Superman07

So when all is said an done (with one box) you're likely looking at $12/mo for the box and then $4/mo for the cable cards. Roughly $16/mo v the ~$15/mo for cable company to rent you a box? Or are my figures off?

Michael Corvin

Damn. I just paid $500 about two months ago. Oh well. Looks like this new one is only 180 hour vs. 300. Yeah, that's the ticket.

al_bundy

$9 to rent a time warner cable HD DVR. For more storage you can buy an external USB HD and attach it

Big Boy Laroux

i honestly feel that anyone that uses a TiVo after using the cable provided box would want to switch to TiVo in a heartbeat.

now, the extra cost of TiVo (for the hardware) is something to consider, of course. I thought the series3 was waaaaaaaaaaay too expensive. But this price range seems adequate, and they may roll out rebates in the future.

rfduncan

Spoken like someone who has never used Tivo!

aktick

Is it the same software as their non-HD DVR? If so, I wouldn't use it if they paid me $9 a month.

Tracer Bullet

I have no idea, but I'm really learning to dislike my Time Warner HD-DVR. My new favorite thing it does it shut off for some reason and then lock up if I try to turn it back on. I have to pull the power cord from the wall and boot it back up.

Chew

Is that the SA 8300?

al_bundy

just trade it in then

time warner has a few locations around the city and you can trade in hardware on the spot. it's usually a 15 minute wait

i had mine for almost a year and no complaints. it works. no problems. you can record individual shows. you can set it to record every first run of a show or every time it is run. it records in HD. dual tuners so you can record 2 shows at once or watch something else while recording one show

Ayre

There are two operating systems for TW 8300HD boxes Sara and Passport .
SA8300 AVS FORUM THREAD

The biggest problem with my TW box is the lack of 1st run detection (Sara). I dont have any technical issues at all and I expanded it with an addition 160gb external drive.
=======

As for Tivo:

Its the best box out there, but only if you have the disposable cash for the fees.

For me:
* Amazon Unbox - This could be huge, but I already have a computer hooked to my TV to watch online shows.
* 1st run detection
* Season Pass.

[NOTE] Even with a cable card you most likely will not be able to do Pay-Per-View or On Demand with your Tivo and Time Warner.

Draven

Well that's something!

What if I just wanted to dual-tuner record OTA HD? No cable subscription or anything?

Tell me about it - I'm dreading the changeover.

Chew

My Series 3 is for OTA HD only. I'll never go back to cable.

Draven

So, as I continue to sound like an idiot, I don't need the cable card? There are two coaxial connections on the back of the unit?

al_bundy

if you have an older model cable box or DVR you can trade it in with TW with no questions asked. just bring it to one of their service centers. no appointment needed

CRM114

Can you have it record every show it encounters with "fish" in the title? Can it record any show with "Michael Moore" in the description? Recording shows is the easy part.

Chew

Nope, no cable card required. In fact, it actually works better without it. I've read all kinds of horror stories about cablecards both with installation and usage. (not to say there aren't plenty of very happy customers once it's up and running properly)

And you'll just need a single coax running from the antenna to the TiVo because the internal ATSC tuners can record on two channels at the same time.

rfduncan

Well I have two DirecTivos and a single receiver. I will hold on to see what they're going to do for me to replace these units with comparable equipment. If they're expecting me to trade the Tivos for inferior DVRs, then they're going bye-bye and I'll switch back to cable. In fact (I know Comcast sucks but...), I may roll phone, internet and cable all into one thing... anticipating that Comcast/Tivo DVR will pan out.

So I have a question with OTA. How does Tivo season pass with that?

Tracer Bullet

Not sure. It's a Scientific Atlanta box, and that's all I know.

Tracer Bullet

Eh, I only use it to record HD network programming and it's the summertime, so I'm barely using it. Most of the time it's just sitting there, sucking.

kantonburg

If you read my other post I've had two. Everyone has their wants/needs. I wanted something with functionality. At the time Adelphia, now Comcast, offered a two tuner HD DVR for about $8 a month. So I got more storage, HD recording capabilities, HDMI port, dual tuners. At the time tivo didn't even offer a two tuner box for cable much less HD recording. When I saw the deal I was willing to pony up the $300 for the box and figured a few more dollars a month for TiVo service was worth it. At $16.95/mo it's nearly double. Everyone has to draw a line somewhere. For me that monthly fee was it.

Chew

There's no difference in Season Passes with OTA.

I don't know enough about the Comcast TiVo to say whether it even does OTA, if that's what you're wondering.

Draven

Ah, of course - that makes sense. I'm too used to multi-switches and satellite dishes

Shannon Nutt

I've heard a lot of horror stories about cable companies DVRs, but never had a problem with mine...maybe I just don't use it enough (I probably only record 2-4 hours per week).

CRM114

Yes, the Tivo is constantly recording. It looks at your viewing habits and the shows you gave positive or negative ratings and it tries to record stuff you might like. Also, with the season passes and keyword auto-recording, there are a lot of shows recording by themselves with no intervention.

You can also go online and schedule a recording through their website.

chanster

My cable HD DVR pretty much sucks - very clunky and if you rewind it all, it starts to have problems.