Suggestions for mimicking dual tuners with multiple TiVos

[asills]

Okay, so long story short I'm moving and the place I'm moving to doesn't have a clear view of the southern sky so I'm ditching DirecTV. I can't go back to Comcast's DVR because it's junk and I don't want to use Dish Networks DVR (the building provides Dish as an option because they have a dish on the roof), so I'm thinking of having two cable receivers hooked up with two TiVos on one television. Using MRV I can watch shows on either while either are recording, I can use my Stereo receiver to relatively quickly switch between inputs (not as fast as D* but fast enough) to almost mimic my dual-tuner DTivo I already have.

The cost won't be too prohibitive, just a couple extra bucks a month for an extra receiver, and I was going to eventually buy another TiVo unit anyway.

Has anyone else had a setup like this? Did you hate it?

Any other suggestions for things I may not have thought about?

[TiVoStephen]

I do something similar -- I have three TiVo DVRs on one TV and switch inputs with my stereo receiver. I only have one cable box, and split the signal before the cable box for the other two DVRs. That way I have digital cable on one DVR, and analog cable on the other two DVRs. I rarely have conflicts on the digital channels, since they tend to repeat their offerings whereas the analog channels include the networks who don't rebroadcast as much.

With two DVRs, you can find one of the remotes with the 1-2 switch to switch between controlling them (such as, the charcoal and clear remotes from the TiVo store but not the blue one), and then use different remote addresses:

http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv1087.htm?

If your receiver is supported, the input button on the remote makes switching very convenient. You can then get away with a single remote.

All in all, I like this setup very much. (Three TiVo DVRs is overkill; if I didn't test prototype units from work, I would just have two TiVo DVRs.)

Best regards,
Stephen

[ThreeSoFar]

Overkill? I take offense. ;)

We have four set up this way. Love it.

[jfh3]

All in all, I like this setup very much. (Three TiVo DVRs is overkill; if I didn't test prototype units from work, I would just have two TiVo DVRs.)

If you'd like to go back to two units, I'll be glad to take the prototype off your hands ... :)

[mick66]

Has anyone else had a setup like this? Did you hate it?
More than you'll ever know.

I have 3 TiVos on one TV connected via an A/V reciever. I finally decided to ditch the many remotes, so I just purchased the Harmony 520 remote yesterday - I'm still trying to figure it out but I'll get it.

[ZeoTiVo]

I have two TiVos on my main TV and a TiVo up in the bedroom for overflow third conflicts.

the two downstairs work great as my TV has 4 inputs and Tosh TiVo with DVD is on component and the other is on S-video. I have a peanut for each since the Tosh has extra DVD buttons but no 1/2 switch. I need to get my harmony remote running someday

But the whole family uses both with no problems

[asills]

And here I thought this idea was pretty far-fetched. I'm glad to hear that others have this setup and it appears to work. I was kind of nervous about investing the time/money and then getting annoyed with it.

I have 3 TiVos on one TV connected via an A/V reciever. I finally decided to ditch the many remotes, so I just purchased the Harmony 520 remote yesterday - I'm still trying to figure it out but I'll get it.

I've been considering getting one of those for a while (actually a Harmony 880 because it looks like the TiVo remote). My TiVo remote almost has everything I need, but not quite. Does that remote work well with multiple devices of the same type?

[asills]

I do something similar -- I have three TiVo DVRs on one TV and switch inputs with my stereo receiver. I only have one cable box, and split the signal before the cable box for the other two DVRs. That way I have digital cable on one DVR, and analog cable on the other two DVRs.

Out of curiosity, you have RF lines going directly into the TiVos without a cable box? Did TiVo add tuners to the boxes in the almost 4 years since I bought my Series2?

[TiVoMonkey]

Out of curiosity, you have RF lines going directly into the TiVos without a cable box? Did TiVo add tuners to the boxes in the almost 4 years since I bought my Series2?

Hasn't every TiVo, except DirecTiVo's, had an ANT/CABLE RF tuner?

[DancnDude]

Out of curiosity, you have RF lines going directly into the TiVos without a cable box? Did TiVo add tuners to the boxes in the almost 4 years since I bought my Series2?
TiVo has always been able to directly tune regular cable stations, just not the higher-up digital channels without the box. And it is more reliable than having TiVo changing the channels on the cable box.

[dgh]

Some friends of mine have 4 DirecTiVos connected to one TV. 8 tuners is their minimum ;) They say it's great! They have them broken down by category: Movie TiVo, News TiVo etc.

[Dan203]

Three TiVo DVRs is overkill; if I didn't test prototype units from work, I would just have two TiVo DVRs.

Overkill? What kind of salesmanship is that? You're suppose to be telling people they need as many TiVos as they can afford. ;)

We actually have 5 TiVos (and a HD Moxi) connected this way and I don't think it's over kill at all. That's one TiVo for every major network (i.e. CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX & WB) so we can record all the primetime content without ever worrying about a conflicts. Plus with MRV we can transfer things around if any one TiVo starts to get too full.

Dan

[beejay]

(Three TiVo DVRs is overkill; if I didn't test prototype units from work, I would just have two TiVo DVRs.)

Best regards,
Stephen

Whoa. That can't be right.

[MikeMar]

Overkill? What kind of salesmanship is that? You're suppose to be telling people they need as many TiVos as they can afford. ;)

We actually have 5 TiVos (and a HD Moxi) connected this way and I don't think it's over kill at all. That's one TiVo for every major network (i.e. CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX & WB) so we can record all the primetime content without ever worrying about a conflicts. Plus with MRV we can transfer things around if any one TiVo starts to get too full.

Dan


Umm yeah, everyone needs 5 TiVo's per tv! How can you live any other way :rolleyes:

[ZeoTiVo]

Overkill? What kind of salesmanship is that? You're suppose to be telling people they need as many TiVos as they can afford. ;) Dan

can afford ? What kind of salesmanship is it to limit the sale to what the Customer can afford :D

but I actually could use some extra tuners beyond the three right now. With the January new shows I want to take a peek at and Football I actually have somethings that went beyond a 3 way conflict

[DancnDude]

Whoa. That can't be right.
Maybe he means 2 TiVo (Series 3) DVRs which means 4 tuners ;)

[Dan203]

Umm yeah, everyone needs 5 TiVo's per tv! How can you live any other way :rolleyes:

I agree! :D ;)

Seriously though I don't think everyone needs 5 TiVos. (we actually have 6, but one is in the ofice) I was just pointing out that it's nice to have so many because we never have to worry about conflicts. Plus we can transfer things around for space management. :)

Dan

[Dan203]

Maybe he means 2 TiVo (Series 3) DVRs which means 4 tuners ;)

That's actually my plan. Once the S3 units are released I'll most likely buy two, then sell all the rest of the TiVos. (except one of the DVD units since we like having IR when watching DVDs :))

Dan

[TiVoStephen]

Overkill? I take offense. ;)

We have four set up this way. Love it.I should have said "for me" -- I've seen folks who have four-way or five-way conflicts during some key primetime slots, but I just don't happen to have more than two shows in conflict based on what my wife and I watch currently. :)

For some people, even 10 TiVo DVRs is not overkill. :)

[TiVoStephen]

“Three TiVo DVRs is overkill”
TiVoOpsMgr
Director, Svc. Ops
Overkill?
Suggested new versions of that quote:
"Three TiVo DVRs is overkill for me, but I'm about to have four." (True.)
"Even 10 TiVo DVRs is not overkill!"
"Three TiVo DVRs is overkill ON ONE TV -- you should figure on having about two TiVo DVRs per television set in your house."

Better? ;-)

[TiVoStephen]

You all are treating "overkill" as if it's a bad thing. :)

If it's worth killing, isn't it worth overkilling? Just to be sure?

[mattack]

but I actually could use some extra tuners beyond the three right now. With the January new shows I want to take a peek at and Football I actually have somethings that went beyond a 3 way conflict

Wednesday, 9pm.

Bones, Biggest Loser, Lost, Criminal Minds, (shrinks down) Beauty and the Geek. and if I watched it, Veronica Mars. (I gave up on that long ago due to conflicts.. Will rent DVDs through netflix eventually.)

Too !@#$ many shows on at once. Need more tuners. As it is now, I have 2 Tivos, a non-Tivo hard drive/DVD recorder.. May end up watching something *live* Wed at 9, or just keep track of which episode I missed..

[Dan203]

Bones, Biggest Loser, Lost, Criminal Minds, (shrinks down) Beauty and the Geek

We actually watch all of those as well. A perfect example of when having 5 TiVos comes in handy. :)

Dan

[davezatz]

I loaned a buddy at work my second TiVo (he digs it)... and now the lady of the house has killed 24 and Love Monkey recordings in progress. So I think I need my TiVo back sooner rather than later to mirror my recordings and use MRV. Then again, 24 is a show better saved for Netflix DVD ... my attention span is short and following week to week is cumbersome. :)

I'm still debating what to do with my third TiVo (SD-H400) - thinking of sending it to my mom to use with TiVo Basic so she can pause the show for phone calls or restroom breaks. Does TiVo Basic happen to get suggestions?

[murgatroyd]

I'd love to have three TiVos for the Olympics alone.

Only 2 SA TiVos right now. Two tuners is not enough for my everyday stuff, never mind the Olympics.

For the OP: we have no cable box, cable is split for each TiVo, each one goes into its own composite input on my Sony TV, plus the TV has its own RF signal for when the two TiVos are recording and we want to watch a third thing.

Two separate SP managers may give you more flexibility in scheduling than a dual-tuner box, depending on how you juggle your SPs and ARWLs.

Jan

[jautor]

Best suggestion I've heard on the topic (which I use to some degree) is that if you're goal is mainly to resolve SP conflicts, then invert the SP list on the second box. This helps the scheduling get as much as possible, and minimizes the number of duplicates...

I use a slight variation, reversing groups within the list that I know conflict...

Jeff

[dmdeane]

I've had up to four TiVos and a ReplayTV hooked up to a single TV set at one time. This requires, for best results, a universal remote (I use a Sony RM-AV3000 (http://www.remotecentral.com/av3000/index.html)) allowing you to switch between the multiple TiVos and other devices (the Sony RM-AV3000 can control 18 devices) without needing multiple remotes, and cable splitters, and AV switch boxes (if your TV or stereo receiver does not have enough inputs) that can be controlled by an IR remote (I use two Swann AV Multi-Switchers (http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=296349&pfp=BROWSE)) allowing me to remote control up to 8 devices (TiVos, ReplayTV, XBox, DVD player, etc) and have them output to the same TV.

It's actually a very practical kind of set up, but it does require a bit of work make sure that all the AV switches, cable splitters, and remote control codes are set up to work the way you want them to. If I had a better TV or better stereo receiver with multiple AV inputs I wouldn't need the AV switches, so adjust your own plans according to what you have.

[Sirshagg]

We actually have 5 TiVos (and a HD Moxi) connected this way and I don't think it's over kill at all. That's one TiVo for every major network (i.e. CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX & WB) so we can record all the primetime content without ever worrying about a conflicts. Plus with MRV we can transfer things around if any one TiVo starts to get too full.

Dan


Yep, it look like I'm well on my way to going this route myself (3 so far and looking for a fourth). Albeit they are in differnt rooms, but still dedicated to just on channel. MRV to get something else.

[dtreese]

if I didn't test prototype units from work, I would just have two TiVo DVRs.

Yes, tell us about how awful your life is, Steve. :D That's just rubbing it in. :cool:

[TiVoStephen]

Heh, sorry. But if you want to be like me -- we're hiring! http://www.tivo.com/careers/

I have to admit that for the recent Winter Olympics, having three DVRs was perfect. I officially withdraw my "overkill" comment and offer 10,000 mea culpas.

[megazone]

Heh, sorry. But if you want to be like me -- we're hiring! http://www.tivo.com/careers/I've tried that, TiVo never bit on my resume. I guess I'd have to get back into C/C++ or something...

[OldTownTreadles]

You all are treating "overkill" as if it's a bad thing. :)

If it's worth killing, isn't it worth overkilling? Just to be sure?

:up: :up: :up:
I love it! You can come over to Wefixit any day, an abler enabler you are!

Seriously, I've been trying to hold back and stick with a modest two tivos and two standalone DVRs of other configurations. I know all about overkill, with 3 treadle sewing machines, 6 hand crank sewing machines (the treadles and handcranks are justified because here in California we get frequent power outages) and a happy collection of somewhere between 30 and 60 other sewing machines in perfect working order. But I was trying to keep my Tivo collection to more a more modest scope.

Hey, can I embroider that saying on a denim shirt?

[JoeBarbs]

No need to mimic now (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=293095) :up:

[dtreese]

Heh, sorry. But if you want to be like me -- we're hiring! http://www.tivo.com/careers/

I have to admit that for the recent Winter Olympics, having three DVRs was perfect. I officially withdraw my "overkill" comment and offer 10,000 mea culpas.

Heh. That would be great if I weren't halfway through med school with a $70k debt.

[Adam1115]

No need to mimic now (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=293095) :up:

Only if you have ANALOG CABLE, but the functionality would STILL be good for digital cable and satellite users... Like I said, even if it shot the conflict list to TiVo.com and was sent to another TiVo via online scheduling...

Maybe this could be done with a hack.. hmm... a script to pull a list of conflicts every day and a program to go out to the website and schedule it...

[asills]

No need to mimic now (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=293095) :up:

True, but only if you don't mind not recording your digital channels on the second one.

In case anyone's curious about what I ended up with... I ended up using 2 TiVos without cable boxes for a couple months then ended up with a Series 3 and a TimeWarner box in the second room.

And I really didn't ever realize that the TiVo units had an analog tuner; not sure how I missed that, but I never used it without a cable box.

[mattack]

We actually have 5 TiVos (and a HD Moxi) connected this way and I don't think it's over kill at all. That's one TiVo for every major network (i.e. CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX & WB) so we can record all the primetime content without ever worrying about a conflicts.

Though there's not enough tuners to actually add padding to the beginning/end of shows known to fall out of their timeslots.. (Thurs night NBC usually.. Often CBS Mon, though I ended up recording the first 3 sitcoms on my S1 and only added one minute end padding on 2.5 XYs, AND recorded I think 2 out of the 3 on my S3 with padding.. but was able to nuke the S3 recordings since each show actually ended properly in its timeslot, including end credits.)

i.e. 2 * # of actual conflicts would be useful so you could pad everything.
(Or more realistically, you should be able to pad shows and 'share' the recording on both shows, so it uses only one tuner.. obviously requires same data rate.)

[jkovach]

I'm thinking of having two cable receivers hooked up with two TiVos on one television. Using MRV I can watch shows on either while either are recording

I didn't get this part. Why would you need to use MRV to watch shows on Tivo 'A' via Tivo 'B' because Tivo 'A' is recording? It can play and record at the same time ya know...

[asills]

I didn't get this part. Why would you need to use MRV to watch shows on Tivo 'A' via Tivo 'B' because Tivo 'A' is recording? It can play and record at the same time ya know...

Good question. I was mixing up two different things I wanted to do. The MRV was for the case of two TiVos on two TVs.