...and I thought getting a DVD player was state of the art...*sigh*

Tivo is pretty cool, I can watch whatever show whenever I want now. Like Sunday, I went on a raft trip on town lake, full moon and all, and caught the Longhorn game on TIVO when I got back. It was fun to replay UT's final touchdown. It does up to 14 hours, expandable up to 30. I'm getting ideas for a new website, http://www.tvreviewer.com. Not up yet.

How is it different from using a VCR?

It has 14 hours of record time and it has "season passes" to record shows regularly. It tracks your preferences with a "thumbs up" "thumbs down" system. And videotape is linear, this, being digital, means you can get to a place on the hard disk quickly. You can always dump a tivo recorded show to a vcr. Actually, since I got it, I watch tv less because I no longer have the feeling that I'll miss something. They have a lot of information on http://www.tivo.com.

Ok, now I understand. Interesting. Videotape mildews over here like everything else. How nice to have a digital recording capability!

It let's you spend a lot more time choosing what to watch, rather than just sitting down and watching what's on. The remote actually has a thumbs up and a thumbs down button and it suggests a list of shows based on what you like. You can pull up a list of "what's playing" at any time and start one of your recorded programs. The speed at which you can fast forward or rewind can be slow or lightning fast, much faster than with video tape. From their website faq: How many shows can I tell TiVo to record at any one time? You can schedule TiVo to record hundreds of hours of shows. Because TiVo uses a dynamic file management system all of TiVo's storage capacity is always available for you to use. TiVo will guarantee all of your season pass recordings, but when you are not using space to record a season pass TiVo will use it to record other shows. That way, all of your storage capacity is always in use and there's always something you'll like to watch when you turn on your TV. How do I know what programs TiVo is planning to record for me? TiVo's To Do list displays the recording schedule for the next two weeks listing all the shows TiVo is planning to record for you. The To Do list gives you additional control by allowing you to selectively cancel or change the status of individual recordings. How is the TiVo Service different from a VCR? Because the Personal TV Receiver enables viewers to record, rewind and fast forward television programs, it has been compared to a VCR. The TiVo Service though, goes far beyond what a VCR can do. Here are some unique features of TiVo's revolutionary Personal TV Service: There are many ways to look through TiVo's program listings to easily find your favorite shows to set up for recording. Unlike recording programs with a VCR, with TiVo all you need to know is the program's name, channel, genre or time. A Season Pass automatically records each episode when it is broadcast - ensuring that you'll never miss your favorite programs. Using the exclusive Smart Store capability you can schedule hundreds of hours of programming ahead of time. You can check your recording schedule by viewing TiVo's To Do List. The disc drive's capacity is used to its maximum without wasting any space. All programs are guaranteed. When you begin rating your favorite shows with Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down all your preferences are saved locally on your Receiver. Your individual PTV Receiver matches these preferences with the program data it receives from the TiVo Broadcast Center to make recommendations suited uniquely for you. Again, this process happens locally in the PTV Receiver in your home. TiVo keeps a list of suggested programs under "TiVo Suggestions" and, if space is available, TiVo will automatically record suggestions so that the Receiver is always full of good shows. TiVo records shows digitally so you don't have to scan through videotapes to find the show you want. You can instantly access the recorded show from the TiVo "Now Showing" screen - the shows are labeled and you can watch them in any order. TiVo lets you start watching your favorite show, whenever you want, even if you're a few minutes late. You no longer have to wait for your VCR to record the entire program before you can tune in to the start of the show. With TiVo, you can fast forward to catch up with the live broadcast, or continue to watch at your convenience, pausing, rewinding or even using the slow motion instant replay as you wish. TiVo automatically records the live television shows you're watching, so that should you be interrupted, you can rewind and watch what you missed. You'll never miss a minute of the action again.

How costly is the TIVO system... It sounds so perfect for Hawaii's nasty humid conditions. You cannot believe how deft Droolians are at ff and rw functions on videotapes...and with digital you cannot wear out the scenes you like the best. (I am one of those who goes through the TV section on Sunday and marks the things I want to see for the entire week...This would be good for me!

It's $400 or $500, and some places have a hundred dollar rebate, then it's $10 a month or $100 for 2 years or $200 for a lifetime subscription. I had fun with the replays during the Longhorn game yesterday.

Ah..it is a service as well as equipment. Thanks for the information. I shall look into it (abd how COULD you tear your eyes away from the game? I listened to yours while posting on Spring...!

I did replays during the commercials.

Good use of the time...!

I haven't watched much tv since I got the unit. I can now cruise through the playlist and screen what I watch, and fastforward the commercials or half times, etc. There's a bunch of stuff on there now. I haven't seen the need yet for the 30 hour version, but I can see needing it if I didn't watch anything for a couple of weeks. 14 hours seems to be enough, it works on a first in, first out basis but you can mark programs for non-erasure. It always informs you of when your program will expire.

Wait'll the Olympics are on. If you are like me you will want them all and hate the ads. Think ahead to those kinds of events. That and when there are 4 bowl games on at the same time and that continues all day New Years Day...

Ad erasure is coming in the next units, and I'll probably order to upgrade to 30 hours soon.

Excellent idea re the ad erasure. I think I'll wait for that feature!

Replay just came out with a new unit with more hours, I don't know the details. Their website is probably www.replay.com I would guess.

AOL teams with TiVo for TV By Erich Luening Staff Writer, CNET News.com August 17, 1999, 7:35 a.m. PT America Online today said it plans to invest in TiVo, a creator of personal television services, and partner with the company to expand its interactive TV business. The TiVo service enables consumers to shift their favorite shows to specific hours and create a customized television lineup for viewing at any time. The deal is significant for AOL in its push to move beyond personal computers into television sets and portable devices--known as its "AOL Anywhere" initiative. As consumers begin to use means other than traditional desktop computers to access the Web, AOL needs to be available to them on other devices to stay on top of the consumer Net access market. But competition also remains stiff on the desktop, where AOL is fighting on a number of fronts. It is locked in a battle with AT&T and others over access to cable lines so it can offer high-speed service via cable. To cover its bases, AOL has made deals with a number of Baby Bells to offer access via digital subscriber lines. It also invested $1.5 billion in Hughes Electronics, parent company of satellite TV and Internet services DirecTV and DirecPC, to keep from getting pushed aside in the high-speed access market. As part of today's agreement, AOL and TiVo will collaborate to bring consumers interactive events by combining TiVo's personal television service with AOL TV's interactive television offerings. In addition, future versions of TiVo's personal video receiver are expected to provide consumers access to the new services, the companies said. Instead of a traditional videocassette, TiVo's TV set-top recording device uses a large hard disk drive like the one found in a desktop computer. Coupled with an easy-to-use electronic programming guide and pared-down online service, these devices can be easily programmed to record shows in advance, the company says. In addition, these devices can pause and resume shows on the fly--and allow users to skip over ads. With its investment announced today, AOL joins a growing list of high-profile TiVo backers, including Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, NBC, CBS, Philips Electronics, Disney, and Cox Communications. Tivo isn't the only on-demand TV company getting an infusion of cash. Tommorrow, ReplayTV is expected to announce that it has gained investments from heavyweights such as Disney, Showtime, Time Warner, and ten others. "AOL has always focused on making the online experience a key part of our members' lives. As consumers want to extend that interactive experience to devices beyond the PC, we see TiVo as a great way to help us deliver our hallmark, ease of use, and convenience to the television," Bob Pittman, president and chief operating officer of America Online, said in a statement. AOL TV will offer members AOL interactive service on television. It is designed to include key pieces of AOL's current features as well as new ones designed to augment the television experience, the company said. Along with the Hughes Electronics investment, AOL recently announced agreements with Hughes Network Systems, Philips Electronics, and Liberate Technologies (formerly Network Computer), which also are key to the development of AOL TV. Related News Stories on News.com � TiVo plans IPO to support TV recording device July 27, 1999 � NBC invests in digital set-top maker TiVo June 9, 1999 � AOL works its way around cable TV May 11, 1999 � TiVo gets backing from Philips April 28, 1999 � DirecTV investing in TiVo April 27, 1999

I've got TIVO hooked to DirecTV at Cedar Creek and it works really well. But it won't work with my C Band dish. I've got the 14 hour version but I'm considering the upgrade to the 30 hour version.

Good idea...especially with Olympics coming soon (realtively, that is.) At least it would be for Hawaii. Invariably, the best events are in the middle of the night for us, and all we get are the highlights the next day from a bunch of gloating play-by-play people who were there in person to witness it.

Here's a real good comparison of tivo and replay tv: http://www.avsforum.com/ubbtivo/Forum1/HTML/004998.html The person has used both systems a lot, so they're speaking from experience.

I'm upgrading my tivo to 155 hours with an 80gb hard drive. It's only a 14 hour unit now. I have another 30 hour unit. Wow, 155 hours!

I want to use tivo like a recorder and move my digital videos to tivo for dumping to tapes. What's the trick to recording from a video source like a camcorder instead of a satellite signal? If this has already been hashed over just point me to a previous response or a website address.

http://www.9thtee.com/turbonet.htm This is an ethernet card you can add to your tivo for network access. From the above website: "TiVo Software Update 3.0... The TurboNET card, is alive and well with the latest software release from TiVo for the standalone TiVo. Support for the TurboNET is now built-in to the TiVo software. Do NOT use the older installation procedures if you have 3.0. You do need a DHCP server running on your network, like the one that the Linksys router provides, and you must set the dialing prefix to ",#401" (without the quotes and this is entered with Pause Enter 4 0 1). Since 3.0 has built in drivers, you do not need to install any additional software to get updates over the internet. However, if you want telnet or ftp access to your TiVo, you will need to modify some files and install some software. Click here for instructions on getting telnet and ftp going with 3.0." And Tony Jenkins writes on the http://www.tivocommunity.com forum I've created a detailed step-by-step how-to guide for beginning TiVo hackers who are using TiVo software version 3.0. It's not a FAQ, but a sequence of plain-English procedures that starts with an unhacked TiVo, and ends with a fully hacked one including telnet and ftp access. It's a bit too long to post here in its entirety, so I've posted an HTML version on my site: http://www.stevejenkins.com/tivo/newbie.html This how-to will walk a beginning TiVo hacker through the following procedures: 1. Installing a network adapter in your TiVo 2. Gaining telnet access to your TiVo 3. Configuring your TiVo to make its Daily Call via the network adapter 4. Installing binaries on your TiVo that are useful for further hacking 5. Including your hack binaries in your PATH for easy access 6. Automating READ/WRITE and READ ONLY switching in the file system It's based on much of the information I've found in the Underground, and is a consolidation and update of the individual how-to's I've previously written that are posted in the Underground. I would very much appreciate suggestions and corrections from Underground members. I've tried to give proper credit in the Acknowledgements section for all the information and advice I've "borrowed," but please let me know if I forgot anyone. http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65853

A good drive to swap in to your tivo unit: http://www.tomshardware.com/storage/20020920/index.html

wait a sec.....this is going to sound really dumb but.....how do you pause live tv? i mean, it's live, and then, it's not? (i get stuff going into the recorder, etc.) but how do you catch up to live?

It's easy. Since you're recording it you can pause it and start it up again. You see, wolfie, by default TiVo records everything you watch. The only thing you can't do is fast forward when you're watching live tv in real time, if you get what I mean. It's odd that we now avoid watching tv in real time; because we can't blow by the commercials. So we usally watch things about 10 minutes late so we have this little cushion. By the way, and this is way off topic, the name of that really great San Antonio restaurant is Acenar, it's on Houston street. But I'll mention that again inthe food conference.

Was that clear enough?

yeah, i get it......tivo records all the time which is why we can pause and stuff.....hmmmmmm....wonder if i can convince the AM that we NEED one of these!

It might be an easy sell. But once you've tried it you're hooked. You'll never have to labor with commercials except the occasional ones that are kind of cool.

the commercials are fun to talk about at work!

Yeah, some people watch the Superbowl for just the commercials so maybe they fast forward the football.

*laugh*

If you are in an area served by Time Warner, you may end up with a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD like I did. In which case, you may want to read this very useful blog entry. http://www.gearbits.com/archives/2005/03/scientific_atla_1.html an excerpt from this fine blog: Now, before I discuss the interface, I have to confess that I am a diehard TiVo junkie. TiVo is my gold standard that any other DVR will be compared against when it comes to the UI. With that said, the SA box is mediocre. It's not horrible, but some anthropological engineering of the user interface could offer some dramatic usability improvements. Plus, there are several features that I miss already (e.g., recording quality setting per show, auto-record by keyword, and the "boing"....where's the "boing?"). They may be in there, but I didn't find them in my brief usage tonight. And why is the remote (center) so darn big? 8300HD3.jpg However, on the plus side, the 8300HD is chock-a-block full of good specs. It has dual tuners, meaning that you can record two programs at the same time while watching a different pre-recorded one. It sports a 160GB hard drive (20 hours of HD content or 90 hours of SD content), and, most surprisingly, an external SATA connector so you can hook up an external hard drive to expand your storage capacity without monkeying around in the DVR's guts...nice! Anyway, I'm sure my opinion will evolve with time. Perhaps I'll even forgive the lack of a cute little mascot and forget about that big, friendly, yellow Pause button. Not likely, but maybe...

The 8300 HD rocks.