|
| TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder | 
 enlarge
| Brand: TiVo
Category: CE
List Price: $299.99
Buy New: $209.99
You Save: $90.00 (30%)
New (48) Used (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  158 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 15
Dimensions (in): 12.6 x 16.5 x 3.4
MPN: TCD652160
Model: TCD652160
UPC: 851342000742
EAN: 0851342000742
ASIN: B000RZDBM2
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Know what you are getting into before jumping in! July 8, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had TiVo service from DirecTV several years ago (two of the black philips units) and loved it. I have also had two ReplayTV units and two Dish PVRs. My most recent set-up was Dish Network ViP 722 at my last house, and we just moved into a Verizon FiOS area. After reading horror stories about the Verizon DVR, and after taking a few years off from TiVo (...in part to block the memory and sting of the wasted money spent on "lifetime" service subscriptions....), I was very much looking forward to this TiVo HD! Because of my house-move and timing, I was also able to compare head-to-head, the Dish PVR, the Verizon PVR, and this TiVo unit. So here is my impressions of the good, the bad, and the ugly:
GOOD:
- Well-designed rear-panel with just about any connection scenario being possible except coax-digital (same for Dish and Verizon, not a big deal in the HDMI age....)
- It can record two programs and play a third (same for Dish and Verizon)
- Wireless USB Internet adapter works perfectly, even for the initial setup (this is unique, Dish has Ethernet and phone jacks; the Verizon box is inherently always connected to their network); the wireless adapter costs an extra $40
- Fan and Hard-Drive are VERY quiet and the unit doesn't get too hot
- The best TV guide information, the importance of this should not be minimized, TiVo by FAR has the best guide! (Dish guide is very-OK, the Verizon guide STINKS...horrible causing many missed or duplicate recordings)
BAD:
- Small Hard-Drive, only 20 hours of HD; need to buy a specific $170 500gb drive to use the expansion e-Sata port (BTW there is no technical reason for this, other HD TiVos support any external e-Sata drive)
- Need to unplug the box to turn it off (a quick call to customer service will educate you to not "trust" the menu item that restarts the TiVo)
- Menus are very "deep" for every-day use; getting to many options is not intuitive and information is not organized together that the user often needs to access at the same time
- Noticeable picture "wave" on some HD material (...before and after attenuation...I ended up not using any)
- Can not order "On-Demand" events
- Slow menus
- Momentary screen "grey-out" when using the "native resolution" option; the "native resolution" option will pass through the TV signal as broadcasted, which should be a "good" feature, but TiVo customer support readily admits it doesn't work consistently and ask you not use it and to choose a scaling option.
- There is a disarming "pop" sound when changing some high-definition channels
- The "TiVo Desktop application" to share videos, photos, etc from your computer is a poorly written resource hog, it is very hard to uninstall, and doesn't work very well.
- You can sign-up for TiVo service online, and manage your account online, but to cancel you need to call (and the call experience is horrible)
UGLY:
- Prominent advertising all over most screens, even in the sub-menus where TV show episodes are listed! This also actually makes the menus ugly and busy.
- Set-up is loony and unruly with the CableCards, and TiVo support is horrible (although the reps are very pleasant)
- TiVo monthly service-charges are about the same as Verizon for PVR, but the ~$250 for the TiVo unit is an additional expense, and for this extra cost, you get a lot of advertising!!! I know I've noted it a few times, but there really is a lot of advertising and it takes up Hard-Drive program space.
- Although TiVo customer support representatives are in the US-of-A and are very pleasant, the support service is not very good. (1) every-time you call you need to listen to a (I believe lengthy) condescending message to go to the TiVo website rather than calling support; BTW there is next to no useful information on their website. (2) No matter what option you choose via the phone voice-prompts, every-time you call you first need to speak to a "TiVo customer service" rep, who after a few minutes informs you that they must transfer you to the "TiVo High-Definition customer service" representatives; BTW, it seems "TiVo" and "TiVo-HD" support are two distinct organizations in different locations. (3) All of the customer service reps ask for a call-back number if the support-call is interrupted; I was disconnected several times when we needed to deviate from their standard support script, and I never received a call-back, and providing the case-number when I did call TiVo back myself didn't prevent having to go through the entire script again.
The two big issues I had were:
(1) getting the TiVo box to recognize I had service and an account (TiVo shut me off after 7 days saying I didn't have an account, although online and the customer-support reps showed I was indeed active) and
(2) getting the CableCards working properly is brutal (to their credit, Verizon was willing to put the time in to get the TiVo to work, it just took several trips and several many-hour calls to get SD and HD picture content to work at the same time, and we never got both CableCards to say "subscribed" at the same time)
I went through most of the online TiVo forums and printed out the latest and greatest install tips, tricks and details.
{{Tangentially, if you go down the treacherous TiVo-HD path...make sure (a) the cable installer installs one CableCard at a time [they will want to do both at the same time....], (b) the "Host-ID" and "Data-Value" must be input into the cable-system [installer needs to make a specific additional call for this] and check the TiVo "Conditional Access" screen to make sure, (c) reboot and re-do guided set-up a few times, and (d), [perhaps only for Verizon], you may need to use an attenuator to lower the input signal for a good picture, check the Diagnostic screen for "RS Uncorrected" errors.}}
To put some context on the TiVo support issues, they were not helpful and they were consistently inconsistent. For example, one rep told me to unplug and re-plug-in the unit twice within an hour and then force an Internet connection twice in that exact sequence to fix some issues I was having, another rep told me to unplug the unit for at least two hours and then force two Internet connections, but made a point to say "never unplug twice without connecting to the Internet in-between". Another rep told me unplug the unit and use a can of compressed air to clean where the power-cord goes in, then do two guided set-ups and let the unit connect to the Internet automatically at night. I started to think I was on candid-camera, and they were going to ask me to perform some type of sacrifice or only connect to the Internet when I was facing the north-pole ..... I think you get the idea, but that is what I mean by inconsistent and not helpful, and very frustrating!
For those interested in some comparisons of the Dish PVR, the Verizon PVR, and this TiVo unit:
Picture Quality: (1) Dish ViP722 is by far the best for High-Definition content, and everything looks good, (2) Verizon has the most consistent looking picture and sound, and (3) as noted above the TiVo sometimes had a HD "wave" appearance, SD was identical to the Verizon PVR, and TiVo had "grey-out" when changing channels using native resolution.
Sound Quality: (1)Dish and (2) Verizon have perfect sound, and (3) the TiVo was usually the same perfect sound but sometimes made a loud "pop" when changing channels.
Menus/Options: (1) Dish menus are functional and allow you to set some slack-time before or after shows so you do not miss the end, (2) Verizon menus are serviceable but have no slack-time options and the default behavior is often different than most PVRs, and (3) the TiVo menus have ads all over them and are unnecessarily complicated; TiVo has slack-time options, but they didn't work well for me (as evidence, look at on-line forums and news stories for the countless folks who missed the winner on the American-Idol finale this year, and previous years....)
Capacity: (1) Dish has 55 hours of HD and 350 hours of SD, both (2) Verizon and (3) TiVo have 160GB internal drives giving about 20 hours of HD and 180 hours of SD
Expandable Storage: (1) Dish can use any external Hard-Drive [need to call Dish to activate for one-time $5], (2) Verizon has no expansion options yet, and (3) TiVo requires a specific $170 MyDVR 500gb to expand.
Multi-Room: (1)Dish, (2) Verizon both have real multi-room built in and they work out of the box without additional set-up. The Verizon multi-room's quality is exactly the same from any Verizon box in the house, The Dish quality is not nearly as good at other TVs in the house as the PVR, but does not require a converter box, just a cable-ready TV tuned to channel 67. In my opinion the (3) TiVo HD does not have much multi-room functionality because you have to have another TiVo box to watch shows recorded on another TV (in addition to the "TiVo Desktop application" being horrible, the application will not give you PVR recordings to another room, it is for get content to and from your computer). The TiVo ad-ware implies great content flexibility, but the bottom-line is if you have one TiVo DVR, you can only watch recordings on the TV it is hooked-up to, the Verizon and Dish let you watch your one DVR's recordings on any connected TV without any wiring hassles (they piggyback on the same one coax that goes to the TV already).
Remote: (1)Dish, (2) Verizon, and (3) the TiVo are all fine although you need to "hack" TiVo to have 30-second skip capability; all are "universal remote" compatible.
Cost: (1) Dish is cheapest and has most HD [for just TV], (2) Verizon is $15.95 a month for PVR [though you can usually get a $12.95 monthly special], (3) TiVo is $12.95 per month, BUT has advertising all over it and you need to pay $250 for the box and $40 more if you want/need the wireless Internet adapter.
I ended up keeping the Verizon PVR because Verizon FiOS Internet is exponentially faster and more reliable than the competition in my area and the cost for Internet-only is prohibitive without a TV bundle. Also, I am renting a single-family home, and the owner said "no dishes" in the lease (so no Dish).
I sincerely wish good luck all those who venture into TiVo-land, hopefully this manifesto was somewhat informative (and still visible on Amazon), and maybe TiVo will get their act together someday! I think TiVo needs to partner with more cable and/or some satellite companies, and/or pre-load pre-set-up boxes to take the hassle out of installation, they need to fix their customer support (but keep it in the US....just give their staff the tools and information to be successful), work on quality control, and focus on prospective customers, not just existing TiVo fan-club members!
I love and hate my TiVo HD July 8, 2008
I returned my first TiVo HD because it couldn't play Amazon Unbox videos without crashing. The new one seems to have that problem resolved, but troubleshooting the unit and getting the unit returned wasted about 3 hours of my time.
I've purchased 9 TiVos in my life, and I have a love-hate relationship with the company. Both my wife and I love the technology, but I hate talking to them because it wastes a ton of my time and I have to drive them to the right solution. I have a strong tech background and a willingness to spend time reading online forums for information. If this isn't you and you can't find a friend willing to help you, you may find yourself wasting a lot of time and money (or just returning the unit).
Poorly implemented, wish there were other choices July 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not impressed. I've avoided the TIVO for years and finally had to get one when my replay died. The terminology used in the device is poor. What's Playing Now is what you've recorded, NOT LIVE TV?? That just doesn't make sense.
When looking at the grid guide, it doesn't show what is already slated for recording. Why is this so hard to implement?
Worse, I was required to get a Cablecard despite already receiving all the channels without it. They supposedly need the card to tell it what frequency maps to what channel in the cable companies cable line up. I don't understand why this is something I can't input myself. It really just boils down to saying "Frequency 85-13 = Channel 704".
Despite a simple eSATA interface being on the back of the machine and the fact that they supported anyone's eSATA external drive months ago. They now force you to buy their TIVO branded drive to use for external storage expansion. Just more greed on Tivo's part.
I guess this is what happens when you have a virtual monopoly. Overall, it works, but it could be a whole lot better.
 My love relationship with TiVo July 6, 2008
Wow TiVo, where have you been all my life? Actually, I've never been one to watch much TV (hate senseless commercials, etc), but the user friendly interface on TiVo is *REALLY* well thought out and easy to master. Perhaps I'm a bit of a techie, but I didn't have any problems getting the unit setup complete with the wireless WiFi, additional 500GB MyDVR, etc. Oh, I did make the mistake of picking up two M-Cards from Comcast when I only needed to install one (only two S-Cards are needed if you go that route); at any rate the first M-Card went belly-up after 12 hours (typical Motorola infant mortality) so I popped in the second one and had Comcast re-register it to the new serial number.
I had no idea of the TiVo's functionality, like downloading podcasts/videocasts, ability to download tens of thousands of movies from Amazon Unbox, etc. Still, after reading the litany of possible technical problems loading TiVo desktop software on my Personal Computer (you'll see the myarid list of possible snafus when you try to install it), I decided not to install it at this time - besides the TiVo desktop has a 5GB footprint and many more for each movie (especially if it's HD). But I can't see that much of a benefit watching videocasts on my big High-Def TV at this time - perhaps after TiVo gets all the kinks out of the Desktop application, I'll eventually download it (hate to be on the bleeding edge). Otherwise, this is one slick puppy everyone should enjoy!
Happy Trails, Michael
Slow For a TiVo, but still beats the alternative. July 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Let me preface by repeating what scads of people who have reviewed this have: I am a proud member of the Cult of TiVo. When we switched to HD there was no question about whether or not we would also upgrade the TiVo.
This is TiVo number seven for us. I met the perky TiVo spokeslady when she was just trying out for the job (seriously). We bought 2 TiVos fro DirecTv off of eBay when we switched from the evil Comcast. My original TiVo actually set a record for continuous performance (over 6 years!) and now lives a happy, reconditioned life in New Zealand (also, seriously).
Now that my TiVo credentials have been established, on with the review:
Yes, it is slow. Yes, the sound sometimes craps out for 20 seconds when you start a show. Yes, I have had to reboot it once already to get it to unfreeze shows. Yes, TiVo's customer service it definitely NOT what it used to be (25+ minute wait time on hold!?). And worst of all, yes, we were forced to re-up with Comcast, the most evil service provider going (8-4 appointment window? That means 2:30 if you're lucky, which we weren't the first three times when they didn't show at all!! But I digress...).
Yes, all these things are true, but beneath its tetchy outside there still beats the heart of a TiVo and for all its faults it is still head and shoulders above the "competition".
It's transferring programs lickety-split between rooms (1 on Ethernet, 1 on wi-fi) and the picture quality is top notch. It's playing very nicely with our new 52" HD via an HDMI cable and talking beautifully with the Hot Link IR repeater that joins them room to room.
I have also added the My DVR Expander and I have more movies recorded than I know what to do with and am no where near full.
I am giving this guy 4 starts instead of 5 because I am still miffed that it won't work with DirecTv and we were forced to switch providers. Also, the tetchy thing, while cute at first, really does prove bothersome.
Again, still better than the alternative.
|
|
|
Copyright
©
2006 Adminpal LLC | |
