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Old 07-31-03, 11:59 AM
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Tivo picture quality?

I'm wondering about the picture quality of Tvio. Better than
vcr? Better than dvd?
Old 07-31-03, 12:20 PM
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I think this has been discussed before, but...

You ask a pretty open ended question. It depends on the source of the signal, whether it's a DirecTiVo or standalone, and if a standalone, what quality setting it records in.

It can't be better than the quality of the picture you begin with.
Old 07-31-03, 12:31 PM
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Originally posted by Chew
I think this has been discussed before, but...

You ask a pretty open ended question. It depends on the source of the signal, whether it's a DirecTiVo or standalone, and if a standalone, what quality setting it records in.

It can't be better than the quality of the picture you begin with.
Well said.

If you record something at the lowest level, and there is a great deal of movement in the picture (I.E. a sporting event) you'll see pixilation.

The higher the setting, the less you'll notice that it is a recording.
Old 07-31-03, 12:49 PM
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As AXP stated, it is worse as you gain more hours, really you 40 or 80 hours is at basic quality which is almost useless. I have most of my programs at medium quality which while not great, is very watchable for me. Of course any major movement (explosions, sports etc.) will cause pixilation, so SCI-FI types shows usually get high or best.

Now with that out of the way, is it better the VCR? Yes. My main feed goes straight to the TV, but I have a secondary feed going to my VCR then to TV. I can tell the difference between the two. I can also see a major difference between using the VCR as a pass-through, or actually using my VCR's tuner.
Old 07-31-03, 12:56 PM
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Originally posted by Chew
It can't be better than the quality of the picture you begin with.
True. But it can be equal. It is on the DirecTivo.
Old 07-31-03, 02:22 PM
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Originally posted by Kiljin
Now with that out of the way, is it better the VCR? Yes. My main feed goes straight to the TV, but I have a secondary feed going to my VCR then to TV. I can tell the difference between the two. I can also see a major difference between using the VCR as a pass-through, or actually using my VCR's tuner.
So I'm getting that on highest quality it just barely beats out VCR? I have a 65" 16x9 RPTV and I'm not very pleased with the recording quality I get from my VCR (considerably worse than the same OTA broadcast) and was hoping to upgrade. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any product to upgrade to. I was hoping for a device that records to a hard drive but doesn't have to phone home or require monthly fees. In other words something like a VCR but better quality. I would think a digital recorder could match the OTA quality with no problem. Anything like that out there?
Old 07-31-03, 02:30 PM
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Right now, the only thing that matches all of your requirements (as far as I know) would be:



Zenith HDR230 combines Zenith’s latest-generation ATSC terrestrial Tuner with an 80-gigabyte hard Disc Personal Video Recorder for Storage and playback of more than eight hours of HDTV programming. An all inclusive programming device, the HDR230 provides all the Tuning needs that a large-screen HDTV requires.
Analog NTSC and Digital ATSC TV tuners
80GB Internal Hard Drive can record over 8 hours of TV programming (storage can be edited or transferred to an external video Recording device for permanence)
Program System Information Protocol - HDTV service from TV Guide instantly delivers seven days of listings of all shows and includes a new service that allows consumers to 'tag' favorite shows at the push of a button
Dolby Digital recording and Output capabilities
Ports include DVI - S-Video - Component Video - Composite - Digital inputs or outputs (depending)
Remote Control
Most DVRs require a "phone home" or a "monthly fee". I don't believe this one requires either.

Currently on sale for $829 at http://www.jandr.com

( )
Old 07-31-03, 02:54 PM
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Originally posted by Chew
Right now, the only thing that matches all of your requirements (as far as I know) would be:
Sweet! Thanks. Price includes a digital OTA tuner so it isn't as bad as it seems at first glance. Guess I'll have to call. The max quality of the output is unclear to me. I wonder if it is somehow limited?
Old 07-31-03, 03:06 PM
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That 8 Hours sure is tough to swallow.
People moan about 35 hours on the dtivo
Old 07-31-03, 05:13 PM
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Originally posted by BadlyDrawnBoy
That 8 Hours sure is tough to swallow.
People moan about 35 hours on the dtivo
That's 8 hours in HD. 80gigs in SD would equal about 80 hours.
Old 07-31-03, 06:21 PM
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Before you rush out to buy that Zenith read some reviews of it! I've read a couple in magazines, I think DVD Etc. and Sound & Vision (or at least one of the two) recently. Generally both reviews said it was a quality product but the over the programming list leaves much to be desired due to the fact that many broadcasters don't give much of any info in their programming signal, video quality is not as good as actual HDTV, and regular TV looks the same as TiVo does, sometimes a bit more pixellated. This is all from my memory. If you can wait I'd suggest getting an HDTV TiVo (which should be coming sometime in the near future.) If you can't, then I'd suggest saving a few hundred and getting a standard TiVo for now unless you plan to use it exclusively for HDTV programming.
Old 07-31-03, 06:25 PM
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I can attest to the slow/poor guide information. I bought the cheapest OTA HD receiver on the market (only to tide me over until those HD DirecTiVos come out) and it takes 3-4 minutes to receive guide data once requested.

The info you get back ranges from "Program # 0134" to "HD Loop".

Obviously not really descriptive.
Old 07-31-03, 08:53 PM
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Originally posted by renaldow
Before you rush out to buy that Zenith read some reviews of it!
Thanks for the info. This seems to be the only HD recording device of this type currently available. That concerns me a bit although it seems to be what I want. I would prefer that the tuner and recorder be separate devices but I don't know if that is an option. Most likely they will follow the current convention and include a tuner with all recorders (like vcr), but they're currently so expensive ... So much is unknown it is really tough to know what to do.
Tivo doesn't interest me at all. I will never buy a device that won't even work if you don't subscribe to their service. I know that the Holy Grail for marketing is to keep their company's hand in your pocket but I'm going to avoid that trap as often as I can. I really don't like TV enough to make Tivo worthwhile. I would only record a couple of shows a week.
Old 07-31-03, 09:00 PM
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Originally posted by Chew
I can attest to the slow/poor guide information. I bought the cheapest OTA HD receiver on the market
What did you get? I'm thinking Samsung SIR-T151. All local stations have now gone digital. I gotta get something.
Old 07-31-03, 09:10 PM
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Originally posted by Easy
What did you get? I'm thinking Samsung SIR-T151. All local stations have now gone digital. I gotta get something.
That's the one. It's good enough for now.

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