Ad says buy a new box--But read the fine print!

[Jon1]

So I get this ad from TiVo telling me if I buy this new DVR for $254 and lowering my monthy fee to $6.95, I will be Able to Record Two Shows At Once! Now this is something I could really use. I love TiVo but not being able to record two shows at the same time (or watch one while the other records) has been the only drawback. I was all set to be suckered into this and then I read the fine print, and I qoute:

"Does not support recording from two digital cable or satellite channels at once."

I have Comcast digital cable and all my channels are digital. Thank goodness I didn't buy it... Just want to warn everybody out there to read the fine print!!!!

[Joeg180]

Are you sure all your channels are digital? Your local channels are most likely analog.

I'm sure others will chime in as well.

[dswallow]

Connect your cable up to the input directly on your TV and see if you can tune in any channels; even where all channels are provided digitally, there's still quite often simulcast of at least the very basic tiers, including the local broadcast channels, in analog.

[SeanC]

If you are actually in MA then all your channels are not digital.

[Jon1]

Are you sure all your channels are digital? Your local channels are most likely analog.

I'm sure others will chime in as well.
I would assume they are ALL digital. How would I know which are and which are not?

[MikeMar]

I'm in Boston, and I can only get like 10-12 channels on our TV that does not have a box on it. Basically the main locals, and a few random other ones. No NESN, no ESPN, not even Food network.

So I would not buy one where I am now, as I record a lot of random stations.

[dagap]

Seems obvious to me, sorry. If you're using a decoder of some sort (e.g. cable box) and that decoder only outputs a single channel at a time, then the Tivo won't have two signals available.

[jwbacher]

I was reading the ad today as well. It is interesting that it can only record one digital channel at once, but if you think about it it would be impossible to record 2 at the same time with only one digital box.

I am in NYC and the analog channels look like crap. I just got the Tivo last month and was pretty pissed that I did not wait. When I read the small print I was no longer pissed.

Tivo is great by the way - I have not seen a commercial (other than blowing through them) in a month!

[TivoTimesTwo]

I love Tivo, can't live without it, but this new product is just silly. Why push out a new product on the market that is this technologically deficient? It's DT unless you want to record Digital Cable or Satellite? That should be defined as DT unless you want to record anything in 2006 and beyond.

Come on - this is a great idea and when properly developed I can assure you I will be the first in line to buy one, but if you can't record two channels at once using the method of receiving channels that vast majority of us utilize what's the point?

[dswallow]

I love Tivo, can't live without it, but this new product is just silly. Why push out a new product on the market that is this technologically deficient? It's DT unless you want to record Digital Cable or Satellite? That should be defined as DT unless you want to record anything in 2006 and beyond.

Come on - this is a great idea and when properly developed I can assure you I will be the first in line to buy one, but if you can't record two channels at once using the method of receiving channels that vast majority of us utilize what's the point?
Depends on your viewing habits, mostly.

If much of the programming you watch comes from your local network stations, the vast majority of people with cable will find it usable and advantageous because they'll be able to take advantage of the dual tuners.

[Shawn95GT]

I think the catch with two digital cable boxes is that you'd need two independant IR controllers and an effective IR tent to keep the Tivo from controlling both boxes with one IR command. The current setup has a single IR transmitter than transmits the same code to both IR blasters.

If you had two cable boxes you can't independantly control them unless they were two completely different boxes (and at least had independant IR codes).

I would have liked to see that be 'our problem' but I can see why they made the choice they did.

Series 3 anyone?

[Jon1]

I'm in Boston, and I can only get like 10-12 channels on our TV that does not have a box on it. Basically the main locals, and a few random other ones. No NESN, no ESPN, not even Food network.

So I would not buy one where I am now, as I record a lot of random stations.
The thing that sucks the most is not being able to turn on the Red Sox game until my wife finishes TiVo'ing American Idol/Amazing Race/Apprentice/Survivor. Unless, of course, if Lenny DiNardo is pitching--then there is no conflict. Record away, Honey! :D

[MikeMar]

The thing that sucks the most is not being able to turn on the Red Sox game until my wife finishes TiVo'ing American Idol/Amazing Race/Apprentice/Survivor. Unless, of course, if Lenny DiNardo is pitching--then there is no conflict. Record away, Honey! :D

Yeah in our living room we have 2 tv's. One has the cable box and one doesn't. We usually have the game on mute if it's on fox or something and watch anything else on the main tv. Can't do that much w/ nesn :(

[JacksTiVo]

Think splitter. Cable companies have to convert to analog output at the cable box if they are pure digital. I doubt if they are pure digital since they all have to provide basic service which is analog. Install a spliter with one output going into your digital cable box with its output to the DT TiVo and the other to the analog input to the DT Tivo. That is why they state that the DT TiVo can not access OTA broadcasts, because the internal analog tuner can only access cable channels.

[cherry ghost]

So, I may be wrong, but my thinking was you can record 1 channel from the cable box, and record 1 channel that you can get without the cable box.



Correct

[TiVoStephen]

Connect your cable up to the input directly on your TV and see if you can tune in any channels; even where all channels are provided digitally, there's still quite often simulcast of at least the very basic tiers, including the local broadcast channels, in analog.Doug is very wise. Even if you use digital cable, this is a great way to prove that you can record two channels at once (analog plus digital) with the new Series2 DT.

I am not aware of ANY markets where digital cable is 100% digital. In almost all markets, the channels under 100 are analog.

[Dennis Wilkinson]

I'm in Boston, and I can only get like 10-12 channels on our TV that does not have a box on it. Basically the main locals, and a few random other ones. No NESN, no ESPN, not even Food network.

You're a Comcast customer? Do you subscribe to "Expanded Basic"?

If all you have is basic cable plus a digital package, but not expanded basic, it's possible (pretty likely, really) that you have an analog trap on the line that removes the bulk of the non-OTA analog channels.

Comcast in most of Massachusetts is broadcasting the expanded basic channels as both analog and digital right now, with their digital cable boxes selecting the digital signal and old tuners getting the analog one. This is usually called ADS (Analog Digital Simulcast) -- I'm guessing that the motivation is to start migrating people towards a mostly-digital broadcast and to counter the "digital cable isn't as digital as digital satellite" advertising.

That said, I do remember that some or all of Boston has had a funky cable configuration in the past, so none of this may apply. But it may be worth checking with the cable company to see if you can get NESN on that other set of yours. ;)

[coldtoes]

I know this is an old thread, but in case anyone is searching it I wanted to weigh in on the Boston analog channels. It is true that Comcast has crippled their analog lineup so few channels are available, and many of them are useless (shopping etc.) However, I've found that since most of the stuff on digital cable repeats, I'm not sure I have ever run into a conflict where my DT box needs to record two digital channels at once and I don't have another chance to get one of the programs. (Although I can see that if you recorded a lot of sports you would run into this, with NESN and ESPN both digital.)

I haven't updated this list six months or so, and it does change periodically (the "good" channels at the end of the list tend to come and go), but as of my last check here's the complete list of channels on Boston Comcast analog cable:

2 PBS - WGBH
3 Comcast
4 CBS - WBZ
5 ABC - WCVB
6 UPN - WSBK
7 NBC - WHDH
8 TV Guide
9 CBB
10 WB -WLVI
11 PBS - WENH
12 RAI.NASA/Local
14 NECN
19 PAX - WPBX
20 CSPAN
21 CSPAN2
22 Municipal
23 BNN
24 Answer Channel
25 FOX
26 Cuencavision
27 Univision
33 SpikeTV
37 MSNBC
38 CNBC
44 PBS
45 BCTV
46 Shop NBC
47 QVC
48 Daystar
49 Telefutura
50 Swap & Shop
51 WMFP
52 Telemundo
53 WNDS
54 EWTN
55 HSN
61 OLN
62 Food
63 Golf
64 Toon
71 Disney
80 SpikeTV