TiVo, DVR Q? (I've never had these "toys")

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:10pm

I 'm not an entertainment junkie except 4 classic films and docu s. Having never owned the above referenced items, can someone briefly explain them, pricing, simplicity, etc? I've Googled and C-netted, but don't quite understand all of it. I don't need fancy doodads, just something very inexpensive, but decent, for basic recording with commercial skip... Thanks if you can help.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:20pm

My DVR is my cable box.......I think tivos are a couple hundred dollars?

You should check with your cable company as to whether you can upgrade your box to one with a DVR.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:23pm

Stockard, I have RCN as my cable provider...called them yesterday, and DVR svce. is 17.95/month! Is this kinda pricey in the long run?

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:28pm

17.95 a month seems too pricey to me for just DVR service... are you sure that's for the service only?

i think TIVO is like 19.99 a month and you get more things to do...

DVR is just basic recording of a tv. when i had DVR i could record shows and i set it up to record only new episodes. DVR also let me watch tv in real time and pause and rewind if i wanted to

TIVO on the other hand lets you do all these things but you can also ask it to search for shows with your favorite actress or actor... it also suggests things you'd like to watch based on what you record... i think you can also order season passes of shows if i'm not mistaken...

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:52pm

Lasagna - what about buying the actual physical DVR player/recorder?
Cheaper/better in the long run? (I'm a novice and on a budget). Like I said, I don't need a huge amount of features...just basic recording/burning of movies. How much should I spend on the device - under 100/over 100.00? Brand?

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 1:59pm

i would say in the long run that TIVO might be better... if only for the fact that you can purchase the machine and then only pay the monthly fees (along with your cable fees)... basically here are the fees

DVR- monthly cable fees, monthly box fee, monthly dvr service

TIVO- cable fees, box fee (one time payment and this TIVO box replaces the box from your cable company but you still need the cable service), monthly TIVO service, and i think you need to pay for an internet service to connect to TIVO to get all the information

[StockardFan]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 2:02pm

I'm not sure how much extra we pay?

[DAME]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 3:24pm

We have both. Tivo is defenitely the better option. But you do have to go with what is compatible with your service provider. Direct HD is not compatible with tivo HD. So till the end of the year ( thats when Directv and Tivo are re marrying) if you have satellite... you have to go with their dvr.
Cable is different. But the HD in satellite is definitely of better quality ( If your real picky)

Updated On: 2/28/09 at 03:24 PM

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 9:11pm

My tivo service is only like 12.95 a month? Well worth it.

[DAME]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 9:31pm

I pay $8.00

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 10:30pm

What do you get for 8 buks on TiVo, Dame?As opposed to 12.95?

[DAME]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 10:59pm

Same thing. But I have been a subscriber to their service since the very beginning.

Updated On: 2/28/09 at 10:59 PM

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 12:00am

i don't have TIVO but i wished i signed up when everyone told me when it first started... you know when you were able to purchase a lifetime subscription for like 200 bucks... oh well

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 1:14am

The "lifetime" subscription is only for how long you have the box, so if you want to upgrade to a new box you'd have to get a new subscription.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 2:14am

oh well that's lame

[ThoroughlyModern]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 2:41am

My TiVo is about $10 a month because I prepaid for a year. It was $12.95 when I was doing it month by month. As far as the box goes I bought a new one last year for around $50 after rebates, but it has 2 lines so I would think you could get something cheaper.

I downloaded a program to my computer last year called "Toast" which sends the episodes from my TiVo to my laptop. It's nice to watch them on there but the programs take up a lot of space. I warn you... TiVo's slightly addictive.
Updated On: 3/1/09 at 02:41 AM

[KingKong]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 3:04am

I warn you... TiVo's slightly addictive.

aint that the truth. I have netflix and watch a lot of stuff from it on TiVo and its really sad how little i leave my apartment now. I've watched the first 3 seasons on the new Doctor Who,the first half of the 3rd season of heroes, and most of the first season, a bunch of Mythbusters, lots of stand up.

[DAME]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 5:10am

You can also find used tivo machines with lifetime subscriptions on them through ebay.

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 11:22am

why do i always forget about just going to the website.. haha.. i feel dumb... www.tivo.com has all the answers.. haha..
www.tivo.com

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 11:25am

My family has Cablevision, and DVR service is an extra $10 a month. The box is free. It has a lot less features than TiVo, but basically works for our needs and doesn't require another remote or a different "channel guide" system.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/1/09 at 11:46am

I have Comcast and pay $11.95 a month for DVR. I love it. I record programs I would never ever watch otherwise.

You can set it to record entire series, so that if you are going to be out, you don't have to worry bout remembering to set the DVR.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/19/09 at 11:47pm

I'm starting to consider a TiVo HD box, because I'm just not a fan of the Time Warner (Queens) HD DVR. I find the guide and the remote overly complicated and just not as user friendly as my old non-HD DVR.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 12:23am

Time Warner (Manhattan) charges $10.95 a month foir the DVR service - and it's well worth it. After using it for nearly two years, I simply cannot imagine being without it.

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 2:21am

I want AT&T to start offering the U-Verse service in NY. My parents have it at their house in Cleveland and it's pretty great. You can have 4 shows recording at once and still be watching a fifth one, and the boxes are networked with each other so you can watch recorded shows on any TV you have connected to a box. The service was also much more reliable than the god-awfulness I get with RCN here in Queens where I have to unplug and reset it at least once a week due to lousy reception (comparable to watching streaming video on a slow internet connection; stopping, weird picture break-ups, bad sound, etc).

[LaurenB]

Posted: 7/20/09 at 3:42am

For Tivo, do you have to connect a telephone line to the box?