Can someone please explain Tivo to me?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

My dad says my mom wants one for her birthday and I have no idea what to shop for. Is this just a plug and play thing, or will the folks need to subscribe to some service in addition to their regular cable?

Joeaksa · 05:35 AM

Rick,

When I was looking at one, a friend told me that "it will change your life" and I laughed at them. To tell the truth, she was right.

No longer do I try to get home to watch the news, or get perturbed that I am not making it home to watch CSI or 60 Minutes. The TIVO is recording it for me and I can watch it whenever I wish. It communicates with the TIVO organization every few days (either via telephone or internet connection) to get updates on the programs and if something is delayed a few minutes or shifted around the TIVO usually knows this and plans accordingly. As well you can and do fast forward through any and all commercials, which is nice as well. Yes, its like a VCR but so much more versatile.

I also have TIVO Desktop, and with a WiFi adapter copy the TV shows to my computer, where I then network them to my laptop. This way when I head out on the road I carry a couple of weeks of entertainment with me. When I am stuck in a place with crappy television, the laptop is turned on and I can watch what I missed at home.

You really should subscribe to their service. I believe that you could have it record by time and date but if you are going to get everything out of it you want, the subscription is better. I got the lifetime subscription on mine. That means for the lifetime of the DVR its covered.

What can happen? In the past most people have had the hard drive die, and when that happens you start over. Well, most people do but some of us have made copies of their hard drive information. This way when the hard drive dies, we can copy the orginal information to a new hard drive, put it in the TIVO and turn it on and the parent company does not know that anything happened and we are up and in business again.

There are outside companies who install larger hard drives in the TIVO units BTW. Do not spend the massive extra bux through TIVO but get it done or do it yourself with one of them, its half the cost.

Well worth buying...

Joe A

Jims5543 · 04-17-2006, 05:32 AM

I have a really slick one that is capable of burning DVD's.

I never miss an F-1 race or an episode of Entourage, Big Love, or Curb your Enthusiasm.

I really do not watch a lot of TV and never would have been into these shows if it were not for TIVO. If I am home and a show I want to watch is on then I'll watch it. Now I can watch it when I want to.

You can get what is called a season pass to a show that puts the TIVO on alert to find the show and record it for you.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Thanks Joe. I'm surprised you watch 60 Min.

. Dad just emailed me to say the TIVO was HIS idea and I needed to find my own b-day present for Mom. Back to the drawing board. I gave her tix to see Jerry Seinfeld last year, which will be tough to top this year.

Joeaksa · 04-17-2006, 05:38 AM

Rick,

As a kid the family gathered at home to watch 60 minutes and have Sunday dinner. Its a hard habbit to break and we always think of our parents who have passed when watching the show.

I usually watch Dateline on one set and TIVO 60 minutes. That way I can see both sets of propaganda!

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

It's the same thing as programming your VCR to record your programming while you're not home. Just more digital and more expensive.

Sorta' tongue-in-cheek here. . . I have it and actually love it. Being able to hit the big yellow "pause" button for bathroom or beer breaks is great. Ditto going "what'd I just miss?" and being able to back up to see a scene again when watching "real time".

I watch fairly little tv though - mostly I just record sports programming.

We don't do commercials in my house.

If tivo ever dumps the "skip through commercials" feature, I'll drop it. Until then, it's great. I can actually watch a "half hour" program in about 17-20 minutes.

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Tivo does require monthly or annual fees. If your folks have cable, I highly recommend the cable company DVR box upgrade. We have Comcast, and for an extra $5 a month, you get a dual tuner DVR. It's phenominal. We don't watch a lot of TV, but the few shows I like (Top Gear, Mythbusters, No Reservations, etc.) get recorded automatically and I watch them when I want. It's great to watch a one hour show in 50 minutes when you choose, not when the network chooses.

Joeaksa · 04-17-2006, 06:55 AM

Rick,

Look here: http://www.weaknees.com

Good source for extra bits for the Tivo units. They also sell Tivo units directly with larger hard drives and such and some may be at a better price than you can find locally.

Joe

singpilot · 04-17-2006, 08:46 AM

Joe is right.

It has changed the way I watch TV. I'll be in a hotel room out on the road, and want to pause something, or rewatch something I just missed, and realize I can only do that at home.

Worth every penny.

Paul T · 04-17-2006, 08:48 AM

I love my Tivo, it completely frees you from having to be home at a certain time just to watch a particular show. I watch almost no live tv anymore, and like p-o-p said, you can blast through a 30 min show in no time.

Also, if your stupid like me and subscribe to the big-daddy package with Direct-TV, there is no monthly tivo charge.

Don Ro · 04-17-2006, 09:26 AM

A couple of years ago, my G/F subscribed to Direct TV.
They sent out an installer to do all the work.
Basic/usual initial cost for initial minimum subscription, BUT installation/hardware AND a TIVO unit was free.
An awesome deal. She loves it.
While on the phone w/her, I can hear her "blooping" through the commercials.
I'd like to have TIVO, but I don't...hell, I don't even have a cell phone.
'Stuck in the past, I'm no fun.