A CableCARD™ decoder from your cable company is required to receive digital cable programming. The TiVo Premiere 4 and Premiere XL4 are designed for use only with digital cable systems. TiVo Premiere 4/XL4 do not receive analog programming, including over-the-air programming, and they will not work with an over-the-air antenna.

Most of the largest cable providers have "digital simulcast," which means they rebroadcast all of their analog programming on digital channels as well. This means that all programs available on analog channels are also available on digital channels when a CableCARD decoder is inserted. Therefore, if your provider has "digital simulcast" and rebroadcasts all of its programming in digital, you will not miss any of your cable channel programming with a TiVo Premiere 4/XL4. If you are unsure whether your cable operator's service provides all-digital or digital simulcast of all analog programming, please contact your provider for details. If you plan to relocate to a new area or change your video service provider, please contact your new provider to determine whether it offers all-digital or digital simulcast service for all its analog programming.

About CableCARD decoders

A CableCARD decodes encrypted digital cable programming for display on your TV without the need for a separate cable box. To receive the digital cable channels in your cable subscription, and to watch and record multiple channels at the same time on a TiVo Premiere 4/XL4, you need one Multi-Stream CableCARD decoder (M-CARD) from your cable company. While some cable companies offer CableCARDs to their subscribers for free, others may charge a nominal monthly fee, usually between $2-$4 per month. The CableCARD decoder goes into the CableCARD slot on the back of the TiVo Premiere 4/XL4. Learn more