I record shows for my wife and can still watch my shows!
budget-conscious, current TiVo user, cable user, technically savvy, impressed with this product, a homeowner, gadget geek
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DEC
28
2007
TiVo - Digital Video Recorder —
While shopping at Best Buy one day 8 months ago I saw a Tivo For $189.95 with a full rebate if I signed up for Tivo within 30 days. I came home and did some research on Tivo and found the service to be appealing and it would serve me well as I sometimes have to choose between 2 shows I like. So a few days later when I had some errands to run I went and bought the TIvo.Hooking up your Tivo
It is rather straight forward to setup the Tivo control box. You have your electrical plug which all of us know where that goes. Then there is the antenna cable that can be hooked up 2 ways. You can hook your cable lead Into the Tivo and then another cable goes from your Tivo to your TV set. I cannot use it that way as my TV's cable port is burned out. So in order to get it to work I had to use a RCA cable (Red, Yellow,White) to get signal to my TV. Unfortunately that means I cannot record and watch at the same time unless I use my VCR to change channels, which I do but that means another remote to fool with.
To receive the Tivo service you can connect your Tivo 2 ways, one through your phone line (Tivo uses and 800 #) or you can go wireless if your home has a wireless network. I have a home network so thats the route I chose and it works flawlessly. Tivo updates in the early am so as not to interfer with your viewing or phone line during the day.
What is Tivo
Tivo allows you to record shows and also watch regular tv at the same time so you don't have to miss a show you really like. The Monthly fee for Tivo is currently $14.95 a month or you can pay for a year at a time if you wish. When you first setup your Tivo it will ask for your zipcode and will use that to establish your cable provider in order for the program guide to give you the shows from your cable/satellite service.
Your Tivo will normally collect programming for 2 weeks at a time and will access the Tivo service every few days to update any changes and retrieve new programming schedules. You can also program your Tivo remote to control your TV (Volume and Mute), your sound system and control TV input so you can use your DVD or VCR in conjunction with your Tivo service. It has a menu that will walk you through the various steps. If you don't know the code that relates to your equipment you can Google for the codes to use. It's not hard at all to program the remote and takes about 10 minutes once you have the codes.
By having your VCR hooked up through Tivo you can transfer you recorded shows to your VCR and save them if you like. You can also transfer from your Tivo to your computer as I did with my all time favorite show J.A.G. It took some time but I was able to get almost 5 seasons saved on my computer to watch. Then I found the whole series on the Internet and bought them on DVD...lol
Tivo will depending on your setting for quality record up to 80 hours of programs. You can even pause live tv when the phone rings, mother nature calls and when someone knocks at your door. While watching a recorded show you no longer have to sit through the commercials, simply fast forward through them if you like.
Setting the recording feature is quite simple as you can choose to record right from the remote or go into the search feature. In the search feature you can find shows by name, actor, category or keyword. You can also go by time or channel to find shows. Record single episodes or go to Season Pass Manager and record the entire season of your favorite show all from an easy to navigate menu.
Have a movie you keep missing every time it airs, no problem just go into the menu and put it on your wish list and Tivo will record it when it comes on the next time. I did one show like that and although I waited 2 months for it to come on again Tivo remembered it and recorded it for me.
Tivo is always adding things to the service from time to time and it makes it all the better to have. One new one they recently added is Universal Swivel Search, you put what you wish to search for and Tivo will search both TV listings and downloads to find what your looking for.
Another new feature is Amazon Unbox, which is a service that allows you to rent movies for as little as 99 cents or buy them starting at $2.99 and up. Renting makes more sense to me with Tivo as you can only watch it from your Tivo. Your rented movies will be deleted after you watch them but movies you buy will stay there in your now showing menu. Of course to use this service you must have an Amazon.com account to pay for your selections. Movies available include just released titles and movies that have been out for a while as well. Amazon boasts they have over 4000 movies to buy and over 2900 to rent. They also have tv shows for Tivo and list over 600 that can be watched for as little as $1.99 per episode.
Tivo for kids
Tivo also has a feature they call KidZone where it will recommend programming geared towards your children to watch. Also on your Tivo Menu you can set parental controls that limit what your children have access too. By setting the program rating you will allow them to see and setting a password that blocks out shows you don't want them to see.
Other Features
You can share your digital pictures, home movies and slideshows from your computer across TV to friends and family(provided they have Tivo). You can get Yahoo Weather and Traffic even play CBS Fantasy Football all from your Tivo. You can also get music either from your computer to listen too through your Tivo or get Music from Rhapsody Music Service that claims to have over 4 million songs. They offer a 30 day free trial as well, not sure what it costs since I have no desire to use it I haven't checked on prices for the service.
Bottom Line
Tivo is a great thing to have for recording your favorite programming, the service is reasonable at $14.95 per month. You can get rebates to save any where from $50 to free for your Tivo box. It has parental controls for those with small children to protect them from content that is inappropriate for children. You can download music, movies and play games on your Tivo.
All things considered in this day and age of people working 2 jobs. Tivo allows you too still watch the shows you like, when you want and not deal with commercials. Tivo now offers an HD model so you can watch all your HDTV channels through Tivo and record them as well. Tiov just introduced an external harddrive that works with your Tivo to expand your recording capabilities even further. It can hold 65 hours of HDTV or 600 hours of regular programming. It is a 500gb external drive and is selling for $199.99, currently it is only available for the HD Tivo and the Series 3 Tivo boxes.
TiVo - Digital Video Recorder is recommended by kid-kansas
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