CableCard/HD and transferring to a S2

[Alphi]

Question for you Series3 and/or TiVoHD users out there, especially now that rumor has it that we can now transfer SD shows between Series2 and Series3 TiVos:


If I'm using a Hi-Def (either S3 or HD) TiVo with CableCard, are all the channels considerd HD? Or are some considered SD?


I'm asking, because currently I have a S2 TiVo hooked to a digital cable box, to get everything but the HD channels.


If I get a S3/HD TiVo, and use CableCard (instead of the digital cable box), will I be able to record the SD "digital" channels as I do now, or will those be HD?

Or more to the point, will I be able to record HD shows in lower quality, in order to both save space, as well as transferring the show (potentially) to my other (S2) TiVo?


I figure it's probably one of the following possibilities:

1) Everything recorded using CableCard will be considered HD, and cannot be transfered to my S2 TiVo. The only shows I could copy from the HD TiVo to the S2 would be ones recorded from the non-CableCard input
2) Only channels designated by my cable company as HD would be considered HD, and the rest could be recorded to the TiVo in lower quality mode, and therefore transferred to my S2 if needed
3) Everything recorded using CableCard will be able to be saved in lower-quality mode (even the HD channels), and therefore can be transferred to my S2 TiVo

[crabell]

#2 would be the correct answer to your question...

Good Luck!

[ThAbtO]

Only SD programs can be recorded at lower quality (other than Best). For HD the size depends mainly on the content (ie.: More action, the bigger the size).

HD recordings cannot be transferred to another tivo except to S3/HD.

[RonDawg]

To clarify, only analog channels can have their recording quality adjusted. Any digital channel, whether standard def or HiDef, is recorded straight to the TiVo's hard drive and will not have a selection of recording bitrates.

For this reason, the OP should note that with some cable providers, the use of CableCards will cause your TiVo to tune what you thought was an analog channel on a digital simulcast. Short of asking a knowledgeable person at your cable provider (very hard to do from a customer's end) or knowing someone in your neighborhood with a CableCard-enabled TiVo, you will not know if this will be your case until you hook up the TiVo with CableCards and then try to select the recording quality on those channels.