[slyone]

Trying to setup at a nursing home room which has analog only with 60 stations just like at the hospital but anyways, "had" to have the "maint guy" do everything & no signal so he just split the signal directly to the tv which is ok...just not tivo! I thought maybe at the least I should go thru the arduous task of a guided setup maybe?

 

[lhvetinari]

Yes, a TiVo HD should be able to receive analog cable just fine. You'll need to repeat Guided Setup and pick the right channel listing - if you don't have one for the home, you'll need to work with TiVo support to get it added >>Report a Lineup Issue

 

[V7Goose]

Series 3 boxes have both analog and digital tuners (if I remember correctly). ANY channel that a modern TV can tune in directly from a connected coax SHOULD also be tuneable on a TiVo HD from the same coax. This includes clear QAM cable channels. HOWEVER, on a TiVo you must FIRST be able to select the correct channel PROVIDER during guided setup, so that the channel lineup can be downloaded from the mothership. It may take a bit of research to determine if the specific provider for the nursing home is actually available on a TiVo.

Analog signals were virtually all turned off around 2009, so everything now is digital. There are multiple formats of clear cable and OTA digital signals, but the TV tuners are a good test of what should also be available on a TiVo. (Although the TV and TiVo tuners basically work the same, the difference is that the TV does not need a pre-loaded channel lineup - TV tuners just scan all frequencies and select anything they find with valid PSIP information embedded in the signal.)

 

[Series3Sub]

Forgive me, but I would expect the TiVo to go missing from the nursing home room at some point down the line. Nevertheless, I would love to hear who you resolved this. I guess the question is if the nursing home is re-modulating using NTSC or QAM. QAM would be more likely, but if it is an old system, I would not be suprised if it is NTSC. But the TiVo should be receiving both at the same time if you choose Analog, IIRC, but it is something to be aware of when testing, so test every channel.

The other problem would be getting the EPG data because as of recent change, TiVo no longer uses telephone numbers (POTS Copper), but rather Internet only to distribute (and otherwise contact for functionality) EPG data and necessary software--espescially post Rovi for EPG data--and other updates. You can use WiFi connected to the wired gateway, and I believe TiVo has the speicific details on how to acheive this with the proper hardwar choice, along with others who may chime in.

 

[JLV03]

I have a Series 3 and a Premiere both set up at my parents house using analog cable. The local small town cable provider does offer digital channels, but that is over IPTV on their fiber network. The base cable package is still using the old coax across the town and several dozen analog channels.

Most nursing homes have some sort of WiFi installed, so keeping a TiVo up to date should not be an issue. On a Series 3 the best way to get a wireless signal is via the official TiVo wireless G USB adapter.