Tivo is dying. Where next

[mrluk]

I know that this is probably the wrong forum to ask but since my Tivo is dying (repeatedly freezing) which I know I could fix with a new disk but I am now thinking it is time to move on and while I know that nothing will be as intuitive or as easy to use as Tivo I am looking at twin receiver freeview options.

Does anyone on this forum have strong views between what seem to be the two contenders the Topfield or the Humax. Since I don't have a HD television I suspect that in either case I would be looking at the not the latest HD version.

For a family migrating from a Tivo which of these is going to be the least painful to move to?

Mark

[blindlemon]

Honestly, why spend more on a new (lesser) DVR than you would need to spend to get a new preconfigured drive for your TiVo?

[RichardJH]

Honestly, why spend more on a new (lesser) DVR than you would need to spend to get a new preconfigured drive for your TiVo?

Certainly the case if the Tivo has a LT sub

[mrluk]

Honestly, why spend more on a new (lesser) DVR than you would need to spend to get a new preconfigured drive for your TiVo?

A fair question (and yes I do have a life-time subscription), but ...

I have had my Tivo for over five years (bought second hand as that was what was available) and first the original disk died (GSOD), then my Tivo got struck by lightning (really!) which killed the modem and so I had a network card installed, then a few months ago the external box which allowed the Tivo to connect to my wireless network stopped working so I currently have to move the router downstairs once a week to connect the Tivo directly by Ethernet to update,

So ... Yes I could get a new disk (and Tivoheaven is where I would look) but it would need to be not only configured with 2.5.5a version software but also have Tivoweb and configured to connect with the Ethernet card (and I have been unable to contact my local Tivo engineer who installed the card to see if he could help) but I would then be left with a machine with a new disk but the rest of the components might also be getting old who knows what might go next, and I would still have to move my router every week or source another wireless bridge/access-point client box to connect wirelessly and there is the question of how long Tivo will continue to provide the update service in the UK to what must be a diminishing customer base (and how many of those still pay subscriptions).

And ... I quite fancy having the twin receivers that will resolve most programming clashes.

But of course I will lose the brilliant Tivo functionality. The truth is I don't know much about the alternatives and what I else I will lose by no longer having a tivo

[bigwold]

And ... I quite fancy having the twin receivers that will resolve most programming clashes.

What you need, then, is another TiVo.

[RichardJH]

2 Tivos in a stack might make the biggest twin tuner PVR BUT it will definitely be the best.
I have got used to seeing the big silver lump

[Pete77]

Yes I could get a new disk (and Tivoheaven is where I would look) but it would need to be not only configured with 2.5.5a version software but also have Tivoweb and configured to connect with the Ethernet card

Both www.tivocentral.co.uk and www.tivoheaven.co.uk can sell you a hard drive that is pre-configured to work with your Ethernet card.

So that only leaves your failed wireless bridge unit to resolve. If you keep an eye on Ebay I'm sure another one at a modest price would come along soon.

If you are thinking of replacing Tivo then either a Humax Freesat HD box or a Humax or Topfield Freeview PVR would be your best bet. If you are wanting to bring everything up to date then a new HD ready tv is really also essential (but more so with the Humax Freesat PVR even though it does also output SD)..

On the other hand fixing your Tivo is probably a lot cheaper and does not then make you feel you also need to update your tv too.

See www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=products.Products&type_id=3 for details on the Freesat unit.

But in terms of reliable recording and properly seeing all the episodes in a series and of course the availability of Wishlists there is still nothing on the marketplace to compare with Tivo. It is only those who lust for HD television who feel that they must consign their Tivo to history.

[DX30]

Does anyone on this forum have strong views between what seem to be the two contenders the Topfield or the Humax.
Assuming you don't fix the TiVo...

A lot depends on how much fiddling you want to do to set the machine up initially and maintain it in the future.

Out of the box the Humax is a better bet - easier to use, more reliable, and cheaper. You should be able to get a 160 GB Humax 9150 at <£130. Or if you want a bigger disk and an HDMI connection the 9300 is <£180.

If you are prepared to put in the effort the Topfield is a lot more customisable. The Topfield Freeview+ firmwares are very buggy and best avoided. This means avoid the newer Topfield 5810 at £300 as that is only available with this firmware. So instead go for the Topfield 5800 at <£190, install an older firmware and a 3rd party EPG replacement in the form of a TAP (Topfield Application Programme). You'll find lots of info at www.toppy.org.uk

If you are prepared to put in the effort the Topfield 5800 will ultimately be more rewarding, but for an easy life go for the Humax.

[Ashley]

2 Tivos in a stack might make the biggest twin tuner PVR BUT it will definitely be the best.
I have got used to seeing the big silver lump

I use 2 in a stack. TiVo must have thought people would use them that way as you can program the remotes so you can assign 9 remotes to 9 machines!

[cyril]

I use 2 in a stack. TiVo must have thought people would use them that way as you can program the remotes so you can assign 9 remotes to 9 machines!

Yeah I had 12 at one stage plus 3 Sony TiVos (which have 3 additional seperate remote codes)

1-9 on right of room, and 1 to 3 on the left with the 3 Sony TiVos.


If you have someone around to do full-time network/pc support for free, Windows Media Centre is the closest TiVo replacement in the UK.

[scgf]

I went for the Topfield 5800 and am finding it a worthy replacement for the series 1 TiVo.

The dual tuners and superior picture quality are obviously better than what TiVo offers, no contest.

Let me tell you what you can do if you install the MyStuff add-on (TAP):

Recorded programmes can be auto-saved into folders (so you have all episodes of a series in one folder)

Season passes (Control Timers) can be set - although these do not have the intelligence of TiVo in that they will happily record repeats unless you fine-tune a little (very easy to do). Conrol timers, like season passes will remain active until removed - so the next series of a programme will also be recorded however long the interval between the series.

Set up wishlists (effectively a Control Timer) where you can specify any word/phrase in the title or description and a programme matching your term will be recorded. I often set these for programmes/series advertised on TV where no transmission date is given.

Viewing your recordings and timers is very good - once in the 'Archive' mode you can view your recordings and move through various screens - like recordings in alphabetical order, in date order, timers in various orders etc.. Very useful.

Pressing the coloured buttons on the remote allows you to step forward by whatever amount of time you have specified in the MyStuff configuration - for me, pressing red will advance the recording by 2 mins, green by 1 min, yellow by 30 secs and blue goes the other way by 30 secs. This makes skipping adverts very easy indeed.

Toppy Remote Control allows you set up recordings via the internet or mobile phone.

Scheduled recordings can have their timers changed in real time if the EPG changes - only happens once a day with TiVo.

There are so many things you can do with TAPS you could easily surpass what TiVo can do. Installing a TAP is as easy as connecting your PC to the Toppy with a USB cable, running a ftp-like app and dragging and dropping the TAP into the Toppy file-system. You will never have to remove a drive and do anything with it on a PC. Using the USB socket you can easily pull programmes off the Toppy and edit them to burn onto DVD. Have a look at some of the TAPs here (http://www.toppy.org.uk/downloads/taps.php?tc=all)

Hope this helps - sorry to have rambled on so much about a Topfield PVR in a TiVo forum but people need to know where to go next . . .

[mrluk]

Thank you. Very helpful!

Mark

[cyril]

I went for the Topfield 5800 and am finding it a worthy replacement for the series 1 TiVo.

The dual tuners and superior picture quality are obviously better than what TiVo offers, no contest.

Let me tell you what you can do if you install the MyStuff add-on (TAP):

Recorded programmes can be auto-saved into folders (so you have all episodes of a series in one folder)

Season passes (Control Timers) can be set - although these do not have the intelligence of TiVo in that they will happily record repeats unless you fine-tune a little (very easy to do). Conrol timers, like season passes will remain active until removed - so the next series of a programme will also be recorded however long the interval between the series.

Set up wishlists (effectively a Control Timer) where you can specify any word/phrase in the title or description and a programme matching your term will be recorded. I often set these for programmes/series advertised on TV where no transmission date is given.

Viewing your recordings and timers is very good - once in the 'Archive' mode you can view your recordings and move through various screens - like recordings in alphabetical order, in date order, timers in various orders etc.. Very useful.

Pressing the coloured buttons on the remote allows you to step forward by whatever amount of time you have specified in the MyStuff configuration - for me, pressing red will advance the recording by 2 mins, green by 1 min, yellow by 30 secs and blue goes the other way by 30 secs. This makes skipping adverts very easy indeed.

Toppy Remote Control allows you set up recordings via the internet or mobile phone.

Scheduled recordings can have their timers changed in real time if the EPG changes - only happens once a day with TiVo.

There are so many things you can do with TAPS you could easily surpass what TiVo can do. Installing a TAP is as easy as connecting your PC to the Toppy with a USB cable, running a ftp-like app and dragging and dropping the TAP into the Toppy file-system. You will never have to remove a drive and do anything with it on a PC. Using the USB socket you can easily pull programmes off the Toppy and edit them to burn onto DVD. Have a look at some of the TAPs here (http://www.toppy.org.uk/downloads/taps.php?tc=all)

Hope this helps - sorry to have rambled on so much about a Topfield PVR in a TiVo forum but people need to know where to go next . . .


AFAIK almost every TAP has an equivalent TiVo hack, and there are probably more TiVo hacks than TAPs.
Can the topfield do multi-room viewing and schedule programmes on another DVR in your network once all available tuners on the primary DVR are full?
Get weather reports, callerID linked to phone book? Identify and remove/dont record duplicates?
Have 9 sets of remote codes to allow multiple boxes to be uniquely controlled?
Auto-load into Windows Media Centre?

Yes its probably the best non-TiVo UK set top box but the Topfield is rubbish compared to the new HD TiVo seies 3 in the USA :(

[scgf]

Of course the later TiVos are better - that's why I kept saying 'series 1' in my post. I would buy a later incarnation of TiVo at the drop of a hat.

All I am trying to say is that a Topfield with a few TAPS makes a perfectly acceptable alternative to a series 1 TiVo - and where it counts is actually better (picture quality and dual tuners). It does have the advantage of easier hackability too.

I had an upgraded TiVo with cachecard, Mode 0 and a paraphernalia of hacks so I do know what I am talking about. I would suggest, cyril, that you are something of a power user and if you use those hacks you mention, a Topfield would be of little use to you.

I should add that I also have Sky HD but subscribe only to the HD package. For me, picture quality is paramount (assuming the content is good, of course!).

[cyril]

Of course the later TiVos are better - that's why I kept saying 'series 1' in my post. I would buy a later incarnation of TiVo at the drop of a hat.

All I am trying to say is that a Topfield with a few TAPS makes a perfectly acceptable alternative to a series 1 TiVo - and where it counts is actually better (picture quality and dual tuners). It does have the advantage of easier hackability too.

I had an upgraded TiVo with cachecard, Mode 0 and a paraphernalia of hacks so I do know what I am talking about. I would suggest, cyril, that you are something of a power user and if you use those hacks you mention, a Topfield would be of little use to you.

I should add that I also have Sky HD but subscribe only to the HD package. For me, picture quality is paramount (assuming the content is good, of course!).

OK , I get you now!
I also only subscribe to the HD mix on SkyHD.

Of course hardware wise the Toppy is much better than a series 1 TiVo - smaller with less power usage and I think its processor is faster. However if you can't get a Freeview signal, the satellite versions of the Toppy are pricey and have poor EPGs.

As I have a few Windows Media Centres, the Topfield isn't much use to me other than as an extra pair of tuners to the 30 or so I already have. (If you think that's excessive there's a house in London with 128 SkyHD boxes - 256 tuners!)

[ciper]

Any router capable of running DD-WRT can quite easily be turned into a wireless bridge. You could probably find an old WRT54G for less than the price of dinner with your partner.

[davisa]

scgf - all good stuff. I bought a Topfield 5800 too and run MyStuff plus a few other hacks. I also got a Slug so it is networked and gets its guide data from the radio times site. All from ebay for less than £60 combined :)

What the toppy doesn't have is the wife friendly factor. It desperately needs a main menu like TiVo. Having separate buttons for everything is a real pain - even with a learning remove so I can label them.