Purchase Digital Cable Box

In Motorola systems you can get a DCP501.

Stay away from the hot ones on eBay.

Will Cox activate the box if you buy it outright? What fees would be associated (activation? monthly?)

you are better off renting the digital box from them. if you buy your own (which I dont think they sell to just anyone who walks in not to mention the cable company would frown on that) you would still have to pay the company to activate it and program it for your service. plus you lose the benefit of replacement in case of failure. at least if you rent it from them, anything goes wrong they replace it free since they own it. and you get free upgrades to new equipment when it becomes obsolete. I know some cable companies allow you to purchase your own cable modems, provided they are compatible with the system, but you lose the benefit of upgrades and replacement in case of failure. anything happens 2 months from now say, the box gets hit by a surge and dies. you have to shell out your own money and buy another. at least the cable co would replace it as long as you had it properly protected with a surge supressor, and it was their equipment.

it sucks that they "rent" the equipment, but its still better than paying for new equipment yourself if anything happens. ive had my cable modem replaced and my digital box once, because their idiot installers had used bad splitters and no ground protection, which caused spikes on the cable line and destroyed the modem and the cable box. so I got a brand new modem, new cable box, plus they had to reinstall the cable to specs. I didnt pay a dime!

things to consider when dealing with equipment like this. :)

Best to call them and ask. Give them the model and serial number. If it's hot, no one will activate it. If the seller will not give the serial number before you pay for it - that's a clue to steer clear.