Question about TIVO HD Boxes

[witchkitten]

I am really getting fed up with Cable DVR boxes! I have been suffering through these motorola boxes that both Time Warner Southern California and Comcast use and I'm starting to go mad. The software is so unintuitive and buggy. But I digress. My major gripe at the moment is the hardware. The cable box is extremely loud. I think it's the inefficient cooling system causing the fan to spin out of control. Turning the power off didn't change anything so I had to unplug the box and deal with the consequences (and there will be plenty) tomorrow.

My question has to do with the noise level on the Tivo HD boxes. Are they loud too? Has anyone had experience with both boxes who could comment on the noise difference between them? The only reason I noticed the noise was because I now have to sleep in a room with the box and I can't because of the loud humming noise coming from the cable box.

[Len McRiddles]

I have 2 of the Tivo HD boxes, including one in my bedroom. They replaced 2 Dish network DVR's. The Tivo units are much quieter than the Dish boxes. I really have to try hard to hear them at all.

[djtweed]

I have a new $199 "Refurb" Tivo HD unit, and it is really quiet. (Almost silent)

[mp11]

I'm sitting maybe 10' away, and i dont hear it at all. Stop torturing yourself. Get it. You will wonder what took you so long. ;)

[witchkitten]

Thanks for the feedback. I had another question. Where are the vents on the Tivo boxes? Is it possible to have a DVD player sitting on top of the box or will that overheat the unit? My DVD player is much smaller than my cable box but because of overheating issues, I have to have it below the cable box which looks funny and isn't as stable.

[sgip2000]

Thanks for the feedback. I had another question. Where are the vents on the Tivo boxes? Is it possible to have a DVD player sitting on top of the box or will that overheat the unit? My DVD player is much smaller than my cable box but because of overheating issues, I have to have it below the cable box which looks funny and isn't as stable.

All the vents as well as the cooling fan are in the back. The top is just a flat sheet of steel.

[RonDawg]

As long as the item isn't heavy (like a stereo amplifier, or especially a CRT-style TV) you should be OK with stacking another piece of electronics on top of a TiVo.

You are correct in that air flow vents should not be blocked, but as explained above the TiVo units do not vent through the top. I don't know about the Motorola units, but the Scientific Atlanta cable boxes (with or without built-in DVR) put out an incredible amount of heat, much more than any TiVo.

[lastdeadcat]

Some people put spacers between the boxes. Water bottle caps work as do small blocks of wood like some moulding scraps. I've used square pieces of cheap towel rack bars with little caps from the hardware store in the outside ends.

They can be velcoed down and placed under the feet of the upper box. The towel bars should run front to rear not side to side to allow better air flow if the shelf is closed on the sides.

It's better if the back is open for more air flow. I removed the back of the TV stand that I use for the stack of electronic stuff. Usually the hottest box is the AV receiver and that should be on the top of the stack or alone on the top shelf. Heat rises.

Cable boxes sometime produce heat and maybe vented on the top.

Heat is an issue that needs to be addressed in the placement of your boxes. Usually the hottest goes on the top and so forth. Closed racks and shelving can cause problems. That's why I took the back off my stand's shelves. Use care with adjustable shelves that you don't push the shelf out the back.