TiVo: An Introduction for the Few Who Dont Know Yet

TiVo will change your life... for the better. Plain and simple: record shows by telling TiVo to record them (not when, what channel, how long, etc.), record all new episodes of X, record all movies w/ so-and-so in them, etc.

High Points:

Most people know the basics of the concept. Here's the low-down on the things I'm asked most...

1. You can record one thing and watch something else already recorded.

2. You can get a dual tuner TiVo, but you'll need two SEPARATE feeds to the TiVo (i.e., two lines from your satellite dish). Then you can record 2 things at once or watch one/record another. These are more expensive, but you can get a DirecTiVo w/ dual tuner cheaper and then the monthly TiVo fee is about half normal.

3. Pause live TV - if you don't realize the value of this, I can't explain it. :)

TiVo has many different versions which all some slight variations. If you want to go beyond 'average guy' level, check out this forum.

Comparison to ReplayTV:

TiVo seems to have a better interface from what I've seen and what others have said. It's easier to use. However, ReplayTV is more easily hackable - you can access it from the web and the PC easier to convert/archive shows, etc. I have a DVD recorder for this which is another post for another time.

Both can be made to do mostly the same things, but you get the idea.

My Suggestion

I recommend the DirecTiVo Hughes HDVR2 (dual tuner) w/ the Triple LNB dish (this is the oval dish w/ 4 lines from it and it's HDTV ready). It's got the satellite converter box built in so it's only one box to deal w/, the TiVo monthly fee is less and it's dual tuner.

This model isn't as hackable as some TiVo's, but it can do some and if you want to go beyond the basics than you probably haven't read this far.

Sites:

http://www.dvrinfospot.com

http://www.TiVo.com

http://www.TiVoCommunity.com

http://www.WeaKnees.com

...and, of course, The Armchair Geek (see below).

Bear Cahill is a software engineer in the Dallas, TX area and runs a few websites: The Armchair Geek (thearmchairgeek.com), Webpage Hosting Info (webpagehostinginfo.com), Go To College Online (gotocollegeonline.com) and The Video Exchange Community (videoexchange.org)

Publish freely if this resource box is included and links maintained as links.

---

Nvidia Geforce 7800 GTX Review

Nvidia has done it again, with it's newest video card,... Read More

Surge Protector: A Simple Mechanism Description

A surge protector [AKA surge suppressor] is an electrical plug-in... Read More

Preventing Tape Drive Failure

Contrary to popular belief, tape drives are generally robust and... Read More

Power and Your PC

The power coming into a computer is the most critical... Read More

A Review of Refurbished Toshiba Laptops

Toshiba offers a few of their refurbished laptops in the... Read More

Getting The Proper Laptop Screen Size

Are you sick of viewing everything on that small screen... Read More

How To Choose The Best Student Laptop?

How To Choose the Best Student Laptop?Merchants are singing those... Read More

Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Ordering an Inkjet Cartridge Online

It is true. You can save a lot of time... Read More

An Introduction to HD-DVD

High density digital versatile disc is a digital optical media... Read More

How To Purchase A Quality Laptop Computers Case

So you finally have that new laptop you have been... Read More

Getting A Great Refurbished Laptop

Are you sick of all the high priced notebooks out... Read More

Ten Ways (plus 1) to Save on Printer Ink and Toner Cartridges

Are you getting tired of the high cost of printing?... Read More

Selecting a Laptop

Small Can Be BeautifulWhen purchasing a new computer, you may... Read More

Refurbished Laptops are the Real Deal!

Laptop computers have found usefulness as portable media devices.Even refurbished... Read More

How To Buy The Perfect Student Laptop

If you are like most student's, money isn't exactly growing... Read More

Selecting an Ink Jet printer?With Low Operating Cost

Printer technology has made tremendous advances in the past five... Read More

How to Add or Remove an IDE ROM drive

CD ROMS - If you're adding or removing an internal... Read More

Laptop Computer Extras for the Mobile Traveler

A laptop computer certainly provides you with an unprecedented level... Read More

Buying / Selecting Computer Components

This is the step takes the most time and consideration.... Read More

Digital Camera Prints - Getting the Most for Your Money

Digital cameras have really taken off in popularity in recent... Read More

Portable MP3 Player Based Education

A revolution in learning technology has taken place. Actually, it... Read More

Moving to a New PC

Getting a new PC is exciting and a pain. It's... Read More

Upgrading, Adding or Removing a Video Card, Sound Card, or Other AGP/PCI Card

For Video cards - Most PC video cards these days... Read More

Choosing The Right Bar Code Reader

The importance of a bar code reader in this day... Read More

USB Drive Popularity

So many people have small USB drives today, but what... Read More

When Good Color Goes Bad...

Even with the popularity of digital technology, and the availability... Read More

What is EEPROM ?

EEPROM stands for Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory and... Read More

Cheap Ink Cartridge

A cheap ink cartridge is sometimes the only way that... Read More

What You Should Know Before You Buy Computer Equipment

You will have many factors to consider when deciding on... Read More

How to Shop for Inkjet Printer Cartridges

Keeping Shipping Costs DownWhen shopping for inkjet printer cartridges online... Read More

ABCs Of DVD Drive Abbreviations

The number of different formats available in DVD drives can... Read More

An Inexpensive Solution to Securing Public Access Computers

Offering secure public Internet access is not as easy as... Read More

Special Events Recording in DVD Players Age

The proliferation of portable DVD players has dramatically changed the... Read More