Tivo vs Comcast DVR??

[ownsmany]

Ok we love comcast DVR so much we have 2 of the boxes. Now my dd wants one also.

Is it better to get TIVO service? I'm not really interested in her being able to see all the "premium channels" we have (I know there is a way to block out).

Anyone have TIVO service? How much is it for 3 TV's. Should I pay a TIVO unit from ebay?

 

[Icarus]

Do you have any HDTVs or are they all standard definition?

-David

 

[JeffW]

Unless you get one of new Tivo boxes that supports cablecard, you'll probably need a Comcast cable box to tune in scrambled channels.

The Comcast DVR has 2 tuners, so you can watch one program, and record another, or record 2 programs, and play back a recorded program.

Comcast will be releasing (in selected parts) a Tivo interface for their dvr's which replaced the Comcast interface. From what I've read, it's not as good as a real Tivo, but perhaps the next big thing ($3/month extra charge for this, and all cable boxes in your house need to be configured to use it).

Jeff

 

[davesdog]

If you go the TIVO route, http://www.tivo.com/promo/specialmarkets.html
gets you a $50 box, plus you have to pay for the service. This special was a free box until 2 weeks ago!

 

[luv2vacation]

Not sure how much TiVo is but my daughter has it at her place and she also has comcast. She TiVo's everything and she also hooks it up to her computer and watches stuff through there.

 

[cerralee]

I absolutely love Tivo, about two years ago they had the last of the lifelong subscriptions for about $300. The box was basically free after rebates. I wish I had gotten three of them, one for me and a couple for my children as they are at college and are always calling me to tivo for them so they can watch when they come home.

 

[Janis]

I have both the TIVO boxes and the Comcast DVR. No comparison - TIVO is far superior in every way. Better user interface, easier programming - and online scheduling.

Plus, by using the TIVO desktop, I download the recorded TIVO shows and movies directly to my PC and then easily transfer them onto my video iPod!

 

[nicklinneh]

first TIVO is 12.95, I think; but addl ones on same account are less. --ken

 

[ownsmany]

Do you have any HDTVs or are they all standard definition?

-David

We have one HDTV now, and will probably get another one within a year.

For those that have TIVI and comcast - do I need another comcast box for it? My daughter doesn't have a box - as I don't want her getting all the channels we do.

 

[JeffW]

first TIVO is 12.95, I think; but addl ones on same account are less. --ken

Ironic, since on Comast, the first DVR box is ~$13 (I think), but additional ones are ~$18. I don't know what the logic of this is, other than to make sure there's enough availability so households can get at least one unit. My SIL, who recently switched from Comcast to DirectTV, said one of the reasons was she could never get a second dvr. There supposedly put her on a waiting list.

Jeff

 

[davesdog]

Setup remote recording

I wish I had gotten three of them, one for me and a couple for my children as they are at college and are always calling me to tivo for them so they can watch when they come home.

Just give them your online TIVO username and password, or set up their Yahoo account with this info, and they can set your TIVO remotely to record the shows they want taped.

My mom calls me to tell me what to set her TIVO to record thru my computer.

 

[DaveNV]

Comcast recently changed their software interface on their DVR, and it really fouled things up. It was so bad, I gave up on it and went back to TiVo. I got the TiVo box that uses the cablecard from Comcast, so no cable box required. It's flawless, as great as I remembered from my previous TiVo subscription I'd given up. Now I wonder why I ever did that. Oh well. At least I'm back again.

Dave

 

[Icarus]

We have one HDTV now, and will probably get another one within a year.

For those that have TIVI and comcast - do I need another comcast box for it? My daughter doesn't have a box - as I don't want her getting all the channels we do.

The reason I asked about HD is because for HD+Tivo you will need to get a Tivo HD which takes a cable card. The tivo+cable card replaces the box. Comcast provides the cable card for a very small fee per month.

On the set with no box, you can just use a tivo with no box. The S2 will allow you to record 2 channels at the same time with no cable box. If you want premium channels, then you still need the cable box + tivo. tivo uses an IR blaster to control the cable box in that case.

Each tivo box will have a tivo monthly service on it, but once you have one of them, additional boxes will be eligible for multiple service discount. The additional boxes will be $9.95 per month. The first box is $12.95 per month. They have additional plans, including lifetime (of the box) service and you can pay up front annually for a discount on the service also.

-David

 

[ownsmany]

If you go the TIVO route, http://www.tivo.com/promo/specialmarkets.html
gets you a $50 box, plus you have to pay for the service. This special was a free box until 2 weeks ago!

Thanks - I just ordered one. Let us know if they are available free again. I could use a couple of them. It would be nice to give comcast back there $18.95 a month box. What a rip off.

 

[JeffW]

I'm still not sure how well Tivo integrates into cable systems where most channels are scrambled, and need a cable card. I know the technology is out there, but how well integrated is it? The Comcast DVR can tape 2 scrambled programs without a problem.

Also, as someone who has just made the jump to HD, I'd be very reluctant to put any appreciable money into SD-only products. If you get an HD set in 6-12 months, won't you want an HD DVR? As nice as the lifetime Tivo subscription sounded (if it is still available), I thought talking to someone at work who has it, it doesn't cover moving that service to a new box. He has lifetime on his SD box now, but will lose it if he moves to HD.

Cable tv is advancing enough now a days (moving from analog to digital, SD to HD, and some improved compression schemes to get more channels out of their fixed bandwidth) that renting a box from your cable company, which can be swapped out with them as needed, may not be that bad a decision.

Jeff

 

[pcgirl54]

In my area the box is 12.95 plus Tivo comcast $3. We recently upgraded our cable box to HD in the living room, the second box was $21 a month for our son's TV(pretty steep). We have a bundle package. We are thinking this through for the TV /TIVO setup in our bedroom but would lose some features that DH likes.

I tried the Comcast on Demand and Tivo is better to record programs. The search window by date is longer and the TIVO search function is easier to select programs to record.

Presently DH can transfer programs from Tivo to his computer and from the computer to Tivo. I doubt he will want to lose that function.

 

[Icarus]

I'm still not sure how well Tivo integrates into cable systems where most channels are scrambled, and need a cable card. I know the technology is out there, but how well integrated is it? The Comcast DVR can tape 2 scrambled programs without a problem.

I have a Tivo S3 and 2 cable cards. Integration is perfect. The S3 only supports Single Channel CCs, so I need 2. The Tivo HD supports multi-channel CCs, so you only need one.

The big worry now is SDV. There's some sort of a USB dongle planned to allow the Tivo S3 and Tivo HD to do the 2-way communication needed to get an SDV channel, but it isn't ready yet.

TW has started implementing SDV. You could lose the ability to tune into SDV channels if your cable system implements SDV and you have a tivo hd or s3 with cable cards. (same with any cable-card enabled device).

I think SDV stands for Switched Digital Video. It basically allows the cable company to put less-used channels on on-demand SDV frequencies, so they can multiplex more channels using the same bandwidth. When your box or cable card tunes to an SDV channel, it has to request that channel from your local distribution node, which allocates bandwidth for it and presumably tells the box or cc what frequency the channel is on.

The dongle is supposedly in the pipeline, but nobody knows exactly when it will be available.

Oceanic TW has already implemented it on Oahu and the Big Island, but not yet on Maui. My fellow OTW tivo hd/s3 owners on Oahu and the Big Island have lost several HD channels until they can get the dongle. Broadcast HD, HBO and SHO are non-SDV. Everything else HD moved to SDV, including HD Theater, Nat. Geo, ESPN and ESPN2, TBS, HDNET and HDNET movies, etc). Some of the channels like TBS, ESPN*, Nat Geo, etc have normal digital variants that are still available, but some of the others are hd-only channels. OTW won't even sell you the HD package that includes only the SDV HD channels if your only outlet is via cable card right now.

-David

 

[teachingmyown]

Dh gave me a Pioneer brand TiVo for Christmas...I'm THOROUGHLY enjoying it!! We are using TiVo basic and do not have a monthly fee. It is connected to our Comcast cable and since I won't pay Comcast the extra fee for premium channels, that isn't an issue. This is our second TiVo...the other is in the family room and is controlled by the kids.

Btw, fwiw, hubby set it all (TiVo, TV, VCR) up so I can TiVo one show, VHS-record a second and watch a third, all simultaneously. I'm a happy camper!

 

[ownsmany]

Dh gave me a Pioneer brand TiVo for Christmas...I'm THOROUGHLY enjoying it!! We are using TiVo basic and do not have a monthly fee. It is connected to our Comcast cable and since I won't pay Comcast the extra fee for premium channels, that isn't an issue. This is our second TiVo...the other is in the family room and is controlled by the kids.

Btw, fwiw, hubby set it all (TiVo, TV, VCR) up so I can TiVo one show, VHS-record a second and watch a third, all simultaneously. I'm a happy camper!

How can you use the TiVo without the monthly service???

 

[ownsmany]

I have a Tivo S3 and 2 cable cards. Integration is perfect. The S3 only supports Single Channel CCs, so I need 2. The Tivo HD supports multi-channel CCs, so you only need one.

The big worry now is SDV. There's some sort of a USB dongle planned to allow the Tivo S3 and Tivo HD to do the 2-way communication needed to get an SDV channel, but it isn't ready yet.

TW has started implementing SDV. You could lose the ability to tune into SDV channels if your cable system implements SDV and you have a tivo hd or s3 with cable cards. (same with any cable-card enabled device).

I think SDV stands for Switched Digital Video. It basically allows the cable company to put less-used channels on on-demand SDV frequencies, so they can multiplex more channels using the same bandwidth. When your box or cable card tunes to an SDV channel, it has to request that channel from your local distribution node, which allocates bandwidth for it and presumably tells the box or cc what frequency the channel is on.

The dongle is supposedly in the pipeline, but nobody knows exactly when it will be available.

Oceanic TW has already implemented it on Oahu and the Big Island, but not yet on Maui. My fellow OTW tivo hd/s3 owners on Oahu and the Big Island have lost several HD channels until they can get the dongle. Broadcast HD, HBO and SHO are non-SDV. Everything else HD moved to SDV, including HD Theater, Nat. Geo, ESPN and ESPN2, TBS, HDNET and HDNET movies, etc). Some of the channels like TBS, ESPN*, Nat Geo, etc have normal digital variants that are still available, but some of the others are hd-only channels. OTW won't even sell you the HD package that includes only the SDV HD channels if your only outlet is via cable card right now.

-David

Wow - you totally lost me on this one. I must be really tired. I read it once and didn't understand it, started reading again. Maybe I try tomorrow to understand it when I've had some rest.

 

[Icarus]

How can you use the TiVo without the monthly service???

That's for a non-tivo branded box, and it comes with a basic service built into the price of the box. You have to pay an additional monthly fee for additional services. This doesn't affect you as you are looking to (or actually did) purchase a tivo branded box.

-David

 

[Icarus]

Wow - you totally lost me on this one. I must be really tired. I read it once and didn't understand it, started reading again. Maybe I try tomorrow to understand it when I've had some rest.

Don't worry about it. Right now I think SDV is more of a Time Warner issue than a Comcast issue. It affects cable card users only.

If you are thinking about getting a Tivo HD or Tivo S3 for HD tv, let us know first and we can look into it. It's a non-issue if you have a cable box from the cable company. But it affects Tivo HD and Tivo S3 owners since those use cable cards.

Sorry for the confusing post.

-David

 

[UWSurfer]

David,

I've had for years a couple of Panasonic Replay units hooked up to an standard over the air antenna and have been very pleased with the service. The biggest selling point for these older units is there is no monthly service charge for the programing guide.

I am one of the few remaining folks in the country who doesn't want to pay additional $$ for television programming and here in LA with digital we have something close to 80 over the air channels to choose from.

That said, when they pull the plug on analog channels in roughly 13 months, these boxes will be for not. I've been researching DVR's today and have basically decided on the Tivo HD S3 as it has the larger hard drive. As I understand from reading the Tivo site, S3 doesn't require any additional cards for over-the-air digital and HD signals. Since you have one, does that sound correct to you?

Are there any issues with this model I should know about before investing several hundred $ for one?

 

[Icarus]

That said, when they pull the plug on analog channels in roughly 13 months, these boxes will be for not. I've been researching DVR's today and have basically decided on the Tivo HD S3 as it has the larger hard drive. As I understand from reading the Tivo site, S3 doesn't require any additional cards for over-the-air digital and HD signals. Since you have one, does that sound correct to you?

Are there any issues with this model I should know about before investing several hundred $ for one?

I don't use it for OTA, but yes, Both Tivo HD and the S3 can take ATSC input, which is what you're asking about. I have no idea if it will function without a service plan, and how the integration is with the OTA channels. You might want to head over to the tivo community forum and do some research there.

Both the Tivo HD and the S3 have esata ports, and you can expand the storage via plug-n-play with certain certified (Western Digital My DVR Expander) esata external drives, so don't worry about the space. Tivo HD will be fine, and in some cases maybe better than the older S3.

-David

 

[Blondie]

I love my Tivo- I schedule shows online when I am at school and the box will record. My tivo has a burner so I can make DVD's for use at school. I bought the box on ebay and it has lifetime service so it cost me $250 and I have NO monthly fees for it. The second box in the house is $8.95
per month or so. It is so easy to use I have never even looked in the manual...