COMCAST Tivo - ready for non-early adopters?

[jeffw_00]

Hi - COMCAST just started offering TIVO service in my area. I currently have a Series-1 TIVO and a COMCAST dual-DVR (Mot) box. I'm happy to pay the extra couple of bucks a month for the TIVO software, but not until they work out the bugs (the Mot box generally does what I want).

Is it ready for me yet? How quick are they fixing it? Will I have a short wait?

Also - why do they need to give me new -hardware-? Is it a newer-generation box? A different remote? More than 120GB disk?

Thanks!
/j (in MA)

[bicker]

Some folks will say no, but some folks will say yes. I haven't gotten a good feeling that there is a definitive answer to your question, either way (and have been very interested in getting such an answer, aamof, for my own upgrade considerations). As you alluded to, you're wondering whether it is ready "for [you]" and no one can really answer that for any of us, except ourselves. I'm not yet willing to take the risk, because I have a TiVo S3 as well, so my Comcast DVR is really just a back-up, as long as the writers' strike is having such a depressive impact on new original dramas.

There hasn't been a fix deployed yet, since the big roll-out last month, if I am not mistaken.

They don't need to give you new hardware, unless you happen not to have a DVR that supports the TiVo software. They need to visit your home, though, to ensure that your signals are perfect. To get the TiVo software to work, the signal levels need to be far more ideal than with the standard iGuide software.

They do also need to drop you a new remote, though the old one will work just fine.

The software runs on both the 120 GB box and the 160 GB box.

[jeffw_00]

not a rocket-science question - if there are still bug-fix releases due, or coming out frequently, I'm inclined to wait. If there are a lot of bugs NOT being addressed, I'm inclined to wait. If things are stable and working well, I'm inclined to go (if nothing else to get a 160GB box to replace my 120GB).

sounds like wait and see for now
thanks
/j

[BlackBetty]

comcast rep said that they are working on an update within the next few weeks that will address some of the issues that some folks are reporting.

Wait or Order it, its your choice. Do your homework and then decide if you want to order it or wait until you hear that an update has gone out and check out avs and here and see what folks say about the update.

A lot of folks are saying they love the service right now. Some folks have said that they love it but want DD 5.1 and some menu lag to be fixed.

Its your call. Make the decision, its not rocket science.

[miricle]

They don't need to give you new hardware, unless you happen not to have a DVR that supports the TiVo software. They need to visit your home, though, to ensure that your signals are perfect. To get the TiVo software to work, the signal levels need to be far more ideal than with the standard iGuide software.



Please do make sure if you get the service installed that the tech checks the signal strength prior to install! This caused major pains for my install when the tech didn't!

[jeffw_00]

boy, years ago (last time I posted) this was a friendly helpful forum

what's with all the flamers?
/j

[Bruce24]

boy, years ago (last time I posted) this was a friendly helpful forum

what's with all the flamers?
/j


I'm missing any flames in the three replies here. I think the problem here is the answer is subjective, so an honest poster isn't going to give you a yes or no answer.

I have the software and it's not perfect. If your the kind of person that wants/needs it to be perfects, then wait. If you have iGuide and don't like it or you love the Tivo interface then if your willing to deal with some imperfections, i say go for it.

[sberube]

Well, I was an early adopter. I had issues with the comcast Tivo but lived with them. Then my box died (went into an 8888 loop boot). I brought it back to their Manchester office and got a new one. This time I decided to keep the IGuide software. Why?

I decided I don't want to pay 2.95 a month for something that really doesn't work well.

1. I had many shows only record the first minute then stop
2. Extremely slow interface
3. Missing features (Stupid ones like Weather and Messages, but I actually use Weather)
4. Missing mainstream tivo features like MRV
5. Have I mentioned slow interface? I didn't realize how slow it was until I used the iGuide again.
6. Lack of 30 second skip (although I see thats been solved now)

There are actually some iGuide features I missed like single click record w/out getting the Tivo confirmation menu. All in all what I realized is that we will be waiting a lot longer for this to get to be a solid usable product, and even longer until we get real tivo features. By that time FiOS will be in my area and worth looking at, or Motorola's new iGuide software ( which looks awesome) will be out. What comcast has basically done is give us Tivo V1.0 while Tivo is at what? 6.x now?

[jeffw_00]

bruce 24 - there's nothing subjective about my criteria
-are still bug-fix releases due, or coming out frequently?
-are there are a lot of bugs NOT being addressed?
-are things are stable and working well?

sberube - thanks - you answered my question 8-}

[Bruce24]

bruce 24 - there's nothing subjective about my criteria
-are still bug-fix releases due, or coming out frequently?
-are there are a lot of bugs NOT being addressed?
-are things are stable and working well?

sberube - thanks - you answered my question 8-}

That wasn't what you first posted, but what i said in my first reply still goes, "If your the kind of person that wants/needs it to be perfects, then wait.".

[jeffw_00]

That wasn't what you first posted, but what i said in my first reply still goes, "If your the kind of person that wants/needs it to be perfects, then wait.".

I think we all know that I'm not looking for "perfect", but then, that takes me back to my prior comment 8-}

[Bruce24]

I think we all know that I'm not looking for "perfect", but then, that takes me back to my prior comment 8-}

btw: if you want the extra diskspace, at least in my area, you can bring your current box to a Comcast walkin office and swap it for a new box that will have the extra 40GB and if you current box only has DVI, you will also get an HDMI out.