5 years on. Why can't I find anything better?

3202 Views 33 Replies 22 Participants Last post by mikerr, Jul 31, 2007

peteoheat

Discussion Starter · Jul 23, 2007

I've had my TiVO for about 5 years now and I'm in the process of upgrading my AV kit completely. I've just replaced my old CRT with a nice shiny new FullHD LCD number.

I "thought" i'd replaced my TiVO (I know I should be shot for saying that around here) with a Sony HXD1065. It's a TiVOesque HDD recorder, built in freeview, upscaling DVD player (1080i) and DVD burner in one with a very high "Wife Acceptance Factor" due to minimised number of wires.

I'm actually sending it back today because the Freeview tuner in it won't receive ITV1 or Channel4 over freeview in my area even though the tuner in my TV will. Plus it's claim to have "dual tuners" is somewhat overegged. It has 1 x Analogue, 1 x Digital tuner with separate coaxial input/output. These cannot be used together in any way shape or form.

But having used it briefly, even it's Tivoesque functionality wasn't as good as the TiVO. Oh sure the TiVO that we're stuck with over her lacks freeview and DVD burner etc etc. But it's so damn good at what it does, and so immensely hackable.

So I have a question for you, 5 years after I buy any other technology, I can find something half the size, half the money, twice the capacity, twice the functionality. Why not for TiVO?

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

mikerr

· #2 · Jul 23, 2007

peteoheat said:
the TiVO that we're stuck with over here lacks freeview

Just use the IR wands to get tivo to control a £20 freeview box and you get full functionality (EPG).

Since you have moved to LCD, you should also upgrade to mode0 for the higher picture quality if you haven't already.

So I have a question for you, 5 years after I buy any other technology, I can find something half the size, half the money, twice the capacity, twice the functionality. Why not for TiVO?

You can add 2x 400GB drives into your tivo if you like

As for tivo "replacements", it depends on how much functionailty you are prepared to lose.
Even the live buffer isn't universal !

There are only a few that can do wishlist-like features,
as well as live buffer and season passes,
but none do all of it well:

Windows MCE / Vista Premium (www.thegreenbutton.com) is the only real alternative
with most tivo features (but runs on a PC)

Sky+
Topfield 5800 £200+ (www.toppy.org.uk)
Humax PR9200T £180+ (www.hummy.org.uk)

At the cheaper end I have found the £100 Daewoo 9502 ok with a good GUI and easy to use as a twin tuner recorder (but no live buffer)

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chrisd

· #3 · Jul 23, 2007

I love tivo, but since getting SKY HD last week i'm trying to live without it, as I like the 2 tuners of SKY.

I gotta say, it's hard to put up with the cr*p they call SKY+ (tiny hard drive, no useful search facility, no "this program will be on at the following dates" etc etc) when you are used to all the functionality of Tivo. Why oh why can't the uk tivo have two tuners damnit!

I am severly tempted to go back to tivo and just using the 1 tuner, and ignore the fact that I can have two tuners if I used SKY+.

blindlemon

· #4 · Jul 23, 2007

If you can get freeview then adding a £20 freeview box to your TiVo + sky setup will give you the ability to watch all the freeview channels "live" while your TiVo is busy recording from Sky

chrisd

· #5 · Jul 23, 2007

But then i cant pause em as and when necessary.

And with a 9 month old baby in the house live-pause is necessary about every 2 minutes!

blindlemon

· #6 · Jul 23, 2007

Well, if all you want is the ability to pause Live TV then you could get an unsubbed 2nd TiVo and a freeview box

peteoheat

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 23, 2007

You see where this is all going. "Get another freeview box", "Get a 2nd Tivo". Both have a very low W.A.F (see initial post).

Life just shouldn't be this complicated (can you tell I turned 40 this year

).

Regarding SKY+, I keep looking at getting this every year, and looked again in the last month to get SkyHD to show off my new high def TV. But i'm afraid I just baulk at spending £35+ per month for the odd nugget of gold in a the sea of merde that they usually show.

I find that with TiVO I just don't need anymore than 5 channels, because if there's nothing on those live that i want to watch. There's always content on my TiVO to tide me over.

All I want is a networked TiVO, with two freeview tuners, and a DVD burner. Surely I'm not asking too much.

chrisd

· #8 · Jul 23, 2007

I can't see why some nerd hasn't figured out how to get the American Series 2 or 3 tivos to work over here. Surely it cant be that hard (says someone who wouldn't have even the slightest clue where to even begin!).

Or just stick a 2nd tuner into the UK model. Again, how hard can that be? (I guess pretty damn hard, seeing as no one has done it)

britcub

· #9 · Jul 23, 2007

chrisd said:
I can't see why some nerd hasn't figured out how to get the American Series 2 or 3 tivos to work over here. Surely it cant be that hard (says someone who wouldn't have even the slightest clue where to even begin!).

AFAIK no-one's really tried, because it's impossible to subscribe a US TiVo in the UK. I'm sure it's not beyond TiVo to allow this to happen (even though there's a different database structure - I think), so we could at least import new boxes, but they point blank refuse.

Automan

· #10 · Jul 23, 2007

The only way to get a decent setup is to move to the USA.

My brother tells me he now has a choice of 40 HD channels, a TrueHD 1080P 50" TV, fibre cable feed.

He is however too tight to buy a Series 3 Tivo

ENVY!

Automan.

chrisd

· #11 · Jul 23, 2007

Trust me, if I could get a green card i'd move back to the States tomorrow.
Lived in NY for nearly 2 years back in '99-01 and am desparate to get back somehow.

ps. Automan, did you write this guide to upgrade the SKY HD box? Im tempted to do it as I've only had it a week but running out of space already!! Tad worried about screwing up my brand new HD box though.

Automan

· #12 · Jul 23, 2007

Yes that is my living room carpet and Toshiba box of the laptop I am typing this response

The Transgear has now gone and is now an AppleTV

Automan.

chrisd said:
Trust me, if I could get a green card i'd move back to the States tomorrow.
Lived in NY for nearly 2 years back in '99-01 and am desparate to get back somehow.

ps. Automan, did you write this guide to upgrade the SKY HD box? Im tempted to do it as I've only had it a week but running out of space already!! Tad worried about screwing up my brand new HD box though.

cyril

· #13 · Jul 23, 2007

Windows MCE or Vista Home Premium seems like your best WAF bet.
It's close to TiVo in functionality, and you can have 4 or posssibly more tuners, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray and who knows maybe proper Sky DVBs tuner support soon. All in one box.

However, you can also buy a pretty AV cabinet or solder the internals of a Freeview box inside of your TiVo box -there's a thread about doing this somewhere.

Pugwash

· #14 · Jul 23, 2007

I made a MCE 2005 box up last year, and was mainly disappointed with it. I had 300GB of space, twin tuners and an awful MCE interface that insisted on recording programmes 4 or 5 times even though I told it "no repeats".
I'm considering "freevo" I think. If it gets better.

Automan

· #15 · Jul 24, 2007

I myself would try a MCE approach again if Sky make a suitable tuner module with viewing card slot available.

With my current freeview signal it is not worth the effort

Automan.

PhilG

· #16 · Jul 24, 2007

chrisd said:
I love tivo, but since getting SKY HD last week i'm trying to live without it, as I like the 2 tuners of SKY.

I gotta say, it's hard to put up with the cr*p they call SKY+ (tiny hard drive, no useful search facility, no "this program will be on at the following dates" etc etc) when you are used to all the functionality of Tivo. Why oh why can't the uk tivo have two tuners damnit!

I am severly tempted to go back to tivo and just using the 1 tuner, and ignore the fact that I can have two tuners if I used SKY+.

I wish some magazine (the type that reviews PVRs now and says "Sky + is the best" would include Tivo in their reviews. OK, it'd fall down on the "built in tuner" stakes, but would win hands down on just about every other category and might even shame someone into doing "the right thing"

In fact, any decent marketing person would be able to sell the BENEFITS of not having a built-in tuner ("You can use ANY receiver you like with your Tivo")

Phil G

wadadli

· #17 · Jul 24, 2007

This would do the trick wouldn't it??
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/tec...rss&adxnnlx=1185307822-Bt5pE2ePLCSX1PjyUM0oSA

AMc

· #18 · Jul 25, 2007

PhilG said:
I wish some magazine (the type that reviews PVRs now and says "Sky + is the best" would include Tivo in their reviews. OK, it'd fall down on the "built in tuner" stakes, but would win hands down on just about every other category and might even shame someone into doing "the right thing"

It wouldn't be that useful to consumers given that the routes to buying Tivo are second hand from eBay with no warranty or from Tivoland.com. While I understand that Tivo beats Sky+ for functionality until someone is brave enough to make one available for sale it remains a 'kit car' best buy.

mikerr

· #19 · Jul 25, 2007

Mentioning Tivo features would be useful as a benchmark against which all other PVRs are measured...

Live buffer (why do many do this so poorly or not at all?)
Trick play (watch a recording before its finsihed, yes some don't do that)
Season passes
Wishlists - keyword, title, actor ....
Suggestions (though borked at the moment).

Ian_m

· #20 · Jul 25, 2007

mikerr said:
Mentioning Tivo features would be useful as a benchmark against which all other PVRs are measured...

Live buffer (why do many do this so poorly or not at all?)
Trick play (watch a recording before its finsihed, yes some don't do that)
Season passes
Wishlists - keyword, title, actor ....
Suggestions (though borked at the moment).

Forgot to mention "forthcoming episodes" which is the most useful feature I find with a single tuner, if you can't record at 7.30pm due to a clash with Eastenders then TiVo records the 1:30am repeat.

1 - 20 of 34 Posts

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