[steveo1]

I dont have a Tivo now, but I have a chance to get a TCD24004A for $40 which seems reasonable. My research tells me I shouldnt have any problem adding a larger disk.

But when researching moving files between the Tivo and my PC, it looks like you cant actually stream files from the PC to the Tivo and watch them like you can with a DMA adapter. (Today I record on my PC and stream to my TV with a DMA adapter. PC recording is a bit problematic, thats why I am considering go to Tivo). Is this true, do you have to transfer the file, then watch it? Plus xfer times seem pretty slow, not much better than real time. Waiting 2 hrs to move a 2 hr movie is ridiculous. You should be able to do it in a few minutes over a wired 100Mbps network. But I undertsand the USB port is pretty slow on the Tivo.....
Are any of the newer units a better choice to start from?

I am thinking this might be a show stopper for me.....do I understand the capabilities here properly?

One last question, can you attached a USB HDD to the USB port and play files that way? My guess is the port is too slow even if it does support mass store devices.
Hmmm.....

Just want to check with people in the know........Thanks

 

[puffdaddy]

A TCD24004A for $40 might be a bit steep. Remember that in 2009(?), NTSC is slated to go dead, and if cable companies also pull the plug on their analog feeds, then there would be little to use such a unit for.

With a bit of hacking you could hook it up to a HiDef OTA receiver like an old Voom box, and with some additional work (either on TiVo's part or on your part) it could be made to control modern (5th Gen) OTA STB's.

That said, for someone who plans to pay for a subscription, I wouldn't recommend a TCD240xxx (or any non-HD tivo for that matter). Instead I would recommend ponying up the scratch for a TiVoHD (as it's the subscription costs that end up costing you in the long run).

 

[robomeister]

To answer the OP's questions:

$40 for a TiVo is not a bad deal. But it's not a really good deal, either. And it is easy to upgrade the hard drive, if you are familiar with the inside of PCs. Check out the Upgrade Forum on this site. Also, check out mslive.org for the latest upgrade tools.

In order to view mpegs from your PC, you will need to subscribe to the TiVo service. The feature you describe is called TiVoToGoBack. And yes, you transfer the file from the PC to the hard drive in the TiVo. But you don't have to wait till the transfer is finished. You can start viewing the file as soon as it shows up in the "Now Playing" list. You may experience some pauses as you view it, because you might "catch up" to the end of the transferring file. I have ripped DVDs and watched them on my TiVo as they are transferring, no problems.

The USB port on the 2xx models is one of the faster ones when compared to the other TiVos. It is USB 2.0, at least, and doesn't rely on the CPU for help. But you won't get 480 MB/s. If you use a wired ethernet connection, you should be able to view the files with no problems.

You can only connect USB to Ethernet connectors (wired or wireless) to the USB ports. A list of compatible USB to Ethernet devices is on the TiVo website. A USB hard drive will not work. You can hook it up, but the TiVo software will not recognize it.

But be aware that you must subscribe the TiVo to get any functionality out of it. And as puffdaddy stated, in Feb 2009, analog OTA broadcasts will cease. This won't be a problem if you use cable, however.

Hope this helps,
robomeister

 

[steveo1]

Thanks for your comments.....much appreciated.