Xfinity/Comcast threat to deny access to Video card

[lostgreycells]

Email from Xfinity(Comcast): "Upgrade your TV equipment – at no additional cost. Order your new X1 TV equipment today! As early as June 26, 2023, your current TV equipment will no longer allow you to access Xfinity On Demand and Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) packages."

The equipment being replaced, of course, is the cable card attached to my HDHomerun prime box which works fine and updates successfully. As you know it's the sole access to WMC TV, recordings, scheduling via epg123, et al.(I've also been pestered recently with occasional random "messages" when accessing channels that I need a subscription to watch them.) AND...Comcast also this month increased by monthly fee another $40 to a whopping $240/month. (internet, tv lineup, and phone package)

Long story shorter: Attempts to use their "chat" feature for "help" led me to "agents" whose job is to upsell and obfuscate. One finally gave me a number to call. After two days of making efforts via calls, I made it clear that I would dump Comcast if they killed my video card. I've been now (verbally) assured they will let me keep the card. But they have me over a barrel as to how much they will charge for their service. (Take it or leave it)

Alternative? I have easy access to fios, am considering going with that option, have priced out costs for fios and TV options. Fios: $40/mo, Utube streaming: $73.00/mo. Total: $113/mo. BUT it obviously requires losing WMC, Gary Ryan's epg123, and having to completely re-learn a new system at a very old age.

Any ideas?

[jachin99]

I had to dump cox after they implemented H264 applied copy protection to nearly every channel. I went with FIOS, and pay about 140 a month for internet & cable, inlcuding premiums. Its kind of a chore getting a cable card out of them though, and their techs dont know much about them. You HAVE to hook up their router at least once so it can ping something and activate your cable.

[lostgreycells]

Thanks! I had to look up H264 copy protection and sort of "get it". It's all about DRM issues. From what I understand my fios hookup would be just to the house and the provider has no TV content available. (Xfinity/Comcast has a virtual monopoly on all content in my area except OTA). As it enters the house it would be converted to my in-home existing coax setup. (I think I have this right)

[Space]

I have FiOS service with WMC and my HDHomeRun Prime (with CableCard) and it has Internet, TV, and digital phone service. Not sure what you mean by "no TV content available".

FiOS runs fiber optic cable to .your home that connects to their equipment (called an ONT, which needs to be installed somewhere near the ingress of the cable, usually in your garage or on the outside of your house). The ONT converts the fiber to work with your internal coaxial cabling.

All services then use your existing coaxial cables (assuming they are good enough quality). You will also need a special router from FiOS that hooks up to the coaxial cable (which uses MoCA to send data over the coaxial cable lines). I bought my FiOS router second-hand, but you can also rent it monthly (and you used to be able to buy it from them instead of rent, but not sure if that is still an option). They used to (and may still) also allow you to connect a regular Ethernet (cat5e/cat6) cable to the ONT instead of the coaxial cable, in which case you could just use a regular router, but you would have to run the Ethernet cable yourself, this is if you only wanted Internet and/or phone service and not TV.

[lostgreycells]

Thanks! Your description as to how the fios is converted to coax is very helpful. Since the updated coax and cat6 cables I installed years ago are currently working great with Comcast, assume they'll do the job if I'm forced to go to fios. Unfortunately the fios access I have doesn't carry "content" (TV programming). Just Internet and phone service.

The reason for this is because Comcast/Xfinity has successfully monopolized all TV content in my area. Many years ago Verizon originally put in the fios lines here at great expense, promising us internet, TV, and phone service. Unfortunately Comcast then successfully cornered the rights to TV content, squeezing out competition. Verizon, originally our provider for copper phone lines, subsequently became mobile phone providers. The fios lines then were sold at a great loss to "Frontier" and after that has become "Ziply" (my current option) which is now finding many new customers due to so many people working from home, cord cutters, and the vast majority of younger people who prefer streaming their choices.

[JK77]

I received that e-mail as well, and called in about a week ago for a new CableCard for the X1 box I have, and hoping the CSR would see in my account I have a second, so I could upgrade the 10-year-old one in my HDHomeRun PRIME as well. Still waiting on delivery.

Being out in the sticks, it is Comcast or nothing for wired pay television. FiOS is nowhere near me, and never will be since Verizon stopped rolling it out years ago.

[lostgreycells]

JK77: Well, you're stuck even worse than I am. I tried to figure out what CSR is and found this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certifica ... ng_request I tried to understand it but it's far too technical for me.

Since you do have a HDHomerun Prime box as I do, I've found it's been regularly updating its firmware and works well with Comcast and WMC to make recordings. It doesn't auto-update. I just open it once in awhile and if it has an update it tells me and I install it. My cable card is also ten years old next month but obvously still works. Since you have an X1 box, does it handle recordings and store them on your WMC box's hard drive or on the X1 box owned by Comcast? How does it work?

If Comcast shuts down my cable card, I COULD stay with them, dumping TV coverage, and just get internet from them. It would be much easier. But I'll definitely go with my FiOS option if it comes to that for the simple reason I REALLY want to be shed of that company.

[Space]

JK77: Well, you're stuck even worse than I am. I tried to figure out what CSR is...

"CSR", in this context, means "Customer Service Representative", or in other words, they guy who you eventually talk to (if you're lucky) after you get through the maze of the IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system.

[JK77]

Since you do have a HDHomerun Prime box as I do, I've found it's been regularly updating its firmware and works well with Comcast and WMC to make recordings. It doesn't auto-update. I just open it once in awhile and if it has an update it tells me and I install it. My cable card is also ten years old next month but obvously still works.

Home Assistant usually alerts me to a HDHR firmware update, then I come here to see if anyone had problems with it, and if not, then I upgrade my PRIME.

Since you have an X1 box, does it handle recordings and store them on your WMC box's hard drive or on the X1 box owned by Comcast? How does it work?

The X1 is completely separate from my home network, so the recordings just stay on the box. In the three years I have had it, I have probably only recorded a couple of things on it and that was all last Summer when the PSU on my HTPC died.

[lostgreycells]

Thanks Space! Love all these acronyms!! Hoping to forget them as soon as possible. Actually, I'm now thinking CSR should refer to "Comcast Sales Representative" and IVR should be "Interventions Slow Responses".

[Rickt1962]

I got a letter from Comcast to update my equipment it was more about the cable modem for DOCSIS 3.0 to DOCSIS 3.1.
Nothing was said about cable cards I actually have two HD home runs and three Samsung cable box tuners with cable cards total of five. There's no good reason to remove that system scare tactics it'll come down to FCC and a very long letter with the lawyers letter attached to it

[d00zah]

...

There's no good reason to remove that system scare tactics it'll come down to FCC and a very long letter with the lawyers letter attached to it

As of September, 2020, the FCC won't help... FCC drops rule requiring cable companies to provide CableCARDs

[lostgreycells]

Rickt1962: Thanks! You definitely have a more intricate system with far more recording capability than I. I want to keep my cable card setup due to three factors: 1. Many shows I want to watch are broadcast in the same time slot. 2. When watching, we can SKIP THROUGH COMMERCIALS. 3. I've long been set up with Gary Ryan's VERY RELIABLE epg123, and LOVE the interface of WMC.(a few years ago I even set up a duplicate windows 7 box just in case one of them has a fatal meltdown - and we all know what a pain it is to go through the installation process).

The FCC in 2020 dropped the rule requiring cable companies to provide cable cards. https://thedesk.net/2020/09/fcc-cableca ... icon-dust/ So it appears Comcast has continued allowing them until just recently, telling us to accept their alternative, the X1 box, as a more compatable, up-to-date "improvement". Since we're still among the shrinking number of tv subscribers, I think our only leverage is our ability to discontinue TV coverage, go to internet only, and subscribe to online streaming services (currently much cheaper). Hence my recent battle with Comcast's "customer service". In my case, I have access to FiOS which would allow me to sever all ties with Comcast.

[randman]

lostgreycells: Do you live in the Seattle area? Your descriptions sound exactly like where I live. I just assumed I wouldn't get video on demand which I don't get with my current setup (Ceton/Cable card) anyway.

[lostgreycells]

randman: Yes, live north of Seattle. I have never experienced video on demand since it requires the use of Comcast equipment. I do have access to streaming content from individual networks via the channels in my lineup. So if I want to watch a show I missed on ABC, for instance, I can go to their site and stream it (complete with commercials) after it acknowledges me as a Comcast subscriber. Not all channels have subscriber streaming available of course, but many of the major networks do. If I lose cable card access and forced to go to FiOS and subscribe to the U-tube package (much cheaper), they have a DVR cloud service and I understand they'll allow skipping through commercials via keyboard commands.

[randman]

lostgreycells: South Snohomish County here so I'm in the same predicament. I guess we'll see what happens in a few weeks. I also have a Roku so I can stream via the Xfinity app if I need to. It's odd I can stream some HD channels that I don't get with my cable package (FS2 for example).

[lostgreycells]

randman: We're definitely neighbors! Yup, wait and see... ? I should note that early April a show on ABC began a recording with a notice (presumably from Comcast) that I was not entitled to watch it due to not being a subscriber. The show then shortly began recording anyway. I subsequently went to ABC and streamed the beginning of the show. This was the only such recording incident, but occasionally I'd run into the same notice when switching channels.

That was when I began the ongoing search to try to get explanations via the Comcast site's impenetrable "customer service" options, and well before I got the email from Comcast described in my initial post.

[choliscott]

https://forums.xfinity.com/conversation ... 18de1cdeaa

[lostgreycells]

Choliscott: Interesting!! If the Statement in the original post, "I know that the FCC is no longer forcing Xfinity to support Cable Cards and the agreement is in place to support them through 2031" is correct, we still have eight years of breathing room! Don't have a clue how to verify it though.

Comcast response to the post: "The changes that are being made to cable cards will only affect access to OnDemand content and SVOD packages. You will still be able to watch live tv and recordings." This is definitely at odds with my own experience in trying to get a definitive answer from the 2nd human I was finally able to contact. Two at odds statements from her: "You won't be able to use your cable card anymore" and "Is your cable card working properly? (answered "yes"), response: Then you will be able to continue using it". I asked her to tell me which of these two statements was the correct answer and she assured me I could continue using it. ¯\_(?)_/¯

Grateful to Silicon Dust which has recently been supplying effective firmware updates for my HDHomerun Prime which have been eliminating the growing pixilation issues experienced prior to those updates. Since cable cards are apparently on their way out, I'm happy they're still supporting their boxes. Trying to keep it clean, dust free, and hope it continues to work.

[CZ Eddie]

Grateful to Silicon Dust which has recently been supplying effective firmware updates for my HDHomerun Prime which have been eliminating the growing pixilation issues experienced prior to those updates.

Interesting. It's not possible to create a new Prime + Cablecard setup for copy-protected material using recent firmware versions.
You have to go back to a version from several years ago.
I have suspected that once you get that working, you might be able to upgrade to a new firmware.

Sounds like you've verifying that's true.