Help me understand DVR/TiVo, please
Okay. After having the DirectTV people out here, we've decided that we can't do a dish. We would either have to live with wires criss-crossing hallways and doorways and over tile and wood flooring, or we'd have to cut into the drywall in order to fish lines through to where they're needed. An electrician just quoted us close to $1000 to do the interior wiring and said we'd have drywall damage all over the place. We're unwilling to pay that amount, and we're unwilling to put up an obstacle course around our house. So, a dish is no longer an option.
This whole thing came out of the conversation that my wife and I had. She wanted to be able to record multiple programs at the same time. I said that we had a VCR, but admitted that we couldn't record more than one show at a time.
So, the options I'm aware of are a DVR or TiVo. Here's my questions:
1. Do I need a subscription to some service?
2. Can ONE coax-cable jack handle DVR/TiVo and my TV (DirectTV required two jacks at the TV source to accomplish the recording features)?
3. I have been on eBay, and I see various generations of TiVo, DVRs, etc. I don't need the latest and greatest, I need something that's functional.
4. Is your experience that some DVR/TiVo systems work with some cable companies and others don't?
5. Do I have to notify my cable company (Comcast) that I'll be using one of these machines?
6. Am I better renting a machine from my cable provider or should I simply purchase one?
Thanks!
This whole thing came out of the conversation that my wife and I had. She wanted to be able to record multiple programs at the same time. I said that we had a VCR, but admitted that we couldn't record more than one show at a time.
So, the options I'm aware of are a DVR or TiVo. Here's my questions:
1. Do I need a subscription to some service?
2. Can ONE coax-cable jack handle DVR/TiVo and my TV (DirectTV required two jacks at the TV source to accomplish the recording features)?
3. I have been on eBay, and I see various generations of TiVo, DVRs, etc. I don't need the latest and greatest, I need something that's functional.
4. Is your experience that some DVR/TiVo systems work with some cable companies and others don't?
5. Do I have to notify my cable company (Comcast) that I'll be using one of these machines?
6. Am I better renting a machine from my cable provider or should I simply purchase one?
Thanks!
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most dvrs and/or tivos tie into your cable or satellite service to get listings/starts/stops OR a pay-for separate service (tivo). Some people build computers with special TV tuner cards in 'em for about what a pre-built box costs and do all their own programming on it. Ripping movies from DVD to the drive is then possible, as is copying shows from one device to another, archiving to DVD, playing DVD, etc. is then possible, while none of that is an option with a pre-built tivo/dvr.
As to running the cable, etc. you can do it yourself, but you'll still have the drywall damage. Of course, while runnign coax for "cable" you can run telephone, ethernet, and some string (to pull threw the next new technology in 20 years) and put it all down in a nice face plate. I did my house for under $200 in materials and 2 days of work (middle of winter for attic work here in Florida!, added ethernet, coax, and 2 phonelines in each area) but am waiting to finish off the drywall work proper until the summer repaint job.
But since you already have cable, shouldn't the satellite be able to feed into wherever that enters the house?
Finally, you may be able to use a splitter instead of runnign 2 lines/jacks (they'd be split from eachother at some point anyway) but remember that with a digital signal it either gets thru or it doesnt' - there is no tolerable fuzzyness on channel 13 like you can get with an imperfect or too weak analog signal.0 -
quote:Originally posted by iwannausername
most dvrs and/or tivos tie into your cable or satellite service to get listings/starts/stops OR a pay-for separate service (tivo). Some people build computers with special TV tuner cards in 'em for about what a pre-built box costs and do all their own programming on it. Ripping movies from DVD to the drive is then possible, as is copying shows from one device to another, archiving to DVD, playing DVD, etc. is then possible, while none of that is an option with a pre-built tivo/dvr.
As to running the cable, etc. you can do it yourself, but you'll still have the drywall damage. Of course, while runnign coax for "cable" you can run telephone, ethernet, and some string (to pull threw the next new technology in 20 years) and put it all down in a nice face plate. I did my house for under $200 in materials and 2 days of work (middle of winter for attic work here in Florida!, added ethernet, coax, and 2 phonelines in each area) but am waiting to finish off the drywall work proper until the summer repaint job.
But since you already have cable, shouldn't the satellite be able to feed into wherever that enters the house?
Finally, you may be able to use a splitter instead of runnign 2 lines/jacks (they'd be split from eachother at some point anyway) but remember that with a digital signal it either gets thru or it doesnt' - there is no tolerable fuzzyness on channel 13 like you can get with an imperfect or too weak analog signal.
What the DirectTV techie told us was that if we didn't want DVR service, he could hook us up as existing, and have to leave some exposed wiring from the dish to our master closet, where the central "cable/coax" box is located.
He told us if we wanted to have DVR service, the tv with DVR service would have to have a second coax cable there. I asked if it couldn't just be spliced/split, and he said it wouldn't work that way.0 -
unless the dvr is getting a direct feed from the satellite it would have to be split at some point. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by iwannausername
unless the dvr is getting a direct feed from the satellite it would have to be split at some point.
I think that's what they're talking about.0 -
This is the main reason I prefer a one story house. Easy to run cables/telephones lines, etc. Call Dish TV---I just switched from Direct TV (had'em for 8 years) to Dish TV. Better package than Direct TV----DVR, new dish, receiver for the office TV, 250 channels, etc. 0 -
Man I love my DVR. Record on my number 2 tv and watch my number 1, or vice a versa. Can't beat it. I've had Directv and Dish, and Dish is definitely better in my opinion. 0 -
Have Direct TV Satellite, DVR upstairs and down.
I've had it for maybe 3 months and it's driving me nuts. I record waaaay more than I can ever hope to watch.
Good luck.
D.0 -
Fishing wires is easy man. Do it yourself. Drill close to the baseboard at a slight angle and you will be OK. 0 -
I don't know anything about TiVo, but having to do damage to your drywall to run wires makes no sense. The only damage to the wall should be a small hole covered by a faceplate to plug in your cable. I have DirecTV and I ran all the wires before I called them. I keep two DirecTV receivers and three DVRs in the bedroom and everything in the house runs from there. That way the wife can record a cowboy movie and the Tonight Show at the same time while she is watching last nights movie. Just a cover plate on the wall in each room in the house. I think you need a new installer. When I got Direcway (hughes.net) the dufas they sent out here would have torn down my back wall if I hadn't stopped him. He did considerable damage as it was. 0 -
Dude! You have comcast - just get their DVR service!!!! We had a 3 tuner HD DVR (record 2 watch another).
We had it for years (just switched to FIOS - exact same DVR) and it is GREAT! Worth its weight in gold. (VCRs are worth their weight in S%@T).
Only costs about $7? a month (less than TiVO).
CALL NOW!0 -
quote:Originally posted by slipgate
Dude! You have comcast - just get their DVR service!!!! We had a 3 tuner HD DVR (record 2 watch another).
We had it for years (just switched to FIOS - exact same DVR) and it is GREAT! Worth its weight in gold. (VCRs are worth their weight in S%@T).
Only costs about $7? a month (less than TiVO).
CALL NOW!
No, it doesn't. It will cost us an additional $24 per month.
We're on analog cable now. The cheapest digital cable is $12/month more. The rental for DVR in Denver is $12/month. You can't do DVR with analog cable.0 -
dang! we just got HD service ($5/month) and then the DVR was available with that (no digital per se, but the HD obviously was a digital signal). So perhaps $12/month total we were paying.
Try to deal with them. We got them to lower our bill by $19/month when we threatened to go with Dish network. They offered to lower it from $117 to $85 when we told them we were going with FIOS ($95/month). We went with FIOS anyway.
Just call and say you want to cancel because you are getting dish network and just wanted to see if you are under any obligation to them or needed to do anything special to cancel. They will transfer you to their recovery department to try and keep you. The recovery group will offer you almost anything to keep you. FIOS is KILLING them.
You could get cable for FREE and they would still make money on you.0 -
quote:Originally posted by slipgate
dang! we just got HD service ($5/month) and then the DVR was available with that (no digital per se, but the HD obviously was a digital signal). So perhaps $12/month total we were paying.
Try to deal with them. We got them to lower our bill by $19/month when we threatened to go with Dish network. They offered to lower it from $117 to $85 when we told them we were going with FIOS ($95/month). We went with FIOS anyway.
Just call and say you want to cancel because you are getting dish network and just wanted to see if you are under any obligation to them or needed to do anything special to cancel. They will transfer you to their recovery department to try and keep you. The recovery group will offer you almost anything to keep you. FIOS is KILLING them.
You could get cable for FREE and they would still make money on you.
Out in Colorado they must not care, despite the fact they're advertising like crazy. I called last week to cancel my subscription, and they said, "Okay, bye."0 -
Well, TiVO is probably your best bet then. It is subscription based - like $17/month? Maybe less. You can get dual-tuner ones as well. Look on ebay because some units had the option of getting lifetime service and when you sell them, the service goes with them.
http://www.tivo.com/0.0.asp0 -
spanielsells, I should mention that I could write everything I know about electronics on the back of a postage stamp, but it sounds to me like you need to talk to another technician. If you already have cable, why is there a need to string new cable for the DirecTV? I record an analog signal from an antenna on the side of my house to DVR. I don't see any reason you can't record an analog signal from any other source. I think you might have less problems than you have been lead to believe. I think you have a technician seeing dollar signs. 0
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