Considering moving to Tivo. A few Questions.

[spacekungfuman]

I currently have hd-dvrs provided by Time Warner Cable of NYC, and I'm thinking about ditching them for a pair of Tivo HD XLs. I'm not sure if I should make the switch, and was wondering if people could answer some questions for me. Thanks in advance for any replies.

1. Do people find the current HD tivos to be reliable? I had an old series one and two Toshiba dvd/tivo units that were all rock solid stable, but I've seen some posts here about bugs with the current models. Its very important to me that I don't lose a recording to a glitch (that is one of my main motivations for wanting to get rid of the time warner dvrs).

2. Is it worth getting a tivo now with the fate of the sdv adapter still up in the air, or does it make sense to hold out for the next round of models that will (hopefully) support sdv out of the box?

3. How well does transfering data from one tivo to another or from a tivo to a computer work over an 802.11g network? Is it easy to set a show to automatically record and them move to my psp, ipod touch or windows mobile device so I can watch it on the train?

4. Will the remote work with the Next Generation Remote Control Extender ir to rf adapter? My time warner remote does not work with it and it drives me crazy having to use a universal remote with no a, b, and c buttons.

5. Will the tivo remote allow me to access the settings menu on my xbr5? Right now I have to keep the tv remote out in the living room just for settings.

[Pixel]

1. Do people find the current HD tivos to be reliable?

2. Is it worth getting a tivo now

3. How well does transfering data from one tivo to another or from a tivo to a computer work over an 802.11g network? Is it easy to set a show to automatically record and them move to my psp, ipod touch or windows mobile device so I can watch it on the train?

4. Will the remote work with the Next Generation Remote Control Extender ir to rf adapter?

5. Will the tivo remote allow me to access the settings menu on my xbr5?

1) My first one didn't work very well. Lockups, random reboots. The 2nd one, the one I use now, has been on for 2 months and works great. It's also on a UPS. One further note, I don't use cable cards with it nor am I doing any of that new search testing/beta. I also don't connect to netflix. So it's working great but I'm not doing any of the extras that might burden it or cause hidden problems to emerge.

One thing to be careful about is to put too much weight on reports of bad HDs that you see here. People with problems are the ones most likely to post about their experience. Take it with a grain of salt.

2) I think so. I tried the Scientific Atlanta DVR Time Warner (SE Wisconsin) offers and found them to be sorely lacking. Better the possibly limited functionality of a Tivo HD with one way cable cards than that junk. When the tuning adaptor is available, that should take care of all the problems and the TivoHD will be at the head of the class. Go for it.

I use my TivoHD with an antenna for the local HD OTA channels. And the cable for the basic non digital cable stuff.

3) transferring to a PC via wireless network works pretty well. Maybe not as fast as everyone would like, but fast enough with some care. I hard wired mine, but even then it's not lightning quick. It's a limitation of the Tivo hardware I'm told. Putting the programs onto another device, well, I haven't done that, but with the right software shouldn't be any special problem. I routinely burn DVDs with my programs.

4) don't know

5) mine only controls the volume. no menus

[szurlo]

1. I think the majority of issues most people are having is with some of the new service features, like Netflix streaming. Just avoid that until it's fixed. Also, bear in mind that in any forum, very few people post to say "My device works great". It's the people with issues that post, so the ratio of positive/negative posts is not an accurate indicator of what percentage of total Tivo owners have issues.

2. The tuning adapter is already available in some parts of New York. Call TWC and ask.

3. Apparently TWC is setting the copy protection flag on just about all content except that from the major networks, so you may find that the Tivo wont let you move most programming to your mobile device. I didn't find this out until AFTER I ponied up the money for the "Plus" version of the Tivo Desktop software :(

4. Don't know.

5. I think the only TV function that "punches through" on the Tivo remote is volume.

[bkdtv]

1. Do people find the current HD tivos to be reliable? I had an old series one and two Toshiba dvd/tivo units that were all rock solid stable, but I've seen some posts here about bugs with the current models. Its very important to me that I don't lose a recording to a glitch (that is one of my main motivations for wanting to get rid of the time warner dvrs).As reported widely on this forum, there seems to be a bug in the latest software -- released just before the Christmas holidays -- that causes "lost" analog tuners. A reboot may required to restore them. This can be quite troublesome for users of basic/analog cable without a CableCard.

The tuners in the TiVo are more sensitive than the tuners in the cable box, so if the signal is too strong or too weak, you may have problems. "Too strong" or "too hot" signals weren't really a problem for the old analog TiVos, and the cable company boxes in general are much more tolerant of the extremes than the TiVo. If your signals are too strong, a ~$2 attenuator can be screwed onto the cable.

Some percentage of TiVos do have a defective hard drive. It's probably well under 5%, but you an get a distorted sense of that here because, as the poster above noted, people with problems are the first to post.

2. Is it worth getting a tivo now with the fate of the sdv adapter still up in the air, or does it make sense to hold out for the next round of models that will (hopefully) support sdv out of the box?SDV adapters are already available in many areas.

3. How well does transfering data from one tivo to another or from a tivo to a computer work over an 802.11g network? Is it easy to set a show to automatically record and them move to my psp, ipod touch or windows mobile device so I can watch it on the train?Downloads to a computer work well, but they aren't fast, primarily because the format stored on the hard drive is not the same as the format of the download. Recordings are stored in a proprietary format on the hard drive and then muxed on the fly into a MPG file that all computers can play. Compounding the problem is that high-definition recorded files can be quite large -- anywhere from 5GB to 30GB.

Throughput over 802.11g can be even slower depending on the conditions in your home (interference from adjacent networks, etc). Thankfully, you can queue up as many transfers as you want for download while you sleep and/or while you at work.

You should also be aware that many Time Warner systems copy protect almost everything except the locals. You can't download copy protected content. If Verizon FiOS is available in your area, they allow you to download virtually everything.

Note: Cable companies are not permitted to copy protect SD/HD local or public interest channels.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/ilovehdtv/Other/TiVo/TiVo%20Desktop/tivodesktop2.png

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm314/ilovehdtv/Other/TiVo/TiVo%20Desktop/tivodesktop6.png

If you use a Mac, check out iTiVo (http://code.google.com/p/itivo/).

4. Will the remote work with the Next Generation Remote Control Extender ir to rf adapter? My time warner remote does not work with it and it drives me crazy having to use a universal remote with no a, b, and c buttons.Don't know, but the TiVo doesn't use a/b/c buttons.

5. Will the tivo remote allow me to access the settings menu on my xbr5? Right now I have to keep the tv remote out in the living room just for settings.Don't know.

TiVo does sell a premium "GLO" remote with backlighting that can learn commands from other remotes. This isn't the stock remote on the TivoHD, however. It's a $50 option on the TivoHD and it comes standard on the TivoHD XL.

[ADG]

I've been using the Next Generation Remote Extender with an S3 for more than a year. Works great.

[Pixel]

3. Apparently TWC is setting the copy protection flag on just about all content except that from the major networks, so you may find that the Tivo wont let you move most programming to your mobile device.

Which is why I haven't bothered getting cable cards and don't subscribe to any premium channels. Why bother if I can't move programs from one Tivo to the other in my house.

[spacekungfuman]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Which is why I haven't bothered getting cable cards and don't subscribe to any premium channels. Why bother if I can't move programs from one Tivo to the other in my house.

What channels do you get without a cable card? Is it just 1-125?

Also, does anyone happen to know if RCN puts up flags like TWC? I'd also be interested to know if anyone has any input on the picture quality and reliability of RCN in Queens.

[CCourtney]

1. Do people find the current HD tivos to be reliable? I had an old series one and two Toshiba dvd/tivo units that were all rock solid stable, but I've seen some posts here about bugs with the current models. Its very important to me that I don't lose a recording to a glitch (that is one of my main motivations for wanting to get rid of the time warner dvrs).


I find mine to be extremely reliable. I think I've lost a total of 4 shows since I got the box in June 2007. They were all within a short period of time during under one of the FW. I want to say it was during Spring '08 time period. After the next FW update I haven't seen the issue again.


2. Is it worth getting a tivo now with the fate of the sdv adapter still up in the air, or does it make sense to hold out for the next round of models that will (hopefully) support sdv out of the box?


That really depends on your usage and your cable provider. Me, I'm mostly doing OTA recording, but I do have a CC and do record some stuff from cable w/ my TiVo HD. I doubt if SDV is coming to my area any time soon, and I think adaptors will be provided if they do it. If not I'll be using my SA8300HD to do any recordings on SDV channels, which usually will be the less frequently watched stations anyway.


3. How well does transfering data from one tivo to another or from a tivo to a computer work over an 802.11g network? Is it easy to set a show to automatically record and them move to my psp, ipod touch or windows mobile device so I can watch it on the train?

To windows it's extremely easy. Don't know about how easy it would be to transfer PSP or iPod touch.


4. Will the remote work with the Next Generation Remote Control Extender ir to rf adapter? My time warner remote does not work with it and it drives me crazy having to use a universal remote with no a, b, and c buttons.


Will it work the new quirky - use a replacement Battery/RF Transceiver in any IR remote for RF transmission to a remote extender. I haven't tried it but, I'd suspect that it would work. It's based off the limited amount of RF that's generated from the IR usage. The stronger the IR signals the stronger the latent RF signal is generated. The TiVo HD remote has a very strong IR signal and I'd suspect that the latent RF generated is sufficient to signal the replacement battery transceiver which would capture then amplify and retransmit the RF signal.

[qoute]
5. Will the tivo remote allow me to access the settings menu on my xbr5? Right now I have to keep the tv remote out in the living room just for settings.[/QUOTE]

No, like most non-Universal remotes the TiVo remote is extremely limited in this capacity and probably should only be used to control TiVo functions and Volume control. I tend to use a combination of my Atlas-5 DVR remote (has the Yellow Triangle A, Blue Square B, Red Circle C) for everything but TiVo viewership and my TiVo Peanut Remote for TiVo viewing.

Ok, that was a lie, my Blu-Ray viewing on my PS3 I have to use my PS3 remote (Bluetooth not RF)

CCourtney

[ciper]

1. The TiVo HD is less reliable than the S1/S2 but its more reliable than anything else. Take that for what its worth

2. The SDV dongle is available in many areas and people have already been using them for a while with TiVos

3. 802.11G is often not fast enough for real time transfers of HD content but otherwise it works. I suggest hardwiring it or at least using an 802.11N bridge.

4. 5. The remote is exactly the same as the S2 unit. The only difference is some extra paint above two buttons.

[Pixel]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.



What channels do you get without a cable card? Is it just 1-125?

Also, does anyone happen to know if RCN puts up flags like TWC? I'd also be interested to know if anyone has any input on the picture quality and reliability of RCN in Queens.

Right now it's the SD stuff channel 99 and lower on the system here. Maybe it'll get some digital stuff, but I haven't looked for that. Any unscrambled QAM things. I'm getting HD material from my antenna. That'd be the local channels.

Just musing here, but it seems to me that all this studio/cable company paranoia that someone somewhere might be making a recording is actually hurting them in the long run. What it's doing to me is training me that watching TV isn't really so important after all. There are other things to do. Last year's writer's strike also helped push me a good distance in that direction. Shows aren't on, there's other things to do, they come back on, but TWC makes sure I can't transfer them around anyway, what's the big deal if I don't watch at all?

And if I didn't see the material to begin with, why would I buy a commercially released copy?

But that's just me. Others are certain to have a very different opinion.