Wanting to buy TiVoHD - A few questions

[jaybird13]

Hey guys,

I'm wanting to buy a new TiVo HD and I have a few questions I'm hoping you guys can answer.

1. I have a Series 2 DT under MSD and I'd like to transfer service from it to the TiVo HD. Is that possible and will I keep the $6.95 monthly charge and original contract terms (what's left of the 3 year agreement)?

2. I plan on buying one CableCARD (my cable company charges $70 each plus $39.50 to install). Will I be able to have one tuner receive HD channels and the other receive regular analog (or digital if I decide to use a convertor box)?

3. My cable company claims their CableCARDs are the "M" series - will that work in a TiVoHD?

4. Does standard definition look any better on a TiVoHD? My cable company only offers around 10 HD channels, so it'd be nice to know I'd get a quality bump in SD.

5. Does multi-room viewing work the same as Series 2? Can I transfer SD recording back and forth between the TiVoHD and my other TiVos? I know I won't be able to move the HD stuff, but it'd be nice to know the SD programs can still be moved back & forth.

I appreciate you reading through this and thanks for your help in advance for your help!

[bkdtv]

I have a Series 2 DT under MSD and I'd like to transfer service from it to the TiVo HD. Is that possible and will I keep the $6.95 monthly charge and original contract terms (what's left of the 3 year agreement)?Yes, you can do that.

I plan on buying one CableCARD (my cable company charges $70 each plus $39.50 to install). Will I be able to have one tuner receive HD channels and the other receive regular analog (or digital if I decide to use a convertor box)One M-CARD supports both analog and digital tuners on the TiVoHD. You will be able to record HD channels on both tuners with a single M-CARD.

3. My cable company claims their CableCARDs are the "M" series - will that work in a TiVoHD?Yes.

M standards for multistream, which means it supports multiple digital tuners with a single card.

4. Does standard definition look any better on a TiVoHD? My cable company only offers around 10 HD channels, so it'd be nice to know I'd get a quality bump in SD.Yes.

5. Does multi-room viewing work the same as Series 2? Can I transfer SD recording back and forth between the TiVoHD and my other TiVos? I know I won't be able to move the HD stuff, but it'd be nice to know the SD programs can still be moved back & forth.You won't be able to transfer HD recordings to the Series2 units. You will be able to transfer SD recordings. That said, be aware that the TivoHD and Series2 store their SD in different formats so multi-room transfers may take longer as the TiVo does some format conversion on the fly.

[ewilts]

4. Does standard definition look any better on a TiVoHD? My cable company only offers around 10 HD channels, so it'd be nice to know I'd get a quality bump in SD.
The biggest change people usually see is caused by cable companies simultaneously broadcasting analog and digital for the SD channels. You should ask your cable company if they do that. If so, the CableCARD will show you the digital version instead of the analog and you will see a significant improvement in quality and you will also record the programs without doing an analog to digital conversion.
If your cable company still broadcasts the non-HD stuff in analog, you may not see a difference at all. They typically don't advertise that they're doing this even though it's a great feature.

For me, some channels were almost unwatchable even with my Series 3 before I got my CableCARDs. After the CableCARD install, they came in perfectly clear.

.../Ed

[jaybird13]

Wow - thanks for the responses guys!

I'm really excited I won't need two CableCARDS to record HD on both tuners - that makes it worth paying the $70 to get the card, otherwise I wasn't so sure.

[husky55]

Wow - thanks for the responses guys!

I'm really excited I won't need two CableCARDS to record HD on both tuners - that makes it worth paying the $70 to get the card, otherwise I wasn't so sure.

Comcast provides CC for free and $19.99 to come and install for me.