Posted by gadjo on 02/16/07 22:04

"Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
news:12tc26ecgpu1b35@corp.supernews.com...
> 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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> http://www.netwinner.com/?signupCode=amuro98

Herein lies the problem....stupid cable monopoly in my area provides
decoders without which I can't even get the majority of the "Basic"
channels, because now I fall under the Digital Subscriber category so they
ensure by filtering the signal that I'm prevented from accessing the old
Basic stuff. I can switch back to the basic service, but then I miss out on
the specialty channels that I'm interested in. If I by-pass the tuner box I
get maybe a dozen channels (stuff like the weather channel, a few local
channels...) but those are not the ones I'm interested in recording.

One way or another I'll need a second tuner, whether I use a dedicated
PVR/Tivo/PVR Card...otherwise I'm stuck with watching what I record. As it
stands, it just doesnt make sense to spend $400 or more on a decent PVR if I
can get the same job done with a $80 pvr card for my pc...

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