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Posted by Doug Jacobs on 02/16/07 19:41
gadjo <fgdsfg@w45w4.sdf> wrote:
> I've given this much thought, and I just can't justify the cost... For the
> same price I could get another more powerful PC. When I say this I'm
> comparing the decent PVR's with fairly large HDD's (160-250GB) by
> LG/Pioneer/Sony. I've looked at reviews for the cheaper brands, too many
> issues with hard drives freezing.
http://www.tivo.com/2.0.boxdetails.asp?box=series2180hrDTDVR&plan=prepaid3yr349
This is a 180hr(*) Tivo for $170 and pre-paid service for 3 years. The
price for the box reflects a $180 discount if you buy directly from
Tivo.com. Be sure to check your local stores though, as they sometimes
have better deals available. In addition, pre-paying for 3 years of service
gives you another $150 off (essentially, you're getting 1 year free)
This model includes 2 tuners, allowing you to record 2 different channels
at once - you'll have to check with your current cable system to see if
you can get any channels without your cable box (like the non-digital
ones) If not, you would need 2 separate cable boxes if you wanted to take
advantage of the Tivo's 2nd tuner.
There is a series 3 Tivo which has an even larger HDD, but is aimmed at
recording HDTV signals. Because of this, it's still very expensive and
there have been more than a few problems reported with it. Even if you
have HDTV right now, I'd wait awhile before getting a HDTV capable Tivo.
(*) this unit includes a 180GB HDD and has the ability to record at
different quality settings. The lowest setting, "Basic", gives you about
1GB/hr, whereas the highest setting, "Best", will give you about
2.5-3GB/hr. Actual quality will depend on the strength of your cable
signal, your TV and your eyeballs. I record most stuff at "High", which
is the 2nd highest setting and it's pretty close to the actual cable
picture. If you want to later re-record a show onto DVD or VHS, it is
suggested you use the "Best" setting. Also, depending on how technical
you are, it is possible to replace the hard drive inside your Tivo with 1
or 2 larger units. If this is something that interests you, get the
smaller, 80Hr unit instead.
> One other point I should have mentioned, I don't have conventional cable
> with 125 channels, I can only tune into one channel at a time, meaning I
> have to watch what I record. That in itself is not a big deal, the decoders
> are cheap so I can just get a second one from my cable provider, and hook it
> up to my PC. My point is that I dont really need a true dedicated PVR
> because it's useful features would be wasted in my case.
So you have digital cable, or is your service so old that you even need a
cable tuner to get what most of us would call "Basic" or "Basic+Extended"
cable? If you plug your cable directly into your TV (by-passing your
cable tuner box), can it tune any stations in at all?
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