They do not charge the $5 for the 2nd tuner, as long as you have a phone line connected.

You can also use the 2nd tuner for PIP when in "single" mode. The 2nd TV will still be able to view video, but it will be the same as the PIP source in the main room. I personallty think the PIP feature is a nice feature (even though its rarely used) as this was not possible before unless you had 2 boxes. Even then, you had to juggle 2 remotes, and it wasnt worth it. I actually have custonmers wanting Pip, and this was a nice way to do it.

Be cautious when using TV2 for video distribution. Its good for some situations, but there is no way to control it via I/R. (No integration w system controls)