Re : Information on Tivo Vs EPG recorders

[Mahim]

Tivos are so difficult to get and then go through the process of setting up. With EPG being added to digital set up recorders or PVRs - How is Tivo superior to off the shelf EPG recorder?

Appreciate your advise, as you can see I am a novice wanting to investigate the options for me.

Many thanks

[Darren King]

Hi and welcome.

Tivos are so difficult to get

Not at all. They are plentiful on USA ebay, one place in Australia sells them until the end of January '07 and now and then people have them for sale as one offs in Australia.

and then go through the process of setting up.

But that's half the fun and what makes them challenging from a hobbyist pont of view. It has to be remembered TiVo is NOT a commercial "plug and play" device in Australia but an experimental hobbyist device.

With EPG being added to digital set up recorders or PVRs - How is Tivo superior to off the shelf EPG recorder?

Last time I looked the EPG for recorders and PVR's was very limited unless you subscribe to something like IceTV, whereas for a TiVo it is usually 4 days in advance (sometimes more). TiVo also offer suggested recordings based on your viewing habits and can have far more storage space than any commercial PVR at this time. Theoricially you can go to 2TB in hard disk space which means around 1,000 hours recordings. Practically in monetary and hard disk size you can make a 750GB TiVo at present.

[Mahim]

Hi,

Many thanks for the reply. Have a few more questions.

1) Can TiVo also provide program information for Foxtel digital pay Tv?
2) Do I need to separately buy network card ?
3) Most seller in Us are selling DirecTv Tivo if tihis is series I will that be configurable for AUS?
4) What is USB port unlocked and functiong?
"Philips DSR708 DirecTV Tivo UNLOCKED USB PORTS NETWORK"

As you can see I am quite confused, but getting there slowly.

Best regards,

[Darren King]

1) Can TiVo also provide program information for Foxtel digital pay Tv?
2) Do I need to separately buy network card ?
3) Most seller in Us are selling DirecTv Tivo if tihis is series I will that be configurable for AUS?
4) What is USB port unlocked and functiong?
"Philips DSR708 DirecTV Tivo UNLOCKED USB PORTS NETWORK"

1) Yes.
2) Depends if the seller is including it or not, but yes you will require on for connecting the TiVo to the internet to do the initial setup and the guide data (EPG) downloads.
3) No. DirecTV units are NOT configurable at all for use here. You need a Series 1 "Stand Alone" or "SA" unit and not a DirecTV type.
4) Series 1 Stand Alone units do not have USB. The model you describe is not suitable for use here.

[petestrash]

To make life easier for yourself, I suggest you have a read of the FAQ's on our website. They should answer most of your questions.

Try BeginnersFAQ to start with.

Peter.