The Series 3 STINKS!!!

Return it.

 

Tivo has said TivoToGo and MRV are coming in November (next month). Some on this forum have speculated that the official eSATA support will be provided then as well. We'll see before long.

As far as the other issues, we can only hope Tivo will work on them between now and then.

If you don't mind me asking, where / when are you seeing these A/V sync issues? I have not seen those mentioned in the other 9.1 threads.

 

1. Audio and video out of synch

I haven't experienced this.

2. Macro and micro blocking, sometimes to the point that recorded shows are unwatchable

I haven't experienced this.

3. No Tivo2Go

Not a deal breaker for me.

4. Disabled SATA port
SATA port works -- see the sticky FAQ on SATA ports.

5. Slow menu response--pathetic!!!!
I haven't experienced this.

6. Occasionally blank recordings
I *have* experienced this -- I think it was due to bad OTA reception or the cablecards got flakey and stopped working properly, requiring a system restart. Happily, I haven't seen any cablecard issues on my Tivo Series 3 for the past 5-6 months. I think Tivo must have fixed any resource leakage issues related to cablecards earlier this year. Or maybe it was because I cancelled my premium channels when I realized I watched mostly NBC,CBS,ABC,PBS, and maybe this itself resolved the resource leakage ?

Anyways, if you're this unhappy try to travel back in time to the 30 day return period and see if you can return it. Oops, this isn't currently technlogically possible, is it ? Sorry, my gallows humor kicking in right now..

Good luck. .

Gino.

 

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I'm using my new Tivo HD to replace my SageTV HTPC (with 3 tuners).

The SageTV was just too unstable.

This Tivo HD is rock solid, I get every OTA channel in at 90% signal strength thanks to the FANTASTIC tuners in this thing. They blow away the Ati HDTV Wonder and AverMedia A180's in my HTPC.

It is laggy (the GUI), but that was in my expectations from using Tivo's over the years and is a trade-off I'm willing to accept.

I hear horror stories about the Cable Cards... I'm glad I about 20 HD channels (San Jose California) in using OTA antenna.

The only thing I'm missing is maybe Discovery HD, A&E, Comedy Central, but thats what the internet is for.

 

Feel better?

 

Same here been having problem for the last two months.Just got the update to 9.1 still no fix for pixelation, slow reponse or none at all, reboot after a few minutes. It only occurs on hd channels only and if i unhook cable from wall to tivo it works just fine. I think its a tivo hardware issue or a cable card issue. Probably not a cc issue because i did a diagnostic everything looks ok. I've been reading other post about the same problem and everybody has a differnent answers. You can hookup the cable operators dvr and see no problems with hd channels? But only with tivo s3 and hd units thats kind of odd dont you think? I'll give it a week and call them to see about a replacement. Please reply if you have an answer.

 

Mine smells fine.

 

I think I actually miss that "New TiVo smell."

 

Mine is working almost perfectly. Occasionally some minor picture disturbances, occasionally some lipsynch problems. And in both cases, I mean "OCCASIONALLY." Quite frankly, I've been working with video gear for 35 years now, and I've never seen a perfect video recorder. They all occasionally hiccup, and that includes machines that cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. PBS just last week had a disaster on their first night of broadcasting Ken Burn's "THE WAR." It's technology, it screws up sometimes. GROW UP and get over it. If it screws up consistantly, replace it.

 

Hmmm Well, I've had mine for a year now... in fact.. ordered it the second it became available.

I've had it installed on both Cablevision and now Verizon FiOS.

1. Audio and video out of synch
I've never seen this on my unit

2. Macro and micro blocking, sometimes to the point that recorded shows are unwatchable
I haven't seen this either

3. No Tivo2Go
According to TiVo this is coming in a matter of weeks

4. Disabled SATA port
Nonsense

5. Slow menu response--pathetic!!!!
My menu response is speedy... just as quick.. if not quicker.. than my S2 box

6. Occasionally blank recordings
Have NEVER seen this

Conclusion: Yes, YOUR TiVo S3 Stinks. I would return it and ask for a replacement.

 

Can I officially change my name to 30DAYRETURNPERIODGUY ?

If it isn't right within 30 days, call Tivo and ask for an extension because it isn't working properly. If they do not want to, return it for a different box and try that out. Oh, you are outside of the 30 Day Return Period? Oh I see. Well then. Maybe you need to be a little more prompt with your decision making.

 

I appreciate your straight forward review methodology with layman terms I can understand like stink and pathetic. Could you review the Motorola DCH PVR next?

 

I agree, it does stink. The S3 is hardly the best of all possible worlds that my old S1 was. It's a shabby, slow, expensive, bugridden product. Problem is, everything else stinks worse. Much worse.

I always thought that DVR technology was easily copyable, and TiVo was nothing particularly special. I assumed that someone else would improve on the original model for less money. Somehow, that never happened. TiVo still reigns supreme. Why? I dunno. It's a mystery.

 

TiVo HD don't.

 

I've had my S3 since December 2006. Here's my 2-bits for comparison.

I have never seen this problem. Could it be something other than the TiVo?

The only time I really saw blocking of any significance was when I was using OTA HD while I was waiting for Charter to come out and install my cable cards. After that, very rarely.

Known quantity at purchase time and known area for future expansion once approved.

Another known quantity at purchase time and another area for future expansion. It is better that they included the hardware even if the software was not ready than to add it to updated hardware when the software became ready.

Compared to the other TiVo units I own (S2) the S3 seems as fast or faster, particularly compared to a Toshiba DVD writer TiVo that I have.

Never experienced this.


As far as odor. None.

 

The TiVoHD is still a shabby, slow, bugridden product. It's just not expensive, and has what I consider to be insufficient storage for HD.

Not to bash TiVo, I've had one since 2000. But I've been waiting for TiVo to substantially improve its core functionality, and it just hasn't since my old S1. My S3 is much slower than my S1 ever was. And I've been waiting for something better to come out, and it never has. The DVR market is in a virtual standstill. It's a real bummer.

Seriously, why are we dealing with slow UI? It's 2007 for crying out loud.

 

Please define your use of "core functionality" so we can discuss how it has not improved.

In its most narrow scope we can say 'recording TV to disk'. Even at this limited scope, I think it has improved by allowing me to record HD content.

I'd like to hear your definition and then rationale as to how it has not improved since the S1.

 

\

Why watch tv in 2007 that isnt HD ? And why would you want to use a single tuner? That why people can deal with a slow UI. And once you get over your " My Series 1 unit was way faster" bug, you wont even remember that outdated unit any longer. I have 3 Series 2 units and 5 Directv units and a new TivoHD and I love the thing. Granted it is a little slow on the draw but it gets that job done and kicks the ass out of any crapcastic box or other competitors. So sit sideline as everyone else enjoys their units and return yours. Thank you come again

 

Well believe it or not there are a whole bunch of us who live in the boonies where we're lucky to get one or two HD OTA stations and have cable companies who don't do HD yet.

Yeah, I know about satellite - we're not THAT far back in the boonies.