DRM Change in OC (Aug 2021)?
My TiVo is now showing most channels as copy protected--none of them had been for the last 10 years. Has there been a recent change in Cox in OC or is it a TiVO problem?
Forum Discussion
I'm not sure why Cox thought it was appropriate to lock this thread: https://forums.cox.com/forum_home/tv_forum/f/tv-forum/29235/drm-on-all-non-local-channels---omaha
but yes. it is now occurring in multiple markets. I've also been a CableCARD customer for over a decade and while I can accept eventual change, what is entirely unacceptable is that this was not communicated to customers in advance similar to the MPEG4 conversation. Cox is only providing canned responses at this point, but if there is anyone who is able to actually explain to us why this change was made (it was purely a business decision). The right thing to do would be to reverse it and then provide customers with advance notice on when it will be set back again so we can decide what direction we wish to go. In most cases, I imagine that entails cancelling service and departing from Cox.
I'm afraid this is something that's been coming for a while now. Like you, I was a cablecard user since 2008 and have enjoyed not having to rent equipment from Cox as a means of saving a little money. They initially did this in January 2021 in OC and fixed it shortly afterward (but I guess the writing was on the wall at that point).
I tried out YoutubeTV in March and decided that was the direction to go both on channel selection and cost (no separate fees, no equipment fees for unlimited cloud DVR, etc). Time to retire the old equipment and just move on. Only thing you need to watch out for is Cox's 1.25TB data cap (assuming you stick with Cox for internet), which would probably only apply if you watch a ton of HD programming, or a moderate amount of 4k programming in addition to normal daily usage.
Cox also conveniently added $10 to my broadband cost since I didin't have a 'package' anymore, even though a promotional package discount wasn't showing on my monthly bill (so be aware of that also). As soon as a broadband alternative is available, Cox and its perpetually poor customer service are going to be hurting I think.
I wish they would just come clean and tell us they've not wanted to deal with cable cards for a long time. Most of the other cable companies slowly got rid of them as they could. I'm just surprised that it wasn't sooner.
Companies like Silicondust will suffer as well as Cox unless they can finally see to it that DRM recording is working. I love Silicondust but many have patiently waited to no avail.
Count me as another one going the route of streaming such as Youtube TV etc. in the next 2 weeks.
