I, too, had to find a workaround or put up with missing programming. I decided it was time to move to a different TiVo technology, a third generation TiVo HD.

This would be the first TiVo I'd own that would record two streams of high-definition video. I ordered a highly upgraded version from Weaknees.com that would store 292 hours of high-def programming or a whopping 2,800 hours of traditional programming onto two terabyte hard drives. Put into perspective, we could keep those two terabyte drives recording video non-stop 24/7 for more than 116 days and not run out of storage space.

But the reason I upgraded had to do with how this particular TiVo talks to the cable network. This model uses something new called a CableCARD. A CableCARD is a PC card that slides into the TiVo and performs all the functions of a typical cable box. Rather than the convoluted IR channel changing hoopla that caused our original problem, this TiVo would send an internal signal to the CableCARD and the channel would change automagically.

The only gotcha is my cable company (like most, according to TiVo Community Forum reports) wasn't particularly familiar with CableCARDs, even though the FCC mandates that all cable companies accept and provide CableCARDs.

The first rep I talked to told me they didn't exist. The second rep said they were available, but if I used them, I'd give up all my premium channels. This was particularly wrong because the CableCARDs exist to provide access to the premium channels. Basic cable doesn't require a cable box, but premium channels do. Likewise, if you use basic cable, you don't need a CableCARD -- the whole reason is to provide premium channel access.

The third rep finally acknowledged CableCARDs existed and, as a very pleasant surprise, offered to send a tech out the very next day to install them. As a not-so-pleasant, not-so-surprise, the installer had very little experience setting up cable cards (he'd only installed one other in the last seven months) and the bulk of his "install" work consisted of handing me the card to plug into the TiVo -- and then spending the next three hours on the phone attempting to get the back office to configure their end correctly.

On the plus side, everyone I spoke to at both TiVo and my local cable company was pleasant and polite. Unfortunately, training on some of these non-standard offerings was virtually non-existent, at least at my cable service provider.

With the exception of my personal favorite, the Science Channel HD, we got our TV back, changing channels correctly, and recording the programming we want to watch. We did lose the HD version of the Science Channel due to something called SDV (Switched Digital Video), but that's a subject for a whole other article. Losing one favorite channel was a pretty fair trade-off, compared to losing all of our programming, so I still consider it a win for the home team.