Humax DRT800 Owner's Club [Text View]

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 09:54 AM

Your lifetime membership does not transfer to the new box. I just found that out the hard way. I will no longer do lifetime's as the technolgy changes too fast and I know that I will not keep these units longer than two years. Maybe when they come out with the Tivo HD DVD burner unit, I will consider it... That's about all I really want in a reasobably priced package. Although I don't see how they will be able to get much programming on DVD with the HD shows unless they do a ton of compression.

Yes, they do reduce the price of the monthly if you already have a Tivo in your household. That's exactly what I did.

As far as the speed, I can take four hours worth of programming and burn it in less than hour. I'm not sure what speed it's burning at, but it is burning it four times faster than real time. That includes prepping and erasing the disc.

The Sony DVD-RW media seems to be excellent. There's definately cheaper stuff out there, but I figure if you're going to use the RW media over and over, you might as well get something quality you can count on.

I haven't heard anything about the firmware being upgradeable. I'm sure it's possible. Four times faster than real time is fine for me though. BTW, that's recording using medium quality tivo shows.

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 10:02 AM

Three small issues I've noticed with this unit so far.

One, the left side of the LCD display (Pic of the CD and some writing around it) stays very dimly lit, even when the display if off. Not a big deal. Maybe as the LCD burns in some, it will go away. You only notice it when you're up close.

When you play back a burnt cd on my laptop, the opening tivo menu seems to shake slightly. I also have noticed this during playback where this stationary text in the show. Much more noticeable during the animated tivo top menu on the disc though.

I think the tuner quality is worse than my series 2. I don't exept much out of my tivo, especially when recording because I only use medium for the sake of space. However when you flip between tivo and the cable box, the cable box picture is much clearer. I am only using S-video connections, but that's the way my series 2 was setup as well. I use the cable box when watching HD or my designated DVD player for movies. Kind of disspointing that the image is a little crappy compared to the cable box's picture. I am running a splitter from the cable box, with a cable going to the Tivo and another going to the Tivo (so I can watch something else while recording), but's a pretty expensive Monster brand splitter and it doesn't seem to affect the cable's picture.

Oh well, I still love this thing :)

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 10:03 AM

By the way, if you've got a Humax, post that you've got one. I figure if we get enough activity on here, maybe we can a DVD burner tivo forum.

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 10:04 AM

One other thing, I have heard of issues with MRV and the Humax. No probs at all. Got it going last night. Have not tried to burn a transferred show. I was told that it was not possible.

flymhi

11-24-2004, 12:25 PM

deputydog,

I have the DRT-800 as well and noticed a setting for the display (Off, dim, & bright). Have you tried to change this setting?

I also use an expensive 3-way splitter at the wall. I have not noticed any signal difference between the cable direct and TiVo signals.
1) feeds the Cable box ---> to Tivo---> TV
**I use component feeds for the link between the cable box, TiVo, and TV.**
2) feeds the TV directly for wacthing other channels while recording
3) feeds the VCR for taping alternate shows---> TV

I also use a MA111 wireless usb adapter for HMO and love it.

I have no complaints yet...

Flymhi:D

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 01:10 PM

Yep, tried low, high, and off. Part of the displays stays very dimly lit. I posted about this before on another thread and someone else had the same issue.

Where is your splitter located in your setup?

Mine actually goes through a cable surge protection device (which probably degrades it some), into the cable box, out of the cable box to the splitter, from the splitter to the Tivo and the Television.

I am only using S-video cables. I have a dedicated DVD player and cable box using components. I only use the Tivo for taping and burning. I watch live tv (which isn't often and usually only the HD channels) through the cable box. I was told there is no advantage to using components on the Tivo if you are not using it to play DVD's. It will downgrade the signal as it goes through the component cables.

I am also wireless. Belkin 54g network with Linksys B adapters for the Tivos?

Talked to Tivo today. No word on the horizon for G networking.

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 01:11 PM

FLM: Try switching channels back to back and let me know what you see. I didn't really notice the difference until I did a quick swap between two channels.

deputydog95

11-24-2004, 01:18 PM

I take back what I said.

Cable feed to Cable surge protector.
Cable surge prot. to splitter.
Splitter to Cable box.
Splitter to TV
Svideo cable to Tivo input.

Doesn't seem like I could do much better than that.

flymhi

11-24-2004, 01:45 PM

My splitter is at the wall similar to yours. I'm sure the surge protector does degrade the signal somewhat although it's probably marginal.

Also, I have a friend who used to work for Comcast (AT&T then). According to him the number of splitters you run without ghosting or signal degredation varies in different areas. (You can also run active splitters / powered splitters" instead of the Walmart brand passive splitters) For passive units, it largely depends on how many houses are served from the nearest hut. Comcast mainly has fiber to the curb in most metro areas so it's no longer dependant on how far you are from the cable head-end.

dvdmon

11-24-2004, 02:13 PM

I got my DRT-800 a couple of weeks ago and got the BB price-glitch discount.

So far so good. Guys, if you are having issues with quality, try setting the default recording quality to best. I'm not sure if that also makes the 30-minute buffer best, but it's worth a shot. Maybe I'll test it out today and set the default to medium and see if my quality goes down the tubes.

I have the best setup possible for this - DirectTV to Humax via SVideo, then Humax to TV via Component. I can still see a difference even at Best, and I'm sure it's because of the inherent technology here. After all, you are doing a conversion from digital to analog via the Satellite receiver, then to digital in the Humax, then to analog again to the TV. All of those conversions have got to degrade things at least some!

I've only encountered two "issues" so far. One is that on some programs I seem to get a "hickup" at one point during the program. It's like a skip in the audio and video and sometimes this is accompanied by a split-second grey screen. Has anyone else encountered anything like this? I've only noticed this on the TiVo playback, but I haven't watrched many of the DVD's I've burned yet, so I don't know if these experience this problem as well. I have no clue whether they coincide with burning at the same time that a recording was being made, but at least in once case I don't believe anything esle was going on other than the HD recording and watching...

The other issue regards the recording of content in 16:9 aspect ratio. I have a wide-screen TV and on the HD channels off the satellite it will display in 16:9. When I record these with the Humax, I can play them back of the hard drive and they will display in 16:9 (widescreen). However, when I burned one of these to a DVD-R, it put bars around all four sides. When I loaded it into my laptop and checked the DVD's properties, it told me it was in 4:3. I have progressive scan set to Auto, but I have no idea whether that would be related. I tried calling Humax about it, but after getting transferred a couple of times and then told they needed to call me back, I never heard from them - this was a week or so ago.

As for DVD's, I've been able to find 4x DVD-R's for about $.50 each and DVD-RW's for about $2 each. There's no indication on the DVD-RW's what speed they are, so I assume that means they are 1X and recording with them seems to confirm that. The DVD-R's however do seem to record stuff a lot faster. Not sure if it ends up as 4X, but it's at least 2X (based on the assumed speed of the DVD-RW's) and perhaps 3-4X...

I think it would be great to have a forum on DVD recording TiVo's, but if the admins don't want this, I'd be happy to start up a Yahoo! Group for the purpose of talking about this model if there's any interest.

jonb

11-25-2004, 11:10 AM

Originally posted by Greenwing
?...So you are saying the HUMAX using will record at higher than 1x as has been reported earlier in other threads? I think the same issue was mentioned about the toshiba units...All only been able to record at 1x...I thought the pioneer was the only unit that did high speed dubbing...(from reading other posts, as I have none of these units myself to try it on)...

Whether I buy the DRT-800 will depend on this as well as: 1)Is burning strictly an overnight job(cannot do normal fast-forward, normal hard-drive tivoing at the same time)? 2)How much picture quality is lost from original cable source to playing back the dvd on a separate dvd player? There has to be other gotchas as well in this? Please early DRT-800 owners, HELP US FUTURE OWNERS!

dvdmon

11-25-2004, 11:36 AM

Originally posted by jonb
Whether I buy the DRT-800 will depend on this as well as: 1)Is burning strictly an overnight job(cannot do normal fast-forward, normal hard-drive tivoing at the same time)? 2)How much picture quality is lost from original cable source to playing back the dvd on a separate dvd player? There has to be other gotchas as well in this? Please early DRT-800 owners, HELP US FUTURE OWNERS!

Overnight? No! Even at 1x, it's still real-time, meaning a two hour movie will take two hours to burn. I can burn a two-hour move in a lot less - 30-45 minutes maybe? I haven't timed it, though.

I'm not sure about quality loss because there's no way to quantify it. Suffice it to say you aren't going to get true DVD quality. You're doing lots of analog-digital-analog conversions. The quality isn't bad at the "best" level, but it's not perfect. Maybe 95%? Again, I have no way of quantifying it. If you want pristine copies of shows you will either need to buy the DVD of it (if it's being sold) or build your own PVR with a computer and an HD Tuner card and record it that way.

Gotcha's? Nothing's perfect! The one thing that annoys me most is that the recording options are pretty much nonexistant. You can span a movie onto multiple discs or fit multiple smaller programs on one disc (the worse the quality setting they were recorded on the more you can put on one DVD), but that's about it. I would love the ability to record just a piece of a program - even if commercials can't be edited out, there's often stuff at the beginning and/or end that has nothing to do with the given program/movie. Ok, well in most cases they are commercials, but I think in such cases we should be able to edit them out. Also, sometimes there may be only one segment of a given program that I'm interested in, but I'm forced to burn the entire thing.

retired_guy

11-25-2004, 12:06 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by deputydog95

As far as the speed, I can take four hours worth of programming and burn it in less than hour. I'm not sure what speed it's burning at, but it is burning it four times faster than real time. That includes prepping and erasing the disc.

>>>

You're burning at four times viewing time when burning four hours worth of material to DVD in one hour but you're actually only burning at 1X recording speed. The Pioneer will burn the four hours worth of material (medium quality) to one 4X DVD in about twenty minutes. The Pioneer burns a full 1X media DVD in a little under an hour. The recording time is a function of the amount of data, not the viewing time. A 4X recorder will record a full DVD's worth of data in twenty minutes regardless of what quality level the program is originally recorded at. A standard DVD holds the following:

Quality level Viewing time
Extreme 1 hour
High 2 hour
Medium 4 hour
Low 6 hour

dvdmon

11-25-2004, 12:39 PM

Originally posted by retired_guy
[QUOTE]Originally posted by deputydog95

As far as the speed, I can take four hours worth of programming and burn it in less than hour. I'm not sure what speed it's burning at, but it is burning it four times faster than real time. That includes prepping and erasing the disc.

>>>

You're burning at four times viewing time when burning four hours worth of material to DVD in one hour but you're actually only burning at 1X recording speed. The Pioneer will burn the four hours worth of material (medium quality) to one 4X DVD in about twenty minutes. The Pioneer burns a full 1X media DVD in a little under an hour. The recording time is a function of the amount of data, not the viewing time. A 4X recorder will record a full DVD's worth of data in twenty minutes regardless of what quality level the program is originally recorded at. A standard DVD holds the following:

Quality level Viewing time
Extreme 1 hour
High 2 hour
Medium 4 hour
Low 6 hour

Actually, I do think that the Humax can burn up to 4x, meaning 1 hour at BEST quality in 15 minutes, given 4x media. I've done this mysefl. It could be this doesn't work with DVD-RW, just DVD-R, but it does seem to be 4x with 4x DVD-R...

lwsexson

11-25-2004, 01:24 PM

Another Humax owner. Any kind of forum to concentrate the issues would be good. I am still having trouble with Multi Room Viewing. I have not tried to reconnect it lately. It never worked longer than three days and it is just not worth the trouble.

If someone can shed any light on the problem beyond turning MRV of on the web site, forcing calls to make the MRV inactive on the Tivo boxes. Reactivating online and forcing calls to reactivate, etc -- I would appreciate it.

LWS

Tivo Series 2 - 40 hour
Humax DRT 800 - 80 with DVD-R/RW
Wireless Linksys WRK54G and WUSB11 wireless adapters
Comcast Cable TV and Broadband

jonb

11-25-2004, 09:28 PM

GT7420

11-25-2004, 09:41 PM

I also own the Humax DRT800. Count me in. I've had it for about two weeks so far, and upgraded it to 286 hours with a 250GB drive. So far it's working perfectly. I've only burned one DVD-RW as a test and that went well too. I haven't tested it enough to determine what speed it might be burning at.

sting

11-26-2004, 03:42 AM

I have a DRT800 for just over a week and I've been reasonably happy with it so I also picked up a Lifetime sub. The only thing that I'm disappointed is its lack of high-speed DVD dubbing, which is a step back from Pioneer's last year model 810H.

Here's my experience on DVD burning speed on a DRT800 using both Memorex 4xDVD-R and 2x DVD-RW -

for a full DVD -

Best Quality ~2X (35 minutes)
High Quality ~1X (50 minutes)
Medium Q. ~ 1X (60 minutes)

Hope this information helps.

I'm thinking about upgrading my DRT800 with a 300+GB drive by myself but am not sure which drive's the best to get and if there are simple to follow step-by-step instructions. I'm not even sure it's doable for me as I only have a Win98SE IBM notebook (w/ CD and floppy drives) and a WinMCE2004 Toshiba notebook (w/o a floppy drive).

Greenwing

11-26-2004, 03:48 AM

Originally posted by sting
Here's my experience on DVD burning speed on a DRT800 using both Memorex 4xDVD-R and 2x DVD-RW -

for a full DVD -

Best Quality ~2X (35 minutes)
High Quality ~1X (50 minutes)
Medium Q. ~ 1X (60 minutes)

How many minutes of actual viewable recording for each of the above...i.e. was your Medium Q DVD 4 hours of material?

sting

11-26-2004, 03:52 AM

Originally posted by Greenwing
How many minutes of actual viewable recording for each of the above...i.e. was your Medium Q DVD 4 hours of material?

Each recording was for a full DVD, which means one hour program for Best, two hours for High and four hours for Medium.

steve0617

11-26-2004, 10:52 AM

Girlfriend's father has the Series Two 80 hr stand alone. Now he wants to be able to take the recorded shows with him via DVD to watch when he travels.

As I understand it:

1. If he simply buys a seperate DVD recorder and connects the two, he will only be able to transfer off the Series Two to the DVD at real time e.g. one hour show takes one hour to transfer to a DVD.

2.

a. If he replaces the Series Two with the DRT800, will he be able to record the shows directly to the DVD, bypassing the HDD and the associated transfer/burn process?

b. If you *cannot* record directly to the DVD disk, you can transfer from the HDD to the DVD at faster than real time, but the actual minutes required will depend on the recorded video quality? So, a show on the HDD recorded at 'best' will take the longest to burn to the DVD, since the actual file size would be the largest, right? Is there a 'rule of thumb' on how long that takes compared to the show's length? e.g. One hour of 'best' quality recording will take XX minutes to burn to a DVD, assuming top quality DVD-R/RW media?

3. Anything I'm missing here?

Thanks all.

jonb

11-26-2004, 11:30 AM

Originally posted by steve0617

a. If he replaces the Series Two with the DRT800, will he be able to record the shows directly to the DVD, bypassing the HDD and the associated transfer/burn process?

b. If you *cannot* record directly to the DVD disk, you can transfer from the HDD to the DVD at faster than real time, but the actual minutes required will depend on the recorded video quality? So, a show on the HDD recorded at 'best' will take the longest to burn to the DVD, since the actual file size would be the largest, right? Is there a 'rule of thumb' on how long that takes compared to the show's length? e.g. One hour of 'best' quality recording will take XX minutes to burn to a DVD, assuming top quality DVD-R/RW media?

Forget bypassing the HDD. The timing required to burn a DVD is completely non-compatible with the real-time. See the above posts for DRT-800 burn times. You do the burning AFTER the show has been tivoed.

steve0617

11-26-2004, 11:40 AM

Originally posted by jonb
Forget bypassing the HDD. The timing required to burn a DVD is completely non-compatible with the real-time. See the above posts for DRT-800 burn times. You do the burning AFTER the show has been tivoed.

Thanks for your info but I'm asking if it *can be done* that the show is directly recorded to the DVD...

deputydog95

11-26-2004, 11:59 AM

Anybody else notice the Tivo screen menu on the burnt dvd's, tends to flicker or shake a little? Mostly around the edges? I noticed that I get this on the top edge of some movies I've burnt as well. I record only in medium quality to get more on the DVD's.

Okay, so I understand that a full DVD(regardless of the number of hours of programing on there) should take one hour at 1x and15ish minutes at 4x.
Will the Humax actually burn at 4x? Is that confirmed? It's my understanding that's it's capable anyway. The media I bought (Sony DVD-RW) was not labeled. Guess I got to assume it's 1x then.

Steve: If you try to do the same thing with the separate DVD burner, then you will have to wait one hour to transfer a one hour show, and then however long it takes to burn it. This is what kept me from waiting on the Tivo2Go service. You'll only be able to transfer one show at a time and it will be real time. And then you'll have to burn it. Way to much planning and it takes way too long. Humax is the way to go.

DVDMON: I have not noticed the gray screen hiccup your referring to.

sting

11-26-2004, 12:21 PM

Originally posted by deputydog95

Okay, so I understand that a full DVD(regardless of the number of hours of programing on there) should take one hour at 1x and15ish minutes at 4x.
Will the Humax actually burn at 4x? Is that confirmed? It's my understanding that's it's capable anyway. The media I bought (Sony DVD-RW) was not labeled. Guess I got to assume it's 1x then.

Toshiba told me that the fast DVD dubbing was left out of the feature set of RS-TX20/60, I assume the same for Humax based on my experience.

deputydog95

11-26-2004, 12:54 PM

So is there any point to buying media faster than 1x?

sting

11-26-2004, 01:26 PM

Originally posted by deputydog95
So is there any point to buying media faster than 1x?

Yes, to get ~2x DVD dubbing for recordings in Best Quality.

Somebody had posted elsewhere that a higher speed DVD media is of better quality, don't have the information to verify that though.

deputydog95

11-26-2004, 02:41 PM

so if i understand it correctly, anything less than best quality automatically defaults to 1x speed?

sting

11-26-2004, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by deputydog95
so if i understand it correctly, anything less than best quality automatically defaults to 1x speed?

It appears that way based on my own experience, although I never tried dubbing recordings in Basic Quality.

steve0617

11-27-2004, 09:08 AM

Can the DRT800 record shows directly to a DVD, skipping the internal HDD?

JoeBarbs

11-27-2004, 09:27 AM

Originally posted by steve0617
Can the DRT800 record shows directly to a DVD, skipping the internal HDD?

Nope, it records to the hdd first.

pigonthewing

11-27-2004, 12:49 PM

I recorded my vacation to Mexico (over the DV port) (how cool) and then burned that to DVD. It seemed to burn at 1x, which was hugely dissapointing as I'm using 8x discs and never really knew - or thought to learn - anything about the burning speed of the drive itself.

Is the drive upgradeable, I wonder? I mean, it's just a regular ol' IDE drive in there...

Anyway, I just burned another DVD (to the same kind of media) of a recorded program, and that seemed to go at 2x.

Both my personal video and the television show were recorded to the TiVo at "High Quality", I believe, not "Best" as some people seem to be reporting as the only way to achieve 2x.

Essentially though, what we've learned is that the burner seems to operate at 1x or 2x depending on what kind of mood it's in, I guess?

Also...

So, I was reading the "Manufacturer's Opinion" about how to use this thing (Instruction Manual, as defined by Tim Tayor/Allen) looking for some indication of its burning speed. I was unable to find that, but I did see something which worried me. A lot.

Is it true that certain programs (most notably, "Law & Order", as pictured in the manual) cannot be recorded?! I'm going to be seriously dissapointed if that's the case...

pernar

11-27-2004, 01:03 PM

I burned a full disc combined with med/high quality shows, and it took a bit less than half an hour.

Also, while burning you can watch TV, watch a recorded show, or use the HMO stuff. So the long-ish burn times really aren't that big of a deal.

I also went ahead and did lifetime on this unit, I'm sure I'll get my money's worth. I also threw a 200 gig Maxtor in there yesterday (black friday special), and am pretty happy with that too. I probably wouldn't suggest Maxtor unless you're familiar with the amset software, you really have to turn quiet mode on with these drives.

As an aside I was a bit surprised that the 80 gig drive in the unit was a Seagate, and the DVD burner is a Pioneer. That's higher caliber equipment than I would have expected in a Tivo at this price point!

jonb

11-27-2004, 01:12 PM

Originally posted by pernar
I burned a full disc combined with med/high quality shows, and it took a bit less than half an hour.

Also, while burning you can watch TV, watch a recorded show, or use the HMO stuff. So the long-ish burn times really aren't that big of a deal.

I also went ahead and did lifetime on this unit, I'm sure I'll get my money's worth. I also threw a 200 gig Maxtor in there yesterday (black friday special), and am pretty happy with that too. I probably wouldn't suggest Maxtor unless you're familiar with the amset software, you really have to turn quiet mode on with these drives.

As an aside I was a bit surprised that the 80 gig drive in the unit was a Seagate, and the DVD burner is a Pioneer. That's higher caliber equipment than I would have expected in a Tivo at this price point!

Could you please post the Pioneer dvd burner model number?

pernar

11-27-2004, 01:50 PM

The drive is a Pioneer DVR-108RZ rev. 1.08

pigonthewing

11-27-2004, 03:07 PM

What do you think would be involved with (or is it even possible) swapping out that DVD drive? I'd love to put something faster in mine. As for upgrading the hard drive, why bother? I mean, seriously... isn't that what DVD-R capability is for?

I saw these 200+ hour boxes in the store, and I was very confused by them. I can see pushing a Series 2 to its maximum, but when it comes to these, if I run out of space, I'll burn a DVD and delete some stuff. That's kind of, uhm, the point, no? =)

sting

11-27-2004, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by pernar
I burned a full disc combined with med/high quality shows, and it took a bit less than half an hour.

Which brand/media did you use?

jonb

11-27-2004, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by pigonthewing
What do you think would be involved with (or is it even possible) swapping out that DVD drive? I'd love to put something faster in mine. As for upgrading the hard drive, why bother? I mean, seriously... isn't that what DVD-R capability is for?

I saw these 200+ hour boxes in the store, and I was very confused by them. I can see pushing a Series 2 to its maximum, but when it comes to these, if I run out of space, I'll burn a DVD and delete some stuff. That's kind of, uhm, the point, no? =)

Here's the DVR-108's specs:

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php?DVDnameid=665&Search=Search&list=2#comments

If you can burn a previously tivoed show while doing normal tivoing on other shows, I don't see that a faster burner has much benefit. However, I can't believe that certain actions while burning won't make "coasters"!

sting

11-27-2004, 05:45 PM

Originally posted by jonb
Here's the DVR-108's specs:

http://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php?DVDnameid=665&Search=Search&list=2#comments

If you can burn a previously tivoed show while doing normal tivoing on other shows, I don't see that a faster burner has much benefit. However, I can't believe that certain actions while burning won't make "coasters"!

The specs say that it supports 16X DVD-R ZCLV (?) Write. Does it just mean that it's compatible with 16x DVD-R media but not necessarily do actual writing at 16x?

Greenwing

11-27-2004, 06:37 PM

Something does not sound right to me...According to below specs, the DVR-108 drive can do + or - R/RW recording, etc...and double layer...and 16x...

Pioneer DVR-108 Specifications
DVD DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R DL (double layer)
CD CD-R 700(type 80), 650MB(type 74), CD-RW, Ultra speed CD-RW, High speed CD-RW

Read Support
DVD DVD-ROM, DVD-VIDEO, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW & DVD+R DL, DVD-RAM (Non-cartridge DVD-RAM Version 2.0/2.1 only)
CD CD-ROM (Mode 1&2), CD-ROM XA, CD-DA (CD Audio), Video CD, PhotoCD (single/multi-session), CD EXTRA, CD-Text, CD-R, CD-RW

Write Speed
DVD-R 16x, 12x, 8x, 6x, 4x, 2x, 1x
DVD-RW 4x, 2x, 1x
DVD+R 16x, 12x, 8x, 6x, 4x. 2.4x
DVD+RW 4x, 2.4x
DVD+R DL 4x, 2.4x
CD-R 32x, 24x, 16x, 10x, 4x
CD-RW 24x, 20x, 16x, 10x, 4x

Read Speed
DVD-ROM (single) Max 16x CAV
DVD-ROM (dual) Max 12x CAV
DVD-R MAX 12x CAV
DVD-RW Max 8x CAV
DVD+R Max 12x CAV
DVD+RW MAX 8x CAV
DVD+DL MAX 8x CAV
DVD-RAM Max 2x CLV
CD-ROM Max 40x CAV
CD-R, Max 40x CAV
CD-RW Max 32x CAV
CD-DA (DAE) Max 40x CAV
CD-DA Max 9.3x CAV
VCD Max 9.3x CAV
Mounting Orientation Horizontal and Vertical
Interface ATAPI (PIO Mode4)/Multi Word DMA Mode2) Ultra DMA663(Ultra DMA Mode4)
Data Buffer (size) 2 MBytes
Dimensions (W x H x D) 148mm x 42.3mm x 198mm 5-13/16"x1-11/16"x7-13/16"

skanter

11-27-2004, 07:14 PM

Does the Humax recorder have the same PQ issues as the Pioneer machines? IOW, is the PQ identical to SA2 or worse?

sting

11-27-2004, 08:05 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Does the Humax recorder have the same PQ issues as the Pioneer machines? IOW, is the PQ identical to SA2 or worse?

My Humax DRT800 does not have the same Pioneer 810H PQ issue. IMO, Humax PQ is at least equal to the SA Series 2.

deputydog95

11-28-2004, 01:24 PM

i thought that this drive could only burn dvd- media?

is it some sort of firmware that's limits the record speed and media type?

if those specs are correct, shouldn't we be able to burn dvd's much quicker?

alunj

11-28-2004, 01:48 PM

I can confirm its a dv108 drive. Hooked it upto a pc and checked :)
I dont knwo what will happen if you change the firmware Im in the UK and want to see what happens
if a region free firmware is intalled. The Tivo Might just reblow it or barf as it isnt happy .
Also I note the ESS dvd chip can do Divx! I wonder if that can be enabled ? I tried fooling it by labling a
divx as a wma (which it will aslo play) but no dice :(
If anyone is interested I will be uploading some pics of the guts later tonight (sunday)
http://www.yllain.plus.com/TiVo/

lwsexson

11-28-2004, 01:48 PM

I know mine was not happy when I put a DVD+ in by mistake. I am also wondering if it is firmware.

Perl_pro

11-28-2004, 10:12 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by deputydog95
[B]Your lifetime membership does not transfer to the new box. I just found that out the hard way. I will no longer do lifetime's as the technolgy changes too fast and I know that I will not keep these units longer than two years. [QUOTE]

Hey guys,
I just bought my first DVR (Humax DRT800) this week. Before last week I knew squat about Tivo, until the DirectTV installation guys said I would need 2 homeruns to the satellite unit to use Tivo. I did about 2 hours of research on the net before deciding I wanted a DVD burner built in. I went to bestbuy and bought the Humax (no, not at $200, I paid 499 with a $100 rebate-pain-in-the-butt).

I have already activated Tivo service with the 299 lifetime.

I am extremely disappointed with the Humax and want to return it for the DirectTV DVR. I had no idea that the humax won't allow me to watch one channel and record another (having NO tuners built in), and channel changing is horrible. We are basically using the satellite remote exclusively.

My question is about the lifetime service fee not transferring. If I just return the box, can I get a refund, or transfer it to another box?

bedelman

11-28-2004, 10:27 PM

Originally posted by Perl_pro
My question is about the lifetime service fee not transferring. If I just return the box, can I get a refund, or transfer it to another box? TiVo offers a 30-day money back guarantee so you should be able to simply cancel your subscription if it's been within the last 30 days.

BlackBetty

11-28-2004, 10:28 PM

Originally posted by Perl_pro
I did about 2 hours of research on the net before deciding I wanted a DVD burner built in......................... I had no idea that the humax won't allow me to watch one channel and record another (having NO tuners built in), and channel changing is horrible.

Looks like your 2 hours of research really paid off.

deputydog95

11-29-2004, 02:40 PM

just add a splitter if you want to watch one thing and record another. works fine.

what's wrong with your channel changing? if you set it up properly it changes channels just as fast if not faster than my series 2 did. you have to experiment with the different channel changing settings.

deputydog95

11-29-2004, 02:41 PM

btw, if you get the direct tv tivo, you won't have the hmo option. your call. i'd keep your humax and add a spliter.

erliban

11-29-2004, 06:39 PM

Hi, everyone, I'm new at this TiVo thing and am thinking about getting a DRT800. I'd like to ask a current owner: can this unit function as a regular DVD player as well? Meaning, can it play regular DVD discs? Can it play already burnt DVD+R/RW discs (I know it can not burn DVD+R/RW)? If I do not sign up the TiVo service, can I still use it as a DVD recoder/player? Thanks in advance!

bedelman

11-29-2004, 09:07 PM

The DRT800 will not function unless it is subscribed to the TiVo Service. This differs from the DVD Recorder/TiVo units from Pioneer and Toshiba that come with TiVo Basic.

The DRT800 does function as a regular DVD player. I believe that it can play DVD+R/RW media as long as they have been "finalized"

pernar

11-29-2004, 09:43 PM

Originally posted by sting
Which brand/media did you use?

TDK DVD-RW, the disc that came in the box.

pernar

11-29-2004, 09:54 PM

I can explain why the unit only burns at 2-4x speed when the drive is technically possible of faster speeds.

It's pretty simple, really - to burn at 8/16x, the hard drive needs to pretty much continuously crunch data to the disc, which would make the Tivo unusable for anything else. Since you can watch TV/record shows while the thing is burning away, they had to limit the burn speed.

As for DirecTV guy, I think you're screwed. The splitter won't work for you since the DirecTV box can only output a single channel at once.

What I'm doing with digital cable is pretty much your only option. Take your DirecTV box and hook it into the Tivo, and then take whatever analog cable you get and plug it directly into the TV itself. This way you just have to switch inputs on the TV and you're set. Obviously you won't be able to watch DirecTV on the other input - UNLESS you go out and get another DirecTV box, of course, which then requires another home run from the dish.

erliban

11-29-2004, 11:32 PM

Originally posted by bedelman
The DRT800 will not function unless it is subscribed to the TiVo Service. This differs from the DVD Recorder/TiVo units from Pioneer and Toshiba that come with TiVo Basic.

The DRT800 does function as a regular DVD player. I believe that it can play DVD+R/RW media as long as they have been "finalized"

Thanks for the reply. So do you mean I can't use it at all: even as a regular DVD player? Or do you mean I can use it as a regular DVD player no matter what but can not use it as a DVD recorder without subscription?

It kind of sucks if I can't use it as a stand alone DVD player/recorder :(

juanian

11-30-2004, 03:26 AM

Originally posted by Perl_pro
I am extremely disappointed with the Humax and want to return it for the DirectTV DVR. I had no idea that the humax won't allow me to watch one channel and record another (having NO tuners built in), and channel changing is horrible. We are basically using the satellite remote exclusively.

OK - you have me confused.

With non-satellite TiVos (using a coax R/F input, and a coax R/F output to the TV), you can record one channel and watch a different channel by putting your TiVo into Standby mode. (While in Standby mode, the TiVo still records shows, still has the 30-minute live buffer, and otherwise acts normally.) Think of Standby mode as similar to the "TV/VCR" button on a VCR.

If you are recording from the A/V inputs to your TiVo, you are not using the TiVo tuner, and that is a different issue. Since you said that you were using the satellite remote exclusively, it looks like you aren't even using the TiVo for more than a dumb recorder. Are you using an IR or serial interface from the TiVo to a satellite box to have the TiVo change the channels?

-----------

On a different topic, BestBuy is selling Memorex 4x DVD+RW 25-pack spindle for $20 (much less than normal price). Hopefully they will be selling DVD-RW media at a similar price soon!

Also, the HUMAX manual says:
The Recorder is compatible with DVD-RW Ver. 1.1 and Ver. 1.1/2x, and DVD-R Ver. 2.0 and Ver. 2.0/4x.

Juan

pernar

11-30-2004, 08:14 AM

Originally posted by erliban
Thanks for the reply. So do you mean I can't use it at all: even as a regular DVD player? Or do you mean I can use it as a regular DVD player no matter what but can not use it as a DVD recorder without subscription?

It kind of sucks if I can't use it as a stand alone DVD player/recorder :(

You can buy standalone DVD player/recorders for a lot cheaper than the Humax, so why on earth would you spend the extra $$ and then NOT subscribe to Tivo? There's a reason the Toshiba and Pioneer units are more expensive than the Humax, and that's because they have Tivo Basic.

It never made sense to me, though, since you're talking about a $100+ difference, and that is a huge chunk of a lifetime sub on the Humax. It's like the old saying, "jumping over dollars to pick up dimes".

erliban

11-30-2004, 01:00 PM

Originally posted by pernar
You can buy standalone DVD player/recorders for a lot cheaper than the Humax, so why on earth would you spend the extra $$ and then NOT subscribe to Tivo? There's a reason the Toshiba and Pioneer units are more expensive than the Humax, and that's because they have Tivo Basic.

It never made sense to me, though, since you're talking about a $100+ difference, and that is a huge chunk of a lifetime sub on the Humax. It's like the old saying, "jumping over dollars to pick up dimes".

Well, when you put it that way it does sound reasonable to bite the bullet and subscribe lifetime. :)

Since I have not tried TiVo before, I just want leave meyself the option of stop subscribing in case I don't like it after several months and still keep it for DVD recoder/player functions.

cprovo

11-30-2004, 05:01 PM

I'm also new to TIVO and was thinking about purchasing the DRT800 due to the great price at CC (although I would price match at BB because I have a $20 off coupon). So let me understand this unit - I cannot rent a DVD from Blockbuster and play it on there, I cannot record TV shows (on the hard drive or to disk) without subscribing to TIVO? Can anyone help me out here? Thanks.

ashu

11-30-2004, 05:09 PM

Originally posted by cprovo
I cannot rent a DVD from Blockbuster and play it on there, I cannot record TV shows (on the hard drive or to disk) without subscribing to TIVO?

BINGO!

sting

11-30-2004, 05:52 PM

Originally posted by erliban
Since I have not tried TiVo before, I just want leave meyself the option of stop subscribing in case I don't like it after several months and still keep it for DVD recoder/player functions.

In this case, you should get a Toshiba RS-TX20, it has Tivo Basic and 120GB HD. You can get it for around $470 online. You can first try full Tivo for 45 days free and then subscribe to it at $12.95/mo for a few months and get the $100 rebate. You can also buy a lifetime sub if you liked the full Tivo after the first 45 day free trial and get the rebate. You will always have some sort of Tivo service this way at a close enough price to a comparable Humax DRT800. To me, Humax only makes sense for people who really want full Tivo service and I am one of them.

cprovo

11-30-2004, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by ashutoshsm
BINGO!

The thing is...I did go ahead and purchase the DRT800 from BB (got the price match from the CC misprinted price - plus I used that $20 coupon). So with tax my total was $303.09 and I can send in for the $100 MIR. I am going to return this though because I don't think it's really what I want. I'd rather have something that's a player and recorder.

Does the Toshiba unit that has TIVO basic service act as a player as wel as a recoder. The only downside to this whole thing is the great deal I got on the HUMAX unit.

Any suggestions?

erliban

11-30-2004, 06:20 PM

Originally posted by sting
In this case, you should get a Toshiba RS-TX20, it has Tivo Basic and 120GB HD. You can get it for around $470 online. You can first try full Tivo for 45 days free and then subscribe to it at $12.95/mo for a few months and get the $100 rebate. You can also buy a lifetime sub if you liked the full Tivo after the first 45 day free trial and get the rebate. You will always have some sort of Tivo service this way at a close enough price to a comparable Humax DRT800. To me, Humax only makes sense for people who really want full Tivo service and I am one of them.

Thanks for the suggestion. But I couldn't wait and did the $199 after rebate deal mentioned in the other thread (it was actually $179 + tax on $279 because I did it at Best Buy through their 110% price match) today. Guess I can't complain at this price ;)

sting

11-30-2004, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by erliban
Thanks for the suggestion. But I couldn't wait and did the $199 after rebate deal mentioned in the other thread (it was actually $179 + tax on $279 because I did it at Best Buy through their 110% price match) today. Guess I can't complain at this price ;)

With lifetime sub your total would be just over $500 after rebate for a DRT800 w/ 80GB HD. IMO, lifetime (vs monthly) is a much better deal for the DRT800 as your machine would be worth a lot more when you sell it and you get the use of Tivo when you own it. Toshiba RS-TX20, on the other hand, would cost you aorund $430 after rebate with a 120GB HD and Tivo Basic. If Tivo Basic is all you need (and want) then the Toshiba is a more compelling value.

Don't get me wrong, I like my DRT800 (w/ lifetime), it's just a better value if you wanted full Tivo. I bet a lot of owners also want to upgrade it to a higher recording capacity. My plan anyway!

Enjoy Tivo!

lwsexson

11-30-2004, 07:00 PM

The only reason I can think of for not liking Tivo would be you never watched any television. By that I mean you want to watch rented tapes and dvds but never watch on air, satelite tv or cable tv. Tivo is a wonderful change and well worth the price.

jratcliff

11-30-2004, 07:16 PM

I'm having some very bad luck with my new Humax DRT800. I used the DVD-RW that came with the unit to save a few shows but this DVD will not play back on any other DVD players or my computer. My other DVD player says that it supports DVD-R/RW so it should work but didn't.

I then went a bought some new DVD-R discs but the Humax will not record to them. The first time I tried burning to the DVD the Humax rebooted itself. The second and third time I tried, it got about 15% complete and then it quit with an "internal error".

I called Humax support and all they told me was to try a different brand of DVD-R/RWs.

Has anyone else experienced this? What brand should I buy? The whole point to buying the Humax was so I could burn DVDs to play back on my other DVD players and on my computer.

Jack

sting

11-30-2004, 07:30 PM

Originally posted by jratcliff
I'm having some very bad luck with my new Humax DRT800. I used the DVD-RW that came with the unit to save a few shows but this DVD will not play back on any other DVD players or my computer. My other DVD player says that it supports DVD-R/RW so it should work but didn't.

I then went a bought some new DVD-R discs but the Humax will not record to them. The first time I tried burning to the DVD the Humax rebooted itself. The second and third time I tried, it got about 15% complete and then it quit with an "internal error".

I called Humax support and all they told me was to try a different brand of DVD-R/RWs.

Has anyone else experienced this? What brand should I buy? The whole point to buying the Humax was so I could burn DVDs to play back on my other DVD players and on my computer.

Jack
I've used Memorex 4x DVD-R, Memorex 2x DVD-RW and TDK 4x DVD-R, they all worked on the DRT800. Check out earlier posts on this thread.

jratcliff

11-30-2004, 07:56 PM

Thanks! I'll give Memorex a try then.

nickhull

12-01-2004, 09:59 AM

I've used mostly bargain basement discs from SpinData (?) for about $15 a 50 pack (4 x DVD-R OfficeMax) and I have been able to use them on various other DVD players.

I even had an incident where one got scratched, and the Humax wouldn't read it, but my PC DVD drive was able to read it and allow me to back it up.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Mpeg video editing software? Most of the tools that I have are older and setup for AVI's only. It's a real pain to have to transfer between formats. Free/low cost would be better.

ashu

12-01-2004, 10:04 AM

Any reports with Fuji -R and -RW disc usage and the Humax? I'd imagine it should be fine, considering itsgot a Pioneer drive in there! Thanks to Best Buy's Fuji sale over Black Friday, I'm .. ahh, heavily invested ... in Fuji discs! My PC burners (both NECs) love them.

rb_9999

12-01-2004, 08:32 PM

I bought a Humax DRT 800 a few weeks ago and put a 160GB Maxtor drive in and it is functioning fine. I also have a Tivo Series 2 that I have had for several years.

Is it me, or does the recording quality of the Humax seem very bad compared to the Series 2? I used to record programs at Basic Quality on the Series 2 and they were watchable...not too bad. On the Humax, Basic quality it unwatchable and even Medium Quality doesn't match the quality of the Series 2 Basic quality!

I know the Humax has 4 quality modes and the Series 2 has 3. Has anyone else noticed this or is it just me?

logich

12-01-2004, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by Greenwing
Something does not sound right to me...According to below specs, the DVR-108 drive can do + or - R/RW recording, etc...and double layer...and 16x...

<snip>

Interface ATAPI (PIO Mode4)/Multi Word DMA Mode2) Ultra DMA663(Ultra DMA Mode4)
Data Buffer (size) 2 MBytes
Dimensions (W x H x D) 148mm x 42.3mm x 198mm 5-13/16"x1-11/16"x7-13/16"

I think that the burning speed may actually be seriously downgraded by either a the IDE controller or the IDE cables. Either of these could force both the burner and hdd down to ATA-33. That might explain why the hdd always seems to be writing.

Either of these would keep the price of the unit down significantly.

I know that the cables in my box knock the drive down to ATA-33 if I use them in a PC. I tried it this evening.

Perhaps a different cable would open up some additional speed in the burning process and hdd performance?

I know that some of the xbox community have found swapping cables to cause a pretty decent improvement in game play. Google for "llamma ata100 cable benchmark" if you are interested.

deputydog95

12-01-2004, 11:05 PM

I record on medium. Seems to be okay. Now that I have HD, everything that is non-HD looks like crap to me so I just tolerate it. I'm going to try and record on best quality one of these days. I haven't been up to this point because it really limits the amount of programming you can get on a dvd.

generalpatton71

12-02-2004, 04:52 AM

I can report the same issue with the humax unit and the internal error and rebooting issue. I'm ussing Mermox DVD-RW disks. The first time evreything went great no problem. I then tried to delete the info on the disk and burn some new shows. I got several failed attempts and one reboot. I though well it doesn't like this disk. I then inserted the disk that came with the system and it rebooted on the first try. I got very worried and jumped on here to see about any other reports. I then was able to burn a show on my second try while typing this. I'm wonering if recording a show while burning a disk is causing this? I have also thrown in a 200gb Maxtor like somebody else here did. If we are the same two people then we have most likly found the problem. However I don't think this is the problem. I think it's either a software bug or DVD bug,

Ps Sorry if I don't make any sence it's 3:52AM and am very tired.

lsb2004

12-02-2004, 10:19 AM

Just bought a DRT800. What quality do most of you record at? What quality matches basic on the series 2? Best?

Mine isn't out of the box yet but I'm curious.

nickhull

12-02-2004, 10:25 AM

Medium is about the same as Basic on a Series 2. Acceptable in the majority of cases, but you may want to bump up the quality for sports or other action sequences. Water/rivers/oceans cause severe problems with the compression algorithm at lower qualities (medium included). I wish that you could set a quality setting for TiVo Suggestions that was lower than the regular default quality....

ashu

12-02-2004, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by nickhull
I wish that you could set a quality setting for TiVo Suggestions that was lower than the regular default quality....

While that is an honorable wish (and I'd grant it, if it were within my powers) - how does that matter? It just means a limited number of Suggestions can get recorded (than would at a higher quality). Its not like a recorded Suggestion would remain on the disc and an expired (Yellow with exclamation) show would be auto-deleted instead. Ever!

deputydog95

12-02-2004, 10:54 AM

Patton: I have no probs recording a DVD and Tivo'ing a show at the same time. Maybe its your media. I do it all the time.

jratcliff

12-02-2004, 10:56 AM

I haven't upgraded the hd or anything else so that can't be it. I'll try and run to the store later today and pick up some new brand name DVD-RWs and try them out. I hate wasting money while trying to figure out what discs the humax will work with!

nickhull

12-02-2004, 11:01 AM

I agree that they don't interfere with requested shows, but I like LOTS of suggestions. That's how I found shows like Monster Garage and Trading Spaces - Suggestions work great for me!

I NEVER watch commercials, so I never find out about new shows (unless they are on the web or a friend recommends). I use thumbs a fair amount so I guess my TiVo knows me.

If a show is recorded in low quality, I can live with it. If I like it, I'll put in a season pass at a higher quality. I would prefer to not have to remember to request a show at a quality that's not the 'default'.

jratcliff

12-02-2004, 11:04 AM

deputydog,

What media do you use? Sting says he has used Memorex 2X DVD-RW without a problem but Patton has had problems with Memorex. The supplied TDK would burn fine for me but it wouldn't play back in any of my other DVD players.

Jack

deputydog95

12-02-2004, 12:56 PM

I use both the supplied TDK and the the Sony DVD-RW media. No probs at all. Haven't tried any DVD-R media yet though, but the RW stuff seems to be working out fine. Everything plays back AOK on my laptop.

jratcliff

12-02-2004, 01:05 PM

Hmmm. Maybe its a software of firmware issue???

According to the System Info screen on the Humax:

Software Version: 5.4-01-2-595
DVD Drive Firmware Version: DVD-RW DVR-108RZ rev.1.08

Is yours the same?

PocketPCGuy

12-02-2004, 01:18 PM

I was really set on getting this but after reading one very disturbing review at Amazon, I am having 2nd thoughts.

I was going to get this for the bedroom and use it as my 2nd Tivo (have an 80hr Series 2 on the wireless LAN downstairs). I could then get rid of my very OLD dvd player upstairs and watch recorded TV shows from the downstairs unit. However, the review started out:
I was VERY sad (read upset) to discover that it is not possible to copy programs from regular Series 2 TiVos to the DRT800 and then save them to a DVD due to format differences. This was the only reason I purchased a third TiVo (Humax) system.

There is also another comment that the unit is noisy compared with other Series 2 devices, not good in the bedroom.

Can other owners of multple Series 2 devices confirm? If it can't record what my other unit records, this is definitely out. :confused:

sting

12-02-2004, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by jratcliff
deputydog,

What media do you use? Sting says he has used Memorex 2X DVD-RW without a problem but Patton has had problems with Memorex. The supplied TDK would burn fine for me but it wouldn't play back in any of my other DVD players.

Jack

I used the supplied TDK 4X DVD-RW for dubbing with no problems. The recorded DVD-RW played back on my two-year old Sony DVD Changer successfully.

It's now 30 minutes into supplied DVD-RW dubbing, recording a TV program and viewing a recorded program all at the same time, no problems so far.

deputydog95

12-02-2004, 01:45 PM

I'd hardly call that disturbing :) Nope, can't record from other units. Not sure what the big deal is there. Just put a bigger hard drive in and record everything you think you will burn onto the humax.

I haven't noticed the noise as a problem,but that is very subjective.

This unit is still the best option out there for easy, fast burning of your shows. A separate DVD burner doesn't even compare when it comes to simplicity and speed.

ILikeTivo

12-02-2004, 01:49 PM

I think I posted this in the wrong thread...see main coffee page...so I will try this again!

Just purchased the DRT800...Have not hooked it up yet...was reading the record to dvd section in the manual. I was upset to learn that many shows may be copyright protected and not able to burn to DVD. Which was the main reason I wanted this machine for! What types of shows have you not be able to burn? Have you had any problems with thes shows? LOST, CSI or other prime tv showings?? Regards,

deputydog95

12-02-2004, 01:54 PM

I have been able to burn every single show that I have tried. I don't watch the shows you've listed, but like I said, everything I have tried has worked just great and that includes movies recorded off hbo and showtime.

pernar

12-02-2004, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by ILikeTivo
I think I posted this in the wrong thread...see main coffee page...so I will try this again!

Just purchased the DRT800...Have not hooked it up yet...was reading the record to dvd section in the manual. I was upset to learn that many shows may be copyright protected and not able to burn to DVD. Which was the main reason I wanted this machine for! What types of shows have you not be able to burn? Have you had any problems with thes shows? LOST, CSI or other prime tv showings?? Regards,

I think the verbage in the manual is C.Y.A.. Nobody really knows when or if this stuff will come to pass, I wouldn't be too concerned.

PocketPCGuy

12-02-2004, 02:50 PM

Originally posted by deputydog95
I'd hardly call that disturbing :) Nope, can't record from other units. Not sure what the big deal is there. Just put a bigger hard drive in and record everything you think you will burn onto the humax.
It is a huge deal. I already have a DVD player as part of a 5.1 surround sound system downstairs, so I don't need this as a DVD player downstairs. Upstairs it would allow me to have one unit (TiVo+DVD) rather than 2 - a separate DVD player and TiVo. My downstairs unit is my main box so it records 99% of everything. I want a 2nd unit to record those occasional times (seems 2-3 times a month at least) when programs overlap. I also want a unit upstairs to transfer content to on the occasions when I want to watch something upstairs that I recorded downstairs.

A bigger hard drive accomplishes... uhm... let me see... oh - none of that. ;) I am not going to record stuff twice just to accomplish this.

If it can't record from other Series2 devices, I'll just get a cheap 40hr unit. The recording was sort of a bonus, not a lead reason, but it is enough of a downside that I can;'t justify an extra $200 for a feature that won't work for me.

Why in the world did TiVo do this?

ashu

12-02-2004, 03:10 PM

TiVoToGo should, supposedly, be more powerful (if less user-'friendly' as in simple UI) to achieve what you desire.

All upgrade paths should point towards adding hard drive space to powerful home PCs, now! And nice, cheap, fast DVD burners (approx $50, see newegg).

Of course, it would be prudent to wait for TiVo's (over)due announcements about TTG first!

<edit> For people who plan to not bother with setting up a home network or own multiple TiVos, the price and feature set of the DRT800 are absolutely unbeatable, however!

(Despite being in the wait-and-see and computer-savvy groups, I'm still debating whether to open my killer-deal-from-Best-Buy DRT800 or sell it unopened! Its that tempting a device!)

PocketPCGuy

12-02-2004, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by ashutoshsm
TiVoToGo should, supposedly, be more powerful (if less user-'friendly' as in simple UI) to achieve what you desire.
Sounds like exactly what I was thinking. If TiVoToGo comes to fruition and it isn't an additional monthly charge, fine. If not, well, that's ok too. Sounds like its time to order that 40hr unit with WiFi dongle. :D

sting

12-02-2004, 06:09 PM

Here's an email I've received from Humax USA Technical Support today regarding the DRT800 DVD Recording Speed -

"Humax has been made aware of the issue of DVD recording speed and we are working with TiVo on a solution. Please note that while the burner and media are capable of up to 4x recording, the actual time it takes to burn a disk is dependant on how many system resources are available. For example, if you are watching a recorded program while recording another one to the hard drive and burning a disk all at the same time, the burn speed may be slower than 4x. If just burning alone it will likely be up to 4x. We have heard of this issue and are working on resolving it. When the software upgrade will be available is still unknown. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused."

Hank

12-02-2004, 06:40 PM

If I want to transfer a bunch of VHS tapes, recorded at both SP and EP, to DVD, what recording levels would you suggest using on the DRT800 for each?

jhm783

12-02-2004, 06:52 PM

First of all, I love my DRT-800 Tivo. I am, however, a little disappointed with the video quality. Even just watching "live tv" is a little bit fuzzy, about the same as watching a VHS tape, but not really as clear as that displayed by the TV's tuner. I understand that I'm viewing a video stream coming from the hard drive. I assume this stream was written at the "best" quality. Don't get me wrong, it's OK, just a bit less than what I was expecting.
As for the hard drive, I can see where there might be some maintenance problems since it is writing data 24/7. I'm thinking about upgrading to a bigger drive through weaknees.com.
I also have a Pioneer DVR520H. Maybe its the compression techniques used, but the "standard" compression on the Pioneer (2hrs on a DVD) seems to be of superior video quality to even the "best" on the Humax. That is probably subjective, however.
I am using the component video cables to connect to my Toshiba 40" projection TV with progressive scan enabled.
BTW, playing a commercial DVD on the Humax yields astounding picture quality.

sting

12-02-2004, 06:53 PM

Originally posted by henryhank
If I want to transfer a bunch of VHS tapes, recorded at both SP and EP, to DVD, what recording levels would you suggest using on the DRT800 for each?

I haven't done it yet, I would probably use High for SP and Medium/Basic for EP. Just record 10 minutes at different levels and see for yourself. Good luck.

Hank

12-02-2004, 06:55 PM

Originally posted by jhm783
As for the hard drive, I can see where there might be some maintenance problems since it is writing data 24/7.

Just as a point of information, my original 14-Hour Tivo from 1999 has been running 24x7 for more than five years without any problems at all. I wou;dn't worry about the 24x7 aspect of the HD in the Tivo.

deputydog95

12-03-2004, 12:41 AM

PocketPC: Why would you even consier the humax? Sounds like your main concern is recording and transferring. If you have no interest in burning to DVD, then why bother? I recommended a bigger hard drive so that you could consolidate your tivos and use just one. You are correct that it will not help out with overlapping shows though.

Or...Just put the humax downstairs in your home theater rack and move your current tivo upstairs. If that's where you do most of your recording, then these are probably the programs that you will want to burn to dvd. Voila.

As far as Tivo2go, it's going to be too slow. You'll only be able to transfer one show at a time, and tivo has no plans to release "g" capabality any time soon. It'll take too much time to make it worth your while. If you only want to burn a show from time to time, it'll probably be okay. If you're burning on a regular basis, it would too much of a PIA.

deputydog95

12-03-2004, 12:44 AM

BTW: pocketpc: Just so you're clear on this. You can transfer shows between the Humax and a regular series 2 machine, just like a regular tivo. You just can't burn transferred shows from another series 2 machine on the humax. Supposedly it has something to do with the format in which the show was recorded.

PocketPCGuy

12-03-2004, 07:37 AM

Originally posted by deputydog95
PocketPC: Why would you even consier the humax? Sounds like your main concern is recording and transferring. If you have no interest in burning to DVD, then why bother? I recommended a bigger hard drive so that you could consolidate your tivos and use just one. You are correct that it will not help out with overlapping shows though.

Or...Just put the humax downstairs in your home theater rack and move your current tivo upstairs. If that's where you do most of your recording, then these are probably the programs that you will want to burn to dvd. Voila.
DVD burning isn't a necessity, but a nice perk. As for the Humax downstairs, there is no point. I already have DVD down there. I want a newer DVD player upstairs. Getting a Humax would have allowed me to get rid of my 5 year old DVD player upstairs and put one unit that does DVD playing/burning/TiVoing in one box. Burning seems to be out as it is not and will not be my primary TiVo box - that is downstairs and it has plenty of space. I am not paying $399 for that. I wound up buying an additional 40hr Tivo for upstairs for $170 and then I'll take the $100 rebate bringing the total to $70. :)

As for TiVoToGo being too slow, that isn't a big problem. I'll burn a few DVDs a year and letting programs transfer at "b" speeds won't bother me.

nickhull

12-03-2004, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by deputydog95
BTW: pocketpc: Just so you're clear on this. You can transfer shows between the Humax and a regular series 2 machine, just like a regular tivo. You just can't burn transferred shows from another series 2 machine on the humax. Supposedly it has something to do with the format in which the show was recorded.

I've just got my second DRT800, but haven't hooked it up yet. I'm just 'burning' to know whether shows transferred between them can be burned. The message you get for shows from a Series 2 is somthing like 'it was recorded from a device that is incompatible'. Now I have 2 compatible units, can they be transferred and burned? It's kind of pointless, I know, but inquiring minds want to know.

deputydog95

12-03-2004, 09:35 AM

tivo says that should work fine.

CrispyCritter

12-03-2004, 09:45 AM

Originally posted by deputydog95
tivo says that should work fine. Really, where did they say that? It's something that wasn't true of the original Pioneer models, though they suggested it should be true eventually (something about not enough meta-data was being transferred.)

deputydog95

12-03-2004, 10:48 AM

i was on the phone with tivo a little while back asking them some questions about my humax. one of my questions was about transfering from series 2 to the humax and burning. obviously the answer to that was "no", but the rep did say that you can transfer from humax to humax and burn with no problems, as they are recording in the same format.

jratcliff

12-03-2004, 02:27 PM

Not sure what this has to do with the problem I posted a couple of days ago (not being able to burn to a DVD-R disc, and other DVD players not being able to read from DVD-RW discs recorded from the Humax) but my Humax can now burn to my bargain basement DVD-R discs and the TDK DVD-RW disc that came with the unit can now be burned to and can be read from my other DVD players!

So what changed?!?

The only thing I did was to take my satellite receiver OFF of the Humax. I had them stacked with the Humax on the bottom, since it was the bigger of the two. Once I took off the receiver I tried to burn a DVD-R (which had been unsuccessful in my previous 3 attempts) and this time it worked. I tested this disc in my other DVD players and it worked.

I then retried the TDK DVD-RW and burned a show onto it. I then tried it in another DVD player... and it worked!!!!

So, I'm guessing by having some "weight" on top of of the Humax was causing problems with the burning of discs???

silentguy

12-03-2004, 05:26 PM

More likely RF interference than physical weight.

skanter

12-03-2004, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by jhm783
First of all, I love my DRT-800 Tivo. I am, however, a little disappointed with the video quality. Even just watching "live tv" is a little bit fuzzy, about the same as watching a VHS tape, but not really as clear as that displayed by the TV's tuner. I understand that I'm viewing a video stream coming from the hard drive. I assume this stream was written at the "best" quality. Don't get me wrong, it's OK, just a bit less than what I was expecting.
As for the hard drive, I can see where there might be some maintenance problems since it is writing data 24/7. I'm thinking about upgrading to a bigger drive through weaknees.com.
I also have a Pioneer DVR520H. Maybe its the compression techniques used, but the "standard" compression on the Pioneer (2hrs on a DVD) seems to be of superior video quality to even the "best" on the Humax. That is probably subjective, however.
I am using the component video cables to connect to my Toshiba 40" projection TV with progressive scan enabled.
BTW, playing a commercial DVD on the Humax yields astounding picture quality.

What size monitor?

wpatters1229

12-03-2004, 06:23 PM

I have a Humax 800 and just got it working on my wireless network. Tried watching a program recorded on my series 2 in the front room and it keeps stopping saying it has to load more data and then press play again. I guess I have to do transfers at night and then watch them the next day. To answer the question if you can record something transfered from a series 2...NO. I was told that is because it was recorded for output to tape and not in Mpeg2 format which is what the DVD burner needs. You would think that when the transfer occurs they would use the encodeing to make the transfered file mpeg2 format so it could then be burned. I have tons of stuff on my series 2 that I want to burn to DVD and will not have to wait for the Tivo to Go....if it ever gets here. I'd sure like to read the details on that new feature....any idea where I can read details about Tivo to go....not a press release but the tech version.

Chippy

12-03-2004, 07:03 PM

I'd just like a verification from you Humax owners. My impression is that when you burn shows onto a DVD, you are not allowed to use the Tivo FF feature to remove commercials from the DVD. Is that correct? So you are stuck watching commercials on the DVD?

mickeymaker

12-03-2004, 07:15 PM

You can fast forward the commercials on the DVD just like you can fast forward them when you are watching a recorded program. You can't edit them out of the recording on the Humax Tivo/DVD recorder combo (unfortunately). Fast forwarding the commericals isn't very difficult. You could take the burned shows to a computer, edit out the commercials, and then send them back to DVD (but it's easier to just fast forward them).

Chippy

12-03-2004, 07:18 PM

Will the fast forwarding through commercials work on any DVD player, or just the Tivo-branded ones?

mickeymaker

12-03-2004, 07:21 PM

It will fast forward like any other DVD in other players.

Chippy

12-03-2004, 07:25 PM

Originally posted by mickeymaker
It will fast forward like any other DVD in other players. But that fast forwarding will be dependent upon the speed in other DVD players, right? And it won't have Tivo's cool jump-back feature, correct?

jhm783

12-03-2004, 08:00 PM

Skanter,

My Toshiba TV is model 43H70, though I think it is actually 42".

generalpatton71

12-04-2004, 02:09 AM

I posted on this thread yesterday and now I can't find it? Moderator did you delete it? Let me know if I did something wrong LOL.

deputydog95

12-04-2004, 09:29 AM

yes, it only plays like a regular dvd. no 30 sec skip forward or the jump back.

CrispyCritter

12-04-2004, 10:07 AM

Originally posted by generalpatton71
I posted on this thread yesterday and now I can't find it? Moderator did you delete it? Let me know if I did something wrong LOL. There are multiple humax threads. Perhaps Another thread? (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2404526#post2404526)

wpatters1229

12-04-2004, 04:51 PM

dumb question but what is this 30 second skip that you keep talking about in this forum? I only click on the fast forward button once twice or three times to go forward....I know it goes back a few seconds after stopping on the really fast forward speeds but the 30 second thing I don't know about.

mickeymaker

12-04-2004, 04:54 PM

To change your skip to end button to 30 second skip hit the following key sequence: select, play, select, 3, 0, select

I've seen it suggested that you run a program from the now playing list when you do it. Repeating the sequence disables the 30 second skip. The button will still skip to the next tick while fast forwarding or rewinding.

PocketPCGuy

12-04-2004, 06:39 PM

Originally posted by mickeymaker
To change your skip to end button to 30 second skip hit the following key sequence: select, play, select, 3, 0, select
Just enabled it yesterday here. Pretty cool. :D

Note too that if your machine reboots/loses power the setting will be lost and you have to redo the sequence.

mikeym123

12-04-2004, 11:58 PM

It'd be great to have a forum for Humax users. I'm in! Got my Humax DRT-800 at Best Buy 3 weeks ago (missed out on the pricing glitch).

Has been working well, but recently I've had the DVD player freak out on me when playing a store-bought DVD. DVD was new, unscratched, clean and playing perfectly in the DRT-800 when suddenly it started freezing and skipping forward. Other DVDs which were working fine previously started to show the same behavior. Rebooted and it seemed to improve (don't know enough to say why that would help) but still flakes out.

A temperamental DVD drive might scare me away from this model for good -- but is it just my unit or is there a pattern out there. Anyone else have a similar experience?

nrnble

12-05-2004, 01:42 AM

I was very tempted to buy the Humax but decided that a standalone DVD recorder was a better option for me personally.

My reasons:

- I have DirecTV (1 DirecTiVo and 1 UTV)
- I wanted to edit out commercials
- I have a Series 1 TiVo (on basic cable for local channel)
- Yet another subscription fee for TiVo

All my PVRs have been upgraded and I have hundreds of hours of recording capacity, so I really didn't need another TiVo. A stand alone DVD recorder allows me to record to DVD from any of the PVR using a AV receiver. To record a 60 minute show editing the commercials takes 40-45 minutes.

My DVD recorder is LITEON 5005. The feature I like about the LITEON 5005 is that it records on to CD creating VCDs and SVCDs. Sometimes Its a waste to have 30 minute show on a DVD, so I create a SVCD. Or sometimes I don't care about the quality as much so I make a VCD.

As a interesting observation, I've been editing out approx 18 minutes of commercials for each 1 hour prime time show (1 show = 42 minutes).

ksaturnia

12-05-2004, 10:47 AM

Alright everyone, I jumped in on this deal yesterday. Gonna play around with it today, burn a DVD or two. Anyone have any suggestions before I do so to make sure I get the best quality?

Also, i read something about someone adding a MUCH bigger hard drive to the unit. I am interested, does it void the warranty?

Thanks again, Look forward to hearing from you.

deputydog95

12-05-2004, 11:10 AM

nrnble: only diff with using a standalone is that you have to real time transfer shows. not to mention you have to manually stand there and change shows and record.

the humax is so easy. select the shows you want to burn till the disc is full (it tells you) and off you go. medium quality takes about 55 mins for four hours of programming.

gen13

12-05-2004, 02:44 PM

I agree with nrnble. The subscription fee is the deal breaker for me. Free Tivo basic with this would have been perfect for me. I bought a 5005 instead too. If I already have a Tivo, then i can get rid of it and get this one with dvd burner (same monthly fee but now with burner). But since I have Dish DVR, I can't afford another monthly fee. Plus this thing is $199 (after rebate), 5005 is only $159 at costco. I love my 5005.

Kaokulk

12-05-2004, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by jonb
Do you DRT-800 owners multi-task burning at the same time you are doing normal tivo tasks?

Burning can be done while surfing TiVo, I haven't rigorously tested this yet, just navigated through the menus.

Recording off of VCR or camcorder is a COMPLETE shutdown of all other systems. You can't navigate, watch TV, or record a show. It takes 100% to do that.

wpatters1229

12-05-2004, 07:06 PM

Mickymaker: The 30 sec control worked for the Humax but not for the black boxed Tivo series 2 running 4.01b code. Guess that needs some other sort of trick. Another bug on wireless....I can talke between units and to the network to get photos and music and the Humax 800 will test connection to the network just fine. The Tivo series 2 fails the negotiation part of the test and yet it shows me photos and the other Tivos play list etc.. Any ideas?

nrnble

12-05-2004, 07:17 PM

I wish my stand alone DVD recorder configuration was as as easy as the Humax. I was very tempted to buy the Humax and if they had a version for DirecTiVo then I would have bought it weeks ago. I don't have a perfect solution either, but I've accepted the trade offs until a better DirecTiVo solution comes along. I do like being able to edit out commercials and being able add to a disc at later times; adding a TV show each week and deleting from TiVo rather than waiting 4-5 weeks to add them all to the same disc. Overall, its about evaluating the trade offs. If I only had cable, I would have bought a Humax.

deputydog95

12-05-2004, 09:04 PM

You can use a standalond with the satellite. You don't have to have cable to use the humax. You also get to use HMO with the non satellite boxes. What you lose however, is the ability to record one thing and watch another.

Why bother editing out the commercials? I just fastforward like i'm watching tivo.

If you're burning shows to take "on the go" on a regular basis, the standalone dvd burner would be just too much work and take far too long.

sting

12-05-2004, 09:15 PM

I have a DRT800 and a night-light SA2, both w/ a Netgear MA111 wireless adapter. When I tried MRV transfer last night the first time, a 22-minute High-quality program on DRT800 took one hour to be transferred to the SA2. It seemed extremely slow, and it was not possible to view the program w/o constant pauses on the SA2 while it's being transferred from DRT800. Is this typical for MRV transfers via a wireless home network (WEP security on)? Thanks.

nrnble

12-06-2004, 12:27 AM

A friend of mine has a SA TiVo and never uses the FF to get past commercials. Makes no sense to me to sit there for 2-3 minutes watching commercials, but for him that's the way he likes to use his TiVo and TV. It's his TiVo, his free time, so he gets to decide what works best for him. He knows he can FF past the commercials, but does not mind watching them.

Mutato

12-06-2004, 12:51 AM

Originally posted by deputydog95
Success. The sony media worked great. No probs at all. A little pricey at almost $2.20 each for their dvd-rw's. But they work.

Why so much? My Pioneer uses any DVD media I toss at it. Just got 100 4X spindle for $20 the Friday after turkey day. They work great. So far no disc has not been written to. CompUSA 1X, Fry's Generic 4X & 8X.

Oh didn't see the "RW". :p

PrayerFails

12-06-2004, 08:20 AM

I've noticed my Humax is making wierd "static" sounds before each mp3 when I play off a cd or dvd. It's just a real, short blast of "static" before each song starts. I seem to remember my HP Networked Media Player doing this too but only once in a while..... My mp3's play fine elsewhere. I did happen to notice this occasionally when I play regular audio cd's too. Now that should not happen... Also, I notice the video quality coming out of the component video is not that great. I switch to my plasma's tuner and all looks better, not using HD. I can possibly live with the video issue but the noise is annoying. My dvd "drawer" also refused to say it was closed when it actually was... Anyone seen this before? I had to "whack"
the unit to get it to work..... only happend once but it makes me worried.

logich

12-06-2004, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by logich
I think that the burning speed may actually be seriously downgraded by either a the IDE controller or the IDE cables. Either of these could force both the burner and hdd down to ATA-33. That might explain why the hdd always seems to be writing.

Either of these would keep the price of the unit down significantly.

I know that the cables in my box knock the drive down to ATA-33 if I use them in a PC. I tried it this evening.

Perhaps a different cable would open up some additional speed in the burning process and hdd performance?

I know that some of the xbox community have found swapping cables to cause a pretty decent improvement in game play. Google for "llamma ata100 cable benchmark" if you are interested.

In case anyone is interested, I've found that the amount of disk activity dropped to nearly half when I swapped the 40 conductor cable to an 80 conductor. I am pretty sure that this has to do with making better use of the cache. It doesn't seem to make a difference in the DVD recording speed however.

If you want a short 2 connector 80-conductor cable, you can just take a 3 connector cable and snip off the last length of ribbon cable. Works well for me.

wpatters1229

12-06-2004, 06:16 PM

I have a Sony 500A DVD burner on my PC and at it's best it runs about 4X. I have tried other faster burning drives and a lot depends on the media, processor etc..
The HDD using 40 pin cables is appalling! If these drives are running 7200 rpm they should have 80 pin connectors....obviously the controller must be supporting the high data rate or it wouldn't have made much difference.
I'd sure like to know all the specs on the HHDs, controllers, DMA settings or what is the top end for the controller on these MB's. Cables are cheap for the return if in fact they make that big a difference. Especially in new products like the Humax.

Anyone out there know how to get that info?

Cheers

silentguy

12-06-2004, 06:23 PM

Originally posted by PocketPCGuy
I was really set on getting this but after reading one very disturbing review at Amazon, I am having 2nd thoughts.

There is also another comment that the unit is noisy compared with other Series 2 devices, not good in the bedroom.

.....

Can other owners of multple Series 2 devices confirm? If it can't record what my other unit records, this is definitely out. :confused:

I just got a Humax DRT800.
It is noisier than my Series 2.
Too noisy for the bedroom, at least for me, since I am a light sleeper.

It uses an 80GB Seagate drive, which are supposeed to be quiet,
but I find it much noisier that the Series 2, which uses Maxtor.

I will be upgrading this to a Maxtor 250GB , and using acoustic management.

wpatters1229

12-06-2004, 06:41 PM

Boy you must hear mice walk!!! He He. I just got the Humax and it does make a bit of noise but I have it in a cabinet with a glass door so that blocks any noise....also blocks the drive opening...have to be careful with that.
Is it risky to upgrade the drives? What about upgrading and using an 80 pin connector? Is there special formatting that you have to use? Where do you get the OS so it is not a veggie on the shelf?

silentguy

12-06-2004, 06:49 PM

Originally posted by wpatters1229

Is it risky to upgrade the drives? What about upgrading and using an 80 pin connector? Is there special formatting that you have to use? Where do you get the OS so it is not a veggie on the shelf?

Well, I think there are others here who have upgraded to 200+ GB drives.
I assume they are using the 80 conductor IDE connectors instead of the 40 conductor that the stock Seagate comes with.

Has anyone had any issues with upgrading the hard drive ?

If you're comfortable with IDE drives, and jumpers, it's really easy to upgrade.
Just follow Hinsdale's instructions, and use the PTV iso cd.

I'd never done any upgrades until last week, and just read up on it,
and did my 2 Series 2 Tivos.

I think that the Humax will be just as easy.
There's only 1 drive to upgrade in it,
so no worrying about brackets for a 2nd drive.

Hank

12-06-2004, 07:14 PM

Wow... I don't know what to say about this unit. It has lots of great features, but the quality watching "live tv" just sucks! It's about the same as "Medium" on my Series 1 Tivo. Really nothing even close to "Best".

I sure hope it's a software thing they can fix soon.

I'm using it on a 30" Dell LCD TV.

Other than that, which I'll just have to adjust to... I like this box.

rb_9999

12-06-2004, 07:33 PM

I upgraded my drive to a Maxtor 160GB which was noisy too. I tried the acoustic management software but it told me that it wasn't supported on that drive. Which I thought was strange. I can hear it accessing the disk and it generally isn't too loud, but there is this incessant loud click every now and then. I guess the head is changing platters or something.

If it weren't for this loud click it wouldn't be bad. I also read that someone put a 80 PIN IDE cable in and improved performance. I just tried that and it wouldn't boot. I tried connecting the cable many different ways and it still wouldn't boot.

Strange.

wpatters1229

12-06-2004, 07:40 PM

Where did you read up on replacing the drive? Just follow Hinsdale's instructions, and use the PTV iso cd.
Where can I find this?

nrnble

12-06-2004, 08:05 PM

Hank

12-06-2004, 08:11 PM

Originally posted by nrnble

Yeah, that happened to me too! :)

skanter

12-06-2004, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by henryhank
Wow... I don't know what to say about this unit. It has lots of great features, but the quality watching "live tv" just sucks! It's about the same as "Medium" on my Series 1 Tivo. Really nothing even close to "Best".

I sure hope it's a software thing they can fix soon.

I'm using it on a 30" Dell LCD TV.

Other than that, which I'll just have to adjust to... I like this box.

Sounds like the same PQ issues as the Pioneer units. Too bad...

rb_9999

12-06-2004, 10:58 PM

This is the second one I have upgraded. The first time I used the Hinsdale HowTo. This last time I used the Weaknees Interactive Upgrade instructions (http://tivo.upgrade-instructions.com/). It seemed to go a lot smoother and quicker the second time. But I think it is probably just because I was already familiar with the procedure.

If you don't do a backup and stuff (usually if you are simply moving to another drive and saving the old one as a backup) then it is really just one command to type and you're done. Other than having to hook everything up to your PC of course.

silentguy

12-07-2004, 03:01 AM

Originally posted by wpatters1229
Where did you read up on replacing the drive? Just follow Hinsdale's instructions, and use the PTV iso cd.
Where can I find this?

Hinsdale instructions are here:
http://www.newreleasesvideo.com/hinsdale-how-to/index9.html

Search the Upgrade Forum for info on how to find the ISO.
There is also an Upgrade FAQ too, I think.

silentguy

12-07-2004, 03:06 AM

Originally posted by rb_9999
I upgraded my drive to a Maxtor 160GB which was noisy too. I tried the acoustic management software but it told me that it wasn't supported on that drive. Which I thought was strange. I can hear it accessing the disk and it generally isn't too loud, but there is this incessant loud click every now and then. I guess the head is changing platters or something.

If it weren't for this loud click it wouldn't be bad. I also read that someone put a 80 PIN IDE cable in and improved performance. I just tried that and it wouldn't boot. I tried connecting the cable many different ways and it still wouldn't boot.

Strange.

I just upgraded to a 250 GB maxtor on my DRT800

In order to use the 80 conductor IDE cable,
you have to set the drive to Master.
If you leave it as Cable Select (the default way the drive shipped),
it wont boot, and will be stuck at the Powering Up screen.

It took me a couple of tries to figure this out.

With the old 40 conductor IDE cable, the drive boots fine
using cable select.

Switched to Master by moving the jumper, and using the
80 conductor IDE cable, and it boots fine.

It takes about 3 to 4 minutes from to boot to the
Tivo animation screen.

So if it's takiing longer than this, then you probably have an IDE jumper,
or IDE cabling issue.

silentguy

12-07-2004, 03:12 AM

Originally posted by rb_9999
I upgraded my drive to a Maxtor 160GB which was noisy too. I tried the acoustic management software but it told me that it wasn't supported on that drive.

Strange.

I've done acoustic management amset /quiet on 2 different Maxtors,
a 200GB and a 250GB, both 7200 RPMs.
It seemed to make a big difference for me.
The drives are quiet now, however it's the TIVO fan which is noisier,
but at least I can sleep with the fan noise.

What model is the Maxtor 160GB you are trying ?
It's a new Maxtor right ?

Acoustic management should work on all new Maxtors, I think.

skanter

12-07-2004, 01:58 PM

Originally posted by sting
My Humax DRT800 does not have the same Pioneer 810H PQ issue. IMO, Humax PQ is at least equal to the SA Series 2.

Do all DRT-800 owners agree with this?

psutivo

12-07-2004, 03:15 PM

Does the DRT800 do progressive scan for DVD and tivo recordings, or just DVD? I once bought a DVD / VCR combo, foolishly thinking that both sides would be in lovely 480p. How wrong I was. The VCR side actually did output through the component out, but interlaced.

pernar

12-07-2004, 03:48 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Do all DRT-800 owners agree with this?

Pretty much. I think the pic quality is pretty good, but forget "basic".

Poogie

12-07-2004, 04:13 PM

I just got mine this weekend and I can honestly say that I don't have any issues with the picture quality. It looks just as good as my Series 2 SA. I'm very pleased with it so far.

rb_9999

12-07-2004, 06:39 PM

It is a brand new Maxtor drive. I just bought it the Friday after Thanksgiving from Staples. $39.00 after rebate. Here is the drive (http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/Sku.asp?PageType=1&Sku=504516) . Strange that I got the message stating the drive didn't support it. The noise really isn't much of a problem any more anyway. I moved it from the bedroom to the living room and put it in a cabinet. So the sound doesn't matter.

Also, I think I did leave the drive on Cable Select. Since it worked I didn't bother changing it. Is there really any benefit in changing the cable? Did you notice anything?

Its just a pain to wedge it out of my cabinet to open it up again if I don't get anything out of it.

silentguy

12-07-2004, 06:57 PM

Well, I'm not really sure how I would benchmark whether
the hard drive is faster with the 80 conductor IDE cable.

It think someone said they noticed less drive access,
but this is probably subjective, from listening to the drive.

Also, not sure if making the drive writes faster, steals system resources
from the DVD writer, and Live TV.

Anyways, I'll run it for a while with the 80 conductor IDE,
and see if I run into any issues.

160 GB Maxtors should be able to use the amset /quiet
Others have posted that they have successfully done it.
It's not a big deal, if your TIVO is in a cabinet, it's probably not that noisy anyways.

Both of my Maxtors are from Staples too.

rule42k

12-07-2004, 07:14 PM

I have been considering buying a Tivo with DVD-R, such as Humax or Pioneer, but have been scared off a little bit by all of the negative reviews.

I would be willing to PayPal a Humax owner and a Pioneer owner for a DVD-r and to send me a disc that could show me the difference in Quality Modes.

Let me know if you are willing to do this.

Thanks,

Martin (rule42k@yahoo.com)

skanter

12-07-2004, 08:56 PM

Originally posted by rule42k
I have been considering buying a Tivo with DVD-R, such as Humax or Pioneer, but have been scared off a little bit by all of the negative reviews.

I would be willing to PayPal a Humax owner and a Pioneer owner for a DVD-r and to send me a disc that could show me the difference in Quality Modes.

Let me know if you are willing to do this.

Thanks,

Martin (rule42k@yahoo.com)

I'd be interested in that as well. While I would love the convenience of burning DVDs in the Tivo environment, there is no way that I want a machine that has inferior PQ to my SA2.

millertivo

12-08-2004, 08:53 AM

I have been burning DVDs before I go to bed to minimize resources. It usually takes about one hour to burn a two hour program recorded at High quality. This morning there was a message to restart the recorded to get a DVD update. I did that and then proceeded to burn another two hour program recorded at High quality. I didn't not exactly when I started it, but it appears to have finished burning in a half hour. That's a considerable update in burn speed! Using a Maxwell 8x DVD-R. Anybody else experience this?

I am loving this Humax. Although I have noticed a difference in the Medium quality which I use on my Series 2 and the Medium quality on the Humax. I generally record everything in High now. And the hard drive does make more noise than the Series 2. All this has been reported in this thread.

Awesome for the $200 Best Price! Another post on the board seems to indicate that Circuit City has made the same price "mistake". Has anybody got their rebate back on this yet?

ashu

12-08-2004, 11:17 AM

Oh, goody - firmware update! I must check on this.

The System Info screen under Messages and Setup does list the firmware and drive model, can you please report back with what yours shows up as?

I haven't burnt a SINGLE DVD yet :sheepish (is there such a smiley?)

JoeBarbs

12-08-2004, 11:22 AM

pending restart.
current software version: 5.4-01-2-595
current dvd firmware: dvr-108rz rev 1.08

after restart
5.4.1-01-2-595
dvr108rz rev. 1.15

rcobourn

12-08-2004, 11:29 AM

A bit about the master vs. cable select issues when going to an 80 pin cable, and why folks seem to have different results: When using cable select, the drive gets it's master/slave status from it's position on the cable. So if you cut the last segment of the cable off and put the drive on what was the middle connector, it's in the slave position, and if set to cable select, it decides to be the slave, and having no master... no go. Forcing the drive to master solves the problem. So, folks are probably having different results based on having cut or not cut off the extra segment of cable to match up with the stock cable's length.

lsb2004

12-08-2004, 04:39 PM

Is there anyone here who has used the DRT800 to burn dvds of your home movies from your camcorder? How did the picture quality turn out?

skanter

12-08-2004, 04:45 PM

Originally posted by henryhank
Wow... I don't know what to say about this unit[DRT-800]. It has lots of great features, but the quality watching "live tv" just sucks! It's about the same as "Medium" on my Series 1 Tivo. Really nothing even close to "Best".

Originally posted by sting
My Humax DRT800 does not have the same Pioneer 810H PQ issue. IMO, Humax PQ is at least equal to the SA Series 2.

The above are in direct contradiction. Can anyone chime in and enlighten us who are considering the DRT-800?

alexcue

12-08-2004, 04:51 PM

skanter, i can't speak of other series 2 SA TiVo's. The quality is obviously going to depend on your source. I have DTiVos and it is no where near as good. Going by memory to Series 1 SA's, It's just not quite there. But I always record on the Humax at High. I can record a car race from Speed or EPL from FSW, and i get some pixelization. If i record from my cable, it's not that great even at bestl but the source is bad to begin with.

I like the quality as seen thru my 31" Sony XBR. Most dramas are pretty darn good, both Live and the DVD copies are fine. YMMV

ksaturnia

12-08-2004, 05:38 PM

Anyonoe know what the update did for the DVD player? and also, I keep reading everyone talking about adding the drive to their HUMAX - does this void the warranty? Is it easy to do?

Thanks all! Love mine so far.

K

silentguy

12-08-2004, 05:55 PM

Not sure how Tivo/Humax would know you've opened the case,
as there are no "Warranty Void if Removed" stickers on the case.

Upgrading a hard drive is easy if you are comfortable with IDE drives, and know how to excute Linux commands and burn ISO CDrs.
I'd say if you are computer savvy, and not afraid to install hard drives on computers, then it should be pretty easy just following the directions and faq's on this forum.

If the thought of opening up a computer is scary to you, better not do it.

ErictheHank

12-08-2004, 05:57 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Originally posted by henryhank
Wow... I don't know what to say about this unit[DRT-800]. It has lots of great features, but the quality watching "live tv" just sucks! It's about the same as "Medium" on my Series 1 Tivo. Really nothing even close to "Best".

Originally posted by sting
My Humax DRT800 does not have the same Pioneer 810H PQ issue. IMO, Humax PQ is at least equal to the SA Series 2.

The above are in direct contradiction. Can anyone chime in and enlighten us who are considering the DRT-800?

Actually they are not. All Series 2 units (excluding DirecTiVo of course) have inferior picture quality to Series 1. It has to do with some platform changes that were made to bring the price point of TiVos down. So if it is as good as any other Series 2 it will still not be as good as Series 1. I have both a Series 2 and a Series 1 and unless I do a back and forth comparison between the two using the same show I don't really notice the difference.

silentguy

12-08-2004, 05:57 PM

Regarding picture quality of the Humax.

I would say it is a bit less than my Series 2 stand alone.

However, I have them on different TV and different cable sources.

I'm happy with the PQ though, and it wouldn't make me not buy the Humax.

I dont have HD TV though, so maybe people with better TVs would notice a difference.

skanter

12-08-2004, 06:07 PM

Originally posted by alexcue
skanter, i can't speak of other series 2 SA TiVo's. The quality is obviously going to depend on your source. I have DTiVos and it is no where near as good. Going by memory to Series 1 SA's, It's just not quite there. But I always record on the Humax at High. I can record a car race from Speed or EPL from FSW, and i get some pixelization. If i record from my cable, it's not that great even at bestl but the source is bad to begin with.

I like the quality as seen thru my 31" Sony XBR. Most dramas are pretty darn good, both Live and the DVD copies are fine. YMMV

Alexcue, from my memory of the Pioneer threads, "High" quality on those units equaled "Best" on SA2 units, but took up MUCH more HD space. If I have to use double the space to get the same quality of SA2, that is not a trade-off I can stand. I would also hope that the DVD copies equal the quality of the original Tivo recording as they do on my SA2 and Panny SA DVD recorder as well.

I guess I need someone who has both machines who can compare...

Thanks...

sting

12-08-2004, 06:31 PM

Originally posted by JoeBarbs
pending restart.
current software version: 5.4-01-2-595
current dvd firmware: dvr-108rz rev 1.08

after restart
5.4.1-01-2-595
dvr108rz rev. 1.15

Got the update today also. Yes, DVD dubbing is now performing at the DVD media speed up to 4X.

sting

12-08-2004, 06:40 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Alexcue, from my memory of the Pioneer threads, "High" quality on those units equaled "Best" on SA2 units, but took up MUCH more HD space. If I have to use double the space to get the same quality of SA2, that is not a trade-off I can stand. I would also hope that the DVD copies equal the quality of the original Tivo recording as they do on my SA2 and Panny SA DVD recorder as well.

I guess I need someone who has both machines who can compare...

Thanks...

DRT800 is a combo Tivo/DVD system. It provides a good balance for everything I wanted in an integrated fashion. It definitely tops Pioneer 810H. It's just so much more convenient over an SA2+SA DVDRecorder setup. As far as PQ is concerned, there's no obvious bug (vs Pioneer's obvious bug last year) from what I can see, however, personal taste would dictate one's opinion on that.

sting

12-08-2004, 06:46 PM

Originally posted by lsb2004
Is there anyone here who has used the DRT800 to burn dvds of your home movies from your camcorder? How did the picture quality turn out?

I've transferred some video from a MiniDV camcorder to DRT800 via the firewire port. The PQ of the transferred video on DRT800 when played on a TV was less that connecting the camcorder directly into the TV, so it seemed that there was some PQ loss in the transfer process. The PQ of the burned DVD was comparable to the transferred video on DRT800.

Update - The source was a TDK 60-min MiniDV tape with a full one-hour recording. The target video on the DRT800 was transferred in Best Quality.

logich

12-08-2004, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by sting
I've transferred some video from a MiniDV camcorder to DRT800 via the firewire port. The PQ of the transferred video on DRT800 when played on a TV was less that connecting the camcorder directly into the TV, so it seemed that there was some PQ loss in the transfer process. The PQ of the burned DVD was comparable to the transferred video on DRT800.

There are a lot of factors here, and depending on what recordng quality you choose on the tivo during the transfer you'll get different results. With medium grade Digital8 tape and Best quality, the picture was about what I would get if I were to master the video to DVD on the computer.

Beats the VHS tapes hands down, and the MPEG encoding and burning doesn't tie up my computer for hours.

Plus, the Wife Acceptance Factor is very high, and she can easily preview the imported recordings before I burn them.

rhenson

12-08-2004, 11:05 PM

Hi,

Just transferred from tivo 1 to the Humax 80 hour DVD/DVR unit and upgraded to a 50" sony projection LCD 16:9 television - with Dish Network (811) as my provider.

I have my HD dishnetwork 811 set to the 16:9 ratio and I have my Humax set to the 16:9 ratio

When I watch direct satellite the picture is great and at proper proportion. When I watch a recorded tivo show - from my now playing list - the aspect is strecthed - so much so that if a station symbol is displayed it is cut off when in replay mode.

I've tried setting one or the other to standard display aspect ratio, but can not get it right.

Can anyone help?

Thanks so much!

logich

12-09-2004, 01:40 AM

Originally posted by rhenson
Hi,

Just transferred from tivo 1 to the Humax 80 hour DVD/DVR unit and upgraded to a 50" sony projection LCD 16:9 television - with Dish Network (811) as my provider.

I have my HD dishnetwork 811 set to the 16:9 ratio and I have my Humax set to the 16:9 ratio

Your SD mode could be on ZOOM, try using the * (star) key to cycle through modes.

I have very nearly the same setup, but don't have any issues so far. I'd try some other settings for the HDTV resolution (MENU 6-1-9) until you find one that works.

I have not seen the humax display any recorded program in 16:9 because the best input possible from the Dish 811 or another source is s-video (not component) ans as far as I know that can only carry 4:3.

rhenson

12-09-2004, 09:48 AM

Thanks so much for you help - glad to find someone with a similar rig.

I do have the 811 running to the tivo via s-video.

So, do you have your 811 set to 4:3 and the tivo set to 4:3 and then the tv set to zoom? Thanks again - I'll try this tonight.

silentguy

12-09-2004, 12:44 PM

Originally posted by sting
Got the update today also. Yes, DVD dubbing is now performing at the DVD media speed.

I got the DVD firmware update last night too.

A 2 hour High Quality disc burned in 18 minutes.

Before the upgrade, it took 52 minutes.

This was to the TDK DVD-RW 4X rated speed.

I will also try a 8X TDK DVD-R and note the speed.

mikebridge

12-09-2004, 01:24 PM

peanut w/ some tivo functionality is screwing me up when watching DVDs. keep trying to use functions that don't exist. lol.

silentguy

12-09-2004, 07:53 PM

Originally posted by silentguy
I got the DVD firmware update last night too.

A 2 hour High Quality disc burned in 18 minutes.

Before the upgrade, it took 52 minutes.

This was to the TDK DVD-RW 4X rated speed.

I will also try a 8X TDK DVD-R and note the speed.

Same 2hour HQ disc burned in 18 minutes on TDK 8X DVD-R media.
This was also while recording a show to the harddrive.

It appears that doing other system things like recording or watching Live TV, does not affect burning times.

axomoxa

12-09-2004, 09:46 PM

I created a DVD with content from the DRT800's hard drive. It was a 90-minute ESPN broadcast of "The NFL's Greatest Games" and the lead-in was the very end of Sport Center that lasted for +/-10 seconds.

When the DVD was made, a banner with white letters on a solid black background stated:

This portion of the program was not copied to the DVD because the copyright holder has chosen to prevent such copying.

Interesting...

The football game was recorded perfectly.

millertivo

12-09-2004, 11:35 PM

Hmmm. So if you record a game it might be a good idea to reverse pad and start it early.

I transferred some vhs concerts to Tivo through the front inputs and burned them back no problem. I did the same thing with a documentary from my (now extra) dvd player. But when I went to burn it, Tivo wouldn't let me (had a red circle and slash). Does Tivo know this came from a digital source and won't let it be burned back? I sort of thought it would matter if the program came in through the front inputs and presumably it was loosing quality.

Also, for some reason an episode of The Simpsons that was recorded as a suggestion has the red circle and slash. I only have one episode recorded so I don't know if it is all or just that one. Any thoughts as to why that prohibits burning?

mikebridge

12-09-2004, 11:39 PM

probably detecting a macrovision flag

millertivo

12-09-2004, 11:44 PM

Originally posted by mikebridge
probably detecting a macrovision flag

The dvd recorded program or The Simpsons episode? I can live with the dvd recorded program I guess, but if it is The Simpsons then it would be good to know which programs have this flag. All the more reason for our own forum!

What is the macrovision flag anyway?

sting

12-10-2004, 04:41 AM

Originally posted by silentguy
Same 2hour HQ disc burned in 18 minutes on TDK 8X DVD-R media.
This was also while recording a show to the harddrive.

So this probably means that the max. DVD dubbing speed is at 4X with the new firmware.

millertivo

12-10-2004, 01:20 PM

I have a bunch of AVI files on my laptop, but do not have a DVD burner. Is there a way to get them into the Humax? I hooked up the S-Video cable and the audio jacks thinking I could play the videos and record them the same way I recorded a vhs tape successfully. I'm not getting a signal.

Does anyone have any ideas? I just want to burn a bunch of short little clips that I have recorded and archived from my digital camera. Can I burn them on my cd burner on my laptop in a format that is viewable on a dvd player? Any suggestions? Or should I just wait until someday I have a computer with a dvd burner (which, with an iPod and 2 Humax's recently purchased, could be while!)

nickhull

12-10-2004, 01:45 PM

Do you have the Humax configured correctly to use the front or the back RCA inputs? Maybe you have them plugged in the front and the TiVo is expecting them in the back.

If you connect the laptop's RCA cables directly to a TV do you see a picture?

I don't know whether the Humax reads VCD's - this is probably the format that you are talking about that you can burn on a CD-burner.

skanter

12-10-2004, 02:00 PM

Originally posted by sting
DRT800 is a combo Tivo/DVD system. It provides a good balance for everything I wanted in an integrated fashion. It definitely tops Pioneer 810H. It's just so much more convenient over an SA2+SA DVDRecorder setup. As far as PQ is concerned, there's no obvious bug (vs Pioneer's obvious bug last year) from what I can see, however, personal taste would dictate one's opinion on that.

Sting,

You're right -- using Tivo with stand-alone DVR is a pain, as you cannot watch Tivo while dubbing. I do like the fact that I can go to HDD and edit. To retain that capability, I would still have to go to SA DVD Recorder.

All I want to know, bottom line, is do I have to take a hit on PQ or recording time in replacing my SA2 with a DRT800. If not, I'll get one.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get conclusive info about the above...

Greenwing

12-10-2004, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by sting
So this probably means that the max. DVD dubbing speed is at 4X with the new firmware.

It does indeed appear that the max recording speed is 4x...I just created the same movie on an 8x and again on a 4x DVD-r and both took 10 minutes from start to finish...

dropd

12-10-2004, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Sting,

You're right -- using Tivo with stand-alone DVR is a pain, as you cannot watch Tivo while dubbing. I do like the fact that I can go to HDD and edit. To retain that capability, I would still have to go to SA DVD Recorder.

All I want to know, bottom line, is do I have to take a hit on PQ or recording time in replacing my SA2 with a DRT800. If not, I'll get one.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get conclusive info about the above...

I've had a DRT-800 for only about a day, so take my comments in that context. It's replacing a Toshiba SD-400. Right now I still have both hooked up, though the SD-400 is connected via component right now while the DRT-800 is (temporarily) connected via composite.

PQ seems *roughly* equivalent between the 2, and between my older standalone series2. i've burned a single dvd so far that had 2 'medium' shows and one 'best' show. dvd didn't seem to degrade PQ when playing back on the DRT-800 directly, and on a pioneer dvd player on a much smaller tv. watching the dvd on my laptop, the "medium" shows really look compressed, while the "high" show looked MUCH better. But on a non-laptop, it was much less severe of a difference. High *is* noticeably better, so for stuff you want to archive permanently (rather than stuff you just want to temporarily burn to free up HD space), you're probably going to want to record on High. At least, that's what my plan will be.

sting

12-10-2004, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by skanter
All I want to know, bottom line, is do I have to take a hit on PQ or recording time in replacing my SA2 with a DRT800. If not, I'll get one.
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get conclusive info about the above...

On the new SA2 TCD540080 I get 36 hours of High Quality recording and on the DRT800 I get 27 hours of High Quality recording. I only record in High Quality. I didn't notice obvious difference in PQ at this level. Just my experience.

sting

12-10-2004, 03:44 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Sting,

You're right -- using Tivo with stand-alone DVR is a pain, as you cannot watch Tivo while dubbing. I do like the fact that I can go to HDD and edit. To retain that capability, I would still have to go to SA DVD Recorder.

And now with the new DVD Recorder firmware update for the DRT800, one can get up to 4X DVD dubbing. That makes a huge difference comparing to the real time DVD recording to an SA DVD recorder.

aymr

12-10-2004, 03:46 PM

Just to add in on the upgrading - I decided to buy Weaknees 350GB upgrade instead of trying it myself. Partly that was because I don't have a desktop PC at home, partly for convience. I have upgraded the drive in my Macintosh iBook - not a simple task - so I'm certainly qualified.

I'm SO GLAD I decided to go with the pre-formatted drive from Weaknees. It took me all of about 5 minutes to swap the drives, and I'd think even my mother could have done it if she could get past the fear of opening the machine. I decided not to do the setup of the TiVo before upgrading, so I ordered next day shipping and it arrived early the next day so I didn't have to wait long to setup everything.

Now I've got a ton of space, and I'm very happy. If you're worried about upgrading, go with Weaknees. I did, and I'm very pleased.

Aym

PS - don't have any association with Weaknees except being a happy customer.

skanter

12-10-2004, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by sting
On the new SA2 TCD540080 I get 36 hours of High Quality recording and on the DRT800 I get 27 hours of High Quality recording. I only record in High Quality. I didn't notice obvious difference in PQ at this level. Just my experience.

Point of clarification:

On SA2 unit's "High" is 2nd place quality, "Best" being the top.

On the DRT800, is "High" the top quality, or are you talking about the least compression (top quality) on both machines having a 25% space differential?

sting

12-10-2004, 04:20 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Point of clarification:

On SA2 unit's "High" is 2nd place quality, "Best" being the top.

On the DRT800, is "High" the top quality, or are you talking about the least compression (top quality) on both machines having a 25% space differential?

Both machines have Best/High/Medium/Basic. DRT800 records less hours for Best/High, more hours for Medium and the same for Basic.

skanter

12-10-2004, 05:54 PM

Originally posted by sting
Both machines have Best/High/Medium/Basic. DRT800 records less hours for Best/High, more hours for Medium and the same for Basic.

Can you or anyone tell me the SA2 /DRT800 time differential for BEST, which I use exclusively?

My eyes can't stand anything less, even on my 27" Sony.

silentguy

12-10-2004, 06:01 PM

Originally posted by sting
And now with the new DVD Recorder firmware update for the DRT800, one can get up to 4X DVD dubbing. That makes a huge difference comparing to the real time DVD recording to an SA DVD recorder.

I have a SA Philips DVDR 75, which uses DVD+R/RW.
It has great editing capabilities.

However, for just dumping TV shows to disk, without wanting to do any editing, the Humax is better.
I can burn at 4X now, and thus will end up archiving a lot more shows.

I was archiving shows using the Philips SA DVD recorder, but it was too slow, and too much of a pain, that the shows all got backlogged,
as I never had time to keep up with all the recordings.

I will still keep the Philips SA, for the times when I want to edit shows.
However, if I really want to edit out commercials, doing it on a PC would be preferrable.

The Humax, for convenience and time savings is great.

It's like 3 machines, I burn shows to DVD, while recording another show to the HD, or watching a Now Playing List show, or live TV.

With the SA DVD recorder, it tied up my Tivo.

If you are recording things like camcorders to the Humax RCA inputs, it will tie up the TIVO too.
So probably better to get a SA DVDR, if you are doing mostly VHS or camcorder tape dubbing to DVD.

sting

12-10-2004, 06:21 PM

Originally posted by skanter
Can you or anyone tell me the SA2 /DRT800 time differential for BEST, which I use exclusively?

My eyes can't stand anything less, even on my 27" Sony.

Go to www.ptvupgrade.com upgrade kit sections for specific models, you can find all the recording hours information for various HD sizes.

skanter

12-10-2004, 10:35 PM

Originally posted by sting
Go to www.ptvupgrade.com upgrade kit sections for specific models, you can find all the recording hours information for various HD sizes.

Thanks!
Seems like the Humax uses about 25% more HD space than SA2 units.

Strangely, the larger the drive, the more -proportional- space is needed.

In any case, I guess I could live with that if the PQ was equal -- I would just get a 300G drive.

skanter

12-11-2004, 01:58 AM

Originally posted by sting
I just replaced the stock Seagate w/ a Maxtor Quickview 300GB drive came w/ an upgrade kit. It's quieter.

According to Weaknees, 300GB will give you 78 hours at Best quality.
I get 66 hours of Best with 200GB on my SA2 Tivo.

Hank

12-11-2004, 08:47 AM

Concerning the picture quality issue. I switched from a composite cable to s-video going to my 30" Dell LCD TV, and the picture is better. I'm not going to say it's great, or as good as my SA1, but it's close.

If I watch closely on certain programs where there is an quick pan across an otherwise empty and/or motionless room, it looks like there is a, for lack of a better description, "Grain filter" on the camera lens, which adds some fuzziness/graininess to the images.

What's interesting, is that with this "filter", the graininess is fixed as the real image behind it moves around. I can only notice it on quick panning but fixed backgrounds. It's really hard to explain, but I never noticed this before with my SA1.

millertivo

12-11-2004, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by nickhull
I don't know whether the Humax reads VCD's - this is probably the format that you are talking about that you can burn on a CD-burner.

I was able to burn a VCD using Dazzle DVDComplete. I played ok on the Humax.

alexcue

12-12-2004, 12:08 AM

Ditto, the Humax plays VCD's fine.

dumpav

12-12-2004, 11:15 AM

what is the best and easy way for my DRT800 upgrade?

I just got it from CC last week, and have a seagate 200G hd.
can i transfer all my 80G virgin humax hd to the 200G and use the 200G as the boot drive? (the only tool i need is this? >> ptv-mfstools2-large-disk.iso
Can i register/login to the tivo with the 200G hd?
If i use phone line to registation, can i switch to network connection later?

thanks!

eibgrad

12-12-2004, 10:54 PM

Let me add my two cents (sorry, long thread, didn't read every last line, so forgive me if some points are repetitive)...

Just picked up the DRT800 from BB on that same PM w/ CC, so count me in. As for those considering returning it for one issue or another, or NOT buying the lifetime service, ARE YOU CRAZY?!

First, upgrading this thing was incredibly easy, took three hours, most of it simply being deliberate to avoid mistakes. Another upgrade might take an hour given what I learned. And although I'm a Windows developer by trade, I know just enough about Unix/Linux to be dangerous. Even so, the upgrade process is soooooooooooo easy. All I did was follow the Hinsdale guidelines and use the new PTVUpgrade CD v3.0, works perfectly. Used my PC. All I did was attached attach the original DRT800 HD to Secondary IDE Master. Installed new Seagate 200GB HD to Primary IDE Slave. Then backed up original 80GB HD to a FAT32 partition on Primary IDE Master. Then copied backup image on that FAT32 partition to new 200GB HD. Finally, expanded the image to consume rest of 200GB HD. In all, three commands, ALL detailed in Hinsdale documentation. Seriously, if you're considering sending this unit off to one of those upgrade houses, or buying a kit, it's a total waste unless you have ZERO experience in managing your PC. Even opening the DRT800 case was nothing more than removing six screws w/ Torx #10, four Torx #10 screws holding HD mount to case, and finally four Torx #15 screws holding HD to mount. I can't stress too much how brain-dead simple this upgrade is. As long as you take your time, double check connections, verify your commands reference the correct HD (hda, hdb, etc.), and avoid contact w/ the power supply, it's a piece of cake.

The cool thing is, NOW you have a backup image of the Tivo HD should it fail, and let's face it, THAT'S the most vulnerable component. Now add a cheap UPS w/ AVR (plenty of these around for $20-30 after rebate), since the power supply is probably the next component likely to fail. At that point, you'd be crazy NOT to get a lifetime subscription since you eliminated 99.99% of the potential failures of your system. HD fails? No big deal, use the backup image and recover. And since the lifetime is transferrable, and I always dump technology in two years anyway, the sub ends up costing me nothing anyway. Add to that the huge discount I (and others) got on the unit, and well..., what's to complain about? By the time you resell it, w/ sub, you'll be lucky if this thing cost you $100-150, unit, sub, and upgrade. Honestly, anyone *really* concerned that a heavily discounted Humax DRT800 ($180 AR, before tax) w/ Seagate 200GB HD (5 yr warranty too!), original 80GB HD, backup image, DVD writer, and lifetime sub won't get most of your money back in two years? Unimaginable, only thing that would kill the deal is a total collapse of Tivo company. But then everyone's screwed, so it doesn't matter anyway.

I just don't get the thinking and hesitation about this unit and the lifetime sub. Nothing seems more a waste to me than the monthly sub, THAT'S the killer in the deal. It's the difference between renters and home owners, the former spend, the latter invest.

As far as the DRT800 itself, yeah, less than perfect. But every model has its faults. But for the price, I can live w/ it. I concur w/ others that the PQ is just a hair less than other models, probably not noticeable to most. And I do find it a little noiser than some other models I've owned, like the Toshiba SD-H400. Also could be a little more stylish if you ask me, has a more utilitarian/beefy look and feel to it than other models. I've also heard that you can't write recordings from other models to its DVD writer due to encoding differences. Which probably explains why the recording time on best quality is not quite as good, as say my Toshiba. The SD-H400 reports 23hrs @ 80GB, the DRT800 17hrs @ 80GB. Have to admit that's substantial, but not a deal killer, esp. since we can always upgrade the HD.

Also hooked it up to some Creative T2900 speakers I got from Fry's BF, $10 AR! Sounds great, plenty for me. And having played w/ the HMO options for a few days, I must confess, when considered in the context of the total deal here, it is rather nice to be able to play my music collection or view digital photos from my Tivo. I anxiously await TivoToGo.

The only issue remaining for me is trying to find out if this DRT800 supports USB 2.0. The specs don't provide details, just says USB. It matters to me because I use the broadband option, and have the Tivo configured w/ USB 2.0 ethernet adapter and Belkin router (running in AP mode), iow, wirelessly bridged. It would be nice to know if it can support FULL "G" wireless speed! In contrast, the Toshiba SD-H400 specifically mentions USB 2.0. Something tells me if it's not mentioned, the likelihood of support is minimal. But if anyone can confirm it one way or another, I'd appreciate it.

Anyway, if you're considering upgrading yourself, believe me, this thing is really easy to do. Get that backup image, place the unit on a good UPS w/ AVR, and get the lifetime, you won't regret it. Again, in the end, you'll pay very little for the privilege.

JMTC

eibgrad

eibgrad

12-13-2004, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by deputydog95 ... tivo has no plans to release "g" capabality any time soon. ... [/B]

Of course, had Tivo provided an ethernet port as standard equipment, none of this would be a problem!

Any technology capable of being "bridged" via ethernet could be used to increase bandwidth, without ANY changes from Tivo. Wireless, phonex, powerline, whatever, are all bridgeable, but it requires AT LEAST an ethernet port. While I love Tivo, this is my biggest complaint, by far. Requiring users to rely on ONLY USB extensions (and v1.1 at that, limited to 12mbps), even for networking, w/o a standard 10/100 mbps ethernet port is just plain DUMB! Instead, we're saddled w/ proprietary wireless drivers and equipment, AND needing for Tivo to upgrade the software for (again) more proprietary usb drivers and equipment if we want G support, or whatever lies ahead, 802.11n?!

When will these people ever learn, you don't introduce driver dependencies if you can avoid them. Everyone could have G, even super G support TODAY had Tivo simply provided a plain, ol' 10/100 ethernet port. How much would that have added to the base cost? 10 cents?

eibgrad

Hank

12-13-2004, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by eibgrad
Let me add my two cents....

(1) And since the lifetime is transferable...

(2) I just don't get the thinking and hesitation about this unit and the lifetime sub. Nothing seems more a waste to me than the monthly sub, THAT'S the killer in the deal. It's the difference between renters and home owners, the former spend, the latter invest.

I just want to comment on these two statements of yours.

First, Lifetime is NOT transferable, unless your box breaks under warranty and is replaced with another of the same model (or is serviced by an authorized dealer after the warranty expires).

Second, if you "always dump technology in two years anyway", then the monthly sub is actually less expensive than the Lifetime service (assuming you have another Tivo on the family plan). At $6.95 per month, that gives you three years and seven months of service until your lifetime breaks even. I have lifetime on my original Tivo and chose monthly for my Humax - why? Not because it's a waste, or I'm a "renter" or "spender"... I did it simply because in 3.6 years, I'm sure there will be some better Tivo technology I'm going to want to move up into - like HD Tivo, with Blu-ray DVD burning and god knows what else will happen in 3.6 years. At that point, I'll consider lifetime (actually, at that point, I'll transfer the lifetime on my 1999 SA 1 Tivo to that new unit under the pre-2000 grandfather lifetime transfer clause). In the mean time, monthly for my Humax is just fine, and will be less expensive in the long run.

Finally, please don't make personal judgments about people who make different financial decisions than you do. There are smart reasons for most decisions, even though they don't necessarily agree with yours.

Thanks.

bilbo

12-13-2004, 09:48 AM

I'm not sure what eibgrad meant by Lifetime is transferable, but it is transferable to another person (if you sell your box to another person). This will make your Tivo Box more valuable if you want to sell it (i.e. on EBay) in the future.

I wouldn't count on selling a DRT800 for much more than $300 in two years, though (even with the Lifetime Sub). I did a quick look at (mostly 40-hour) Tivo Series 2's on EBay recently, and I believe they were selling for a little under $300 with a Lifetime Subscription, which would seem to make sense since you can get a re-manufactured 40-hr. for $50 (with a warranty) or a new 40-hr. for $100 (after rebates).

It's been awhile, but I have to believe I paid AT LEAST $200-$300 for my Series 2 40-hour two years ago, and the Lifetime Sub was an additional $250 back then.

Of course your Tivo box could die on you.

logich

12-13-2004, 03:16 PM

Originally posted by henryhank
If I watch closely on certain programs where there is an quick pan across an otherwise empty and/or motionless room, it looks like there is a, for lack of a better description, "Grain filter" on the camera lens, which adds some fuzziness/graininess to the images.

There is a "3D Noise Reduction" option under the "Video Settings" menu which is on by default. I think it introduced some of the "grainy" artifacts you mentioned, into my pictures when using progressive output on component cables.

Once I switched that option off I was a bit happier with the PQ on the E* and OTA HD signals.

lsb2004

12-13-2004, 03:49 PM

Does anyone know how many hours you can get on the DRT800 at medium vs. best?

Are the quality levels on the drt800 basic, medium, best?

akurk

12-13-2004, 03:59 PM

Does anyone know what the update i had to make to my Humax was last week.

I came home and was about to play a DVD when I noticed the DVD menu had been locked for some sort of upgrade.

It told me to reboot the system to make the new updates active. Although I don't see anything different presented.

Thanks

Alan

ashu

12-13-2004, 04:17 PM

DVD Burner firmware upgrade to speed up DVD burning to upto 4X (on 4X certified discs) :)

steiner

12-13-2004, 04:31 PM

Need info from the genie pigs I mean experts that already have the DRT800.

1. How may hours of recording time versus TiVo quality?
2. Best bang for the buck in DVD-R?
3. Does it handle HMO?
4. With HMO and a Series 2, how long to transfer a full-legnth movie from one to the other?
5. Any problem with burning a transfered program to DVD?

millertivo

12-13-2004, 07:06 PM

Originally posted by lsb2004
Does anyone know how many hours you can get on the DRT800 at medium vs. best?

Are the quality levels on the drt800 basic, medium, best?

Quality levels and fit on recorder times are:

Basic - 82 hours
Medium - 55 hours
High - 27 hours
Best - 18 hours

I defaulted to Medium because that is what I used on my Series 2. However, I have noticed (and it has been reported in this thread) that the Medium is more like Basic on the Series 2. I notice it mostly on sitcoms and sports. I usually bump up to High for those type of programs. Your mileage may vary. And if you are wondering, the fit on dvd times are:

Basic - 6 hours
Medium - 4 hours
High - 2 hours
Best - 1 hour

millertivo

12-13-2004, 07:14 PM

Originally posted by steiner
Need info from the genie pigs I mean experts that already have the DRT800.

1. How may hours of recording time versus TiVo quality?
2. Best bang for the buck in DVD-R?
3. Does it handle HMO?
4. With HMO and a Series 2, how long to transfer a full-legnth movie from one to the other?
5. Any problem with burning a transfered program to DVD?

1. See my previous post.
2. Not sure. I have been using Memorex that I bought at Best Buy for $19.99/25 pack. Just bought Fuji for $8.99/25 pack, but haven't burned yet.
3. Yes.
4. It will depend on you configuration - mainly if one of your units is wired vs. wireless. I have both units connected wirelessly and I experience basically real-time transfers. I usually start a transfer of a one hour program 10-15 minutes before I am ready to watch it, especially if I know I will want to be fast forwarding through commercials. Of course, your transfer time may vary if your router traffic is heavy.

Ben_Jamin75

12-13-2004, 07:28 PM

Has anyone tried out a DVD-RW (rewritable) disc yet?
Any problems?

Ben_Jamin75

12-13-2004, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by steiner
Need info from the genie pigs I mean experts that already have the DRT800.

5. Any problem with burning a transfered program to DVD?

Manual Page 61
Recording a DVD - What can be saved
"Programs transferred to theis Recorder from a different kind of TiVo DVR via the Multi-Room Viewing feature cannot be saved to DVD"

silentguy

12-13-2004, 08:32 PM

Originally posted by Ben_Jamin75
Has anyone tried out a DVD-RW (rewritable) disc yet?
Any problems?

I've tried the TDK 4X DVD-RW that comes with the DRT-800
quite a few times.

No problems.

It burns at 4x speed now, with the DVD writer firmware upgrade.

dwiller

12-14-2004, 01:05 AM

Does the Humax DRT-800 video look darker to anyone else, in comparison to the TiVo Series 2 40 hour and 80 hour boxes?

I am using S-Video cables. The menus look dark, and the programs look dark....the blacks are crushed. I've tried different S-Video cables, and I tried a different input on my receiver. I thought maybe my TV is reaching the end of its life (time for HDTV, perhaps) but I have my 80 hour TiVo branded TiVo to compare to, and that looks much better.

Any thoughts?

Hank

12-14-2004, 07:47 AM

Originally posted by logich
There is a "3D Noise Reduction" option under the "Video Settings" menu which is on by default.

I have no such setting under "Settings...Video", nor could I find this setting anywhere else. Is that only for Component outputs? (I'm using s-video)

Originally posted by dwiller
Does the Humax DRT-800 video look darker to anyone else, in comparison to the TiVo Series 2 40 hour and 80 hour boxes?

Same here - everything from my Humax is much darker than my SA1 Tivo.

joysbox

12-14-2004, 08:41 AM

Hmmm, I had to unplug and reboot my DTR800 yesterday. This is the second time. First time, I chalked it up to the update coming down. Yesterday - I don't know. I have never had any issues with the screen freezing on the other standalones (40, 60 or 80). Looking for opinions. I bought this at Best Buy during the pricing snafu (11/11/04) and am now wondering if these first "mistakenly reduced units" were all just buggy as all hell. Good marketing ploy to get rid of them. Suggestions - comments?

.
joysbox

oodie

12-14-2004, 11:08 AM

Originally posted by henryhank
I have no such setting under "Settings...Video", nor could I find this setting anywhere else. Is that only for Component outputs? (I'm using s-video)

Same here - everything from my Humax is much darker than my SA1 Tivo.

I'm glad someone else commented on this, as I too had this problem. I had to significantly increase my TV brightness and contrast to get a normal picture, but now other video sources appear washed out.

I would also like to hear some feedback regarding these PQ issues I noticed from causual TV watching.

- Using the component outputs, there is severe color bleed extending to the left; particularly noticable on animated shows. Not noticed on DVDs or the tivo menus. Switching to the S-Video output solves this problem for me

- Using either component or S-Video, when watching DVDs some features send a horizontal band of brightness to the right. I also notice this on the green-background TiVo menu; when the ball rolls by the left side of the screen, a horizontal band of increased brightness is visible along the bottom of the screen. It is very distracting. I have not noticed this on recorded programs.

- Increased graininess of image (DVD's, menus). This is a subtle difference that I would be okay with, if not for the problems I have mentioned above.

Can anyone else confirm or deny these issues with their DRT800? I am trying to decide what I should do with mine (try for an exchange or sell it on ebay); if I can't fix these issues I will stick with my older Series 2 machine.

Thanks,
Andrew

nickhull

12-14-2004, 11:19 AM

I agree the video is darker. Between my father-in-law and myself we have 3 DRT-800's and they all record darker than regular TiVo's.

Originally posted by dwiller
Does the Humax DRT-800 video look darker to anyone else, in comparison to the TiVo Series 2 40 hour and 80 hour boxes?

I am using S-Video cables. The menus look dark, and the programs look dark....the blacks are crushed. I've tried different S-Video cables, and I tried a different input on my receiver. I thought maybe my TV is reaching the end of its life (time for HDTV, perhaps) but I have my 80 hour TiVo branded TiVo to compare to, and that looks much better.

Any thoughts?

ashu

12-14-2004, 11:53 AM

Hmm - I'll have to test this scientifically :) Before I packed and moved everything last weekend, the Humax was Composite-connected to an ancient TV, and my other Component-cable TiVo - the ToshiVo was hooked to my nice TV with component cables. The ToshiVo's recording qualities, settings, brightness et all matched perfectly with the Series 2 also connected (S-Vide) to the same TV, so I figure comparing the ToshiVo and Humax (by this weekend0 should yield reliable comparative data.

dwiller

12-14-2004, 02:03 PM

Well, I guess I'm glad to hear some other people have had the same problem....I've been debating taking it back to Best Buy. Such a hassle to set up, since I have no phone line. I am hoping to get an HDTV soon, and was planning on using the component output from TiVo figuring it would look great. It just bugs me that everything is DARK. Like watching Leno and Conan last night, anything that is dark to begin with is just crushed (the blacks). I too, have my brightness on my TV all the way up. Out of curiousity, does anyone know what the Best Buy exchange deal is? Is it 14 days or 30 days?

ashu

12-14-2004, 02:07 PM

30 for anything but PCs, laptops, periphs, cameras, camcorders. I doubt I missed anything, but you CAN find it (return policy) on their website under FAQs IIRC.

Of course, if you got in on the sweet BB/CC (or other) price deal, you could sell it for a wee bit of a profit instead :)

JayRockers!

12-14-2004, 08:33 PM

I'm considering purchasing the Humax, but have a question or two about compatability with DirecTV. Right now I have DirecTV with one receiver, but 2 lines coming off the dish. How would this have to be setup to work with the Humax TiVo, considering it is not part of the same unit. Will there be issues with recording programs, since the tuner is one unit and the recorder a second? Will I have "pause live TV" capabilities? I'm sure I'll have a couple more questions, but any input/experience regarding DirecTV and this product will help immensely.

Thx in advance,

Jay!

millertivo

12-14-2004, 10:41 PM

JayRockers! - check out this user's signature. I think his document will answer all of your questions (and more).

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?postid=2172526#post2172526

logich

12-14-2004, 11:37 PM

alexcue

12-14-2004, 11:50 PM

OK, think i've run into a problem with my Humax. Seems that in the last couple of weeks, the burns from the Humax can not be ready by my other DVD players all of a sudden. Even my laptop can't read them, get the no media present. The Humax plays them all fine, but nothing else does.

Anyone else tried them on a player other than the Humax?

BTW, they were all playing fine before.

Poogie

12-15-2004, 12:01 AM

Anyone else tried them on a player other than the Humax?

I've tried mine on my Apple Powerbook, my Panasonic RP-82 and a Sony model. So far, so good. They've all played fine.

dwiller

12-15-2004, 02:03 AM

I burned a show onto a Fuji DVD-R disc, and it played fine in the Humax, on my Sony DVD player (like, 3 years old) and on my Apple PowerBook. I will say that the text on the DVD menu seemed very green, but it played back ok.

buddhawood

12-15-2004, 08:39 AM

Originally posted by dwiller
Well, I guess I'm glad to hear some other people have had the same problem....I've been debating taking it back to Best Buy. Such a hassle to set up, since I have no phone line. I am hoping to get an HDTV soon, and was planning on using the component output from TiVo figuring it would look great. It just bugs me that everything is DARK. Like watching Leno and Conan last night, anything that is dark to begin with is just crushed (the blacks). I too, have my brightness on my TV all the way up. Out of curiousity, does anyone know what the Best Buy exchange deal is? Is it 14 days or 30 days?
With Xmas the return policy for tivos starts from 11-1-04 to 1-8-05

alexcue

12-15-2004, 11:11 AM

Originally posted by dwiller
I burned a show onto a Fuji DVD-R disc, and it played fine in the Humax, on my Sony DVD player (like, 3 years old) and on my Apple PowerBook. I will say that the text on the DVD menu seemed very green, but it played back ok.

Well thanks to Poogie and you for checking. It started all of a sudden just not wanting to be read by other players. I checked the discs by burning some of them on my PC burner and they play just fine. I rebooted and everything to make sure something wasn't just messing up. Guess i gotta take it back, kinda glad i got an extended warranty on this thing.

pcgrrll

12-16-2004, 12:47 PM

Originally posted by joysbox
Hmmm, I had to unplug and reboot my DTR800 yesterday. This is the second time. First time, I chalked it up to the update coming down. Yesterday - I don't know. I have never had any issues with the screen freezing on the other standalones (40, 60 or 80). Looking for opinions. I bought this at Best Buy during the pricing snafu (11/11/04) and am now wondering if these first "mistakenly reduced units" were all just buggy as all hell. Good marketing ploy to get rid of them. Suggestions - comments?

.
joysbox

I've been having the same issue on mine. Bought it early last week, and set it up before I went away for the weekend. When I came home on Monday it was locked up and needed to be rebooted. Since then it has rebooted (which I also chalked up to the update) once, and found it locked up again this morning. :(

axomoxa

12-16-2004, 08:13 PM

Conspiracy Theory?

I purchased two DRT800's in the last month. One crashed on the first time out of the box during set-up, before the recent firmware update. I tried to clear all memory and reset the unit. It still had problems with frozen screens and a locked-up DVD drive.

I returned it to Circuit City 'no questions asked' for a full refund and no 'restocking' fee. There's a yellow 5"X7" notice in the box stating "Do not return defective units to place of purchase."

I bought a new one that has functioned flawlessly.

wpatters1229

12-17-2004, 08:00 PM

If you are getting the red x on some content that you are piping in from another device I have a suggestion. Run the devices output to the input of a digital camera and then the output of the camera into the Humax. This will strip the copyright prevention code. Been there done that.

mark1965

12-18-2004, 10:06 PM

Phew, read through all 13 pages of the DRT800 thread over the last hour. I'm new to the whole Tivolution experience. Purchased the DRT800 to burn from camcorder. Have the following question though -

Is there anyway to force the DRT800 to connect more often to the Tivo Service more often?

I'm viewing my "phone & network setup" page and it reads as follows:
Last success: Sat, Dec 18 8:38pm
Next attempt: Sun, Dec 19 10:33pm.
fyi - I have wireless setup.

Well, what if I happen to be at my parents home tomorrow, logon to my Tivo Central Online (TCO), and select a show to be recorded prior to my arrival home. Is it going to record it? Will TCO notify my machine? Any way to force the machine to check more often? Any way to force it from within TCO?

in response to other subjects brought up -
picture seems a few shades darker then it was prior to the Humax,
and
the machine has frozen once. Installed it 12/15 (3 days ago)

Thank you in advance.

dropd

12-19-2004, 12:51 AM

Originally posted by mark1965
Phew, read through all 13 pages of the DRT800 thread over the last hour. I'm new to the whole Tivolution experience. Purchased the DRT800 to burn from camcorder. Have the following question though -

Is there anyway to force the DRT800 to connect more often to the Tivo Service more often?

I'm viewing my "phone & network setup" page and it reads as follows:
Last success: Sat, Dec 18 8:38pm
Next attempt: Sun, Dec 19 10:33pm.
fyi - I have wireless setup.

Well, what if I happen to be at my parents home tomorrow, logon to my Tivo Central Online (TCO), and select a show to be recorded prior to my arrival home. Is it going to record it? Will TCO notify my machine? Any way to force the machine to check more often? Any way to force it from within TCO?

The "daily call", which is the date/time stamps you see in the network setup page, is different than the network communications your tivo makes to check for recordings entered via TCO. I think the tivo actually checks TCO something like every 15 minutes or so (provided you are using the internet and not the phone to do your tivo communications).

I've had my DRT-800 for a week and a half, no freezes/crashes yet.

Biggest problem I have is the now well-known DVD-R (but not RW) playback freezes on Mac OS X.