hi

i hope someone can help. i purchased a scientific atlanta 3100 cable box on ebay to use in the bedroom to get digital cable channels. when i tried to activate the box with time warner they said they couldn't do it because it wasn't in their system. to get one from them is $8.50/mo and the one i purchased(which is the same model as the one in my living room) cost me $20. is there any way to get it to work or do i just chalk it up to experience? thanks much :o

As you may or may not know, 99.9% of SA boxes sold on Ebay are stolen, because Scientific Atlanta sells them directly to the cable companies -- not consumers -- in the United States. Cable companies don't activate stolen hardware. The fact that your 3100HD was only $20 should have been a dead giveaway -- that unit originally cost several hundred dollars.

If you are looking to cut your monthly bill, I would suggest you see if Verizon FiOS is available in your area. Verizon FiOS is now available in a number of TWC areas and offers 200+ digital channels and 20+ HDTV channels for about $40/mo. That's the regular rate, not some promotional rate that expires in six months.

Yep, learning experience. It's basically a $20 paperweight.

Cable companies keep a strict inventory on the boxes they issue, so you're pretty well stuck with renting a second box.