TiVo Series3: Worth $800?
Confirmed features
CableCARD support for recording two encrypted digital cable channels at once or one multi-stream Card when available. (Cable Co is required by the FCC to support)
NTSC, analog cable and un-encrypted QAM support.
Record OTA or Cable, with two inputs, which will enable the two sources to be integrated.
Expand your storage with a external eSATA hard drive.
Front panel display, which will show what is recording among other things.
New remote that is weighted to make it easier to find the top and back-lit which makes it easier to use in the dark.
Home Media Engine
Ethernet port
Dual USB ports
HDMI TOSLINK and Component Out
Expected
Multi-Room Viewing
TiVoToGo
Requires monthly TiVo subscription, $13-$20 month depending on Monthly commitment.
All sources will integrate into one guide.
Bring your own eSATA drive or only support TiVo brand.
Map un-encrypted QAM channels without a CableCARD.
Support for MPEG2, AVC and VC-1.
External Drive will not be easily moved to other units.
Initial call via Internet.
Hackable to add features or storage.
300 GB drive.
Left out
Will not work with VOD or PPV. (requires CableCARD 2.0)
No Support for Switched Digital Cable Systems.
No 1394 aka Firewire. (No archive to DVHS or PC)
Not able to record via component. (Will not record Satellite)
No S-Video/Composite in. (not able to record SD via external tuner)
No 500 GB drive option.
Features we really want.
Multi-Room Viewing (MRV) for those who aren't familiar with this feature, it enables multiple TiVo's to play together on your home network. Want to watch a program that is on another TiVo, no problem, do you already have two shows scheduled to record, TiVo will ask if you want to record it on your other TiVo.
TiVoToGo; this feature goes without saying, this should make up for the lack of 1394 port and enable you to transfer your shows to your computer and even a DVD, but don't expect to fit more than a half hour on a single layer disc, it may be time for the next generation optical disc.
Is it worth the price?
Those are just the specs and features, there are more immeasurable reasons that can only be known to those who have owned a TiVo. The best part is that you have another choice, you can choose the inexpensive version from your cable company or you can step up and buy the ultimate HD DVR available. For all practical purposes the Series 3 will be a high-end product for those who demand the best and are willing to pay for it. Sure it may not be right for everyone at that price, but when you are ready to step up, TiVo will be there for you and in the meantime they will push your cable company to improve their offerings. Is the Series 3 worth the price? How much would you be willing to pay?
Check back for a full review when it hits the street.
[Thanks, Dave Zatz and megazone for the details and pictures!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jolard @ Sep 6th 2006 11:38AM
Well this may be the first dual tuner HD DVR for Cable or OTA, but it is not the first dual tuner HD DVR. Dish Network has that, with their VIP622. In fact that is a triple tuner HD DVR, able to record three HD streams (two Sat and one OTA) at the same time.
Count me in as underwhelmed by the TIVO announcement, and especially at that price.
Ben Drawbaugh @ Sep 6th 2006 11:45AM
I added the words stand alone for clarity.
There are a few dual tuner units that are not stand alone.
622 can't record two OTA channels at once, which is where most people's conflicts are since Cable Channels tend to repeat show more often than the OTA networks.
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 12:21PM
Remember, $799 is MSRP. When was the last time you paid list price for anything?
Best Buy's cost is $500. That means you should see it from Buy.com and Amazon.com for $600-650. Tivo also has a $150 mail-in rebate on new Tivo purchases. Your "true" price after mail-in rebate should be about $500.
Have a lifetime subscription on a Series1 or Series2? Tivo just announced that they are allowing owners of current Series1 and Series2 lifetime boxes to transfer their lifetime subscription to the new Series3 for a one-time charge of $199. That means no monthly fees. As part of this offer, Tivo also includes an additional 12 months of free service on the existing box.
Adam @ Sep 6th 2006 12:28PM
Does "not able to record SD via external tuner" mean that if you have a cable box (i don't have a cable card slot in my hdtv), you can't use TiVo 3 to record non-HD programming? that would be a huge mistake if true. of course, not nearly as big a mistake as charging 800 bucks for the thing.
Jason @ Sep 6th 2006 12:30PM
By "stand alone," you mean it's not tied to a cable or satellite service -- but it IS tied to Tivo's subscription service. I'm still looking for a dual tuner HD DVR for OTA that does not require a subscription to work... :(
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 12:38PM
"Well this may be the first dual tuner HD DVR for Cable or OTA, but it is not the first dual tuner HD DVR. Dish Network has that, with their VIP622. In fact that is a triple tuner HD DVR"
The Series3 Tivo has a whopping SIX TUNERS. It has two tuners for analog cable and off-air channels, two digital cable tuners for digital cable programs (supports CableCard), and two ATSC tuners for off-air digital broadcasts. Content from all sources is integrated into a single guide, and you can record any combination of two programs simultaneously while watching a third previous recording. All digital channels are recorded at 100% original quality, unlike past Tivos.
In addition to a eSATA port supporting external hard drive expansion, the box has fully functional 100Mbps networking to integrate with your PC. With the bundled Tivo Desktop software, you can stream MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and VC-1 (WM9) recordings stored on your PC to your Series3 over the network. With TivoToGo software, you can transfer HDTV recordings (from the local networks) to your computer for backup or burning to a DVD / Blu-ray / HD-DVD disk.
Try doing that on your Dish / DirecTV DVR!
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 12:44PM
> Does "not able to record SD via external tuner" mean
> that if you have a cable box (i don't have a cable card
> slot in my hdtv), you can't use TiVo 3 to record non-HD
> programming?
No, it just means that the Series3 REPLACES your cable box. The Series3 is not like old Tivos that connect to your cable box. It is a complete replacement for your cable box. Because of this, the Series3 records all content at 100% original quality and changes channels near instantly.
You don't need CableCard slots in your TV because the Series3 Tivo has two CableCard slots BUILT IN. You pickup the CableCard from your cable company, plug it in the box, then call your cable company and read off to them the sequence of numbers listed on the activation screen. That is how you enable access to all the encrypted digital cable channels on the Series3. If you have ever had satellite receiver, or called to activate a satellite receiver, the activation on the Tivo Series3 works the same way.
Of course, you don't need to have to have a cable or digital cable subscription. The Series3 also works without a cable subscription -- remember it has four tuners built-in to record analog and DTV/HDTV channels from an antenna.
Roofus @ Sep 6th 2006 1:02PM
I just don't see the advantage to this if you are a customer of a cable/sat company that lets you have an HD DVR?
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 1:21PM
> I just don't see the advantage to this if you are a
> customer of a cable/sat company that lets you have an
> HD DVR?
1) Superior usability and reliability -- my Comcast DVR missed more recordings in two months than my Tivo missed in four years.
For cable companies, DVR is more of an afterthought. They offer it for competitive reasons. With Tivo, DVR service is their business -- they don't do anything else. They spend a lot of time making sure their shit works. If there are errors in guide data, they FIX IT. If there are bugs, they get fixed asap.
2) Superior responsiveness -- every had lag or delays when using pause, fast forward, rewind, 30-second skip, etc on your cable DVR? No such lag on a Tivo.
3) TWICE the storage capacity of the cable co's hdtv dvr, with external expansion fully supported. For $150 at Bestbuy.com, you can add a 500Gb drive that gives your Tivo more than SIX TIMES the capacity of the Comcast HDTV DVR. If you have lots of money, you can build a SATA raid to give your Tivo 20x to 50x the storage capacity of your cable DVR.
4) Whole house networking -- stream recordings from one Tivo to another. If you have three Tivos in your house, you can access all recordings from a single box, regardless of where the recording is stored. Look at the screenshot in this news post.
5) Computer integration -- Tivo Desktop lets you play content stored on your PC back on your Tivo, streamed over your wireless network. Download porn to your PC and watch it on your TV through Tivo. :) Series3 adds support for MPEG-4 and VC-1 (WM9) HDTV playback.
6) Burning to DVD/Blu-ray -- Tivo's software lets you transfer recordings from the DVR to your computer (over the network) for burning to DVD or Blu-ray disk.
7) Internet scheduling -- setup recordings on your Tivo from anywhere, including your mobile phone, through Tivo's web site.
8) Home media integration -- access and playback all the songs on your computer through your home entertainment system using the Tivo. View all the images (porn!) stored on your PC with your TV using the Tivo.
Adam @ Sep 6th 2006 1:45PM
Thanks, Ken. There seems to be a lot of confusion out there over Tivo 3. Hopefully, TiVo will have extensive FAQ's to clear up the confusion.
Wayne @ Sep 6th 2006 1:51PM
Jolard, the Motorola 6412 is also a dual-tuner HD DVR.
For my money I'll take the ocassional lag in response time and the limited space for $10 a month as opposed to any dollar amount in the hundreds, be it full price or reduced to $300-400. It helps that I have a great cable company who keeps a reliable viewing guide up to date.
Rob @ Sep 6th 2006 1:58PM
i'll be first in line to pick this up. anyone who has cablevision will probably be right behind me.
Second Chance @ Sep 6th 2006 2:08PM
If the cable company were to offer this on a subscription basis, I'd be sure to "rent" one. As far as buy... nope, sorry, too much.
I currently have a dual tuner HD DVR from Scientific Atlantic, and although it's not as slick as the TIVO software, it certainly gets the job done. The rental fees and subscription service are not that expensive, compared to what I was playing for a subscription to TIVO alone.
MikeS @ Sep 6th 2006 3:48PM
I would LOVE for TIVO to work with TWC to offer the Series3 or a stripped version with two QAM tuners and two NTSC cable tuners for RENTAL as an upgrade from the SA8300HD.
GameJerk @ Sep 6th 2006 4:08PM
Originally posted by Ken Fowler:
"5) Computer integration -- Tivo Desktop lets you play content stored on your PC back on your Tivo, streamed over your wireless network. Download porn to your PC and watch it on your TV through Tivo. :) Series3 adds support for MPEG-4 and VC-1 (WM9) HDTV playback."
I have no read of this feature anywhere else. Is there a link on this feature going into further detail? I currently use a modded xbox w/XBMC but it is not powerful enough to handle the HD formats of .ts or even x264. Will tivo be able to play these off of my computer?
GameJerk @ Sep 6th 2006 4:09PM
Originally posted by Ken Fowler:
"5) Computer integration -- Tivo Desktop lets you play content stored on your PC back on your Tivo, streamed over your wireless network. Download porn to your PC and watch it on your TV through Tivo. :) Series3 adds support for MPEG-4 and VC-1 (WM9) HDTV playback."
I have no read of this feature anywhere else. Is there a link on this feature going into further detail? I currently use a modded xbox w/XBMC but it is not powerful enough to handle the HD formats of .ts or even x264. Will tivo be able to play these off of my computer?
Herbert Sacher @ Sep 6th 2006 4:48PM
With cable companies needing more bandwith to stream HD content (currently in MPEG-2 compression) will this new Series 3 box be able to handle a signal coming from cable that is in MPEG-4. This is the problem with DirecTV HD Tivos. They are changing to the new compression that will disable the Tivo box to record them.
Herb
fumbducker @ Sep 6th 2006 4:51PM
no directv. that sucks.
Charles Farrell @ Sep 6th 2006 5:06PM
Maybe this is a dumb question but I am going to ask it anyway. I investigated TiVo when it first came out, and when I learned that it had to be hooked up to a POTS phone line I barfed and said "No way Jose." I haven't had an active phone line in my home for over 4 years. And yet I see that there is a phone line jack on the back of this unit. It should be able to communicate over the internet if you have high speed internet service on your cable. Maybe I got buried by all the acronyms and jargon in the article; does this thing require a phone line or not?
Griffon @ Sep 6th 2006 5:18PM
After laying out huge bucks for a HD-Tivo for direct TV a couple years back, and then watching it languish for updates for years (don't care who's fault it is) I swore no more big cash buys of what is essentially proprietary hardware. The S3 would be attractive if you could use it with any provider, sat or cable. But at that fat price point with a large (sorry, everyone else dose guide data for free or sub $5) monthly fee on top of it and only being able to do cable and OTA I just can't see it. No mpeg4, odd, no divx support, sad.
I hate the windows foundation stuff, it's buggy and error prone but it is comparatively free, while I miss having more hd from D*TV (comcast you SUCK, and you LIE) it's just not worth all the extra cost per month. I'll get interested when they are giving the S# away to get that HUGE monthly fee they think they deserve.
At this rate they will never be a true media hub for the home, and MS or sombody will eat their lunch big time (over time).
Griffon @ Sep 6th 2006 5:30PM
Hey here is a technical question for folks have the streaming ability now.
Can a master tivo device such as the S3 stream content to other devices that don't have an active subscription, sort of as s dumb terminal just for playback? I think the answer to this is sadly no, but thought I would check (don't help me since my only other tivo is a d*tv hd unit that they have made stand alone).
What can the S3 stream HD data to for playback? Only other S3's I would imagine, making this a VERY expensive multi room proposition for those with more then one HD set. It also makes the streaming(at least for me) largely superfulouse... to bad it is a great selling point, but not at HD quality.
Tivo needs a dumb terminal after market like MS has for extenders. They need this badly if they ever want to be a hub, IMO. To bad they can't do a nice xbox 360 blade for streaming... oh dam there is that competition thing :p.
Griffon @ Sep 6th 2006 5:33PM
Charles, no it does not, at least not for activation. They don't specify how the data collection stuff is moved it sounds like it probable is just there as a legacy option for those without a network setup.
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 6:10PM
> I currently use a modded xbox w/XBMC but it is not
> powerful enough to handle the HD formats of .ts or even
> x264. Will tivo be able to play these off of my
> computer?
The older Series2 only supports MPEG-2 streaming. The Series3 supports MPEG-4 and VC-1 streaming. A new version of the Tivo Desktop software will be required to support that, we'll have to see if this is available next week at release.
> With cable companies needing more bandwith to
> stream HD content (currently in MPEG-2 compression)
> will this new Series 3 box be able to handle a
> signal coming from cable that is in MPEG-4.
Yes. The Series3 features the latest technology from Broadcom which decodes MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (H.264), and VC-1 (WM9) at up to 1080p resolution. The Series3 will output a max of 1080i, however.
> Maybe I got buried by all the acronyms and jargon
> in the article; does this thing require a phone
> line or not?
The phone connection is a backup for people that don't have broadband. Broadband is the preferred connection. With the phone line, all you can get is guide data. With the network connection, you get guide data, Internet streaming content, downloadable content, and networking with your computer and other Tivos.
> Can a master tivo device such as the S3 stream
> content to other devices that don't have an active
> subscription, sort of as s dumb terminal just for
> playback?
Streaming to devices other than your computer using Tivo's software. I think the answer is no.
> What can the S3 stream HD data to for playback?
> Only other S3's I would imagine, making this a VERY
> expensive multi room proposition for those with
> more then one HD set.
Unfortunately, the Series3 can only stream HDTV between other Series3 boxes and your PC. HDTV content copied from the Tivo to your computer is encrypted, so you can't directly take that stream and send it around the Internet.
Griffon @ Sep 6th 2006 6:57PM
Oooph, 1080i :(. My Westinghouse 1080P craves a non interlaced signal, so far only available via OTA via my MCE box. Why the hell cut component costs and sacrifice future scalability on a $800 box, that just makes no sense. Does Tivo really think this will be a 3 year cycle and folks will just keep shelling out for ludicrous one time costs...
Ed H @ Sep 6th 2006 7:11PM
I see several comments here that mention 'streaming' video to or from the S3 over the LAN. Does the S3 really support streaming, or does it just copy files locally and then play them like the S2 does?
Also, anyone know how much cable-cos will charge for CableCARD rental?
Bill G @ Sep 6th 2006 7:20PM
I am a former multi-ReplayTV owner and a Comcast customer with two Motorola 6412 HD DVRs.
TiVo will sell the Series 3 to existing TiVo owners and past TiVo owners longing to return only. If a customer has not used a TiVo [or a ReplayTV] before the likelihood they will buy a Series 3 instead of going for the cheaper alternative of a cable/satco provided box is zero.
The Series 3 introduction will slow the loss of TiVo customers to cable/satco HD DVRs but it won't add any new TiVo customers.
Gene Cowan @ Sep 6th 2006 7:34PM
Considering the lack of a way to get programs out of the box -- no Firewire -- I don't think I'd call this a "high end" product for those who demand the best. Without that functionality, it's a closed box keeping content captive. The MPAA will love it, but I won't.
Slapbunny @ Sep 6th 2006 7:51PM
This was posted earlier:
"Have a lifetime subscription on a Series1 or Series2? Tivo just announced that they are allowing owners of current Series1 and Series2 lifetime boxes to transfer their lifetime subscription to the new Series3 for a one-time charge of $199. That means no monthly fees. As part of this offer, Tivo also includes an additional 12 months of free service on the existing box."
Is this True?
Jim Messina @ Sep 6th 2006 8:16PM
So are they going to make one that can record from satelite companies. Cause Direct TV's new HD DVR is awful and I was kind of looking forward to this new Tivo (after the first price drop).
I understand the whole copy protection thing going over component video, but couldn't they let you record over HDMI?
Ken Fowler @ Sep 6th 2006 8:31PM
> allowing owners of current Series1 and Series2
> lifetime boxes to transfer their lifetime
> subscription to the new Series3 for a one-time
> charge of $199.
> Is this True?
Yes, see this link for more info:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=314798
> how much cable-cos will charge for CableCARD
> rental?
Ranges from free to around $3.00/mo, depending on cable provider. Comcast provides the first CableCard free.
> Considering the lack of a way to get programs out
> of the box -- no Firewire -- I don't think I'd call
> this a "high end" product for those who demand the
> best.
I disagree. The future of DVR is in integration with PC and Mac, and that's what exactly Tivo is doing. The days of external VCRs and such is coming to an end. The future is better integration of computers with home theater, streaming media between DVR and PC/Mac, and burning shows to HD-DVD and Blu-ray using your PC is where we are headed. Firewire is a dead technology.
> So are they going to make one that can record from
> satelite companies. Cause Direct TV's new HD DVR is
> awful and I was kind of looking forward to this new
> Tivo (after the first price drop).
We have Dish Network and DirecTV to blame for the lack of a Series3 satellite. Those providers will not allow (in the case of DirecTV, no longer allow) Tivo to produce DVRs for their satellite systems. They both use encryption and will not grant Tivo a license to implement their encryption system in a product.
The technology does not exist to record HDTV from component and DVI/HDMI in a consumer product --- the professional broadcast products with this capability are twice the size of your computer and cost up to $25,000 -- so access to the Dish and DirecTV encryption systems was the only option Tivo had to build a HDTV Tivo for satellite.
I'm sure you've heard about the suit against Dish Network...which chose to implement much of Tivo's functionality on its own, infringing Tivo's patents, rather than allow Tivo to compete for its HDTV DVR customers by granting them access to its encryption platform.
In contrast, our government mandated that all cable providers open their encryption systems to third-parties like Tivo by way of one common standard known as OpenCable (CableCard). For this reason, and this reason alone, we will have products like the Tivo Series3 that replace the cable box / cable DVR. Over-the-air broadcasting (ATSC) is also an open standard, so the Series3 incorporates dual tuners for that as well.
sparkinator2tuf @ Sep 6th 2006 8:38PM
I love my SA8300
Ryan @ Sep 6th 2006 10:07PM
>>it is not the first dual tuner HD DVR. Dish Network has that (re vip622)
TiVo's DirecTV specific HD unit predated Dish's option. The hd 'DirecTiVo'-as it's known--does include satellite and local OTA HD programming.
ANd nicely has programming notes for the OTA digital, which I notice my new DISH 622 does not.
hmmm, seems some comments were based on Directv hating...
Ryan @ Sep 6th 2006 10:31PM
[quote]For my money I'll take the ocassional lag in response time and the limited space for $10 a month as opposed to any dollar amount in the hundreds, be it full price or reduced to $300-400. It helps that I have a great cable company who keeps a reliable viewing guide up to date.[quote]
why do I get the feeling a cable co executive wrote that...
Ryan @ Sep 6th 2006 10:41PM
and to finally answer the question--is it worth $800--yes...to them
Most of us get STBs worth much more than our upfront costs for them. Our cable or satellite provider gives us expensive equipment at $10 or $15 per month, and prorates it.
TiVo does not have that option and therefore charges a appropriate price for their product.
[full discolsure: I do own some TiVo stock]
Bill G @ Sep 6th 2006 11:38PM
Ryan,
I have no doubt that the new Series 3 would be *much* better than the often buggy Moto6412, but my point was that there is absolutely no chance that a new DVR user would choose a Series 3 over a cableco DVR and as the comments above illustrate, even current TiVo owners who know how bad cableco boxes can be will have a hard time justifying the $800.
TiVo will sell the Series 3 to the converted faithful only, they will create no new TiVo customers.
Jason @ Sep 7th 2006 3:57AM
In addition to a eSATA port supporting external hard drive expansion, the box has fully functional 100Mbps networking to integrate with your PC. With the bundled Tivo Desktop software, you can stream MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and VC-1 (WM9) recordings stored on your PC to your Series3 over the network. With TivoToGo software, you can transfer HDTV recordings (from the local networks) to your computer for backup or burning to a DVD / Blu-ray / HD-DVD disk.
Try doing that on your Dish / DirecTV DVR!
Actually I have brighthouse (formerly timewarner) and not only can i stream my recordings to my computer, but also to my CELL PHONE and have been able to do so for along time now. It's not free but it's sweet.
MikeS @ Sep 7th 2006 9:18AM
I don't see the Tivo S3 ever replacing my SA8300HD. I cannot afford $600-800 for the DVR plus cablecard rental plus TIVO monthly fees plus cable fees. Much more economical to rent the SA8330HD even if it is inferior. Maybe if my salary was double what is now......
Phoenix @ Sep 7th 2006 9:38AM
Why pay for cable and an additional $12-$20 a month for Tivo? Thats crazy!
Rick @ Sep 7th 2006 2:13PM
I've had a Tivo for over 5 years, upgrading from a Series 1 to a Series 2 because of the increased benefits (i.e. multiroom, Tivo To Go, etc). I just purchased a Sony 60 SXRD Television. Since Tivo didn't support HD, I dropped Direct TV and went with Comcast and their DVR for our HD. I didn't stay with Direct TV because they required a 2 year commitement and didn't offer my local stations in HD. I'd probably love the Comcast DVR if I never had Tivo, but I'm spoiled by Tivo. The difference between Tivo and Comast DVR is night and day. Little thing that were so common place with Tivo are not supported by Comcast (i.e season pass, multi-room). If Tivo does offer a rebate and honors my lifetime subscription, I'll probably be the first one in line to buy it when it is released. I miss my Tivo.
Mick @ Sep 7th 2006 2:37PM
Reading the specification, I realized that one spec said it can Record OTA or Cable, with two inputs, antenna and cable inputs. But the spec above it said that it is compatible with NTSC and cable. I doubt the this recorder has a ATSC tuner in it, so how is it doing OTA.
Ben Drawbaugh @ Sep 7th 2006 3:37PM
No it will not work with DirecTV
Yes it has a ATSC tuner in addition to the NTSC, QAM and analog cable.
Ken Fowler @ Sep 7th 2006 4:00PM
> I doubt the this recorder has a ATSC tuner in it, so
> how is it doing OTA.
The Series3 has 6 tuners -- two QAM digital cable tuners (supporting CableCard), two analog tuners, and two ATSC (off-air DTV/HDTV) tuners.
The Series3 does not have any DirecTV tuners. DirecTV and Dish Network will not (any longer) provide Tivo access to their encryption systems. I'm sure you've all heard against the suit against Dish Network, which is monopolizing their system by preventing everyone else from making HDTV DVRs for their service.
Joe Siegler @ Sep 7th 2006 4:53PM
In the left out column, don't forget
Doesn't work with Satellite.
I'm still miffed about that.
b @ Sep 7th 2006 11:22PM
Ben,
In the left out section, you mention that "Not able to record via component. (Will not record Satellite)".
Does this mean it will not work with DirecTV?
b
Mamps @ Sep 10th 2006 3:18AM
People, you're drifting off topic. The discussion is supposed to be is it worth it? Well what would be the lowest possible cost:
Tivo Hardware: $800
Monthly TIvo Subscription for 3 years, prepaid: $369 (limited time offer, usually $469)
(2) Cable Card Rental fees = 2 x $1.75 x 12 months x 3years = $126
Time Warner Cable Card Install fee: $19.95
Total Lowest Cost = $1314.95 for 3 years = $36.53/month for 3 YEARS JUST TO RECORD Television ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
There's no way this is worth it.
Mamps @ Sep 10th 2006 3:38AM
I think Apple is going to make this thing look pretty silly on Tuesday.
$1314.95 worth of HTPC components can go a long way. I currently have TIVO and love the service, but I won't renew after my 1 year commitment ends next January. The fees are just too much. I'll be able to build a 4-6 tuner HTPC server next year to do everything I want it to that TIVO does and more w/out a subscription fee.
Cable Card isn't an issue for me since I still refuse to pay the extra $7 just to watch freakin ESPN in HD. I can still get everything else via a QAM tuner if I wanted to. Besides, here in Ohio, I still have to get my networks with an ATSC tuner anyway since Sinclair Broadcasting won't let TWC carry ABC and FOX without gouging them for more $.
Andru @ Sep 10th 2006 5:03AM
Um...what about watching On Demand and PPV content and events? The Series 3 doesn't seem to allow for that - therefore, it DOESN'T replace the cable box. As least, not in my living room.
Kerry @ Sep 10th 2006 12:48PM
The one time fee for upgrading your lifetime tivo is at $199.00. I have one with a lifetime and one with a monthly fee. What is the lifetime fee if you don't upgrade?
I would rather upgrade the one without the lifetime fee. I bought that cheap 30 hour unit just to stall until the HD recording models come out.
BiG? @ Sep 10th 2006 2:30PM
I had both a series 1 and a series 2 TiVo, but, when I bought a HD TV, got rid of my TiVo and started paying Comcast a few $'s a month for their 6412, complete with two HD-happy tuners, a good on-screen guide and firewire. In theory, it was a better scenario than my TiVo, especially because I am a Mac user, and, at the time, TiVoToGo was only PC, so firewire enabled Mac-happy transfers.
The reality was, the 6412 has not been the best experience. While the dual-tuner works quite well when recording two HD channels, my SD recordings are hit or miss. using Firewire has caused numerous lockups on the 6412. And the onscreen guide is devised by Microsoft; it is horribly unintuitive compared to the TiVo interface. And, surprisingly, I miss TiVo's suggestions.
Now, with Series 3 arriving, I am torn. Because I know, somewhere in the country, there are Comcast boxes with dual-tuners running the beta version of TiVoForComcast. What I don't know is whether a TiVo front end would solve my current woes. Because I don't know if my problems are hardware or software based. If the TiVo interface for Comcast comes fairly soon after the Series 3 release, and if it works, there is no chance I am paying $800, or even $500, for a TiVo box. But, if the TiVo software for Comcast doesn't help, or if it takes ages to reach my home area of Seattle, well...
Al @ Sep 12th 2006 9:10AM
I have a few questions i haven't seen covered.
1. I've heard the Remote will be learning, does anyone know to what degree?
2. will the E-SATA post allow for non memory expansion like DVD recorders or down the road HD/BR recorders?
3. with a regular coax antenna in on the back, couldn't i run a full cable box in there to record PPV and OD content?
Thanks