For sale: Used, working TiVo Series 2 network savvy DVR

[mikea]

In a case of madness I ended up buying several Series 2 Tivos. I'll be offering them for sale for $75 or so including new network adapters. I'm mainly trying to recover some of the cash I put on the line.

These are Standard Definition with built in analog tuners to record from cable or antenna (until June 12). The can also control an external set top box via IR blaster so they will work with a cable or satellite box, or a digital over the air or cable box.

With the network connectivity the TiVo will give you access to songs, pictures, music, or video on your PC as well as network content such as YouTube, podcasts and TiVocast video and Amazon video on demand and free streaming of Netflix movies for Netflix subscribers. With Tivo2Go and Multi Room Viewing you can transfer recordings from the TiVo to another TiVo or a PC or Mac. You can also stream and/or transfer content from a PC to the TiVo.

These are 40 hour and 80 hour units. I can replace the hard drive up to 1TB which gives up to 1350 hour recording capacity. I'd do that for the cost of the equipment.

Tivo requires TiVo service to get the TV schedules and other features. TiVo service is $12.95 a month, $129 a year or $399 (less! I'll tell you how) for the lifetime of the equipment. Current TiVo subscribers pay less for additional units. ($99 a year, $299 lifetime)

If you're interested in one PM me for info.

http://www.tivo.com/whatistivo/tivois/index.html

 

[mikea]

Also. I can make the above TiVo work as CCTV DVR with no TiVo subscription. It will record up to 40 or 80 hours from a CCTV camera or other source, hour by hour 24 hours a day.

I'm going to do that with one or more of mine.

An unsubbed Tivo will also still record, pause and playback 30 minutes of live TV.

 

[Gary]

So... educate a complete non-geek. At present, I'm still on antenna since I'm not real keen on Comcast and Verizon is not yet here for FIOS. Is TIVO the only DVR out there? Why to I need to have to pay a monthly subscription if all I want to do is record shows.??

Gary

 

[mikea]

So... educate a complete non-geek. At present, I'm still on antenna since I'm not real keen on Comcast and Verizon is not yet here for FIOS. Is TIVO the only DVR out there? Why to I need to have to pay a monthly subscription if all I want to do is record shows.??

Gary

Tivo is the service and hardware business. The subscription pays for the TV schedule and guide and the enabling of the other network features.

In a nutshell, you click to type in the name of teh series you like and tell it to get all the shows for you. You spell out "Wings" (actually WIN..) and click get a Season Pass. and you'll have every episode waiting for you and when you watch you zip right past the commercials.

Your antenna isn't going to work after June 12 unless you get a digital tuner. This TiVo doesn't have a digital tuner but it can control one.

If you want one with a digital tuner for your antenna built in you need the TiVo HD. If you get one of of those you should consider getting cable TV and a CableCARD. then you can record two things at once.

You can BTW, watch a recording while it records one or two

You can do your own instant replay to see or hear what just happened even on a live TV show.

The problem with these is it does so much you can describe it for 30 minutes.

 

[Gary]

Tivo is the service and hardware business. The subscription pays for the TV schedule and guide and the enabling of the other network features.

In a nutshell, you click to type in the name of teh series you like and tell it to get all the shows for you. You spell out "Wings" (actually WIN..) and click get a Season Pass. and you'll have every episode waiting for you and when you watch you zip right past the commercials.

Your antenna isn't going to work after June 12 unless you get a digital tuner. This TiVo doesn't have a digital tuner but it can control one.

If you want one with a digital tuner for your antenna built in you need the TiVo HD. If you get one of of those you should consider getting cable TV and a CableCARD. then you can record two things at once.

You can BTW, watch a recording while it records one or two

You can do your own instant replay to see or hear what just happened even on a live TV show.

The problem with these is it does so much you can describe it for 30 minutes.

Lots of things to think about there, thanks for the response. Really, all I want to do is record a few shows, don't need a guide, or the ability to record a series of shows. My TV is a new Sony, can a TIVO-like device be used on the audio/video out jack? I really don't mind having to program it to record.

Gary

 

[mikea]

Lots of things to think about there, thanks for the response. Really, all I want to do is record a few shows, don't need a guide, or the ability to record a series of shows. My TV is a new Sony, can a TIVO-like device be used on the audio/video out jack? I really don't mind having to program it to record.

Gary

Yep. That's how you connect a source set top box like a tuner or cable box. The Tivo also has composite and S-Video outputs to the TV.

You could make recordings like that but you won't be able to watch live TV through the TiVo unless it has a source like a digital tuner box.

You might run into some problems with HD (won't pass over composite) and the analog outputs of the TV being disabled for some content.

I'd recomend that you get one of the tuners with the $40 guvmint coupon. https://www.dtv2009.gov/

You may even get an unsubbed TiVo to record on schedule for a while becuase you can record by time and channel. For sure it will record the video/audio "live" with the buffer. You might get a nag after a while that it wants to call home. On the older units you can hack it to get rid of the nags, which is how I'm turning my old one into a CCTV DVR.

 

[mikea]

Hey, Mike why don't you shut up and let TiVoShanan do the talking?

What a good idea!

This is what you get when you power up a TiVo HD:

and now...TiVoShanan!

It does everything except bring you a pizza!
Wait! It does that, too:

The end of this is disturbing. :duuno: I dunno how TiVo let them get away with the idea that FF gives you the chipmunk audio. It doesn't do that. You just get the TiVo boops and you can adjust the volume of those and even disable them.

This gives uou an idea of how you hopok it up with a set top box:

BTW, If you want a TiVo HD, I can get those for $199 + shipping.

Yes. Liz, you still need to get one.

For an amateur, Shanan does a terrific job. She's better than a lot of the "pros" doing such and even TV shows.

 

[mikea]

In case you're wondering, I bought the Series 2 to have one or two to share content from my home network for my old SD televisions in other rooms using TiVo2Go and MRV,

I now have over 2TB of video on the network, 1.25TB in my HD Tivo (soon to be 2TB) and I'll put a 1TB in one of the SD TiVos.

I have 3 pieces of free software on my Mac and PC that transfer to and from the TiVos. I can actually covert HD video to SD and serve it up although a streaming application called Streambaby can convert on the fly as it streams. B)

I can rip DVDs to add to the library although I haven't done that yet.

I can put any of it on the iPhone or watch it on the computers.

Enuf. :wink2:

 

[gprellwitz]

Oh, I should mention that I can listen to new PilotCast episodes (or other podcasts) on my Tivo (if any were ever released! )

 

[wanttaja]

Lots of things to think about there, thanks for the response. Really, all I want to do is record a few shows, don't need a guide, or the ability to record a series of shows.

You know, that's what *I* thought when we bought our first TIVO. After a couple of days, we were sold. It IS much better to just tell it to "Record all first-run episodes of ****" than to try to remember to set it up to get the individual ones.

I've got the "Wishlist" set up for Jeff Dunham...now, every time he's on a show or has a special on one of the cable channels, the TIVO automatically records it.

I haven't seen anyone mention the single greatest advantage of a DVR over a standard VCR: You can start watching a show you're recording before it has finished recording! We've got a season pass for the evening news. About fifteen minutes after the news comes on, we crank up the TV and start watching the recording from the beginning. We can blip out all the commercials and "soft news" stories, and get done watching the program by the time it ends recording....

Ron Wanttaja

 

[mikea]

You know, that's what *I* thought when we bought our first TIVO. After a couple of days, we were sold. It IS much better to just tell it to "Record all first-run episodes of ****" than to try to remember to set it up to get the individual ones.

And when you get into the 1000+ hour storage world, you just set up Season Passes for all of the new series that look vaguely interesting.

When you read Mo Ryan saying how good one new show is turning out you can start watching the whole series from the beginning. B) A lot of what I have packed away are shows I have get a round tuit to watch.

I've got the "Wishlist" set up for Jeff Dunham...now, every time he's on a show or has a special on one of the cable channels, the TIVO automatically records it....

Not to mention that "Aviation" as an interest is already in the Wishlist options for the picking.

True story: TiVo used to give an example of setting a Wishlist search of "air*" to get airplanes, airports, aircraft...

Guess whose TiVo they got that idea from? (The Tivo sends the mothership anonymous data to tell them what you're watching and how it's working - actually every key press. You can opt out.)

I haven't seen anyone mention the single greatest advantage of a DVR over a standard VCR: You can start watching a show you're recording before it has finished recording! We've got a season pass for the evening news. About fifteen minutes after the news comes on, we crank up the TV and start watching the recording from the beginning. We can blip out all the commercials and "soft news" stories, and get done watching the program by the time it ends recording....

That, too! You didn't mention the time travel feature. You can decide to RECORD A SHOW THAT WILL NEVER BE SHOWN AGAIN AFTER IT STARTED and have a clean copy of the whole show. (OK. If you act in the first 30 minutes.)

 

[mikea]

So... educate a complete non-geek. At present, I'm still on antenna since I'm not real keen on Comcast and Verizon is not yet here for FIOS. Is TIVO the only DVR out there? Why to I need to have to pay a monthly subscription if all I want to do is record shows.??

Gary

There are also Home Theater PC apps - like Windows Media Center, Sage TV, and Myth TV.

Myth TV is free open source. The others aren't.

And you'd need to spend $1000+ on the PC hardware, ending up with a power hungry monster that doesn't have the TiVo UI and you won't be able to get new movies on cable unless you buy a specific Dell that can't be changed.

 

[SkyHog]

So let me share an experience as a former TiVo employee:

I walked into the training class, thinking "Who the hell needs TiVo. Its not like its that difficult to watch stuff as it happens."

The trainer walked into the classroom and said "None of you get it, yet, but TiVo will change the way you live your life; the way you watch TV will never be the same. When I first started here, I never used my TiVo (as employees, we got free TiVos and service). Now, I never watch live TV, I tune directly into my "Now Playing" list and pick what I want to when I want to."

I was skeptical, since every call center does their best to brainwash their employees on day one, and then reinforces it throughout the remainder of the training period. But when I got home, I set up my TiVo and played with it to get familiar.

"This is really stupid and confusing," I thought to myself. Its not intuitive when you first start using it, but that's because its so radically different from normal television watching. But I set up some season passes - WWF (at the time) Raw, WWF Smackdown, WWF Sunday Night Heat, and Boy Meets World (don't judge me).

"There, that oughta give me some stuff to watch later," I said aloud as I tuned into live TV. I was watching some show, I don't remember what, but probably Saved by the Bell or something like that. I needed a cigarette, so I started to walk out of the room, when I remembered "Oh yeah, I can pause this!" So I paused live tv and walked out of the room. 8 minutes later, I returned, and resumed where I left off. The next time a commercial came, I was queued about 8 minutes behind, so I fast forwarded through the commercial series. "Wow, that is pretty cool."

So - fast forward a month, and my day pretty much went like normal days, go to work, do my thing, get home and relax with a beer on the couch. But now, instead of searching for something good to watch, I simply hit the "Now Playing" list and started watching what I wanted, not what was on. TV on my schedule...that's pretty sick.

The trainer was right. It changed the way I watched TV, it really did. When I left TiVo, I kept my Series 1, 14 Hour TiVo and the service stayed active for about 2 years, before it was changed to a Status 11 (stolen). When I called TiVo for help, they explained that they had deactivated all old employee boxes and put it into Status 11 to avoid accidental reconnection. The only way to reactivate the service was to pay for lifetime service, monthly was not an option. At the time, lifetime service was $279. I decided to pass, and got a Comcast DVR. It really is not the same, and it lacks the same feel as TiVo.

To this day, now being DVRless, I miss TiVo. Its tough to go back after you've gotten into it, it really is.

BTW - I've talked to Howard Stern on the phone at TiVo. He was one of the first celebrities to get on the TiVo bandwagon, and we gave him free service and free equipment because of it.

He's a jerk. lol

Edit: final funny story: Apparently, if you set up season passes for a bunch of wrestling, boy meets world, and saved by the bell, TiVo thinks you're gay. TiVo Suggestions started recommending "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Boy meets Boy" and a few other shows as well. Be careful

 

[gkainz]

after having tivo for a few years, I still reach for the pause and rewind/replay buttons on normal tv ...

 

[mikea]

after having tivo for a few years, I still reach for the pause and rewind/replay buttons on normal tv ...

I keep wanting to do a jumpback on the car radio, and ...once... what I saw out the window.

I have the TiVo remote in front of the Mac. I tried to use it on YouTube playing.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I keep wanting to do a jumpback on the car radio

I have a Sirius radio that will store up to 45 minutes (more, on the non-music channels). I used to listen to football games starting an hour after they actually started, so I could skip commercials. It was sure nice to pause it for a phone call too.

 

[wbarnhill]

Are your Series 2 Dual Tuner models? I keep thinking about getting one for Liz...

 

[Greebo]

Do they have dual tuner series 2's? I thought the dual tuners were only available on the old DirecTiVos and then the newer HD TiVos?

 

[ausrere]

Do they have dual tuner series 2's? I thought the dual tuners were only available on the old DirecTiVos and then the newer HD TiVos?

Yes, I bought a dual tuner series 2 for my mother, and it's not an HD version.

 

[gprellwitz]

Do they have dual tuner series 2's? I thought the dual tuners were only available on the old DirecTiVos and then the newer HD TiVos?

As Lisa said. I have one, as well as an old Series 1 that's not connected anymore. Any interest in it?

 

[mikea]

Are your Series 2 Dual Tuner models? I keep thinking about getting one for Liz...

Do they have dual tuner series 2's? I thought the dual tuners were only available on the old DirecTiVos and then the newer HD TiVos?

Yes, I bought a dual tuner series 2 for my mother, and it's not an HD version.

There are Dual Tuner models. These I have are the single tuner.

I'm looking for DTs, but they won't have an advantage after June 12 except for use on cable while they still have analog on the wire. The Series 2 Dual Tuner TiVos only have one set of non-RF inputs and can control only one set top box, meaning you'll likely connect only one source unless you can put with the second STB source having to be controlled manually to change channels and/or you're a geek like me who knows how to convert video to RF.

 

[mikea]

As Lisa said. I have one, as well as an old Series 1 that's not connected anymore. Any interest in it?

Send it to Nick. He may not be able to get his activated.

It will also work fine as a for manual time/date recordings i.e. as a CCTV DVR.

I'd be happy to take it if nobody else wants it. I'm gong to have a stack for CCTV.

 

[ausrere]

Send it to Nick. He may not be able to get his activated.

It will also work fine as a for manual time/date recordings i.e. as a CCTV DVR.

I'd be happy to take it if nobody else wants it. I'm gong to have a stack for CCTV.

Mike, do you have to go through the guided set up and have an active TIVO account to convert one of the Series 2 to a CCTV DVR? Just glancing at the documentation online, I'm not clear. I assume you don't after it's set up and you've hacked it to get rid of the nag screens for the guide info. I have an old Series 2 sitting around too that I never thought about converting to a CCTV DVR, but I like the idea so I may try it.

 

[mikea]

Mike, do you have to go through the guided set up and have an active TIVO account to convert one of the Series 2 to a CCTV DVR? Just glancing at the documentation online, I'm not clear. I assume you don't after it's set up and you've hacked it to get rid of the nag screens for the guide info. I have an old Series 2 sitting around too that I never thought about converting to a CCTV DVR, but I like the idea so I may try it.

You can hack a Series 1 to kill the nags and keep the clock current, but my experience so far with mine is that a Sries 2 will do "Manual Record" if your lucky enough that it was already looking on the video in for a Set top box, and b) it hasn't heard "Account Closed" from Tivo.

I got word that even then on a Series 1 Tivo Jerry will do a one time enable of manual record.

BTW, even a "Closed" Tivo will do manual tuning and live buffering while nagging at ya.

I just read that a Series 2 may eventually refuse to work for manual recordings. I can only see how long mine work.

The word is Series 1 will work infinitely, and as above Jerry might even help (once.)

 

[mikea]

I'll bring a couple of 80 hour TiVos to Schaumburg Friday night to foist on unsuspecting locals.

I could end up being one of those guys selling stuff in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The difference being that these aren't crappy speakers.