tivo buying help

[russ257]

ok i am considering purchasing a tivo. tivo owners out there if you had it all to do over again would you do anything differently? what model do you own. i am considering the humax drt-400 it is A 40 hour with dvd recorder. so who's got oppinions?

[Mr. Poopypants]

russ, do you have comcast cable? I have the Comcast DVR box, it's only $10 a month and very easy to use.

[russ257]

i have blue ridge and they do offer a dvr i have to look into that

[Mr. Poopypants]

It will probably be easier that way, with the Tivo you have to pay a subscription anyway, you may as well have better support through your cable provider. They will just up an replace the thing if it freaks out.

[redlava]

I haven't done a lot of research on DVR's, but why do you need a subscription? Would you not be able to use it just like a "digital VCR?" Or am I way off the mark on this one.

[blake31]

switch to directv, get a free 80gb tivo, and thank me later.tivo service is $6/mo with directv (no matter how many tivo boxes you have. i have 2)

[Atomb]

Quote, originally posted by blake31 »switch to directv,..as soon as i can convince my wife that the house DOES look better with a satellite dish on the front!

[Mr. Poopypants]

The subscription service is so they can make more money basically, plus it covers updates to the service and the like. With Comcast the DVR fee is pretty much just a rental fee on the DVR/cable box. It is kinda like a digital VCR but it updates the channel schedule from a cetral "database" of all cable and satellite providers around the US, so you have to be connected to Tivo in order to get these updates (usually through a broadband connection). You then tell the Tivo what programs to record based on your cable or satellite provider's scheduling, so it is basically a digital VCR but with lots of helpful bells and whistles, and no 12:00 blinking on the front.

[cohocarl]

I've heard people rave about their Tivo's, and how supposedly great they are, but I don't have one. I personally cannot see paying the $300 lifetime service fee, or the $13/month. It may be worth it to some people, but I can't imagine how.There are a few DVD recorders with basic Tivo for free. It looks like basic Tivo isn't quite as elaborate as the $300 service, but....I've been watching the price on this one:http://www.nextag.com/toshiba-...-htmland the next model up has a bigger hard drive, but essentially the same: http://www.nextag.com/serv/mai...0_DVDWatch some deceptive advertisements for "after $150 rebate" price, which Tivo rebates you $150 after you pay the $300 lifetime service fee, (and inflated price of the unit).There are other DVR's out there that use the TV Guide system which is similar to Tivo that is free. I've read the TV guide system may not be as reliable as the Tivo service though. Anyone with an ATI all in wonder video card can download the TV guide software from ATI and use it on their computer. I use it and it's pretty cool.Here's one that use it: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-L...DXS34All the ones I've listed has a DVD recorder in them which I think would be very useful to archive movies/shows that you've recorded on the H.D.

[redlava]

Just to clarify, so you can use it without a subscription. And the subscription from Tivo or wherever basically is for an updated shows listing with a reliable way to program the recorder. So I could just go to Best Buy or wherever and buy one and then never have to pay for service if I don't want to. Correct?

[jwalcik]

i've got series 2 tivo w/ an 80GB drive. i've had it for about a year, and it's truly a wonderful thing. i don't have any hands-on experience with any of the cable or satellite dvr's other than time warner's. the time warner dvr (even their new HD dvr) is at best a cheap knock-off of tivo. less user friendly, fewer features, and it's only a couple bucks a month cheaper. in addition to the basic recording functionality, tivo gives you the ability to rate shows. based on your ratings, it will record other shows it recommends based on other users' ratings. occasionally, you end up with some rather random stuff, but still, it's a rather nice touch.additionally, you can add a usb wireless card, and connect your tivo to your home network. i've got music, movies, and my photo albums shared from my desktop computer, and available on my tv. since the tivo's already in the living room and connected to the stereo, i've got my entire music collection on hand without swapping cd's or the like.tivo also offers tivo2go, which allows you to copy recorded programs off of your tivo and onto your desktop or laptop (or now, your video ipod) for watching on the go. one big downside, if you've got a lot of living room gadgets, is the remote. the tivo remote is a wonderfully designed, deceptively simple device. for watching/recording tv, you couldn't ask for anything better. however, don't expect it to control anything other than your tv and the tivo itself. other than that, i don't have a single complaint.

[cohocarl]

Quote, originally posted by redlava »Just to clarify, so you can use it without a subscription. And the subscription from Tivo or wherever basically is for an updated shows listing with a reliable way to program the recorder. So I could just go to Best Buy or wherever and buy one and then never have to pay for service if I don't want to. Correct?Basically, that's the way I understand it also. Except, I've been told if you buy a Tivo, and don't subscribe to it's service, it is very, very limited, but I haven't actually used one that didn't have it's subscription. (with exception to Tivo's basic service, which is a no-cost, less featured program guide, which is on the units I listed above with DVD recorders built in)

[zionzr2]

wish i could have tivo!!Couple reasons why i cant.1. Wife says NO2. DirecTV requires a Land Based phone (of which i dont have)

[Mr. Poopypants]

Quote, originally posted by redlava »Just to clarify, so you can use it without a subscription. And the subscription from Tivo or wherever basically is for an updated shows listing with a reliable way to program the recorder. So I could just go to Best Buy or wherever and buy one and then never have to pay for service if I don't want to. Correct?I have Comcast DVR, not a Tivo, but I would imagine it is much like a satellite radio, you can have it in your car, but if you don't pay for the service, you get nothing.So what I'm saying is yes, you have to pay for the service to use the Tivo. (I would think)

[ragingfish]

I have a 40 hour TiVo-branded Series 2 DVR...which I subsequently "hacked" and upgraded to a maximum recording capacity of 203 hours (at lowest quality, of course), but almost 60 hours at highest.I have plain old OptimumTV. No digital cable. No satellite. No nothing but plain-jane cable TV service. I even have the aged General Instrument addressable converter box. My cable company hates us -- we refuse to upgrade to digital cable service. We pay too much each month for cable TV + internet as it is. Aaaaanyway...You don't *have* to have the TiVo service. But not getting it is like seeking out a a car with OnStar, buying it, and not paying for service after the first free year. Sure you can use the equipment without the service (with OnStar equipment on board, even if you don't pay for service, they still respond to airbag deployment notifications. TiVo, as well, can be manually set to record programs, without paying for the service)...but you're hardly taking advantage of it's full capabilities. The TiVo service provides numerous things -- updated listings, channel lineups, and cool previews of shows, movies, and even free music to sample. It all downloads all the time. In addition, if you connect your TiVo to a broadband internet connection, you can send a request for it to record a show -- from any internet connected PC in the world! And you'll received notification if it was able to successfully do so. Also, without the service, you don't get cool things like Season Pass. With a Season Pass, you can, for example, tell your TiVo to record every new episode in the season of House. It will set itself automatically each week to record every episode of House. And you never need to think about it again.Like Cameron Diaz? Use Wishlists and set your TiVo to automatically record any tv show, movie, or other program that has Cameron Diaz in it.Also, TiVo recently developed software that allows you to download shows off your DVR and put them on your notebook PC to watch wherever you want! Is $13 a month, or $300 a lifetime, a bit pricey for the service? Probably. But think about it. If you buy the lifetime subscription, after 2 years, you've saved money vs. the monthly subscription rate. It only takes 23 months for the monthly to equate to the lifetime. Yes, I'm a TiVo addict. I think it's one of the greatest things to ever be developed. And I also think anyone who pays for the box, but not the service, is crazy. Just my $0.02.

[russ257]

how does the hack work is it software or an actual hard drive update

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by russ257 »how does the hack work is it software or an actual hard drive updateboth. you need to add a physical HD, but then modify the tivo OS to recognize the added space.

[JustinVGT]

Like Mike says, I've heard people say how great it is and those neat features. I have Adelphia cable and with my deal they charge me $10 a month for a Minolta HD DVR and the basic HD channel package. When I used to live at home, we only had an antannae in the attic and got local stations so I didn't watch much TV. Now, at my place I have such a huge variety. My DVR isn't Tivo, but it does automatically record every new episode of my favorite shows. It is so handy because I just watch my shows on my time and fast forward through almost all comercials. A downside with buying a Tivo is you own it (good and bad). If you "rent" it from the cable company, they will replace it if anything happens to it and also to upgrade to a newer version it will not cost you. I think $10 a month for a HD DVR and HD channels is a great deal. I haven't looked at Tivo systems in a while, but I know they used to and possibly still have more expensive HD Tivo sets and then the regular Tivo sets. That one you mention with a built in DVD recorder sounds nice being able to burn your favorites on DVD.

[blake31]

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »wish i could have tivo!!Couple reasons why i cant.1. Wife says NO2. DirecTV requires a Land Based phone (of which i dont have)i don't think #2 is true. i've heard of people using VOIP to connect their tivo. but if you don't have VOIP either, then you're out of luck.

[jwalcik]

Quote, originally posted by JustinVGT »Like Mike says, I've heard people say how great it is and those neat features. I have Adelphia cable and with my deal they charge me $10 a month for a Minolta HD DVR and the basic HD channel package. When I used to live at home, we only had an antannae in the attic and got local stations so I didn't watch much TV. Now, at my place I have such a huge variety. My DVR isn't Tivo, but it does automatically record every new episode of my favorite shows. It is so handy because I just watch my shows on my time and fast forward through almost all comercials. A downside with buying a Tivo is you own it (good and bad). If you "rent" it from the cable company, they will replace it if anything happens to it and also to upgrade to a newer version it will not cost you. I think $10 a month for a HD DVR and HD channels is a great deal. I haven't looked at Tivo systems in a while, but I know they used to and possibly still have more expensive HD Tivo sets and then the regular Tivo sets. That one you mention with a built in DVD recorder sounds nice being able to burn your favorites on DVD.only $10/mo for the HD package and an HD DVR? rasafrackin' time warner charges me $9/mo for a handful of HD channels (networks, tnt, discovery) and wants another $10/mo for an additional package of HD channels that happens to include ESPN. anyway, what you're saying kind of sums it up. the DVR's offered by most cable companies seem to be glorified VCR's. they'll record you're stuff when it comes on so you can watch it on your own time.tivo takes the same thing, and then adds additional features that you may or may not care about. personally, you can pry my tivo out of my cold dead hands, but if you're not interested in the features ragingfish, myself, and whoever else have mentioned up above, the whatever DVR your cable company is offering probably does everything you need.