I've been a Cox customer for almost 12 years, and this Mini Box debacle is going to be what forces me to switch to FIOS.
I've got one digital TV with a TiVO that works fine. I've also got three SD TVs that have been hooked up to the analog connection. All three of these also have TiVOs with lifetime subscriptions that I paid several hundred dollars each for. This setup has worked fine for years. Now that Cox is forcing me to rent these Mini Boxes to change the channels, my TiVOs have essentially become worthless, as they cannot change the channels on the Mini Box.
OK, as much as it bothers me, I know this is old equipment, and I decide to just bite the bullet and get the Mini Box. I get one for testing, install it, aaaand... it does not receive the channels I pay for. These aren't high-level channels, it's simple stuff, like AMC, FX, USA, Food Network, etc. The Mini Box simply does not recognize or acknowledge these channels. I reboot multiple times, channel scan multiple times, nothing changes. I don't get an error message, it just doesn't show the channel in the guide, and changing to that channel just switches to the closest channel I do receive. I think maybe the signal is degraded due to analog splitters where it comes into the house, so I spend $50 on a powered splitter/amplifier. Still doesn't work.
I call Tech Support, they have me unplug, reboot, channel scan several times. Nothing works. I disconnect the box, drive to the local Cox office and swap out the box for a new one. This one gives me a slightly better result-- the channels show up in the guide, and I get an on-screen error message (3.1.3) telling me I need a subscription to see the channel. I call tech support back. She reboots my box from her end, I rescan the channels... and I'm back to square one. No channels in guide, no error message, etc. Her only solution is they can roll a truck in two days.
The most frustrating part of this is that if I disconnect the Mini Box and re-connect the TiVO, everything is back to normal. I get all the channels back I used to get, except for those 8 or 10 that now display a "this is a digital channel now" screen. Of course, those are the ones I actually watch, so essentially, I am paying for a service I can no longer receive.
So I end up having to decide: do I spend the time & energy to solve this problem with Cox, knowing the end result means I have to throw away my TIVOs just to "enjoy" basic cable, or do I just invest that time & energy into setting up FIOS? I'll end up in the same place-- the TIVOs will be useless, but at least I'll get some bonus compensation for the effort of switching over.
Please do not suggest a) CableCARD for TiVO, this is the older series 2 that doesn't take a card; or b) Cox DVR, whose interface is a nightmare.