understanding tivo

[ron36535]

I am new to tivo, what is the difference between tivo and a dvr recorder from wal-mart etc. I have dish network, and I just bought a used unit from e-bay with the life time subscription. not sure what I have, please help. also don't have the unit yet, just bought it today.thanks

[RonDawg]

I would hope that you would have done a bit more research before plunking down a considerable sum on a piece of electronics that has presumably no return privilege (as it is used and bought on eBay).

That said, the advantages of TiVo over any other DVR are too numerous to mention. The best thing is to visit the TiVo.com site and compare for yourself.

Hopefully you bought a Series 1 or Series 2 model, as the Series 3 units will not work with Dish Network or any other satellite provider. Assuming you purchased the correct unit, check out this TiVo support link (http://www.tivo.com/setupandsupport/technicalsupport/setupmytivodvr/How_Do_I_Set_Up_My_DVR_to_Control_My_Cable_or_Satellite_Box_ .html) on how to set up your DVR to work with your satellite provider.

TiVo is a subscription service, so buying a unit with Lifetime Subscription means no monthly fees. Note that "Lifetime" means that of the box, and not its owner, so once it breaks TiVo can technically break off service. However most TiVo failures are very easy to fix as it is usually a bad hard drive, so you could conceivably keep that unit running for many many years, long after TiVo considers it to be viable.