No issues with Cablevision of Woodbury. I've had the S3 for about a year now. The handful of times I've called in with Cablecard issues, they've been resolved quickly. I did get ticked the one time they wanted me to power cycle the *TV* when it was the TiVO that was having problems with the cablecard.
Considering Series 3 - Cablevision (Hauppauge)
Hi Everyone...
I made the switch away from TiVo a while back (when Series 3 was still brand new) and am considering coming back. I can't say I've been excessively unhappy with the Cablevision DVR (SA8300HD) but there's no doubt that TiVo is better. Since I'm having hardware issues with the 8300 and it has to be replaced or swapped out, and now that the price is down a bit on the Series 3, I can think about TiVo again.
I'm WORRIED about problems though... of course when you read any forums you start to feel like there is no defect-free version of any product, but I do not want to go through installation hell with the TiVo S3 and cablecards. I did look a bit at the Cablevision thread, but a lot of those posts are old and I'm not sure if some of that information still applies.
Could someone help out and offer some advice or insight into TiVo S3 and Cablevision of Hauppauge? Do the installers have their act together? Can I do the install myself (go and pick up the cablecards at a walk-in center)? Are there any CURRENT known issues, like not being able to get certain channels, or audio/video drop out? I don't want to end up with something less reliable than the 8300 (which honestly, has been pretty darn reliable in my experience). How concerned should I be with switched-video channels and cablevision at this point? I don't want a TiVo that's useless in 6 months...
Any advice or insights would be helpful...
I made the switch away from TiVo a while back (when Series 3 was still brand new) and am considering coming back. I can't say I've been excessively unhappy with the Cablevision DVR (SA8300HD) but there's no doubt that TiVo is better. Since I'm having hardware issues with the 8300 and it has to be replaced or swapped out, and now that the price is down a bit on the Series 3, I can think about TiVo again.
I'm WORRIED about problems though... of course when you read any forums you start to feel like there is no defect-free version of any product, but I do not want to go through installation hell with the TiVo S3 and cablecards. I did look a bit at the Cablevision thread, but a lot of those posts are old and I'm not sure if some of that information still applies.
Could someone help out and offer some advice or insight into TiVo S3 and Cablevision of Hauppauge? Do the installers have their act together? Can I do the install myself (go and pick up the cablecards at a walk-in center)? Are there any CURRENT known issues, like not being able to get certain channels, or audio/video drop out? I don't want to end up with something less reliable than the 8300 (which honestly, has been pretty darn reliable in my experience). How concerned should I be with switched-video channels and cablevision at this point? I don't want a TiVo that's useless in 6 months...
Any advice or insights would be helpful...
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Thanks...
Could someone also give me the basic rundown on the differences between the HD and S3? I know the hard drive size is different... but anything else? Does the HD come with the newest TiVo software now? Is it dual tuner? Is it more "future-proof" to things like switched-video and MPEG4 streams?
Anything would be helpful... or point me to CURRENT info (no old posts please)...
Could someone also give me the basic rundown on the differences between the HD and S3? I know the hard drive size is different... but anything else? Does the HD come with the newest TiVo software now? Is it dual tuner? Is it more "future-proof" to things like switched-video and MPEG4 streams?
Anything would be helpful... or point me to CURRENT info (no old posts please)...
I know that the S3 has THX certification. I have the HD and it looks/sounds great to me (I'm no audio/videophile though). I think there are a few updates the S3 has which the HD has yet to receive (such as the faster menus), but I am happy with the performance. HD is dual tuner. I don't believe the HD is any more able to take on SDV without additional hardware than the S3... seems like they're looking at a dongle+firmware solution for both.teevohnut said:Thanks...
Could someone also give me the basic rundown on the differences between the HD and S3? I know the hard drive size is different... but anything else? Does the HD come with the newest TiVo software now? Is it dual tuner? Is it more "future-proof" to things like switched-video and MPEG4 streams?
Anything would be helpful... or point me to CURRENT info (no old posts please)...
SDV is a real concern for me as I am in Phoenix, AZ which was announced as one of the pilot markets by Cox. No news yet on which channels will be moved, I'm hoping that it will be all the channels I don't watch. That seems to be Cox' M.O. but I'm still concerned they will change things up and take a route similar to TWC Hawaii (most good channels moving to SDV). At this point I've got my fingers crossed that Tivo's SDV solution will come before good channels begin to move for me. I'm also holding off on a second TivoHD purchase until this is settled.
As for tips w/ the install. All I can say is that I recommend you keep your 8300 around until you're certain any kinks in your installation are worked out. I left mine plugged in and recording until everything was good. Depending on your installer, your experience can be flawless or full of issues (many installers have NEVER seen a Tivo and a lot have never done a cablecard install).
Hope some of this is useful.
Thanks for the info Brian... I wish there was a current side-by-side feature list of the TiVo HD vs. the Series 3... I'm leaning towards the S3, but with the state of flux some of the cable companies are indicating for the near future, spending less money is better...
I agree. That was the main reason I waited for the HD. If I would have been 100% certain that there would be no issues, I would have gone the S3 route.teevohnut said:Thanks for the info Brian... I wish there was a current side-by-side feature list of the TiVo HD vs. the Series 3... I'm leaning towards the S3, but with the state of flux some of the cable companies are indicating for the near future, spending less money is better...
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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