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Tivo Series2 (40Hr) for $138.94

This TIVO is a PoS!

I disagree and so do a lot of other people.

Cnet 7.7 rating, 79% of users recommend.
Amazon average customer review 4 stars out of 5.
Epinions customer reviews overall rating 4 stars out of 5.
PC Magazine review member rating 5 stars, editor rating 3 stars.





 
Always, ALWAYS! Buy the cheapest Tivo unit you can find and then hack in a huge hard drive. You'll have so much storage you'll be able to record everything under the sun.
 
Always, ALWAYS! Buy the cheapest Tivo unit you can find and then hack in a huge hard drive. You'll have so much storage you'll be able to record everything under the sun.

Amen to that! And that's what $20 80GB drives from OMax are for!
 
I think he knew what POS stood for...he was asking why was this unit a POS...I'd like to know why the poster thinks that too.
 
Old question, but I'm going to ask.


Can this Tivo be used without the Tivo subscription service?

I just want to replace my Tape VCR. No fancy programming.....record one show at a time on a specific day/time each week. I only get basic analog cable....but it gets major stations plus a few others...($12/month)



I'm doing soo much traveling now, I miss many of my programs (24, CSI, Survivor, Monster xxxxx, etc. I hate using tapes in 8hr mode cuz quality is poor....especially after recording a few times on same tape.




Any comments? thoughts? Post them here or PM me.

Thanks!

 
Supposedly, they can. However, you have to put in programming information manually weekly as well as a few other steps I'm not gonna discuss here. It's a bit of a PITA, such that I know people who would much rather pay the $5/month(though this could be up to triple that, since the year ago they commented on it(go IRC logs!)). Since they are selling you the unit AND charging for the service, you could technically substitute either of those within your rights, IIRC. Either you get your own compatible programming for the unit, or you put together your own compatible unit.

Though it seems to be down right now, http://dealdatabase.com/forum/ has some nice information on the topic.
 
Ditto on deal database. Another good one is Tivo community

I got the direct tivo at CC back the first week of October which was a 40 hour. It is now a 107 hour with a 120 gig hard drive. Got the tivo for $50 after rebate and drive for $80 after rebate.

If you search deal database for sleepers iso you will find all the tools you need for hacking this thing. You can hook it into your lan via the usb ports and download the shows for dvd burning using tytools available at same site.

These are excellent for the geek in your life. 😉 😎

Oh yea one other thing the kernel in tivo isn't able to use larger than a 137 gig drive right now. There is a hack available but seems to still be problematic. May want to stick with a 120 Gb drive.
 
Originally posted by: hallf
I think he knew what POS stood for...he was asking why was this unit a POS...I'd like to know why the poster thinks that too.
Click to expand...

probably neffing 😀

Tivo's are hot!!
 
ok, before I plunk down my cc.... questions

Is the Tivo Series 2 decent quality picture....at least better than TAPE (I sure hope so!!!)

Is this particular unit "hackable" so that I don't need subscription service?


I just want to tell it.... record channel 11, every Monday, 7-8pm and so on......


If I have to manually put in database info every week or so, or network it on my LAN (TV is in a non-lan friendly location), this won't be a good idea for me.



thanks again guys.... really looking tempting....


 
Originally posted by: Souka
ok, before I plunk down my cc.... questions
Click to expand...

Is the Tivo Series 2 decent quality picture....at least better than TAPE (I sure hope so!!!)
depends on the recording quality you set
Is this particular unit "hackable" so that I don't need subscription service?
hackable -> changing hard drive for more space
hackable for free subscription ->not recommended..
I just want to tell it.... record channel 11, every Monday, 7-8pm and so on......
yes, you can also set to record your show names/tittle
If I have to manually put in database info every week
thats why you need subscription service
network it on my LAN
its doable, check out the sites listed above

edit: Also check out this site for lots & lots of info...
TIVO how to's
 
Originally posted by: Souka
Old question, but I'm going to ask.


Can this Tivo be used without the Tivo subscription service?
Click to expand...

I don't think this can be done with the Series 2 Tivo units. It could be done with the older ones though.

Really, its worth it to give it a shot for the first month with the programming guide. See if you like it, and if you don't its probably alright to return it.

 
I have a Tivo Series 2 and an older Panasonic Showstopper/Replay TV. I added a second hard drive to each of them and flashed the firmware on the Showstopper to make it a Replay TV without macrovision protection. I've also added second hard drives to several of my friend's Tivo units. It's relatively easy and you can download instructions and software from the sites already mentioned. You may need to order a mounting bracket (about $20) for the second drive on the newer Tivo Series 2 models. I have over 200 hours of recording time (at low quality) on each unit. I always record at higher quality so I actually get about 80 hours on each unit. I like the Tivo and my wife likes the Replay TV - go figure. Either will have a profound effect on how you watch TV. No more wasted time watching commercials or rushing home to catch your favorite shows (Friends, American Dreams, Joan of Arcadia, etc.). You can watch a football game in half the normal time and replay the Janet Jackson half time boobie fiasco over and over and over
rolleye.gif


At this price, I'm ordering one to bestow on some worthy soul as a gift 😀

Thanks for the hot deal!!!
 
If you are interested in more space than the 40 hour (without hacking it) and no monthly service fee (limited but useful functionality), try the Toshiba SD-H400 which is an 80 hour TIVO series 2 with free TIVO basic and a built-in DVD player. BB has them for $299 after $100 MIR (here) and they are also eligible for this $50 rebate also (according to TIVO posted rebate). The BB $100 does not require the UPC.

Net cost is $250 AR (plus taxes on $400) and you get component video outputs (not on series 2), digital audio output (series 2), and the option of using TIVO basic for free. Oh, and a progressive scan DVD player in one unit. For the $50 rebate, TIVO says your service must be active for at least 30 days. So you would need to activate the TIVO plus service for at least that long at a cost of $13 per month to get the $50 rebate to work. Who knows, you may want that anyway. Frankly, I think it's better to have the option of limited free service than none one at all.

TIVO basic is basically TIVO without the searches and wishlist. But some say those are the best things about TIVO. More info here. You decide if it's worth it.

Personally, I got in on the ReplayTV 40 hour for $150 including at least 3 years service. I like the TIVO interface much better, but I can't see spending the cash.
 
Remember, you need a phone line connected to use these. If it's in a bad position for a LAN(which, you could buy a wireless network to fix), then you may have problems.
 
Regarding Tivo's fee, at Tivo webstie, "Just activate service for an affordable $12.95 a month or a convenient one-time PRODUCT LIFETIME fee of $299." The fee is tied to the machine.

It is the reason I choose Replaytv over Tivo, you can transfer Replaytv's lifetime sub to another machine (usually same model, but I had no trouble when I upgraded 4540 to 5040.) It is one thing to think about.
 
The series 2 can't use the manuel record feature. The old series 1 could if it came with software version 1.3 and older. Of course if you're linux savy you can always upload your own data. With the series 2 you will need a linux/windows machine running a webserver (i.e. apache ) and hack the tivo to call to that machine to get the guide data after you compile it from zap2it. It's really not hard but it's a hassle unless you have it automated.


Originally posted by: Souka
Old question, but I'm going to ask.


Can this Tivo be used without the Tivo subscription service?

I just want to replace my Tape VCR. No fancy programming.....record one show at a time on a specific day/time each week. I only get basic analog cable....but it gets major stations plus a few others...($12/month)



I'm doing soo much traveling now, I miss many of my programs (24, CSI, Survivor, Monster xxxxx, etc. I hate using tapes in 8hr mode cuz quality is poor....especially after recording a few times on same tape.




Any comments? thoughts? Post them here or PM me.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

 
Thanks for the info.

I think I'll pass on this..... too much trouble regarding programming showtime info. (unless I shell out $$ for subscription service).

🙂

 
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