Comcast DVR or TiVo DVR?

[Goodsport]

Comparing Comcast's Motorola 6400 Series model DVR and TiVo's 40-hour Series2 model DVR, I've noted each unit's advantages over the other:


Comcast DVR:

• It's a dual-tuner unit, as opposed to the single-tuner TiVo unit. In other words, I can record two different channels at the same time and switch between watching either one, or I can simply record one channel while watching another.
• Ability to record HDTV (unlike the TiVo). Though I don't have an HDTV, perhaps one day I'll win the lottery and buy one.
• Though both units have S-Video capability, the Comcast DVR is also optical-audio capable.
• No need for a separate telephone connection.
• It's a digital cable box and DVR all in one unit.
• With Comcast's recently-revamped onscreen menu guide (which applies to most of its regular digital cable boxes as well as its DVR's), the TV program appears in the upper right-hand quarter of the screen even when searching through the onscreen menus.
• 30 hours of TV-quality recording capacity, as opposed to the TiVo's 11 hours of TV-quality (the TiVo's "Best Quality" option) recording capacity (the TiVo unit has several recording quality options, the "Best Quality" obviously being the best - the 40 hour listed capacity is for the TiVo's lowest quality option). However, various TiVo units have different capacities.
• $9.95 per month addition to the cable bill, as opposed to the TiVo's $12.95 per month (not including your cable bill). No cost for the Comcast DVR box and remote themselves.

TiVo:

• Onscreen program descriptions more detailed and informative.
• The picture seems a bit more solid when rewinding and fast-forwarding, and you can jump ahead or behind in increments.
• If you happen to move to a different residence, you can take your TiVo unit anywhere there's cable service, even if the new area doesn't yet offer cable DVR service.
• Search options a bit more thorough.
• Oftentimes, the TiVo unit gets extras like sneek previews and videos.
• Easy to record saved programs onto VCR or DVD burner. I don't yet know if this is also true of the Comcast DVR.
• Compatability between multiple TiVo units in the same household possible (though I believe that costs extra).

Did I miss any points for either unit (or both)? If so, feel free to add more.

So which one would you choose and why?


-G

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

Go with Comcast. When the equipment is obsolete, you can just get the latest DVR they offer. With TiVo, you get to buy another box. And pay an extra three dollars a month (as compared to Comcast) for the service.

TiVo is almost moving to commericals while you fast forward. If you go with TiVo, enjoy the unavoidable commercials.

 

[Aries_Omega]

DVR or TiVo...from an expert

I am acutally a cable tech and DVR's...at least ones made by Scientific Atlanta hold 50 hours of programing. A DVR menu no matter if it is with Cox or Comcast is an easier menu to use then TiVo. No phone line and if it breaks...no biggie...we will exchange it. In fact here in Northern Virginia, my company Cox Communications is going to have an ability similar to Replay TV in that if you say have 4 boxes....3 digital set top boxes and one DVR. You can record stuff on the DVR and then playback things on the other three. So....lil Jr. can watch the Wiggles on one TV in the play room, big sister can watch something on her TV in her room, the wife can watch Oprah in the bedroom and you can watch Stargate on the main TV in the TV room where the DVR is at.

I feel once we get this up that there will be someone who does what this guy did with Replay TV on a site I think called "pooply.com" or something. What you do is register the serial number of your Replay TV box. From your shows you have are on the database. So if you say need and old episode of ER you can go to the site, search for it and then send a message to this person requesting the show. When that person gets home theys see a message on their Replay box for the show. Give it time and people will do that with a DVR. It's not a hack...really...more like a online database using already exsiting tech.

Aries

 

[John Crichton]

TiVo is fantastic but I use mine (and have 2 others in the house) with DirecTV and it has a dual-tuner and a opitical out for audio. Records 2 shows at once.

See my thread about HD TV for more TiVo stuff and HD.

The sharing between units is free and can only be done with a Series 2 which at the moment will not record 2 shows at once. But that's where the extra TiVo's come in. Each can record whatever is needed and be watched anywhere.

I should mention that I have one that is different from the rest of the house. It has the dual-tuner but cannot share. We did it that way because no one watches my stuff and the rest of the family have their own setup and watch in different rooms.

As for recording times, you can buy (or mod) units that hold something like 75 hours of
"Best Quality" programming. There is also the HD Tivo that has a 250gig HD. It only holds 30 hours of HD stuff but like 200+ of regular stuff. Problem is price, the thing is $1000. Yikes. But for HD DirecTV folks it's heavenly. I can't wait to get one.

I can't really talk about cable DVR boxes. My friends seem to like theirs but that could be because they aren't paying for it. They are both cool and will do the trick. TiVo has the best interface on the planet, but other than that you can always try either one and switch to the other.

 

[Barendd Nobeard]

you can always try either one and switch to the other.

That, of course, is a great idea. You could try the cable company DVR and if you don't like it, buy a TiVo. You'd only be out a month's rental or so on the cable company DVR if you didn't like it.

 

[Rackhir]

A DVR menu no matter if it is with Cox or Comcast is an easier menu to use then TiVo. No phone line and if it breaks...no biggie..

You are the first person I have ever seen who has said the DVR menu on the cable DVR is easier to use that that for Tivo. Everyone else I know regards the Tivo UI as hands down the best they've ever seen for anything remotely like it. I know the channel guide for the Tivo is far, far better than anything I've ever seen off of a cable system, plus the ability to bring it up over what you are currently watching is far better than what had been available with the guides and still superior to the little window in a corner that Comcast is doing. Recording programs on the TiVo is extremely easy and setting up season passes to record series is also superior to than on the Cable DVRs. Not to mention the comercial advertisements that saturate every aspect of the cable box UIs.

In short using a Tivo is far easier and more pleasant than using one of the cable DVRs.

As far as the phone line goes, that's a red herring. Cable service has far more problems phone service ever did and you can hook up your series 2 or later Tivo to your broadband network for the price of a USB-Ethernet adaptor (about $30).

While TiVo does seem to be moving in the direction of a more restrictive media control system, very little has actually been done in the way of the proposed or anounced restrictions.

Keep in mind that the Cable Company controls absolutely what your DVR can and can't do and they've never exactly shown themselves to be friends of free media usage. Cable boxes have long had firewire and other I/O ports on the boxes which have only recently been activated by FCC order and still have limited functionality.

TiVo at least has a vested interest in not restricting too much what it's subscribers can do. Cable Companies have really cared very much what their subscribers have thought.

The one real advantage that cable currently has is the price. $5 a month plus no cost hardware is obviously cheaper than $13 a mo + $100-$1000 for the TiVo. But then again, with the TiVo it is at least YOUR hardware and not the cable company's, so you can upgrade the Hard disk sizes and and install other hacks and modifications in a way that is not possible with the cable DVRs.

Personally I suspect that the cheap costs on the Cable DVRs will last only so long as there is competition. Should Tivo go out of buisness, I would expect price increaces and increasingly draconian DRM to be imposed post haste. Remember that cable prices have consistantly risen at some of the highest rates seen for any common comsumer services.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I faced the same choice last year and went with a ReplayTV. Interface as good (or better, in some areas) than TiVo and far, far better than the Comcast box. Plus, it connects to my home network, so its pretty easy to download stuff from the PVR to the PC and burn it to DVD, or stream stuff from the PC to the TV (the Replay sees the PC as just another networked Replay box). All stuff that TiVo now offers for extra as part of the 'ToGo' package, only it works better and isn't subject to TiVos caving to the content providers and yanking functionality.

 

[Umbran]

[*]With Comcast's recently-revamped onscreen menu guide (which applies to most of its regular digital cable boxes as well as its DVR's), the TV program appears in the upper right-hand quarter of the screen even when searching through the onscreen menus.

I've seen people talk about this. I've seen images of a new menu guide on commercials. But so far, I've seen no sign of it on my Comcast service.

Note that having the TiVo does not entirely eliminate the Comcast guide. With the TiVo unit, you can still go ahead and use the cable guide as normal, you just cannot control your TiVo through it.

 

[Aeolius]

When I can get HDTV on a cable-based Tivo, i.e. not the DirecTV/Tivo combo, I may switch back to Tivo. Until then, I unplugged Tivo and switched to a Scientific-Atlanta DVR from my local Time-Warner cable provider.

 

[Arnwyn]

So which one would you choose and why?

Given the info above, I'd choose the Comcast DVR, by a long-shot.

Dual-tuner (single-tuner is useless... what use is that nowadays?), ability to record HDTV (though HDTV isn't much use if it's only s-video capable), slightly cheaper per month, and no cost for the box.

Normally I'd say paying for the box is completely bogus, but if you buy a TiVo and can use it anywhere, that's is indeed a big advantage for TiVo.