[RAILhead]

Let's say I want to get a TiVO and I want to use it with our main TV in the living room. TiVO has to phone home daily to get all the updates and programming and stuff -- but there's no phone line anywhere near our living room.

What do you guys do about that? The obvious answer would be to just drop a line and go from there, but I was wondering if there was any other TiVO-trick to get around this for those customers that may not want to do that.

TIA

[C.J. Moof]

Series 2 and beyond tivo support USB to WiFi adapters. There's a list of known working adapters on tivo's site.

[macfantn]

just get a wireless phone jack, they can be had for about $50 make sure to get the one made for modems. it works great my friend has that setup.

[ort888]

You can also connect it to a home network. I don't have a home phone, but I do have a TiVo. If you have a wireless router in your home, you can get your TiVo connected to it with a $30 adapter.

[Demonhood]

Originally Posted by C.J. Moof

Series 2 and beyond tivo support USB to WiFi adapters. There's a list of known working adapters on tivo's site.

here, specifically.

[NYK Ace]

yea i just have it hooked up to my home network

also when hooked up online the tivo has additional features such as downloadable content etc..

[RAILhead]

Cool, thanks guys. I have a total wireless (airport) network, so I'll check out the specifics to see if it'll work.

[RAILhead]

Crap. I have the WET11, but that's not supported. Oh well, the hubs are cheap, and that answers my question.

Thanks again.

[subego]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Crap. I have the WET11, but that's not supported.

The WET11 used to work with my SA series 2 TiVo and a USB-Ethernet adaptor. I only changed it because I got an Airport Express, which is not listed either.

The AEX works fine too.

Certainly you're WET11 is worth a shot before you get a new hub.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by macfantn

just get a wireless phone jack, they can be had for about $50 make sure to get the one made for modems. it works great my friend has that setup.

I could use mine wireless jack for phone calls, but Tivo would never complete a call with it. I ended up with a 100 foot phone cord. Tivo only needs to connect once every 60 days (at a minimum - it stops working after 60 days of no connection).

[RAILhead]

As for the phone, their FAQs state "The daily call takes place when you're not using the phone line." I assume it connects more often that every 60 days, especially since programming changes more frequently that every 60 days.

As for the wireless setup, just to be clear: I have an Airport Extreme BS as well as an unused WET11.

Both work just fine, you say?

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

As for the phone, their FAQs state "The daily call takes place when you're not using the phone line." I assume it connects more often that every 60 days, especially since programming changes more frequently that every 60 days.

Yeah, it tries to call every night around 2-3AM, but since I don't have a line plugged into it, it fails. After 30 days, it will start sending you warning messages, and at 60 days it will stop recording new programs. Somewhere around that point, I'll hook up a phone line and force it to call. I never have any problem about guide data being out of date, but I have a DirecTivo, so I assume the guide data comes in the satellite stream.

[k squared]

Plus, with a wireless connection, one can use online scheduling and have it acknowledged within an hour. Pretty cool feature when you're traveling and/or are at work at forget to record something.

[RAILhead]

Here's another question: can you record something on the TiVo and record something else on a VCR, or does the TiVo hookup prevent something like this in some weird way?

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

As for the wireless setup, just to be clear: I have an Airport Extreme BS as well as an unused WET11.

Both work just fine, you say?

The Airport Extreme BS will work fine but I don't think the WET11 will. There is no ethernet port on a Series 2 machine. Your best bet is to get a cheap USB wireless adapter. I use a DLink DWL-122 with my Airport Extreme BS.

[driven]

Now if I could just figure out how to remove the Tivo DRM so I could play the Tivo2Go movies on my Powerbook. <sigh>

(And I'd prefer not to hack the Tivo itself)

[RAILhead]

Originally Posted by Stogieman

The Airport Extreme BS will work fine but I don't think the WET11 will. There is no ethernet port on a Series 2 machine. Your best bet is to get a cheap USB wireless adapter. I use a DLink DWL-122 with my Airport Extreme BS.

K, so you plug the adapter into the TiVo and go from there then. I'm guessing the TiVo does the DHCP or whatever like a regular wireless client?

[subego]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

As for the wireless setup, just to be clear: I have an Airport Extreme BS as well as an unused WET11.

Both work just fine, you say?

Yes for the WET11. I don't see why the Extreme BS won't work, since an Express BS does. They're all doing the same thing, i.e. connecting a wired network into a wireless one.

As Stogieman said, there's no ethernet out on a TiVo, so you'll need a USB to ethernet adaptor. I've been using the Linksys USB100TX, erroneously listed as the 100TX under "Recommended Wired (Ethernet) Adapters" on the link 'hood provided.

The 100TX without the USB is a PCI network adapter, so don't get that.

This seems to have been supplanted by the Linksys USB200M Ver. 1, which is also listed, but with this caveat:

Originally Posted by tivo.com

Ver. 1 is compatible. Ver. 2 is not compatible at this time. To distinguish between Ver. 1 and Ver. 2, look on the side of the carton beneath the Package Contents listing. Ver. 1 has an image of an orange and white CD-ROM. Ver. 2 has no image of a CD-ROM.On the label on the adapter itself, Ver. 1 shows no version number; Ver. 2 shows "Ver. 2".

The TiVo store sells the Ver. 1 for 30 bucks.

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Here's another question: can you record something on the TiVo and record something else on a VCR, or does the TiVo hookup prevent something like this in some weird way?

If you use the TiVo's built in tuner, no problems. If you need to feed it from a cable box, things get more complicated. I can go into more detail as you need.

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Yeah, it tries to call every night around 2-3AM, but since I don't have a line plugged into it, it fails. After 30 days, it will start sending you warning messages, and at 60 days it will stop recording new programs. Somewhere around that point, I'll hook up a phone line and force it to call. I never have any problem about guide data being out of date, but I have a DirecTivo, so I assume the guide data comes in the satellite stream.

Yup. If it was getting guide data over the phone it would run out in about 2 weeks, though you can still use its time-shifting capabilities. After 60 days of being unable to sync the system clock to the TiVo mothership, it's designed to crap out. A total load IMO.

[nica]

This means that it's useless without the subscription? Can you use it just to record and pause TV?

[subego]

Originally Posted by nica

This means that it's useless without the subscription?

Yup. TiVo loses money on the boxes. Their business model is subscription based.

Originally Posted by nica

Can you use it just to record and pause TV?

Not without the subscription.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by nica

This means that it's useless without the subscription? Can you use it just to record and pause TV?

It is not useless.

My parents use a non-subscription TiVo this way. You can set up recordings manually by setting a timer similar to a VCR.

[subego]

Oops.

[driven]

Although I've heard rumblings recently that Tivo is going to require a 12-month contract if you buy a box. (Similar to the cell phone companies.)


I love Tivo's technology, but I have to say that their customer service is beyond horrible. (Not quite as bad as AirTran, almost as bad as Dell though.) How sad.

[KeyLimePi]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

K, so you plug the adapter into the TiVo and go from there then. I'm guessing the TiVo does the DHCP or whatever like a regular wireless client?

Yes, there is an onscreen menu to help you connect to your wifi network. Type in your password and you're good to go.

[C.J. Moof]

Originally Posted by nica

This means that it's useless without the subscription? Can you use it just to record and pause TV?

There are also Tivo/DVD players and recorders on the market from Toshiba and Pioneer that have "tivo basic" functionality. These don't require a subscription, but don't give the full power of tivo automated recordings either. There's no Season Pass, no "record anything with Meg Ryan" type logic, and only 3 days of guide info instead of 2 weeks.

I have one (Toshiba SDH-400), and I think it's great. Just by recording timeslots of my favorite shows I get more TV content than I can watch in a week. It's only as good as a VCR if the networks juggle their schedules around, but I can live with that. I don't pay for cable (OTA is enough for me), and I'm not interested in paying Tivo.

A unit with Tivo basic has lots of features for no subscription.

[nica]

Originally Posted by C.J. Moof

There are also Tivo/DVD players and recorders on the market from Toshiba and Pioneer that have "tivo basic" functionality. These don't require a subscription, but don't give the full power of tivo automated recordings either. There's no Season Pass, no "record anything with Meg Ryan" type logic, and only 3 days of guide info instead of 2 weeks.

I have one (Toshiba SDH-400), and I think it's great. Just by recording timeslots of my favorite shows I get more TV content than I can watch in a week. It's only as good as a VCR if the networks juggle their schedules around, but I can live with that. I don't pay for cable (OTA is enough for me), and I'm not interested in paying Tivo.

A unit with Tivo basic has lots of features for no subscription.

Thanks C.J this is what I'm looking for, I don't want cable but I would like to record a couple of shows every week. Looks like the Toshiba SDH-400 is not available anymore at amazon I will have to find a newer version of that model.

[RAILhead]

Thanks for all the input and info. I'm looking for this as one of the gifts I'm getting my wife, and a basic TiVo looks like it'll work just fine while allowing us to use the VCR to tape shows (plus I record on my Mac if needed).

Anyone know if you can do the monthly thing and then later upgrade to a lifetime if you like the service?

[Demonhood]

let us know how you like it railhead.
i'm in the process of altering my tivo right now.

[subego]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

Thanks for all the input and info. I'm looking for this as one of the gifts I'm getting my wife, and a basic TiVo looks like it'll work just fine while allowing us to use the VCR to tape shows (plus I record on my Mac if needed).

Anyone know if you can do the monthly thing and then later upgrade to a lifetime if you like the service?

AFAIK yes.

[driven]

Yes, you can upgrade ... but be cautious .... the membership is tied to the unit, not the owner.

So ... (as happened in my case) your unit's hard disk dies ... you call Tivo for repair and you find out that you are suddenly their b_tch. They want to charge something like $249 for a replacement unit. All fine and good, except that you can buy a new unit at the local retailer for $100 after rebates. Great ... but if you do that your lifetime membership is gone.

I ended up going with the cheaper unit and going with a monthly fee from now on.

[RAILhead]

Originally Posted by driven

Yes, you can upgrade ... but be cautious .... the membership is tied to the unit, not the owner.

So ... (as happened in my case) your unit's hard disk dies ... you call Tivo for repair and you find out that you are suddenly their b_tch. They want to charge something like $249 for a replacement unit. All fine and good, except that you can buy a new unit at the local retailer for $100 after rebates. Great ... but if you do that your lifetime membership is gone.

I ended up going with the cheaper unit and going with a monthly fee from now on.

Good point.

Maury

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by driven

Yes, you can upgrade ... but be cautious .... the membership is tied to the unit, not the owner.

So ... (as happened in my case) your unit's hard disk dies ... you call Tivo for repair and you find out that you are suddenly their b_tch. They want to charge something like $249 for a replacement unit. All fine and good, except that you can buy a new unit at the local retailer for $100 after rebates. Great ... but if you do that your lifetime membership is gone.

I ended up going with the cheaper unit and going with a monthly fee from now on.

Mine was hit by lightning. I was monthly, so it didn't matter too much.

[RAILhead]

I can get the 40 hour box for $50 if I prepay for a 1 year of service direct from TiVo -- that's not too bad of a deal.

Or, I can get the 40 hr box via Amazon for $180 and still have to setup the payments.

Hmm...the TiVo deal looks pretty good.

[RAILhead]

CRAP!

I just read that you can't record a different show than what you're watching through the TiVo. If I wanted to watch it, I wouldn't be recording it!

What's up with that?

[driven]

It doesn't have a tuner built into it. You piggyback off of your set-top box or something.

You can do what I did: Hook up two set-top boxes. 1 is hi-def and used for "live" the other one is dedicated to the Tivo.

[RAILhead]

Ok. So, I could just splice the cable, sending one to the TiVo, one to the TV, and even one to a VCR, right?

Then, you'd just hit the TiVo as though it were another aux hooked-up tot he TV. With a setup like this, I could record one thing on TiVo, one thing on a VCR, and watch something totally different.

Am I correct in my thinking?

[NYK Ace]

yea thats basically what i do - one cable going into the tivo and another going into the DVD recorder and yet another going directly to the TV so you can choose if the tivo is recording something you can switch to another input

you can still watch another recorded show (or paused show) while you are recording another though

[RAILhead]

What quality do you guys usually record with? All I'm worried about id being able to make Gilmore Girls gets recorded so she can watch it -- nothing fancy or high definition or anything like that. We'd record things, watch them in a couple of days, and be willing to delete them.

I'm asking because now I'm thinking of getting the 40 hr with the DVD recorder since it can also play DVDs. This one unit would replace our current DVD player and allow me to keep our VCR hooked up -- all without having to make the entertainment system look like crap (no room for the 3rd box, basically).

If the 40hr can keep a dozen or so shows at decent playback quality, that's all I'd need -- as opposed to the VERY expensive 80 hr with DVD capability.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

CRAP!

I just read that you can't record a different show than what you're watching through the TiVo. If I wanted to watch it, I wouldn't be recording it!

What's up with that?

You'll find yourself watching less "live" TV using a TiVo anyway. When I had a single tuner Tivo, what I did was watch something previously recorded when it was recording something. This allows you to watch TV in less time because you skip commercials. You no longer have to reserve a one hour block of time at 9-10 o'clock to watch "House" on Fox. You can reserve any 40 minute block of time to watch it later instead.

With it's two tuners, a DirectTV Tivo unit allows you to record 2 things and watch something previously recorded. This it the route we ended up going.

The only bad thing about Tivo: Never answer the phone when you are watching a big sporting event you are time delaying using TiVo. Innevitably, the caller will make some kind of remark about the event, and you won't have gotten to that time in the recording yet.

[driven]

Yeah ... you'll stop worrying about when something is on. It'll just be there ready for you to watch it. You won't rush home to catch a show anymore either. If you are 10 minutes late, no big deal.

Also: When the programming changes (show moves to a different night for example) Tivo will adjust accordingly. Kinda nice.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

What quality do you guys usually record with? All I'm worried about id being able to make Gilmore Girls gets recorded so she can watch it -- nothing fancy or high definition or anything like that. We'd record things, watch them in a couple of days, and be willing to delete them.

I'm asking because now I'm thinking of getting the 40 hr with the DVD recorder since it can also play DVDs. This one unit would replace our current DVD player and allow me to keep our VCR hooked up -- all without having to make the entertainment system look like crap (no room for the 3rd box, basically).

If the 40hr can keep a dozen or so shows at decent playback quality, that's all I'd need -- as opposed to the VERY expensive 80 hr with DVD capability.

It is pretty cheap to add a hard drive to a TiVo. At Weaknees.com they offer kits from $120 to $400 that add between 70 to 355 hours to your TiVo. They have been around a long time and offer good service.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by driven

Also: When the programming changes (show moves to a different night for example) Tivo will adjust accordingly. Kinda nice.

My Dishnetwork DVR didn't do this. VERY frustrating.

It was the reason I switched back to Tivo. That, and the fact that Pegassus Satelite no longer handled DirectTV subscriptions in my area.

[subego]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

What quality do you guys usually record with?

Depends on the show.

I only use "Best" for shows like X-Play (video game reviews). For someone sports inclined, you'd do the same thing with a sporting event.

"High" is what I have set as the default.

"Medium" I use for simpler animation, e.g. "The Simpsons" and "South Park"

"Basic" is for anything that is mostly "talking heads" like news, talk shows, etc.

It mainly depends on your tolerance for mpeg compression artifacts. Using the TiVo on a day-to-day basis will likely increase this tolerance.

Of course, factors like screen size, viewing distance, how clean your cable signal is, etc. figure in to things as well.

[Demonhood]

don't pay for a company to do the HD upgrade for you. i just did it today and it was a cinch.

bought - 40hr tivo for $15 (after rebate)
bought - 250GB HD for $60 (after rebate)
burned - linux boot disc
configured - backed up 40hr drive, restored it to new drive. 40 minutes elapsed.
result - my tivo now has 284 hours of space instead of 40.

of course, that's at the lowest quality. at High it's something like 160. but really, that's a crapload anyway.

[RAILhead]

One more question.

If I were to get a verison that contained DVD playback/recording capability, can I record via TiVo AND use the built-in DVD player to watch a DVD at the same time?

[zerostar]

Originally Posted by RAILhead

One more question.

If I were to get a verison that contained DVD playback/recording capability, can I record via TiVo AND use the built-in DVD player to watch a DVD at the same time?

Quick question, does your cable company offer a DVR? This might be a better option with cheaper monthly service, you can also probably record 2 shows at once since the tuner is built in, as well as not need a phone line since the cable line updates the guide. No its not the TiVo experience but some DVRs are pretty good and get the job done.

I personally have DirecTV with a DirecTiVo and highly recommend, no NEED for a phone line and you can record 2 shows at once while watching another, plus no extra boxes. With DirecTV dropping TiVo for their own brand DVR (R15) (although not as good yet it has huge potential) I would worry about the stability of TiVo as a company if no big providers are pushing them.

If you do go with DirecTV make sure you get a TiVo brand box because the R15 is not up to snuff yet, a few SW updates should have it ready though. Also wit DirecTV DVR Service is only $5/month no matter how many DVRs you have in the house, we have 2 SD and one HD currently.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Demonhood

don't pay for a company to do the HD upgrade for you. i just did it today and it was a cinch.

bought - 40hr tivo for $15 (after rebate)
bought - 250GB HD for $60 (after rebate)
burned - linux boot disc
configured - backed up 40hr drive, restored it to new drive. 40 minutes elapsed.
result - my tivo now has 284 hours of space instead of 40.

of course, that's at the lowest quality. at High it's something like 160. but really, that's a crapload anyway.

But, you need a PC with a swappable drive bay to do this. I don't think it can be done with a Mac (but I have been wrong before). Can anyone confirm this?

I own a eMac, so it's actually cheaper for me to go with the weeknees.com self-install upgrade packages, then to do it piecemeal like DH did.

And the recording quality differences make a big difference if you have a bad signal from your cable company. The lowest quality will look VERY bad if you have any kind of snow or interference in your picture. The hghest setting will let you see every tiny piece of snow or double image in that bad signla with the kind of clarity you'd expect from a much more expensive setup.

[Demonhood]

i think it does require a PC. i keep forgetting that not everyone has 20 machines in various states of disrepair around them at all times.

[SuvsareRetarded]

Man, it sure is weird how much you guys like your TV.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by SuvsareRetarded

Man, it sure is weird how much you guys like your TV.

Thanks for your input about TiVo.

The thing you don't get, is that most people watch less TV when they own a TiVo. I know I do.