Comcast DVR out-Series 3 HDTV in?

Jon1 · 07-25-2007, 12:56 PM

I was a TiVo Series 2 customer for 4 years until 5 months ago when we purchased a HDTV. We switched over to Comcast DVR for 2 reasons: it was free (TiVo HD was $799 I think) and for the fact the DVR had 2 tuners so we could watch/record 2 channels at once. That feature was the best part of having the DVR over the Series 2. Well after 5 months EXCEPT for that feature, I hate the DVR. The worst problem is the loss of all stored memory when my central AC starts and the DVR has a momentary loss of power.
Anyway, now that I see TiVo S3 HDTV is don to $299 I am tempetd to return to TiVo. The deciding factor is whether we can watch on channel while recording the other, like the Comcast DVR does. I don't want it if its like my old Series 2 where you have to use a splitter and only watch broadcast channels while recording. Should I come back to TiVo? Thanks for you input!

DonRoeber · 07-25-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

I was a TiVo Series 2 customer for 4 years until 5 months ago when we purchased a HDTV. We switched over to Comcast DVR for 2 reasons: it was free (TiVo HD was $799 I think) and for the fact the DVR had 2 tuners so we could watch/record 2 channels at once. That feature was the best part of having the DVR over the Series 2. Well after 5 months EXCEPT for that feature, I hate the DVR. The worst problem is the loss of all stored memory when my central AC starts and the DVR has a momentary loss of power.
Anyway, now that I see TiVo S3 HDTV is don to $299 I am tempetd to return to TiVo. The deciding factor is whether we can watch on channel while recording the other, like the Comcast DVR does. I don't want it if its like my old Series 2 where you have to use a splitter and only watch broadcast channels while recording. Should I come back to TiVo? Thanks for you input!

I did the same thing; canceled my S2 tivo when I got a HDTV, and went with the Comcast box. I ordered the TivoHD yesterday to replace the Comcast box. The TivoHD has two tuners, so yes, you can watch one channel while recording another, or even record on two channels and watch something already on the Tivo. No splitter required.

vstone · 07-25-2007, 02:15 PM

Recommend putting your DVR of whatever flavor on a battery backup to prevent screwing up the hard disk.

Jon1 · 07-25-2007, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstone

Recommend putting your DVR of whatever flavor on a battery backup to prevent screwing up the hard disk.

I called Comcast Help and they said they would send a signal to the box that would fix it. That worked for about a week and now it loses all its memory again. I don't think it has a battery backup. We don't bother to save any programming anymore. We just use it to pause live TV now. Stinks!

ZeoTiVo · 07-25-2007, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

I called Comcast Help and they said they would send a signal to the box that would fix it. That worked for about a week and now it loses all its memory again. I don't think it has a battery backup. We don't bother to save any programming anymore. We just use it to pause live TV now. Stinks!

get the new TiVo HD for 299$ and get cable cards from comcast. If the power blinks then this TiVo will not loose the guide data and so forth and get right back to recording if it had to power down.

what vstone is saying is to buy an UPS from a aplce like office depot that plugs between the wall outlet and the DVR. it keeps providing a steady stream of power even if the power in the house drops down low or goes off for a few minutes. It will keep the Comcast DVR from loosing its memory and keep power fluctuations from hurting the hardware.

Jon1 · 07-25-2007, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZeoTiVo

get the new TiVo HD for 299$ and get cable cards from comcast. If the power blinks then this TiVo will not loose the guide data and so forth and get right back to recording if it had to power down.

what vstone is saying is to buy an UPS from a aplce like office depot that plugs between the wall outlet and the DVR. it keeps providing a steady stream of power even if the power in the house drops down low or goes off for a few minutes. It will keep the Comcast DVR from loosing its memory and keep power fluctuations from hurting the hardware.

What is this item called? UPS? I went to Radio Shack and asked them for a device that would do just that , and they said there is no such thing! Who do you believe?ARRRRRGHHHH!

GoHokies! · 07-25-2007, 03:09 PM

Yes, "uninterruptible power supply".

I remember when you could go to radio shack and talk to someone who had a clue about electronics.

vstone · 07-25-2007, 03:51 PM

We had a situation here recently where a user had removed the battery backup from his computer because it kept shutting down the computer. A few weeks later the power flickered several times over a few seconds, scrambling the data on the hard disk. The HD itself was OK. Conceivably a similar thing could happen to a Tivo without a UPS. Much less likely witha UPS.

David Scavo · 07-25-2007, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

The deciding factor is whether we can watch on channel while recording the other, like the Comcast DVR does. I don't want it if its like my old Series 2 where you have to use a splitter and only watch broadcast channels while recording. Should I come back to TiVo? Thanks for you input!

With 2 cable cards, the TiVoHD will allow you to record on 1 channel and view live on another channel (and also record on 2 different channels and watch an already recorded show).

nedthelab · 07-25-2007, 06:26 PM

Hello - I have comcast in the San Fran Bay Area - does anyone know if this Tivo will support on-demand programming?

ajwees41 · 07-25-2007, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nedthelab

Hello - I have comcast in the San Fran Bay Area - does anyone know if this Tivo will support on-demand programming?

no it does not.

ajwees41

jrm01 · 07-25-2007, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoHokies!

Yes, "uninterruptible power supply".

I remember when you could go to radio shack and talk to someone who had a clue about electronics.

You're older than I thought.

cgould · 07-25-2007, 10:23 PM

Definitely get a UPS for the Tivo, or anything else w/ sensitive electronics that are always on, that you want to preserve data. Not to mention the fact that even a power outage won't stop you from recording your favorite show

It doesn't take a very big sized one since Tivo (or other DVR) is smaller power draw than a full computer/monitor. If you can find one with "AVR" (voltage regulation), this will help smooth out the power voltage to further protect your electronics, in cases where it's not a full power loss or brownout: eg, when you get voltage dips from your A/C turning on.

Actually if your voltage dips that bad from an A/C unit, I'd suggest talking to an electrician, either to move the A/C to a different breaker circuit or improve wiring- that shouldn't happen!

MickeS · 07-25-2007, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoHokies!

Yes, "uninterruptible power supply".

I remember when you could go to radio shack and talk to someone who had a clue about electronics.

Imagine the look of horror on the employee's face when I went to my local RS last week and asked if they had a 1000uF capacitor.

GoHokies! · 07-26-2007, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrm01

You're older than I thought.

Acting your age is for chumps.

steelio · 07-26-2007, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Scavo

With 2 cable cards, the TiVoHD will allow you to record on 1 channel and view live on another channel (and also record on 2 different channels and watch an already recorded show).

All you need is 1 cable card and you can get watch 1 channel and record another. They are the M-cards and they are great!
I would suggest when getting the HDTivo and calling your cable company ask about the if they have the M-card.
Yes dump the comcast DVR. I am not saying this because I love tivo. But I did the same thing last year around this time. I was looking @ dumping tivo for the lack of HD. I actually had the Cox HD dvr for 2 months. I tried to like it I really did. I just couldn't. It was clunky, slow, and was not very user friendly. Plus when it booted there was no TiVo Guy!
TiVo is starting to close the gap now. I think they have found a new focus and their core. They have some things to work out as far as the small minor things like MRV. I think with cable cards and cable companies not fighting them on it is the best way to go for them and you!

astrohip · 07-26-2007, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

Anyway, now that I see TiVo S3 HDTV is down to $299 I am tempted to return to TiVo.

Just a small little nit (and the rest of your post is spot-on, and I agree with your reasoning). It's the new TiVo HD that's $299; the TiVo Series 3 (S3) remains at $800 or whatever it was.

Jon1 · 07-26-2007, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrohip

Just a small little nit (and the rest of your post is spot-on, and I agree with your reasoning). It's the new TiVo HD that's $299; the TiVo Series 3 (S3) remains at $800 or whatever it was.

What is the difference (advantage/disadvantage) between the two? That's a big price differential...

rifleman69 · 07-26-2007, 11:39 AM

Hell at the very least, get a battery backup for your tv! Many HDTV's don't actually power off when you hit the power button, sometimes a fan kicks on or keeps running until a certain temperature has been reached (or a time limit).

I'd like to think that anyone wouldn't want their tv to become inoperable simply because they didn't allow the tv to work as it is intended to do once the power has been turned off (a UPS/battery backup allows this to work correctly in case of a power blip/outage).

The TiVo/DVR is much cheaper to replace than another tv, but that's just my opinion...might as well protect them both!

hearncl · 07-26-2007, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cgould

Definitely get a UPS for the Tivo, or anything else w/ sensitive electronics that are always on, that you want to preserve data. Not to mention the fact that even a power outage won't stop you from recording your favorite show

Don't forget, if you have a cable amplifier it will also have to be protected or you won't get a signal when the power goes out. I have my TiVos on a UPS, but the amplifier is in the garage. I had a UPS that was too small for a new computer, so put it in the garage to protect the cable amp.

Jon1 · 07-26-2007, 11:53 AM

How much does a UPS cost? I have never seen one.

DonRoeber · 07-26-2007, 12:15 PM

You can get them at office stores, in the computer section. they're about $30 to $40 and up. A base model would be fine.

I've got my DVR and my fish tank hooked up to mine.

Leo_N · 07-26-2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

How much does a UPS cost? I have never seen one.

Here is one at Amazon.com :

http://www.amazon.com/APC-BE750BB-Ba...5470062&sr=8-1

That one is like $80, the larger the number (in this case 750va) the longer you have backup for. I think I have the 350va on each of my S3s. Those are like $40 or so I believe. You can get these at any BestBuy, Circuit City and the like.

Leo_N · 07-26-2007, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astrohip

Just a small little nit (and the rest of your post is spot-on, and I agree with your reasoning). It's the new TiVo HD that's $299; the TiVo Series 3 (S3) remains at $800 or whatever it was.

It's only $800 if you get it from Tivo, pretty much anywhere else it is $600 or less now.

Probably still not worth the extra $300 bucks, pretty much all you get with the upgrade is a larger hard drive, the front OLED screen, and the GLO-remote. And if you end up upgrading the hard drive, that part was wasted money.

Jon1 · 07-26-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonRoeber

I've got my DVR and my fish tank hooked up to mine.

Talk about two diverse applications--high-tech and low-tech

Jon1 · 07-26-2007, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rifleman69

Hell at the very least, get a battery backup for your tv! Many HDTV's don't actually power off when you hit the power button, sometimes a fan kicks on or keeps running until a certain temperature has been reached (or a time limit).

I'd like to think that anyone wouldn't want their tv to become inoperable simply because they didn't allow the tv to work as it is intended to do once the power has been turned off (a UPS/battery backup allows this to work correctly in case of a power blip/outage).

The TiVo/DVR is much cheaper to replace than another tv, but that's just my opinion...might as well protect them both!

My TV could become inoperable just because the lights dim when the AC goes on? Yikes!
Will the UPS even "kick on" in this case? The power only drops for less than a second. I don't want to spend 70 bucks to find out its not sensetive enough. I am mad enough as it is now with the DVR erasing itself every 15 minutes!

rifleman69 · 07-26-2007, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

My TV could become inoperable just because the lights dim when the AC goes on? Yikes!
Will the UPS even "kick on" in this case? The power only drops for less than a second. I don't want to spend 70 bucks to find out its not sensetive enough. I am mad enough as it is now with the DVR erasing itself every 15 minutes!

Get an electrician out to your house ASAP if you can, you've probably got too much stuff on one switch, or not a high enough ampage on that switch. The UPS will kick on for that one second, so the tv/dvr won't notice the difference.

vstone · 07-26-2007, 04:54 PM

Additionally, you might want to investigate whole house surge supressors hooked up to you main power panel. These days even ovens & refrigerators have sensitive electronics.

Jon1 · 07-30-2007, 09:52 AM

Using this board's advice, I went out and bought a UPS from Staples for $47. It works PERFECT! Thanks, everyone!

MickeS · 07-30-2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon1

My TV could become inoperable just because the lights dim when the AC goes on? Yikes!
Will the UPS even "kick on" in this case? The power only drops for less than a second. I don't want to spend 70 bucks to find out its not sensetive enough. I am mad enough as it is now with the DVR erasing itself every 15 minutes!

The UPS will "kick on". I have two of them, one cheap and one more expensive and they both react instantaneously when the power fluctuates even for fractions of a second. It's a very good investment.