High qual. DTV Conv. Box w/DVR & TIVO needed

[Donald1800]

I need recommendations for a high quality DTV converter box (terrestrial/OTA/roof antenna) with the following qualities/features:

1. High gain dual ATSC tuners
2. TIVO DVR
3. Analog pass-through
4. Dolby 5.1/7.1 pass-through
5. Smart antenna capable
6. TVGOS EPG capable
7. S-Video or Component output

This will be used with a fairly recent Sony 27" analog 4:3 CRT TV with excellent digital signal prepossessing resulting in a near HD picture, and I do not anticipate buying into a HD flat screen anytime soon.

I have spent all day today searching the net looking for this, but all that I find are cable/satellite units - no OTA units. Yet I remember seeing a DTV converter box feature comparison chart that showed that these were available around 6 months ago. I can't find that chart either.

Donald1800

[classicsat]

You want a TiVo HD, with the exception that it dosn't have smart antenna (wouldn 't work the way it does dual tuner), and uses its own guide from the TiVo service.

[Donald1800]

I did not think that the TIVO HD had analog 480i resolution, S-video or component video output to the TV, or that the dual digital tuners worked with antenna signals? Would someone confirm that the TIVO HD unit will act as an OTA DTV converter for analog input TV's?

Donald1800

[gastrof]

It was the Series 2 Dual Tuner that didn't do OverTheAir television.

The TiVo HD is two tuner all the way.

Either tuner can do analog OverTheAir, analog cable, digital OverTheAir, or digital cable. (The digital cable will only be unscrambled channels with no guide data unless you get two standard cable cards or one "M" card from the cable company. Then it'll serve as its own cable box, and get guide data.)

The TiVo HD will not be a simple OTA converter, but it will be an OTA digital receiver and recorder that can also feed out a down-rezzed picture to analog TVs. In other words, it'll serve your purpose in place of a digital converter box, plus it'll record internally. Two tuners too... Find a little converter box that'll do that.

I'll check the TiVo website (have you tried it?) to see if I can get info for you on the TiVo HD's outputs, but in the meantime, if you ask this in the TiVo Series 3 forum right here, they should be able to tell you. The TiVo HD is the second version of the Series 3.

[gastrof]

Try here-
https://www3.tivo.com/store/boxdetai...&boxsku=R65216

It says the S-Video will provide a Standard Definition picture. I'd say that'd work for an analog TV.

It says the component outputs will provide a High Def picture, but I'm going to GUESS (and it is a GUESS) that if you set the TiVo's outputs to work with a Standard Def set, it'll give a Standard Def picture even thru component.

Three guesses what you get if you use composite output.

[ThAbtO]

Originally Posted by Donald1800

I did not think that the TIVO HD had analog 480i resolution, S-video or component video output to the TV, or that the dual digital tuners worked with antenna signals? Would someone confirm that the TIVO HD unit will act as an OTA DTV converter for analog input TV's?

Donald1800

Note below... THD... rooftop antennea here.

Does not need a converter box because it has NTSC/ATSC tuners, 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i resolutions,OTA and/or cable only, Composite (S-V/Video/LR), Component, hdmi. There is settings for 4:3/16:9, etc., in menu. It also records 2 shows at once, analog and/or digital.

A 16:9 picture will get you a top/bottom letterboxed picture on a 4:3 screen no matter the type of output, as long as its set to 4:3.

[RonDawg]

Originally Posted by Donald1800

I did not think that the TIVO HD had analog 480i resolution, S-video or component video output to the TV, or that the dual digital tuners worked with antenna signals? Would someone confirm that the TIVO HD unit will act as an OTA DTV converter for analog input TV's?

Yes it willl work as a digital OTA tuner for both analog and digital TV's. In fact, this is the solution that TiVo is recommending for Series 1 owners who are on OTA, as the software on these units is not being updated to allow them to work properly with DTV converter boxes.

As far as using a TiVoHD with an analog TV, some people do just that. Composite and s-video connections will automatically be at 480i, even with high definition programming. By using the "Format" button on the front panel, or via the settings menu, the unit can be set to output only a 480i signal even through Component or HDMI.

The only problem you may run into is if your TV lacks any A/V inputs, in which case an RF modulator (or a VCR with its own A/V inputs) is needed.

[Chuckmeister]

Since you mention Component, you would have to set the output to fixed at 480i but should work just fine on an analog set.
One other thing to mention, even though the Tivo will output in 480i, the programming stored on the Hard Drive will still be the native resolution of the DTV station, so the same rules about hours of programming you can store still apply.

[Donald1800]

Thank you so much, folks. I have gone past the Tivo HD units at Costco several times because the box write-up left me with the firm understanding that it was a 'Cable Box'. I just read up on everything I could find on this unit, and I agree - it's ideal for my purposes. Costco has them in-stock for $200, so I'll be buying two.

Thanx again.

Donald

[ThAbtO]

Also, the THD does not require a cable box if you are going to use for cable, but needs a cable card for digital cable.

[ZeoTiVo]

Originally Posted by ThAbtO

Also, the THD does not require a cable box if you are going to use for cable, but needs a cable card for digital cable.

but nothing else if you are just hooking up an OTA antenna. In some areas you get lucky and see lifeline analog if you hook up the coax cable, even if not subscribed to cable.