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View Full Version : Tivo Series3 Review from PCMag.com


bkdtv
09-11-2006, 11:47 PM
Review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2014608,00.asp

Video: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2014570,00.asp

It's the most complete review I've seen so far. Some quotes:

The Series3's remote control retains the distinct dog-bone shape and general keypad layout of previous TiVo remotes, but it incorporates a few welcome changes. For starters, the new remote is now completely backlit, with all buttons labeled directly, unlike previous designs, which placed some labels on the body of the remote. I really like this change because a glowing key is a lot easier to discern at a quick glance. The select button used for menu navigation has been moved to the center of the directional pad, making it even easier to use. A ribbed, textured finish covering the back lower half of the remote enhances your grip and helps you keep the symmetrically shaped control pointed in the correct direction.Post-setup, I found myself experimenting with the Series3's robust output-resolution options, which include a native mode that preserves the content's resolution as it's delivered to the TV, as well as fixed and hybrid modes that can be used to optimize the video for a particular display's screen characteristics. Using the Series3's dual-ATSC tuners, I was able to surf and "timeshift" local channels with relative ease. Critical off-air tuning features such as a signal strength meter and a channel list editor are provided, and my experience scheduling and recording this free source of TV was pleasantly uneventful.After several hours of constant use, I was also impressed to note how quiet the Series3 DVR was. Only when I put my ear close to the unit in a quiet environment could I detect the faint whirr of its low-speed fan.

rainwater
09-12-2006, 12:12 AM
From the video it looks like the menus are just a rip of the S2 menus in standard definition. I can't believe they weren't updated to a higher quality.

bkdtv
09-12-2006, 12:32 AM
Moderator please merge this thread with the other "web review" threads.

megazone
09-12-2006, 03:04 AM
From the video it looks like the menus are just a rip of the S2 menus in standard definition. I can't believe they weren't updated to a higher quality.You jump to conclusions. The menus are all 720p and are sharp.

rainwater
09-12-2006, 05:57 AM
You jump to conclusions. The menus are all 720p and are sharp.

I just watched the video. The stretched icons and non smooth text were not sharp.

megazone
09-12-2006, 06:11 AM
I just watched the video. The stretched icons and non smooth text were not sharp.The channel icons I agree - it looks like the same images they've been using - the bigger you make them, the worse they look. My screen is 61". some of them look crappy.

But on my Samsung, feeding it with HDMI set to Native, the signal is 720p and the text and graphics (menu borders, etc) look good to me. You can see the photos I took in the other thread - the 'Large' versions are 5MP. I took them by waiting until the middle of the night, turning out all the lights, and turning off the flash on my camera - so it is as clear as I could make it.

rainwater
09-12-2006, 06:20 AM
The channel icons I agree - it looks like the same images they've been using - the bigger you make them, the worse they look. My screen is 61". some of them look crappy.

But on my Samsung, feeding it with HDMI set to Native, the signal is 720p and the text and graphics (menu borders, etc) look good to me. You can see the photos I took in the other thread - the 'Large' versions are 5MP. I took them by waiting until the middle of the night, turning out all the lights, and turning off the flash on my camera - so it is as clear as I could make it.

Well, it seems to me the only part of the UI that was improved was the channel banner/live tv interface. I would hope they plan on upgrading the main menu as well to graphics of that quality.

pkscout
09-12-2006, 06:31 AM
I just watched the video. The stretched icons and non smooth text were not sharp.

No offense, but watching a 320x240 video isn't really a good way to judge the quality of the menus.

davezatz
09-12-2006, 06:34 AM
the text and graphics (menu borders, etc) look good to me.

I thought they looked fine as well. The info banner and time bar look especially good in HD. I could do without the channel logos since the quality, colors, and shapes vary so widely.

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/2006/09/tivo-series3-espnhd.jpg

rainwater
09-12-2006, 06:37 AM
No offense, but watching a 320x240 video isn't really a good way to judge the quality of the menus.

It is when the person doing the review is also commenting about them. It doesn't take a HD quality video to see stretched icons and text that doesn't display correctly. Plus, Robert Heron who did the review is an expert when it comes to judging video quality. I always trust his HDTV reviews because of the quality of his reviews is extensive.

megazone
09-12-2006, 06:37 AM
Well, it seems to me the only part of the UI that was improved was the channel banner/live tv interface. I would hope they plan on upgrading the main menu as well to graphics of that quality.I see improvements in ALL of the menus. The only things I've noticed which don't look great are the channel icons.

rainwater
09-12-2006, 06:38 AM
I thought they looked fine as well. The info banner and time bar look especially good in HD. I could do without the channel logos since the quality, colors, and shapes vary so widely.



Yes, like I said before, the channel banner looks very good. I was referring to the main menu interface.