craigthom wrote:You can do it yourself pretty easily, but it depends on your comfort level. Basically you have these steps:

1. Buy a 2GB hard drive.
2. Download and burn a free utility CD.
3. Remove the hard drive from your Tivo.
4. Connect both the Tivo drive and your new hard drive to your computer, either to internal or external connections.
5. Run the utility.
6. Go do something else for three or four hours.
7. Put the new drive in your Tivo.

This is the least expensive method and preserves your recorded shows, wishlists, season passes, etc.

Details are here.

Wow! a 2GB hard drive. I couldn't imagine what I'd use that space for;).

How is that different than this?
TiVo Premiere High-Definition DVR & Stream Package
For 199!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/TiVo+Premiere+High-Definition+DVR+%26+Stream+Package/9999194400050028.p?id=pcmprd193700050028&skuId=9999194400050028

coolbiker wrote:Wow! a 2GB hard drive. I couldn't imagine what I'd use that space for;).

I'll edit it. At first I wrote it out, then decided people would respond to the abbreviation better.

gilalmeida wrote:How is that different than this?
TiVo Premiere High-Definition DVR & Stream Package
For 199!

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/TiVo+Premiere+High-Definition+DVR+%26+Stream+Package/9999194400050028.p?id=pcmprd193700050028&skuId=9999194400050028

That's the two-tuner version. But it will also record OTA.

kmartind wrote:I've used all three quite a lot over the years (TiVo, cable company DVR, HTPC) and I disagree.
Windows Media Center is dying even faster than people claim TiVo is. It doesn't even come with Windows 8 by default and the free licenses for new Win 8 users will no longer be offered after this month. Microsoft hasn't added any new enhancements/features to Media Center in years and they don't seem at all interested in its future at this point.
Further it's extremely annoying when you haven't used it for a bit and you go to watch something, then Windows update or Java update, or Adobe update (or all three) pop up and interrupt you. Then recordings occasionally fail at random due to Windows' general instability or due to it deciding not to download the latest guide listings for some reason, or the guide listings are just plain wrong sometimes. Also my Ceton card got messed up and wouldn't take a firmware update so I had to send that back for replacement. All that is in addition to other quirks like having to re-do the PlayReady nonsense periodically, the system deciding to change to an incorrect screen resolution any time I don't power on/off the receiver, TV, and HTPC in the just right order with an appropriate delay between the correct two, having to maintain virus protection, patch the OS, etc. It's also much more power-hungry than a TiVo or STB, and often much louder as well, unless you get super-expensive fanless or large-diameter-low-rpm-fan components.
Sure, it runs fine most of the time, and I can use it OK and work around the quirks myself, but a non-techie would want to throw it in the trash within the first month. Overall a Windows-based HTPC is a pain in the neck as a primary TV/DVR for multiple users.
A Linux HTPC can be either somewhat better or worse depending how it's set up, but that also invalidates the "full Windows PC" argument, and still isn't for non-techies in general.

As for the cable company DVR. The software is clunky and doesn't have nearly the feature set of either the TiVo or the HTPC, and the box doesn't have nearly enough space and doesn't support external storage expansion yet (and if it did I would still have to buy only a very specific WD eSATA hard drive for it, at my own expense).

All the while, my TiVo Premiere XL has worked flawlessly aside from a little bit of menu lag when deleting recordings. It has plenty of space and once set up, it "just works" and I never have to worry about it. To many people that's worth the price of admission.

I'm sorry that your experience wasn't a good one. My original batch card hasn't had a single issue. Windows issues can be mitigated any number of ways, but not everyone can do that. Tivos are definitely more friendly to the non-tech savvy, and I'd recommend one over a cableco DVR in an instant.

As far as me, media center may be abandoned, but I'll keep using it until Tivo can give me a really compelling reason to start paying them again. I don't see a reason to right now.

I owned Toshiba TiVo that come with free life time subscription and I loved it.

Two years ago I bought from best buy a new TiVo Premiere, unit failed after 8 months, TiVo warranty sucks- 3 or 6 months can't remember. Repair was few hundred of dollar, so I did not repair it. I think short warranty reflect company believe in the quality of the products.

Finally, Time Warner required installation of the smart card $50, and it was complex job. Than you also pay rent for it.

Has anyone tried buying their own cablecard and using them in a Tivo Premiere? You can get M-Cards for around $8-$10 on eBay.

powermatt wrote:I'm sorry that your experience wasn't a good one. My original batch card hasn't had a single issue. Windows issues can be mitigated any number of ways, but not everyone can do that. Tivos are definitely more friendly to the non-tech savvy, and I'd recommend one over a cableco DVR in an instant.

As far as me, media center may be abandoned, but I'll keep using it until Tivo can give me a really compelling reason to start paying them again. I don't see a reason to right now.

Oh I'm far from new to this. My first dedicated "HTPC" was a de100c (Linux-based) around 2001. My current HTPC is home built with an Ivy Bridge i7 in a component-style brushed aluminum case I modified, and a 42" touch screen. There were several in between. You can make HTPCs fairly reliable, but a few quirks always remain that make them largely unsuitable for unaided non-techies.

I understand what you mean about not having a compelling reason to switch back to TiVo though. I wish TiVo would have really gotten their R&D in gear a few years ago and used a faster processor, better-optimized software, and better multi-room features when the Premier first launched, but for what it is it still works better than anything else I've used, so it's our primary DVR and the HTPC is a secondary. If I could only keep one, it would be the TiVo. That's partly because it already has lifetime service, but also because it works really well and without any hassle at all.

I want to bite the bullet, but just havent yet. as long as the CableCard was not originally Comcasts to begin with, and it is not reported in some Database, you are free to use it, from what I was able to read up on. Trick is for the seller to be honest with you upfront. I have asked the question various times, and the best option is to purchase from a seller who states these came from their cable co. Apparently there a lot of micro sized cable co.s out there.

wootaloo wrote:Has anyone tried buying their own cablecard and using them in a Tivo Premiere? You can get M-Cards for around $8-$10 on eBay.