Another Tivo thread...

[astroglide]

try to get advice from people who have actually used a tivo for an extended period of time. anybody will like having a functional dvr a lot more than not having a functional dvr, but that doesn't tell you what is better. the tivo software and interface is mind-numbingly superior to everything else i've seen/used. even though it would be much better than nothing my award-winning, sold out, waitlisted digeo moxi hd dvr sucked so hard in contrast that i only used it for recording hd. i split my cable and recorded all sd content on my tivo series2. now i own an hd tivo series3 and it is amazing.

the series2 works with both cable and satellite. if you get a lifetime unit you can resell it later. since they stopped offering lifetime service there's a premium on it. that should continue, but the series2 doesn't do high definition so that should bring it down in value over time. lifetime is associated with the unit itself but the hard drive is the only thing you'll hear about breaking. they can be replaced (or upgraded) with standard ones like you get at best buy, although some software tricks are required.

[NickMPK]

I have three DVRs in my house right now and use them all: a Series 1 TiVo, a Series 2 TiVo, and a Hi-Def DVR/cable box.

Both cable companies in my area (Comcast/RCN) now offer a cable box with built-in DVR for I think an additional $10/month...so you don't need DirecTV to get this service. It is inferior to my TiVo in terms of user-friendliness, but superior in that it records in high definition and can record two shows at once. However, I think the Series 3 TiVos do this also. It also has the advantage of downloading program info automatically through the cable, and not needing an infrared signal to communicate with the cable box. One disadvantage is that the cable company can delete what you have stored; they did this once when they upgraded their software.

So if you want digital cable and are not planning on storing stuff indefinitely, I would definitely get one of these over a TiVo series 2. But compared to a Series 3 I'm not sure...Series 3 looks cool but right now quite expensive.

[N 82 50 24]

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try to get advice from people who have actually used a tivo for an extended period of time. anybody will like having a functional dvr a lot more than not having a functional dvr, but that doesn't tell you what is better. the tivo software and interface is mind-numbingly superior to everything else i've seen/used. even though it would be much better than nothing my award-winning, sold out, waitlisted digeo moxi hd dvr sucked so hard in contrast that i only used it for recording hd. i split my cable and recorded all sd content on my tivo series2. now i own an hd tivo series3 and it is amazing.

the series2 works with both cable and satellite. if you get a lifetime unit you can resell it later. since they stopped offering lifetime service there's a premium on it. that should continue, but the series2 doesn't do high definition so that should bring it down in value over time. lifetime is associated with the unit itself but the hard drive is the only thing you'll hear about breaking. they can be replaced (or upgraded) with standard ones like you get at best buy, although some software tricks are required.

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astroglide is right, nothing beats a TiVo. For all of you using those [censored] HD DVRs from your cable companies, I pity you. Yes it is capable of getting some aspects of the job done, but it's horrible in comparison. Cable DVR are like using a command prompt to run your computer instead of Windows XP. Or like driving a Hyundai instead of a Ferrari (or Infiniti G35, I'm not sure which 2+2 prefers).

You get the idea, it isn't close.

However, the real reason I'm posting right now is because I haven't seen this mentioned on 2+2, but you can get your lifetime service from a Series2 transferred to a Series3 (link). You still get one more year of service from your Series2 before it becomes useless. The upside is that this is the one and only way to own a lifetime Series3 (except for eBay). I highly recommend you get this done before the end of the year if you own a lifetime Series2.

In closing, if you have a Cable DVR and you have the means to get TiVo, get it. You will not regret it. The only reasons you should not get TiVo are because you can't afford if or you don't watch TV (and if you don't watch TV, then you shouldn't have Cable or a DVR of any kind). You don't know what you're missing if you say that a Cable DVR is just as good as a TiVo.

*Disclaimer: TiVo doesn't pay me anything. I'm just a very satisfied customer, as is just about anyone else who owns a TiVo. It's going to be hard to find people who regret the purchase.

[N 82 50 24]

This is a typical cable DVRer outlook. Just FYI, it really isn't close to the same thing.

(7:36:09 PM) shaniac: what makes tivo so much better than a regular dvr?
(7:36:18 PM) GIFAFI: scheduling
(7:36:23 PM) GIFAFI: looking up programs
(7:36:29 PM) GIFAFI: flexibility of season pass
(7:36:36 PM) GIFAFI: ease of navigation
(7:36:42 PM) GIFAFI: on screen guide
(7:36:50 PM) shaniac: what is a season pass?
(7:37:02 PM) GIFAFI: repeated recordings of the same show
(7:37:16 PM) GIFAFI: cable dvrs have them, but they're harder to set up and manage
(7:37:25 PM) GIFAFI: and they don't really work correctly
(7:37:37 PM) GIFAFI: plus the comcast dvr is slow and clumsy
(7:37:43 PM) GIFAFI: fast forwarding sucks
(7:37:52 PM) GIFAFI: you need to rewind in order to jump back
(7:37:57 PM) GIFAFI: i have no idea how to play something slowly
(7:37:59 PM) GIFAFI: etc
(7:38:02 PM) GIFAFI: it's just awful
(7:38:20 PM) GIFAFI: it doesn't hold much recording
(7:38:26 PM) GIFAFI: it can't be expanded
(7:38:33 PM) GIFAFI: i could go on for days i think
(7:38:49 PM) shaniac: lol yes you seem impassioned on the issue
(7:38:57 PM) GIFAFI: agreed
(7:39:07 PM) GIFAFI: i just can't stand cable dvr donks
(7:39:23 PM) shaniac: had no idea really, was satisfied with my cable dvr assuming it was the same as tivo
(7:39:26 PM) GIFAFI: they're kinda like the people who insist that the paradise client runs better than the stars client
(7:39:37 PM) GIFAFI: which puts me on tilt
(7:39:57 PM) shaniac: lol gotcha...
(7:40:07 PM) GIFAFI: i'm about 100% sure that you would love tivo if you bought it
(7:40:17 PM) GIFAFI: and you'd never go back to cable dvr
(7:40:23 PM) shaniac: just there was never anything impelling me to buy it, since the cable company provides what I had assumed was the same thing
(7:40:30 PM) GIFAFI: not even close

['Chair]

comcast customer over here. upgraded to a comcast DVR about 8 months ago. love it. this past weekend however, i was up in princeton visting ffk's sister and sister's husband. they have a tivo (not sure what series)...while i didn't havve a lot of time to learn/play w/ all the features of a TV, the only complaint from me is the latency when turning the channels which i don't experience w/ comcast dvr.

['Chair]

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I hang out at a friend's place that uses MYTH software. It seems to work great for them. But they're pretty tech savvy. MYTH automatically records stuff, automatically finds stuff on the Internet if you want, theirs even automatically downloads teh current weather radar off the internet.

Sometimes there are minor bugs . . . the system freezes. They have it figrued out pretty well though.

They serve everything for their Myth off of several different computers. I don't really understand teh details. Anyway, it's legit -- and with a little tech know-how, it seems to be a great Tivo replacement.

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this doesn't work w/ digital cable...unless you don't mind keeping the tv turned to the channel you are recording.

[Mark Collins]

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*Disclaimer: TiVo doesn't pay me anything. I'm just a very satisfied customer, as is just about anyone else who owns a TiVo. It's going to be hard to find people who regret the purchase.

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Do you own any Tivo stock?

[N 82 50 24]

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comcast customer over here. upgraded to a comcast DVR about 8 months ago. love it. this past weekend however, i was up in princeton visting ffk's sister and sister's husband. they have a tivo (not sure what series)...while i didn't havve a lot of time to learn/play w/ all the features of a TV, the only complaint from me is the latency when turning the channels which i don't experience w/ comcast dvr.

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weird, i don't have that. i think maybe if you use a tivo to tune a digital box then there can be some lag, but i've never done that.

with the series3, there are cablecards in the unit itself and there isn't a set top box, so there isn't any lag.

i used to do what astroglide was doing -- split the cable, run one right into tivo and use the comcast dvr to record anything on digital channels. i dreaded using that interface.

[N 82 50 24]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

*Disclaimer: TiVo doesn't pay me anything. I'm just a very satisfied customer, as is just about anyone else who owns a TiVo. It's going to be hard to find people who regret the purchase.

[/ QUOTE ]
Do you own any Tivo stock?

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nope, i should though. i will look into their financials and see how sound they are as a company and what sort of price i can get the stock at ... if the financials and price are reasonable, then i will buy some soon.

i don't have any questions about their product, it's only the market that i question. i wish more people were willing to try tivo -- that's what's holding the company back right now as far as i can tell. once they get a tivo into someone's home they have a customer for life an overwhelming % of the time.

[felson]

i agree with n82 and astro. i have a series 2 with the lifetime subscription, which i purchased myself, not from ebay. i also have a high-def dvr for my newer tv, rented from Time Warner Cable and manufactured by Scientific Atlanta. (i bought a 55" sony rp-lcd last year -- thanks for the advice astro!)

the tivo interface is ridiculously better than the other box. plus the SA box reboots a couple of times a week, a problem which I've heard is common to these boxes. the series 2 is much stabler, and i suspect the series 3 is pretty stable too. if it weren't for price (series3 is ~$800), i would have bought a series 3 already. (btw, even with a series 3, i think we need to rent a separate cable box to support video on demand -- can someone verify this?)

regarding lifetime of the unit, my series 2 is ~5 years old. i did have to replace the hard drive once, and my remote just broke, but other than that i have had no problems.

if you only need standard def, buy a series 2, and probably with the lifetime subscription. if you need high def, then it just comes down to price.