TVs with cable card slots

[tomciara]

Once in awhile a client hangs a plasma for TV watching only - no HT, no DVD - and if you are stuck with a cable box, it's kind of like a big zit on the end of your nose. You have to do something about it.

Seen a mits and a Panasonic with cable card inputs lately that clients reported to be happy about.

Do you think it's worth choosing a model with cable card vs. your favorite panel and figure out where to hide the box?

[PHSJason]

We have done quite a few plasmas with the cable card and they do work quite well. Another plus to the cable card is that you get to use the TVs internal tuner as opposed to some crappy motorola tuner. This gives you better picture on the non HD channels as well. In our area, we have the multi-room MOXI boxes for HD DVR/multi-room DVD players. The MOXIMATE is smaller than the MOXI box, but the front LED does glow a little too bright for a bedroom application and the slave outplut in composite only. If you do put in a cable box remotely, remember the plasma friendly IR repeater as these are a lot more costly than the basic ones. The current generation of Plasmas from LG also offer an onboard DVR. It seems people are putting more and more stuff inside plasmas these days.....

Jason

[djnorm]

The cards are OK, but only after they get them to work... We're averaging 3-4 trips from Cablevision to get one working card... No PPV or OnDemand, however...

Bring lots of patience... worse than activating a TiVo...

[vwpower44]

We were never able to get the Cable card working on a sharp 37GD. We had the card for a few days, talked to tech support, then they sent a guy out. He could not get it working and took the card with him. I wasn't there when the cable guy came, but I can't believe that he took the card. According to the cable company they are having all kinds of problems with the cable cards.

Why don't thesee things work? What is sooo difficult? For those of you that have been successful, do you have any tips? Might It be that cable company and their software? Or do they not know how to work itt? If there are cable cards in my service arear, it should be able to work.

Mike

[lonny]

DJ norm. My friend is the head tech for cablevision nassau. He says the cards they have no are garbage. if you get them to work they will only last 3 or 4 weeks and then they crap out. I have no done one yet as i don't want to deal with the headaches he tells me about. ANd i guess you are no experancing them...

Lonny

[djnorm]

We've been covering ourselves by trying really hard to talk them out of it... (get a box!) and then showing sympathy when the poor CV guy shows up and is totally lost... then getting a check and hitting the road.

[ejfiii]

Mike, if you have Comcast cable, there is a known issue with the current sharp LCD TVs and Comcast's cable cards. I have tried 6 different sets here with nothing. Of course each blames the other, but after speaking with some higher ups at Sharp I am convinced that it is the CableCo's cards. I haven't tried in the past two months though.

The funny part is that all 3 in my house worked fine then they went intermittent. Then they went dark. Surprisingly that was right after Comcast admitedly performed an upgrade on all the cable cards in the system. LOL!

I have given up on them until 2 way cards are available.

So, I hope no one thinks they'll be able to get a Sharp LCD and Comcast cablecard to play nicely.

[vwpower44]

No Comcast, Time Warner. I had to fight for the one card or got, never got to put it in. Another tech did put it in the sharp. Then the cable tech came out to have a try then took the card. It took me three months to try to get the card in the first place.

Mike