Considering jumping onto the S3 bandwagon, but without HDTV...

[TheBar1]

I may be moving in the next month or two,and that seems to be a good opportunity to drop DirecTV in favor of Cablevision IO or Verizon FIOS (if available) paired with a new TiVo Series3. The only way I can justify an upgrade to the S3 to my DW is for us to keep using our SD 36" Sony Wega. I see that the S3 can be connected to an SD TV (using S-Video or Component Video), but I'm actually more curious about the programming.

1. Are network broadcasts on Cablevison's IO service only available in HDTV?

2. If so can, they be down-sampled on the TiVo for storage purposes?

Basically, I am probably 2 years away from upgrading to an HDTV set, and I want to be sure that the S3 will be flexible enough.

Thanks!

[naclone]

personally, i think you're much better off investing in an HDTV set rather than spending that much on an S3 which you wouldn't get much value out of without HD.

[George Cifranci]

I would have to agree. Getting an S3 without owning an HDTV is pretty pointless and a big waste of money. If you really aren't going to buy an HDTV for a few more years, you are better off going with a standard def TiVo. 2 years is a long time for technology. Certainly S3's will be a lot cheaper and there may even be newer/better models (if TiVo is still around) Who knows what will be available then or what will happen in regards to CableCards etc...??

[lombard]

Well, if you plan to subscribe to digital cable, by all means go with the TiVo. It isn't just for HD. The S3 also enables dual tuning of any digital cable channels without using a cable box.

[loubob57]

I can see some value to digital vs analog OTA reception capability even if it is restricted to SD. I used my first digital receiver that way for a year before I got an HDTV. I always had a bad ghost problem on a couple of channels, but with digital that's gone.

[dbtom]

If you are getting digital cable w/o HD your best bet is a Series II (or even a Series 1) with a digital box. Cablevision will give you both an SD and HD feed for all channels except for inHD, inHD2 and Universal HD.

Don't buy a Series 3 to archive shows. Your Tivo will be filled up way too quickly. You'll be amazed how fast 250GB disappears when recording HD and there is not currently a way to add an external drive (though it may be coming).

[naclone]

I'd strongly recommend spending the $800-$1000 you have earmarked for S3 on an HDTV and just get the Cable Company's HD DVR. Yeah, it's not TiVo, but it's certainly the best bang for the buck if you're forced to choose.

[Chester_Lampwick]

Forget the S3. For less than half the money you could buy a DVD burning DRT-800, upgrade it to 300 hours, and buy a DVD player for your car. You don't need dual tuners really. Most cable and satellite providers will let you have east and west coast feeds, so you can avoid almost any conflict.

HD while pretty, is more a hassle than practical.....

[TheBar1]

Thanks for the advice. I wish I had the $$$ to handle both an HDTV and S3 purchase. Oh well...

Guess I've been spolied as a DirecTV TiVo user with dual tuners and seemless integration. It's entirely possible that my next house will have a clear view of the Southern Sky, but I figured I'd better start looking into the CV or FIOS options just in case.

Sounds like the consensus so far is to just go with an S2 if I need TiVo to go with CV or FIOS. That would give me plenty of control over recording quality, even on a signal originating in HD, right?