Tivo HD vs. Tivo Series 3 HD

[chadfetter]

Has anybody owned both of these units? Besides the THX certification, is there any other 'real' benefits to paying the extra money for te Series 3?

[bananaman]

This has been covered widely, in threads such as this one (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=379806) and this one (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=383725). Search is your friend!

[brettatk]

Has anybody owned both of these units? Besides the THX certification, is there any other 'real' benefits to paying the extra money for te Series 3?

nope, not really. People will try to say the S3 is better because it has more space. To be honest both really suck in that aspect, especially if you plan on recording a lot of HD shows. Space would not be an issue when buying one since I'd have upgraded the internal drive in either.

[AbMagFab]

Main benefit of the S3 right now is that MRV is about twice as fast going S3-to-S3 than THD-to-anything.

For HD shows, this means on the S3 you can MRV HD material in 1.5-2x real time, which is practical. On the THD it's real-time or slightly slower, making HD MRV pretty much useless on the THD.

[chadfetter]

Forgive my ignorance, but was is MRV?

[DallasFlier]

MRV - multi-room viewing - transferring a recorded show from one Tivo to another over the network.

Another difference is that the Series 3 records higher quality/resolution than the T-HD (and uses a little more disk space to do so.) Whether or not the difference is significant or noticeable seems to be a topic of debate.

[classicsat]

Multi-Room-Viewing, which is copying recordings from one TiVo to another on your home network to view on the other one.

[AbMagFab]

Another difference is that the Series 3 records higher quality/resolution than the T-HD (and uses a little more disk space to do so.) Whether or not the difference is significant or noticeable seems to be a topic of debate.

This is only for analog programming, which shouldn't be an issue for the vast majority of cable subscribers (as almost everything is in digital or digital simulcast now with cable-cards).

[Sturmie]

Main benefit of the S3 right now is that MRV is about twice as fast going S3-to-S3 than THD-to-anything.

For HD shows, this means on the S3 you can MRV HD material in 1.5-2x real time, which is practical. On the THD it's real-time or slightly slower, making HD MRV pretty much useless on the THD.
so HD transfer on the TivoHD is really that slow? sheesh...i would agree that unless you get the 1.5-2x real-time transfer rate, MRV is kinda pointless for most people.

that being said, i have 2 x S3 units (and love them), but was wondering how long the S3's will be available for sale? i am debating on picking up a 3rd box before i can't find them any longer and am stuck with the TivoHD as my only option.

[RonDawg]

The OP should also be aware of a real disadvantage of owning an S3 over a THD, and that's with CableCards. Despite what it may say on the rear panel, the S3 is NOT capable of using a single M-card for dual-tuner functionality. It will revert to single tuner mode unless you insert two cards, whether M-cards or S-cards. The TiVoHD is fully compatible with M-cards and only needs one to retain dual-tuner functionality.

To some this may be trivial, however I'm seeing an increase in complaints from forum members about CableCard prices from some cable providers. If the OP has one of these providers, a TiVoHD can save $60/year or more in CableCard rental fees alone.

[dianebrat]

A plus for the S3, it accepts a wide range of external eSata hard drives without any additional work, the TivoHD only accepts the WD MyDVR Expander out of the box.

That makes up for the m-card issue for me.

Diane
disclaimer: I have both an S3 and an HD, and I prefer the S3

[Sturmie]

so, how much longer do you guys think the S3 will available for sale? should i snag a 3rd one up now or wait a few months?

[chadfetter]

I just went out and bought one of each. S3 for $385 and TivoHD for $234

[dorian]

I just went out and bought one of each. S3 for $385 and TivoHD for $234
Cool! You know now that you are obligated to give the answer to your original question.... in depth, in normal "non-techi" language so we casual users can learn the real deal. I for one would like to read your take on the differences.

[chadfetter]

Ok, After a little playing around with each, I let you guys know what I think.

[rudolpht]

I'm not having much luck with the S3 but my TivoHD is working fine. Can I transfer my account from an S3 to a new TivoHD?

I'm not having any luck searching for this answer either.

[AbMagFab]

Main benefit of the S3 right now is that MRV is about twice as fast going S3-to-S3 than THD-to-anything.

For HD shows, this means on the S3 you can MRV HD material in 1.5-2x real time, which is practical. On the THD it's real-time or slightly slower, making HD MRV pretty much useless on the THD.

Since the 9.3a update, it looks like MRV is about the same between S3's and THD's (or at least it's faster than real time for both now). So this difference has been significantly minimized, or even eliminated.

[Tom White]

I just went out and bought one of each. S3 for $385 and TivoHD for $234

Where did you find them at those prices?

[aaronwt]

I prefer my S3 boxes over my TiVoHD boxes any day. The only disadvantage with the S3 boxes is having the cable card slot in the back. If I had my way all my boxes would be the S3 with the OLED screen, but I also don't think it's worth a couple hundred dollar premium either. OF course there wasn't an option back in 2006 when I got my three S3 boxes.