Connecting Tivo through the house

[CrashTestDummy]

Hey~
I had a Tivo series 2 I split the cable coming out (one to the Tv and one that went to the rest of the house) and was able to watch the programing through out the house. Now with the offer of a new Tivo HD with life time I find out that the only connections out are component. Why Tivo did this is beyond me. Any ideas on how to split the component signal into both a component and cable signal?

[JimSpence]

You'll need a modulator to convert the composite output from the HD TiVo to RF for distribution around the house.

[RonDawg]

Now with the offer of a new Tivo HD with life time I find out that the only connections out are component.

That is incorrect. The TiVo HD and S3 models come with a variety of outputs:

HDMI

Component

S-Video

Composite

The S3 even adds a second set of composite and I believe s-video outputs as well.

If you want to watch in High Definition, you MUST use HDMI or Component. The others will not support HD content and will automatically be downrezzed to 480i. If you have a widescreen TV and are watching a widescreen program, this will lead to problems if your other TV's are 4:3 as the 480i output will also be anamorphic.

Any ideas on how to split the component signal into both a component and cable signal?

As already stated you can hook an RF modulator to the composite or s-video output, but take note of the issues I mentioned above.

Why Tivo did this is beyond me.

This has been discussed here before. The THD and S3 models were NOT meant to be hooked up to a TV using RF, as it is an inferior hookup method to even composite. Few people would have a need for such a feature, and those folks can go out and buy their own RF modulator.

[CrashTestDummy]

You'll need a modulator to convert the composite output from the HD TiVo to RF for distribution around the house.
Thank you
I think I might have an older one around the house; have to dig, I did find an old sony DVD with component and cabe out but have not tried to see if I can use both at the same time. I know the pass through work but the DVD doesn't any more. But I remember I did have a component converter back then so I could watch the DVD in bed; since that DVD player was only Component out. Thanks, been a long week just needed my brain rebooted.

[CrashTestDummy]

That is incorrect. The TiVo HD and S3 models come with a variety of outputs:

HDMI

Component

S-Video

Composite

The S3 even adds a second set of composite and I believe s-video outputs as well.

If you want to watch in High Definition, you MUST use HDMI or Component. The others will not support HD content and will automatically be downrezzed to 480i. If you have a widescreen TV and are watching a widescreen program, this will lead to problems if your other TV's are 4:3 as the 480i output will also be anamorphic.



As already stated you can hook an RF modulator to the composite or s-video output, but take note of the issues I mentioned above.



This has been discussed here before. The THD and S3 models were NOT meant to be hooked up to a TV using RF, as it is an inferior hookup method to even composite. Few people would have a need for such a feature, and those folks can go out and buy their own RF modulator.
Yes the unit does have a whole host of video out but not in cable, and although cable is a Video drop in quality most sets on the market still have a cable in even if they are component sets. So let me pose this question to you when your component TV is down and you are on a back up with nothing but a cable connect what do you do? Send the butler out to buy another tv? Still doesn't answer the question of why Tivo would leave out a connect that would only cost a few cents to add. Although it may have been discussed before it's not well mentioned on the Tivo site. That is where you lay money out for the unit. Also when I tried to buy the Tivo S3 with life time I was told no I couldn't that the offer only applied to the Tivo HD not the Tivo HD Series 3, I even have the email from the Elf girl who writes the news letter telling me so. I wanted the S3 for the extra connects,and larger drive, even though that wouldn't help me with the question I had asked in the first place. And by the way my big set is down and I am on a little 13" waiting for parts to get here. Using my old Tivo to send the signal to it and the rest of the house, which just pisses me off because I want to give my old Tivo with lifetime to a friend with kids who just can't afford the luxury of Tivo.

[scandia101]

You are still confusing composite and component.

[CrashTestDummy]

You are still confusing composite and component.
Sorry; you are right, so I run the component to the High def TV, does the Tivo allow me to hook the composite up to a modulator to run the whole house at the same time or is there a circuit cut off only allowing one out at a time, to run? I know a lot of older Vhs machines were built that way. But I know some weren't; I'll find out some time tomorrow either way when I have some time. Of course I'll have to split the audio out to the Tv and the modulator.

[RonDawg]

So let me pose this question to you when your component TV is down and you are on a back up with nothing but a cable connect what do you do? Send the butler out to buy another tv?

After 20 years and 5 TV sets, I have yet to find one whose aux-inputs have failed on me.

However, if for some reason the HDMI or Component inputs of my current TV go south, then I still have s-video and composite.

To have all 4 fail on me and still have working RF is unlikely. Either the TV has gone bad or the component hooked to it has.

Still doesn't answer the question of why Tivo would leave out a connect that would only cost a few cents to add. Although it may have been discussed before it's not well mentioned on the Tivo site. That is where you lay money out for the unit.

On the other thread that discussed this, someone (whose consumer electronics expertise is greater than mine) mentioned that RF out can also cause interference issues of its own. Perhaps wouldn't be an issue with s-video or composite, but possibly with Component or HDMI.


Also when I tried to buy the Tivo S3 with life time I was told no I couldn't that the offer only applied to the Tivo HD not the Tivo HD Series 3, I even have the email from the Elf girl who writes the news letter telling me so. I wanted the S3 for the extra connects,and larger drive, even though that wouldn't help me with the question I had asked in the first place.

There are multiple Lifetime offers currently.

The $199 transfer offer ONLY applies to the TiVoHD. There was one with the S3 but that expired some time ago.

There is a $399 new Lifetime subscription for current TiVo owners that can be added to any new box, even an S2 (though IMHO it would be a waste except for a narrow set of circumstances).

There is also another one that applies to those whose Lifetimes were purchased before 2000 or 2001, but I don't know the exact circ's of that.

EDIT: If you tried to purchase the refurb'd S3 from the TiVo website, because it's previously activated it does not qualify for either Lifetime offer. These apply only to brand new, unsubbed boxes, and few places have brand new S3's. Even TiVo is out of them, the one on their website is a refurb.

And by the way my big set is down and I am on a little 13" waiting for parts to get here. Using my old Tivo to send the signal to it and the rest of the house, which just pisses me off because I want to give my old Tivo with lifetime to a friend with kids who just can't afford the luxury of Tivo.

RF modulators can be had cheaply. You can pick one up on eBay for a few bucks. If you have an old, unused video game console, these often come with one.

And my "spare" TV in the bedroom, despite being 14 years old, has both composite and s-video inputs. No need to go to RF if my big TV should fail.

[RonDawg]

Sorry; you are right, so I run the component to the High def TV, does the Tivo allow me to hook the composite up to a modulator to run the whole house at the same time or is there a circuit cut off only allowing one out at a time, to run? I know a lot of older Vhs machines were built that way. But I know some weren't; I'll find out some time tomorrow either way when I have some time. Of course I'll have to split the audio out to the Tv and the modulator.

You can hook all 4 video outputs simultaneously if you wish. Note though that the TiVoHD only has one audio out, plus the audio as as part of the HDMI signal, so you may need to use some sort of splitter system.

Also note that with some TV's, if you use HDMI, when the TV is off it doesn't pass the HDCP "handshaking" signal. The TiVo will interpret that as some sort of attempt at video piracy and stop all video output, including the analog outputs.

The last is not TiVo's fault, it is a requirement for HDMI demanded by the Hollywood studios.

[CrashTestDummy]

After 20 years and 5 TV sets, I have yet to find one whose aux-inputs have failed on me.

However, if for some reason the HDMI or Component inputs of my current TV go south, then I still have s-video and composite.

To have all 4 fail on me and still have working RF is unlikely. Either the TV has gone bad or the component hooked to it has.



On the other thread that discussed this, someone (whose consumer electronics expertise is greater than mine) mentioned that RF out can also cause interference issues of its own. Perhaps wouldn't be an issue with s-video or composite, but possibly with Component or HDMI.




There are multiple Lifetime offers currently.

The $199 transfer offer ONLY applies to the TiVoHD. There was one with the S3 but that expired some time ago.

There is a $399 new Lifetime subscription for current TiVo owners that can be added to any new box, even an S2 (though IMHO it would be a waste except for a narrow set of circumstances).

There is also another one that applies to those whose Lifetimes were purchased before 2000 or 2001, but I don't know the exact circ's of that.

EDIT: If you tried to purchase the refurb'd S3 from the TiVo website, because it's previously activated it does not qualify for either Lifetime offer. These apply only to brand new, unsubbed boxes, and few places have brand new S3's. Even TiVo is out of them, the one on their website is a refurb.



RF modulators can be had cheaply. You can pick one up on eBay for a few bucks. If you have an old, unused video game console, these often come with one.

And my "spare" TV in the bedroom, despite being 14 years old, has both composite and s-video inputs. No need to go to RF if my big TV should fail.
The TV parts are in and I no longer have to sit with a pair of binoculars to see it. The TV is a DLP a very nice set of course they never told me that the light would burn out, that projects the image about every year and a half. Cost $196.00 on the internet. With that said I like to run the signal from Tivo to where ever in the house I'm at. To my workshop in the basement. Now the only way I can run the new Tivo HD is using a modulator, grabbing the video with the SVideo connect. Right now the problem I'm having is finding something that will allow me to split the audio phono jacks from two to four. Keeping them as phono jacks not some other configuration. That way I would still be hooked up component to the main set in the living room and downgraded vid to the rest of the house. When I'm playing in the shop I get to catch up on the latenight shows from the night before.

[CrashTestDummy]

You can hook all 4 video outputs simultaneously if you wish. Note though that the TiVoHD only has one audio out, plus the audio as as part of the HDMI signal, so you may need to use some sort of splitter system.

Also note that with some TV's, if you use HDMI, when the TV is off it doesn't pass the HDCP "handshaking" signal. The TiVo will interpret that as some sort of attempt at video piracy and stop all video output, including the analog outputs.

The last is not TiVo's fault, it is a requirement for HDMI demanded by the Hollywood studios.
I well understand that HollyWood is to blame for this. They (Hollywood) are their own worst enemy. It's like the record industry, they wanted to control everything and when Napster hit they sued them instead of working with them, (at first) who wants to pay $20 dollars for one song when the rest of the album sucks. So while they mess with companys like Tivo, People like netflix send out thousand of movies every day that people are copying and selling on street corners. All I want to do is watch some old TCM stuff and late night with David Letterman.
Now not at all familiar with HDMI, didn't know it did handshakes. Is it just that one connection or all of them?

[dianebrat]

That way I would still be hooked up component to the main set in the living room and downgraded vid to the rest of the house. When I'm playing in the shop I get to catch up on the latenight shows from the night before.

Or for the heck of it you could be like some of us, and have a computer in almost every room and just use MRV to transfer from the Tivo to the various computers.

And you can do that all without having to buy an RF modulator! (or tvs!):cool:

[CrashTestDummy]

I found an old DVD player with two sets of audio out phono jacks, a digital out and a coax digital out but no inputs. L.O.L.
Yes I know about the S3 problem with getting them in stock and quite frankly, I'm not sure if I would have gotten it at that price anyway.
The ESata connect on the back of the unit, the book says for future use, Whats up with that? I'm a little familiar with Raid drives ESata hook ups. Is this part of the machine awaiting Tivo to come up with an extra storage option?

[CrashTestDummy]

Or for the heck of it you could be like some of us, and have a computer in almost every room and just use MRV to transfer from the Tivo to the various computers.

And you can do that all without having to buy an RF modulator! (or tvs!):cool:
Actually only have four computers Two are networked to the Tivo but I think the Wife would just shoot me, She already wants to know what will happen when I die, I told her tv people will just sit and marvel at all the hookups before they start crying and run from the house screaming.

[classicsat]

ESATA is to add an extrnal drive. Only the WD "MY DVR Expander" drive is officially supported, but others can be added with hacks, or if it is a Series 3.

[CrashTestDummy]

Thanks
I'll do some research in that area.
Besides the larger hard drive and the extra connects on the back is their any big difference between the Tivo HD and the Tivo Series 3?