Comcast Tivo DVR Service Focus Group - Any inputs??

[markp99]

I was invited by Comcast to participate in a focus group next week with 7-8 others in my area to discuss the Comcast TiVo. I've had the unit for a couple months (sitting beside a Series 3 unit) for evaluation.

It should be interesting to get a chance to discuss the points I like and dislike about the unit and service.

If you have any topics you'd like me to raise, post them here. I'll be sure to bring them up. I'm not sure if I expect much to come from focus group discussions (I expect more marketeering discussions than technical), but it can't hurt to make our questions/opinions heard.

[Eitel]

I guess I'll see you next week then. ;)

[markjrenna]

Since I don't have a Comcast TiVo...

If you can pass this on...

I would like Comcast to have a specific (TiVo) support number so more advanced customers that use TiVo could speak to qualified individuals within Comcast.

It would be nice if we could speak with Comcast Support that understand what we are telling them.

Thanks! Let us know the results of this Focus Group.

[NailStorm]

Thank you for extending this offer. I am on the 'list' for receiving the upgrade but haven't gotten it yet (Sandown, NH)

Here are a list of my questions/comments.

1. MRV (Multi-Room Viewing)
I heard a rumor a while back that MRV would be eventually implemented but not using ethernet, instead over the existing cable lines for other rooms with digital cable converter boxes. Basically a channel which could access the 'My DVR' section of your DVR if you have one at the same household. Kind of like a local version of On Demand. I would like to know if we will see MRV.

2. 30 second skip
I use the 6412 code to enable 30 second skip on the Comcast Remote, I understand this doesn't work w/ the tivo. Any plans on adding this? This is a very widely used feature I would think and the loss of it is disappointing.

3. HD Tivo Menus
I also read that the comcast (and normal tivo) have SD tivo menus, I have a 60" Sony LCD and it would be nice if the menus were higher-res as to not look so blocky (I'm assuming since I don't have the upgrade yet, but I remember what it looked like on my DirecTivo.

4. More Tivo centric features.
Since comcast now has embraced tivo, will we see more existing tivo features on the comcast implementation? Otherwise, what was the point?

5. Upgrades
I'm assuming tivo software upgrades once you are converted can be rolled out remotely and not require a comcast visit?

Thanks again! Please post the responses if allowed.
- Steve

[bicker]

Comcast plans their own MRV-like service, which will apply to both services (iGuide and TiVo). No timetable has been announced.

[JohnnyO]

If you have any topics you'd like me to raise, post them here. I'll be sure to bring them up.

Try to determine what percentage of the other participants had used other DVR previous to the Comcast/TiVo. I'm curious how folks who may have never used TiVo before respond to the unit.

If they say, "I don't know what all the fuss is about, I liked the regular Comcast DVR just as well," then I worry about the future of Comcast/TiVo.

Also -- could you ask about roll out timelines to the rest of the country? Will it be region by region, or, after a successful New England launch, might it go nationwide all at once?

John

[cypherstream]

How about bringing up the speed of the system? It seems pretty slow.

If you change the channel and then quickly press info, you still see the channel information for the previous channel.

No Dolby Digital on DCH boxes. Only PCM comes out.

Some users see a green screen when changing channels.

When some users exit the guide, the screen in the upper right hand corner remains the small scaled version. You have to go back into the guide and exit again to fix this.

When filtering HD channels the system takes approx 53 seconds to show up. But then filtering just movies is much faster. Why the performance difference?

There's extra room at the channel info banner. Why not display a channel logo like D*, E*, SA Passport, SARA, Moxi, and other high end interfaces? A quick glance at a logo is a great way to enforce brand recognition, plus it adds a bit of professionalism to the interface.
(Photoshopped example here) (http://home.comcast.net/~cypherx/ctivo.jpg)

Will third party applications be available, like Caller ID on screen, mini-games, widgets (interactive weather, traffic, sports, etc...)?

How about using the eSATA port on available boxes to expand the storage capacity? Scientific Atlanta DVR users have been doing this for quite some time. Why charge a premium for a new guide interface without premium features such as this? As always, this would be the users responsibility to maintain their hard drive. Just activate the port and get the feature working for the few that want it.

I also agree about the 16:9 full screen guide. Why pillarbox the guide screens? Why not draw it in 1280x720? At least the background if it's too much for the limited Motorola hardware.

Can you do a custom resolution pass through? For example, my TV supports 480P, 720P, and 1080i over the HDMI port. I would like to "check off" those resolutions. That way 720P HD channels such as ESPN, ABC, FOX show up unaltered in 720P. 1080i HD channels such as CBS, Discovery, NBC, etc.. will show up unaltered in 1080i. SD channels would upconvert to 480P since I didn't "Check" 480i (my TV's HDMI limitation). But each user could "Check" what they want. This feature is available on Pace DVR's, SA DVR's, D*, and E* HD boxes. Why is Motorola the only box left out?

Why not add a little flair and animate the guide coming on and off screen? To see an example of what I mean try out a DirecTV HD box, or any SA box running the Passport OS. Animations, fades, or effects add a nice layer of polish to the user interface, and help direct the users attention to whats happening on screen.

Don't forget this AVS Forums thread on Comcast/Tivo bugs:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=964428

And the official AVS Forums thread on Comcast/Tivo. Note quite a few people are disappointed in the lack of 30 second skip.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=682350&page=103

[Mchero]

I have been beta testing the Comcast Tivo DVR and this evening I turned on the TV to find that the box reverted back to the Comcast DVR software.
I go to the Comcast trail site & call the number listed for the Tivo Beta support. I'm routed to standard Comcast suport folk who know ZERO about the Comcast Tivo software!
While on hold I find via the comcast.com web site that Comcast Tivo service IS available in my area. When the tech gets back on the phone I ask him to pull up my account and tell me what's listed...
Digital STB in the bedroom and Standard DVR in the living room. I ask the tech to look up any recent changed and he finds that at 9:00AM today my time the Tivo beta program was removed from my account! I then ask him to see if Tivo service is an option and to both of our surprise it is! He ads the service back to my account and 15 minutes later my DVR reboots and I get the Almost Their sunrise screen!

WOW strange how Comcast ended the beta! No email nothing! just pull the plug & reroute the phone number to standard support!

I'm running the DCH3416 DVR with what looks like an EXACT Tivo remote but this one has the ON DEMAND button just below the select.

RM
New Hampshire
:eek:

[sberube]

Continuing on my other response by NailStorm:

Now that I have had a chance to use the software, my biggest complaint is the speed of the menuing, so I would like to know if they are aware of this and plan to address it.

[jdg0928]

The ability to turn off TiVo Suggestions with a DCH box. (I have read that it, like DD 5.1, works correctly with a DCT box.)

And chalk me up as another person who wants the 30-second skip.

I get my Comcast TiVo software this afternoon, but hopefully I don't see anything else that hasn't been mentioned.

[kbmb]

How about bringing up the speed of the system? It seems pretty slow.

If you change the channel and then quickly press info, you still see the channel information for the previous channel.

No Dolby Digital on DCH boxes. Only PCM comes out.

Some users see a green screen when changing channels.

When some users exit the guide, the screen in the upper right hand corner remains the small scaled version. You have to go back into the guide and exit again to fix this.



I'm seeing these exact same things. Any idea on if they are working on fixing these.

I notice that a lot of times, when I press Guide...instead of starting me out on the channel I'm on....it puts me on the last channel I was on.

-Kevin

[markp99]

Well, we had the focus group last night. The were ~8 of us, mostly TiVo users, there were a couple non-TiVo people. It was nice to meet a few other TCF'ers :). The session was video taped, with Comcast folks off in another room observing.

The session was non-technical and mostly focussed on what we like and dislike about the Comcast TiVo unit. We accumulated a laundry list of goods and bads on a flipchart with only very short discussion on each. It was interesting to see the different priorities among the group.

As expected, the number one issue raised was the lag while navigating the interface. The moderator (non-Comcast employee) had each of us accomplish various common tasks on the Comcast TiVo using the TiVo remote. It was interesting to see the lag we each encountered while performing the tasks - very noticeable. Actual functionality of the unit did not appear to an issue with any of us (minus missing 30 sec skip & MRV-type functionality). The TiVo users, me included, did not have any issues learning to use the new unit, it is very similar to the original TiVo.

At the conclusion of the session, a couple Comcast employees came into the room and took a few of our questions. One was a product manager-type from Philly, the other a local Comcast guy from NH.

Here's a summary of the questions asked (as far as I can remember):

1. The observed LAG is a known issue. Comcast is focusing their efforts to understand and correct the combination of hardware/software/communications issues.

2. The hardware in-use for the trial is reported by Comcast to be the same and the latest for all of us (mine is a DCT3416 I).

3. MRV, TiVo2Go and similar "network" functionality was stated to be on Comcast's roadmap. The reps made it clear that they need to address the basic performance issues before adding new type of functionality. Seems a wise decision! :)

4. Comcast will require a "truck roll" for each new install (at least initially), even for "flips", were the existing Comcast DVR service is replaced with the TiVo service. Cable signal quality is a key to successful function of these units (i.e., internal cable modem). A Comcast tech visit is required to confirm (and improve if necessary) signal quality, more fully understand and quantify the install and support variables. The long term plan appears to move to a remote install approach.

5. The TiVo peanut will be provided with the TiVo service. Initially they will be provided by the tech during the install, but will be mailed for subsequent remote installs.

6. Trial users will be contacted in the near future about the status of the program. It sounded like the trial will conclude in the Feb timeframe.

7. Comcast has initiated a wider roll out in the Boston area only on Monday this week. We did not discuss the status of the current roll out or future roll out plans.

8. Comcast does monitor this forum (/waves ;)). We encouraged them to interject and and help clarify issues/questions, much like TiVo does.

The following is a list of the issues raised during the session (I've probably left off a few, sorry). There was no real discussion from Comcast on any of these; we really just compiled a list. Hopefully Comcast & TiVo will prioritize and address the issues promptly:

Lag in the user interface
Lag in program guide filtering - though looked to be pretty good last night!
Lack of 30-sec skip functionality
Lack of MRV-like functionality
SD menus
No Dolby output
Network logos
External storage options

[kbmb]

markp99,

Did you get the sense that TiVo is something that Comcast is taking seriously? Or is this something where you think they could just drop it and continue with the iGuide instead?

-Kevin

[markp99]

The product manger seemed excited about the product. Their concern over the performance issues seemed genuine. We'll see what they are able to accomplish.

I think the challenge for Comcast will be convincing their installed customer base to make the move to the TiVo service (not a huge cost adder). Leveraging the TiVo name recognition and tried-and-true user interface will be a benefit. There may be some opportunity to grab existing TiVo users who want dual tuner HD support without the Series3 or HDTivo hardware expense. I do worry that TiVo users have a bit of a reference point relative to the interface and performance, and may find the current Comcast TiVo performance a step back.

I see opportunity for Comcast to grab some of the DirecTV customer base, by enticing those previous D*TiVo users back to the friendly interface, without a large upfront hardware expense.

[BlackBetty]

markp99,

Did you get the sense that TiVo is something that Comcast is taking seriously? Or is this something where you think they could just drop it and continue with the iGuide instead?

-Kevin

$10's of millions of dollars in R&D to get the software ported to Moto boxes, and another investment to get it ported soon to Sci-Atlanta boxes. A larger push in the boston area this week. Focus groups to gather information with a goal to make service better before national rollout.......Yeah I think this is something that they plan to just drop at some point. :rolleyes:

[BlackBetty]

The product manger seemed excited about the product. Their concern over the performance issues seemed genuine. We'll see what they are able to accomplish.

I think the challenge for Comcast will be convincing their installed customer base to make the move to the TiVo service (not a huge cost adder). Leveraging the TiVo name recognition and tried-and-true user interface will be a benefit. There may be some opportunity to grab existing TiVo users who want dual tuner HD support without the Series3 or HDTivo hardware expense. I do worry that TiVo users have a bit of a reference point relative to the interface and performance, and may find the current Comcast TiVo performance a step back.

I see opportunity for Comcast to grab some of the DirecTV customer base, by enticing those previous D*TiVo users back to the friendly interface, without a large upfront hardware expense.

Any talk about marketing? Curious to see when and how this will take place. Logical move would be a TiVo insert of sorts with your monthly bill.

[markp99]

Any talk about marketing? Curious to see when and how this will take place. Logical move would be a TiVo insert of sorts with your monthly bill.
We saw a couple samples of print ads. We made some comments on the first to increase the prominence of the "TiVo" brand/logo. The second looked better, a bit more fun with the "My TiVo Gets Me" flavor.

We did not discuss timing or how these might be sent out.

[cypherstream]

Thanks mark for addressing some of the concerns in the user group meeting.

I would love to try the tivo service, but I am in East Central PA division.

I also can't wait to try the new I-Guide interface, which looks really slick! You can see it from CES 2008 here:
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/10/hands-on-with-the-latest-tv-guide-software-comcast-dvr/

[JohnnyO]

Well, we had the focus group last night. The were ~8 of us, mostly TiVo users, there were a couple non-TiVo people. It was nice to meet a few other TCF'ers :). The session was video taped, with Comcast folks off in another room observing.

Thanks for participating, and taking the time to write up the summary. I was wondering if the folks who did not have previous TiVo experience felt that the TiVo software offered much benefit over the Comcast software.

[markp99]

The non-TiVo user did note she thought the TiVo interface did more than she needs a DVR to do, thus making it somewhat more difficult to use that the Comcast DVR. This was not a huge topic of discussion.

[emoney14]

Bottom line for me is that the guide is too slow. As a former Tivo owner, I wasn't too disapointed w/ the comcast DVR, but thought Tivo would be so much better. The lagging guide, etc. may be a deal breaker for me. Is there any reason that I shouldn't call Comcast tomorrow and revert back to their DVR? Will they impove this problem?

[sberube]

I can tell you I've hit quite a few bugs w/ the Comcast Tivo software, I considered switching back however I'll wait it out a bit. Some bugs I've seen are

1. Can't access ondemand, just sits on Please Wait. I had to unplug the box and reboot it.

2. Recording a show, unplug the device, it will continue to record when it comes back up and 'append' to the previous recorded show. Nice feature, however when you watch the show and get to the point it appended, the time counter and ffwd/rewind kind of go haywire.

[kmcheng]

I reported this issue to a Comcast rep via their chat function. The rep was not aware of this issue, and also does not know if anyone else at Comcast is aware of this issue. Actually, I don't think the rep has the faintest idea of what I am talking about. I asked if I can "downgrade" my interface to the old Comcast DVR interface to see if I can receive 5.1 sound again. The rep says she cannot help me anymore and told me to speak with a local office (in the Boston area) for my problems.

[markp99]

kmcheng,

We were given a new toll free number to use for call-in support. I'll post it when I get home tonite (/crossing my fingers I still have it ;)).

Mark

[Bruce24]

I reported this issue to a Comcast rep via their chat function. The rep was not aware of this issue, and also does not know if anyone else at Comcast is aware of this issue. Actually, I don't think the rep has the faintest idea of what I am talking about. I asked if I can "downgrade" my interface to the old Comcast DVR interface to see if I can receive 5.1 sound again. The rep says she cannot help me anymore and told me to speak with a local office (in the Boston area) for my problems.

Many people on the AVS forum have reported this problem, I am many of the others have called Comcast about it. It seems to only be a problem on the combination of the Tivo software on a Motorola DCH-3416 box. While I never got a reply, a couple of people reported that it would be fixed with a firmware upgrade due by the end of this quarter. If you really want DD, you can ask them to swap your box for a DCT-3416, if they still have any.

-Bruce

[kmcheng]

Mark,

It will be great to be able to speak with some Comcast personnel who actually might know something about their Tivo software. During my chat with the Comcast rep, I specifically asked for the email/name of the project manager for Comcast Tivo. The rep said she has no idea who that is. She said she would report the issue to (generic) Comcast management. I asked who specifically she will report it to. Then she told me to report the problem to the local office in Boston. Not very helpful.

Bruce24,
Actually, the Comcast technician who installed my Tivo gave me a Motorola DCH 3416, which looks like this: http://broadband.motorola.com/business/digitalvideo/product_dch3416_settop.asp

Before the Tivo upgrade, my Comcast box was Motorola DCT 3416, which looks like the unit in the following PDF: http://broadband.motorola.com/consumers/products/dct3400/downloads/DCT3400.pdf

The technician told me that the DCH is a better box than the DCT. So, if I can get my old DVR interface back on the DCH, that would hopefully solve my problems with 5.1 sound. As you say, this only seems to be a problem with the combination of Motorola DCH 3416 and Tivo.

Anyway, I wrote an email to Comcast's customer service and also to the senior vice president listed on their website. (Rick Germano - SVP Customer Operations, Comcast) I will give them one more day to see what they have to say before I go to the local Boston office to swap my DCT box back.

The old DCT box is not perfect either. I remember having to go through two defective units before I could finally find one that would not freeze every 1 or 2 days.

[kmcheng]

I got a call from the Executive Customer Relationship department. The rep was trying to be helpful, and I commend her for that, but still was not knowledgeable enough to understand the Dolby Digital issue. (It is not that technical; or am I too geeky?) She said she would check with the field office and get back to me. I'll see.

At least the issue is being escalated. I know other people have already reported to Comcast, but this particular rep was not aware of it, and it never hurts to apply more pressure.

[Bruce24]

I got a call from the Executive Customer Relationship department. The rep was trying to be helpful, and I commend her for that, but still was not knowledgeable enough to understand the Dolby Digital issue. (It is not that technical; or am I too geeky?) She said she would check with the field office and get back to me. I'll see.

At least the issue is being escalated. I know other people have already reported to Comcast, but this particular rep was not aware of it, and it never hurts to apply more pressure.

FWIW: A couple of hours ago I got a follow up call from someone at Comcast, they wanted to know my opinion on the Tivo software. I told other than being slow and the Dolby Digital not working I liked. The guy told me that Motorola was going to be delivering a firmware upgrade that would fix the problem but he wasn't sure when it would be ready. He said that if I wanted he could have a tech come out and swap my DCH box for a DCT box. I told him I would live with it for now.

[Bill Ball]

It's good to see the report of the Comcast focus group. I've been involved in product usability studies, and it appears this was done as it should have been, and you got the bonus of meeting and talking to the Comcast staff. Although usability studies like this would seem to be essential, they are done rather rarely. This is encouraging.

[kmcheng]

The executive customer relations representative arranged to have a technician visit my place and swap my DCH box with the old DCT box. The technician knew about the Dobly 5.1 problem with Tivo, and he said Comcast is working on it. He is not sure when the fix will be available.

Now that I have the old interface back, I have to say it is actually not that bad compared to Comcast Tivo. The old interface is much more responsive. I do not have the Tivo suggestions anymore, but I do get back 5.1 sound. Besides, the tivo suggestions often interrupt my live TV watching, which is very annoying. I will definitily choose 5.1 surround sound over Comcast Tivo.

Another disappointing result of my Tivo ordeal is that now I have the DCT 3412 box, which has a hard disk of 120 gig. Before my Tivo "upgrade", I had the DCT 3416, which has 160 gig.

In summary, in trying to "upgrade" my Comcast service, I got instead a downgrade of 40 gig hard disk space. I will also be charged for the ten days with Comcast Tivo and without Dolby Digital. In addition, I have to take time off from work twice for the two service calls. Very nicely done, Comcast!

[kmcheng]

The executive customer relations rep called me just now to follow up on my upgrade/downgrade ordeal. She offered to remove all Tivo-related charges (installation and service) and credited one month of my cable bill for the troubles that I went through. It is a small token, but I still appreciate her trying to keep a customer happy.

[BlackBetty]

The executive customer relations rep called me just now to follow up on my upgrade/downgrade ordeal. She offered to remove all Tivo-related charges (installation and service) and credited one month of my cable bill for the troubles that I went through. It is a small token, but I still appreciate her trying to keep a customer happy.

I hope you will be willing to give comcast tivo another shot once you see that they are sending out updates on software and you hear folks on here or avs stating that items have been fixed.

[emoney14]

I hope you will be willing to give comcast tivo another shot once you see that they are sending out updates on software and you hear folks on here or avs stating that items have been fixed.

... that should you have any criticism or comments about Comcast and/or TiVo... BlackBetty will respond in their defense. I assume your a stockholder BlackBetty. I admire your persistent defense.
I have a similar story to kmcheng... Loved TiVo... switched to comcast DVR for the HD... switched to Comcast TiVo for best of both worlds... not satisfied- numerous complaints... switched back to Comcast DVR. Comcast just cancelled an apointment 1 HOUR before arriving yesterday... they "don't have a box for me." Told US :down: to call and make another appointment. Is it ok to say that that is poor, BlackBetty? Day off... waiting around... paying for extra days of a poor product that I don't want anymore... I HAD to call and complain in order to get a credit, etc. Granted, they were very nice and gladly gave me a credit.

One reading this site might get the impression that Comcast TiVo is a good product... and it just isn't right now. Yes they will make some updates, etc., but I don't feel comfortable waiting for that. Who knows when that will happen. I hope I can check this site out in a month and get an HONEST report of the product.

I also realize that "in the grand scheme of things" this isn't a huge deal, but rather, just something to be noted and discussed.:):)

Ed

[BlackBetty]

Are you truly that narrow minded? So anyone that talks positive about something that you don't think is good must have a hidden agenda? Do you check your closet and underneath your bed every night to make sure that the boogey man isn't there?

Just because you had a bad experience doesn't necessarily mean that the product is bad. You might have had a bad technician, bad support, a bad box, faulty download etc etc. There are many variables.

I have read many positive reviews and comments about the Comcast TiVo. Also the words from a comcast rep posting on the avs forums is very positive in the sense that they are aware of the issues that some folks have reported, they acknowledge them, and state that these will be hammered out with software updates within weeks.

I would appreciate it if you would stop pointing fingers and insinuating hidden agenda's just because you had a bad experience. Grow up.

[JoeBarbs]

+1 what blackbetty said. :up::up::up:

I recieved the comcast tivo download onto my moto box 3 weeks ago. I am extremely happy with it. I hated the piece of cr@p comcast dvr software.

This is the first I have posted anywhere about my positive experience about comcast tivo. That should tell you something. When folks are happy, they tend to not talk about it that much. But when someone is unhappy, watch out, you get someone like emoney who created an account on TCF just this month and all of his posts are bashing TiVo/Comcast.

Whats your agenda? Save the world from ComcasTiVo? Good luck.

[emoney14]

Just because you had a bad experience doesn't necessarily mean that the product is bad. You might have had a bad technician, bad support, a bad box, faulty download etc etc. There are many variables.

I have read many positive reviews and comments about the Comcast TiVo. Also the words from a comcast rep posting on the avs forums is very positive in the sense that they are aware of the issues that some folks have reported, they acknowledge them, and state that these will be hammered out with software updates within weeks.


I guess I struck a nerve. Do you have the Comcast TiVo, Betty? I haven't checked all of your posts to determine this. You seem to be quite knowledgable of the product, but you don't seem to speak from experience. If you are not invested in the TiVo/comcast company (I'm still not sure because you didn't deny it) then I apologize, for you may not have an agenda. YOU WROTE TO KMCHENG: "I hope you will be willing to give comcast tivo another shot once you see that they are sending out updates on software and you hear folks on here or avs stating that items have been fixed." You sound like a Comcast tivo spokeswomen to me! Either that or you're just the kindest person in the world... maybe you are?


I understand JoeBarbs corse way of pointing out that those that are unhappy complain while those happy keep silent. Why would someone that was satisfied w/ Comcast TiVo join this forum this month and sing its praises? Probably doesn't enter that person's mind. This is true. I, on the other hand, felt like I needed to see if others had similar complaints.... and they did. On the one hand, Betty, you acknowledge that people are unhappy and Comcast knows there are problems, but on the other hand you say some poeple are happy w/ it.

I'm just thinking that you could let one person describe his/her issues without saying that "Comcast is issuing updates."

[mtchamp]

I had my Comcast TiVo more than a week now. We also have 2 TiVoHD's. The good part about a Comcast TiVo is that it works similar to a TiVo and we can watch ON Demand free programs, have PIP and have 2 more tuners. The bad is a slower guide and search function, but no reason for me to cancel. I hope Comcast TiVo can speed it up. When you set up Season Passes and Wishlists, live TV guides become less important, but it should still be faster.

When I first broke away from DirecTV back to Comcast, I had their DVR for a few weeks until I got a Series3. I couldn't stand their DVR without TiVo. I'm willing to pay extra for another DVR from Comcast with TiVo because it offers something different from my TiVo HD's but it still works like a TiVo.

I think most people will be happy. If all they need to do is fix a few bugs, which they promise they will and speed things up, I think Comcast and TiVo will get it done here in NE as fast as possible and then take it national.

I've had TiVos of all kinds since 2001 and they always come out with software upgrades twice a year I think. They are always working on new features and squashing bugs. Once you have TiVo for a while and get the improvements, I think you can expect it to only get better.

[emoney14]

Fair enough mtchamp....... You recognize the faults and are standing strong until the updates. I only have the one DVR, so the guide speed kinda drives me crazy. I'll check back w/ you in a few weeks or months to see if the updates impoved the speed, etc. of the product.

Ed

[bicker]

I guess I struck a nerve.No, you launched a personal attack against another poster. Your conduct defiled this thread. You haven't had a very auspicious start here.

[Mike Lang]

emoney14, when your account is active again, please know that attacks towards other members are strictly forbidden.

[DavidTigerFan]

Hey comcast! /wave!

If you guys want to roll out in the SE region, I'll cancel my directv service right now and sign up for your grand poobah package!

[BlackBetty]

Hey comcast! /wave!

If you guys want to roll out in the SE region, I'll cancel my directv service right now and sign up for your grand poobah package!

Is your area currently a comcast area? If so, my guess is you will see the software within 3-6 months, just my guess.

[kmcheng]

I hope you will be willing to give comcast tivo another shot once you see that they are sending out updates on software and you hear folks on here or avs stating that items have been fixed.

I will be happy to switch to Comcast Tivo once they work out the few kinks that really annoyed me during my short experience with Comcast Tivo.

1. Get Dolby Digital to work. I now read that some other users might have Dolby Digital working with Tivo on the DCT boxes. I had a DCT 3416 before and have a DCT 3412 now. In theory if the technician can just download the Tivo software on them then I should get Tivo and Dolby Digital. Even the executive customer relations rep told me that should be the case. In practice, the two technicians who came to my house did not get Tivo to work on the two DCT boxes. Would someone with either of the DCT boxes please confirm that Dolby Digital is or is not working with Comcast Tivo?

2. The Comcast Tivo interface is painfully slow, and the delay in response time is not acceptable, given that both the current (real) Tivo and the Comcast DVR do not have this problem.

3. No next-day/previous-day buttons. This coupled with the slow speed of Comcast Tivo just makes the experience even worse. For example, let's say it is now Tuesday night, and I want to record "Chuck" on Thursday night. With Comcast DVR, I hit the "next-day" button twice and then "record" -- three clicks in total. With Comcast Tivo, I need to scroll through 48 hours in slow motion before I can hit "record", which itself prompted two more screens and a long "Please Wait" screen. Of course, the other option with Comcast Tivo is to search for "Chuck" by name, but that would also call for more than three button clicks.

4. Tivo Suggestions regularly interrupts with live TV watching. Sometimes my TV would go all black for a few seconds when TV Suggestions decided to record a show on another channel. Sometimes it would even switch my live channel when it thinks I might be interested in two other shows on two other channels. The latter behavior would be particularly annoying. Just imagine, you are watching Tom Brady throwing a TD pass in Superbowl. Oops, Comcast Tivo thinks no you are not interested in whether Randy Moss would get the ball, but instead switches your TV to either a rerun of "Bionic Women" or a rerun of "Desperate Housewives". Both good shows by themselves that I might watch on other days, but not at the expense of Superbowl.

5. Tivo Suggestions has some funny logic. I manually set Tivo to record Jay Leno. Tivo Suggestions thinks that I will be interested in David Letterman and recorded all Letterman shows (and Conon O'Brien and Craig Ferguson) automatically. However, it would not realize that I am interested in Jay Leno and thus also record Jay Leno automatically. Maybe all Tivos behave this way; I never had Tivo before so I would not know. Obviously Comcast DVR has no "Suggestions" so I am glad that Comcast Tivo has it, but I just find this particular software logic quite odd.

6. The program guide of Comcast TIVO does not indicate whether a show is "new" or "repeat". Comcast DVR does that.

The major deal breakers for me to switch back to Comcast DVR are the Dolby Digital issue and the live TV interruptions. I will be monitoring these forums closely to see if the software fixes correct them in the future.

[DavidTigerFan]

Is your area currently a comcast area? If so, my guess is you will see the software within 3-6 months, just my guess.

Sadly no, I called and they said they are rolling out in the the NE area. Then only to the Moto boxes, not the SA boxes that are in my area. :(

[BlackBetty]

Sadly no, I called and they said they are rolling out in the the NE area. Then only to the Moto boxes, not the SA boxes that are in my area. :(

TiVo and Comcast are working to port the software to the SA boxes as well. But its anyones guess how long it will take. It took 2+ years to see it on the moto boxes after the annoucement was first made in 2005. Hopefully the bulk of the work they did to get it to work with the moto boxes will translate over to the SA boxes, in that sense they are not recreating the wheel so to speak.

[sberube]

kmcheng:
For the day+/- you don't need to scroll in the guide, hit Enter which will bring up a menu in the guide where you can select your day/time jump. That works well, but day+/- should also be brought back in combination of that, but as a solution, it solves the browsing 48 hours ahead issue.

[miricle]

I will be happy to switch to Comcast Tivo once they work out the few kinks that really annoyed me during my short experience with Comcast Tivo.

3. No next-day/previous-day buttons. This coupled with the slow speed of Comcast Tivo just makes the experience even worse. For example, let's say it is now Tuesday night, and I want to record "Chuck" on Thursday night. With Comcast DVR, I hit the "next-day" button twice and then "record" -- three clicks in total. With Comcast Tivo, I need to scroll through 48 hours in slow motion before I can hit "record", which itself prompted two more screens and a long "Please Wait" screen. Of course, the other option with Comcast Tivo is to search for "Chuck" by name, but that would also call for more than three button clicks.


Can someone explain this one to me? Not meaning to be a pain or anything, but the program grid was the worst interface I could imagine using the iGuide software to find programs in the future. Why not do a "Record By Time" or "Record By Channel" (Tivo-5 shortcut) to scroll directly to the time and channel. Needing to Day +/-, then find the correct time, then the correct channel made it soooooooo painful to set up recordings in the future. Tivo-5 alone is enough to make me want to switch!

[kmcheng]

kmcheng:
For the day+/- you don't need to scroll in the guide, hit Enter which will bring up a menu in the guide where you can select your day/time jump. That works well, but day+/- should also be brought back in combination of that, but as a solution, it solves the browsing 48 hours ahead issue.

Good point. I forgot about that.

[Voltron]

Two big must have features...

The 30 second skip is a must. While TiVo and Comcast may downplay the importance so they don't anger the TV networks, this is a critical playback feature. More importantly, it's a feature the Motorola DVR supported so this is a feature loss.

Second there needs to be a day +/- when browsing the guide. The 1.5 hour advance is useless when trying to scroll to other days. The Motorola allowed 8 hour jumps and 24 hour jumps.

And one feature request, which I'm amazed TiVo doesn't currently have...

When scheduling a Season Pass, there needs to be an option to only record shows at certain times. The problem is that some networks, such as Comedy Central, air shows several times a day and do not mark them as repeat. So TiVo will record the show since it's apparently too stupid to know the show has already aired. This has to be fixed. This was a huge downfall with the Motorola. ReplayTV had this feature 5+ years ago and I'm amazed nobody else does.

[Bruce24]

When scheduling a Season Pass, there needs to be an option to only record shows at certain times. The problem is that some networks, such as Comedy Central, air shows several times a day and do not mark them as repeat. So TiVo will record the show since it's apparently too stupid to know the show has already aired. This has to be fixed. This was a huge downfall with the Motorola. ReplayTV had this feature 5+ years ago and I'm amazed nobody else does.

This is the main reason I wanted to replace the iGuide software with the Tivo AND IT WORKS.

What I used to hate is that new episodes of HBO, Showtime. TNT and SciFi series (for example) would be show multiple times during a week. I'd watch a show and delete it, then the next day I would come back and see that damn show back taking up disk space. Now with the Tivo software that doesn't happen.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Tivo software has a history of what it recorded over the past couple of weeks and will not re-record the same show unless you explicitly tell it to, or the guide data fakes it out by being different than the first time it recorded the show.

-Bruce

[markp99]

Bruce,

You are correct. TiVo will not re-record a program already recorded in the last 28 days. This is good, in theory.

The complication is that some programs have incorrect/incomplete program guide data. TiVo is unable to distinguish one episode from another. So, it will re-record certain programs over and over.

"The Daily Show" is a good example. There are a few tricks people have posted to trick TiVo into recording one occurence, but I have not played with them. I've simply used a "manual time/channel" recording to capture this type of program.

[Voltron]

"The Daily Show" is a good example. There are a few tricks people have posted to trick TiVo into recording one occurence, but I have not played with them. I've simply used a "manual time/channel" recording to capture this type of program.

Daily Show is one of the programs that I have difficulty with. It records every single instance and it's very annoying. The Motorola DVR did this too.

As for not recording repeats that have occured in 28 days, that's not quite working. I had one show that aired a week ago, and when re-aired this past weekend, TiVo once again recorded it. I guess it could have a similar problem to what happens with Daily Show.

[markp99]

Voltron,

Take a look at this thread, it might provide a method to reduce the re-recordings.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=373836

[Bruce24]

Daily Show is one of the programs that I have difficulty with. It records every single instance and it's very annoying. The Motorola DVR did this too.

As for not recording repeats that have occured in 28 days, that's not quite working. I had one show that aired a week ago, and when re-aired this past weekend, TiVo once again recorded it. I guess it could have a similar problem to what happens with Daily Show.

I’ve had a better experience, I’ve now had the Tivo software for a little over a month and haven’t had it made the wrong recording decision yet.

[markp99]

Umm, this may not be possible with the Comcast unit, yet. No enhanced wishlists...

[aadam101]

2. The Comcast Tivo interface is painfully slow, and the delay in response time is not acceptable, given that both the current (real) Tivo and the Comcast DVR do not have this problem.



I have to assume that you haven't owned a "real" Tivo for very long. Tivo has had many software releases that slowed down the units considerably. They have often released fixes later on but the initial update has not always gone so well. Check out some of the old posts around here. These were BIG problems.

[aadam101]

This is the main reason I wanted to replace the iGuide software with the Tivo AND IT WORKS.

What I used to hate is that new episodes of HBO, Showtime. TNT and SciFi series (for example) would be show multiple times during a week. I'd watch a show and delete it, then the next day I would come back and see that damn show back taking up disk space. Now with the Tivo software that doesn't happen.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the Tivo software has a history of what it recorded over the past couple of weeks and will not re-record the same show unless you explicitly tell it to, or the guide data fakes it out by being different than the first time it recorded the show.

-Bruce


Real Tivo's have a 28 day rule. They will not record the same show twice in a 28 day period. I assume Comcast Tivo's have the same rule.

[jamesbobo]

Umm, this may not be possible with the Comcast unit, yet. No enhanced wishlists...


Does it have any wishlists?

[miricle]

Real Tivo's have a 28 day rule. They will not record the same show twice in a 28 day period. I assume Comcast Tivo's have the same rule.

Yes, Comcast Tivo has the same rule. Of course, its only as good as the guide data! I don't know about the guide data on Comcast Tivo, but my S2 Tivo is set with season pass for Daily Show and Colbert, and it doesn't get duplicates except for the 10:00AM and 2:00PM Monday repeats, which is a guide data problem.

[miricle]

Does it have any wishlists?

Yes, standard wishlists are there. My impression is that the Tivo software is a little out of date -- there is no 1-touch delete and deleted recordings either.

[BlackBetty]

Yes, standard wishlists are there. My impression is that the Tivo software is a little out of date -- there is no 1-touch delete and deleted recordings either.

the Comcast Rep over at AVS has stated that there will be released of new features. I'm guessing things like 1 button delete and smart wishlists are a few of the items that will be added.