Can you unlock or jailbreak this ?

So, someone please. Answer me this from first-hand knowledge once and for all. Can I use this thing as a drv without all the fancy tivo bells and whistles, guide, etc. and not have to pay the monthly fee?

SuperTully wrote:I love the e-SATA port, all DVRs should have this feature.

The Scientific Atlanta DVRs used by Time Warner do have the esata ports, which worked with certain hard drives up until a couple of weeks ago when they rolled out their new & improved navigator software which intentionally disabled the port and also disabled the copy out function which let you burn DVDs of the DVR content. Multiple cust svc reps from TW cable tell me they have no intention of restoring those 2 features

1rudeboy wrote:So, someone please. Answer me this from first-hand knowledge once and for all. Can I use this thing as a drv without all the fancy tivo bells and whistles, guide, etc. and not have to pay the monthly fee?

BTW, TIvo's store is selling it for $229...so still a good deal.

Jeus wrote:ouch no 1080p, up to 1080i only

thats because cable and OTA television is only broadcast at a maximum of 1080i. 1080p would be useless and unnecessary for this. there is no "ouch" about it

If you're looking to backup your recorded non-web-download Tivo programs, try KMTTG.

1rudeboy wrote:So, someone please. Answer me this from first-hand knowledge once and for all. Can I use this thing as a drv without all the fancy tivo bells and whistles, guide, etc. and not have to pay the monthly fee?

As stated in the description, No. Amazon is taking preorders on a new DVR that doesn't have a monthly fee, but it's more money and has a smaller drive than this

1rudeboy wrote:So, someone please. Answer me this from first-hand knowledge once and for all. Can I use this thing as a drv without all the fancy tivo bells and whistles, guide, etc. and not have to pay the monthly fee?

No.

I thought cable companies supplied the dvrs now.

crossoverking41 wrote:What is better Tivo, Verison DVR, or Comcast DVR?

tivo is VASTLY superior. i picked up one of these a couple of years ago and I can't tell you how much I love it. I also had a cable DVR which sux in comparison. so much functionality and ease of use with TIVO. would love to pick up another one, but i'm gonna wait and upgrade to premier at some point... if you're in the market, this is a great dvr

Does Tivo Decode Manager or something similar work with this? I don't want to use Toast's crappy import and even worse DVD burning feature -- I'd rather grab the files and use iMovie and iDVD.

BTW, I own one of these. TiVo's definition of "lifetime service" means the lifetime of the device, not your lifetime.

If it breaks (Usually a hard drive crash or corrupted file system) you either fix it (companies can be found on the web who perform 3rd party repairs), or you pay for another lifetime contract for the new unit. You can't transfer the program guide license, and TiVo is pretty much worthless without it.

philey wrote:It says "Does not support satellite service, AT&T U-verse, or cable Video On Demand", so, no.

There has been talk that a new DirecTV TiVo will be launched this year, but it hasn't appeared yet.

What about compatibility with Dish Network?

I've had TiVo for over 4 years. It's $13 bucks a month, and if you have a certain cable company that rhymes with "Craptastic" then you will need one of their obnoxious DTA converters in certain areas, or you may have issues with digital cable. While TiVo is awesome and life changing, (kind of like woot!) I'm honestly getting tired of paying a monthly fee to the point I'm considering building my own freevo type media box. I'm just waiting for the appropriate woot!

DVvM wrote:Looking at the TiVo site, it looks like it's $12.95/month, $129/year, or $399 for a lifetime license. So if you plan on living more than 30 months...

It is the lifetime of the TiVo box, not the subscriber, so technically your heirs can still enjoy the service after you've gone to the great beyond-or until technology renders the box useless

reggaemyelitis wrote:What about compatibility with Dish Network?

Sarcasm?

No compatibility.

beagleboy99 wrote:The Scientific Atlanta DVRs used by Time Warner do have the esata ports, which worked with certain hard drives up until a couple of weeks ago when they rolled out their new & improved navigator software which intentionally disabled the port and also disabled the copy out function which let you burn DVDs of the DVR content. Multiple cust svc reps from TW cable tell me they have no intention of restoring those 2 features

Bummer!

I recently switched from Direct TV to cable triple play. The cable company installed a HD DVR for free and I can record any movie or program I want.
If I have to buy a Tivo, pay Tivo Service and get a new card from my cable company....How is Tivo better than the HD DVR I already have?

drmurdoc wrote:can you use it with out paying for service

Despite this:
TiVo® service is required for the TiVo DVR to function and is sold separately. TiVo service and payment are subject to the terms and conditions available at www.tivo.com.

I'd say yeah. You can use it as a dvr, but not with all the scheduling and tv guide features. TiVo sells old units very cheaply (like for $29) directly, but to buy them you have to sign up for service. Unless they've plugged that hole better than people can unplug it with this new version, I'd say you could pay $179 here for a TiVo-branded crippled DVD.

Still, you could get an unbranded dvr cheaper elsewhere without having to do the Jean Valjean thing.

CaptainWes wrote:I've had TiVo for over 4 years. It's $13 bucks a month, and if you have a certain cable company that rhymes with "Craptastic" then you will need one of their obnoxious DTA converters in certain areas, or you may have issues with digital cable. While TiVo is awesome and life changing, (kind of like woot!) I'm honestly getting tired of paying a monthly fee to the point I'm considering building my own freevo type media box. I'm just waiting for the appropriate woot!

Lifetime would've been $400, you've spent nearly $700 on the fees. Maybe you should be talking to Tivo instead of woot!

We have two tivo boxes at our house already. One is at least seven years old and the other is about four years old, neither one support HD or Netflix streaming. I only have regular basic cable so this tivo box is perfect to replace the oldest tivo box we have so we can stream netflix on both tvs. (We use a PS3 to stream netflix on one TV right now.)

Tivo vs Moxi

http://www.moxi.com/us/tivo_vs_moxi.html

Tivo wins tho w/this current price

All right, let's get serious. You can get a DVR from your Cable provider for $5 per month, so what does Tivo offer that a cable provider doesn't?

It's easy to move stuff from this to other devices too (I have the non-XL, fed only OTA local stations from an antenna). I'm constantly pulling episodes of shows from it to my iMac, and flipping it into PS3 or iPod touch playable files. It's not the speediest process, but it's pretty easy. The Netflix streaming is great, and you can download podcasts and watch YouTube too. The UI can be a little slow at times, but isn't bad, especially at that price.

rcbutchko wrote:Despite this:
TiVo® service is required for the TiVo DVR to function and is sold separately. TiVo service and payment are subject to the terms and conditions available at www.tivo.com.

I'd say yeah. You can use it as a dvr, but not with all the scheduling and tv guide features. TiVo sells old units very cheaply (like for $29) directly, but to buy them you have to sign up for service. Unless they've plugged that hole better than people can unplug it with this new version, I'd say you could pay $179 here for a TiVo-branded crippled DVD.

Still, you could get an unbranded dvr cheaper elsewhere without having to do the Jean Valjean thing.

You could use Series 1 Tivos without service, and I think Series 2. This woot! is Series 3, and I am pretty sure you can't.

anddreus wrote:I recently switched from Direct TV to cable triple play. The cable company installed a HD DVR for free and I can record any movie or program I want.
If I have to buy a Tivo, pay Tivo Service and get a new card from my cable company....How is Tivo better than the HD DVR I already have?

I think it's meant for people with more basic cable, and those who have always had Tivo - they're the reason cable companies even offer DVRs free.

Plus they tend to do stuff wit the internet, link up to PCs, even cellphones, etc that other boxes won't.

Say I wanna add some additional terabytage -- what about that TV-technofreaks?

Someone mentioned installing a cable card if you want to use this as a stand-alone tuner (Without a cable box). While the feds are allowing cable companies to sell/rent cable cards, I have yet to see any of them reach the market. Anyone know if Time/Warner will ever allow this? Their set-top tuners are junk, yet they charge $9 a month for them. Even if I buy the same make/model tuner box as theirs, they refuse to activate them.

I have to say that I am happy with Fios DVR so far. My friend told me about a thing called " Boxee Box" that will do everything you ever want to do in home recording and tv watching. I don't believe it's out yet, but soon!

This is the smokingest deal on the planet. THX certified and 150 hrs of HD! I can't wait to send back my feeble 20 HD hr Verizon DVR's

Can you use this similarly to a hauppage 1212, as a capture card type deal for console gaming?

I would agree with the other poster that the Series 3 box is better than the Series 4.

Netflix, Rhapsody, You Tube, etc is all on the Series 3 box.

You can transfer shows from one tivo box to another box in the same household. You can transfer to PC as well.

Comcast doesn't allow you to do that. You can also buy video on demand from Amazon, which is better than the cable company offering. Blockbuster on demand is available also...

philey wrote:It says "Does not support satellite service, AT&T U-verse, or cable Video On Demand", so, no.

There has been talk that a new DirecTV TiVo will be launched this year, but it hasn't appeared yet.

Yes, DirecTV's website says they are working w/ TiVo to provide a new TiVo DVR for use w/ DirecTV, but there are no details as yet.

I'm watching my recorded season pass of Poker after Dark right now on this TiVo machine.
This DVR surpasses all others! I'm so addicted to TiVo that I can't imagine watching TV without it. Ive got another unit in my bedroom. I can transfer recordings from one to the other via my WiFi.
Be careful, once you start using TiVo you can't go back.
By the way, I spent over $500 for mine over a year ago.

In for one. Comcast is turning off the analog broadcast so my old Series2 dual tuner is about to become a single tuner. This will support two cable card slots, so we're back in business. Thanks Woot!

BTW, TiVo DVRs are the greatest. Way better than the ones from the cable company.

* Home Media Features – Access internet radio, podcasts, movie times & tickets, and digital photos & mp3 music files on your TV

Just wondering why I would want to go to the movies if I had one of these?...

worldofjohnboy wrote:I have to say that I am happy with Fios DVR so far. My friend told me about a thing called " Boxee Box" that will do everything you ever want to do in home recording and tv watching. I don't believe it's out yet, but soon!

Not until November )-:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/boxee-box-delayed-until-november/

TVGenius wrote:It's easy to move stuff from this to other devices too (I have the non-XL, fed only OTA local stations from an antenna). I'm constantly pulling episodes of shows from it to my iMac, and flipping it into PS3 or iPod touch playable files. It's not the speediest process, but it's pretty easy. The Netflix streaming is great, and you can download podcasts and watch YouTube too. The UI can be a little slow at times, but isn't bad, especially at that price.

That's called transcoding. I'd rather get a root canal than sit around waiting for my shows to transcode, you must be a patient man.

Jeus wrote:ouch no 1080p, up to 1080i only

Yeah but does your sat/cable provider have 1080p service? Doubtful. 720p or 1080i is all you are getting from anyone anyway.

There are a few streaming services that provide 1080p streaming but none of those would interface with this anyways.

Here are User Guides.