Wanting A DVR-Have Questions!

[Kawabuggy]

I have been reading over several different posts today. I currently do not have a cable box, or a DVR of any kind. I run the cable directly to the back of my HD TV. I am NOT receiving any HD stations this way due to having Comcast, and not having their box.

The more I read on this site, the more confused I get. If I believe what I read, I should not buy right now. I should wait a little to see how Comcast DVR works out???

Another post says the best way to go is to purchase a Tivo HD, then purchase a life time Tivo subscription, and then get an "M" card from Comcast.

I think this is the route I want to go. I don't want to rent-I want to own my own box.

My questions:
What if I purchase my own stuff, and then it is not "enabled" or compatible with Comcast?

Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to see my HD channels in full HD even if I DO NOT HAVE A COMCAST CABLE BOX?

Someone mentioned that Tivo is only selling life time subscriptions for a few more weeks-is that true? If so, can I buy the subscription now and then purchase my DVR later after I decide which way I want to go????????

Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to wireless broadcast to another TV in my home? Based on what I am reading-it will.

Thanks in advance for hosting such a wonderful web site. Communications by way of Cable/Satellite/DVR's/HD can be very confusing for the uninitiated.

[bigpuma]

I have been reading over several different posts today. I currently do not have a cable box, or a DVR of any kind. I run the cable directly to the back of my HD TV. I am NOT receiving any HD stations this way due to having Comcast, and not having their box.

The more I read on this site, the more confused I get. If I believe what I read, I should not buy right now. I should wait a little to see how Comcast DVR works out???

Another post says the best way to go is to purchase a Tivo HD, then purchase a life time Tivo subscription, and then get an "M" card from Comcast.

I think this is the route I want to go. I don't want to rent-I want to own my own box.

My questions:
What if I purchase my own stuff, and then it is not "enabled" or compatible with Comcast?

Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to see my HD channels in full HD even if I DO NOT HAVE A COMCAST CABLE BOX?

Someone mentioned that Tivo is only selling life time subscriptions for a few more weeks-is that true? If so, can I buy the subscription now and then purchase my DVR later after I decide which way I want to go????????

Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to wireless broadcast to another TV in my home? Based on what I am reading-it will.

Thanks in advance for hosting such a wonderful web site. Communications by way of Cable/Satellite/DVR's/HD can be very confusing for the uninitiated.


If you get a TiVo HD it will work without a comcast cable box because it will act as your cable box and DVR. You would need to order cable cards from comcast. I am not sure if lifetime is still available at this time but someone else could tell you.

The other option is to get the HD DVR directly from Comcast. This is not a TiVo but in the next few months a TiVo software download should be available.

[BlackBetty]

This is not a TiVo but in the next few months a TiVo software download should be available.

parts of New England have it available now. no word yet on when it will be released in the other comcast markets. I would assume sometime in 2008. hopefully on the early side.

[Kawabuggy]

Thanks for the fast replies.

I have another question... It seems some of the older Tivo boxes required a land-line telephone in order to download, and get programming. Are the Tivo HD's like this? I have Comcast cable internet & TV, but no land line for phones at all.

We use cell phones for our home phone now as I suspect most people probably do.

[BlackBetty]

Thanks for the fast replies.

I have another question... It seems some of the older Tivo boxes required a land-line telephone in order to download, and get programming. Are the Tivo HD's like this? I have Comcast cable internet & TV, but no land line for phones at all.

We use cell phones for our home phone now as I suspect most people probably do.

all of the new boxes (including the TiVo HD) are able to get their programming info from the internet. You can either do this by plugging an ethernet cord into the back, or if you have wifi, you can plug a wifi adapter into the back of the unit. works great.

[ThreeSoFar]

I know existing TiVO subscribers can buy a lifetime for another few weeks. But can new subscribers do it?

[Bruce24]

I have been reading over several different posts today. I currently do not have a cable box, or a DVR of any kind. I run the cable directly to the back of my HD TV. I am NOT receiving any HD stations this way due to having Comcast, and not having their box.



You don't need a cable box of any kind to get HD stations via your Comcast Cable. What you need is a TV with a QAM tuner. Most newer HD sets have these built in. With this and your current cable service from comcast, you should get NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, PBS and CW.


What if I purchase my own stuff, and then it is not "enabled" or compatible with Comcast?


Other than a Tivo HD (or Series 3) or some Media center PC's there isn't much you can purchase that will allow you get anything other than basic cable.



Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to see my HD channels in full HD even if I DO NOT HAVE A COMCAST CABLE BOX?


Yes but as you mentioned, you would want to get a Cablecard (M-Card).


Someone mentioned that Tivo is only selling life time subscriptions for a few more weeks-is that true? If so, can I buy the subscription now and then purchase my DVR later after I decide which way I want to go????????


The Tivo lifetime subscription deals is only available for existing Tivo customers.


Will buying a Tivo HD allow me to wireless broadcast to another TV in my home? Based on what I am reading-it will.



A Tivo can send a show from room to room, but both rooms have to have a Tivo. You can also move a show from a Tivo to your PC and then watch it on PC/notebook.

[Bill Ball]

There would be no Video on Demand with a TiVo HD box.

At this point, I prefer using Comcast's boxes. With Comcast's relatively low monthly rental fee system versus buying a TiVoHD box and paying their monthly fee, I can't see going any other way. I get a new box for free anytime there is a problem or a new model comes. If a TiVoHD box fails outside of warranty, you're up a creek. If a new model comes out with a feature you want (like the TiVo with VOD in development), you have to buy it, and so far new TiVo boxes seem to start out at about $400-800.

[bkdtv]

If a new model comes out with a feature you want (like the TiVo with VOD in development), you have to buy it, and so far new TiVo boxes seem to start out at about $400-800.The TiVoHD sells for $249 online, and Circuit City and Best Buy have had it for $199-$229 the past few weeks. The standard monthly fee is $12.99/mo or $129/yr.

The "gift" deal that allowed individuals to buy their first TiVo with no monthly fees ended a few weeks ago. As of today, the only way to get lifetime as a new subscriber is to have another existing subscriber buy and activate the box, and then give it to you. Boxes with lifetime are transferable.

Personally, I've never understood the resistance to monthly fees. We pay a monthly or yearly fees for newspapers, magazines, electricity, gas, car insurance, life insurance, homeowners' insurance, telephone, Internet, and cable. We also pay fees for antivirus software subscriptions, fees to upgrade to the latest versions of software, and fees to play games online (Xbox Live).

Why should TiVo be any different? They provide your box with new guide information every 48 hours, as well as bi-annual software updates.

[bkdtv]

There would be no Video on Demand with a TiVo HD box.

At this point, I prefer using Comcast's boxes.I can't imagine settling for a Comcast DVR with a 160Gb hard drive. My TivoHD has a 1TB hard drive for 144 HD hours capacity, and closer to 180 HD hours in real world use.

It's also a significant improvement over my old DirecTivo, which didn't have folders, overlap protection, the ability to undelete recordings, autorecord based on boolean search, or external storage support.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/nowplaying7.jpg