Any TIVO folks here?

[gfretwell]

I am looking at my options for cutting the cable (Actually satellite) My main concern is what to use for a DVR for broadcast signals. Can I buy an old Tivo for this. Is the guide still being supported?

[Neill Massello]

They still provide guide data for old models, but (IMHO) this only makes sense if you can find a TiVo unit in good condition that already has lifetime service. Otherwise, the money for TiVo's exorbitant service fees would better go toward a small computer with an internal tuner card or an external tuning adapter such as those from Hauppauge and SiliconDust.

[cable_shill]

Surprisingly a search for OTA DVR brings up a few from such time honored brands like Magnavox and Channel Master. Might even be a Winegard or Dumont.

Older Tivo units may not have digital tuners, let alone HD.

[gfretwell]

I did look and did not have that much success. Digital is a must but HD, maybe not so much. I may have a tuner card around here somewhere from AverMedia and I have the AverMedia capture card in a PC as we speak. I was really looking for a turn key solution if I could find one.

[Neill Massello]

For refurbished TiVo units, icluding some with lifetime service, try weaKnees.

The Series 3 and later are HD.

[Kenny]

For refurbished TiVo units, icluding some with lifetime service, try weaKnees.

The Series 3 and later are HD.

For recording TV in usable format I use a Ross Freesat box, has all the Freeview channels and more. Only downside for me is I can't get the Irish SaorvIew channels on it.

[bob haller]

buy a used tivo with lifetime service, its affordable, and works awesome.

some dvrs like the dish pal one and perhaps the maganavox used guide data the local stations no longer provide

some tivos hsupport on line streaming of shows.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per [e-mail]:

Dunno from TIVO, but I use something called SageTV which runs on my 27-7 PC. Strictly OTA - we do not have cable or dish.

Since Google bought it out and killed off the company, Sage has gone Open Source, but I am not sure about freebie EPG availability on the Open Source version.

OTOH, if you buy a "Used" licence for SageTV v7.something, you get free EPG service basically forever or until somebody changes their mind. There is a marketplace for that stuff at

Advantages I Perceive in SageTV:

- Your Choice of Tuners: I have six tuners from SiliconDust and they live in my garden shed and connect to my LAN instead of hogging space in my PC. Sometimes you will want to record two or more shows that air at the same time. Multiple tuners allow this.

Plus, I can connect to them from my phone or tablet and use those devices to watch live TV

- Your Choice of Storage: Need more? Add drives to your PC or get a NAS box. Very small requirements? Maybe your PC already has enough space.

- Remote Boxes: You can buy something called an "HD200" or "HD300". This is a little black box that pulls 2.5-5 watts max, has no moving parts, and is totally silent. You put it under your TV, connect via an HDMI cable, and now the TV has full access to SageTV running on your PC. Multiple TVs ? Multiple boxes. Also available in aforementioned market place.

- LAN Access: If you share the drive(s) used by SageTV on your PC, you can connect to them from your phone or tablet and watch stuff that Sage has recorded. You can't get to the Sage UI, but the files are there, ready to view.

- Anywhere Access: I don't use it, but Sage includes a separate application called "PlaceShifter". You install PlaceShifter on your laptop or somebody else's PC and it can hook into your instance of SageTV from anyplace in the world. It even adjusts the resolution to accommodate different bandwidths.

Downside I Perceive in SageTV:

- The downside that I see in SageTV is care and feeding. It is an enthusiast's product and not a toaster-like appliance. OTOH, the UI and setup on the one TIVO that I tried was just sooooo elegant and simple.

OTOOH, I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree and I have been dealing successfully with SageTV for 5+ years.

[trader_4]

I've had Tivo since the original first came out. I have the Tivo Premier now, which is about 5 years old. I've been very happy with them and highly recommend them.

I'm not up on their latest eqpt or price plans though. When I bought both of mine, the option for service, which is basically the guide info was either a monthly charge or a one time payment of about $300 for lifetime service. I got the lifetime, which goes for the lifetime of the unit. So, if you buy a used one with lifetime, it transfers to the new owner. The Premier and I assume all the new ones use a cable card instead of a cable box. That's a plus, because the monthly charge from my cable company for the cablecard is $3 less than it would be for a cable box. Also, the cable company would be charging me $10 extra a month for their DVR. Bottom line, if you wind up paying ~$600 for a new Tivo with lifetime, I'm even in about 4 years, ahead after that.

They have been very reliable. And the Tivo guide, season pass options, wishlist searches, are way better than what the cable company here offers. I can put in a search for an actor or keyword like "snowboarding" and it will auto record anything as it comes up. I don't know how many tuners the new ones have, my Premier will record two shows and you could be watching a third that has been recorded.

IDK how much storage you're looking for, but if you buy a used one, there are DIY guides on the internet about how to upgrade it to a much larger drive. I've been thinking about doing that with mine. It currently has, I think a 300GB drive. I can buy a 2TB drive for example, and put that in there. It's a bit involved, you have to download some Linux boot CD, then use a PC to copy the drive that's in there, put that image onto the new drive, etc.

Any questions, let me know.

[gfretwell]

That would bother me. I have a "lifetime" ReplayTV but that was the life of the company, not the life of the machine and the EPG went away. Now it is a barely capable VCR without a digital tuner.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per [e-mail]:

Hasn't gone away yet Sage-wise.

And, if it does go away, EPG is available to Sage from multiple vendors and I would hope that the price would be substantially lower than what TIVO charges.

I just posted a question about this it the SageTV forum

and maybe we will get a reply soon.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per (PeteCresswell):

Looks like $25/year.

Dunno how that compares to TIVO... maybe Somebody Who Knows can chime in.

[Neill Massello]

TiVo's current service prices are $15 per month or $150 per year or $600 for "All-In" (lifetime) service. The first year is free with the purchase of a new TiVo. The 500GB Bolt currently goes for $300 (with one year of service) from TiVo. A little bit cheaper at Amazon etc.

[Neill Massello]

That could happen with TiVo as well.