Need Advice: Think about upgrading to Tivo HD

[MidwestDrummer]

I started my Tivo service back in January of 2007 with a Series 2 DVR. About a month ago I moved in with a couple of good friends, and one of those friends is a Time Warner Cable employee. After I moved in and set up my home theater system, I replaced my Series 2 DVR with a TWC HD DVR. I haven't actually canceled my TiVo subscription yet, because i wanted to test TWC's HD DVR to see if I could live with it. It's alright, but I really really want my TiVo service back! The problem is, I also want HD programming. I've run a few solutions through my mind, and was wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some feedback and/or suggestions on what I should do.

1. I could upgrade to a TiVo HD DVR and see if I can live without VoD.

2. I could upgrade to a TiVo HD DVR and exchange my TWC HD DVR for a TWC HD box so I could still access my VoD.

I've come across a couple of questions though.

1. How would my TiVo HD DVR on screen guide differ from my TWC HD DVR on screen guide? Would it just list all of the SD and HD channels minus the VoD channels?

2. Would I be able to access TWC's VoD on an TiVo HD DVR with a TWC cable card?

Any info/advice/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Zach

[Grey Griffin]

I'll go ahead give a short answer on #2.

You'll need a cable card for digital tier and non-encrypted HD channels no matter what. You still won't be able to get VOD even with the cable card as the Tivo HD has no two way communication capability. If you really need VOD then you should probably go with the Tivo HD plus HD cable box.


I've never had a cable company box with VOD so I'm not sure how the guides would work.

[RonDawg]

To answer 1.), hook up your TiVo now and you'll see the difference. The TiVoHD's screen will look pretty much the same. The only differences will be the addition of the CableCard Diagnostics screen in the Settings Menu, and a upon first startup a much longer welcome screen that superimposes the animated TiVo icon over high definition clips of films and TV shows.

It will show all the channels that you could receive with a cable company box, including "home" channels such as Channel 1 on some systems, PPV, VOD, and others. You will need to remove these in the Channels I Receive List to make Guide Menu navigating much faster.