TIVO Newbie questions (Going pure OTA?)

[MoeDrippins]

Apologies if this is a FAQ; I really did do searches and try to find it first!

I'm considering dropping DirecTV/Tivo due to the price and my economic reality, and just going pure OTA.

I don't have an HD TV.

My main question is, if I were to go this route, is it possible to use an HD Tivo, hook it up to an antenna, and use the Tivo's 2 tuners as HD tuners and output to SD TV? My TV has (I think; going to check to be sure) both component and s-video inputs. (The Tivo site seems to indicate this is possible.)

Secondary questions are:
- it looks like there's only 1 antenna input; can I still record 2 things at once? (I.e., is there a splitter inside the unit or something equivalent?)
- Since I'm going to be watching in SD, is it possible to down-translate to SD quality to save HD space?


Am I barking up the wrong tree here? I've also considered MythTV as an alternative.

Any thoughts welcome.

[tootal2]

Apologies if this is a FAQ; I really did do searches and try to find it first!

I'm considering dropping DirecTV/Tivo due to the price and my economic reality, and just going pure OTA.

I don't have an HD TV.

My main question is, if I were to go this route, is it possible to use an HD Tivo, hook it up to an antenna, and use the Tivo's 2 tuners as HD tuners and output to SD TV? My TV has (I think; going to check to be sure) both component and s-video inputs. (The Tivo site seems to indicate this is possible.)

Secondary questions are:
- it looks like there's only 1 antenna input; can I still record 2 things at once? (I.e., is there a splitter inside the unit or something equivalent?)
- Since I'm going to be watching in SD, is it possible to down-translate to SD quality to save HD space?


Am I barking up the wrong tree here? I've also considered MythTV as an alternative.

Any thoughts welcome.

I used a tivo hd on a sd tv before. The video looks very good on a sd tv. You need to tell your tivo what kind of tv you have. Also you might need to press the aspect button till looks right on your tv.

also use s-video if your tv has s-video

I record a lot of shows from my antenna in hd. The video and sound from the antenna is alot better then cable. and will look good on your sd tv.

[bkdtv]

My main question is, if I were to go this route, is it possible to use an HD Tivo, hook it up to an antenna, and use the Tivo's 2 tuners as HD tuners and output to SD TV? My TV has (I think; going to check to be sure) both component and s-video inputs. (The Tivo site seems to indicate this is possible.)Yes, you can.

During setup, the TiVo asks whether you have a 16:9 or 4:3 TV. You would select 4:3 TV.

Secondary questions are:
- it looks like there's only 1 antenna input; can I still record 2 things at once? (I.e., is there a splitter inside the unit or something equivalent?)Yes, you can. The coax input is split internally.

- Since I'm going to be watching in SD, is it possible to down-translate to SD quality to save HD space?No, the TiVo always records everything as it is broadcast, bit for bit identical to the original. If you plan to do a lot of recording, then you should probably look to either (a) add the 1TB My DVR Expander, or (b) spend $90-100 to replace the original drive with a 1TB drive.

For more answers to common questions, screenshots, and videos of the TivoHD in action, see the stickied TivoHD Overview, Q&A, Setup, Tips (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=419994). You can find answers to 99% of questions in the forum stickies.

[steve614]

My main question is, if I were to go this route, is it possible to use an HD Tivo, hook it up to an antenna, and use the Tivo's 2 tuners as HD tuners and output to SD TV? My TV has (I think; going to check to be sure) both component and s-video inputs. (The Tivo site seems to indicate this is possible.)
I am currently using 2 TivoHDs in this manor. Works great.
Secondary questions are:
- it looks like there's only 1 antenna input; can I still record 2 things at once? (I.e., is there a splitter inside the unit or something equivalent?)
Yes, both tuners work in this scenario.
- Since I'm going to be watching in SD, is it possible to down-translate to SD quality to save HD space?
Unfortunately, no. On a digital channel, the Tivo records the stream bit for bit.


Edit: or what bkdtv said. :)

[Daghain]

Oh cool, I did not know this! I'm going out to get an antenna and see what I can pick up - bye bye cable!

[scsiguy72]

This is exactly what I did. I had Dtivo and the price got out of control, they wanted to charge me extra to get HD and a new contract to boot.

So I drop DTV bought 2 Tivo HDs and hooked them up to antenna only. HD Set in the living room SD in the bedroom

I get all the networks, Fox and PBS plus my 3 big independent locals.

I couldn't be happier, Free TV and I got to tell DTV to go take a flying leap