Author Topic: TiVo Question (Read 12246 times)

USSEnterprise · « **on:** November 25, 2005, 12:21:54 am »

Do you need to pay for any sort of service for TiVo to work as just a DVR? If so, I'm getting another VCR

mairsil · « **Reply #1 on:** November 25, 2005, 02:14:17 am »

I can't speak for the stand alone versions (try www.tivocommunity.com), but the DirecTV Tivos require the subscription. If you have a decent spare computer sitting around, look into doing a MythTV setup (http://www.mythtv.org/). With the way that Tivo is selling out to advertisers, you may want to take it into consideration.

Having said that, it is really a shame since my wife and I really do love our Tivos.

Goz · « **Reply #2 on:** November 25, 2005, 04:30:24 am »

Yes in order to get the interactive programming you need to pay for the service.

Frosty · « **Reply #3 on:** November 25, 2005, 11:04:28 am »

One possible solution is finding an older ReplayTV model, for example a Panasonic Showstopper.

pointdablame · « **Reply #4 on:** November 25, 2005, 11:48:56 am »

If you get a Tivo made by Toshiba, or other brand names, they sometimes come with free Tivo Basic service for life. The basic service is not much more than a VCR, as you cannot do season passes, or recommendations, etc etc. You also only get a few days of listings as opposed to the 14 days you'd normally get.

Basically.. yes... every Tivo or ReplayTV (except the older ones mentioned) require either a monthly fee or a lifetime subscription fee. i found a Replay with lifetime subscription, and it is awesome. You will love DVR.

AmericanDemon · « **Reply #5 on:** November 25, 2005, 04:36:22 pm »

Heh. I have an Insight DVR from my cable company and its free. Sets up seasons and stuff. Dual Tuner. Not all the flash of the TiVo but still most of the functionality.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #6 on:** November 25, 2005, 05:15:23 pm »

Yeah but don't you pay for it in your cable bill each month?

pointdablame · « **Reply #7 on:** November 25, 2005, 06:27:41 pm »

Quote from: USSEnterprise on November 25, 2005, 05:15:23 pm

Yeah but don't you pay for it in your cable bill each month?

In most situations, yes. Near me, Comcast charges I believe $5 or $10 a month for the DVR service, and you have to have digital cable to use it, which is another $10/mo fee.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #8 on:** November 25, 2005, 06:31:34 pm »

Is a 733MHz computer with 192 Megs of RAM enough to set up a DVR?

pointdablame · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2005, 06:35:54 pm »

Quote from: USSEnterprise on November 25, 2005, 06:31:34 pm

Is a 733MHz computer with 192 Megs of RAM enough to set up a DVR?

if you have a capture card with good hardware acceleration, you'll be just fine. If you are relying on software acceleration, you are probably just on the edge where you could potentially have a problem

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:33:32 pm »

Right now there is no capture card. I'm either buying a capture card or a VCR

Generic Eric · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2005, 07:52:32 pm »

www.byopvr.com is supposed to be a good site. I want to build one one day, but don't have a project PC to spare right now. Its run by fellow byoac member, Rampy. You should check it out.

97thruhiker · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2005, 10:49:26 pm »

Direct TV charges me $4.99 a month for TIVO. I could not imagine going back to not having it.

Ed_McCarron · « **Reply #13 on:** November 26, 2005, 07:36:36 am »

My total TIVO bill comes to like 21 bucks a month.

One TIVO has a lifetime sub, one has a month-to-month, and the third is in boat anchor mode - the modem died. The bill'd be 8 bucks cheaper if I ever cancel the sub for the boat anchor one. Theres no option for that on the web site, and I need to remember to call DURING normal hours to cancel a sub...

We don't even watch a lot of TV. Ones mine, ones the wifes, and the boat anchor one is full of kiddie shows.

Wouldn't trade in my TIVOs for the world.

duffjr · « **Reply #14 on:** November 26, 2005, 07:11:35 pm »

I use the DVR of Time-Warner, which includes a Scientific America box. the problem is the processor is so slow and loud. it even makes noise when the power is off. i think it is $6.99 a month per DVR box. are they going to release a new version ever? i would buy my own and mod it if there were a way.

ChadTower · « **Reply #15 on:** November 26, 2005, 08:07:24 pm »

I use a pair of DirecTivos. I'm moving one to a new room right now, hence the cat6/rg6 project about two threads away from this one.

clanggedin · « **Reply #16 on:** November 26, 2005, 09:10:14 pm »

Recently TIVO announced a free DVR with a monthly subscription of $14.99 (I think). With a standalone TIVO you can download movies to you PSP and transfer shows to your computer. Unfortunately you cannot do those things with a DirecTIVO unit. The DirecTIVO units are dual tuner whole the standalone unit is a single tuner. DirecTIVO is $4.99 per receiver. All you are paying is for another receiver.

DirecTV has started or will begin shipping their own DVR since they dropped their contract with TIVO. According to reviews the Directv DVR is better in some wasy and lacking in others.

Once you buy a TIVO you will wonder how you lived your life without it. I NEVER miss any of my favorite shows and I can now watch them after my kids are in bed.

I love TIVO so much that I purchased churchoftivo.com so I could start my own religion. One of these days I'll have time to start building the site.

Buying a VCR now is like buying a cassette player. If you decide not to buy a TIVO then purchase a DVD recorder at least.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #17 on:** November 26, 2005, 09:15:58 pm »

But aren't DVD recorders slow? And the media costs more than VHS tapes

pointdablame · « **Reply #18 on:** November 27, 2005, 01:13:04 am »

Quote from: USSEnterprise on November 26, 2005, 09:15:58 pm

But aren't DVD recorders slow? And the media costs more than VHS tapes

I can't speak for the speed of stand alone DVD recorders, but DVD recorders in general have gotten extremely quick. 16x burning for PCs... my bet is you'll easily find 4x or 8x stand alone units... that'll burn a disc in 15mins MAX, probably much less.

And DVD media is dirt cheap these days, unless you are looking for dual layer media. You can get a 100pk of GREAT media for $30. Let me know where you buy VHS tapes for 30 cents

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #19 on:** November 27, 2005, 01:48:05 am »

Do stand alone DVD recorders re-write?

pointdablame · « **Reply #20 on:** November 27, 2005, 02:17:10 am »

Quote from: USSEnterprise on November 27, 2005, 01:48:05 am

Do stand alone DVD recorders re-write?

To my knowledge, most will. Just be sure it records either DVD-RW or DVD+RW. And stay away from DVD-RAM... its a useless format for most normal applications.

ChadTower · « **Reply #21 on:** November 27, 2005, 10:13:03 am »

Standalone DVD recorders can only record at the speed of TV, making them the exact same speed as a VCR.

They do break a LOT, though. I've had three break on me, each with less than a year of normal usage.

clanggedin · « **Reply #22 on:** November 27, 2005, 12:26:10 pm »

As long as they break within a year of purchase then the manufacturer warranty should keep you going. Maybe for this it wouldn't be bad to buy a replacement plan.

koolmoecraig · « **Reply #23 on:** November 28, 2005, 01:04:12 am »

Dude.

Pony up the $5 or so for the Tivo service. It will change your friggin' life. If you look you can find Tivos for free after rebate. Then you can pay $299 for LIFETIME service.

A VCR? Are you kidding? Seriously?

Tivo is so easy to use. No crappy analog tapes. Way faster rewind and fast foward. Record two channels at once. Season pass which allows you to record every episode of a show. You can even set it to record shows with a certain actor or even words in the title!

A VCR. Aahhahaa.

USSEnterprise · « **Reply #24 on:** November 28, 2005, 02:02:35 am »

Quote from: koolmoecraig on November 28, 2005, 01:04:12 am

Tivo is so easy to use. No crappy analog tapes. Way faster rewind and fast foward. Record two channels at once. Season pass which allows you to record every episode of a show. You can even set it to record shows with a certain actor or even words in the title!

A VCR. Aahhahaa.

But I really don't need all that. I just need the ability to record programs. A DVD-R sounds like a better option

shmokes · « **Reply #25 on:** November 28, 2005, 05:29:10 am »

You don't think you need it. And, well, you're right. You don't NEED it.

But he's right too. It will change everything.

When you want to watch a show you don't need to find the DVD you burned, just browse through the menu, all nicely categorized, and select what you want to watch.

When you're watching live TV and you look at your wife and say, "What did he say?" and you're wife says, "I don't know; I missed it too," you just skip back a few seconds and see what he said.

When you're watching live TV and decide to want some nachos you just hit the pause button, make nachos, unpause and continue watching TV.

Can't think of the name of that early Watchowski Bros. movie you've been wanting to see? Do a search on Jennifer Tilly. In fact, if you're a huge Jennifer Tilly fan, just tell the thing to keep an eye out and it will record anything with Jennifer Tilly in it.

Are you a big Seinfeld fan? Screw figuring out when Seinfeld airs and manually programming the DVD Recorder to record at a certain time. Just tell TIVO to record every Seinfeld. It will monitor every station (that's good for a program that's showing on lots of different channels at lots of different times) for episodes not already recorded.

And what if you're watching a recorded show on your DVD recorder when it's time for it to start recording another show? You've got to stop watching and put in a blank disc. Not with TIVO. It'll just start recording in the background while you continue watching the previously recorded stuff.

And it's so bloody easy to record a program on a TIVO compared to a DVD recorder/VCR. You don't have to check listings and then program in a day/time. You just browse to the program on the same menu that you use to select programs to watch and instead of pressing "select" you press "record" and it gets marked for recording.

...and so on. The list goes on, and a lot of them seem like very small things. You think to yourself, "How often do I want to pause or rewind live TV?" But trust me, these little things become like a mouse wheel. You don't even realize when the thing became an absolutely essential part of using the computer, but it did. Just the same with a DVR.

A DVD recorder will cost just as much as a TIVO and it is not capable of making such a profound change in the way you watch TV. One big change is that almost overnight you will stop watching shows that you aren't interested in. You might watch just as much TV, but it will only be stuff you really like. And you'll stop watching commercials altogether.

For the record I've never actually used a TIVO. I have a ReplayTV. Same thing.

Samstag · « **Reply #26 on:** November 28, 2005, 09:45:10 am »

As unbelievable as some of the above sounds, it's all true. I was skeptical for a long time too, but I now bow to the all-powerful Tivo.

And to add to the above, just thought I'd mention that with the Tivo, I don't watch live TV, ever. If I sit down and see something interesting that's on or about to come on, I tell Tivo to record it and then I'll either watch a 30 minute prerecorded show or go do something else for a while. Then I'll come back and watch almost-live with no commercials. If I'm watching something long with lots of commercials (NFL) I might pause a couple times in the middle and do other things. Usually I can time it pretty well and end up finishing up the game about the same time as the live broadcast. But I might watch several episodes of the Family Guy and the game while you're watching the game and the commercials.

Stingray · « **Reply #27 on:** November 28, 2005, 10:45:27 am »

I think this thread just convinced me to buy a tivo.

-S

Goz · « **Reply #28 on:** November 28, 2005, 10:51:58 am »

Quote from: Stingray on November 28, 2005, 10:45:27 am

I think this thread just convinced me to buy a tivo.

-S

I picked up one for another room in my house for $40 w/ lifetime subscription. The person on craigslist was eager for ca$h....

ChadTower · « **Reply #29 on:** November 28, 2005, 10:57:36 am »

I have two. If I had more TVs I would have more Tivos.

mairsil · « **Reply #30 on:** November 28, 2005, 11:45:57 am »

Quote from: ChadTower on November 28, 2005, 10:57:36 am

I have two.

ChadTower · « **Reply #31 on:** November 28, 2005, 11:48:35 am »

I don't watch enough TV to have use for all that capacity, really.

Stingray · « **Reply #32 on:** November 28, 2005, 11:51:35 am »

Probably gonna go out at lunch today and pick up one of the DirecTV boxes. I see that Best Buy has the 80 gig model for $100 and there's a current $100 rebate on that one. I already have DirecTV, so I guess that will be good enough for me.

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #33 on:** November 28, 2005, 11:53:44 am »

Call DirecTV first... check to see what they are offering for their new DVR. You may be able to get that one "free" with installation included.

Don't bother worrying about capacity, either. It is basic PC skills to swap the hard drive with a much larger one (or two).

Stingray · « **Reply #34 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:01:36 pm »

I already checked with DTV. It's $170 from them for the same reciever , which includes installation and has the same rebate. So, $70 more, plus I have to wait for a guy to come install it. If I buy from Best Buy, I can have it up & running tonight.

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #35 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:03:29 pm »

Cool. Be aware that a DirecTivo needs TWO incoming lines in order to use both tuners (record two shows at once).

Stingray · « **Reply #36 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:05:13 pm »

Yeah I assumed as much. Right now I only have one, but I guess it would be no big deal to run another cable later if I want to use that function.

-S

ChadTower · « **Reply #37 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:09:19 pm »

Just do it up front. You will want that feature. It is one of the best features and it is the one thing it does better than a standalone Tivo.

Once you start setting up your season passes and such, and recording things on a whim all the time, you will want that second tuner. I guarantee it.

mairsil · « **Reply #38 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:10:09 pm »

Quote from: Stingray on November 28, 2005, 12:01:36 pm

I already checked with DTV. It's $170 from them for the same reciever , which includes installation and has the same rebate. So, $70 more, plus I have to wait for a guy to come install it. If I buy from Best Buy, I can have it up & running tonight.

-S

Call customer retentions and get the free (after rebates/discounts) HD Tivo like I did. Even if you don't use it for HD, it has a 250+ GB hard drive for standard definition shows:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=254292 (warning, loooooooooong thread)

ChadTower · « **Reply #39 on:** November 28, 2005, 12:12:13 pm »

I will read this thread thoroughly no matter the length, if it means a free HD Tivo.

I don't even care about HD, but I seem to remember that one having FOUR tuners.


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