Absolute Zero

I'm going to be gone for a little over a month, so I'm going to bite the bullet and buy a tivo or a replay tv unit. First off, do I buy Tivo or Replay TV? Second, what unit should I buy? Do I buy a 40 hour standalone and upgrade the drive? Do I buy a unit with a DVD burner or DVD Player built in? Also, what about recording...can I watch one show and record another like I would a VCR? Thanks in advance for all your help.

Chew

I think a lot of those answers depend on how you want to use it.

Do you really want a DVD burner? Do you want to spend that much?

Just how much TV do you watch? Being gone a month, is 40 hours enough?

Do you have satellite or cable?

I think we need more information!

Absolute Zero

After thinking about it, I probably don't need a DVD burner, or a built in DVD player for that matter.

To answer your questions...

Right now I have Charter Cable, but I'll be moving to when I get back. I think Comcast would be my new provider...or do I get Dish Network, or Direct TV?

Anyway, 40 hours would be cutting it close for a months worth of programs. So I guess the question would be do I buy a larger Tivo or should I upgrade the drive? I have no idea how to upgrade the drive, but I'm sure I can find out somewhere.

Sorry about any confusion, I'm trying to make some quick decisions before I leave/move.

Chew

If you're even considering switching, the DirecTiVo is hands-down your best choice. An all-in-one TiVo/DirecTV receiver with two tuners (record two shows at once) and the ability to record digital signal (standalone TiVo are analog-only).

If you decide to upgrade the drive, check out http://www.weaknees.com or http://www.ptvupgrade.com/ It doesn't involve any special knowledge to install an upgrade.

In the meantime, why not just pick up a Cable DVR for the next few weeks until you move? Seems like a good tie-over.

Red Dog

I agree with this. If you have the opportunity to get DirecTV in the near future, do what Chew says.

Absolute Zero

Unfortunately Charter does not offer DVR service in my area yet. What about DVD recorders? How much record time will they hold...2 hours?

Chew

Don't know anything about DVD recorders, so I can't help you there.

Tsar Chasm

I have 3 TiVos. A 40 hour series 2, an 80 hour series 2 and a Toshiba 80 hour with DVD Player. The Toshiba is now the one in my home theater. I did this because it has toslink audio and component video. While the audio isn't better on the TiVi portion, the video is visibly sharper. The Toshiba TiVo is about 10% slower to react to commands compared to the TiVo branded units but this is easy enough to live with.

Absolute Zero

I actually saw a 40 ReplayTV at Amazon for $112 shipped. Plus there is a $50 rebate when it gets activated. It says it has 480p and optical or coaxial out for sound. This looks better than Tivo in the fact that it already has the Network card built in to share between other ReplayTVs and connect online to allow you to schedule shows from another computer. Should I just go with this one? I assume its easily upgradeable like Tivo if I find the instructions somewhere.

meglet

Amazon has a 40 hour stand-alone Tivo for only $79 after rebate right now, or check for a good deal with DirecTV. I think I paid only about $50 for each of my DirecTivos. I recommend the DirecTivo over standalone, but you do have to think about where you're moving to and if you'll be able to get a signal there.
Also, you can upgrade the drive with nothing more than a CD you download off the internet and a little bit of computer knowledge, I just put a 160 GB drive in mine and it only took about an hour. Check out the Upgrade Center at www.tivocommunity.com for more info and opinions.

Absolute Zero

I couldn't find the 80 hour Tivo that you mentioned. Do you have a link? I'd go for the Direc Tv, but I'm not going to get it and then move a month later. I'll probably get Direc TV in my new place.

meglet

Whoops, dunno where I got 80 hour, I meant 40 hour. Sorry if I confused you, still the best deal I've seen on them right now.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...X0DER&v=glance

It lists the price as "Too low to display" and then when you add it to the shopping cart it shows as $179.

Absolute Zero

I ended up getting the 40 hour Replay TV because it has the built in Network card and its only $62 after rebate. And I'm kind of intrigued about the 480p recording.