Is TiVo HD reliable, or should I pass?

[jrs1968]

Hi-

I am considering replacing one (perhaps two) of my Series 2 TiVos with TiVo HDs. I have been going through the threads, and am unclear on the reliability of the TiVo HDs.

Some background-
I have been a long-time, infrequent poster in these forums-- I currently have 3 subbed tivos (one is on lifetime). I was an early adopter, with a very early series 1-- so I am certainly not trying to incite any flame wars here. I love my TiVos...

That said-
In general, compared to other computer-type hardware devices, I find that my tivos have been very reliable. I have had minor problems (drive failure, the modems in series ones have died, etc)

Is the TiVo HD a reliable component? I am seeing many threads about freeze-ups, pixellation problems, and just wondering if I should just pass this time around and live with the SD series 2's that I have.

Thanks,

-jamie

[Mars Rocket]

Mine has never crashed and never failed to record something I scheduled. It used to freeze video playback once in a while, but that seems to have been fixed with the latest OS release.

[kennedy]

In my opinion, it's every bit as reliable as your Series 1 and 2s have been. Go for it!

[cmeinck]

Mine have locked up pretty frequently. According to TiVo, a fix is coming in 1-2 weeks. I love them, but they haven't been reliable. That in mind, there is no better product on the market.

[Tom White]

I don't know that you should entirely pass on the idea, but it might not hurt to wait just a bit. I have not seen anything yet from posters whose Tivos have received the 9.4 update as to whether that cured any of their freeze-up problems. With more posters getting the update, it should not be long before it is evident if it did take care of the problems some are having.

Just be patient for a bit, I think.

[VivaLasVegas]

I've never had any issues with my TivoHD. I received the update to 9.4 about 7-8 days ago and I haven't had any issues.
The thing just works. I had DirecTV tivos for years and they always worked just as they should have.
Don't forget - people post in these forums when they have problems/questions. You don't hear from all the people with great experiences.

[yosisme]

I've had a TiVoHD for a little over 3 weeks now. I was a little nervous upgrading from my Series 1 that I've had for almost 8 years, but decided to go for it. I've had none of the issues that others have. The only issue I've had is that their online scheduling has been down for a week, but no issues with the hardware.

The cable card install went fine. The channels are crystal clear with no pixelation or freezes.

The thing has just worked like a champ. Dropped a 1TB HD into it for 130 hours of HD and have enough HD movies queued up to keep me busy for awhile!

[jkalnin]

My S2 was the greatest thing ever made, reliable, fast, magnificent!

My TivoHD is meh. Not even close to the S2 experience. I get freezing, stuttering playback, audio glitches, random reboots, and a few other problems that were non-existent on the S2.

Also, paying almost $700 for all this makes all these issues that much harder to swallow.

[RoyK]

I've been considering upgrading for some time now. I'm not about fork over my cash until I hear that the freezing and rebooting issues that so many have been experiencing have been resolved, however.

[jrs1968]

Have any of the existing issues been tied to only machines with Cable Cards, or is it also evident to OTA/analog cable connections as well?

[Tazznum1]

I have a S3, not HD and it completely died after the 9.4 upgrade. Stuttering, freezing constant rebooting and became a doorstop. I had to drop another $200 for a hard drive. So after a little more than a year, I spent over $1100 (tivo S3, transfer of lifetime and new hard drive). If it happens again, I'm done. I adored Tivo. Had a series 1 and 2 and now 3. I don't see me spending this kind of money on another tivo ever again.

[JYoung]

My TiVo HD has worked flawlessly for 9 months.
I get a momentary HD playback glitch on occasion but I think I can thank Time-Warner for that.

[Bob723]

I have a 42 inch plasma. I upgraded to TiVo HD about a year ago. The improvement in picture quality was amazing. I've had minor problems with the cable cards but that is it. Charter originally installed 2 S-cards and it was a hassle getting them to work. Recently, one of the cards stopped working and they replaced both with one M-card. It has been working flawlessly since then. The S2 works fine but is now collecting dust. The S2 had one tuner, the HD has two - another bonus. I LOVE my HD and am very glad I made the change.

[maharg18]

My Tivo HD has worked perfectly, and I've had it since they were first released. My S3 has also worked great since day one.