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Ohh, another convert. We've had a TiVo since the beginning. I still have my original, 14 hour unit in storage. Have a series 2 with 100+ capacity now. Don't think I could ever live without it. And for sharing digital photos with the family through the TV its fantastic. As is being able to log in on the web from anywhere and tell it to record a show I just found out about or had forgotten.
I just wish you didn't have to pay for additional service for a second unit. Otherwise I'd have one in the bedroom too.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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I don't have the Tivo thingy, but I do have a digital recorder. I'll never watch regular TV again...But now I find myself trying to rewind the radio to hear a song again. I'll get digital radio when I can control it like the DVR. Of course, then I'll run off the freaking road.
-------------------- The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.
Don't judge me!
Registered: Aug 2003
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I am with armsfalloffboy, I have dvr too. It's great but if you record two shows at the same time you can't watch any other channel. But being able to save stuff to watch later is great. Also is fast forwarding through all the boaring parts.
From: Texas | Registered: Apr 2004
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But I do have that old 14 hour TiVo. Anyone willing to pay for shipping (and the monthly service it requires) I'll let you have it. Assuming it hasn't been eaten by whatever roams in my rental unit.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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TiVo is the best thing since sliced bread. It is basically a hard drive that records your television programs for you. Not only that but while you are watching a live event you are able to pause it (for up to 30 minutes) if you need to. You can also rewind live TV back to 30 minutes (or to the last time you changed the channel).
It also enables you to set what is called a Season Pass. This enables you to tell the programming you want all episodes (either all, including repeats, or just new) of any program. Works great for Caroline and her mom's soaps. And shows like Lost and CSI that I don't have time to watch until the weekend.
The storage capacity varies on models but I think the average is now at least 80 hours of programming can be stored. Show will last until the TiVo needs more room for recording or, using another option, until you delete them. I have two movies (Riverworld and Deathlands) that I've had since last year but haven't been able to watch yet. And instead of rummaging through a bunch of video tapes to find them when I do have time they are available at the touch of a button.
Another feature I love is the Wishlist. You can tell TiVo you want it to look for shows that you set the parameters for. For instance, I have a Wishlist with 'Poker' as the keyword. So every few days (the programming schedule keeps 10 days worth of upcoming shows, like an expanded TV Guide) I'll check my Wishlist and TiVo will search through all of my available channels for any program with the work 'poker' in the title or description. You can tell it to search for particular stars or specific movies and it will find them. You can instruct it to automatically record those shows if found or just check your Wishlist every so often to see if something new is coming up you want.
Something I don't use but others may is the feature that has caused some controversy. TiVo learns from your recording and Wishlist options and will chose shows it thinks you like. There was an episode of, I think, 'King of Queens' where one of the characters was afraid his TiVo thought he was gay because of a specific show he had recorded. I just find that, for the most part, the shows it recommends for me are ones I already watch or don't care for.
What else. Oh, since I have a Series 2 I can share, through my wireless computer network, all the photos or music on my computers. This allows me to take digital photos and show them to friends and family on my TV screen. It also lets me access my music files and play them through my sound system rather than my laptop. If we had a second TiVo in another room we could also share recorded shows between them. And, as I mentioned earlier, you can log into your account on-line and have you TiVo record a show you may have just heard of but won't be home in time to schedule.
I also signed up for an option a while back that provides me with movie and television previews before the normal public sees them. Like with LOTR:ROTK we got previews and scenes before the public did. Some networks also use their commercials to allow you to record upcoming shows. For instance, NBC, in advertising their upcoming shows, gives the option to hit the Thumbs Up button (used to rate if you like a show or not) to automatically record a show if you decide you'd like to see it.
That's it, short version. There are plenty of other options but that is what most non-owners would need to know about. At least I think so.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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- I've always figured the number the manufacturer gives for recording time is for the low-resolution setting. How much would you adjust it if you're planning to record in standard definition?
- Does TiVo support HD? I never see it mentioned so I figure not, but might as well ask.
- How does the season pass work, does it look at episode numbers (and compare it to what you have recorded) or (based on your wording it sounds like it) look for episodes marked as "new"? So if there were a cool new cable show I started watching midway through, would I face the choice between taping all 5 airings in a week if I want to catch the episodes I missed in rerun?
- How has TiVo affected your TV watching? My boyfriends expects a TiVo would increase out TV watching (yeah, like I could pull myself away from City of Heroes long enough) but I say it would decrease it because we'd do "more efficent" viewing (i.e. less random channel surfing 'til show X is on, less watching whatever b/c there's nothing on).
- Do you have HBO? I remember an episode of "Mind of the Married Man' where the protagonist agonized that his TiVo thought he was gay and started recommending "Queer as Folk" and Barbara Streisand concerts after he taped an episode of Will & Grace.
quote:Originally posted by LyleLyle: A few questions I've had about TiVo:
- I've always figured the number the manufacturer gives for recording time is for the low-resolution setting. How much would you adjust it if you're planning to record in standard definition?
TiVo offers (at least on Series 2 units) 4 recording settings. Here are the settings for the standard 80 hour unit:
Best Quality: 24 hours, 7 minutes High Quality: 38 hours, 58 minutes Medium Quality: 51 hours, 34 minutes Basic Quality: 88 hours, 7 minutes
I use the High setting on mine. There is no noticable difference between it and Best. I don't believe there is any noticable difference even in the Medium setting. You will notice a more fuzzy, pixelated, image in the Basic setting depending on the quality of your cable/antenna connection.
quote:Originally posted by LyleLyle: - Does TiVo support HD? I never see it mentioned so I figure not, but might as well ask.
I've been investigating this recently and have found out that TiVo postponed their development of an HDTV unit until some new cable law passes that they are hoping to take advantage of. They have been trying to get a major cable company to adopt their units but have, so far, been unsuccessful. Although DirectTV satellite users get a TiVo unit as their DVR.
quote:Originally posted by LyleLyle: - How does the season pass work, does it look at episode numbers (and compare it to what you have recorded) or (based on your wording it sounds like it) look for episodes marked as "new"?
So if there were a cool new cable show I started watching midway through, would I face the choice between taping all 5 airings in a week if I want to catch the episodes I missed in rerun?
The Season Pass settings are:
Repeats and First Run First Run Only All (with duplicates)
In its way TiVo will recognize, using the Repeats and First Run setting, episodes that are repeated and you missed. Once it has taped an episode of a program it knows it was taped and won't tape a repeat. So say I missed an episode of Lost, prior to setting up my Season Pass. Once I chose the Repeats and First Run option TiVo will catch that episode I missed on the first available recording but ignore all subsequent airings.
Say you have a show set to record but you notice another one you'd rather see (maybe something that won't be repeated). With a Season Pass TiVo will let you cancel just that episode and then record it next time around. I frequently stop mine from recording Family Guy when it shows at Midnight (when I'm up and Caroline's mom is still in the room) but since I have it on a Season Pass TiVo knows to record the next showing just a few hours later instead.
Some programs don't have descriptions provided, even the one stating it is a repeat (happens a lot with some of the poker shows I watch). Even without a description to match it TiVo can tell the difference between one its already recorded and one it hasn't. There has to be something in the programming that doesn't show on the guide that TiVo uses to recognize this.
quote:Originally posted by LyleLyle: - How has TiVo affected your TV watching? My boyfriends expects a TiVo would increase out TV watching (yeah, like I could pull myself away from City of Heroes long enough) but I say it would decrease it because we'd do "more efficent" viewing (i.e. less random channel surfing 'til show X is on, less watching whatever b/c there's nothing on).
I'd say a little of both. Yes it does make it more selective but it makes it much more easier to catch a program you may not have known about without the programming guide and/or Wishlist subjects.
The problem I find is I'll record stuff and not get a chance to watch it soon. I currently have 25 episodes of Sealab 2021 to catch up with.
quote:Originally posted by LyleLyle: - Do you have HBO? I remember an episode of "Mind of the Married Man' where the protagonist agonized that his TiVo thought he was gay and started recommending "Queer as Folk" and Barbara Streisand concerts after he taped an episode of Will & Grace.
I did see that episode back when Mind was still on their air. But they did do the one I described on King of Queens. Here is a partial synopsis of the episode:
quote:Spence has just bought a Tivo, and starts bragging about it to Holly. However, when he goes through the shows it has recorded for him he realizes Tivo thinks he's gay. He tries to convince Tivo and Holly that he isn't gay by programming it for sporting events, but all it does is record men's ice dancing. He has a conversation with Carrie about how they're both being sexually harassed, her by a four year old and him by Tivo, although in the end he does choose to watch Queer as Folk.
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