't understand then demand to speak with a supervisor or call Comcast over the phone.

There might be a one time fee or something for the card itself, but I don't believe it actually costs anything per month for the first card. The last time I looked, Comcast will actually give you a discount on your monthly bill for providing your own equipment.

You get the card from Comcast, stick it in the unit (I assume it's an HDHomeRun Prime?), and then bring up the web UI for the unit. It should give you something like a subscriber number or something that you will need. Then call Comcast to complete the activation, which has to be done while the card is in the unit.

awp0 · 2014-02-02, 14:25

I have a Silicondust HDHomerun Prime tuner working with Comcast CableCARD. I do remember the rep on the phone having some trouble "ordering" me a CableCARD, and eventually he determined that I need to visit the local Comcast office to get the CableCARD. I was skeptical, but sure enough I was in and out of the office in about 5 minutes. They gave me the CableCARD as well as a little photocopied set of instructions for activating it. Activation was quite easy. As Ned said, you just write down a couple of serial numbers (using the device's web UI) and then call a Comcast number and they take care of the rest.

As for the price, I think my "limited basic" Comcast package is about $10/month. The CableCARD is free for the first one, and I think there was a very small one-time charge to get it activated (maybe $3?). I probably could have argued the charge since this change was required for me as part of their decision to encrypt, but I didn't want to test my luck.

noliaboy · 2014-02-02, 15:07

I just ordered an HDhomerun prime last week and it should arrive tomorrow. I called Comcast about the cable card and they said to just walk into their store to pick one up and the charge is $1.50/Mo. I asked about a free first card and they said no. Oh well $1.50 is better than $10 for an HD receiver.

awp0 · 2014-02-02, 20:06

Cool. Glad it's on the right track.

I suspect you could find a way to get that $1.50 waived, especially if your area was recently switched to encrypted local (broadcast) channels. Part of the agreement that allowed Comcast to encrypt these channels (very recently) is that they're required to give decrypting hardware for free. And if you make the case that CableCARD is your only option for your setup then I bet they would waive the fee. Most people affected by this would have received a letter last year describing all of this and it would just be a matter of calling and asking why you should have to pay this when the letter says the hardware should be free.

noliaboy · 2014-02-02, 20:17

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that. The Houston area was encrypted about 2 years ago and they gave up to 2 DTA boxes for standard def for free. Starting about 3 months ago they started charging $1.99/Mo for each DTA. So I'll try not to get my hopes up about having the $1.50/Mo fee waived. But its worth a shot.

awp0 · 2014-02-02, 22:11

Ahh, yeah, I do remember something about a two year limit. Sorry, mine was encrypted just this fall. The situation may be a little different for you.

HOWEVER! Scroll down to the paragraph titled "How much will I be charged to use a CableCARD?":
http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-sup...ablecards/

You should call them and quote their own statement. Seems pretty clear:

The first CableCARD in a retail device (e.g., TiVo devices or CableCARD-equipped televisions) is provided at no additional charge to Comcast customers. If a second CableCARD is needed for the same device (e.g., TiVo Series 3 boxes), there is a nominal fee for the additional card. Check your local market pricing for this information. Again, this only applies to a second CableCARD in the same device.

ghart999 · 2014-02-04, 07:32

Thank you all for the responses. I'm heading to comcast office tomorrow.

nickr · 2014-02-04, 09:55

$1.50 per month? What did you guys pay for your TV plus XBMC box plus server to run a backend on?

noliaboy · (This post was last modified: 2014-02-04, 17:19 by noliaboy.)

So I just received my HDHomerun Prime yesterday and I have it working great with Windows Media Center. I haven't had a chance to play with XBMC yet but I plan to do that later in the week. I called Comcast as you (awp0) advised and they confirmed that the first cable card is free and that it will show up on my bill as a $1.50 charge and will be credited back on each bill. So thanks for sharing that with me!

nickr, I paid $80 for my HDHomerun Prime as it was on sale on Tigerdirect earlier last week. My XBMC runs on a Raspberry Pi so it cost me about $45 with the enclosure. My server is my desktop-- nothing fancy right now and I dont see the need to get a dedicated server anytime soon. See below for TV pricing.

Ghart, I apologize for highjacking your thread but your OP shared similar concerns that I had at the same time. How do you plan to watch TV with your cable card box? I believe the reason the rep told you to pay $30/Mo is because you have to be subscribing to TV service in order to use the cable card. You can think of the cable card as a secondary cbale box. I have a primary HDDVR box from Comcast and I pay about $80/Mo for TV and internet with a doubleplay package. I am also renting an additional HD receiver for $10/mo and hope to get rid of it once I get everything working with XBMC.

awp0 · 2014-02-04, 17:43

(2014-02-04, 09:55)nickr Wrote: $1.50 per month? What did you guys pay for your TV plus XBMC box plus server to run a backend on?

Hehehe, yeah, it's a small amount of money. But I'm not a fan of Comcast, so for me it's about principles.

ghart999 · 2014-02-04, 20:34

My neighbor says he pays nothing for cable except for the cablecard. He says the FCC mandates that Comcast must provide free basic local channels via cablecard. Does this seem correct to you?

noliaboy · 2014-02-04, 21:08

That sounds similar to what awp0 was saying...see the link he posted a few days ago