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IR Channel changing issues with Tivo series 2 and Scientific Atlanta 3250 cable box

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  • IR Channel changing issues with Tivo series 2 and Scientific Atlanta 3250 cable box

    Hello all,

    I recently purchased an upgraded TCD649080 from Weaknees. My cable provider is Time Warner and they gave me a Scientific Atlanta 3250 cable box. So far I have been unable to get the IR blasters to work with the SA box. I can record basic cable channels no problem, but cannot record any digital channels, such as Versus. I've run the battery of tests that are supposed to teach the Tivo how to change channels, but that battery has failed every time, at least five run now. I also tried the Advanced Setup for channel changing, manually testing each of the IR codes that generally are supposed to work with SA boxes. Namely, the codes 00018, 00048, and 00049 (all three versions A, B, and C) tested. No luck. I'm confident the IR blasters are positioned in front of the IR bulb, just to the right of the clock display. I shined a flashlight in just to be sure I knew where the bulb was. I put the blasters a reasonable distance, an inch and a half or so, in front of the box. Seriously, I think I've done everything I'm supposed to do to get the IR channel changing to work. But it just won't.

    I posted on the Tivo forum. One reply. He informed the SA 3250 is one of the least compatible cable boxes with Tivo units. He said it is mostly marketed in Europe. No idea how much of that is true. I live in the San Fernando Valley in CA. Nearly 3 million people live in the SFV and Time Warner Cable is a major provider here. So I'm hoping there is somebody out there, in the SFV or elsewhere, who has faced and solved the problem I face.

    What are my options? Can I get the Tivo unit to talk to the 3250 via the IR blasters? Should I get the 3250HD box instead? Am I doing something wrong in my attempts to get the channel changing working? Something I'm missing?

    I asked TWC if they could give me a different box but the 3250 and 3250HD are all they offer. They offered me one of their DVRs and suggested I could get an external drive to beef up storage capacity. The only problem is, I'm going to be out of town for a large chunk of the summer so I need to program my Tivo remotely and some of what I want to program is on the digital channels (like the TDF on Versus). I'm pretty sure I cannot program a TWC-supplied DVR remotely.

    So I am feeling stuck here. I appreciate any solutions or advice from anybody out there with this same experience. Surely there must be somebody else besides me who has had this issue. :-) Help!

    Thanks,
    David

  • #2
    Yeah - the 3250s (regular and HD) do have a lot of issues with TiVos. Apparently, they use a slightly different IR frequency than other boxes.

    One option would be to get a TiVo Premiere, and get a CableCARD from Time Warner. That way, it's all in the one box, no external channel changes necessary, and full remote programming capability.

    See the units here:

    http://www.weaknees.com/4
    Been here a long time . . .

    Comment


    • #3
      Ah, finally..a solution!

      Thanks Michael. If I get a Tivo Premiere Series 4 I will be able to record two channels at once, just what I'm looking for. Is there any restriction on that? Can I record two basic cable, two digital cable channels, or one of each? From the product description it appears I will need just a single cable card. Is that one of the M cards?

      On a broader note, are there any solutions that do not involve me trading in my current Tivo for a series 4?

      Thanks again, Michael.

      Best,
      David

      Comment


      • #4
        I don't know of any stable solutions beyond a CableCARD-compatible unit.

        And the Premiere is a great unit!

        Yes, you'll be able to record two of any type of channel at the same time, as long as your pay your cable company for the channels. Yes, you'll need an M card, which is pretty standard at this point - in fact, that's probably all that's available.
        Been here a long time . . .

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