#298121 - 13/06/2007 21:26
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Waterman981]
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veteran
Registered: 21/01/2002
Posts: 1380
Loc: Erie, CO
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Quote:
Did you guys see this article? It's speculation, but if it pans out it would keep many TiVo users subscribed to DirecTV.
If DirecTV does stick with Tivo, I would sign up right now. That looks promising, although I'll probably just wait and see. The summer is the best time to be without TV, and I've got a lot of work to do finishing my basement anyway. I hope something comes around in the fall, that would be ideal.
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#298122 - 14/06/2007 10:50
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Waterman981]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
Did you guys see this article? It's speculation, but if it pans out it would keep many TiVo users subscribed to DirecTV.
Very interesting. I seriously doubt that will happen, though. All the talking is coming out of Tivo, not DirecTV, and DirecTV has put a lot of money into their new units.
Bitt, I don't like the DirecTV unit very much, but it's got some good points. I hate that LED ring as well, but it's possible to turn that off (just press the left and right buttons on the face of the unit a few times).
The one major feature that the box is lacking is the smart fast forward and rewind. You know, where it'll jump back a little after fast forwarding, the amount of which depends on how fast you were going? In my mind, this is an essential feature, but I've been told that Tivo has a patent on that or something (you can get a patent for everything, it seems). So I've been using the DirecTV unit, and it's maddening that there is no possible way to go through a commercial break and resume playback before your program starts.
Oh, and Bitt, you said you wanted to wait a few days, but just be aware that the promotion ends on the 16th.
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Matt
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#298123 - 14/06/2007 11:49
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Here was my thought process in making a decision:
I could get a replacement used HR10-250 off of eBay, but I don't trust eBay that much, I'd be getting a used machine, and I'd be spending $300-$400 on a machine I know for a fact will be obsoleted in a couple of years at most. Also, I get limited HD access from DirecTV, in particular, no local HD channels, as they're all on MPEG4 streams. I've been recording OTA, but I'm not very close to the transmitters, and I get frequent dropouts.
I could get the DirecTV HD PVR. But it's not as cheap as it initially seemed. I'd also have to get a new dish, which would be a couple of hundred dollars. Plus, Amazon's reviews (which, barring some outliers, seem pretty good on the whole) give the box just scathing reviews, ranging from multiple swapouts, to frequent reboots, to failing to record content for no reason. And I'd most likely have to get a new 2-year contract with DirecTV. And DirecTV goes on and on about needing a land line. I have VoIP and the HR10-250 had never been able to make a call with it, so I don't know if it would work for the HR20. Not to mention the frustration training my wife on the new UI.
Or I could get the Series 3. It'll require dropping DirecTV in favor of Time Warner Cable, and the monthly fees will be slightly higher, but it's a TiVo. The reviews for the box are outstanding (other than a few people who give it 1 star and say "why would you spend this much when you can get the cable company's DVR for next to nothing", which is a reasonable viewpoint, but not exactly a review of the box). I'll get local HD. I'll get a real TiVo UI. Amazon UnBox movie rentals seems very cool. I don't need a phone line; it'll work over my Internet connection. I can supposedly download shows to watch on my PC. Really, the only downside to this is the cost and the necessity to switch providers. And the sale on Amazon plus the rebate (even though I hate mail-in rebates) puts the cost of the unit in the same neighborhood as the other options.
So I ordered a Series 3 for overnight delivery ($2: gotta love Amazon Prime). Turns out I have to activate the TiVo service on or before the 16th in order to get the rebate, so hopefully I can do that without having cable service.
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Bitt Faulk
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#298124 - 14/06/2007 12:35
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Actually, Bitt, I've been reading over the rebate a couple times, just to make sure I wasn't getting screwed over or anything. It appears that the requirements are: 1) Order the Series 3 by June 16th 2) Activate a Tivo service by July 16th 3) Send in the rebate postmarked by August 16th (but also a month after your Tivo service is activated) So you have a month to activate the service. I'm pretty certain you can do that without actually having cable, since Tivo doesn't know what service you have (or really care, as long as you're paying them). I will be out of town from July 1st to July 16th (my birthday!), so I'm going to have to activate the Tivo service before I'm signed up for FIOS or even living in my new house! *edit* Oh, and congrats! I follow your thinking and find it perfectly reasonable. I had to run my S3 purchase by the fiancee, as we're a little low on cash, but my reasoning was that the Series 3 will not get down to this price again in the foreseeable future, and I was going to have a yard sale to pay for the $600 Tivo anyway, so I'm actually saving us money. Now that I'm getting married I'm going to have to really practice my justifications for new technology. Previously I just had to justify it to myself, and I'm a real pushover when I ask myself if it's okay to get a new gadget  *edit 2* By the way, if you're interested in expanding the recording capacity of that new toy you just bought, I have a recommendation: this external drive enclosure. Check out the results they got in this review. It does an amazing job at cooling, and it's pretty quiet. I ordered one for my parents' HR20, and we couldn't hear it. That's another story, though. It turns out that yes, the eSATA port on the HR20 is enabled. The problem? It's an either-or proposition. Either you use the external drive or the internal one. So if we wanted to use the 750GB drive we ordered, we'd have to lose all the programs we'd recorded already. My parents weren't pleased by that idea, so they're going to hold off and hope that a software update takes care of that problem and allows a simple addition of storage capacity. Apparently the Tivo merely adds the new space to what you have already. You just have to follow those instructions I posted somewhere here on the board.
Edited by Dignan (14/06/2007 12:54)
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Matt
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#298125 - 21/06/2007 10:52
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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So did you get your Tivo yet, Bitt? I got mine a couple days ago. I'm not sure how others feel about it, but I think this box is gorgeous. Even the outer case is a cool, shiny black. I'd forgotten that the DirecTV boxes were so ugly compared to the other Tivos.
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Matt
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#298126 - 21/06/2007 13:09
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Yeah. I'm pretty happy so far. Things I like: - The menus are so much faster than the incredible slowness I'd gotten used to with the HR10-250
- My wife uses the closed captioning a lot and it's a lot easier to get to and back from now
- I have an odd TV -- 4:3 tube HDTV -- and there's a specific option for that on the TiVo setup menus
- Autoswitching to the correct output format. My TV does 480i, 480p, and 1080i. I told that to the TiVo and it automatically uses the correct output format depending on the source
- Groups are neat
- The "recently deleted" group is neat, not only because you can "undelete" now, but also because it no longer requires you to confirm when you delete (I think)
- Downloadable movie rentals is neat
- Built-in networking is great. I don't have to argue to get the modem to work with my VoIP service
- This is kinda stupid, but I enjoy the little games on it
Things I don't like: - It is expensive
- Sometimes the remote seems to double-up keypresses
- Not that I had them before, but it would be nice if multi-room viewing and TiVoToGo worked
- The light-up remote is a good idea, but it only lights up after you press a button, after which point, you probably no longer need it lit up. My Harmony remote has a motion sensor
- Amazon Unbox should have more movies available for download rental. And I'm not talking about obscure movies. The other day I thought I'd test it out by renting X-Men 2, which I've not seen. It's not available.
- The remote is just different enough from the previous generation that I keep hitting the wrong buttons
- Remote scheduling works only through TiVo's web site. Why isn't there an interface directly on the TiVo itself?
Despite the reasonably long list of things I don't like, they're pretty insignificant. By far the biggest one is the price. After that, the TiVoToGo/multi-room and the poor download selection are the biggest problems, and they're not too bad. The rest are niggles. I'm sure I have a few more on either side, but I can't think of them at the moment. The new case is neat. It seems to be made of fiberglass instead of sheet metal, which is kinda nifty. But I don't have a good view of the front yet. I don't want to cram it in my entertainment center until I get the CableCARDs installed. Does it do CallerID? I forgot to hook the phone line up to it. Oh, and one thing they should add: - TV stations are stupid and broadcast programs that were initially recorded in 4:3 480i as 16:9 HD signals. On most HD sets, this is probably not a big deal, but on my 4:3 tube, it means I get a postage stamp image (that is, black borders all the way around). It would be nice if the TiVo could take those signals and ramp them back to a 4:3 output format so that I could see the picture fullscreen. Of course, that's just a hack, as the TV station should be broadcasting them as 4:3 digital signals to begin with. It would take less bandwidth and, you know, be the correct thing to do. Of course, I assume that a channel can switch back and forth between resolutions at will.
Edited by wfaulk (21/06/2007 13:21)
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Bitt Faulk
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#298127 - 21/06/2007 14:44
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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I'm glad you're enjoying it! I haven't been able to play with it as much because I don't have any way to get programming onto the box yet (can't get over-the-air signal in the basement where my TV is located for the next week). I thought I might address some of the points you had: -wow! I didn't know that they had changed the way programs got deleted! That's fantastic! People have been asking for undelete for years! -about the movie rentals, I know this doesn't help with the selection problems, but you might want to get on the mailing list to be notified about the 99 cent movie rentals. -as a slight work-around for the light-up remote, when you first pick it up you could just hit the enter key first, which generally doesn't do anything in most normal Tivo operating modes, and is pretty easy to find in the dark. I cannot wait to use this thing fully. It's an impressive box, and I love the new remote (I've always loved the peanuts, and this one improves on the previous design). I agree with your complaints, and the price is the one major obstacle. There's rumors about an "S3 light," but I can't really think of what features they could take out to bring the price down as far as they need to. Most people seem to expect the thing to be under $300, and I can't imagine how they could remove $300 worth of hardware.
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Matt
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#298128 - 21/06/2007 16:52
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Given that they've already developed all of the software for it, they'd have to remove hardware to lower the cost.
It does record analog signals. They might be able to strip out that encoding hardware and save a few bucks. I'm not sure how many cable channels are still analog, though, and how much impact that would have.
They could remove the ethernet hardware, but I can't imagine that's more than about $10.
Maybe get rid of the CableCARD stuff? That's new enough that the hardware might still be expensive. Of course, that means that it would have to control a box, and that would mean adding an HDMI input.
Oh, it would also be nice if it played XviD files. You can supposedly share video files from your PC (I haven't tried it yet -- it might be another thing that's not supported on the Series 3 yet), but it only supports MPEG-4 and WMV and Quicktime or some such.
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Bitt Faulk
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#298129 - 21/06/2007 21:47
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Quote:
Amazon Unbox should have more movies available for download rental.
I just went through a large portion of the movies available for download to my TiVo from Amazon. My previous statement was not strenuous enough by half. The selection is putrid. I don't think I found a dozen movies I was interested in renting. I'd urge people to investigate this more thoroughly than I did.
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Bitt Faulk
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#298131 - 22/06/2007 01:30
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 17/12/2000
Posts: 2665
Loc: Manteca, California
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When the S3 starts up there is a great big THX logo and sound effect.
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Glenn
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#298132 - 22/06/2007 02:19
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: gbeer]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
When the S3 starts up there is a great big THX logo and sound effect.
Yes, but that doesn't automatically mean that the Amazon Unbox downloads were in surround. That's what I was wondering.
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Matt
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#298133 - 22/06/2007 12:58
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
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Blood Diamond is available for 99¢ this weekend, so I'll probably get that. I'll let you know when I watch it. Quote:
I think Amazon is screwing us over at $3.99 for the average rental.
I won't argue, but my wife spends ridiculous amounts of money at the Blockbuster and refuses to utilize Netflix. It's really frustrating. I'd at least rather not have to go return the damned thing.
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Bitt Faulk
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#298134 - 23/06/2007 01:34
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: wfaulk]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
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I use the Blockbuster Movie pass thing. $25 a month for all the rentals you can eat. If I feel like watching 12 movies in a day, I can, the only drawback is that I have to go there and I can have any 2 out at a time. 'Course, since it's 3 blocks from my house, that's no big deal.
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#298136 - 23/06/2007 15:48
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 13/07/2000
Posts: 4180
Loc: Cambridge, England
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Quote:
I think people just dislike Blockbuster that much.
The independent video rental shop at the end of my road has fought a pitched battle with, as they described it, the "Lacklustre" video shop only a couple of hundred yards away -- and won. (Not altogether surprisingly, as, although I wasn't a member of either, Mr Stacey's window display consists entirely of films I want to see, whereas Blockbuster's consisted entirely of films I didn't want to see.)
When Blockbuster finally closed down, and put a giant message up in their shop window telling cardholders they could claim some minuscule reparation at the other Blockbuster in the city centre, Mr Stacey's took a photo of the closed Blockbuster, Photoshopped it, made a poster, and stuck it in their own shop window to crow (first large photo on right, some other photos on page potentially NSFW).
Peter
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#298137 - 23/06/2007 20:00
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: peter]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Great story!
I usually drive the extra six blocks to get to the local, non-chain store. However today, on a whim, and because I was picking some stuff up at the grocery store next to the Blockbuster, I decided to go in and rent a movie I'd been wanting to see. I got my movie and went to check out.
A little factoid: if you haven't rented at Blockbuster in three months, your account is removed. That's what I was told by the person working there, at least. He said I would have to apply for a new membership. I decided that since filling out one of those absurd forms would almost take longer than getting the movie from Netflix, I just left.
How nuts is that? So much for customer retention! At the other [local] store, I've gone over a year without renting a film from them (several times during college, actually), and I can still go in anytime and pick up a movie.
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Matt
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#298138 - 24/06/2007 20:55
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
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Quote:
you pay $25 a month and you only get two at a time?
Yep, but keep in mind, i watch faaaar more dvd's from BB as I can get 2 movies every day, as opposed to 3 at a time, every 3-5 days via the mail. That being said, I use netflix as well, since their ecclectic DVD collection is FAR superior to BB. It also ensures that I get to see new releases the day they come out, as BB has 500 copies in the store, and netflix doesn't buy nearly enough to ensure that I can do the same there.
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#298139 - 25/06/2007 00:18
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: lectric]
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carpal tunnel
Registered: 08/03/2000
Posts: 12338
Loc: Sterling, VA
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Quote:
It also ensures that I get to see new releases the day they come out, as BB has 500 copies in the store
Heh, we must have different communities. In the past, when I actually went to BB once and a while, they still wouldn't have any of the 500 copies in the store. And the employees would always try to weasel out on their "if we don't have it in the store, your next rental is free." This last shining example of customer service was just the icing on the cake. Blockbuster is a horrible company, and I'm happy to never do business there again.
ps- sorry, one more example: I was in a hurry, and I needed to pick up the Seinfeld season 8 box set to give to my fiancee. The only place on my way was a Blockbuster. They had a copy, but for some reason they keep all their box sets behind a locked cabinet (as if they were easier to steal than single DVDs). Nobody in the store had a key to the cabinet. They told me to wait for the manager, who'd be back in five minutes. 15 minutes later he came back late from his break, looked in one drawer, didn't find the key, and basically told me tough luck. Now, I know this isn't a corporate policy problem, but aside from the whole situation being absurd and unnecessary, the employees were all extremely rude, as if I was asking for something completely ridiculous.
Never again!  
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Matt
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#298140 - 25/06/2007 00:45
Re: My TiVo has died -- what to do?
[Re: Dignan]
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pooh-bah
Registered: 20/01/2002
Posts: 2085
Loc: New Orleans, LA
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Wow. What a bad experience. I'm happy to report quite the opposite. I know all the employees by name, and since I see them all the time, and we are always nice to each other, they always hold one of each of the new releases on reserve for me. No matter what time I happen to get there. In fact, they used to keep me in high supply of all the cases they were throwing away, but alas, corporate started shipping the cd's in security sleeves already.
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