activating a Comcast DVR

[yknot2]

I bought a DVR from Craigslist. How do I clear the memory and activate it on Comcast, NJ?
Is this the correct forum for this question?

[filmboss80]

Call Comcast.

[jman98]

Good freakin' luck.

Comcast (I am a customer, so I speak from experience) has very poorly trained and low paid people working for them. Nobody may be smart enough to help you. You call them and you'll find out that I'm not exaggerating. About 10% of Comcast's work force knows what they are doing and they keep the company running. The other 90% are complete idiots. The odds are quite high that you'll get an idiot when you call.

Comcast may have the technical knowledge to help you but may refuse to do so for a variety of reasons. The DVD you bought may not be one they support. Or they may refuse to help you because you didn't buy it from them. Or you may get lucky and they'll do exactly what you want and you'll be fine, but given my past experiences with Comcast, I wouldn't count on it.

[Krispy Kritter]

You will need to call and supply the s/n, which hopefully isn't tied to a past due account. You will also need your account information updated to reflect you have a DVR (extra tuner charge).

[edDV]

Go in on the tech support line. It needs to be a model they support. They activate it their end. It may take several hours before all subscribed channels and guide show up.

They'll probaly still try to charge you a monthly rent.

[gadgetguy]

They'll probaly still try to charge you a monthly rent.

Yeah, except they'll call it a "Service Fee".

[usually_quiet]

I suspect the purpose of buying the DVR and posting here was to obtain DVR service from Comcast without paying them for it, and dealing with them is the last thing the OP wants.

The title for this post says it's a Comcast DVR. Assuming that is accurate, based on what Comcast told me, they don't sell their DVRs. They only rent them. If the seller obtained the DVR from Comcast, the box still belongs to Comcast. They have every right to collect a fee for the use of their property.

If the DVR is a TiVo, they need cablecards to record most of digital Comcast's digital channels. Those are not sold by Comcast either, only rented. If it has cablecards installed, they still belong to Comcast, and Comcast is entitled to collect a fee for the use of their equipment.

Even if the DVR was legally purchased, Comcast still provides the program guide and software/firmware updates for it that allow it to be used on their system, and they are entitled to charge a fee for providing that service.

[yknot2]

Thanks guys. I guess that I got taken. I called Comcast before I bought the unit.
They said that there would be no monthly charge if I owned my own DVR. Not knowing that Comcast did not sell theirs, I bought one on Craigslist.
I'll eat this one.

[usually_quiet]

The Comcast representative probably thought you were asking about a TiVo. They are the only DVR that I know of that is sold retail in the US and not rented from a cable company.

TiVos don't use Comcast's program guides or software/firmware updates. TiVo takes care of that. TiVo also charges a monthy subscription fee, and without a valid subscription, most of a TiVo's features are unavailable.

A TiVo subscriber with Comcast analog service would not be billed for additional equipment or services. TiVos don't need cable cards to record Comcast's analog channels and unencrypted digital channels (mostly local digital broadcast channels) carried in their system. However, Comcast digital subscribers with TiVos need to rent cable cards from Comcast as well as pay their TiVo subscription to record other digital channels included in their plan.