Tivo's whats the differance here?

[BuckMaster]

Ive been looking into buying a Tivo for the wife for Christmas and dont know much on which to buy and a good price.

Why is it this on is only $93.00
RCA


and this on is 250.00?
TIVO

I know RCA isnt top of the line but if it does the same thing as the TIVO brand or has the same features why pay the $150.00 more. Paying for the name maybe?

If it matters I have cable.

Thanks!

 

[rahvin]

One is a DirectTIVO, it can only be used with DirectTV. And you should be able to find lower prices than that if you are looking at switching to DirectTV. The advantage of the DirectTIVO is dual tuners.

The second one the TIVO brand is a series 2 Tivo, that's what you want for a cable system. It's a stand alone box.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/ is a good source of information on TIVO and how to upgrade etc.

 

[amnesiac]

The RCA one is an integrated DirecTV receiver + TIVO, also known as "DirecTivo"

It is NOT usable solely with the Tivo network; you must also be a DTV subscriber to use it.

 

[BuckMaster]

I think I got it thanks! So Im guess the Tivo I need they all pretty much run $250.00.

Thanks!

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: BuckMaster
I think I got it thanks! So Im guess the Tivo I need they all pretty much run $250.00.

Thanks!

There is a $50 rebate at Tivo.com on the boxes, don't forget that.

 

[BuckMaster]

Yea I see that. I'll probably pick one up at BestBuy here soon. I don know anything about paying for the montly fee but it costing 12.99 a month and $299.00 lifetime. I think Ill buy her 6 months worth and if she like it she can pick up after that. I also wonder how it works if lets say I buy it Nov 28 and she wont get it till Dec 25 and probably wont intsall it a few days after If I can pay the 6 monts up front and have it activated starting lets say the 28th? Do I pay the activation/monthly fee at Bestbuy too?

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: BuckMaster
Yea I see that. I'll probably pick one up at BestBuy here soon. I don know anything about paying for the montly fee but it costing 12.99 a month and $299.00 lifetime. I think Ill buy her 6 months worth and if she like it she can pick up after that. I also wonder how it works if lets say I buy it Nov 28 and she wont get it till Dec 25 and probably wont intsall it a few days after If I can pay the 6 monts up front and have it activated starting lets say the 28th? Do I pay the activation/monthly fee at Bestbuy too?

AFAIK you activate through TIVO (the company), personally I would wait on the activation till you set it up. When you first setup it gives you full functionality for 7 days (or it did when I purchased) so you can try the TIVO service and get totally hooked on season passes.

 

[RossMAN]

If you ever consider getting DirecTV Satellite I would take a look at the DirecTIVO because:

1) It's only $99 vs $250.
2) $5 per month vs $12.99.

We love ours.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
If you ever consider getting DirecTV Satellite I would take a look at the DirecTIVO because:

1) It's only $99 vs $250.
2) $5 per month vs $12.99.

We love ours.

Negatives: No lifetime subscription, no HMO.

 

[KeithP]

The DirectTIVO has another advantage over a stand alone TIVO unit. On the SA TIVO, the video signal coming in is compressed by the TIVO unit. Even at the highest quality setting, the picture quality is degraded. Don't get me wrong, the picture quality isn't so bad that the most people would notice it, but it won't be as good as the picture going directly from your cable box to your TV. Also, the highest quality setting eats into the number of hours of programming you can record. An 80 hour TIVO, at the highest quality setting will only store about 24 hours of programming. On the other hand, the DirectTIVO always records at the highest quality setting. As I understand, it simply takes the compressed signal it is getting from the satelite and stores it on the hard drive. The quality should be the same as a regular DirectTV unit going directly to your TV. In short, a DirectTIVO should give you more hours with better picture quality than a SA TIVO.

I have a SA Series 2 TIVO. If my apartment balcony had good line-of-site I would have purchased the DirectTIVO. That being said, I love the TIVO I have and can't imagine watching TV without it. I have it set to the highest quality setting all the time. I may add another hard drive to increase capacity though.

-KeithP

 

[BuckMaster]

 

[BuckMaster]

Thanks everyone but im sure I wont be swithing to DirecTV Satellite.

With Tivo you can record from the Tivo to the VCR/VHS correct?

 

[rahvin]

Yea there is even a record to VCR in the options list on a show, lets you time everything just right.

 

[BuckMaster]

One last thing, Im wondering if a Tivi with a 40Gig is enough or If I should buy a 80Gig. Could someone tell me how many hours each get with the highest quality settings? Also when recording through Tivo is the picture as good if not better then viewing from a recorded VHS tape?

Thanks!

 

[Wingznut]

No, the 40gb isn't enough. I thought it would be, but it only took about 6 weeks before it became downright annoying.

It's very easy to add a second drive. So, you do the math and figure out which costs more...


Oh yeah... DirecTiVo rocks!!! (Satellite > Cable)

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: Wingznut
No, the 40gb isn't enough. I thought it would be, but it only took about 6 weeks before it became downright annoying.

It's very easy to add a second drive. So, you do the math and figure out which costs more...


Oh yeah... DirecTiVo rocks!!! (Satellite > Cable)

True DirecTIVO rocks but DirecTV satellite ain't cheap ... to get a decent programming package with local channels and DirecTIVO is around $60.

How much do you pay?

 

[Wingznut]

$40 .. Total Choice Plus w/local channels
$5 .... TiVo
$5 .... 2nd Room
------
$50/month (That doesn't include $130/yr for NHL Center Ice.)

Still a better deal than the digital cable around here... $54/month without TiVo and with less channels. Oh yeah, less quality too.