Series 3 or Comcast/Tivo?

[WindyCityGirl]

It seems to me that a reliable Series 3 Tivo (with all the upgradability you can do IE Weaknees) would blow away a new, Comcast/Tivo DVR.

I am a beginner so I am sure I am missing something. I am about to commit one way or another and any guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!!

[Bruce24]

It seems to me that a reliable Series 3 Tivo (with all the upgradability you can do IE Weaknees) would blow away a new, Comcast/Tivo DVR.

I am a beginner so I am sure I am missing something. I am about to commit one way or another and any guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!!

If your not concerned with the up front cost for the Tivo Series 3 (I personally think the Tivo HD is a better deal) and your not interested in the Comcast On-demand content, I think the Tivo Series 3 or HD superior and the way to go.

-Bruce

[ajwees41]

If your not concerned with the up front cost for the Tivo Series 3 (I personally think the Tivo HD is a better deal) and your not interested in the Comcast On-demand content, I think the Tivo Series 3 or HD superior and the way to go.

-Bruce

I will add if your area uses sdv the S3 will not currently tune those chanels

[markp99]

I have a Series 3 and the Comcast TiVo (~2 months old) sitting side-by-side in my AV cabinet. I'm a long-time TiVo user, so I am certainly biased, but here is my impression:

Series 3 >> Comcast for a number of reasons (ignoring cost differential):

1. The Comcast interface, while fully functional, feels like every HME app I've tried. Not as fast/pretty/smooth as the native TiVo interface. I think a new TiVo user will be none-the-wiser, but moving from TiVo to Comcast as my primary unit would be a problem for me.

2. The Comcast interface is somewhat laggy. Not as bad as the old MOT box, but still enough to be an issue for me. I almost always manage to get ahead of the interface, making errant selections, or waiting for it to catch up to me. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Series 3, new user might get used to the timing of the Comcast unit.

3. No 30 sec skip on Comcast, though >>>> (4 FF) is VERY fast, almost too fast

4. No TiVo2Go or MRV. Not a huge deal for me personally.

On the plus side for Comcast:

1. Dual tuner support is same as TiVo
2. The preview screen while in the guide is nice
3. The On Demand implementation is SUPERIOR to the old MOT box
4. Having the familiar TiVo remote while using On Demand is very nice
5. Picture Quality is fully on-par with the Seres 3, as expected
6. Disk capacity seem fine, though this was not our primary unit

Conclusion:

1. We use On Demand frequently at our house, so a MOT box is a necessity
2. While the interface is slower and just not a pretty at the Series 3, it is fully functional and familiar. New TiVo users might be perfectly happy with the interface, without a reference point for bias.
3. Dual HD tuner support is excellent on any platform

So,

I have (1) Series3 and (2) Series2 units. I will be eliminating both Series2 units for the Comcast unit; It will remain beside my Series3 unit. This will afford me 4 HD Tuners at little or no additional incremental cost above my current setup. Adding 2 add'l HD tuners as a back-up to my Series3 is worth the interface/lag issues I noted,

[fallingwater]

How did you get the P-nut remote for the Comcast box; by mail or with the box? Can the Comcast box use the same set of remote codes as TiVo or does it use something different? (IOW, will a standard dual P-nut remote control both a Comcast TiVo and a HDTiVo in the same room?)

By "preview screen" are you referring to the Comcast box's PIP? Do you pause or watch programs while in Comcast's menus?

Do you have the line outputs of the Comcast TiVo and S3 TiVo connected to another recorder (such as DVD) or just to a TV/monitor? If connected to another recorder, do both DVR's output the same size picture from a hi-def source or is the picture from the Comcast smaller; i.e., too small to fill a widescreen.

Thanks for any info!

[markp99]

How did you get the P-nut remote for the Comcast box; by mail or with the box? Can the Comcast box use the same set of remote codes as TiVo or does it use something different? (IOW, will a standard dual P-nut remote control both a Comcast TiVo and a HDTiVo in the same room?)
The remote came with the new box from Comcast (early install by Comcast in my case). It uses its own remote codes, so there is no conflict the the Series3 in the same room. The remote codes are almost identical to the normal Comcast remote (minus playback controls & OnDemand button, I think). So, TWO remotes, or simply use the normal Comcast remote setup on my Harmony remote with a few "learned"' tweaks to address the uniqueness of the new Comcast TiVo controls.

By "preview screen" are you referring to the Comcast box's PIP? Do you pause or watch programs while in Comcast's menus?
The ~PIP box appears when in the guide and some/all(?) of the menu screens. I typically do not pause while in the menus; I'm not sure if playback controls are available when in the menus (never tried, at work now).

Do you have the line outputs of the Comcast TiVo and S3 TiVo connected to another recorder (such as DVD) or just to a TV/monitor? If connected to another recorder, do both DVR's output the same size picture from a hi-def source or is the picture from the Comcast smaller; i.e., too small to fill a widescreen.
Only connected to my HDTV

[GumboChief]

If, as your handle suggests, you live in Chicago, it may be some time before the comcast software upgrade is availble in your market.
It seems to me that a reliable Series 3 Tivo (with all the upgradability you can do IE Weaknees) would blow away a new, Comcast/Tivo DVR.

I am a beginner so I am sure I am missing something. I am about to commit one way or another and any guidance would be GREATLY appreciated!!

[mrlajoie]

I was lucky enough to get the Comcast TiVo about 2 months ago and I can only suggest that you go with the S3 or THD unit if you can live without VOD. I found the unit was VERY slow and with NO networking or 30 second skip I felt the choice was clear for me so today I purchased a TiVo HD. I haven't had the cc's installed yet but so far I am much happier with the responsiveness of the unit compared to the Comcast TiVo. It will be replacing a S2 for me so there will be no additional cost to my wallet. Just my 2 cents worth...

[GumboChief]

Which model cable box do you have?
Seems the newest version (3416 w/ cablecard sticking out the back) is much faster.
I was lucky enough to get the Comcast TiVo about 2 months ago and I can only suggest that you go with the S3 or THD unit if you can live without VOD. I found the unit was VERY slow and with NO networking or 30 second skip I felt the choice was clear for me so today I purchased a TiVo HD. I haven't had the cc's installed yet but so far I am much happier with the responsiveness of the unit compared to the Comcast TiVo. It will be replacing a S2 for me so there will be no additional cost to my wallet. Just my 2 cents worth...

[mrlajoie]

It's a Motorola DCT4212. Not happy with it. You would think that if I was given this model during the beta they would have swapped it out if it didn't perform well!

[bicker]

The models in the DCT-series and DCH-series are all roughly comparable to each other, and there are no alternatives because they were specifically the targets for the port. There are millions of these boxes in the field, so working on those already-deployed boxes was a requirement for the project.

[jmoak]

It's a Motorola DCT4212.DCT4212??????

[bicker]

I bet that's a typo.

[mrlajoie]

I bet that's a typo.

That would be a good bet... My apologies, its a DCT3412-1....

[jmoak]

... its a DCT3412-1....Cool! Thanks!
:)

[DingoAce10]

Wow, great thread all! I literally JUST found out that Comcast came out with the Tivo box.
I have Verizon FIOS right now with an S3 (hated the Verizon DVR, hence I bought the S3). The Verizon HD signal was GREAT when I first got it, but now I can really see A LOT of compression in the backgrounds of some of the HD channels...some are better than others and it also depends on the time on the day...my theory is, is that the more people watching TV in my area the worse the signal is...jsut a theory though...

Otherwise, I am thinking of going back to comcast (can't believe I am saying that)...And actually was thinking about selling my S3 since Comcast has it built in...
I don't like that TTG is going though...I don't really use it, but I like to know it is there if needed :-)
I assume that you can't add an external HDD to the comcast box?

That is almost a deal breaker right there...

I like the idea of getting VOD back though...I miss having that...and so does my daughter.

I still don't like the Verizon pic anymore so it might be worth switching back just for that...But Verizon is going to charge me like $150 to get out of my contract...DOH

[markp99]

DingoAce,

I'd strongly encourage you to test-drive the Comcast DVR before deciding to dump the S3.

While the Comcast unit provides essentially the same DVR functionality (minus TTG, MRV, etc.), the Comcast unit is slow in comparison and the interface quality is a half-step behind the quality of native TiVo interface - really just a cosmetic difference, but still noticeable for me. I have both an S3 and the Comcast TiVo sitting side-by-side.

These small issues may be no big deal for you or other users, but for me, I'll be keeping my S3 as my primary DVR, the Comcast unit will be my alternate when the occasional conflict arises as well as providing our frequent OnDemand needs.

As for OnDemand, the familiar TiVo-like interface and remote control functions work very well for this aspect of the Comcast box. Much better than the original Comcast implementation.

Bottom line for me, the difference between the S3 and Comcast unit is like difference between a BMW and a Chevy. Yes, they'll both take you to and from work just fine, but the Beemer just feels nicer to drive. Though, I don't mind having the Chevy parked in the driveway beside the BMW.

[DingoAce10]

Thanks Mark, yeah I forgot that I prepaid for 3 years with Tivo, so there is no way I am getting rid of it.
I can live without VOD for now...It is mostly for my daughter's shows anyways...I can just upgrade the HDD to a 750 gig and make my own VOD :-)

Verizon cable is a different story...I am still debating on moving back to Comcast...I would do it right now, but my wife says that it is something like $200 to get out of the contract. I am going to have them come out and check the lines coming into the house and see if that fixes the problem...See the same problems on my bedroom TV which is not even HD, so I assume it has to do with the lines.

If it doesn't fix the problem then I will move back to comcast.

I am just worried that they won't have any CableCards available for me when I want to switch.

Thanks for the info though.

[Mike20878]

Comcast offers a free digital box with cablecard rental so that should suffice for any VOD fixes. Granted, you'd have to split the signal if you want it on the same TV. I'm trying to decide if I want to get the TiVo HD and transfer lifetime from my old S1. I'm not sure it's worth the total cost of $450 though. Right now I have Comcast's DVR with iguide. The TiVo interface isn't available here yet. I'm glad it isn't from what I'm reading over on avsforum.com. The guys up in New England are guinea pigs it sounds like.

[Bruce24]

Comcast offers a free digital box with cablecard rental so that should suffice for any VOD fixes.

While I guess you local Comcast could have a different pricing scheme, where I live, you get a free digital box or a cablecard not both. If you want the digital box for on-demand and a cable card for a Tivo HD, you would get the digital box for free and pay the $1.50/month for the cablecard.

-Bruce

[bicker]

While I guess you local Comcast could have a different pricing scheme, where I live, you get a free digital box or a cablecard not both. Same here.

[Mike20878]

While I guess you local Comcast could have a different pricing scheme, where I live, you get a free digital box or a cablecard not both. If you want the digital box for on-demand and a cable card for a Tivo HD, you would get the digital box for free and pay the $1.50/month for the cablecard.

-Bruce

Didn't you just say the same thing? Getting the digital box for free and paying $1.50/month for the cablecard is exactly what I said.

Read the second to last question in this FAQ (http://www.comcast.com/customers/faq/FaqDetails.ashx?ID=2540).