Tell me about Tivo

[KenM]

How much is it a month? How easy is it to install with a DVD player? Is it worth it? I heard you can skip the adds.

 

[ThirdWizard]

The TiVo FAQs should answer most of your questions.

I think the stats they provide as far as capacity are based on the lowest quality recording. If you record eveything in Best quality, you arn't looking at a whole lot of storage space. There are four quality settings, though.

It's as easy to install as it is to hook up anything else to the TV. I have a cable splitter going to the DVD player and the TiVo, and the outputs from those going into the TV, and one output from the TiVo going to the DVD player. That way I can watch the TiVo, TV, a DVD, and if I want, I could move stuff from the TiVo to a tape/DVD (It's a VCR/DVD-W).

I think its worth it. Pausing is nice. Rewinding is nice. You can tune in halfway through a show and skip the commercials and finish it around when it is actually finishing (just don't channel flip or you'll lose it). The wishlist feature is also nice. If there's something you really like, you can tell TiVo to constantly look for it and record it if it is ever on, for example. It really has changed the way I watch TV.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

KenM, do you have digital cable or a satellite dish? I came to the conclusion a while ago, while looking into Tivo service for my digital cable setup, that it wasn't really mindblowing unless you had DirecTV. You could still pause and rewind, as well as record, but you couldn't do two programs at once and it didn't support hi-def recording. All of which my new Comcast DVR does do.

So if you have digital cable, I'd look into whether your provider has a DVR upgrade, rather than getting a features-crippled Tivo.

 

[KenM]

I don't have digital cable but I can get it easy enough.

 

[John Crichton]

KenM, do you have digital cable or a satellite dish? I came to the conclusion a while ago, while looking into Tivo service for my digital cable setup, that it wasn't really mindblowing unless you had DirecTV. You could still pause and rewind, as well as record, but you couldn't do two programs at once and it didn't support hi-def recording. All of which my new Comcast DVR does do.

So if you have digital cable, I'd look into whether your provider has a DVR upgrade, rather than getting a features-crippled Tivo.

DirecTV's Tivo will do all that but there is not an option for digital cable at the moment (and may not be for a while but who knows - they are making a bunch of changes and upgrades within the next year).

KenM - The best part about the dual-tuner is never having to worry about missing a show (like on Wednesdays with Veronica Mars/Lost airing at the same time). And maybe even better is the pause/rewind live TV. You can skip through the commercials, too - but you have to time it, something you'll get used to after use.

I'll echo the above poster and say that it has changed the way I watch TV. I could do it without the TiVo anymore. It's just too convienient @ 11.95/month. Eventually, I'll be getting it with the HD set-up. Mmmmm.

 

[Undead Pete]

I agree about DVR. If you have digital cable, it is so worth it. Seems to be cheaper than Tivo, too.

 

[IronWolf]

I will skip the cost as that probably varies depending on who you get the DVR through. Ours is a TiVo that came with DirecTV and is a dual tuner model. We love it! We had one of the Dish models before and are so glad we switched to DirecTV to get the TiVo flavor. The season pass feature to catch the whole season of shows is great, no more remembering to set something to record. Fast forwarding through commercials, pausing TV when IronPup needs us or wakes up from a nap, all great stuff. Highly recommended!

 

[jaerdaph]

I really like Time Warner's DVR for all the reasons John Crichton mentioned, and I believe it is cheaper than TiVo.

 

[TanisFrey]

My parents are Freeks.

They have a DVR buildt in to the ditigal Cable, another buildt in to a Dish Network And a TIVO. Personaly I like the desinge of the TIVO interface the most. The other two do not let you alter the recording quiality.

The Latest TIVOs can be dual tunners. It all depends on how much $ you want to spend. The Dish has a dual tuner model also.

 

[Rackhir]

Everyone I know who has tried both TiVo and the cable dvrs loathes the cable DVR's interface and functionality compared to TiVo's. TiVo's usefulness is also directly related to the number of channels you are getting since you can have it record things similar to other things you like.

There is a Tivo that will record in Hi-def, it's one of the Direct TV models. Though it will do over the air recordings as well. Quite frankly though I haven't found that there's much Hi-Def programing that really benefits from the better picture quality. Most of it has been nature documentaries, the network stuff usually isn't much better than the standard feed.

It is also possible to add storage to a TiVo, most stand alone boxes will take a second drive and it is possible to replace the drive in a single drive model like the Pioneer DVD-R/TiVo units. Though it is not for the faint of heart and without an internet connection.