Obvious Questions?

[mikul00]

1- Will I need a CableCard to view HD content from Verizon Fios on my HD TIVO?

2-Can I split the FIOS cable and run one to the set top box (for "OnDemand" etc.) and use the other split signal to my HD TIVO?

Thanks...probably asked before, but...!

[Turtleboy]

1- Will I need a CableCard to view HD content from Verizon Fios on my HD TIVO?

2-Can I split the FIOS cable and run one to the set top box (for "OnDemand" etc.) and use the other split signal to my HD TIVO?

Thanks...probably asked before, but...!

1. Yes

2. Yes.

[lrhorer]

You will need CableCards (2 S-cards for any Series III class TiVo, 2 M-cards for an S3 TiVo, or 1 M-card for an HD TiVo) to receive any encrypted video, whether HD or SD. Local broadcast stations may not be encrypted.

A splitter will work fine, provided your TV (or AVR) has two appropriate video inputs to accept signals from both the STB and the TiVo.

[dromedary512]

You will need CableCards (2 S-cards for any Series III class TiVo, 2 M-cards for an S3 TiVo, or 1 M-card for an HD TiVo) to receive any encrypted video, whether HD or SD.

I'm not quite sure what the difference between a "Series III class TiVo" and an "S3 TiVo" might be.... plus, I've never heard of ANY TiVo accepting two M-cards (resulting in a total of 4 tuners).

Or... perhaps I'm just terribly confused.

[lafos]

I'm not quite sure what the difference between a "Series III class TiVo" and an "S3 TiVo" might be.... plus, I've never heard of ANY TiVo accepting two M-cards (resulting in a total of 4 tuners).

Or... perhaps I'm just terribly confused.

The S3 TiVo was the original Series 3 with OLED display and cablecard slots in the back. The TiVo HD and HDXL are also "Series 3 class" TiVos in that they have the same basic operation and say Series 3 in the System Information page. So lrhorer was trying to differentiate the S3 from the Series 3 class. The Series 3 class machines all use cablecards.

The S3 can use 2 S-cards or 2 M-cards, but only yields 2 tuners. Some people can't get S-cards anymore.

[bkdtv]

Note TiVo.com, Amazon.com (direct), and most retail stores haven't sold new "TiVo Series3" DVRs in 3-6 months. If you bought a TiVo recently, you almost certainly have a TivoHD which requires only a single MCARD to support both tuners.

The TivoHD has a black top. The Series3 has a silver top. Wrong. Don't trust Amazon photos.

[lafos]

The TivoHD has a black top. The Series3 has a silver top.

My S3 purchased about a year and a half ago has a black top. The top has a glossy finish, while my HDs has a matte black finish on the top.

[bkdtv]

My S3 purchased about a year and a half ago has a black top. The top has a glossy finish, while my HDs has a matte black finish on the top.I think all S3's have a black glossy top. Remind me not to compare TiVo pictures on Amazon next time. :)

If he's still confused, he can tell by checking the service number on his System Information screen. The TiVo Series3 starts with 648 while service number for the TiVoHD starts with 652.

[wmcbrine]

BTW, a single multistream card can in principle support up to six streams, IIRC. But the TiVo only has two tuners, regardless.