Looking for ideas

[TChee]

I had Tivo for a few yrs with Directv. 4yrs ago I switched to Dish & have regretted it ever since. Want to get away from Dish & to the channel lineups that I prefer which are on Directv or Comcast. Have also been a Comcast customer & like their local channel selection but hate their customer service & regular price increases.

Have an old Directv/Tivo box (35 hrs) with a lifetime subscription & would like to go back to Directv but in my research have learned that Directv is not using Tivo anymore & their PVR, though Tivo-like, is buggy. So alternate course is to get Directv without PVR & hook up Tivo box to it. However, have learned that Series 2 is not good for digital recording on 2nd tuner.

Series 3 Tivo is too expensive for me. Don't subscribe to premium channels & don't care about sports & am considering the Directv Choice package (140 channels) one level above their basic. Even though Series 2 recording is best for analog on 2nd tuner wouldn't mind if picture quality isn't real bad as I'm not a serious videophile.

Would like your opinions as to what to do & would even consider going back to Comcast if given good enough reasons. If you think response benefits the group, please share but also copy me at my AOL email address: TedChee

Thank you for your responses. I'm really grateful that this group exists.

[atmuscarella]

Some info: .
Series 3 TiVos do not work with Satellite at all in any way.
If the direct TiVo you have still works no reason you can not use it should work fine no need for a new DVR, and it is still supported by Direct TV and Tivo.
SA Series 2 TiVos can control a direct TV satellite box however it is always a single tuner setup. The second tuner in a SA DT Series 2 TiVo only works with unscrambled analog cable - nothing else.


Good Luck,

[gastrof]

Your old box will work, to some extent, with DirecTV, if I understand right.

DirecTV is coming out with new HD channels in formats older boxes can't make use of, but there could be many channels you can still get.

If I were you, I'd ask about this on the DirecTiVo forum, since they'd likely know what your current box is still good for. (Some of those guys may still be using the very same box.)

The Series 2 Dual Tuner TiVo can't be used fully with satellite. Only one of the tuners can work with a satellite or cable box. The other requires analog, box-free cable to work. It can't even be used for OverTheAir TV. That tuner is for analog cable only.

If you got an older Series 2 (or even a Series 1) from someone, say from an eBay auction, that would likely still work with a DirecTV box that's a receiver only. (I wouldn't try to use it to work with a DirecTiVo. One DVR controlling another? Too messy a setup. Doubt it'd even work.)

As far as I know, Series 1 and Series 2 TiVos can still be used with all Comcast cable outlets, both with and without cable box.

As for sending you a personal reply, to be honest, this is a message board.

This is where you get your replies. That's how message boards work. You come back to the thread to see who's answered and what they've said. :rolleyes:

[atmuscarella]

Your old box will work, to some extent, with DirecTV, if I understand right. The old Direct TiVo will work the same as any Direct SD DVR/STBs including their newest/current ones. Both Dish and Direct have addition cost HD packages that are only available if you get one of their new HD DVR/STBs.

If you got an older Series 2 (or even a Series 1) from someone, say from an eBay auction, that would likely still work with a DirecTV box that's a receiver only. Actually you can still find new single tuner Series 2 TiVos on line that are free or nearly free after the rebate.

(I wouldn't try to use it to work with a DirecTiVo. One DVR controlling another? Too messy a setup. Doubt it'd even work.)
Believe it or not my TiVos work better with my Dish 510 DVR than they do with my Dish 322 STB use it when the 510 gets full. However have no idea about using a SA TiVo with a direct TiVo.

Good Luck,

[TChee]

Thanks to both atmuscarella & gastrof for your replies. It helps to clarify what I can & can't do. I'm planning to upgrade my old Tivo box to higher capacity & reuse it.

I'd like to know whether you would recommend going satellite or cable? Even though Comcast has a poor pricing & service record here, my attempts to avoid them have meant double the cost compared to their Triple Play plan for cable, internet & voice service. Doesn't make sense I know but I'll eat my pride & overlook the past if I have to.

[JacksTiVo]

Although you are not a fan of Comcast, they will be offering TiVo service as part of there DVR service within a few months. I wish my provider (Cablevision) would also offer it. Just think, an HD DVR with TiVo software, no upfront hardware costs except installation and if it breaks, they will replace it.

The cable companies are starting to become more customer service oriented, now that Verizon is starting to offer their FiOS service as competition. Is it planned for your location?