i'm thinking about signing up for Tivo. i'm thinking that the 40 hour tivo box they have on their website for $50 after a $150 MIR is good for my needs:

http://www.tivo.com/2.1.1.asp

Is 40 hours enough? How many shows can I expect to be able to save up at once with a 40 hour Tivo? I've heard that a 40 hour tivo won't really hold 40 hours but i don't understand why or what the conversion rate is.

second question: if at all possible, i want to avoid the one year contract. so i'm thinking about just buying a used tivo off ebay. so first of all, if i buy a used one off ebay, can i avoid the one year service agreement? and second -- i don't understand is how the current "Series2 DVR" differs from the older models. can somebody elaborate on this please?

thanks.

10/19/2005 10:00:26 AM

okay well i just got off the phone with Tivo and they told me that all monthly customers have to agree to a one year contract (at least initially). so even if i get one off ebay it's still a 12 month committment. so that answers that question. you guys answer the rest.

10/19/2005 10:05:37 AM

Can you or have you tried TWC's DVR yet? Good chance to see how much you use before commiting to Tivo

10/19/2005 10:45:34 AM

Quote :

"i don't understand is how the current "Series2 DVR" differs from the older models. can somebody elaborate on this please?"

the series 2 is less hackable, you can't do the things like run your own apps or change the hard drive for a bigger one

use TWC's box, being able to watch one show while recording another makes it worth it

10/19/2005 10:58:04 AM

twc isn't an option -- i live outside of baltimore. i've got comcast right now but we just signed up with them and are on a special deal: cable modem + digital cable for $40 per month for 6 months. the deal was too good to pass up. so i signed up for that at the end of september and when the deal is over at the end of march, we'll switch to dish network. dish has their own dvr and we'll go with that in april. but in the interim, my wife wants a dvr. comcast isn't going to give us one because we're not paying them enough money and this package is not upgradeable (ie, i can't pay the extra $6 per month that they charge regular digital cable subscribers to get the comcast dvr because i'm not paying full price for the digital cable). so i was looking at tivo but i don't want to sign a year contract b/c we'll cancel it in april. so it looks like i may be checking out replaytv. has anybody had any experience with that?

10/19/2005 12:55:49 PM

THEY SUCK.

replaytv royally dicked me several months ago. i'll get mad telling the story, so just trust me. RUN.

10/19/2005 1:25:53 PM

Out of all the DVRs, Tivo has the best interface, but the worst support. They are rather expensive and don't integrate well with your cable service. I do however LOVE the DirecTV Tivos, which is an integrated dual-tuner recorder. The only downfall is that it's somewhat slow and old (they only have Series1)

The next best thing that I have found is the TWC DVR. I used it when I didn't have my DirecTV and it was good enough to use as a permanent replacement for my Tivo. There weren't as many "bells and whistles" on the TWC DVR, but how many of them do you really need?

I played with the Dish DVR for about a day at a friend's house and thought it was horrible. Maybe that's because I had a bad experience with Dish once, but although they are cheaper, DirecTV >> Dish, in terms of actual service and customer service.

Edit: The Series2 Tivos are hackable, moreso than the Series1. I've installed many additional hard drives in my relatives' Series2 units.

[Edited on October 19, 2005 at 1:48 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2005 1:47:46 PM

i guess i was wrong, i thought the series 2 was created to prevent hacks and to allow providers to restrict content

10/19/2005 1:50:11 PM

It actually made it easier. With the USB ports active, it's easy to install (wireless) ethernet adaptors to allow the Tivo to do its updates over broadband rather than using your phone line daily. People can also install web servers to allow them to login to their Tivo from the Internet to schedule programs while they're away.

It's pretty cool stuff, I'm just mad the DirecTV Tivos are Series1 only and I'm not able to play with it as much

10/19/2005 2:07:14 PM

Look for the Toshiba Home Media Server...it comes with a free 3day advance TIVO service. No "season pass" or any of those other special features, but no monthly fees either. SD-H400 model maybe?

10/19/2005 3:13:50 PM

nevermind i didn't read it all

[Edited on October 19, 2005 at 5:51 PM. Reason : ]

10/19/2005 5:49:36 PM

Comcast uses TiVo-powered DVR's.. instead of the shitty Scientific Atlanta boxes Time Warner uses..

10/19/2005 6:31:31 PM

^ Wow, they're already rolling these out? That's good news! My cousin and aunt/uncle have Comcast in Atlanta and have a shitty Motorola box that's powered by TV Guide software with get-out-of-debt ads plastered all over the menus.

I knew that Tivo and Comcast had made a deal, but didn't know they could get products out so quickly. Hopefully this will help save Tivo, for they seem to be making ass-poor management decisions and is always shooting themselves in the foot.

10/19/2005 7:34:49 PM

it's been two years in the making.. I'm not sure what markets those tivo's are available in, if any yet.. I just remember hearing about Comcast using TiVo..

if they aren't available yet in Maryland, I'd suggest going with Comcast's DVR's for now.. and once their tivos roll out in the market to switch over..

10/19/2005 8:02:06 PM