Questions about TIVO?

Question

I want to buy a tivo -- should I buy the 80 min. one or the 180 series 2 one? I have DSL internet.....cable tv, but no satallite or digital tv.....do I need to buy a separate service to hook tv up or can I just buy the unit and begin using it?

Is it true Tivo can record two shows at once? how is this possible?

(sigh). can anyone answer the q's I asked -- I'm not asking about free DVR's.

Answer 1

You need to look into your cable / satellite provider to see what they offer first.

I have an 80 hour TIVO unit that I bought at Best Buy which is compatible with Directv satellite. Some cable companies offer a DVR (digital video recorder) machine (not Tivo brand) which vary. You need to know what your provider supports first before you buy anything.

(part 2 of your question) You also have to pay an additional service charge of around $5.95 a month for the service.

(part 3 of your question) The Tivo box can record up to 3 shows at once depending on the satellite dish you have and the # of LNB's on that dish. They are the little round devices pointing at the dish. When I first installed the TIVO myself I called Dirctv and they turned on the system while I was on the phone. My original dish had only 1 LNB on it so I was only able to watch 1 show at a time. I called back and scheduled an upgrade on my dish. They replaced the dish with a new one with 2 LNB's on it. (All free of charge)

Now I can record 2 different shows at the same time or record 1 show and watch another. It is well worth the money spent.

I hope this helps!

Mike

Answer 2

If you can afford it, you should get the newer series 2 with more recording capacity.

If you have cable TV, and plan to stick to their service, you need to call them and find out which TiVo units are compatible with their service.

TiVo has units that work with either satellite or cable service, but not both at the same time. So you will have to choose which type of service you plan on sticking with while using that TiVo unit.

As with cable service, if you plan to go to satellite service, you will need to call them and see which models are compatible with their service.

You do not need a digital TV to use their services or the TiVo. Most TiVo units still have an RF (coaxial cable) output, so you should be able to use your current TV.

Certain TiVo units do allow you to record two shows at once. It has two tuners, so two cables are connected to the TiVo unit at once. Each tuner has its own cable coming in, so each tuner can be on separate channels at the same time and record each accordingly.

Answer 3

I have a TiVo and I love it.

In your case I suggest that you get a TiVo from your cable provider and you return the old cable box. Most of the time the cable company wants you to rent their equipment. If you plain on owning the equipment for a couple of years then it is best for you to buy the equipment, make this clear to the cable provider when you sign up for the service. Also ask them if you can get a lifetime TiVo service contract through a one-time payment. They will probably say no, but you never know.

Get the TiVo with the largest hard drive or recording time possilbe, this means the series two. An 80 minute TiVo is not really worth it, unless you know how to upgrade it.

TiVos have two tuners.

Imagine having two TVs and each one has a VHS Recorder connected to it. You can record a different signal on each VHS Recorder, or you can watch a prerecorded show. You can even stop watching a show, and let the VHS Recorder pick it up from that point forward.

My TiVo has two tuners and it is connected to a satellite dish that can receive up to four separate signals. I still have my old satellite box so I can have access to 3 channels at the same time and even a fourth!

Since a TiVo has two tuners you can record two different shows at once, even while you are watching a prerecorded show. I do this daily, in fact I never watch live TV anymore. I record it so I can fast forward through the commercials, pause it at any time, even stop watching it and watch something else.

When your TiVo is on a channel it records 30 minutes of what is showing, even if you are not watching that channel, or are gone. If you watch that channel then you can start recording the show as of 30 minutes ago, right now. You can go in reverse to see what you missed, and then fast-forward up to the point in time where the show is being broadcast.

If you have to go away then you can pause live TV, the TiVo is recording it anyway, automatically and always. So you can pause the show and return to it. If you change channels on the tuner then you lose this ability. The TiVo can only record two shows at once.

TiVo uses a hard drive so it is much more efficient than a VHS Recorder. It has three heads, two that can record and one that can play.

When you buy a TiVo you want one with the largest Hard Drive possible. This is the single most important thing with a TiVo. There are three types of TiVo available. The most expensive is a stand alone model that can record whatever signal is fed into it. Cable Companies and Satellite Companies provide the other two types. These TiVos have a cable or satellite tuner (actually two). They can only tune into cable or satellite signals, but no decoder box is needed. With a stand alone TiVo you can receive stations over the air, and if you have a cable or satellite box decoder then you can receive those signals.

TiVo has some other nifty functions (yes, I said nifty).
-- You can make pay per view purchases right through your TiVo (if you are connected to a cable or satellite network). If you get premium channels then your TiVo will receive them as well (the provider programs all of this over the phone).
-- You can let the TiVo find shows that you would like to watch. If you set it up to do this then these extra shows will be deleted before your selected shows are. You can use the Tumb Up or Thumb Down button to “teach” your TiVo what kind of shows you like, but this takes up space on the hard drive so you will be able to record one less show.
-- You can keep shows on a TiVo for years without losing any quality. You can also transfer shows you have recorded on the TiVo to other recorders (VHS or DVD).
-- When I get my TV Guide I typically program my TiVo a week in advance. If there is a change of schedule, you won’t know it, but your TiVo will. Unless the TV network doesn’t bother to inform the TiVo Company that a show’s schedule has changed. I have to set 60 Minutes to record 45 minutes longer so I can get the entire show after the football game, since I never know when the football game changes. If a special news report is made then unless I programmed to record a show at that time I will miss it, and if the show runs longer because of this special report then I will miss the end of it. This doesn’t happen often though.
-- I really like the Season Pass option. If I find a show that I want to watch each week then the Season Pass will automatically record it, I only have to set it up once, and it is good for as long as the show is being broadcast. You can also set it up to permanently keep the show (until you delete it specifically) or to ignore repeats.
-- Unlike my TV Guide TiVo has a very good explanation for almost every show (they miss out on some cartoons). So I can read a short description of the show each time I check the integral TV schedule. This description is written to NOT spoil the show, and it tells you if it is a repeat or not. It also tells you who the major stars are. With a movie it will also tell you when the movie was made. I find this good to know so I can decide if it is a recent movie or not. For talk shows I will always know whom the guest are before the show starts.

I prefer my Direct TV satellite TiVo. Since my package gets the local stations I don't need to watch any broadcast stations; typically the signal is clearer on a satellite or cable box, it is also stronger. I use my TiVo as my tuner and as I said I can record two shows at once while watching a prerecorded show. To watch a third show I can use my separate satellite receiver (but I save $2.50/month by leaving it turned off).

I got my TiVo for $100 plus a 1-year contract to keep the satellite service (cable will offer a similar deal). So all my TV needs are fulfilled. I didn't have to spend over $400 for a stand alone TiVo.

Now the problems with TiVo:
You will have to pay a monthly fee to use your TiVo. You will also have to connect it to a phone line. Every night at around 4:00 am (your time) the TiVo will call the central computer to get any software updates, messages from the manufactory, and an updated schedule; usually good for two weeks. TiVo used to offer a single signup fee of $200 to get all your calls free, but they don't do that much nowadays. When I got satellite service the contact with Direct TV doesn't allow a lifetime service contract for the TiVo, but they do offer a discounted rates of $6 - $8 less than a typical fee of $20/month.

I live in the Southwest so we don’t have a lot of rain, and it almost never snows. A TiVo signal can easily penetrate clouds, but raindrops will refract and bend the signal. In a rainy or snowy climate a satellite TiVo won’t be a good idea, and neither would a stand alone model. I would use a cable model, even though cable TV tends to have fewer channels than you can get through a satellite service.

A TiVo is a big expense and it is not easy to upgrade. You can either remove the current hard drive and add a larger one, or connect a second hard drive. To do either one though you need to install a Linux operating system on your TiVo and you need to be pretty computer savvy. The manufacture would prefer you to buy a new TiVo when you want an upgrade.

If you have a TiVo with Direct TV then you own all the equipment. There is no way to sell used equipment. If you get extra equipment then there is no way to get a refund on that (or at least that is what I have found).

Since TiVos are specific to the service provider if you plan on moving a lot then you might prefer a stand-alone model, which will work anywhere. A satellite TiVo will work with that satellite system, and only that satellite system. With Dish Network and Direct TV this is most of the US though. A cable TiVo may only work with that single cable provider. If you buy one and move to an area without that cable service then you may be stuck with a useless TiVo. You could sell it to a neighbor or on eBay though. The cable service providers say that this is why you should only rent their equipment. Which is a good idea if you plan on moving within a year.

Answer 4

Check for the TIVO with 2 tuners only. It can very much record two programs at the same time and if you wish you can watch and record another channel at the same time.The ones with single tuner cannot do that.
I am a user myself

Answer 5

Depending on you location most cable & sattlelite companies offer you a free DVR (same as Tivo) if you use here service.

Answer 6

make confident you hook up the VCR to the tivo. on the tivo, there must be some type of video and audio outputs. they could be marked output to VCR. you do not opt for to plug them into some thing categorized enter. Now, play the tivo and hit record on the VCR. make confident the VCR is keen to the right channel, maximum situations its channel 3.