Will my TiVo work with a new HDTV?

[mmitsch]

I went to BestBuy tonight with my wife and kids to look at HDTV's (we have a JVC 36" analog TV now but the family wants to move up). We found a 46" Samsung (LNT4661F) which seemed to be a good deal but then we realized we'd need to hook TiVo up. We currently have a Pioneer DVR-810H TiVo recorder. Can this work with the new TV? Does it have HDMI cable hookup available? The guy at the store also said we'd need a new DVD player to work with the 1080 picture. Is this true and will this affect TiVo viewing at all?

Anyway, let me know your thoughts. Needless to say I am not an expert. We have until tomorrow to buy the TV.

Mike

[jjberger2134]

Yes, you can hook up your current TiVo, but the picture will not look as good (so I have heard, since I am still running a SD TV). You would hook up your TiVo with an S-Video or Composite cable to the new HDTV.

If you do not know, TiVo is running a special to upgrade to the TiVo HD model. Assuming you have lifetime service (on the Pioneer), you can do a 1 time transfer of lifetime (from the Pioneer to a new TiVo HD) for a fee of $199. The fee also includes 1 year of service on the old unit.

[puckettcg]

I'm not familiar with the TIVO model you cited, but I have 2 single-tuner Tivo's and 1 Dual-tuner (non-HD) Tivo's and they work fine with the my 42" and 50" Panasonic Plasmas. I just looked up your model of TV, and it has A/V inputs so it should work. You don't have to have HDMI.

The issue though is that if you don't have a Tivo S3 or HD Tivo then you won't be able to record HD programming. But, it will still record and playback standard definition with no problem. You also don't need to buy a new DVD player. However, if you want to play HD DVD or Blu Ray discs (for High definition) you'll need a player that can handle the format.

If this is your first HD TV (and it sounds like it is) you will also need either an antenna that will pick-up HD programming or you will need a cable/satellite box to get the HD programming. The easiest thing to do is to call your satellite or cable TV provider and tell them you want an HD box.

[cowboys2002]

Your current DVD player and Tivo will WORK with the new TV you are looking at.

The question is if you want HD Content, you will need:

1. An HD or Blue Ray DVD Player
2. A DVR capable of recording HD Content.

The Tivo Series 3 and Tivo HD both record Over the Air (OTA) and Hs form cable with cable cards installed.

3. The current Directivo HD boxes (if you can find one) records all the legacy DTV HDTV content and not the newer channels recently launched. To record those, you need the Directv HS DVR HR20 or HR21.

4. An unpconverting DVD palyer can supply a 1080i signal to your new TV. Or you can buy an HD DVD or Blue Ray player and utilize the HDMI cables for the "best" picture.

You can still use your existing DVD player with component cables as well.

[puckettcg]

One more thing - there really isn't a downgrading of quality, but on a bigger screen you will notice the lower quality of standard definition, particularly in comparison to HD. Once you go HD, you really don't want to go back. So, you may find yourself wanting an HD Tivo box.

[justen_m]

One more thing - there really isn't a downgrading of quality, but on a bigger screen you will notice the lower quality of standard definition, particularly in comparison to HD. Once you go HD, you really don't want to go back. So, you may find yourself wanting an HD Tivo box.
+1. I find myself avoiding SD if I can. Last night we were watching football - RedskinVsVikings in SD and BoiseStVsECU in HD, switching between the two and using PIP, and the different between SD and HD was huge.

Like others said, you shouldn't have a problem hooking up your Tivo. The large LCDs these days have _tons_ of inputs and outputs. All the TVs we looked at (bought one a week ago) had multiple HDMI, component, and composite inputs, a coax input, plus some variety in availability of S-Video, DVI, and PC hookups.

Also, you can get a 1080p upconvert DVD player for $35 at walmart.com, which is a decent option if you don't want to get an HD or Blu-ray player before the format wars are settled. You will need an HDMI cable - you can find them online for <$10. Retail stores charge a fortune, often >$30.

[RoyK]

Great set. It's rated #1 by Consumer Reports.

Check the price at Circuit City. My son just bought that model from them (and he loves it!) for $250 less than Best Buy would sell it for.

He says SD looks good on his although obviously not as great as HD.

[gastrof]

+1. I find myself avoiding SD if I can. Last night we were watching football - RedskinVsVikings in SD and BoiseStVsECU in HD, switching between the two and using PIP, and the different between SD and HD was huge....

I have to admit that things I've heard, like "It looks like it's REAL" are actually true, at least on some HD sets.

One thing, tho'.

It's NOT real. It's TV.

I don't need to see what looks like real people in a little box in front of me to enjoy a TV show or movie. I know it's TV, and all I care about is the story. The picture quality isn't going to make the story any better, and we've been able to enjoy color TV for the last 40+ years.

If HD had never been invented, I think we'd survive. :p

[Joey Bagadonuts]

I have basically the same question except my DVR is a TiVo brand, S2 240 series and it has a lifetime subscription. We bought a 50" Panasonic Plasma HDTV about 5 months ago and after reading all the negative posts from people who were Time Warner customers regarding the cable card installs, I decided to just go with a TW DVR for now. Simply put, I now hate the TW DVR. I won't go into the gruesome details other than to say I want TiVo on my HDTV and if I can just move my S2 back to the living room TV (where the 50" Plasma is now) I will do so in a heartbeat. I don't watch that much HDTV anyway and even if I did, I am ready to give up those channels just to have a TiVo DVR back in the living room (which is where we watch about 80% of our TV).

That being said, can someone tell me what I need to do to hook up my S2 to the HDTV? Once TiVo and TW get their woes with cable cards ironed out, I'll happily upgrade to the new HD TiVo but, in the mean time, I'd really like to have TiVo back on the TV I watch the most.

Thanks in advance...

Joey

[RonDawg]

That being said, can someone tell me what I need to do to hook up my S2 to the HDTV?

Same procedure as hooking up an S2 to any other TV.

[Lensman]

We currently have a Pioneer DVR-810H TiVo recorder. Can this work with the new TV? Does it have HDMI cable hookup available? The guy at the store also said we'd need a new DVD player to work with the 1080 picture. Is this true and will this affect TiVo viewing at all?
Earlier this year I bought a new HDTV. At the time, I too had a Pioneer DVR-810H. I hooked it up with component cables - the 810H doesn't have HDMI out. Component hookups are fine - the only bad thing is that you still have to run audio separately and so there's a bunch more cable mess. :)

I did this for a few months before I decided that I really wanted true HDTV and so I bought an S3. If I were doing this now I'd buy a Tivo HD.

I don't *think* any of the 810H's are eligible for lifetime transfer yet, but you can still get either MSD pricing or another lifetime sub for $399. You can then use the 810H in the bedroom.

BTW, while I was using it, the 810H was a pretty darned good DVD player for my HDTV. It has a 16x9 setting that outputs correctly to fill the screen appropriately for widescreen DVDs. Then again, you can get a cheap upscaling DVD player from Wal-Mart that will do the same thing for $40 nowadays...

[Joey Bagadonuts]

Same procedure as hooking up an S2 to any other TV.

Really? That simple? Thanks Ron. For some reason, I thought it'd be more complex.

Joey

[jjberger2134]

What makes you think it would be more complicated? (Maybe something about your setup that is not obvious). The S2 would connect between your cable box and the TV. Simply connect the TiVo output to an appropriate input on the back of the TV. Since you would be using an analog TiVo (as opposed to an HD or S3) you would not use an HDMI cable, but rather your choice of composite, S-Video, etc. Your new 50" TV should have all of those connectors.

The instructions could be found on the tivo website under Setup and Support which can be found at this link:
http://tivosupport2.instancy.com/SetupMyTiVo.aspx
http://tivosupport2.instancy.com/LaunchContent.aspx?cid=dcadf995-410e-407a-8e33-65a0ed6a14fa&anchor=undefined

[RonDawg]

Really? That simple? Thanks Ron. For some reason, I thought it'd be more complex.

I apologize if you felt my post was some sort of smart-aleck comment (it wasn't meant that way), however as jjberger mentioned there's no reason why connections need to be more complex just because it's now being hooked up to a HDTV.

Until TV manufacturers stop making sets with "legacy" connections (i.e. RF, composite, and even s-video) there's no reason why older components can't be used with new TV's. Hooking up the latest components to an old TV is where you run into problems, and often there is an adapter that will overcome this.

A 1970's VCR can still be used with the latest plasma, it just won't look very good ;)

[veruca salt]

I am not a psychic, but I can tell you that once you get an HD TV, you will not want to watch something in SD. I finally bit the bullet...even though for the longest time I convinced myself that "it's just TV". With probably 95% of what I watch being on TiVo, I knew that I wanted an HD TiVo.

As far as setting it up...if I can do it, anyone can!!

[mmitsch]

+1. I find myself avoiding SD if I can. Last night we were watching football - RedskinVsVikings in SD and BoiseStVsECU in HD, switching between the two and using PIP, and the different between SD and HD was huge.

Like others said, you shouldn't have a problem hooking up your Tivo. The large LCDs these days have _tons_ of inputs and outputs. All the TVs we looked at (bought one a week ago) had multiple HDMI, component, and composite inputs, a coax input, plus some variety in availability of S-Video, DVI, and PC hookups.

Also, you can get a 1080p upconvert DVD player for $35 at walmart.com, which is a decent option if you don't want to get an HD or Blu-ray player before the format wars are settled. You will need an HDMI cable - you can find them online for <$10. Retail stores charge a fortune, often >$30.

Thanks for the reply! You were SO right about the cables! BestBuy wanted to charge me $49.95 for 1 HDMI 3' cable and I ended up getting 2 for less than $10 on ebay (and that included postage).

I do have another question, this one being about the upconvert DVD player. BestBuy had an RCA model which was made to upconvert to 1080i. My TV is rated at 1080p. Should I get one rated for 1080p? Heck, I really don't even know what the diffference between i and p is.

Let me know.

Mike

[jjberger2134]

i = interlaced p=progressive. These terms refer to the scanning technology in the hardware. "P" is considered a higher level than "I". P scans each line of resolution consecutively, while I scans every other line, then on the next pass scans the other set of lines (or something close to that).

There is no (or very little) 1080p programming right now, the best really available is 1080i. Go with the 1080i DVD player and you will be fine. Also, the average person would not be able to watch two broadcasts, one in "P" the other in "I" and be able to tell the difference.

Here is a good article that summarizes the highlights of the different technology resolutions:

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6361600-1.html

[Luke M]

There is no (or very little) 1080p programming right now, the best really available is 1080i. Go with the 1080i DVD player and you will be fine. Also, the average person would not be able to watch two broadcasts, one in "P" the other in "I" and be able to tell the difference.


If you are going to shell out for a fancy DVD player, it should be 1080p to match the native format of your display. Or, use a 480i/480p DVD player and trust your display's deinterlacer/scaler. A 1080i player is a "middle ground" that doesn't make much sense, IMHO.

[jjberger2134]

Go with the 1080i DVD player and you will be fine.

I guess I should have proofed my prior post before hitting submit reply. What I mean to say was: Go with the inexpensive 1080p upconvert DVD player and you will be fine. (The inexpensive upconvert from Walmart.com was mentioned earlier in the thread by justen_m)

[RonDawg]

If you are going to shell out for a fancy DVD player, it should be 1080p to match the native format of your display. Or, use a 480i/480p DVD player and trust your display's deinterlacer/scaler. A 1080i player is a "middle ground" that doesn't make much sense, IMHO.

Some HDTV's, especially the cheaper ones, display HD great and SD horribly. To trust the deinterlacers/scalers on these sets will disappoint you.

1080i players also cost a lot less than a true 1080p unit, and if your intention is to simply upconvert a standard definition DVD, there's not going to be a great difference, if any at all, over a 1080p unit doing the same thing.

If you have an older HDTV that does not do 1080p (like my Sony CRT unit), a true 1080p player is simply a waste of money if there is a 1080i unit available that does what you want it to do. It would be like buying an "upconverting" DVD player to hook up to your standard definition TV.

[mike3775]

I am not a psychic, but I can tell you that once you get an HD TV, you will not want to watch something in SD. I finally bit the bullet...even though for the longest time I convinced myself that "it's just TV". With probably 95% of what I watch being on TiVo, I knew that I wanted an HD TiVo.

As far as setting it up...if I can do it, anyone can!!

I was the same way. If you search these boards, I said I would never pay to recieve HD channels, but after using an antennae and seeing the difference, I bit the bullet and recieve the HD channels through Comcast.

The other day I was watching the NFL and I thought the picture looked weird, and sure enough, i was on the regular Fox channel and not the HD version, even my friend who said he couldn't tell a difference noticed it right away when I changed the channel to HD

[mmitsch]

I guess I should have proofed my prior post before hitting submit reply. What I mean to say was: Go with the inexpensive 1080p upconvert DVD player and you will be fine. (The inexpensive upconvert from Walmart.com was mentioned earlier in the thread by justen_m)

Thanks for your answer! I will look at WalMart.com now.

Merry Christmas & Thanks!

[mmitsch]

Thanks for your answer! I will look at WalMart.com now.

Merry Christmas & Thanks!

Is this the DVD Player everybody is referring to:
http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng.do?ic=24_0&ref=125875.129743&fromPageCatId=62055&catNavId=62055

[Joey Bagadonuts]

I apologize if you felt my post was some sort of smart-aleck comment (it wasn't meant that way), however as jjberger mentioned there's no reason why connections need to be more complex just because it's now being hooked up to a HDTV.

Until TV manufacturers stop making sets with "legacy" connections (i.e. RF, composite, and even s-video) there's no reason why older components can't be used with new TV's. Hooking up the latest components to an old TV is where you run into problems, and often there is an adapter that will overcome this.

A 1970's VCR can still be used with the latest plasma, it just won't look very good ;)

Not taken as smart-aleck at all RD. Sorry if I gave you that impression. See, I'm totally brain dead when it comes to electronics and when the installer from Time Warner made such a big deal over hooking up our DVR/Cable Box combo to our 50" Plasma TV, I got even more gun shy about messing with anything. We have 3 TiVo boxes, the first one of which was installed professionally. I just duplicated the wiring on the other 2 TVs when I bought TiVo's #2 and #3 and, low and behold, they worked!

Not to be redundant but, I can install the TiVo S2 between the DVR equipped Time Warner cable box and my plasma TV just as I did when all I had was a cable box and it will work? The fact that our cable box is now a TW DVR also is irrelevant, right?

Thanks for your patience.

[jjberger2134]

Joey - Just 2 more points to make...

1. Make sure that you connect the IR Blaster between the TiVo Box and the Cable Box. The cable box becomes a slave to the TiVo and the TiVo needs a way to control the cable box. It sounds like you should have had it set up that way prior to the TW DVR. So if you just replicate the old setup, you should be fine (famous last words).

2. As far as the DVR functionality of the TW box, I would make sure that you have no scheduled recordings on that box, basically turn off the DVR functions (or as many of them as you can) so the TiVo has complete control. I do not know for sure, but I would image the TW software would override any instructions from "outside sources" such as the TiVo if there are 2 conflicting programs to be recorded at the same time.

I do not know if point #2 is legitimate or not, but something that I thought of for your situation. Maybe TW could even turn off the DVR functions from HQ so you do not have to pay the monthly charge.

[mattack]

There is no (or very little) 1080p programming right now, the best really available is 1080i. Go with the 1080i DVD player and you will be fine. Also, the average person would not be able to watch two broadcasts, one in "P" the other in "I" and be able to tell the difference.

Disclaimer -- I don't have an HDTV yet.

But from what I've read/heard (including on the HD and Home Theater Podcast), for some things, like sports, 720p may actually look better than 1080i, because you will see less tearing in high motion.

[Lensman]

Is this the DVD Player everybody is referring to:
http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng.do?ic=24_0&ref=125875.129743&fromPageCatId=62055&catNavId=62055
I'll go out on a limb and mention that I bought the Philips 1080i upconverting player:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5584897

I've also bought their twice-as-expensive 1080p upconverting player and have be *very* happy with that one too. The 1080p Philips player is available from Costco which means that its eligible for the infamous no-time-limit full refund.

[Bsteenson]

I have to admit that things I've heard, like "It looks like it's REAL" are actually true, at least on some HD sets.

One thing, tho'.

It's NOT real. It's TV.

I don't need to see what looks like real people in a little box in front of me to enjoy a TV show or movie. I know it's TV, and all I care about is the story. The picture quality isn't going to make the story any better, and we've been able to enjoy color TV for the last 40+ years.

If HD had never been invented, I think we'd survive. :p

Why drive a Lexus when a Focus will get you there?

Why eat steak when a hamburger will fill you up?

Why drink fine wine when Kool-aid will quench your thirst?

:rolleyes:

BS

[renkablue]

Some HDTV's, especially the cheaper ones, display HD great and SD horribly. To trust the deinterlacers/scalers on these sets will disappoint you.

1080i players also cost a lot less than a true 1080p unit, and if your intention is to simply upconvert a standard definition DVD, there's not going to be a great difference, if any at all, over a 1080p unit doing the same thing.

If you have an older HDTV that does not do 1080p (like my Sony CRT unit), a true 1080p player is simply a waste of money if there is a 1080i unit available that does what you want it to do. It would be like buying an "upconverting" DVD player to hook up to your standard definition TV.

Well, I am trying to figure out the 1080p and 1080i concept. My tv (Sharp 37 Aquos LCD HD) was rated 1080p. The programming received with my TIVO HD is displayed on the top right corner (for a short time) and it almost always says 1080i. Does this mean that the broadcasters are broadcasting in 1080i or does the TIVO HD convert the format to 1080i?
:confused:

[RonDawg]

Well, I am trying to figure out the 1080p and 1080i concept. My tv (Sharp 37 Aquos LCD HD) was rated 1080p. The programming received with my TIVO HD is displayed on the top right corner (for a short time) and it almost always says 1080i. Does this mean that the broadcasters are broadcasting in 1080i or does the TIVO HD convert the format to 1080i?

The THD and S3 can only display up to 1080i. However, few if any TV broadcasts at the moment are in 1080p. It takes up way too much bandwidth.

If you want to take advantage of your TV's 1080p capabilities, for the foreseeable future you'll need to get a Blu-Ray player or a more expensive HD-DVD unit (the cheaper ones like the Toshiba HD-A3 only go up to 1080i).

[Bushwacr]

Well, I am trying to figure out the 1080p and 1080i concept. My tv (Sharp 37 Aquos LCD HD) was rated 1080p. The programming received with my TIVO HD is displayed on the top right corner (for a short time) and it almost always says 1080i. Does this mean that the broadcasters are broadcasting in 1080i or does the TIVO HD convert the format to 1080i?
:confused:

I believe the broadcasts are 1080i. I base this on recording OTA full stream on a digital tuner in the old pc and that is what the files always show and the guide info shows.

You're in good shape.

[Rose4uKY]

I have a question. But for starters I bought a 26 inch Sharp Aquos for my bedroom and they threw in a cheap DVD player for free. It's not upconvert but I rarely watch movies back there but it's still a nice picture. At the time there was no Tivo HD and if it was out yet it was the 799 one which may of just came out or was coming out soon. I didn't want my cable companies DVR so I paid more for my TV to have a cable card slot. I used the Dual Tuner Tivo but it only worked on the analog channels. With the cable card all my digital channels came in back there but on a different input with no guide no pause or rewind it was a dumb set up but I wanted my Tivo which only worked on 2-99. Anyway then came the 299 HD Tivo and if you have an HD TV I highley recommend it. Cause all I could do before was watch in HD and it was live with commercials. I had a bad ordeal with the cable cards but after two trips all was good and being able to record in HD is really awesome and if your getting a nice HD TV go for the HD Tivo that is my opinion.. But if you don't care about recording in HD then keep what you have.

So now I just bought the other day a nice 40 inch Samsung for my Living Room which is where I had moved my DT Tivo which was being used with an old Motorola cable box and IR sensors. I had the oldest DVD player that it was made when DVD players 1st came out and I wanted an upconvert to go with my new TV and another HD Tivo. CC gave me a great deal on my TV for buying the Tivo and DVD player. Then I talked them into knocking money off of a stand also so it all worked out good. I went with a Samsung upconvert just cause the TV remote works both. I will mainly be using my Tivo remote but my friend hooked up a cheap 5.1 surround sound that I had just a little subwoofer box and 5 speakers but it sounds pretty good I don't usemy TV's sound. Of course the brand isn't listed it's some cheap Walmart one so I call Tivo and they told me what to do to try these other codes and none work. So I have to use my surround sound remote and my Tivo remote but anyway lets to get to my question I am so sorry guys..

My new TV has PIP it will do one of three things in the main window Component, HDMI or PC.. My Tivo and DVD are both hooked up HDMI and I want to be able to my PC also. The PIP window is only going to be analog TV so I don't know if it's worth hooking it up or not. They say I might get it to pick up some digital channels but it states PIP window analog. So for me to do this I need a splitter and another coaxial. Tivo tells me the cable from the wall MUST go directly into the Tivo that I canot use a splitter or it will mess up my video is this true? I was going to try the PIP just to see how it worked and they told me they don't support me using the splitter but that also it would ruin my video. I had called them about my Tivo remote working my surround sound and mentioned how I wanted to use my PIP and that is when the guy said my cable from the wall had to be plugged directly into the Tivo HD Box since it was being used as a digital cable box also. He said if I was to use my old DT then I could do it.. So anyway has anyone here used a splitter and not had any problems? Or should I just not fool with it since Tivo doesn't recommend it. I kind of wanted to do my PC and then have the TV on in the PIP window but if it's only Analog it's no big deal really. I wnated to do my PC and watch a TV recorded show really. But I don't want to buy a splitter and an extra coaxial if I shouldn't be doing this. I don't have extras in the house and the splitter with my DT I have to give to whoever buys my DT Tivo. My cable company will be out Thursday and I have to deal with the cable card issues again and I hope it goes better than last time. If it is ok for me to split the cable going into my Tivo box maybe he will be nice and give me a splitter and an extra coaxial. Anyway just wondering if anyone has split there's up or if the cable from the wall really needs to go firectly into the Tivo HD Box. Thanks, Sorry for the long post.. Rose



Thanks, Rose

[Devx]

What a way to start your new year Rose4uKY! I wish you luck on the CableCard install, they seem to go bad far more often than not but maybe you'll get lucky.

I agree on the HD and THD viewing experience, the old analog S2 units really don't do the HDTV sets any justice. When I tried my old S2 on my new HDTV and realized my picture didn't look half as good as it did in the store I had to look into buying a THD immediately. I'm still keeping my old S2 to watch programs that aren't critical like the news/weather and the new Tivo internet show downloads.

Not that I'm advocating you spend even more money since you just bought all this new equipment but have you looked into Logitech's Harmony line of universal remotes? They can learn the IR signals from your other remotes to work devices that do not have built-in codes (especially useful for no name devices that other remotes can't handle), some come with backlights for use in the dark, etc. One remote can work your THD, surround sound, DVD player and HDTV easy.

Not sure why Tivo told you that... Hmm...my THD has an Mcard in it and I get HD channels but don't subscribe to any premium channels. Maybe Tivo thought it would interfere with your premium channels?

Here's what I would do. Just get a nice splitter. I decided to keep my old S2 in place and I used an existing splitter I have to split the cable so my S2 can still get a signal and my THD picture is just fine, no pixelation, blockiness, or otherwise degraded picture quality. Make sure to use well shielded high quality coax cables though, this is important or you may notice degraded picture (typically if its thick and sturdy its a good one, if its limp and flimsy keep looking). Honestly though, if you feel a bit apprehensive now that Tivo has told you not to do it, I would try it and see. You definitely don't have to take my word for it. Let your own eyes be the judge. Buy a splitter from Walmart or Best Buy or somewhere reputable and a good coax cable if you don't have any extras and watch "Live TV" via your THD to see if you can tell the difference in picture quality with the splitter in place. I personally cannot on my 32" HD LG but TV viewing is very subjective. If for some reason that causes a noticeable drop in your picture quality you can take the splitter and cables back. You're only out the time it took to do the comparison.

Edit: Also, with the splitter idea, you can connect your old S2 DT to the analog input on your TV for PIP.

[Rose4uKY]

Ok thanks for your help. So your saying you use a splitter on your THD and 37 inch TV and your ok? I know all about the harmony remote but don't really want it. I've spent enough money already but thanks. I am ok using my surround sound remote if I have to. But once my TV settings are set then I will rarely use my TV remote unless I watch a DVD. I just need something to keep my remotes in. I get my cable cards tomorrow so I thought if I got a nice guy he would slip me a splitter if he had one and an extra coaxial. I have the splitter from my DT Series two I could also use to try it if he didn't have a splitter and then I could just ask for an extra coaxial. Tivo mentioned hooking up my DT also but I don't want two Tivos hooked up. I have two THD now cause my bedroom has a little 26 inch HD TV. So I have to sell two 80 hour Tivos a ST and a DT Series two. My expensive power protector also had cable in and out to use to proetect my cable but I am not using that neither..

But anyway will see what I decide to do my friend who hooked me up said try it. But I don't really know how often I'll use it but I wanted to know for sure if it could be done since Tivo said no. I don't have to watch the PIP it's only analog anyway so it's not that big of a deal. But I just wanted to know if I did want to try it would it work with the splitter or was I really better off leaving the cable plugged directly into the THD. So thanks for answering.

When I bought the TV CC told me it did everything PIP except TV to TV cause of the one tuner they were wrong. I didn't care about PIP and when I researched TV's that wasn't an option I had to have or really wanted. But he said oh you can do computer and TV or DVD and I said oh and can I do my PC and a recorded show instead of TV and he said yes which is what I thought would be cool to do. But it's ok.. I ordered the VGA with audio cables online last night and a nice wireless mouse with a built in track ball so I can do my computer on the 40 inch screen. That I am going to try. Thanks for your help though, Rose



Thanks, Rose

[Stephen Tu]

Is this the DVD Player everybody is referring to:
http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng.do?ic=24_0&ref=125875.129743&fromPageCatId=62055&catNavId=62055

I say phooey to < $50 upconverting players! They are unnecessary. Keep in mind that your new fancy LCD/plasma already upconverts to its native resolution, upconversion in the player is redundant. You only gain if the player does a better job than the TV at this, the odds that the $40 player outperforms your $1k plus TV is very slim.

Save your $40, use your old DVD player (which should look great, use component out & remember to set to 16:9 output), wait until you have $200 and can buy a true HD-DVD player like the Toshiba HD-A3. Or a Blu-ray at $300. Or wait a few months and watch prices on the true HD players drop more.

[Rose4uKY]

I didn't know what to do and I ended up buying the upconvert and I may not of needed it neither. My bedroom 26 inch Sharp Aquos HH Gregg gave me a cheap 30 dollar DVD player for free and it's not upconvert and is a nice picture. I guess it hooked up component. But my DVD player that I had out here was so old that it didn't play any burned DVD's no MP3's no other formats nothing so I wanted to be up to date. I needed a newer DVD player whether it was Upconvert or not mine was 10 or 12 years old. But I chose the Samsung Upconvert to go with my TV and I like it. Have only watched one movie so far but it was nice..

[Rose4uKY]

This post is old and I searched for an answer but couldn't find one. I now own a Tivo HD and a 40 inch Samsung HD TV an LCD. My TV is a 720p not 1080P. Me and friend were wondering he read that 720P setting is better than 1080i setting and he changed his DVR. So I checked my Tivo and it was set to 1080i and my friend seems to think he got a better picture at 720P and said that consumer reports recommended that setting. I noticed when I go to info some shows don't show anything but some show 1080i which makes me thing it should stay on 1080i. Just Curious what the best setting is. Rose

[bkdtv]

Rose,

With rare exception, FOX and ABC broadcast in 720p while CBS and NBC broadcast in 1080i. If you've got a 720p TV, all signals will be converted to 720p eventually.

It is possible that your TV does a better job of 1080i->720p conversion than the TiVo. If that is the case, keeping the TiVo set to 1080i could improve your picture on CBS and NBC.

That said, I would probably leave the TiVo in fixed 720p, just to avoid the extra conversion from 720p->1080i->720p on FOX and ABC.

[Rose4uKY]

Ok thanks, I wasn't sure and when my friend changed his cables DVR to 720P I just happen to look at my settings and it was on 1080i and I didn't know whether I should change it or not. I do record several ABC shows so I guess I should change it to 720P then?

[ciper]

If your TV handles a 1080i image but its resolution is 768 (or whatever) then I suggest first trying NATIVE mode. This sends the video to the TV in whatever format it was originally received with no modification. This forces the TV to do all of the conversion.

Compare that to setting the Tivo to "720p Hybrid" which will output 480 at 480, 720 at 720 and 1080 at 720. This lets the TV handle the standard shows on its own but the Tivo takes care of modifying the HD signals if needed.

Last I'd try 720p fixed. This takes the conversion out of the TVs hands completely forcing the Tivo to convert all video.

I do not know of the specs for your TV but most newer TV's of decent quality have better signal conversion circuitry than the Tivo.

[bkdtv]

Ok thanks, I wasn't sure and when my friend changed his cables DVR to 720P I just happen to look at my settings and it was on 1080i and I didn't know whether I should change it or not. I do record several ABC shows so I guess I should change it to 720P then?As alluded to above by ciper, native or hybrid will likely produce the best picture on all channels. These modes output 720p channels as 720p and 1080i channels as 1080i.

The disadvantage of these modes is that your TV must switch resolutions on the fly, when changing from say, FOX (720p) to NBC (1080i), or from NBC (1080i) to the TiVo menu (720p). TVs don't switch resolutions instantly. Some find these TV resolution switching delays more annoying than others; the delay associated with resolution switching varies from ~1s to 8s, depending on the TV model.

If you were using a new 60+" 1080p TV viewed from 10', I would have suggested native mode. At that size, the degradation caused by converting 720p to 1080i (or 1080i to 720p) would be more noticeable, as would the differences in SD upconversion quality. However, in a ~40" 720p TV, you aren't likely to see much difference. In situations where the difference is likely minimal, I generally recommend fixed modes for usability reasons.