TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder
by TiVo
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List Price: Our Price: $139.99 You Save: $360.00 (72%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Receiver or Amplifier See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder
Customer Review: The Best and Worst from TiVo
Summary: 4 Stars
I consider myself a TiVo oldtimer. I've been using one for more than 6 years, and am a devout couch potato. I started with a Sony SVR-2000 which I have upgraded from 30 hours to 140, and added a new modem when the built-in one got fried (a common problem).
So when TiVo offered to transfer my lifetime subscription to a Series 3 (for a cost of $200, so they're not exactly giving the transfer away), I decided to take the plinge. What I expected was a lot more storage (300 hours basic, or 30 hours of HD), and a dual tuner (you can record 2 shows, and watch a recorded show at the same time).
Here's some things worth noting: You can hook up a basic able connection, and an OTA (over the air) antenna, or 1 or 2 cable cards (which replace cable boxes). You cannot hook a cable box to the Series 3.
OTA antenna, which most people associate with mediocre quality, now can receive HD digital signals, which if you can pick them up, provide exceptional picture and sound quality. I live about 35-40 miles from Philadelphia, and can receive the major networks, and a few independent stations great with an old rooftop antenna. The quality of the HD broadcasts exceeds any cable broadcast, and even make DVDs look uninspiring. And it's FREE.
If you get a good basic cable signal, you could survive without the cable cards, but you need them if you subscribe to any premium (scrambled) channels, or cable HD service. The cost of leasing the cable cards run from free, to about $3 each per month. Some rare markets charge more. But now the cable companies are required to offer them. Some people have mentioned difficulties in installing them, but I opted to do it myself (some cable companies also require you to pay for installation, but mine didn't). You have to call in to have them activated, which if you follow the included instructions, goes pretty smoothly, and only takes a few minutes to setup.
The old method of downloading program data was over the phone (the TiVo would dial in once a day, and update program data). The newer units can hook up to a home network (if you have high speed internet access). You can connect to your network with a cable, or with a wireless adapter (wireless connection with the Series 3 requires the TiVo adapter, about $50. No other wireless network adapter will work). Again, hooking up the TiVo adapter went smoothly, and only took a few minutes.
Now for the downside: My TiVo decided to reboot without warning or reason. I have heard this happen to others. For a $700 box, this is quite frustrating. The wireless adapter is suspect in causing this, so I may return the TiVo adapter and hardwire the box to my router. Also, when changing channels from antenna to cable stations, there is often a several second delay, while the box figures out how to deal with the change in resolution and signal source.
Also included with the Series 3 is the ability to download podcasts, and certain Yahoo services (like weather and traffic), and a few games.
If you have a lifetime subscription on an older TiVo, you have till the end of the year to transfer it to a Series 3. You can no longer purchase lifetime service from TiVo, so it is definitely something to consider. But it's still expensive ($650-$800 for the box, and $200 for the service transfer). If you don't have service yet, it'll run you between $10-$15/month to $300 for a prepaid 3 year contract.
Most cable companies now offer DVRs for $10-$15 a month, but they're not really in the same league as TiVo. Go to TiVo dot com for more descriptions of features and options, and visit weaknees dot com, for more info, upgrades, or to read the forums. There's also tivocommunity dot com. If you like to watch TV, but hate programming a VCR or watching commercials, put TiVo on your holiday wishlist...
Update 11/2007: Just bought a second unit. Hard to find out from TiVo, but Multiroom Viewing is now available for the Series 3. And for $200 you can triple the capacity with the Expander.
Customer Review: Expensive but worth having.
Summary: 5 Stars
Like others who purchased the Series 3 TiVo. I also had problems with the cable company (Everest) being somewhat ignorant about cable cards. The cable company supplied my cards over the counter and I installed them myself. The cable card setup was easy. As instructed in the on screen setup, for each cable card I called in to my cable company to have the card authorized. Before I was able to receive my decoded digital and premium channels, I received two calls back from Everest to repeat and verify the four ID numbers of each card (2 numbers on the card itself & the 2 internal numbers that appear on the TV screen). After that Everest got the cards fully authorized and the cable cards were decoding properly by allowing my digital and premium channels to pass through.
A week later, one cable card went bad (not allowing my digital and premium channels to pass through). I took the card back and received another one. But unlike the first two cards this one was not in a plastic protective sleeve with a form to record all 4 ID numbers on. I requested the form and went home and installed the card. This new card was also defective. I spent most of the evening working with Everest trying to get the card up and running. Everest decided to send out a technician the next day.
The technician arrived at my house and he personally called in and verified all of the card numbers but he was still not able to get my TiVo up and running. Without any troubleshooting the technician swore that everything was fine with the cable card and that the problem was with my TiVo. He said I should have purchased one of their DVRs and then he would have been able to help me because it is their product. After he left I was not satisfied with his service call.
I remembered from all of the customer reviews that I read about the series 3 TiVo. The problem was consistently with the cable company and not the TiVo. I pulled the card out of TiVo and personally returned it requesting a brand new one. The new one that Everest handed me was in a plastic protective sleeve with a form to record all 4 ID numbers on. I took it home and installed the new card. I called in the new ID numbers and in 30 minutes Everest had me authorized and the new cable card was decoding properly (allowing my digital and premium channels to pass through).
Do not let the cable technician mislead you. If you are not getting your digital and/or premium channels the problem is not with your TiVo. The problem is with the cable card not decoding properly.
FYI: The cable card's purpose is to block digital and premium channels. With the cable company's authorization the cards are allowed to decode your digital and premium channels and allow them to pass through to you.
Just remember the problem is not with your TiVo. The problem is with a defective cable card or that the cable card is not authorized properly by the cable company.
After the cable card nightmare, I have been totally enjoying the Series 3 TiVo. I would not want to have a TV without it. With all of the recorded programs in my "Now Playing" list there is always something that I really want to watch. I no longer have to just settle for what ever I can find on live TV. With TiVo my TV viewing is now much more productive instead of being just nothing more than a time waster. In conjunction with the Thumbs Up and the Thumbs Down that I have placed on each program that I have viewed the "TiVo Suggestions" now knows what kind of programs that I like. I now just use the "TiVo Suggestions" to select what I would like to record. Because of the Series 3 TiVo, the picture Quality has improved so much. I feel that it is so good that I can put off buying an HDTV for a long time. I'll just wait until HDTV prices are much more reasonable.
Buy the Series 3 TiVo instead of the Series 2 TiVo because the Series 3 has 300 hours recording time. You will soon fill up the 300 hours recording time.
Customer Review: Tivo heaven after the inital setup hell.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've recently upgraded from the original TiVo to the new "Series3" HD TiVo. This review was written with the new Series3 out for less than one month, so some of the shortcomings listed below may have been addressed by the time you read this.
TiVo did a spectacular job with the hardware. The recorder can hold ~35 hours of HDTV or ~300 hours of non-HD programming, which is significantly more than cable company-provided DVRs. The Series3 can record two shows at once -- either OTA (connect an antenna to receive the networks) or cable via CableCards, and if you have a recent HDTV, the TiVo can output all the recording via HDMI (a pure digital connection between the TiVo and your HDTV). It also contains a host of less major upgrades (back lit remote, an OLED display, etc) that improve upon the famous TiVo experience.
I should point out that, at the time of writing, the Series3 is missing functionality that is available on older TiVos, such as ability to export shows to your PC, iPod, etc (TivoToGo), and the ability to view shows recorded on the Series3 on other TiVos in your house (Multi-room viewing). If these are important to you, you may want to delay your purchase until this functionality is added (currently, there is no guarantee they will be available). I rated the item as "4 stars" because of the missing functionality.
If you plan on viewing only OTA (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, etc via an antenna) programming, you can stop reading this review, since the rest of it deals with using TiVo with cable company supplied CableCards.
Most people who purchase a TiVo Series3 do so with the intention of using it with their cable service, and the only way to receive digital (non-basic) cable service on the Series3 is with the use of cable company-supplied CableCards. Unlike older TiVos, a cable box cannot be connected to the Series3. If you plan on using a Series3 with cable, be aware that getting and installing CableCards *can* be very difficult, and you may wish to check with your cable provider prior to purchasing the Series3. Some caveats, based on my experience with the second largest cable provider:
(1) The customer service agents flatly refused to provide CableCards for use in a TiVo. It required multiple calls and escalations to finally have a manager "approve" the install. You should note that cable companies are *required*, by law, to provide CableCards for compatible devices. Most cable companies charge a monthly fee (usually less than $2) for each CableCard.
(2) Some cable companies require a technician to "install" the cards on premises, which may cost you $35 - $45 for the install (again, check with your cable co). Unfortunately for me, the installer couldn't activate the cards. This also appears to be a frequent issue at the time of writing. Multiple calls later, I finally found a customer service agent who was able to activate both cards.
(3) With CableCards, you cannot receive OnDemand and Pay Per View events. You should also note that some cable companies are placing channels on "Switched Digital Video" (SDV). SDV channels are not compatible with the Series3, so check with your cable provider.
(4) Finally, if you subscribe to a cable package such a digital cable + broadband Internet, you cable price may not go down if you return your set-top box. In my case, the price would actually have *increased* since, without the cable box, since I would not be eligible for the package pricing. Needless to say, I kept the cable box.
Overall, I am satisfied with my Series3. The initial installation problems caused a couple of headaches, but once resolved, it has performed quite well. Some of cable company problem might become less frustrating once the cable co gains more experience with this product.
Customer Review: I'm overjoyed with the Series 3 capabilities
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned a TiVo for over 8 and a half years and can no longer live without one. It's what I've wanted all my TV-watching life. I recently bought an HD TV and needed to upgrade to an HD TiVo in order to take advantage of the new HD resolution.
While waiting for the HD TiVo to arrive, I got an HD cable box recorder from Time Warner. It did the job but was difficult to use and I filled it up half way in about a week. But it worked in a pinch. It's like comparing an old cell phone with an iPhone. They both make calls, but there's no comparison beyond that as far as ease of use. No one can compare with TiVo for that.
My existing Tivo was old technology, but I had upgraded it with larger hard drives (started with only 14 hour capacity but now have 300 hours) and an internet connection for downloading TV shows through various hacks. Still, I have been missing out on the latest TiVo technology.
The HD Tivo is amazing! I'm glad I was able to wait until the Series 3 HD version was available. HD capability is a must for me now, and the Series 3 lets you add an extra hard drive for more capacity without having to hack it! In fact, the new TiVo does almost EVERYTHING I used to do with my old hacked TiVo--and more--without the need for hacking.
You are legally allowed to download TV shows from your TiVo to your computer and convert them for your iPod or even burn them to DVDs (for your own use!). You are also allowed to UPLOAD your own movies or TV show episodes to your TiVo for easy viewing)! And you can rent movies and have them loaded onto your TiVo for you. It will also show photos and play music from your computer. You can schedule recordings for your unit from the TiVo web site from any web browser. This is everything you would want, and more--and all without hacking! And it all works on my Mac (PCs, too, of course).
Also, I didn't know what I was missing by not having a dual-tuner recorder all this time. I have very few recording conflicts now and usually shows record without me even knowing that it's happened. With two cable cards installed from my cable company, I no longer need my cable box (that saves me about $8/month). The TiVo can run everything and change channels instantly--no more IR blaster hanging in front of the cable box to change channels (or miss changing, occasionally). There's a little display on the front of the unit that shows the name of the TV shows currently being recorded, along with a clock. Neat!
There are even a few games on the TiVo you can play using the remote!
Best of all, the lifetime subscription is available again (at a discount if you already have a TiVo). And the price of the recorder has dropped substantially ($200 rebate coupons are regularly available). This makes it very affordable for the function. After all, this is a device that I use every day and it's working for me 24-hours a day, searching for shows I may like -- suggestions to fill any free space it may have. There's ALWAYS something good on TV with the TiVo on the job. And now, it's in high-def.
The HD video takes up quite a bit more space than standard definition, however. The 30 hours of HD (or 300 standard) weren't going to be enough for me, so I also got the expansion drive for about $150, which gives about 60 more hours of HD. I haven't needed it, but probably will soon (once you connect it, it's there for life--so I'm waiting until I'm full).
Anyway, I don't see how you can go wrong with this. I wish my old TV had broken earlier so I could have lived in this luxury sooner. I've had mine for a couple of weeks now and I'm just overjoyed with it.
Customer Review: TiVo Series3 Working Well
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been using a Panasonic DVR with an 80Gbyte hard drive to record all of our favorite TV shows. I have a basic cable service with no premium channels, not even HBO. Two years ago I acquired a Hi-Def TV set with a standard TV tuner and a digital tuner. Instead of upgrading the broadband cable to digital service, I purchased a HUMAX digital receiver and connected it to the TV using an HDMI cable. I was usually able to get ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and the public TV station but I could not record the Hi_Def programs, and I was not using my TV's digital tuner. Several months ago I installed a multidirectional long distance antenna in my attic and my over the air digital reception improved dramatically but we still could not record the Hi-Def programs. Also, the DVR programming involved us weekly looking up when and where our favorite shows were coming on so we could update the Panasonic DVR recording schedule. Finally, I saw that the TiVo Series3 had a $200.00 rebate in addition to the Amazon discount so I ordered one from Amazon. When the Series3 arrived, the setup went well and we have been TiVo'ing ever since. I tried setting up a wireless adaptor (see my review for the Adaptor) but because of my Series3 location in a closet right next to the wirelss router I was not able to establish the wireless connection and I wound up using an ethernet connection on my wireless router which is less than 3 feet away from the Series3 box. The TiVo programming of our favorite shows is so effortless that it is actually fun to do although it takes some getting used to when you factor in recording quality, how long the recorded show is retained, simultaneous recording on the Series3 dual tuners, and so on. I deleted a lot of season passes before I got it right. Because the Series3 has dual tuners ( a standard tuner and a digital hi def tuner), I eliminated the Humax receiver and plugged the over the air antenna directly into the Series3. I also rerouted the broadband cable directly into the Series 3, still not upgrading the cable to digital service so I did not have to use the cable company plug-in circuit boards. Big surprise! The Series3 digital tuner is far better than the HUMAX digital receiver and it finds a lot more over the air stations including CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and the public TV channels; it also brings in the over the air standard TV channels. The bottom line is that I am now recording most of our favorite programs in Hi-Def and my worst problem is deciding which of 2 simultaneous shows to record in Hi-Def and which to record in standard TV. Finding shows is easy using the TV-Guide or the convenient search algorithms and the Series3 handles when they really start so you don't get the last minute of a show truncated because it really starts 1 or 2 minutes off the hour. If you watch a lot of TV and like to program your shows with very little hassle, this is definitely worth the investment. I especially like the ability to rewind live TV. I wound up keeping the Panasonic DVR so we could play DVD's and occasionally record a 3rd program simultaneous with 2 others on the Series3. I live about 35 - 40 miles from the over the air transmitters for the digital broadcasts so I had to install a high quality multidirectional antenna in the attic. Without the antenna, I would have been compelled to upgrade our cable service to digital instead of standard cable in order to get the Hi_Def broadcasts. In summary, if you can provide the Series3 with an internet connection, a digital tv input, a standard tv input (cable) or if you have digital cable, the Series3 is a very solid well designed DVR recorder that makes maximum use of the TV guide info and the internet.