I'm Cheating on My Tivo

[tgr131]

Greetings,

I'm a diehard DTivo user, but after watching the Super Bowl in HD at a friend's house, my wife wanted to know why we didn't have HD. To get HD thru D*, I would likely have to cut down a tree, install an antenna, and buy the HD DTivo, and wait for it to be obsolete with the advent of mpeg-4.

So, I had TWC install a SA 8300HD this past Friday. I'm going to run D*, and TWC cable until the S3's come out. Boy what a sucky DVR. But it looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

But I feel guilty when I'm not using my Tivo.

[ChuckyBox]

But I feel guilty when I'm not using my Tivo.
Don't. Your TiVo's love of you is unconditional. It doesn't mind that you use other DVRs, and will continue to faithfully record your shows and make suggestions. It knows that it can't offer everything to everyone, but it is secure enough in itself to know that what it does do, it is the best at. It does not judge you, and will always be there for you when you need it. It is like a good, good dog.

[triscitman]

I also recently picked up a TWC 8300DVR. Watching the Olympics in HD has been great. The thing is, not only do I cheat on my TiVo, I've had to stop it recording a few times so I can watch the HD. Hopefully the S3 will actually be out "sometime in the second half of 2006." That way I can get back down to two DVRs (bedroom and living room), and both are TiVo brand DVRs.

FYI - For those TWC customers who have reported problems with their digital cable boxes being randomly turned off due to "software upgrades," no such terminations have happened in the few months I've had the 8300. In fact, the 8300 has been on every time TiVo has taped something.

-Greg

[VOLFAN]

Don't. Your TiVo's love of you is unconditional. It doesn't mind that you use other DVRs, and will continue to faithfully record your shows and make suggestions. It knows that it can't offer everything to everyone, but it is secure enough in itself to know that what it does do, it is the best at. It does not judge you, and will always be there for you when you need it. It is like a good, good dog.


Couldn't have said it better myself Chucky! Awesome!
* Volfan wipes tears from his eyes :)

[PhilCase]

Don't. Your TiVo's love of you is unconditional.

Actually, as of late my Tivo's love appears to be to the highest bidder. At least since that unremovable Yahoo app spam has ruined the custom functionality that use to define my HME menu.

I for one will not be upgrading to Series3's unless Tivo quits selling out my menu's (The one's I pay for as "service" each month) to their selected spammers.

Just too many other options to go with out there these days to continue to put up with this.

If Tivo cared about me, they would let me decide which, if any, third parties are allowed to clutter my menu.

[jmace57]

I did exactly the same thing - got a new HDTV - couldn't wait to see HD. Went to Time-Warner and got an 8300 box. I have direcTV on several of my TV's and the others have basic cable (really basic - local channels only).

I went in and asked if I had to have digital cable in order to get HD - they said no - and that the HD and PVR would be $12 a month, in addition to the basic $12. I said to sign me up.

I got my first bill for $75, not counting the taxes. $12 for my basic cable service + $48.99 for digital cable + $14 for the HD and PVR.

I went back in to the TWC storefront, and told them what had been promised. They said there was no way to get HD without the digital cable. I told them that all I was receiving at home was my locals and the 7 or 8 HD channels..I was not receiving the 80 or so digital channels - this was true, by the way. Then they started a sales pitch on me, and I told them there was no way I was going to pay an additional $60-$64 a month so that one TV could get HD.

I turned the box back in right then and there...they credited me for 2 weeks of service (I had had it for 1 month). It reminded me of why I left TWC in the first place.

So, now I have a nice, new HD TV, that I don't receive HD programming for.

Oh well.

Jim

[rhuntington3]

S'okay! Congrats on getting HD! Sweet!

[Ladd Morse]

So, now I have a nice, new HD TV, that I don't receive HD programming for. If the TV has a built-in tuner, all you have to do is hook up a rabbit-ears or preferably a roof antenna to get the HD broadcasts of your local channels.

I get over 20 digital channels over-the-air (OTA) from my roof antenna, with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS coming in HD.

[jmace57]

If the TV has a built-in tuner, all you have to do is hook up a rabbit-ears or preferably a roof antenna to get the HD broadcasts of your local channels.

I get over 20 digital channels over-the-air (OTA) from my roof antenna, with ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and PBS coming in HD.

Thanks Ladd - That is my next step I think. I tried it using rabbit-ears right after I got it (I do have the built-in tuner in my Samsung) - but it looked pretty crappy - the towers are only 8 or 9 miles away, but was very poor reception. I am thinking of trying on up on the roof (or more likely in the attic).

Jim

[ZeoTiVo]

I went in and asked if I had to have digital cable in order to get HD - they said no - and that the HD and PVR would be $12 a month, in addition to the basic $12. I said to sign me up.

I got my first bill for $75, not counting the taxes. $12 for my basic cable service + $48.99 for digital cable + $14 for the HD and PVR.
Oh well.

Jim


I found out I had to get digital cable just to get the darn 8300 DVR from them. that was looking to cost me 35$ a month back then. That led me to TiVo and 18 months later I am very happy to have not given the cable company 630$ (18*35) jsut so I could have leased a DVR ;)

[tgr131]

The 8300HD has no concept of "search by title". OK, it does a little bit, but AFAIK, it's only one day at a time. I love having two wks of guide data on my Tivos.

I hope that the S3s come sooner than later.

[TBoyd]

:) ...

I went back in to the TWC storefront, and told them what had been promised. They said there was no way to get HD without the digital cable. ...

...So, now I have a nice, new HD TV, that I don't receive HD programming for.

Jim

MAYBE not. I have Comcast in California and I found out that LOCAL HD channels are NOT encrypted and ARE present in range of LIMITED BASIC cable. Since I have LB service with my broadband service with Comcast, I hooked up a splitter and ran one piece of coax to the new HDTV I got a couple weeks back did AUTO PROGRAM. Voila, I got 5 local feeds in HD along with hundreds of other trash. Maybe TWC has it set up the same way. Worth a try!

And YES, I'm cheating on Tivo too, only I've not started dating a cable PVR on the side. I just watch some programs straight on the HD set with commercials. The fact that I just watch "TV" kind of makes it OK to cheat, given the pain I'm in when a commercial comes on. :p

Best,

[hitbyatrain]

:)

MAYBE not. I have Comcast in California and I found out that LOCAL HD channels are NOT encrypted and ARE present in range of LIMITED BASIC cable. Since I have LB service with my broadband service with Comcast, I hooked up a splitter and ran one piece of coax to the new HDTV I got a couple weeks back did AUTO PROGRAM. Voila, I got 5 local feeds in HD along with hundreds of other trash. Maybe TWC has it set up the same way. Worth a try!


Best,

This is true, but will only work if your HD set has a QAM tuner. With basic cable and a QAM set, you should receive your local HD channels.

[Dajad]

Until TiVo provides us with a viable alternative, we must cheat. I've bene "cheating" with the same piece of crap SFA 8300HD for a year now. I have NO choice for recorded HD. But it is so unreliable I have one or the other of my TiVo's recording all the HD shows in SD. I'd say 20% of the time the SFA screws up the recordings! I can't wait for HDTiVos!