finshee

I've been thinking about getting a TIVO setup, but I want to ask a few questions before I dive in with both feet.

Question #1: How many programs can it record at once?

Let's say there are three shows you want to watch at the same time, can you watch one and record two? Or record three and watch none? Or can you only record one show at any given time slot?

Question # 2: How does it hook up to your current TV setup?

I have directv, how do I hook it up? Plug it into my DTV box or what? What if I had regular cable? Does it matter?

Question # 3: Can you transfer your recordings to DVD/VHS?

Just to archive your personal favorite shows?

Question # 4: How Is THe Data Stored?

IS it like a big list, a computer drive directory, or what?

Those are all for now, any help would be appreciated.

mrpayroll

#1 - If you buy the Directivo, you can record two different programs and watch a different pre recorded program, at the same time.

#2 - You plug the cables from the Directv satellite dish into the Directivo (You need the larger dish with 2 LNB so that you get both tuners). Then you can either output the Directivo to your integrated amplifier or directly into a tv, using either regular RCA video/audio cables or S-VHS and you can also use Toslink (digital optical out)

#3 - Yes, VHS is easy to output to. Haven't tried DVD.

#4 - You have a 'Now Playing' list which lists all of your recorded programs in order or date/time recorded.

Hope this helps and if anybody has any corrections/additions to my comments, please proceed!

Chris

big whoppa

If you buy a standalone Tivo, you can only record one and watch a precorded show.

You can't output to a DVD unless you hack into a Tivo and do a mod.

Just Lurking

Great site for TiVo!

TiVo Community

mrpayroll

That's where I learned all that I know about Tivo. Plus getting the great bargains on my 2 newer Directivo's.

Chris

chrisih8u

I have a question, too. Im getting Directivo installed tomorrow. I was wondering how to set up the surround sound with it. Right now, I have surround sound for dvds only. What do I need to get it for Directv? The receiver I have now doesnt have surround sound, so I have no idea.

mrpayroll

I'm not sure I understand. How do you get surround sound for your DVDz, if your receiver doesn't have surround sound?

I don't know how your money situation is, but my advice would be to get a Dolby Digital 5.1 receiver, cause you're really missing out on some great sounds on the DVD and on Directv.

Chris

chrisih8u

I have a Dolby Digital receiver/dvd player. But I dont have a DD directv receiver. But the Directivo has DD. I was wondering what I need to connect the Directivo to the receiver. Or does the Directivo go directly to the speakers? Im confused, too.

BenCJedi

Right on! Unlike a standalone TiVo. A standalone TiVo will however allow you to record off-the-air local TV with all the TiVo goodness. If DirecTV doesn't have locals in your area, you won't have a way to record the off-the-air networks (abc, nbc, cbs, fox) unless you use a VCR, but there's no TiVo fun in that.

Digital optical is preferred for crisp, clear digital audio and it also carries 5.1 channel audio which ordinary RCA jacks cannot. You usually get 5.1 sound on movie channels I think.

Why do VHS and lose quality when you can get a Turbonet card for your TiVo and extact the TV shows right to another computer on your home network and then burn straight to DVD with absolutely no loss in quality? I found a webpage that describes how:
http://web.figure1.net/~jlindqui/pro...iVo-DVDv1.html
Then you can work with the file digitally to get it to DVD with minimal loss (as oppossed to using a standalone DVD recorder).

And what a great list it is! Always something interesting to watch.

greatjedi

Just plug a digital optical cable into the back of your Tivo and plug the other end into your Dolby Digital receiver. It's really no different than the Dolby Digital setup for your DVD player.

chrisih8u

Thanks! I'll be sure to pick one up!

mrpayroll

These kinds of forums are great for when you need help. This is how I learned all that I know. So now you must carry on the torch and teach others what you have learned!

Chris

big whoppa

No local channel recordings even with cable/satellite combo on DirecTivo? That would be a bummer if no local channels on DirectTivo.

Complete digital with DirecTivo and the two simultaneous recordings would be a plus. But I have Dish Network so that wouldn't do me much good. So I'm stuck with an old standalone or my ReplayTV (which I don't like as much).

mrpayroll

Well I do have the LA locals, all 22 stations! I think that is the most of any city in the U.S.

Chris

BenCJedi

I have Dish Network too. I use a standalone TiVo with the cheapie dish receiver 2700 I started out with like 5 years ago. It's a basic receiver, but paired with the TiVo, it's killer. I use TiVo to catch my local off-the-antenna locals as well as catch shows I am not interested in saving for 'archive quality'.. like if I want to watch a Seinfeld or old Simpsons episode and have a few dozen of each to pick from.

Unfortunately you cannot input a cable signal onto a DirecTivo and record locals that way because unlike the standalone TiVo, the DirecTiVo has no mpeg encoder in it. DirecTV just stores the tv signal already in mpeg format on the DirecTiVo (no encoding is actually done on the receiver itself). The only way to get locals on your DirecTiVo is if DirecTV has locals on the dish available for the area you live in (usually the bigger cities).

Dish Network makes satellite PVR (DVR) receivers too. They just aren't as elegant as TiVo because they lack the cool programming conflict resolution and other spiffy features like wishlists and season passes. I have a Dishplayer 7100 which records shows I schedule (without recompression, like DirecTiVo). There are means to extract perfect digital recordings off it also. The most recent PVR dish receivers Echostar makes are the 501/502/508 receivers. There's also digital archive extractions available for those as well, but ya gotta know where to look since the subject is sorta a taboo/gray area thing (about recording shows to devices other than VCRs). I believe there is a Dish Network receiver coming out that has dual tuners like the DirecTiVo, but it is quite pricey for existing customers and has no where near the abilities of TiVo. I'm really looking forward to hdtv TiVo's so I can finally get an off-the-air hdtv tuner and be able to record shows. this is possible now if you have an HDTV card for a computer to tune in and record to a harddrive, but it's not as handy as just flicking on a receiver to watch hdtv.

big whoppa

If you have a DirecTivo with DirecTV and decide to cancel and go with Dish Network, is the DirecTivo useless?

I'm happy with my standalone Tivo even though it lacks the capacity since it's the original. The compression is a bummer though.

Chew

Pretty much, it relies on the DirecTV signal and won't work with any other input.

djbrown

Yes, it's useless. But I've yet to hear anyone cancel DirecTv after they got the DirecTivo.

Cat

If it wasn't for the DirecTivo I probably would still be with Dish Network today! I have converted many of my friends over to DirecTV and they have all bought the DirecTivo with the system and have loved it. Totally changes the way you watch TV and it is sooooo easy to use. It is a MUST BUY for any DirecTV user!!

Cat

mrcoaster

I'm running off regular cable, but I have 3 Tivos. We never miss any show due to conflicts. There's always room somewhere to record something.

We have 3 Tivos set up via the 3 video inputs to the TV, have the regular TV tuner....can watch one show and record 3 at the same time if we had to. Doesn't happen much, but we never worry about 2-3 shows being on at the same time.

As the FCC chairman said earlier this year:
Tivo is God's machine.

BigDave

I'm waiting for a networked Tivo where you can record in several rooms and also be able to watch the content in any room you choose.

mrpayroll

And continue to get the word out there about Tivo. They are still struggling as a company and the more people that find out how easy it is to use, the more income Tivo will have and the better chance for survival as a company they will have.

Of course whatever happens, the basic concept and ideas of Tivo will never die. If Tivo does go under, their software concept will live on, but probably in the PVR's that the cable & satellite companies give out/sell to their customers. But it would be nice for Tivo to survive as a company.

Chris

mrpayroll

Yeah but the movie companies don't want that. Just look at ReplayTV and what happened to the models that allowed that. They are gone and the newer models don't have those features.

Chris

BenCJedi

They have that now on the series 2 units if you buy the home media option (HMO):

http://www.tivo.com/4.9.7.asp

Series 1 units don't have that ability unless you hack it and add a network card to move the recordings bertween the units. It's not easy. The HMO thing for the series 2 units makes it as easy as can be.

mrpayroll

Yeah, but it's not for the Directivo... yet!

Chris