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wbarnhill

wbarnhill

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 26, 2005
Messages
7,901
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Greenwood, SC
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iEXTERMINATE
I'm sold on TiVo. 100%. Got the dual tuner version for 69.99 and the 2 year plan for 14.95/mo. This thing is amazing. :yes:

Got TiVo Desktop Plus and thinking about the Sonic DVD package if I can't figure out a way to get these things burned to DVD in Nero.

How did I ever live without this?
 
wbarnhill said:
I'm sold on TiVo. 100%. Got the dual tuner version for 69.99 and the 2 year plan for 14.95/mo. This thing is amazing. :yes:

Got TiVo Desktop Plus and thinking about the Sonic DVD package if I can't figure out a way to get these things burned to DVD in Nero.

How did I ever live without this?
Click to expand...

You learned the pleasures of little TiVo guy THAT fast? TOLD YA! :goofy:

I'm wondering if I want to risk Comcast or commit to another year of DirecTV at the new house. In both cases I will have TiVos, not the crappy Rupert boxes. When DirecTV turns off MPEG2 I will turn off DirecTV.

I'll only have a dish installed if I get to put a shock collar on the installer and zap him if begins to do something I don't like.

I was a contractor in a previous life. I once grabbed the drill out the hands of the Comcast guy to show him how to route the wire and fish a wall. I think he thought I had supernatural powers. Then he cut the cable too short when I wasn't looking. :mad:
 
mikea said:
I'll only have a dish installed if I get to put a shock collar on the installer and zap him if begins to do something I don't like.

I was a contractor in a previous life. I once grabbed the drill out the hands of the Comcast guy to show him how to route the wire and fish a wall. I think he thought I had supernatural powers. Then he cut the cable too short when I wasn't looking. :mad:
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You and my grandfather would get along wonderfully. Dish guy used a hammer drill to punch a hole in his hardwood flooring about 2 - 3 inches from the wall. Dish refused to pay for the repairs as they said that there was nothing wrong with that and he had "agreed" to it as part of the installation.

On top of that, the guy proceeds to run the cable from the dish to the house (dish had to be setup in the middle of the backyard) and leaves the cable laying on the ground telling my grandfather that he has to bury it himself.

I'm sure he'd have given anything for that guy to have been wearing a shock collar.
 
Same experience I had with the last DirecTV installer - made my house look like a friggin' trailer with thick, black coax hanging from the outside walls.
 
told ya x2! I am not much of a TV watcher but boy do I love my Tivo (actually Dish network DVR)
 
Does any Tivo do HDTV?
 
Yes Spike - the two dual tuner ones will accept 2 HD Cable Cards, which are only provided by the cable company, unfortunately.
 
Does TWC do it? Comcast swapped Dallas to them this year.
 
SCCutler said:
Does any Tivo do HDTV?
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Two. The DirecTV HD-250, which going for cheap because it'll be obsolete in a year or two, and the new Series 3 which I just bought. Both will receive HD over the air, The Series 3 also accepts two CableCARDS and will record from 2 of the 4 tuners simultaneously...and it has games, podcasts, music, can do photos and music from your PC.

http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series3HDDVR

If you're gonna order from TiVo PM me for my referral code so I get credit.
 
mikea said:
Two. The DirecTV HD-250, which going for cheap because it'll be obsolete in a year or two,
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Is that still available? I thought DTV was just hawking their own dvr now?
 
Never mind, I see you can still get them at places like bestbuy
 
Er, scratch that - Best Buy only has the new versions. I think you'll have to go to ebay to find any DTV TiVos anymore.

Which ****es me off cause I am not about to drop TiVo just cause DTV wants me to.
 
I just added an HD tuner card to my homebrew DVR and it's working like a charm. I'm lovin' HD...
 
Homebrew DVRs are interesting to me, I'll grant, but how well do they work for, say, picking a program and automatically recording it without you having to set the date/time?
 
Greebo said:
Er, scratch that - Best Buy only has the new versions. I think you'll have to go to ebay to find any DTV TiVos anymore.

Which ****es me off cause I am not about to drop TiVo just cause DTV wants me to.
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Yeah, I'm dumping Rupert instead. I've halfway decided not to even hang the dish on the new place. Why do the job twice and deal with the lummox installer? ...or even do it myself.

It already has cable. I already have the Series 3. I just gotta hold my nose and deal with Comcast.
 
Greebo said:
Homebrew DVRs are interesting to me, I'll grant, but how well do they work for, say, picking a program and automatically recording it without you having to set the date/time?
Click to expand...

It's automagic but not quite TiVo-Like. They use free TV listings so you can record by name and have season passes. I dunno how fast they get updates.

Dig the Hannibal:

http://store02.prostores.com/servlet/tvease/Search?category=media+centers:hannibal

I'd be tempted to add that the system.
 
mikea said:
Yeah, I'm dumping Rupert instead. I've halfway decided not to even hang the dish on the new place. Why do the job twice and deal with the lummox installer? ...or even do it myself.

It already has cable. I already have the Series 3. I just gotta hold my nose and deal with Comcast.
Click to expand...
The first dish I had was installed professionally. When I upgraded from the single LNB to the triple (for dual tuners), I changed out the dish m'self (using the existing base mount but it wouldn't be hard to change that either). The cables run just like any other and the only trick is aiming the dish properly, which if you take a small tv and the receiver with you, you can do on your own as well, or have your SO yell up from the screen "BETTER, WORSE"...which is the method I used and DONT recommend :goofy::rofl:
 
Greebo said:
The first dish I had was installed professionally. When I upgraded from the single LNB to the triple (for dual tuners), I changed out the dish m'self (using the existing base mount but it wouldn't be hard to change that either). The cables run just like any other and the only trick is aiming the dish properly, which if you take a small tv and the receiver with you, you can do on your own as well, or have your SO yell up from the screen "BETTER, WORSE"...which is the method I used and DONT recommend :goofy::rofl:
Click to expand...

Yeah. Installed the one I have. I did take the reciever and my littel TV out to where i could see what I was doing as I aimed it. Remember I used to be a pro. What I don't have without digging are my coax tools and such but I can deal with that.

I'd have to hang the dish on the chimeny or far up the south wall. I will be outign in a TV anetnna anyway.

I ain't as young as I used to be so I have no bidnesss climbing on roofs or ladders anymore, but I could hack something up. We'll see.
 
Greebo said:
Er, scratch that - Best Buy only has the new versions. I think you'll have to go to ebay to find any DTV TiVos anymore.

Which ****es me off cause I am not about to drop TiVo just cause DTV wants me to.
Click to expand...

http://www.weaknees.com/hd-tivo.php but the prices are outrageous. They must be counting on scarcity and the the upper crust wanting a one stop place to pick one up to add on. The word is they're going for $400-$500 on eBay.
 
Greebo said:
The first dish I had was installed professionally. When I upgraded from the single LNB to the triple (for dual tuners), I changed out the dish m'self (using the existing base mount but it wouldn't be hard to change that either). The cables run just like any other and the only trick is aiming the dish properly, which if you take a small tv and the receiver with you, you can do on your own as well, or have your SO yell up from the screen "BETTER, WORSE"...which is the method I used and DONT recommend :goofy::rofl:
Click to expand...

When I worked for TiVo, we did tech support on the DTV TiVos. There is a setting where it will seek out the signal and tell you how far off you are from the correct angle. Duon't remember how to get there though
 
Can I get some advice? I've been looking at getting a TiVo. Is it worth it to get a DirecTV brand TiVo, or can I just pick up a regular one from Circuit City or some such store? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Thanks.
 
bluesky74656 said:
Can I get some advice? I've been looking at getting a TiVo. Is it worth it to get a DirecTV brand TiVo, or can I just pick up a regular one from Circuit City or some such store? What are the advantages/disadvantages of each?

Thanks.
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Once again, listen to the ads not every DVR is a TiVo. Right now you can the only TiVo you can buy in most retail sources are "standalone" TiVo that need an external source like a cable box, satellite box, or TV antenna, or with the Series 3, two CableCARDs.

What you get from DirecTV now is a Rupert box made by the company he owned, called NDS. Although there are DirectTV fanbois who will "woot!" over anything new and shiny, in my opinion if one of these NDS DVRs were your only choice you'd be better off reading books and selling the TV.

You can get Motorola DVRs from cable companies. My opinion of those is the same. They're only one higer on the rings of hell.

You can buy the old DirecTV DVRs made with TiVo. In fact I'm thinking of getting one now. You have to find them on eBay or from modder resellers. You want an Hughes HDVR2 or the HiDef HR10-250.
http://www.weaknees.com/directv-tivo.php
http://www.weaknees.com/hd-tivo.php

This is the one you don't want. Note the message:
DIRECTV R15 - DIRECTV DVR Plus without TiVo (For Existing DIRECTV
Sorry, we are no longer selling this item :rofl:
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I spotted this one yesterday:
http://www.electronicexpress.com/product?prod_id=6153&refer=6&cpc=6
It says "in store only" and the strores are in Tennessee, but I might give them a call. Don't buy em out before I get one.

There are many on eBay going in the $300-$400 range.

Another thing with DirecTV is they will be cutting over to new K-Band satellites and using MPEG4 encoding over the next few years. That will not work with these. When that day arrives they'll call you and make you a deal on Rupert boxes if you commit to another year or two of service.

I will cancel DirecTV when the day comes that they make these receivers stop working. When I signed up almost 10 years ago I wanted TiVo, not DirecTV. It happened that the DirecTivo box was the hot setup. When they dump TiVo. I dump DirectTV.

I bought a Series 3 HD standalone TiVo which I'm using with an antenna for digital TV and HD over the air. I'll go with cable and CableCARDs when I dump DirectTV.

Your other choice with the Series 2 TiVo is to have it control whatever cable or sat box you have. That works pretty well. There's a slight lag as it changes channels and you can only record one thing at a time where the others can record two.

The funny thing I'm also relaizing that I don't spend much time watching TV any more. I may just pare back to the antenna and what I can get online. :dunno:
 
mikea said:
Your other choice with the Series 2 TiVo is to have it control whatever cable or sat box you have. That works pretty well. There's a slight lag as it changes channels and you can only record one thing at a time where the others can record two.
Click to expand...

I can record two things at a time, just one has to be on regular cable while one can be on digital or regular cable. And I can watch something off the TiVo while those two are recording. So nyah.

I need to buy another hard drive for mine. heh.
 
wbarnhill said:
I can record two things at a time, just one has to be on regular cable while one can be on digital or regular cable. And I can watch something off the TiVo while those two are recording. So nyah.

I need to buy another hard drive for mine. heh.
Click to expand...

Really? You have a Series 2 TiVo? Cool.

I don't think my Series 1 could do that. I don't even remember an "Antenna and Cable box" option but maybe it has that.
 
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I find that the more television has to offer, the less I'm interested in it. I'd rather "do" than "watch", I guess.
 
Greebo said:
Homebrew DVRs are interesting to me, I'll grant, but how well do they work for, say, picking a program and automatically recording it without you having to set the date/time?
Click to expand...

They work as well, or better than, an actual Tivo. I can actually do text searches for program info "Survivor" and it will always record the show whether the actual title is "Survivor: Exile Island" or "Survivor: Pearl Islands". I can have it record every episode on every channel (even remembering which episodes have been recorded). I've had very few problems with it. The data refreshes every night...and it has 13 days worth of data.
 
I think my biggest use of television is gastroporn. That and Mythbusters.
 
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