Tivo OT?

"RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Tivo is kind of like a VCR.

I wouldn't get one.

I do, however, love my DVR that I have from Dish Network. It behaves
similarly to a Tivo, except that it was free and I don't have to pay a
service fee for it every month.

I would never go back to watching live TV again.
The Tivo (and things like it) records your shows automatically for you.
It's different than having to set them every week. You tell it once what
show you like, and it records it. You can also pause live tv if you're
watching it live, and then go back later and finish watching it,
fast-forwarding through the commercials. I've heard that Tivo also records
things without your asking, it records items that it thinks you will like,
based on the history of what you've recorded and watched.
Tivo spys on you. It spys on what the family watches, and that information
is given to marketing companies who make money from it. I would be okay
with that, expect for the fact that they're making money off you AND
charging you every month for it. Not to mention the cost of the thing
itself.

Quoted message said:

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

Sprgtime wrote:
:: "RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
::: Sorry off topic
:::
::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
:: Tivo is kind of like a VCR.
::
:: I wouldn't get one.
::
:: I do, however, love my DVR that I have from Dish Network. It behaves
:: similarly to a Tivo, except that it was free and I don't have to pay
:: a service fee for it every month.
::
:: I would never go back to watching live TV again.
:: The Tivo (and things like it) records your shows automatically for
:: you. It's different than having to set them every week. You tell it
:: once what show you like, and it records it. You can also pause live
:: tv if you're watching it live, and then go back later and finish
:: watching it, fast-forwarding through the commercials. I've heard
:: that Tivo also records things without your asking, it records items
:: that it thinks you will like, based on the history of what you've
:: recorded and watched.
:: Tivo spys on you. It spys on what the family watches, and that
:: information is given to marketing companies who make money from it.
:: I would be okay with that, expect for the fact that they're making
:: money off you AND charging you every month for it. Not to mention
:: the cost of the thing itself.
::
::
::
::
::: Nephew wants one for hoildays
:::
::: I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying
:::
::: thanks!

Sprgtime wrote:
:: "RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
::: Sorry off topic
:::
::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
:: Tivo is kind of like a VCR.
::
:: I wouldn't get one.
::
:: I do, however, love my DVR that I have from Dish Network. It behaves
:: similarly to a Tivo, except that it was free and I don't have to pay
:: a service fee for it every month.
::

You're daydreaming if you think Dish gives you a DVR for free. Besides, with
DirectV you can get receivers with Tivo built in. You still end up paying.

:: I would never go back to watching live TV again.
:: The Tivo (and things like it) records your shows automatically for
:: you. It's different than having to set them every week. You tell it
:: once what show you like, and it records it. You can also pause live
:: tv if you're watching it live, and then go back later and finish
:: watching it, fast-forwarding through the commercials. I've heard
:: that Tivo also records things without your asking, it records items
:: that it thinks you will like, based on the history of what you've
:: recorded and watched.

:: Tivo spys on you.

This is a lie. They pay attention to what their customers are recording, but
they don't spy on any person. Get your facts straight.

It spys on what the family watches, and that
:: information is given to marketing companies who make money from it.
:: I would be okay with that, expect for the fact that they're making
:: money off you AND charging you every month for it. Not to mention
:: the cost of the thing itself.

Nonsense. They are simply noting viewing habits and using that information
of provide services that may be of interest to their customers.
::
::
::
::
::: Nephew wants one for hoildays
:::
::: I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying
:::
::: thanks!

Definitley worth it. Best thing since sliced bread....and Tivo is far
superior to the Direct Tv and Comcast DVR's...I know because I've tried them
all. Tivo is the one that has Season Passes and will only record new
episodes of your programs (if you choose) and will adjust itself if your
program plays on a different night or time. The Direct TV dvr is better
than Comcast's though. Comcast's is really pathetic. You have to set
everything manually just like a VCR...so basically its a VCR that holds a
lot whereas Tivo does all the work for you.

"RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

I just got the Directv DVR and it has season's passes.

Camille

"JW" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:CVz3d.80683$D%.53945@attbi_s51...

Quoted message said:

Definitley worth it. Best thing since sliced bread....and Tivo is far
superior to the Direct Tv and Comcast DVR's...I know because I've tried
them all. Tivo is the one that has Season Passes and will only record new
episodes of your programs (if you choose) and will adjust itself if your
program plays on a different night or time. The Direct TV dvr is better
than Comcast's though. Comcast's is really pathetic. You have to set
everything manually just like a VCR...so basically its a VCR that holds a
lot whereas Tivo does all the work for you.

"RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

That's because it's made by Tivo.

Camille said:

I just got the Directv DVR and it has season's passes.

Camille

"JW" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:CVz3d.80683$D%.53945@attbi_s51...

Quoted message said:

Definitley worth it. Best thing since sliced bread....and Tivo is far
superior to the Direct Tv and Comcast DVR's...I know because I've tried
them all. Tivo is the one that has Season Passes and will only record
new
episodes of your programs (if you choose) and will adjust itself if your
program plays on a different night or time. The Direct TV dvr is better
than Comcast's though. Comcast's is really pathetic. You have to set
everything manually just like a VCR...so basically its a VCR that holds
a
lot whereas Tivo does all the work for you.

"RadioControlGuy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

JW said:

Definitley worth it. Best thing since sliced bread....and Tivo is far
superior to the Direct Tv and Comcast DVR's...I know because I've tried
them
all. Tivo is the one that has Season Passes and will only record new
episodes of your programs (if you choose) and will adjust itself if your
program plays on a different night or time. The Direct TV dvr is better
than Comcast's though. Comcast's is really pathetic. You have to set
everything manually just like a VCR...so basically its a VCR that holds a
lot whereas Tivo does all the work for you.

Another good one is Replay. Replay is also nice because it's networkable.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

In article <[email hidden]>,

(RadioControlGuy) said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

I like it, because I can skip commercials, but I also like it because a
great deal of the minimal programming I watch is on at times that I
can't sit down and watch it directly - or it's quite long, and is best
watched in segments (from a productivity point of view). TiVo allows me
to record the program, watch fifteen minutes, do other things, and come
back to it - all on my timing. And, it's not just what the cable
company thinks i should have, but what I want - such as musicals, opera,
etc.

--
Nancy Howells (don't forget to switch it, and replace the 😉 to send mail).

[email hidden] (RadioControlGuy) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic
What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Tivo is, in my opinion, the greatest device created for the television
ever. To sum it all up, it's like a vcr with an integrated program
guide. That's really an oversimplification though. It's digital so
there are no tapes, everything is stored in the box. It connects to
your phone line and calls home every once in a while at night to
download more program guide data. With this data, you tell it to
always record your favorite program, or some specific movie, or always
record some show with a keyword in the title or description. It can
also recommend shows. Later when you're ready to watch tv, you look
through a menu of recorded shows and watch the one you want. They're
instantly available, no tape rewinding delays. You can easily
fast-forward over commercials, pause, rewind, save the show forever or
delete it immediately. You can still watch live tv, but really, it
works far better when watching recorded stuff. It can record one
channel while you watch something recorded earlier.

There are a few annoying things about it. Some are the fault of tivo,
some are out of their control. Sometimes the program guide data is
wrong causing the tivo to record something strange when it thinks it's
getting a show you want. This is always the fault of the people
sending data to tivo. Sometimes shows start a few minutes late. This
isn't a big deal, but sometimes it can cause you to lose the last
couple minutes of a show. This is pretty rare also. You can tell
tivo to get an extra few minutes on all the shows just in case, but
this causes problems if there's another show you want immidiately
following this one. Sometimes the interface feels slow.

All in all, it's great. The kids get their shows. My wife gets
soaps. I get woodworking and car shows. I can condense a lot of tv
viewing into a shorter amount of time. Basically, when you watch tv,
it's more efficient. You're always watching exactly what you want.
I'll never go back.

A friend of mine has replay tv, which is a competitor. He seems to
like it a lot.

brian

RadioControlGuy said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

It's not very good exercise, that's for sure!

--
jmk in NC

brian lanning wrote:
:: [email hidden] (RadioControlGuy) wrote in message
:: news:<[email hidden]>...
::: Sorry off topic
::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
::
:: Tivo is, in my opinion, the greatest device created for the
:: television
:: ever.

I agree!

To sum it all up, it's like a vcr with an integrated program
:: guide. That's really an oversimplification though. It's digital so
:: there are no tapes, everything is stored in the box. It connects to
:: your phone line and calls home every once in a while at night to
:: download more program guide data. With this data, you tell it to
:: always record your favorite program, or some specific movie, or
:: always
:: record some show with a keyword in the title or description. It can
:: also recommend shows. Later when you're ready to watch tv, you look
:: through a menu of recorded shows and watch the one you want. They're
:: instantly available, no tape rewinding delays. You can easily
:: fast-forward over commercials, pause, rewind, save the show forever
:: or
:: delete it immediately. You can still watch live tv, but really, it
:: works far better when watching recorded stuff. It can record one
:: channel while you watch something recorded earlier.
::
:: There are a few annoying things about it. Some are the fault of
:: tivo,
:: some are out of their control. Sometimes the program guide data is
:: wrong causing the tivo to record something strange when it thinks
:: it's
:: getting a show you want. This is always the fault of the people
:: sending data to tivo. Sometimes shows start a few minutes late.
:: This
:: isn't a big deal, but sometimes it can cause you to lose the last
:: couple minutes of a show. This is pretty rare also. You can tell
:: tivo to get an extra few minutes on all the shows just in case, but
:: this causes problems if there's another show you want immidiately
:: following this one. Sometimes the interface feels slow.
::
:: All in all, it's great. The kids get their shows. My wife gets
:: soaps. I get woodworking and car shows. I can condense a lot of tv
:: viewing into a shorter amount of time. Basically, when you watch tv,
:: it's more efficient. You're always watching exactly what you want.
:: I'll never go back.

Same here. I bought the lowest end model I could find on ebay...it had a
10GB hard disk. I swapped it out for a 120 GB and a 100 GB disc. So I can
store a whole lotta stuff on my -- like the entire Tour de France bike race!
🙂

::
:: A friend of mine has replay tv, which is a competitor. He seems to
:: like it a lot.
::
:: brian

jmk wrote:
:: On 9/20/2004 6:44 AM, RadioControlGuy wrote:
::: Sorry off topic
:::
::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
:::
::: Nephew wants one for hoildays
:::
::: I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying
:::
::: thanks!
::
:: It's not very good exercise, that's for sure!

Ah, but the time you save skipping commericals, and the freedom to get from
not being tied to a schedule, helps to make exercise more likely to happen.
What drove me to get my tivo was to free myself up on Wednesday night
(Enterprise) to go to the gym.

Roger Zoul said:

jmk wrote:
:: On 9/20/2004 6:44 AM, RadioControlGuy wrote:
::: Sorry off topic
:::
::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
:::
::: Nephew wants one for hoildays
:::
::: I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying
:::
::: thanks!
::
:: It's not very good exercise, that's for sure!

Ah, but the time you save skipping commericals, and the freedom to get from
not being tied to a schedule, helps to make exercise more likely to happen.
What drove me to get my tivo was to free myself up on Wednesday night
(Enterprise) to go to the gym.

Good for you! Is that what you think RadioControlGuy's nephew plans to
do or will RCG simply be encouraging a sedentary lifestyle?

--
jmk in NC

jmk wrote:
:: On 9/20/2004 1:05 PM, Roger Zoul wrote:
::: jmk wrote:
::::: On 9/20/2004 6:44 AM, RadioControlGuy wrote:
:::::: Sorry off topic
::::::
:::::: What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?
::::::
:::::: Nephew wants one for hoildays
::::::
:::::: I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying
::::::
:::::: thanks!
:::::
::::: It's not very good exercise, that's for sure!
:::
::: Ah, but the time you save skipping commericals, and the freedom to
::: get from not being tied to a schedule, helps to make exercise more
::: likely to happen. What drove me to get my tivo was to free myself
::: up on Wednesday night (Enterprise) to go to the gym.
:::
:::
:::
:: Good for you! Is that what you think RadioControlGuy's nephew plans
:: to do or will RCG simply be encouraging a sedentary lifestyle?

Who knows? But channel surfing may be a thing of the past, as a lot of Tivo
users never look at regular TV. And even I don't watch that much and I have
a whopper large recording capability (it was cheap and I enjoyed upgrading a
machine I got off e-bay).

On 20 Sep 2004 10:44:32 GMT, [email hidden] (RadioControlGuy)

Quoted message said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

A TiVo is one particular type of DVR (digital video recorder). It
probably has the best software of any of the different types.

There's a monthly fee for the network information; that lets the TiVo
know what's going to be on TV for the next couple of weeks. You can
set up season passes to watch particular shows you like, and if the
show moves in time (say, Survivor is on Wednesday instead of the usual
Thursday), it'll adjust. You can also set up wishlists that will let
you record all shows with (for example) a particular director, or
actor.

There are two different types of Tivo. The standalone version works
with any type of TV setup -- rabbit ears, cable, or satellite, and
costs (IIRC) $13.95/month, or $300 for a lifetime subscription. The
other type works only with DirecTV, and costs $5/month (no lifeteme
subscription available). The big differences between the two are that
with DirecTiVo a) you can record two shows at once (while, if you
want, watching a previously recorded third episode), b) you get more
recording time at better quality because the compression is done off
the satellite, not at your TV, and c) you can only watch stuff that
comes from the satellite.

DirecTiVo is also cheaper to buy than standalone units, because
DirecTV subsidizes the purchase. I believe the current price is
around $99, often with a $50 rebate, but you have to commit to one
year of DirecTV service.

Quoted message said:

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

I have a DirecTiVo, and had a standalone unit earlier, so I'm familiar
with both. I love my TiVo, and you would have to pry it out of my
cold, dead fingers to get it away from me.

I don't watch much TV -- maybe one-half-hour per day, and I love my Replay
(a Tivo-like device). I never watch live TV. This lets me tape tennis
and cycling and Alton Brown and all kinds of stuff and watch it when I
want to watch it.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

RadioControlGuy said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

Nephew wants one for hoildays

I know I can google but would like honest advice before buying

thanks!

I would do my research if I were you and definately consider Replaytv if
your nephew is any kind of a technophile. With the out of the box 10/100
networking capabilities of Replaytvs and a couple of shareware programs,
(DVArchive, dvd2avi, and Tsunami Mpeg encoder) a person can:

emulate a second Replaytv on the network, pull shows across the network
to the pc's hard drive for long term storage, play them back to any tv
in the house with a Replaytv from the pc's hard drive, watch shows from
the Replaytv on the computer, and manipulate saved shows for burning to
dvd/vcd. I can usually get three half hour episodes on one cdr after
removing commercials. It also allows you to get your programming etc.
over the broadband in the house which greatly improves set up times, and
cleans up nightly downloads without tying up your phone line.

Also, if you have more then one Replaytv on the your home network you
can start watching a show in one room and finish it in another. (Living
room/bedroom for example). Schedule records on any Replaytv from any
Replaytv in the house, and transfer shows from one to another.

If you can manage to get your hands on one of the 5xxx series instead of
the newer 55xx series it includes two features removed from the newer
due to law suits that were the ultimate demise of Sonic Blue a year and
a half ago befor Denon and Marantz bought the company at a bankruptcy
sale. (BTW, they were clearancing refurbed 5xxxs on their website a
couple months ago, great deal and had most of the law suit features.)

With a 5xxx you can trade shows with others across the internet that
also have 5xxx series. (There are a lot of them, it is a good way to get
the shows you "forgot" to record for your wife;~) )

5xxxs come with "commercial advance". This works about 90% of the time
for me. What it does is automatically skip over entire commercial breaks
by parsing the fraction of a second dead air at the begining and end of
them.

We bought my dad a Tivo for his 60th because I wasn't sure at the time
if the support was going to be available for Replays due to the
bankruptcy. Since then I have had four family members and three friends
buy Replays instead of Tivos. The functionality is better, but the Tivo
is definately better for someone who is a bit "technologically challenged."

The one major benefit of Tivo for a technophile is the fact that it runs
on a Tivo version of Linux, so it is possible with a little manipulating
to ssh into the box and do most anything you want to it through the CLI,
but that takes a fair amount of knowledge to pull off and really doesn't
improve the functionality of the pvr.

Sorry so long, but it is something I have a definate opinion on.

Lurker

--
I wish life were a reality tv show.
Then we could all conspire to vote
Jaimulator off the planet.

Any information contained in this post is merely a
restatement of information found in the news archives
of the newsgroups alt.dss.hack, alt.binaries.satellite-tv,
and alt.dbs.echostar.hack found on Google Groups. The person
making this post has no firsthand knowledge of bypassing
satellite security measures.

RadioControlGuy said:

Sorry off topic

What is a Tivo? Is it worth getting?

YES!!!!

Yes, yes yes yes yes yes.

TiVo will change your life.

Jennifer

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sprgtime wrote:
:: I do, however, love my DVR that I have from Dish Network. It behaves
:: similarly to a Tivo, except that it was free and I don't have to pay
:: a service fee for it every month.

You're daydreaming if you think Dish gives you a DVR for free. Besides,

with

Quoted message said:

DirectV you can get receivers with Tivo built in. You still end up paying.

Okay, I guess I live in dreamworld, then. I do not pay a monthly fee for my
DVR. I do pay for satalite service, but I pay the same amount as Dish
customers who do not have DVR.
My in-laws just signed up for Dish Network this year, and they received a
free (even newer and better - more memory) than our DVR. They pay $30
something a month for basic satalite tv, nothing additional for the DVR, and
the unit itself was free (and if I were to cancel, I would get to keep my
DVR, not that it would be useful without the service...)
My in-laws used to have cable tv, and the dish was cheaper for them in this
area, so they swapped over (plus they got their own DVR and they were
jealous of ours).

Quoted message said:

:: Tivo spys on you.

This is a lie. They pay attention to what their customers are recording,

but

Quoted message said:

they don't spy on any person. Get your facts straight.

Tivo spys on your viewing habits and the viewing habits of other consumers
like you. Currently, they are using that information in groups. However,
there is talk about them getting specific commercials directed to you (and
others who fall into your consumer group). Kind of like those specific
coupons that will soon be coming to cell phones.... you walk within a
certain distance of a Starbucks, and out flashes an ad or coupon for you to
go into the Starbucks.