[mythtv-users] Myth, Charter, Prime, no channels

[Gary Buhrmaster]

On Sun, Feb 1, 2015 at 8:52 PM, Bert Haskins <bhaskins at chartermi.net> wrote:
....
> Under WMC I can now get many, many channel listings but selecting any channel gives
> " Subscription Required"
> Please note the above cablecard status.
> Charter claims that they have done all that they can do!!!

Just to be sure, when you look at the logs, do you
see something equivalent to:

19700101-00:00:00 System: reset reason = power on
19700101-00:00:00 CableCARD: USB device 07B2:6002 connected
19700101-00:00:00 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver connected
19700101-00:00:01 CableCARD: M-CARD inserted
19700101-00:00:03 System: network link 1000f
19700101-00:00:04 System: ip address obtained: ###.###.##.## / ###.###.###.##
19700101-00:00:06 CableCARD: Motorola card (0000:0265)
19700101-00:00:06 CableCARD: authentication status: authentication in progress
19700101-00:00:06 CableCARD: authentication status: authentication
success, validation success
19700101-00:00:31 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver downstream status: success
19700101-00:00:31 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver upstream status: success
19700101-00:00:31 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver authentication status: success
19700101-00:00:31 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver operational status: initializing
20150131-01:01:01 CableCARD: time changed from Thu Jan 01 00:00:41
1970 to Tue Jan 31 01:01:01 2015
20150131-01:01:01 CableCARD: Tuning Resolver operational status: ready


If some of the lines do not indicate success, or ready,
then no matter what Charter thinks, you are not
actually validated (both the CableCARD and the
Tuning Resolver need to show authenticated).

However, to be honest, the "subscription required"
sounds like a classic (well known) problem
that indicates there is one more step to do by Charter.

Motorola (Arris) franchises tend to enable channels
(actually, usually, the tier you subscribe to) in a two
step process.  First is the account.  The account needs
to have the channels to be able to receive them.  The
other is the card itself.  If the card does not have the
channels enabled you get the "subscription required"
message even if your account has the correct information.
Sometimes this enabling of the card channels is hidden
behind the covers of the interface that a CSR enters the
data into and they never know about it.  Sometimes it is
an explicit step they they have to perform (and can either
forget, or mistype the data).

What I would try to do is to call Charter, with your
WMC screen available, get to the CableCARD
desk, and tell them the card is shown as validated,
but that are not getting your subscribed channels.
That (at least for some other operators) is the term
that they recognize means that the card is not
properly provisioned(*).

Most CSRs are far more likely to know what WMC
is than MythTV, so being able to report the messages
you get on WMC is the way to have the conversation
(and some have a script they can ask about and work
with).

Good luck.




(*) Sometimes, if the card is in a "unusual" state
inside their system they have to delete it entirely
from your account, delete it from their system
inventory, and then re-enter it, and start over.  That
usually means the card was not properly entered
originally, or sat in some corner of some pile and
expired inside their system.