What should I be looking for?

[tchaab]

New here. I'm considering buying a used TIVO to use for instant replay for coaching. I've seen this done before but don't want to buy a unit that won't do what I need. i plan to hook an analog video camera to the unit through the RCA inputs, then delay the playback 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. Questions:

Will I need to subscribe to the TIVO service to set up the system, or can i just set it up as a cable or satellite input?
Will any of the series 2 units do this?

Thanks.

[scandia101]

Any S1 or S2 Tivo can do this (S3?) and you wouldn't need a subscription unless you want to also be able to record. Without a subscription you would be limited to the 30 minute buffer.

With an old S1 you can just connect to the rca inputs and tune to channel 0, but the S2 would have to be set up for either cable or satellite connected to the composite inputs and it wouldn't matter what channel it's on

[classicsat]

A Series 3 will not have A/V inputs. Only the Series 1 and 2 units do.

You can run through guided setup without subscription.
To use your TiVo, you can only buffer Live TV.

Older Series 1s can also manually record, as can Toshiba and Pioneer DVD units.