Is it true that you can use a TiVo box INSTEAD of renting the cable box/satellite box?

Question

I checked it out on the site and it appears that instead of paying the ripoff fee of renting the box from Satellite or Cable companies I can use a TiVo box.

I noticed too that there are 2 different boxes and you have to use the HD TiVo to replace the Satellite box. It costs more,but not too much.

Answer 1

You have to use the cable box to get the digital channels (100+). TiVo will work with out the cable box but only for local channels.

Answer 2

Yes.  I'm using the HD Tivo with a cable card to receive HD and extra channels that don't come with basic cable.  The only drawback is that you can't use interactive services like video-on-demand.  (I use Amazon unbox instead).  It wasn't easy getting this set up because Charter Cable customer service is in Minnesota (I'm in California), and they don't always know what the local units are doing.  I was told at first by a very knowledgeable CSR who knew all about Cable Cards that I could just go in to the Cable Store and pick up the card.  I went, they said "No", you need a service call.  After one canceled call because the tech couldn't locate a card, he showed up with a card he had "at home".  After a day or two it stopped working because it had been reported stolen.  After a week I got a service call from another tech who brought another card.  He finally got it working right.  The irony is that even though they wouldn't let me pick up the cable card at the store, when the tech came to my house, I had to put it into the Tivo myself because he "wasn't allowed to touch my equipment".

Leo

leoofmars.com