Minibox Effectively Precludes Recording by Customer-Owned DVR
When Cox went all-digital, I lost the ability to record the shows I want to watch on my own device. Three years ago, my monolithic "cable-ready" JVC CRT television died. I replaced it with a $1000 Panasonic Viera TC-L47E50 Smart TV which enabled me to watch true HD. I also upgraded from recording shows on my trusty Thomson ProScan PSVR70 VCR to a $350 Magnavox MDR537H DVR/DVD player with both analog and digital tuners and 500-GB hard disk so that I could record the HD shows in HD resolution. I never needed a set-top box, simply plugging the coax cable into my TV and recording device. All worked just fine: I was able to record the shows I wanted to watch, and watch them when I wanted to, at an amortized cost of $10/month (and falling). That is, I was able to do so until Cox went digital. With the unwelcome appearance of the so-called Minibox, I've lost that capability. Now, as others with the same equipment have posted to the Cox forums, it is impossible to schedule the Minibox-connected (via coax cable) DVR to record shows due to the Minibox's incompatibility with the DVR. The Minibox simply cannot switch channels in accordance with the scheduling function of the DVR. And as others, and Cox, have posted, it can only record the last channel to which the Minibox was set. The resulting quality for playback is terrible. This "workaround' simply is not a practical, valid solution. It is wholly, totally and completely unacceptable. As another customer posted, this situation constitutes breach of contract since I signed a 2-year agreement with Cox stating that I would pay a rate and they would provide me with TV -- the same TV I'd been receiving, in its (then) current form, with its current capabilities. But beyond this breaking their promise of service, "what is the remedy?" -- as same customer demanded -- since digital with encryption is a done deal. If I'd known that this was what was in store for me in the near future, I never would have signed a long-term agreement with Cox. So I've learned my lesson here. With its myopic digital implementation (really: did anyone at Cox, when planning its digital rollout, consider customers who record using their own devices? I was surprised to find from postings to Cox forums that many customers were still recording shows with tape-based VHS VCRs! These customers are similarly out of luck), Cox has effectively stripped me and other customers of our own capacity to record and play back programs we want to watch. Further, by forcing use of the Minibox, I cannot use all the wonderful features built into the $1000 Panasonic Viera SmartTV since the TV's native functionality is only accessible via the TV's remote, not the MInibox's remote. The reason I use a cable TV company is because I have no other cheaper alternative. Because of my neighborhood's topography, I cannot receive over-the-air high definition (OTA HD) transmissions of local or broadcast channels which carry the shows I want to record and watch. The only other non-satellite provider in my area is Verizon, but they definitely don't support customer-owned DVRs. I haven't investigated satellite-based options yet, but maybe I'll have to. Okay, Cox: I need to be able to record the shows I want to watch in an unattended automated manner for playback. So what are my solutions, Cox? I'm sure I can rent a DVR from you -- so how much more is that going to cost me? What are the other alternatives? Can I purchase a DVR from a vendor like cableboxandmodem.com and use a cablecard? How much is the cablecard rental? Would this latter approach enable me to ditch the minibox? There was a time -- during my life, even -- when one could purchase a decent color TV for $150, plug in the power cable, throw up the antennae, and you got TV! A VCR could be had for another $100, and you didn't need a PhD in electrical engineering to connect it to the TV to record and playback your favorite programs whenever you wanted. After the initial layout, the price was what a kWhr of electricity cost for as long as you watched the TV. Forcing people to pay for what was free is a recipe for alienating, and losing, customers.13KViews0likes19Comments
DVRs w/Cable Card Compatibility what do you recommend?
I am wanting to purchase two DVRs that are Cable Card compatible on the Cox Network. I do not want to pay monthly fees either to COX or a company like TIVO for DVR service. I am approaching this with an open mind and would like any advice this forum will have as far as various DVR options and their respective pros and cons.12KViews0likes7CommentsChanging out my contour DVR box
I received a notice telling me that my Contour Cable Box was showing a history of failed hard drive sectors. We have been having problems replaying shows, with occasional freezes, and then spontaneous reboots of the system. We had held off changing the box out, in order to watch some of the shows we had recorded. Can I bring my box in to a cable store, change it, and then plug it in myself, or do I need to schedule a cable service call to have Cox do it? And if the latter, do I have to pay for that call?5.3KViews0likes5Comments
Contour Box daily problems (Model 9865HDC)
My contour box requires reboot constantly, are there know issueswith this deviceor can they be resolved somehow? Since the day this device was installed in my home I have many problems. Initially it would have trouble getting some channels. I went through my home and tightened down all of my cable connections (made sure splitters and connections were tight). The channel troubles became less frequent, but I am still having to reboot the box constantly. Sometimes it requires a reboot to even open the DVR function. Sometimes it will not rewind live TV and I need to reboot. Other times the guide will not display or I cannot change channels. This is the most inconvenient DVR system I have ever used. I hope that I am alone in this struggle and there is some software/firmware update or model replacement that will resolve these chronic issues.4.2KViews0likes3CommentsMini Box
It is unfortunate that Cox has found yet another way to control our viewing. After reading other replies to the forums, we are greatly disappointed that we will no longer be able to record a program on our own VCR. Cox will finally run themselves out of business. The new add on charge of a mini box giving them even more control over which channels you view is the final straw. I believe March 29th is the cut off date. If more customers will follow this protest, Cox would no longer be in business.2KViews0likes1Comment
Tivo dual tuner won’t work with digital?
I’m trying to set up my Series 2 dual tuner Tivo (yes, it’s old but I have a lifetime subscription) with the mini box. Tivo said it won’t work with the mini box so they said get a digital transport adapter. Now I’m reading links Tivo support sent me and it seems there’s no way to set up my dual tuner - when all channels are digital, it will only work as a single tuner. Does anyone have any experience with this?1.4KViews0likes1CommentCloud dvr on the go.
Multiple live streaming services have the ability to watch cloud dvr recordings on the go, yet cox does not. This cant be a licensing issue as other services have been able to do this, I'm thinking about changing services, as this is going to start being a deal breaker.817Views0likes1Comment
