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Cox to begin testing TiVo adapter this week — only in O.C.

October 28th, 2009, 2:31 pm · 8 Comments · posted by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress

Cox working with Motorola on TiVo adapter.Cox Cable will begin testing this week a brand new Motorola device to help TiVo users access all the TV channels Cox offers.

A small handful of customers have been clamoring for such a device for months after realizing that they couldn’t get all the channels and video-on-demand options other customers do.

This only affects customers who use TiVos and CableCARDs, a small device that slides into a TiVo (or some computers and TVs) so the customer can skip the bulky set-top box. Customers with TiVos and set-top boxes are not affected.

According to Cox spokeswoman Lana Ong, TiVo has already pre-selected 50 Orange County customers to participate in the test. If all goes well, Cox will offer the free adapter to any customer sometime in late November.

I mentioned this Motorola test in early September (see “Cox O.C. will be first to test TiVo adapters from Motorola“). The test was scheduled to start in September but was postponed when Cox rolled out new video-on-demand software instead (see earlier story, “Cox fix for TiVo users delayed“

The issue sprang up when Cox moved some channels to a technology called switched digital video in order to make more room for more channels. In switched video, the channel doesn’t broadcast constantly but only when a customer requests it. Cox turned channels like FitTV and Jewelry TV into switched video.

Customers with CableCARDs can’t access certain programming because CableCARDs can only communicate one-way with Cox. They only receive the show and that’s why they can’t get any switched video channels or on-demand features.

If you’re one of the lucky 50 Cox customers that are part of the TiVo test, let me know and share your experience with other readers.

Related stories about switched video:

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