Series3 HD TiVo CableCARD Info

Series3 HD TiVo and the TiVo HD DVRs can record two channels at once with two CableCARDs in the unit - and the best part is, you don't need a cable box. CableCARDs are a relatively new product in the market, and there is some confusion about how they work. Here's the bottom line: the FCC requires all US cable companies to supply CableCARDs to their customers on request. There may be monthly fees and installation charges (none of which are unreasonable) but the cable companies must provide the cards.

The TiVo HD can also record two channels at once with a single CableCARD if it's a "multistream" cable card. The Series3 can use this type, but would need two to record two channels at once.

Any TiVo that can use a CableCARD can NOT use a cable box instead.

For more information, see our CableCARD + TiVo blog post.

This chart has some more information about the way your local cable provider deals with CableCARDs.

Installation of a CableCARD is truly simple - here's TiVo's guide.