Getting TIVO in Canada

[clovis8]

I understand that TIVO is now available in Canada. I called TIVO and they said they support Canada but do not garantee it will work here and they do not sell to Canada. I have seen the thread on where I can buy a TIVO. My situation is this:

1) I use digitial cable to recieve my TV (SHAW CABLE)
2) I have cable internet
3) I do not have a land line phone (only a cell phone)
4) I live in Edmonton, Alberta


I understand I need at least version 7.2. Which TIVO would you recommend for my situation and is there anything in my above conditions that would make the TIVO inoperable?

Is there a central FAQ for Canadians regarding TIVO?

Much appreciated.

[sweetspirit]

I'm pretty much a "newbie", but I do know that you HAVE TO have a landline for the initial setup. Afterward, you can network your TIVO. If you do not network, you will need a landline to update your program info on a daily basis.

Additionally, software updates come either through your landline or your network. So, to answer your question, your TIVO would be inoperable with your stated current operating conditions.

[sr20det]

You can use ANY Tivo SERIES 2 unit in Canada.

If you want to double check that your area in Canada will work for tivo you can visit www.zap2it.com if you can find your listings online, then so will tivo.

The only thing that doesnt fit into your criteria that might inconvienance you is that for the very first time you do need a phone line to set it up. you can take this to any of your friends or families house to do the initial setup from thier phone line.

Heres what you do after you have signed up for an account on www.tivo.com
1. Plug in any Series 2 Tivo unit into a phone line.
2. Peform guided setup
3. Use Zipcode 82327 (This is a zip code with the least amount of data, so it will be fastest for the intial setup
4. Once the zip code is entered, tell the unit to connect to TIVO to download the latest guide and software. (This is where it will upgrade your software to 7.2.x)
5. After this software has been upgraded, reset the unit.
6. Perform guided setup AGAIN. This time, it will allow you to enter a Canadian postal code
7. connect to download your guide data and your set to go. the whole process could take up to about 3hrs.

good luck with it, tivo will change your life

[classicsat]

Actually,Antenna, Zip 00000, provider Tiny TiVo, has only two or three channels.

With luck, a wired network adapter and the ,#401 might work, as will serial PPP.

[petew]

With luck, a wired network adapter and the ,#401 might work, as will serial PPP.

The following process is not specific to canada and worked for me on a recently purchased 540:

1) Connected Netgear FA120 to USB port and connected to home network before powering on the Tivo.

2) Power on Tivo, follow guided setup use zipcode as above. At the point Tivo is about to dial out chose dialing options and set the dialing prefix to ,#401.

3) Tivo will "dial" over the internet and download the guide data.

4) Once the indexing has finished, force a service call. Tivo will download and install the 7.2 software.

5) restart and then rerun guided setup using correct data

The alternative is to wait till 7.2 Tivo boxes are available in the stores. 7.2 includes OOB support of USB network adapters and canadian guide data.

[clovis8]

What about paying? They tell me I need an American credit card and address. Has Anyone gotten around this?

[omote]

I used a Canadian credit card and a partial address, basically filling in the US form with as much Canadian info as possible and it worked fine.

I'm also on Shaw cable and even though not in Alberta, the TiVo does work well with Shaw. I don't use it with the cable box though.

[clovis8]

I used a Canadian credit card and a partial address, basically filling in the US form with as much Canadian info as possible and it worked fine.

I'm also on Shaw cable and even though not in Alberta, the TiVo does work well with Shaw. I don't use it with the cable box though.


What does that mean "you dont use it with the cable box"? Do you still get all your channels through the TIVO?

[omote]

Sorry, yes I get all the basic (analog) channels through the TiVo. I also have the Shaw DCT6208 digital cable box and I use that to record the digital channels and high-definition programs.

If you have a Shaw digital cable box you can hook that up to the TiVo as well but you'll need to use an IR Blaster to allow the TiVo to change the channel on your cable box at the appropriate time.

[1002]

I actually just set up my TiVo this week in Calgary using a cable box through Shaw. I also didn't have a phoneline but the person I bought the TiVo from on eBay had already updated the machine to 7.2.x and so I didn't need a phoneline. I just plugged it into the internet and it did all it's setup using that connection. So if you can somehow get a unit with 7.2 already on it it'll make your setup a lot easier.

It's also really easy to sign up online for the service. Like omote said, you just need to enter partial Canadian information and there's instructions for what to fill in for the city and state. I think it's something like Leo, WI.

Anyway, good luck. It works really well here, you shouldn't have any problems.

[sweetspirit]

Whoooeee! THAT is really smart!

On another thread I read that it is possible to do even the initial setup with a cell phone. I'm pretty much an end user, but it had something to do with a couple of adapters and a wireless network. To the best of my ability to remember, it was a fairly recent post. . . .

[delta888]

Just to follow up with this, how are Canadians buying a TiVo box? I would very much like to get the Humax DVD writer TiVo box, but TiVo is not shipping to Canada.

I've noticed that Weaknees is shipping modified Humax boxes to Canada. Has anyone tried this? Anything to report?

thanks....

[clovis8]

I ordered mine direct from TIVO. I just had it delivered to a friend in the US who will ship it to me.

[classicsat]

Tigerdirect.ca has TiVos. Otherwise you have to purchase from a private or commercial vendor that will sell to Canada, or is already in Canada.

[Clarkey]

Is it me, or is TigerDirect.ca a lot more expensive than eCost.com? Different equipment maybe...

[delta888]

The Tiger-ca TiVos aren't the same as the ones advertised on tivo-com. I've never heard of a series 2 Toshiba RS-TX60, but it's got a larger HD than the Humax model. I'll try and search the forum to check....

(Excuse the re-format of web sites. I can't post those yet.)

[neilio]

I bought mine from eCost. I got the 140-hour Series2 unit for around $480 after currency conversion, taxes, and the Borderfree charges were added up. Unfortunately it looks like the rebate is only available to U.S. customers thought I need to contact TiVo and confirm that...

I'm getting Rogers Cable in Toronto and it works just fine. The biggest pain was the initial setup (which took about 5 hours or so) - downloading the initial schedule and then forcing the upgrade took quite a while over a phone line, even though I did the "fast" setup by selecting antenna and not downloading the entire full schedule the first time.

I'm working on a fairly detailed "how to setup TiVo in Canada" post for my site that should be up by the end of the weekend, time (and inclination) willing...

[delta888]

Neilio, when you call TiVo, you should ask if you can have the rebate mailed to a friend with a U.S. address (who can then send you the rebate).

There is an entire thread dedicated to the Toshiba model, but I haven't worked my way all through it, yet.

[weezypenguin]

Can a Series 1 tivo be used in Canda?
Has anyone done this?
Can you pass on any tips etc?
Cheers

[classicsat]

Can a Series 1 tivo be used in Canda?
Yes, but not directly like an S2 with 7.2

You need to hack the TiVo a bit and install a proxy onto the TiVo itself, and I think have a network or serial PPP enabled DVR.

[snowbutterfly]

Will be visiting the US in the next week and also considering getting the TiVo box to bring back up.

Wondering is anyone has had any problems using TiVo and MTS TV (Manitoba Telephone Systems) which is a digital cable service, but the cable box is done through DSL.

I did check zap2it and MTS TV listings are available, so odds are good so far.
Just really unsure if this is worth it?

1) I use a DSL to recieve my TV (MTS TV)
2) I use the same DSL box/modem built-in for my internet connection
3) I have a land line
4) I live in Winnipeg, MB

[ThreeSoFar]

Used TiVos being resold, if they've been active, should have 7.2 software, which will work nicely with the compatible ethernet adapters right out of the box.

Given that new HDTV CableCard TiVos will be coming out within a few months, there are likely to be a lot of those on the market. Two or three of mine, for instance.

[classicsat]

snowbutterfly:
You have VDSL, which works with TiVo, as long as the TiVo is installed at the gateway box, for direct A/V connection and IR control of the box.

[snowbutterfly]

thanks classicsat!

Just to clarfiy (sorry, a bit new to this)

by TiVo is installed at the gateway box, for direct A/V connection and IR control of the box.

do you mean:
a) the "gateway" at MTS, like on their 'server',
b) or the actual cable box *from* MTS that I have?

The back of the cable box has a/v outputs and IR control as far as I can tell.

[BladeRnr]

Snowbutterfly - this is a few months late but "Yes" to all your questions about TiVo working with MTSAllstream service. I'm an MTS-A customer and have had my Series 2 connected to the 'set-top' box (which has the Tivo IR blaster positioned on it, much like our VCR had the MTS-A IR blaster connected to it).
We had no problems with TiVo getting the schedule and the unit in no way affects the MTS-A service.

Hope you take the plunge with Tivo!

[stylesx]

Just trying to ask here if there is any way of getting free listings with my new TIVO series 2. I just got my TiVo and im in CANADA and the only thing that is working is the fact that i can pause live tv and go back to it. My subscription is expired when i purchased it so now i am trying to figure out if there is any way of getting free listings with some sort of a hack. Please help me out.

Thank you

John

[JerryinTO]

I entered my Postal Code and then choosed STARCHOICE. It found all the channels!! I'm a bit leery though, especially on how much is the monthly charge for subscribing to TIVO

Jerry

[classicsat]

The montly charges is the same for the US, $12.95US/month, which translates into about $15/month, with exchange.

[RazorRaul]

i bought a used s2 with lifetime subscription, do i need to set it up again by dialing up? it already has v.7.2.
also i want to upgrade to a bigger drive, that won't affect the lifetime sub right?

[classicsat]

You need to redo GS. You can do that over phone or network.

You can upgrade the drive fine. Lifetime is tied to the ID on the mainboard.

[ThreeSoFar]

i bought a used s2 with lifetime subscription, do i need to set it up again by dialing up? it already has v.7.2.
also i want to upgrade to a bigger drive, that won't affect the lifetime sub right?
Curious, what did you pay?

And did you confirm with TiVo directly the lifetime is still valid? The S2's that have had their lifetime transferred to a new S3 still show on the screen as "lifetime", but won't for long.

[thomps13]

How does one setup a Series1 with lifetime sub and network card for service downloads for starchoice?

[bertwhit]

I am in Florida until April, but my home is in Toronto. Could you comment on the following?
If I buy a TIVO in the US, will I be able to use in Canada?
Thanks,
Bert

[classicsat]

Yes, if you buy a Series 2 or Series 3.

A Series 2 will work with whatever cable or satellite service you have with their STB or analog cable. A Series 2 Single tuner will work with analog OTA.

In Toronto, a Series 3, at its best, can tune OTA from Buffalo, with guide data (using a Buffalo zip code).
At its worst, analog cable and OTA, and Toronto digital OTA without guide data (unless that has changed)

[xeon450]

I just bought a TiVo HD PVR from Best Buy in Buffalo, for OTA HD use only (I'm located in Mississauga, ON). During the Guided Setup, there was a point where it instructed me to press the INFO button to enter a Canadian postal code. However, it never completed setting up as it was stuck on "Please wait..." after the network connection was established. I then thought of trying a Buffalo zip code (14225) and it worked. I was just wondering if there is a better zip code to use, so that Canadian guide data can be shown as well...

I read on another forum somewhere that once the initial Guided Setup completes, I can go back and enter a Canadian postal code...has anyone tried this?

Thx.

[classicsat]

You have to chose either/or.
For now, there is no digital OTAl listings for Canadian markets that have it.

[xeon450]

Thanks classicsat...what zip code works for you?