TIVO: Give me some specs please
 

I'm interested in purchasing a TIVO when I graduate this May. Can somebody give me some specs on it like how much it would costs me, what the subscription rate is, how big the hard drive is, is it really worth it, etc?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Go to your local electronic retailer web site or store, ie, BestBuy, GoodGuys, Circuit City... Also check back issues of consumer report at your campus or public library if you can't make up your mind.

Of course, check out tivo.com for all your questions. Sub rates are $299 or $12.95/mo. I think it's quite expensive now. 80 GB model is $349 after $50 rebate on their website.

You can probably find it cheaper on ebay. If you sign up for DirectTV, you can get a DirectTivo model for $199 and $5/mo for the sub. Or buy any DirectTivo and if you sign up to their premium package, you can get a free subscription as long as you keep the package.

Is it worth it? Yes but only if you like to watch TV. VCR's are a pain for recording and lack so many features found only in a PVR.

Although I'm a big DirecTiVo supporter and greatly prefer TiVo over ReplayTV (I had a Replay for nearly 2 years before switching to DirecTV), you should check out ReplayTV too.

Best Buy has a 40 hour model for $250 after rebate, and then it's $9.95/month or $250 lifetime. Which ends up being cheaper to get started.

http://www.bestbuy.com/Detail.asp?m=1229&e=11184840

But, ReplayTV has a few advantages over TiVo (at least right now). Check out this article from The Screen Savers.

I know SonicBlue (owners of ReplayTV) have declared bankruptcy, but I don't think the product is going anywhere any time soon.

Oh, and is it worth it? Trust me when I say, it changes the way you watch TV.

Anybody seriously thinking about getting a PVR/DVR should go for it.

I just got my second TiVo (an HDVR2 DirecTiVo) on Tuesday. My dish gets installed on Saturday.

My experience with recommending TiVo to friends (who in turn recommend it to their friends) has been overwhelmingly positive. Go with it unless you rarely watch TV.

I will go so far as to say if you are paying for cable or sat without TiVo you are throwing your money away since you only have access to a small percentage of programming that happens to fit your schedule and you happen to be aware of. TiVo easily finds shows you didn't know about and makes it simple to record shows that air while you are working, eating, sleeping, having a life, etc. Then consider never watching a commerical again.

BTW, I'm getting a Series 2 DirecTiVo, with a Dual LNB Dish, and Install for $149 (after $50 mail in rebate). I think that is easily the best PVR deal out there considering it comes with dual tuners and does "perfect" quality recordings.

I definitely prefer Replay to TIVO in a cable/digital cable setup. However, I would recommend steering clear of Replay until this bankruptcy gets sorted out. I'll be chewing my fingernails alongside of the other lifetime Replay subscribers for the next month or so.

I hightly suggest visiting the TiVo Community forums at http://www.tivocommunity.com/

Definitely go TiVo rather than ReplayTV, especially considering the trouble Replay is having at the moment.

THanks. I've had digital cable for some time now and just recently expanded my package and there's so much some on tv on just want to watch. I'm hooked on ESPN Classic!

Since you aren't buying until May, you'll be able to see how the Replay/SonicBlue auction shakes out. As I said before, I think Replay is definitely better than TIVO in digital cable environment.

I'm thinking of jumping into this as well. I had a few questions:

I'll be getting into it primarily to record stuff onto DVD-R for my own home use eventually. Are there certain models that have better outputs for hooking up to a computer? Anyone have any advice on that end?

Extracting the digital image directly from a TiVo/Replay harddrive is a tricky business. But, going analog from the unit to the computer is a snap. They all should have RCA and S-Video outputs.

Check out that Screen Savers article I posted earlier in this thread, it answers your specific question.

Amen. I've spread my TiVo addiction to at least three other households. It truly does CHANGE how you watch TV -- far for the better. I was a 1000-dial-an-hour channel surfer. Thought I actually LIKED doing that, but came to realize it was simply because I was LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO WATCH. TiVo solves that. There's always something on. Better still, something specifically geared to me.

I describe it as being a big a change as when the microwave was introduced in the kitchen. You can't imagine life without it.

I'd rather not do it through S-Video. It would only be marginally better than my SVHS recording, i would assume. I was trying to keep it digital.

Does the Ethernet cable manner accomplish that?

The Replay I had didn't have the abilities the current models have. But, based on the article, it sounds like it transfers the file to your computer while retaining the digital quality.

They had a segment on the actual show where the guy did this and the transfer bar showed about 90 minutes for a movie. It would depend on the speed of your broadband, of course.

A couple of warnings if you're using digital cable (which I'm thinking of upgrading to myself) with TIVO:

Since you'll be using a cable box, try to get one with a working serial port, so that TIVO can use that to control it. When TIVO records, it's gonna have to change the channel on the box, and the IR blaster method is sometimes slow or doesn't work all the time.

Standalone TIVOs (ie, not directivo) will compress shows into mpeg when recording, and uncompress when playing. You might see artifacting and an overall decrease in quality, and this could be magnified by digital cable. I don't have firsthand knowledge myself, but search tivocommunity and you'll see some threads. Of course, the best option is DirecTIVO, which records the digital signal directly, without compression.

Also, the 80 hour model will give you 80 hours only on "basic" quality. There are also Medium, High, and Best Quality, and I think on Best that 80 hours goes down to 27 or so. Which seems like a lot, but wait till you start using it. Most install extra hard drives, but there are a few problems with installing an extra hd on the series 2 TIVOs: no space and it's questionable whether the power supply is sufficient to support two. Just a FYI.

That being said, I love my TIVO, and I've only had it less than a month. It really is a product that seems so frivolous, but is overwhelmingly endorsed by people who have it. It really is worth the money, and TIVO needs to find a way to communicate that to people.

Hell, I'd even recommend a Tivo/ReplayTV for people who claim that they barely watch any television.

You can watch a 30 minute show in 20 minutes. You can watch a 60 minute show in 40 minutes. These machines can literally give time back to you... how many devices can do that? ;)

I know people that like Friends and ER, but hate the sitcoms in between. Yet these people (and I was one of them, back in the day) often pop the TV on at 8pm, watch Friends and then sit in front of the TV either watching lame "must see" shows or channel surfing aimlessly for 90 minutes until 10pm ER begins.

Time spent --> 3 hours.

With ReplayTV, I can watch Friends at 10pm, switch over to ER at 10:20, and have both programs done by 11pm.

Time spent --> 1 hour.


Now, what you do with that extra time is up to you. Some would read a book. Some people would rather sleep. Others (many others?) would use it to watch more TV. But no matter what you do, these machines are going to be a benefit.

Even if you just watch one 60-minute show a week (and how likely is that!)... you'd save 17 hours a year that you would ordinarily spend staring at commercials. I can think of a lot better things to do with that time (like watching 52 episodes of The Simpsons!) ;)

I also swear by the Tivo. I have 2 series 2 80 hour on Digital cable, each with their own cable box on the same tv. I have never had a missed channel change. You just have to make sure the pick the best code for your box.

Why Red Dog do you prefer Replay for a digital setup? I am just curious I have no experience with Replay.

I have a Series 1 Standalone. I didn't know the picture is better on a DirectTivo. I get artifacting so I have to set the recordings to high quality. I can't stand the artifacting or I would be able to get more recordings in. I have the 20 hour. Time to get off my lazy butt and install another hard drive!

Before this becomes a Tivo vs ReplayTV war, I want to point out that the Tivo interface is much more user friendly, has the priority settings and season passes.

And with the financial troubles of SonicBlue, who knows what will happen to the subscriptions. I called them and was sent around in circles as to rebate fulfillments. I bought a ReplayTV off Amazon and I'm ready to return it. The fulfillment company said that rebates will be honored but delayed. I'll be surprised if the company stays around that long. Who would in their right mind buy a lifetime subscription now?

However, ReplayTV is more hackable if you're into that kind of thing. It's not the easiest thing to do apparently. With the release of the Tivo2 and the networking capability, they may be equal in that respect.

Hey Guys,

I've had DirecTV for four years, but I've heard about Tivo recently and think it may be a great investment. I would be interested in Directivo, though. What's the best way to go about acquiring it? Should I just go to Directv's website? Go to a local retailer and hope they sell it? Other thoughts?

I was in Best Buy earlier and they had several models of Directivo including the offer I mentioned, a Hughes.

I own 2 DirecTiVos (see my sig)

[comicbookguy]Best. Investment. Ever.[/comicbookguy]

Big Whoppa,

Did the box say DirecTivo on it? The ones I've found at Best buy simply said "Tivo."

Look for the Hughes HDVR2. It is the only DirecTiVo that isn't hard to find nowadays. (It is also the most up to date and powerful) The box says "Hughes DirecTv Digital Satellite Recorder".

My experience was not so great with the Sonicblue ReplayTV model. The hardware was absolutely horrible to the point where I had to return it. I am sure it was just a lemon but I wasn't going to waste time on another Replay and they didnt have the 80 hour Tivo so I just got a refund.

Let me say I miss the Replay a lot.