Is Tivo worth the money?

Question

I was thinking about getting Tivo. Is it worth the money or should I just rent a DVR box from my cable company. I didn't know that there was a monthly or yearly fee that you had to get along with the box. I don't know which would be better. I'm not interested in shelling out more money a month, I already pay enough for cable. I think I can get a DVR box from my cable company for $10.00/month. Which one should I get. Anyone who has Tivo, let me know how you like it. Thanks

Answer 1

Here is the real scoop:

The differences are drastic between the Tivo and a Comcast DVR.

Tivo Pros
1) Great interface.
2) Awesome search engine (keywords, category, title, suggestions).
3) With a little of knowledge, you can upgrade the hard drive up to 500GB.
4) You can download shows to your computer to watch.
5) You can upload shows to your Tivo that you downloaded from the internet.

Cons
1) It costs at least $13/month.
2) No HDTV in standard models.
3) Can only output up to s-video, which is poor quality.
4) Requires phone or internet connection for updates.
5) Only stereo sound

Comcast DVR Pros
1) HDMI - digital output
2) Surround sound support
3) Can record HDTV.
4) Cheap - Only $5-10 a month.

Cons
1) Small hard drive, can't upgrade
2) Clunky interface
3) Only search by category and title
4) No suggestions or keyword search
5) You can't download shows to a computer.

I started with the Tivo and loved it. But, when I decided to go HDTV, I had no choice to drop Tivo and go to Comcast DVR. The Pros outweigh the Cons for the Comcast DVR because it supports HDTV, surround sound and HDMI. The output quality of the Tivo was horrible. Yes, Tivo is cheaper, but you get what you pay for.

If you only plan on SDTV, then go with Tivo. If you plan on going HDTV, then go with your cable company DVR.

Answer 2

Go with the one from your cable company. Whenever you hook up a Tivo to your digital cable you will only be able to go up to like channel 70. Though the hard drive is probably smaller you will find that the one provided by your cable company is much simpler to set up, easier to use, and if you have expanded basic or premium channels for digital cable, it will be the only way you can record from those channels. Also, if it ever breaks you can get a new one for free. Also its $10 a month but Tivo charges a comparable service fee, actually I believe it may be $15 a month after the first year which you get for free.

Answer 3

the pros are that TiVo is magnificent. We surely have a DVR from the cable corporation and it particularly is adverse by making use of assessment, in simple terms approximately painful to apply. The con is that its high priced (as you recognize). additionally TiVo makes it particularly ordinary to locate good issues to observe that the television exhibits start to pile up and we fall at the back of till we sense like a slave to the television :) even nonetheless it completely solves the project of having 3 hundred+ channels and there continues to be no longer something on.

Answer 4

tivo receivers do not work to well with the cable boxes, very slow reaction time. go with a dvr with hdmi outputs, it has a fan built in to keep the hard drive cool

Answer 5

Whether you get your cable company's DVR or a TIVO box, they both do the same job in recording shows and saving them for later viewing. SHould you get one? I love mine and honestly can't even figure out how I made it without one since I haven't used my VCR in years.

Answer 6

dont get tivo, get an large hardrive and a tv tuner for ur computer and u can record all the tv in the world. its about a 200$ one time fee to do this.

Answer 7

I have a DVR and I love it. It seems like the same thing to me?

Answer 8

NO!!!