The High-Def (And Low Cost) TiVo HD
Wed Oct 10, 2007 10:16AM EDT
See Comments (7)
About a year ago, I decided it was time I put my high-definition TV to use. I only watch TV shows recorded onto my DVR, so I needed an HD DVR to maximize my big screen HDTV. At the time, the HD TiVo cost OVER $800, so I turned to my satellite company and bought their $200 HD DVR. I was sad saying good bye to my old TiVo, but the cost of an HD version of the beloved box was price prohibitive.
Not anymore!
The new HD Tivo Boxes cost $300, record 20 hours of high-def content and 180 hours of standard-def content. They can download video from the Internet and Amazon.com's Unbox video site, and they help you find new shows with some amazing search functions.
Unfortunately, the new Tivo boxes only work with cable and over the air TV—you can't use them with satellite TV. The TiVo box has two cable card slots, but it can't record Pay-Per-View or Video-On-Demand content from your cable provider.
The box is well-priced, the video looks great, AND IT'S A TIVO!
Yahoo! Tech's Ben Patterson's look at the new TiVo HD
Comments on The High-Def (And Low Cost) TiVo HD
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2 Posted by jeff_cj5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse
I've had this thing for 3 weeks now: 1.It's not the $700 Tivo, it's new, 2.I don't know if it is my box or the cable cards, but about once a week I have to restart the darn thing because it keeps dropping channels, mainly the HD channels, 3. I still love it, I know, I know. But it is so much easier to use than the POS cablebox dvr. Plan on calling Comcast an seeing if there are any problems with the cards.
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3 Posted by wolve_dans on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
Agree, this is a moot box without Sat support... OTA HD only?
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4 Posted by espnjason@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:56PM EDT Report Abuse
Doesn't DirecTV have an HD DVR that records 50 hours of HD content or 200 hrs of SD content? I'll pass on this one.
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5 Posted by milk99x on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:20PM EDT Report Abuse
Do not be misled. This type of DVR for cable and over the air has been out for years now. The capacity of this box is way too small (20 hours of HD recording time max) for the $300 price tag. This product should be priced at $150 - $200, but your paying for the Tivo name. I have had my Sony HD DVR (DHG-HDD500) for 21 months. It will record 60-80 hours of HD content, or 400 hours standard def. I paid $600 nearly 2 years ago for this Sony HD DVR. It holds over 3 times the capacity of this TIVO box so I supposed it would still be a better deal today. Bottom Line: If you love the TIVO functionality and don't mind deleting things constantly, then this dvr is for you.
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6 Posted by ethandargie on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:56PM EDT Report Abuse
I don't understand the point of TiVo compared to the HD DVR that Comcast or other satellite providers offer. I pay $5 a month on top of the basic cable for about 20 HD channels plus the DVR capabilities. The guy I work with swears by TiVo, he doesn't have HD and pays a couple hundred or whatever it is to get the tivo box and for the monthly service. The comcast DVR IMO is far and away a much better value. You use the same box and the same remote (I have a Harmony universal remote for everything so it doesn't matter to me). Why anyone would pay hundreds of dollars to record a bunch of crappy shows in standard-def or pay hundreds more for HD is beyond me. Big deal it records new shows based on your watching patterns, thats like getting junk mail or spam based on websites you've been to before, I think I can discover new shows on my own. Comcast DVR has HD standard and is integrated with the on-screen comcast menus, making it seamless. If you want to record hundreds of hours of SD shows that tivo provides, go get a VCR and a bundle of video cassettes, if they even make those anymore.
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7 Posted by sailor78731 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:00PM EDT Report Abuse
I agree! Why no satellite tivo?? I had to switch to the direct tv hddvr, and I am beginning to like it! If they don't hurry up, they are going to lose me, and all the other sat viewers. sad.
1 Posted by rick79606 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:40PM EDT Report Abuse
Why in the world would they put out a box that doesn't work with satellite receivers? They are just missing too much audience and business.