TiVo

[A l t e r E g o 9]

 

So far it is working great.

 

I've been recording movies for later viewing ever since I set it up, about 12 flicks in two days. It is soooooooooooo nice not needing to find & fumble with tapes especially in a pinch when time before airing is short. That is its #1 attribute.

 

Other pros include:

* Programmable remote. Most advanced remote I ever used, I have one button set to turn on everything required for simple TV viewing, one button for everything required for VHS viewing & one button for everything required for DVD viewing. Nice feature.
 
* PIP feature. I should have figured this would be possible but I had no idea this feature came with it, a very pleasant surprise.
 
* Record one channel while watching another, record two shows at once or, record or watch one channel while a saved movie transfers to VCR for archiving.
 
* Go ahead and go to the bathroom, answer the phone or the door or get a snack without getting ticked about missing something; the DVR pause feature will make sure you don't miss a thing ever again.
 
*Instant 8 second replay button or rewind back to the point a channel was selected up to one hour.
 
* Easy interactivity. DVR functions explain themselves on screen; I never even looked at the instructions except for remote programming.
 
* Quicker channel change time. The old box took about 3 seconds to go from one channel to fully viewing the next, every time; made for very slow & unsatisfying channel surfing. The DRV does it in less than 2 seconds. Still not as fast as the old analog boxes but improved compared to the old digital box.

Haven't yet set it to record a "season" of shows but it's nice to know I could at any time. Wish I could set it to record a new season of ENT.

 

Cons include:

* Inability of the box to "control" separate VCR. The old box featured "RVC", (Remote VCR Commander.) That was the way the old box controlled a connected VCR; at the time of a timer recording the RVC would automatically send a signal to the VCR (via LED) to begin and stop recordings. Sure the new box eliminates that need but having the old system included along with the new would have increased my overall recording abilities. I hoped the DVR would work in conjunction with my VCR, as it stands now my VCR(s) are resigned to recording from "basic" cable channels or archiving from DVR only.
 
* Cable box size. The DVR is the largest cable box ever; (19x13x3.5) it took a little tweaking of the entertainment center to fit it.
 
* Not up-grade-able. Label on underside clearly states tampering inside is not appreciated.

Time will tell regarding the question of is; 50 hours enough, right now it seems like plenty but who knows down the road... it should be plenty as long as I remain diligent in creating space by erasing things we're finished with.

 

Does it compare to the killer system VBG was able to connect (and Dill is starting) using TIVO, probably not but adequate for our needs for now and certainly worth only $10 a month.

[ddillard 2]

I am glad to hear that it is working out well for you. It will at the very least get you into the world of DVR and if you decide later that it is not enough you could always get a TiVo box later, they are pretty cheap on ebay. I plan on buying a couple more in a few months, especially now that I have found how easy it is to upgrade them, I can buy a 40 hr box cheap and then just upgreade it to a bigger hard drive myself alot cheaper than buying the bigger units.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

I knew you'd like having it. Are you at the point yet that you wonder how you ever watched TV without it? It only took me about a week to get to that point.

 

As for upgrading, 50 hours will probably be enough for you. For me though I've always lived by the motto "When better is possible then 'best' just isn't good enough". If I think I can make something even better then it is then I'm determined to do it lol.

 

You should think about getting a DVD Recorder at some point down the road and start retiring the VCR. DVD Recorders are getting to the point of affordability now, you can get one for less then $100 and you can hook it up to the DVR as if it was a VCR and transfer to DVD rather then VHS. Something to think about for a future purchase.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

I knew you'd like having it. Are you at the point yet that you wonder how you ever watched TV without it? It only took me about a week to get to that point.

 

I'm getting there very quickly, pausing & rewinding TV is the best thing since you know what.

 

As for upgrading, 50 hours will probably be enough for you. For me though I've always lived by the motto "When better is possible then 'best' just isn't good enough". If I think I can make something even better then it is then I'm determined to do it lol.

 

Not to mention you have a real "need" for all you've built. :wink2:

 

You should think about getting a DVD Recorder at some point down the road and start retiring the VCR. DVD Recorders are getting to the point of affordability now, you can get one for less then $100 and you can hook it up to the DVR as if it was a VCR and transfer to DVD rather then VHS. Something to think about for a future purchase.

 

Absolutely, great idea. The ideal plan for that would be this; we get some more mileage out of our fairly new TV while waiting for TV prices to come down. We would then upgrade to widescreen HD-TV in the living room with a Cox HD-DVR connected to DVD recorder. Everything we currently have connected in the living room would then become our bedroom system.

 

*feels a off-topic-dream-system-ramble coming on*

 

In the meantime prices for HD-TVs continue to fall... Later we will be able to buy a bigger screen for the same money. Right now our HD wide screen budget tops out at about 27 inches for a DLP*, our current TV is bigger. I'd like a 42 inch DLP at the least, smaller is just not worth up-grading to.

 

*Digital Light Processing

[Data 0]

Glad you are enjoying it AE.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Well, I've begun wiring the house for all of my TiVo's now. I wsa going to have DirecTV do it for me because they said it would only cost $50 but they didn't tell me it would be $50 per receiver. With 8 TiVo's that adds up to 16 receivers which would be about $800. So I ordered 1,000 ft of coax cable and all the connectors with a crimping tool and I've been crawling through the attic all week, which isn't easy in this heat lol.

 

So far I have 4 of my TiVo's hooked (8 lines), by next week I expect to have the other 4 hooked up. Once I have my "NFL Command Center" set up I'll take a picture and upload it.

 

How's your DVR working out Aleterego?

[VaBeachGuy 12]

As luck would have it I bought 1 too many TiVo's (from eBay) so I'll have to upgrade it with a good hard drive and special features and wind up re-selling it.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

 

That's quite a system you're going to have VBG. I am thinking about adding an A/B switch and 30 feet of cable to our system connecting the DVR to our bedroom thus enabling us to watch alternate premium programming without renting another box. We do not have an attic however so the sticking point is having an ugly cable running through the house.

 

How's your DVR working out Aleterego?

 

Actually there is more to tell; a few days after the DVR was installed it started malfunctioning, none of the recoding or special features (recording films and playback, pausing, rewinding or FF of live TV or the PIP) would work. Calling the cable company and having a re-boot signal sent would clear up the problem but after a few days it would go south again.

 

After a few weeks of that I'd had enough and almost ripped it out of the wall. I called and requested service and found out some boxes were defective; I decided to give a new box a chance.

 

The day of the service visit, the alternate box ended up being worse; the technician could not get it to accept authorization, it acted like it thought it had been stolen. I had had it and requested a regular non-DVR box be reinstalled but the techie persuaded me to give one more box a try.

 

Out to the truck he went and this time he brought in a different looking model; a "state of the art DVR". It was smaller and better looking than the older model but most importantly; it worked, it worked even better than the old one had at its best.

 

"Why didn't I get the new to begin with?" I asked. "Because it's company policy to give the older models out first." was the answer. 20 years of being a Cox customer and all that hassle was the thanks I got. :P

 

Anyway the new box has exceeded all my ideas of what a DVR can do; it has changed the way we view TV and I cannot see ever having at least one TV without DRV again.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

That's quite a system you're going to have VBG. I am thinking about adding an A/B switch and 30 feet of cable to our system connecting the DVR to our bedroom thus enabling us to watch alternate premium programming without renting another box. We do not have an attic however so the sticking point is having an ugly cable running through the house.

 

Yeah, I'm having fun with it. I just can't wait to get it all in operation. The cables being strung all over the place can be unsightly that's for sure, you should look into flat coax that can be run under carpet or even put onto a wall and painted over.

 

How's your DVR working out Aleterego?

 

Actually there is more to tell; a few days after the DVR was installed it started malfunctioning, none of the recoding or special features (recording films and playback, pausing, rewinding or FF of live TV or the PIP) would work. Calling the cable company and having a re-boot signal sent would clear up the problem but after a few days it would go south again.

 

After a few weeks of that I'd had enough and almost ripped it out of the wall. I called and requested service and found out some boxes were defective; I decided to give a new box a chance.

 

The day of the service visit, the alternate box ended up being worse; the technician could not get it to accept authorization, it acted like it thought it had been stolen. I had had it and requested a regular non-DVR box be reinstalled but the techie persuaded me to give one more box a try.

 

Out to the truck he went and this time he brought in a different looking model; a "state of the art DVR". It was smaller and better looking than the older model but most importantly; it worked, it worked even better than the old one had at its best.

 

"Why didn't I get the new to begin with?" I asked. "Because it's company policy to give the older models out first." was the answer. 20 years of being a Cox customer and all that hassle was the thanks I got. :P

 

Anyway the new box has exceeded all my ideas of what a DVR can do; it has changed the way we view TV and I cannot see ever having at least one TV without DRV again.[/color]

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Sounds like a bit of an ordeal but at least it all worked out in the end. I really don't know how anyone can be happy with a TV that isn't hooked up to a TiVo or other DVR. It really is the way TV ought to be.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Well, I've finally completed my TiVo "NFL Command Center". All I have left is to get an access card from DirecTV for one of the TiVo's.

 

If you want to see what it looks like here's a small video of it in operation.

 

I had to use all of my old TV's ranging from 19" to a real small 6" or 7". In all I have 9 TiVo's set up throughout the house, 5 of them in this one room.

 

TiVo

 

Here's a photo:

 

Click For Spoiler

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Someone on the Eagles Message Board wanted to see how the multiswitchs looked so I'm adding the pic to this thread. This is in my attic.

 

Circled in red are all of the lines that run out to the TiVo's (15 total) and the blue rectangles are the lines coming off the dish.

 

[HRH The KING 0]

Dude, why do you have so many TV's? :lol:

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Dude, why do you have so many TV's?  :lol:

351121[/snapback]

How else can you rule the world without a command center? And what would a command center be without multiple video displays?

[HRH The KING 0]

I rule the world.

 

But I do it with an array of psychics spread across the planet.

 

Linked to me telepathically to carry out my orders.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

I rule the world.

 

But I do it with an array of psychics spread across the planet.

 

Linked to me telepathically to carry out my orders.

351128[/snapback]

I just allow you to believe you do, proof that I actually am the ruler is that you believe that you do.

 

In all seriousness though, those are all old TV's that have been replaced over the years with more modern sets. I never had the heart to throw them out thugh because they still work. Though if you look at the set to the far right you may notice the color is a bit green. That one isn't far from the trash pile, it will likely go out after football season is over (maybe sooner if I get a replacement for it).

[HRH The KING 0]

I just allow you to believe you do, proof that I actually am the ruler is that you believe that you do.

 

A diabolical plan to be sure.

 

In all seriousness though, those are all old TV's that have been replaced over the years with more modern sets. I never had the heart to throw them out thugh because they still work. Though if you look at the set to the far right you may notice the color is a bit green. That one isn't far from the trash pile, it will likely go out after football season is over (maybe sooner if I get a replacement for it).

 

So you watch different NFL games on each TV?

[VaBeachGuy 12]

So you watch different NFL games on each TV?

351133[/snapback]

 

Yes, each TV is hooked up to it's own TiVo. Each TiVo will record 2 games at a time, so I'll be following at least 8 games at any given time on those TV's in that photo. I have 3 other TV's that will be recording 6 other games.

[HRH The KING 0]

I can understand that.

 

Next week I'll be watching eight UEFA Champions League matches at once.

 

Split screen interactive on Sky Digital. :(

[VaBeachGuy 12]

My main goal is to have a DVD archive of the entire season, all 200+ games played.

[HRH The KING 0]

Your team plays 200 games a season???

 

How many teams are in the league?

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Your team plays 200 games a season???

 

How many teams are in the league?

351141[/snapback]

32 teams, I think you mis-understood though. My team will play 19 games (Yes I'm predicting a Super Bowl), but the full league plays over 200 games combined.

[stvoyagerfan 1]

i hope your brain doesn't fry from an overload of football. it is quite an interesting setup you have. wish i had the time,effort and funds to do something like that.

 

tm :(

[VaBeachGuy 12]

i hope your brain doesn't fry from an overload of football

351188[/snapback]

 

Not possible lol

[VaBeachGuy 12]

So far it is working great.

 

I've been recording movies for later viewing ever since I set it up, about 12 flicks in two days. It is soooooooooooo nice not needing to find & fumble with tapes especially in a pinch when time before airing is short. That is its #1 attribute.

 

Does it compare to the killer system VBG was able to connect (and Dill is starting) using TIVO, probably not but adequate for our needs for now and certainly worth only $10 a month.

How's it going now after a few months?

[A l t e r E g o 9]

Fantastic, my girls have learned how to use it and no longer bug me to set up recordings for them.

 

I finally got around to stringing a line from the DRV into our bedroom, now anything showing on the DRV is available to us in there with just a flick of an A/B switch.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

Fantastic, my girls have learned how to use it and no longer bug me to set up recordings for them.

 

I finally got around to stringing a line from the DRV into our bedroom, now anything showing on the DRV is available to us in there with just a flick of an A/B switch.

That's great. How big is your hard drive?

[A l t e r E g o 9]

50 hours. Turns out that's much more space than it seemed at first.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

50 hours. Turns out that's much more space than it seemed at first.

It's more space then it seemed or less?

 

I know that TiVo has 40GB TiVo's on sale for $50, the good thing about those is that you can transfer from the TiVo onto your PC and then directly to DVD and you can network them together if you have more then one.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

More. Often there's around 30% recording space left after all our favorites and then some has recorded.

 

I'm not all that big on saving things to the PC besides, DVD recorder prices are plummeting (saw one yesterday for $125.00) so it won't be long now before we get one - perhaps Santa will bring us one this Christmas.

[VaBeachGuy 12]

More. Often there's around 30% recording space left after all our favorites and then some has recorded.

 

I'm not all that big on saving things to the PC besides, DVD recorder prices are plummeting (saw one yesterday for $125.00) so it won't be long now before we get one - perhaps Santa will bring us one this Christmas.

I run out of space so often on my TiVo's, and I have one with a 250gb drive 2 with 160 gb drives and a couple with 80 GB's and a couple with 40's... I'm constantly having to make room lol.

 

You can get a DVD Recorder for less then $125. The one I have is currently under $100.00, here's a link:

 

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod...sterid=12113207