CRM114

Tivo HD

Finally, I'll be able to Tivo HD content. The new box is only $299 as opposed to the Series 3 which is/was $799.

It also has the eSATA port which will allow one to expand the storage of the unit easily.

Thanks Tivo!

EDIT: I didn't create this in TV Talk. Someone moved it. Tivos do a lot more than just TV nowadays.... Seems out of place.

Shannon Nutt

I guess I'm lucky...Comcast in my area offers an HD DVR (with the same specs - 20 hrs. of HD or 180 hrs. of standard) for only $9.99 a month. I think they're bumping it up to $11.99 in the fall, but I see TIVO isn't any cheaper.

I'm just curious as to why anyone invests in TIVO over their local cable DVRs? Unless your cable company doesn't offer one, I've never thought the investment in a TIVO was worth it...am I missing something? Not flaming...just seriously wondering. I guess it does offer some extra browsing and interactive features...but are these really anything more than most cable companies (or DirectTV) isn't already offering...or that you can't get via the Net?

Chew

Because I think my cable DVR sucks.

And to CRM, eSATA is not currently enabled on the TiVoHD. It's is unofficially available on the Series3, however.

Also, there's a thread in Home Theater, but I agree this could be in at least three forum areas: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=506671

CRM114

Its like MacOS vs Windows. Some people aren't willing to put up with kludgy software.

Its all about the software, the interface and the ease of use.

For example, do generic DVR's have Season Passes? You say record "Lost" and it records it every week regardless of time changes, skipped weeks and won't record the same episode twice?

CRM114

Tivo claims eSATA will be officially enabled in "late 2007." We'll see.

Tracer Bullet

Call me when cable company DVRs can download video podcasts, record suggestions, allow me to transfer recordings between units, allow me to stream video content from my PC to my DVR, continue a recording after a brief power interruption, don't randomly decide to turn off, lock up, or generally otherwise suck.

And I'm not even listing the myriad ways the TiVo UI is superior.

That said, I'm tempted by the TiVo HD, but I'm kind of turned off by the piddling HDD space and will wait for an external HDD solution (either officially or unofficially).

Draven

We have two issues that keep my from replacing my DirecTivo HD

1. I need dual tuners, period. (It only has one tuner, right?)
2. If we ditched satellite, my 3 1/2 year-old would die if he couldn't watch The Disney Channel.

Otherwise I'd be all over it. 80% of what we watch is in OTA HD.

Tracer Bullet

Both the TiVo series 3 and HD units are dual-tuner with two cablecards.

rfduncan

But neither support DirecTV. So I'm out.

So I'm probably going to stay out until that gets resolved. Not sure why they can support that too... I mean their first actual "for pay television" box was the DirecTivo. Why can't they include support for DirecTV? I suppose the fact that DirecTV is about to switch out all of their equipment when the switch broadcast MPEG encoding may have something to do with it?

Ayre

Or maybe because DirectTV dumped Tivo in favor of its own box.

B.A.

Not everyone has cable/satellite. I've wanted one for a couple of years w/ dual OTA-tuners.

I'm about to pull the trigger on one w/ the prepaid three-year service agreement. The monthly service still seems a bit much, but the savings are pretty substantial by pre-paying.

Chew

We can't blame TiVo for this one. Neither Dish nor DirecTV will allow TiVo access to it's encryption to allow for the TiVo HD boxes to be used with satellite service. No doubt they fear the lost revenue of selling you their own boxes.

big whoppa

What's the difference between the TiVo HD units?

aktick

Your hand may be forced in the coming months if you want HD via DirecTV.

spainlinx0

After struggling with the piece of shit DVR that is the Cablevision box I can tell you that their is a huge difference between the two. Just the simple feature of being able to say "Hey I heard about this show called _______" and actually search for it is an enormous help. If I need information now I would have to look it up online because trying to find a show through their guide is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

CRM114

Tivo has Swivel Search too. So if you searched for a movie, you could then search on one of its cast members and then select a film and search on the director and on and on by just clicking....

MEJHarrison

From the FAQ found at the link in the first post:

How is TiVo HD different from the TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder?

Both products are designed on the Series3 architecture so the core TiVo functionality is the same. However, the TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder will remain as our premium HD DVR product with features such as a bigger hard drive (250gb), THX Certification, front panel display and a programmable, back-lit remote control.

I think I might just jump on this. I upgraded to an HDTV right before Christmas but still have SD service because I didn't want to give up my DirecTivo or pay the outrageous price for the Series 3. But I don't see anything the better model provides that I would care about and the price on this one is looking very nice.

kantonburg

Interesting. This may be enough to get me to go back to Tivo. I had a SAS1 and SAS2. After they starting worrying more about what do-dads to add to their software versus actual functionality I gave up and went to my cable co's dvr. I have no complaints about it either. It does exactly what I want it to do. Though the TiVo software is very nice. The search feature to me is the kicker. It's far better than any cable co's dvr I've ever used.

Ephemeral_Life

I will replace my series 2 with this one around Christmastime; by then the eSATA should be enabled, and it'll be upgradeable to a very merry 100+ hours of HD storage capacity then

I have tried other DVRs, and they don't even begin to compare to TiVo's functionality. And yes, I am a Windows user who can't stand Macs

tboogie

Tivo doesn't work with DirectTV, but does it work with Dish? Is it just satellite in general that it doesn't support?

kantonburg

It's too bad that they charge $16.95/mo for the service. I'm just not willing to sign up for more than 1 year. Too much changes in the technology field to be tied down.

Jimmy James

You'd pay $300 for a box for a year but not the monthly fee? It seems to me that you're committing for more than a year when you choose to make the purchase.

CRM114

The Tivo Series 3 units use CableCard technology. I don't believe any dish service has anything like a CableCard. You call your cable co and tell them you need two cablecards. You pop them into the front of the Tivo HD and you have 2 tuners which are capable of decoding the cable co's encryption for premium and digital channels (and no other set top box besides the Tivo).

CRM114

Yes, the contracts are new .... and quite lame. Luckily, I have a unit with lifetime service (no longer available) so any additional units come with a $6/month discount. So, $6.95/mo for a three year commitment.

I've had my current Tivos for three years and I don't see me scrapping the new HD unit anytime soon. In three years, it will still be more advanced than the cable co DVRs with its ongoing software updates.

tboogie

Okay, now that's pretty cool. Thanks for clarifying.