Tivo HD without CableCards

[t325]

I want to get a TiVo. I don't have an HDTV or digital cable yet (just plain old standard def and analog) but I plan on getting both later in the summer. It just seems like a waste to buy a Series 2, only to have to upgrade later, so for the TiVo, I'm thinking about jumping straight to HD and using analog cable for the time being.

I was told by someone that I only get dual tuner functionality with CableCards. I want to see if this is true or not, because dual tuner is a must for me. If I just plug my TiVo HD into my plain old, non digital cable, without CableCards, will I be able to record 2 things at once and get full DT capabilities?


Thanks

[sender_name]

i have a series 3 hd right now w/ no cable cards. I have a roof antenna hooked up to the antenna input, and my charter cable screwed into the cable in. Tivo knows that i recieve both the cable and Over the Air channels. You can then delete the channels you don't get (Due to signal strength). I get several local HD channels via the cable, however the are not mapped by the tivo guide...Ie foxhd is 102-1, NBChd is 102-2 etc. So I set up season passes for the shows using the OTA antenna channels and then every few days I will delete that one and replace it with a manual recording...Like for ER...manual record 102-2 thurs. from 10-11pm. The only problem is in your now playing list there is no info as to what the show is, it is just labled 102-1 manual recording..So you have to remember what is on when...I did this because I am waiting for fios in 2 months

[t325]

i have a series 3 hd right now w/ no cable cards. I have a roof antenna hooked up to the antenna input, and my charter cable screwed into the cable in. Tivo knows that i recieve both the cable and Over the Air channels. You can then delete the channels you don't get (Due to signal strength). I get several local HD channels via the cable, however the are not mapped by the tivo guide...Ie foxhd is 102-1, NBChd is 102-2 etc. So I set up season passes for the shows using the OTA antenna channels and then every few days I will delete that one and replace it with a manual recording...Like for ER...manual record 102-2 thurs. from 10-11pm. The only problem is in your now playing list there is no info as to what the show is, it is just labled 102-1 manual recording..So you have to remember what is on when...I did this because I am waiting for fios in 2 months

I wasn't planning on using OTA either. No point since my TV is standard def, and I currently live in the middle of nowhere in Missouri and probably won't pick up anything OTA. Just want to make sure I'll get dual tuner capabilities from analog cable only.

[Andy D]

I just conneced a TiVo HD this week using only a Cable input from Charter (No OTA)... No CableCard and I can record two channels at once. Works just fine.

Later,

Andy

[ciper]

I've been using my TivoHD with no cablecards on analog cable for quite a while. In fact I can even see the HD stations just without guide data.

[old64mb]

If I just plug my TiVo HD into my plain old, non digital cable, without CableCards, will I be able to record 2 things at once and get full DT capabilities?

I ran my S3 that way for the first year or so and it worked perfectly.

Do run a manual channel search after guided setup, though, and see if you can't pick up some unencrypted digital channels. As much as it's a pain that you won't get any program guide information, you might get a few HD channels and even downrezzed on an old SDTV, they still look way nicer than analog cable.

[FrodoB]

How you might have gotten confused is that if you have only one CableCARD of any type on an S3 or a single-stream card on a THD that you only get use of one tuner.

0 or 2 CableCARDS = dual-tuner
1 single-stream CableCARD = single-tuner

[tharper]

I was told by someone that I only get dual tuner functionality with CableCards. I want to see if this is true or not, because dual tuner is a must for me. If I just plug my TiVo HD into my plain old, non digital cable, without CableCards, will I be able to record 2 things at once and get full DT capabilities?

Thanks

I have a TivoHD that I'm using with extended basic cable (no cablecards). Both tuners work just fine and both tuners have the channel guide for this setup. I can record two channels and watch a previously recorded show at the same time.