scottdkuhn wrote:45 hours seems like it should be enough to me. Anyone have an opinion on this?

You will burn through that fast. Fortunately the Tivos are hackable with both replacing and adding internal drives as well as external drives. We have over 200 hrs of stuff on our directtv Tivo HD.

The answer to just about any form of "Can I _____ without a subscription?" is no. Only the very earliest units could record, and those will still nag you. Plus they're SD.

I love my Tivos -- I've had them since the Series2 and currently have a Premier.

Yes, you will need a CableCard - you can't manually map QAM channels. And an SDV adapter, if your cable system uses SDV and you want to watch channels only available that way.

billux wrote:You will burn through that fast. Fortunately the Tivos are hackable with both replacing and adding internal drives as well as external drives. We have over 200 hrs of stuff on our directtv Tivo HD.

I think it depends on how you use your Tivo. Since I was used to using a VCR to record shows, 45 hours still seems like an endless amount of space to me. If you're going to keep movies or whole seasons of shows to watch later, 45 hours isn't a lot. If you watch as you go, not using the Tivo for storage, 45 hours is a huge amount of space. And I say that as person with a TV viewing problem. It's a rare night that I don't have at least 3 hours of shows I want to watch. Usually it's closer to 5 hours. Like I said, I have a problem. :-) But I'm managing quite nicely on 45 hours.

45 hours is a lot for me. I know people with little kids who like to watch the same thing over and over - like the Little Mermaid - and they like the bigger HDs. If you like to store a lot of movies you might want more.

Also, since this box gets the HD channels (at NO extra cost) those do take up more space than SD.

My last 2 @ $69 two years ago have paid for themselves considering the rental costs here in MD from comcraptic.
Tivo is one of those things I didn't understand a need for until I got one, now I won't watch TV without one.

OTA takes the most space - nearly 7GB/hour for HD content.

Which is why 2TB DIY upgrades are so popular.

Bought one of these on a previous Woot and since I am a long-term Tivo user, via playing CSR roulette I managed to add lifetime for $199.

$299 would be the best I could do today - I'm very sorry they raised lifetime by $100.

sterhill wrote:45 hours is a lot for me. I know people with little kids who like to watch the same thing over and over - like the Little Mermaid - and they like the bigger HDs. If you like to store a lot of movies you might want more.

Also, since this box gets the HD channels (at NO extra cost) those do take up more space than SD.

Ninkumpoop wrote:Long time TiVo user and I just upgraded to a new TiVo Premiere from Tivo for $99, including the wireless adapter and 6 months of HuluPlus.

Even though the Premier has a QAM tuner, don't expect to make use of it. It will tune and you can manually set it to record, but TiVo will not provide a guide. My options were to upgrade to the "standard" cable package for another $50/month or use the antenna. TiVo works beautifully with the local broadcast channels.

Got my TiVo months ago when Woot offered it. Have made one attempt to hook it up. I know I can't stream w/out it, but is the TiVo network adapter required to use it like I am currently using the DVR? (I did get a Cable Card)..And..is there a trick to getting the tiVo network adapter cheaper than for 90 bux from tivo?
Thanks for any help.

crabboy wrote:So, in the short run, I could use it (connected to an antenna) to tune in OTA channels? Could I connect it to a DVD recorder and make recordings?

Tread cautiously. I successfully used mine as a tuner without a subscription while I debated lifetime service or just ditching it. It worked fine at first but make sure you take it off the network before the trial runs out. It can and will brick the unit if it connects to Tivo. I am fairly certain there is also a countdown clock built in so these can not be used as "fee free" cableboxes or tuners without the Tivo Service.

For $49, it may be worth rolling the dice because mine did operate for around two months before I saw basic functionality drop off, and then bit the bullet on the lifetime subscription.

PS- I am happy I did.

Is there any way to record DVDs from the TIVO, if you wanted to save something? Or get a program recorded to a format you could play on a computer?

edarrell wrote:Is there any way to record DVDs from the TIVO, if you wanted to save something? Or get a program recorded to a format you could play on a computer?

I'm fairly certain their is an export feature, but I won't be able to check it out until late tonight. Maybe someone else can confirm, or I'm sure Tivo's site would cover it in the FAQ section.

I've seen amazon rentals mentioned, but will this stream amazon prime content? Drives me nuts that my 2011 Samsung plasma can stream prime, but my 2012 won't (both D8000 series.)

cperry100 wrote:So let me get this straight. I use to have a VCR and I could pay $2.00 for a video tape and I could record tv for 6 months or more before it wore out. Not I have to pay $14.99 a month to record tv? Doesn't make sense to me. Give me my VCR back.

Or just move into the 21st century, hook up a computer to run WMC and stream the recorded shows to any TVs in your house with either a playstation or xbox... not to mention on a WMC machine if I have a show I just have to keep forever I can easily burn it to a DVD, something you can't do with a TiVo.

scottdkuhn wrote:I am in the exact same situation. I am in for 1 if it would work at $15/month. few other questions....will the cable company sell me the cable card if I am not paying for any other service? Currently I am just getting local channels in HD OTA. Also, it has been a while since I had a DVR, is 45 hours enough for normal use. Not having cable I would really only use this for recording local channels and having ability to rewing. Not doing a TON of recording.

Most cable companies WILL NOT lease you a CABLEcard if you are not currently subscribed to digital services with them.

We cut our cable in February and picked up a Series3HD TiVo off eBay for slightly less than the cost of a Lifetime Subscription with Lifetime Subscription. When we turned in our TimeWarner HD-DVR and cancelled they hadn't sent a tech by to put a filter on the line. We still got SD cable channels and added an antenna for OTA network channels in HD. And was able to record on both.

IMO the biggest benefit of the TiVo monthly service cost is the programming guide and the ability to record via Season Pass.

Our cable costs were approximately $160+ taxes per month. Over the course of a week we documented the shows/channels we actually watched (not "just having the TV on") and figured OTA HD would suit us fine given our location to the towers. Between just the service and the DVR rental fee, our eBay'd TiVo paid for itself in just 3 months. Now we only pay for internet access and Netflix, adding Hulu for the months when we want a show not on the major networks.

mschauber wrote:I've seen amazon rentals mentioned, but will this stream amazon prime content? Drives me nuts that my 2011 Samsung plasma can stream prime, but my 2012 won't (both D8000 series.)

Yes you can access Amazon Prime content on the TiVo (series 3 HD or newer - including the Premier & XL)

edarrell wrote:Is there any way to record DVDs from the TIVO, if you wanted to save something? Or get a program recorded to a format you could play on a computer?

If your TiVo is networked (either via ethernet or wireless - you'll need an adapter) you can access the content on your TiVo from your computer or tablet or another TiVo (series 2 or newer) on your network with the media access key.

I know with the series2 you could connect to a VCR and send the recording to the VCR.

Looks like you can get a Premiere for FREE if you sign up for a two year service agreement: http://www3.tivo.com/promo/renewedpremiere_0.html

crabboy wrote:So, in the short run, I could use it (connected to an antenna) to tune in OTA channels? Could I connect it to a DVD recorder and make recordings?

No subscription, no functionality. I'm a 3yr user of Tivo. I learned this when I was slow to update my expired credit card. Without a subscription you only get a nag message to activate a subscription first. No playback of content already recorded even

mkl wrote:Yes you can access Amazon Prime content on the TiVo (series 3 HD or newer - including the Premier & XL)

You can access Amazon Instant content, but not the free Amazon Prime Instant content. Tivo makes it easy to buy or rent Amazon Instant.

Amazon Prime Instant content is available on a PC or Kindle Fire, but not a Tivo

edarrell wrote:Is there any way to record DVDs from the TIVO, if you wanted to save something? Or get a program recorded to a format you could play on a computer?

Using Tivo Desktop software (free) you can easily transfer Tivo shows to a networked PC. It is delivered as a proprietary .tivo format that is a modified version of .mpg.

Video ReDo is a cheap software title that easily saves .tivo to .mpg

Burning .mpg to DVD is pretty simple with any DVD authoring title

scottdkuhn wrote:I am in the exact same situation. I am in for 1 if it would work at $15/month. few other questions....will the cable company sell me the cable card if I am not paying for any other service? Currently I am just getting local channels in HD OTA. Also, it has been a while since I had a DVR, is 45 hours enough for normal use. Not having cable I would really only use this for recording local channels and having ability to rewing. Not doing a TON of recording.

I don't think you can get a cablecard unless you have some form of cable subscription (basic/lifeline cable would be fine)

If you use the Tivo as mostly a time-shifting device (rather than as an archival device) the size of the hard drive is acceptable. We bought a refurbed Premiere off Woot a couple years ago and when we get to late Oct, early Nov - right about Nov sweeps - we sometimes have to transfer a couple items over to our PC (via the free Tivo Desktop software). You can then transfer it back to the Tivo when you have more space or play it on your PC (our PC is hooked up to our main TV and one other).

I wish we had a larger HD installed but it hasn't been enough of an issue for me to spring fora 1.5TB or 2TB drive, given the price hike on drives that is still lingering.

Use your PC as your archival device and leave the Tivo for time-shifting and you'll be fine. In other words, if there are shows/episodes that you want to keep long-term, transfer them to your PC via the Tivo Desktop software and either archive them as the proprietary .tivo file (which will play in WMP) or convert them to some other format that has better compression. If you pay the $25 to upgrade the free Tivo Desktop software to Tivo Desktop Plus (https://www3.tivo.com/store/accessories-desktoppluspc.do) you can then convert to whatever format you prefer to save on a hard drive or burn to a DVD.

I really wish you guys would forcefeed me your crap (DAILY!) while I'm driving in my RAM truck!

itguy12 wrote:Looks like you can get a Premiere for FREE if you sign up for a two year service agreement: http://www3.tivo.com/promo/renewedpremiere_0.html

It's not quite "free." You have to pay $5/month + service (for a total of $19.99 vs $14.99). Over the course of two years, that's $120. You also have an early termination fee if you change your mind.

In just nine months, you break even by buying the system off Woot. Both are refurbished, so it's a fair comparison.

mkl wrote:Yes you can access Amazon Prime content on the TiVo (series 3 HD or newer - including the Premier & XL)

This is a perfect example of why Amazon's naming/marketing of its Prime videos is a problem. I was originally confused by this as well because Amazon's website is HORRIBLE at explaining the difference between Amazon's video library and Amazon's STREAMING video library.

The Tivo Premiere, unfortunately, CANNOT (right now anyway) stream ANY Amazon video content. Thus, Amazon Prime Instant videos are not accessible. Only Amazon videos that can be downloaded to the Tivo can be viewed.

Given last week's release of the Tivo Streamer and my prior correspondence with Tivo CSRs, my guess is that Tivo will never release an update that allows streaming Amazon Instant Video to the Tivo without use of the Tivo Streamer. Very disappointing.

PAR342 wrote:I currently have two TiVos provided by my cable provider (charter).I would like to buy one of these just to play recorded shows from the other TiVos without a subscription on this unit. Does anyone know if this would work?

I don't believe they stream without a sub.

BTW, is it just me or does anyone else think the "new" Youtube interface on the Premiere is HORRIBLE.

It's slow and clunky and horrible to use if you have a lot of favorites. I generally use my Youtube favorites to save videos that I want my wife or the kids to see (i.e. - http://youtu.be/XRCIzZHpFtY). With the new Youtube interface, this is a royal pain in the a$$ if the video is not at the top of your list of faves.

More often than not I find myself switching to the PC input on one of our HDTVs and using the desktop version of Youtube to pick the video we want to watch. Fortunately, Splashtop's Remote Desktop and Touchpad apps make this super easy to do from the kitchen table or couch.

I use my tivo's to time- and place- shift.

Using FIOS, i download recordings via KMTTG (decrypted to mpg automagically), and then stream them through Plex Media Server/Player applications.

Sportzcoop wrote:I'm fairly certain their is an export feature, but I won't be able to check it out until late tonight. Maybe someone else can confirm, or I'm sure Tivo's site would cover it in the FAQ section.

You can use the free TiVo Desktop app on Windows and OS X to download shows, or use the 'tivodecode' app on OS X, Linux, *BSD, etc. and download via a web browser. As long as the show isn't flagged content, you can download the original quality show, and once it's decoded, transcode it for playback on whatever you want. ffmpeg, handbrake, and all the standard transcoding tools apply.

globaldev wrote:I use my tivo's to time- and place- shift.

Using FIOS, i download recordings via KMTTG (decrypted to mpg automagically), and then stream them through Plex Media Server/Player applications.

If you don't want to pay the $25 to upgrade to Tivo Desktop Plus, I'll second the recommendation to use KMTTG (http://code.google.com/p/kmttg/) to convert files from the .tivo format to .mpg. It also has the ability to convert from .mpg to, for example, .mp4 but I prefer SUPER (also free - www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html) for converting once I have the files in .mpg format with KMTTG. It not nearly as straightforward or as easy to figure out as the Tivo Desktop software but it does get you out of the ridiculous .tivo file format at no charge.

demonfoo wrote:You can use the free TiVo Desktop app on Windows and OS X to download shows, or use the 'tivodecode' app on OS X, Linux, *BSD, etc. and download via a web browser. As long as the show isn't flagged content, you can download the original quality show, and once it's decoded, transcode it for playback on whatever you want. ffmpeg, handbrake, and all the standard transcoding tools apply.

One observation -- some cable providers are more "flag-crazy" than others. I gave up trying to transfer content from my Tivo to my PC -- TWC here in NYC had flagged virtually all programming (or at least all programming I'm interested in), so saving it via Tivo Desktop was not an option.

michiganmarine wrote:I work as a cable tech, and I you should know that you will need a digital tuning adaptor (such as a MTR 700) and CABLEcable card provided by the cable company if you wish to view digital content. The tuner will be loaned for free, but the CABLEcard will run you around $2.50/month. From experiance, I will tell you that CABLEcards are finicky little devices and sometimes fail to pair, or will unpair from your TiVo.

Well, I work in the cable industry too and I can tell you that every modern cable box comes with a "finnicky" CableCard -- it's mandated by the FCC. What TiVo users have had to put up with is MSOs that have fought tooth and nail to not lose their rental fees to a 3rd party. TiVo has a hotline dedicated to people with CableCard issues and most of the time, the problem is an inept tech or an uncooperative MSO.

I don't get it...Why does it need a subscription?

My HTPC cost me about $500 to build, and it will automatically record up to two shows at once, all without any subscription costs. It'll also automatically cut out commercials, stream shows/movies to other devices in my house, and play Blu-Rays.

So what the heck is the subscription for?

P.S. I love my TiVo and I have not had a problem with the CableCard in the three years I've had one

kcmark wrote:If you don't want to pay the $25 to upgrade to Tivo Desktop Plus, I'll second the recommendation to use KMTTG (http://code.google.com/p/kmttg/) to convert files from the .tivo format to .mpg. It also has the ability to convert from .mpg to, for example, .mp4 but I prefer SUPER (also free - www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html) for converting once I have the files in .mpg format with KMTTG. It not nearly as straightforward or as easy to figure out as the Tivo Desktop software but it does get you out of the ridiculous .tivo file format at no charge.

I'm going to back you up on kmttg, but I'll add that VideoReDo is totally worth the price. It makes cutting out commercials and reencoding practically a once-click process. I'd say its very accurate with shows that are an hour long, though half-hour shows need a little massaging.

elgatoesloco wrote:I'm going to back you up on kmttg, but I'll add that VideoReDo is totally worth the price. It makes cutting out commercials and reencoding practically a once-click process. I'd say its very accurate with shows that are an hour long, though half-hour shows need a little massaging.

I swear by Video ReDo because it is simple enough to edit out commercials that I can do it yet it runs on my 4yr old low power WinXP PC. The mpg files play flawlessly on my Tivo in original HD quality.

If you want cheap, simple, and high quality edits you wonn't be disappointed

InFrom wrote:One observation -- some cable providers are more "flag-crazy" than others. I gave up trying to transfer content from my Tivo to my PC -- TWC here in NYC had flagged virtually all programming (or at least all programming I'm interested in), so saving it via Tivo Desktop was not an option.

Interesting - I was not aware of that. Guess that's the nice thing about getting all of our channels OTA. I've never had any programming flagged which prevented me from transferring it to our PC.

shortwave8669 wrote:You can access Amazon Instant content, but not the free Amazon Prime Instant content. Tivo makes it easy to buy or rent Amazon Instant.

Amazon Prime Instant content is available on a PC or Kindle Fire, but not a Tivo

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_cn?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200111510

"While Amazon Instant Video titles can be purchased and downloaded to your TiVo, Prime Instant Video titles can only be streamed and can't be shown through your TiVo."

shortwave8669 wrote:I swear by Video ReDo because it is simple enough to edit out commercials that I can do it yet it runs on my 4yr old low power WinXP PC. The mpg files play flawlessly on my Tivo in original HD quality.

If you want cheap, simple, and high quality edits you wonn't be disappointed

I was thinking Video Redo used to have a cheaper option, but if so they don't any more. At $49.99 for the cheapest Video Redo software (http://www.videoredo.com/en/Compare.htm, I'll stick with KMTTG. It's too bad - if they cut the $50 price tag in half I might actually pay for a better GUI and simpler solution.

shortwave8669 wrote:http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_left_cn?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200111510

"While Amazon Instant Video titles can be purchased and downloaded to your TiVo, Prime Instant Video titles can only be streamed and can't be shown through your TiVo."

Amazon desperately needs to change their marketing/product naming for their video offerings. Whoever thought that they should have something called Amazon Instant Videos and something entirely different called Amazon's Prime Instant Videos should be fired.

Not to mention, Amazon Instant Videos aren't actually 'instant' because they have to be downloaded to Tivo.

Part of the problem is they've got a mish-mash of revenue models all functioning at the same time. They want to make money by:

(1) selling and renting movies/shows ala carte via DOWNLOAD,
(2) selling and renting movies/shows ala carte via STREAMING, and
(3) renting movies/shows via an unlimited streaming package.

Some of the content is available via all 3 methods but much of it is not. Add in the fact that different devices have different capabilities with regard to these three revenue models and you have a perfect recipe for consumer confusion.

I think at least in part Amazon has done this intentionally because, at least until the recent EPIX deal was announced, if you really shined the light of day on Amazon's streaming option, people would see what a terrible deal it is. Hence, tying it to Amazon Prime, rather than as a standalone service.

morninglark wrote:
Second issue, this does NOT have a built in OTA antenna. If you have a dvd recorder all you need is an OTA antenna--unless your dvdr doesn't have a tuner. I never tried to hook it up to a dvdr.I don't think it has the output for anything except TVs but I haven't checked recently. This unit is mainly to stream video like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon etc.

Man are you ever wrong. I have this very unit as I purchased it the last time it was on woot. It DOES have an OTA tuner. And any of the connection jacks on the back of it can connect to any other device. Meaning RCA-to-RCA connections. So, if you wanna put it out to a crappy DVD recorder, you can. But why would you? It degrades the signal so much.

Not sure why you are so against TiVo other than the monthly fee. I agree, that part sucks, but other than that, these boxes are great! The interface could stand to be a little faster, in my opinion.

michiganmarine wrote:I work as a cable tech, and I you should know that you will need a digital tuning adaptor (such as a MTR 700) and CABLEcable card provided by the cable company if you wish to view digital content. The tuner will be loaned for free, but the CABLEcard will run you around $2.50/month. From experiance, I will tell you that CABLEcards are finicky little devices and sometimes fail to pair, or will unpair from your TiVo.

Ahh, goodie, another cable installer that doesn't know what the hell they are talking about. You do NOT NOT NOT need a DTA. All you need is a CableCard. CableCards are handed out by Comcast FREE OF CHARGE for the first card in each device. Meaning if you have a TiVo with 2 CableCard slots, you get the first one free, but have to pay the rental fee for the second one. It is about 2.50 like this goof said. This one only has one slot. BUT you ALSO get a $2.50 Customer Owned Equipment credit on your account for not having to use Comcast's DVR's. That is a little known fact, but if you look at the rate sheet, it is there.

Oh, and CableCards are NOT difficult to get installed and paired. The problems lie with the people setting it up in their system. They have to know what they are doing. This things can fail if handled improperly, but other than that, they are fine.