Comments on: TiVo + CableCARD = The Best DVR Yet

By: Art

Art — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 06:14:45 +0000

I have a series 3 which must have to cards installed for both tuners to work.
I had several problems with the cable cards and am currently not using the cable cards and just using the QAM channels, so I know my tivo still works fine.
The cable cards can be corrupted, during the program update, and having 2 in one unit can cause problems with both if one is not working.
Anything newer than the series 3 can use a single m card so getting one card working properly is easier than getting 2 cards to play nice with each other.
The installation process is rather simple, and I have done my series 3 and also my wife’s and children’s premier and hd unit (4 total) so i have done the procedure 4 times successfully, but my older tivo remains the sole holdout for working properly.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:46:46 +0000

Just dump DTV after 15+ years because they won’t climb my roof to fix the dish they installed. Thinking about WOW cable and Tivo. (my other choice would be Comcast which I am trying to avoid) WIll it work? Will I be happy with the HD DVR’s compared to DTV HR-23? Will I be able to watch recorded content in one room that resides on a DVR in another room? Anything else I should consider?

By: jen

jen — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 03:07:03 +0000

I have a an HD Tivo (series 3 I think) and was wondering if Direct TV makes cable card adapters that will work in this unit. I am sick of Time Warner and my area does not have Fios yet. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 02:50:04 +0000

I’m using an older series 2 TIVO and a newer TIVO HD with cablecard. I can transfer using my network any program on my series 2 TIVO to my TIVO HD. But do to “content provider” request all programs I have on my TIVO HD that were not “broadcast” are locked down (copy protected) and cannot be transferred anywhere on my network. I’m using roxio’s toast to play programs on my Mac and iPod from the series 2. I live in Tucson using Cox cable. How many more providers are going to start to “copy protect” the content on our TIVO’s? I guess I will have to look elsewhere for my DVR needs if I am not able to make use of the devices I purchased the way I see fit.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 21:07:30 +0000

In reference to the issue of PPV and VOD, I wanted to make sure that the In Demand sports packages (like MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice) are still available, using TiVo instead of my current cable box. They are yearly subscriptions, which I have already paid for, and I don’t want to switch to TiVo and then discover I can’t watch my games anymore.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:09:53 +0000

Nope. It won’t record at all without a service plan. It really won’t do anything.

By: ron

ron — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 11:55:26 +0000

Can i use the TCD746320 without a service plan (just for OTA channels and basic cable) until i decide if i want to go full out with TiVo?

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:53:29 +0000

If you want to get content from that TiVo to the other TVs, you can’t do it with FiOS boxes. You either need other TiVos at those locations, or maybe computers there that can use TiVo Desktop to transfer files and then play them to each TV.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 03:23:03 +0000

Great summary!
Background: 3 TV’s downstairs + 2 upstairs, on Verizon Fios.
Challenge: New Premier Tivo HD + currently have Fios multiroom dvr & boxes in every room

Q: What is the best way (after getting fios card for Tivo box) and placing in main tv room to be able to play any recorded show on that box from any tv and still watch different shows in those rooms (i.e don’t want all tv’s to show same thing -like using an IR repeater). Buy another Tivo or 5, rent Fios basic boxes for other TV’s?

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:42:06 +0000

First, on the On Demand front, what about the large variety of providers who do On Demand to TiVos directly, without involving your cable company? You can rent/buy from Amazon and Blockbuster, and stream from Netflix. I’d be surprised if your cable company was cheaper or had a larger selection. So, I really think On Demand is BETTER on a TiVo HD – just different.

Next, as far as using a cable box, that just isn’t really technically possible in HD for several reasons, including the horsepower needed to digitize HD video on the fly, and the copyright restrictions inherent in HDMI.