Series 3 Recommendations Please!

[swezey]

OK, after hours and hours and HOURS of reading and googling, I think I am getting this TiVo thing figured out. Thanks to everyone who responded to my first post RE: TiVo and FiOS. I'm positive that a TiVo (or two or three) are in my future and I figure any new business that's good for TiVo is good for everyone with an interest in keeping TiVo alive. So, here's me new questions:

1) The array of different models is bewildering! I know I want HD so that leads me to a Series 3 for sure. Given the ease at which I can upgrade recording time, is there any sense in getting an XL? Or would it be smarter to get a rerfurbed 32 hour and upgrade the HD? What are the performance and upgrade issues between current S3 models and discontinued S3 models?

2) Given that if I upgrade the internal drive I void my warranty, should I stick with the approved expander or doesn't anyone care about voiding the warranty? How much warranty service really goes on with this things??

3) I'm pretty handy with a screwdriver and blow torch so I think I could handle an internal HD upgrade and maybe a power supply issue. Would it make sense to get a cheap EBAY S3 and upgrade it myself? I'm planning to go lifetime sub if I can swing the $$$ so I plan to have the thing for a while. How reliable are these things? I'd assume the HD fails the most. If a HD fails and I pop in a new one (say I've made an image of the original), can I still revive my lifetime sub or is it tied to the HD somehow? What if I DIDNT image the original drive - can I buy one with an image on it and revive my subscription? Or am I out 400 clams??

4) Bottom line is I guess... I'm gonna spring for the lifetime sub at some point so I basically want to get the best bang for the buck on my hardware. I DONT have a problem TECHNICALLY popping a drive in as long as I'm not creating a problem for myself reliability wise or screwing up my subscription if the new drive goes kerflooey. I have 3 HD TV's and want to be able to stream between them all so you see my desire to keep the hardware cost low (3 X 599.99 BEFORE adding service adds up!). The factory refurb HD is only 179.99 which seems great but no THX, only 20 hours (no big deal if I'm gonna upgrade it anyway), cheaper remote, etc. Which way would you go?

As always, your replies are MUCH appreciated! Thanks to everyone for their help! I'll let you know how it all ends up in a few weeks!

[bkdtv]

1) The array of different models is bewildering! I know I want HD so that leads me to a Series 3 for sure. Given the ease at which I can upgrade recording time, is there any sense in getting an XL? Or would it be smarter to get a rerfurbed 32 hour and upgrade the HD? What are the performance and upgrade issues between current S3 models and discontinued S3 models?The original $599 "TiVo Series3" (250Gb) was discontinued. It was replaced with the TivoHD, which is basically a redesigned Series3 in a different box using newer, more integrated components. Those newer components helped TiVo reduce costs significantly.

The TivoHD is available in two models. The standard "TivoHD" sells for $200-$250 and has a 160Gb drive for 20-25 HD hours of recording capacity; this model includes the standard TiVo remote (glossy remote is a $50 option). The "TivoHD XL" sells for $520-$599 and has a 1TB drive for 150+ HD hours; this model includes the improved, glossy TiVo remote. Functionality is identical to the original $599 "Tivo Series3" model, with the caveats below.

The primary advantage of the newer components in the TivoHD is the full support for MCARDs; with the TivoHD, you only need one MCARD to support both tuners, whereas the TiVo Series3 always required two cards to support both tuners. If your cable provider charges extra for each CableCard, that is a consideration. Note Verizon FiOS charges $3.99 per CableCard; Verizon currently has MCARDs available in N. VA, Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, with more areas expected to get them in coming months.

There are two notable disadvantages to the newer TivoHD model. First, the TivoHD will only work with one external drive out of the box -- the 500Gb Western Digital My DVR Expander. The Series3 will display a warning if you try to use a different model, but it will allow you to ignore the warning and use it anyway. Second, the newer Broadcom DVR CPU in the TivoHD appears to have less memory bandwidth than the older CPU in the Series3, which has the effect of reducing network throughput (i.e. transfer speed) between TiVos and between TiVos and PCs. The stickied TTG/MRV thread has more information on this.

2) Given that if I upgrade the internal drive I void my warranty, should I stick with the approved expander or doesn't anyone care about voiding the warranty? How much warranty service really goes on with this things??3) I'm pretty handy with a screwdriver and blow torch so I think I could handle an internal HD upgrade and maybe a power supply issue. Would it make sense to get a cheap EBAY S3 and upgrade it myself? I'm planning to go lifetime sub if I can swing the $$$ so I plan to have the thing for a while. How reliable are these things? I'd assume the HD fails the most. If a HD fails and I pop in a new one (say I've made an image of the original), can I still revive my lifetime sub or is it tied to the HD somehow? What if I DIDNT image the original drive - can I buy one with an image on it and revive my subscription? Or am I out 400 clams?Warranty service hasn't been an issue, as far as I can tell on this forum. When a component in a TiVo fails, 99.9% of the time it is the hard drive. The hard drive is fairly easy to replace. All subscriptions (including lifetime) are tied to the serial number of the box -- known as the TiVo service number -- and that doesn't change when you replace the drive. That number is stored on a separate memory chip (ROM) inside the box.

4) Bottom line is I guess... I'm gonna spring for the lifetime sub at some point so I basically want to get the best bang for the buck on my hardware. I DONT have a problem TECHNICALLY popping a drive in as long as I'm not creating a problem for myself reliability wise or screwing up my subscription if the new drive goes kerflooey.As you've probably read, many on this forum elect to buy the $200-$250 TivoHD and add a 1TB drive of their own for around $100-$120. You save about $200 with this approach over a TivoHD XL, but you do void the warranty. Upgrade instructions can be found at the very end of the first post (FAQ #30) in this thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784); you can read those instructions to determine whether that that would be something you are comfortable doing.

[swezey]

bkdtv,

Thanks for the great reply and thorough explanation of the model differences. So, to be clear, what of the 5 solutions would you recommend?

1) Brand new HD from TiVo (I'll likely upgrade HD and void warranty but might use My DVR expander to keep warranty coverage. 500 GB seems a little chintzy though)

2) Refurb HD from TiVo (again, I'll likely upgrade HD and void warranty - again My DVR is an option. If they had a 1GB certified option I'd probably pick number 2 and add a certified 1GB but this would certainly cut into sales of the pricey XL so I don't see TiVo officially offering this any time soon)

3) Brand new HDXL from Tivo (no need to upgrade, I keep my warranty, pricey, especially for three units)

4) Refurb S3 from Tivo (will upgrade and void warranty - may use My DVR but same issues as above - not the best bang for the buck)

5) Cheap EBAY HD or S3 which will be upgraded but no warranty to void so who cares...and I can make it as big as I want (well within reason - 2 TB would be good X 3 machines = 6TB of storage woo hoo!!)

Maybe some other people will chime in as well. I think the results of this "survey" would help everyone who is new to TiVo and trying to figure out how to get the best value for their dollar. Thanks again!!

[bkdtv]

I would opt for the TivoHD because my provider now charges $3.99/mo for each CableCard. If I had just one TiVo, I probably wouldn't consider an extra $3.99 for a second CableCard (as required by the TiVo Series3) to be a big deal, but when you have two or three HD TiVos, that adds up.

I personally would suggest a new TivoHD plus a 1TB drive, because (a) it only costs $20 more to get a new unit from my local Costco, and (b) I have always been wary of refurbished units. I know TiVo tests returns before shipping it to another customer as a refurbished unit, but there is always the possibility that you get one with a problem that they somehow missed.

[ZeoTiVo]

I agree.

I prefer to bring my own TiVo by finding a good cheap source. I can then choose the service i want on it.

I plug it in for a week or so and set it up and so forth to know it is working as expected. Then I get a larger drive and upgrade. I put the original drive on the shelf for safekeeping. When I remeber I put the original in every so often and update it for season passes and the OS.

Recently I had a drive in a DT go bad. Family is like - no TiVo :eek: but I looked competent as I pulled the original drive out of storage and had the TiVo working again in about an hour cause I took my time :)
Then I ordered a new large drive and when it came in I did the "upgrade" again and put the original away again.

Also I have seen one report of warranty hassle over upgraded drive but that might be casue original drive was not available or something. I imagine putting the original drive in and sending it back to Tivo for warranty issue would be just fine, assuming it was not because of the pepsi you dumped while the case was open ;)

[swezey]

Zeo,

Great post thanks! If you haven't seen it, I started a poll on this very issue and am getting some interesting results. You can find it here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=412306

- Bill

[ZeoTiVo]

Zeo,

Great post thanks! If you haven't seen it, I started a poll on this very issue and am getting some interesting results. You can find it here:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=412306

- Bill
Yah I took the ebay option though I tend to buy such thngs from brick and mortar for easier return if needed in the first 30 days.