Minibox Effectively Precludes Recording by Customer-Owned DVR

" It is wholly, totally andcompletely unacceptable."

To you maybe, but not to common ethics. FCC is the customer advocate and they saw no problems with allowing encryption. 

"still recording shows with tape-based VHS VCRs!  
These customers are similarly out of luck)"

How are VCR users out of luck? You can still record shows, just not with the same automation. 

In general, you need something to do encryption and something to do SDV. To use your own DVR, you need one that is compatible with a cablecard and a tuning adapter. Which DVR you get depends on your price point and what abilities you want. I will leave the better explanation to those that have more experience with 3rd party devices. 

PS. I wouldn't touch cableboxandmodem.com with a 10foot pole. It screams scam and Cox won't add ANY retail cable device. Everything has to come from Cox inventory; DVR, mini box, cable card, etc.

Sounds like a Tivo Bolt and Lifetime subscription is the solution.  About $800-900 plus $2/month cablecard.

"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."

How does the use of a minibox stop you from using all the wonderful features built into your TV?  You can still use the TV's remote for everything other than changing channels, for that, yes, you need the minibox remote ... or ... you can purchase a Harmony remote (starting at about $60) and control everything with one remote.

"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!"

You can still do that, OTA digital HD is still available.  But, you said you live in an area with limited reception so even the "time during your life" you still wouldn't be able to receive free OTA TV.

I was hoping for advice from other Cox customers who've actually used an after-market, non-Cox DVR now that Cox has gone digital; or -- gasp! -- even an authoritative reply from Cox.  I wasn't looking for idle conjecture or argumentative drivel from cable company shills who need remedial training in comprehension of proper standard English.

If you do not have a technical solution to the problem, don't reply, as you're not being helpful.

In search of the solution, I visited a local Cox Solutions storefront, and found the personnel, while polite and enthusiastic, to be technically deficient:  They'd never heard of customers using their own personally-owned DVRs.  The most helpful fellow, whose title was "senior solutions operations specialist,"  wasn't even aware that his own company maintains online forums like this one.  But he did pull out a box and show me the entirety of the contents of the Cox cablecard distribution, including the set top box and cablecard, and their physical interfaces.  And here's some other useful info he passed on: Cox DVR rental costs $5 per month, plus $8.50 for the set top box, as of this date (5/27/2016).  A cablecard rental costs $1.99, and includes the set top box.  He thought that an after-market DVR and Cox cablecard would work with one of the DVRs I showed him (using his PC's browser) from an online vendor.

Cox obviously needs to provide their employees with better technical training.

Reiterating:  I was able to record programs from Cox with my own DVR prior to Cox digitizing operations in my area.  Now that Cox is all-digital (and encrypted), I cannot.  Can an after-market DVR, such as those found at vendors like cableboxandmodem.com, be used with a Cox cablecard to record programs in an automated, unattended manner?  If this can work, are there any caveats -- levels of service that must be purchased, additional hardware that must be acquired, Druidic incantations that must be memorized and repeated 100 times, etc.?

MyOwnDVR said:
I wasn't looking for idle conjecture or argumentative drivel from cable company shills who need remedial training in comprehension of proper standard English.

You obviously don't respect this forum. Don't expect helpful responses when you have that tone.

What was wrong with my suggestion?

That's a real solution for you.

Mark_K, you provided a good, perfectly valid solution ... but ... IMHO ... not what the OP wanted to hear.  Sounds like he wants to buy something in the $100-200 range and be sure it will work with Cox, not an $800-900 solution.  I can understand, $900 outlay if you were paying Cox's msrp rates is still almost a 3 year payback.  If you receive any discounts it makes the payback longer.  The way technology is going, even 3 years is a long time.

MyOwnDVR, ranting and attacking the people posting here won't help you.  We are users like you, not "cable company shills".  Your argumentative attitude probably won't get you any suggestions.  And, really, who cares how much you paid for your TV or 3rd party DVR.  You can always purchase one from the 3rd party of your choice, if it works, great, if it doesn't hope you can return it & get your money back.  As Mark suggested, Tivo is a known working solution.

I have to second Becky on the cablecard + tuner option.  If you really want to avoid the ongoing cost of renting the equipment and DVR service directly from COX (maybe $20-$30/month by now?) you could come up with something that has much less ongoing cost ($2/month for a cablecard, tuning adapter is free) but you're paying more up front for the PC + HDHomeRun or Hauppauge (or other cablecard tuner).  It also probably requires a bit more technical savvy than that required to just plug in a Cox STB/DVR and turn on as Cox tech support likely won't be of much help should you need it under that option.

You end up paying up front for a separate PC and tuner, but at $29/month for Cox's in-house alternative, the payoff is maybe 1 1/2 years, after which your ongoing cost is reduced (plus if you go that route, you automatically have a device that can be used to stream internet-based content as well).

I agree totally.  It was fine to use the mini digital box to go into my SD older cable ready TV, heck it gave me several more channels for a few months.  However, like others that had an older DVD player / recorder I had my incoming cable signal split 1 line to mini box and other to DVD recorder, so I could at least record most of the shows and sports I wanted as I work evenings and watch them later.  The mini cox box into channel 4  dvd player into rear input.   But now they have a few show off-air unless in via the cox mini box, but if they make all channels this way I will be mad as ***.  Even if I got another mini box for my DVD input it wouldn't work as in order to record I would have to be there to set the channel for each shoe I wanted to record.   This is a very poor way to try and force people to buy or rent their DVR equipment!

Thank you for your reply.  I'll assume that as moderator you speak for Cox.

Why do the DVRs sold by vendors like cableboxandmodem.com not work on the Cox network?

Mark_K,

Didn't mean to dis you. 

You provided a valid technical solution. I need to investigate Tivo in depth -- the co. offers many other services and products.  However, I'd like to re-instate the program recording capability  I had for the least cost.  The only outlay I had to record and play back shows whenever I chose was the cost of the DVR (reminiscent of the good old VHS VCR daze).  Now it appears that the options that are available for recording shows are all from rent-seeking organizations, whereas before the service was, essentially, free.  If this doesn't strike people as something akin to gouging, then no one understands the value of money.

@MyOwnDVR,

Due to the maintenance required on advanced technology, that is necessary with any digital converter, those boxes that are used on our network are only available as rented devices. This puts the responsibility of maintaining their hardware and software on our shoulders, rather than burden our customers. Tivo's are approved cable card devices that are updated by TIVO on a regular basis.

NicoleC,

Are you a Cox employee?  If so, are you qualified to make statements about the technical requirements of the devices that Cox's network supports?  And if you claim to be qualified, what qualifies you?

Your reply is unconvincing, to say the most.  For nearly three years, I "maintained" the Magnavox MDR537H that I purchased (from Walmart) for the purpose of recording programs received from Cox (analog cable) for viewing at my convenience.  I gladly assumed the onerous maintenance burden of dusting the DVR cabinet every week, changing the two AA batteries in the device's remote every year, and keying in the data to record the four programs available on Cox's lowest TV tier that are worth watching.  Clearly, I was open to the risk of volatile technology converting my DVR into a technological doorstop (anyone interested in a Magnavox MDR537H please contact me) to avoid Cox's rent scheme for a company-sponsored DVR.

That potential risk has been realized, and I am now attempting to determine the most economical means of restoring the program recording capability that Cox abolished with their business-driven decision to go all-digital.

My question has not been answered satisfactorily yet.  Repeating, why do the DVRs sold by vendors like cableboxandmodem.com not work on the Cox network?  I'm looking for a technical reason, not just company policy.  Further, apropos of your literal reply, is there a list of Cox "approved cable card devices?"  If so, where are these listed by the company?  If they are not listed, can you provide that listing of "approved cable card devices?"  Googling "Cox approved cable card devices" yields these links (among others):

http://www.cox.com/residential/support/tv/article.cox?articleId=ef9633d0-5c33-11df-ed4d-000000000000

-- and, more interestingly, this one:

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/guides/digital-cable-compatibility-cablecard-ready-devices

According FCC regulations (not in the above link), Cox is not allowed to charge a customer for using the customer's own device.  But for Cox to sidestep this irritating limitation to its profit enhancement by dictating the customer's selection of those devices subverts the original purpose of the agency's rule -- to wit, ensuring consumer choice.

Summarizing, Ms. NicoleC, provide the list of Cox's "approved cable card devices"; and describe why open market DVRs won't function on Cox's network in technical terms.  You may also tell us about you and your technical qualifications.

MyOwnDVR said:

My question has not been answered satisfactorily yet.  Repeating, why do the DVRs sold by vendors like cableboxandmodem.com not work on the Cox network?

Ask that question of cableboxandmodem.  I haven't found anywhere on their website where they say their DVR will work on any cable provider's network.  They talk about activating a cable card but nothing about the few DVR's they offer.  If you try to buy one, their site takes you to Amazon Marketplace to purchase.  Read the reviews there ... like ... "Buyer Beware - This box will not work with any US cable TV provider; they will only activate boxes they supply, or boxes that accept CableCards like a TiVo."  Not a company I want to do business with.

You have a technical solution known to work and no monthly rental (except the cablecard) ... TiVo with lifetime subscription.  You may be able to pick up a TiVo Roamio with lifetime subscription on ebay for less than a new TiVo Bolt.  Why keep beating this dead horse?  Why the personal attack on Nicole, she gave you the answer confirmed by Amazon reviews?  Personal attacks are in very poor taste & against the house rules.