New hd Tivo and OTA guide question

[dadx2]

I would like to buy a new hd tivo for recording OTA hd. But I need to know these these before going forth! :o

1) How does the tivo know guide info for my ota signal?
b) Can I get a larger hard drive
iii) How does bais cable look on this new tivo?


Thanks,
Evan

[aus1ander]

I would like to buy a new hd tivo for recording OTA hd. But I need to know these these before going forth! :o

1) How does the tivo know guide info for my ota signal?
b) Can I get a larger hard drive
iii) How does bais cable look on this new tivo?


Thanks,
Evan

TiVo asks your zip code during guided setup. It then downloads your guide data, like it would for regular cable, based on the listings on Zap2it.com. After you run guided setup, you can go in and specify which stations you actually can receive OTA and check signal strength. When I set up my OTA stations, my TiVo had guide information for a lot of stations in my surrounding area that were WAY out of range of my antenna. I simply removed them from the "channels I receive". So, to summary, OTA guide data is downloaded from your internet connection -- the "guide information" embedded in OTA digital signals is completely ignored.

You can get a bigger hard drive from Weaknees.com. See their website for details.

I assume you meant "basic cable". I think it looks slightly better on a high definition set because I used a fixed resolution at 720p, which means standard television is upconverted to a higher resolution. But, in reality, you probably couldn't tell much of a difference between the TivoHD and older series 2 TiVos with standard definition video.

[jfh3]

You can get a bigger hard drive from Weaknees.com. See their website for details.

Or dvrupgrade.com, who seem to be less expensive.

[dadx2]

Thanks for the replys. It's good to know that I can get the guide info for the local hd stations without the need for digital cable.

[TydalForce]

I assume you meant "basic cable". I think it looks slightly better on a high definition set because I used a fixed resolution at 720p, which means standard television is upconverted to a higher resolution. But, in reality, you probably couldn't tell much of a difference between the TivoHD and older series 2 TiVos with standard definition video.

I think it depends on what you're comparing it to. If you've got a Series 2 and you're swapping it out for the new one, you'll probably notice a slight improvement (better encoder basically) but it's not going to be huge. I noticed an improvement on analog cable through my Series 3 compared to my previous Humax DRT800. I've heard similar stories from others, but it's not going to magically turn analog cable into high definition of course.