- Four tuners to record four shows at once
- Up to 300 HD hours, up to 2,200 hours in SD
- TiVo Glo premium backlit remote
- Supports digital channels only, MoCA (multimedia over coax) bridge
- THX Certified for sound & video, Dolby 5.1
10/28/2011 Update:
The problems associated with video on demand from Netflix, Amazon, etc. have been resolved. The multi-room streaming (MRS) which removes any issues associated with copy protected content has been disabled. I'm expecting TiVo to re-enable this in the next few weeks as this capability is starting to roll-out to TiVo Premiere boxes on the RCN cable network. The HDUI menus are definitely faster than the Premiere running 14.8 software but it has been acknowledged by TiVo and RCN that they are working on another software build that will offer a more significant improvement in menu speed. It has also been posted that TiVo is working on a 1080p Netflix app that offers an improved user experience.
11/19/2011 Update:
TiVo pushed a software update to all Elite's yesterday that brings the software to version 14.9.2. This update is mostly to resolve a number of bug fixes according to representatives of TiVo. Overall I remain very pleased with the Elite. TiVo has hinted on twitter that we will be getting a major software update in early 2012 which will hopefully update the feature set to be closer to the Virgin Media TiVo that is deployed in the UK.
2/4/2012 Update:
The major software update I hinted at in my November Update has gone live on all TiVo boxes. This is a dramatic software architecture change that makes the box even better. Unfortunately I can't add any more stars on my 5-star review. TiVo has also posted on their blog that updates to the Netflix and Youtube clients are being released this spring which will be a welcome change. Hulu Plus is now fully integrated into the TiVo Search and the user interface is much faster than it was on the 14.9.2 update. The new software is version 20.2.
6/11/2012 Update:
TiVo pushed a new software update to all TiVo Premiere (Series 4) boxes in May 2012 which replaces the Netflix app, the YouTube app, and adds Parental Controls to the high definition user interface (HDUI). There are also many bug fixes that improve the stability of the platform although there are a few users who are now reporting issues with Multi-Room Streaming (MRS). The one update that was most important to me was a fix for an Amazon Instant Video Pixelation/Macroblocking issue that is now fixed. TiVo has also released support for Comcast Xfinity On Demand in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Boston area which is a huge plus if you happen to be in those market areas. I'm looking forward to another software update later this summer or early fall which will add more high definition menu updates and improved support for the whole home DVR experience. This software update should accompany the release of a new TiVo Stream box and IP-only set top box. I'm interested in both boxes. The TiVo Stream transcodes live and recorded television for viewing and side-loading onto devices like my iPad. The IP set top allows a user to hijack a live tuner from the Elite/XL4 and watch live and recorded television on another TV without the need to purchase another Premiere box. This eliminates the need to have a CableCARD on that television which saves money.
11/6/2012 Update:
TiVo is pushing a new software update to TiVo Premiere (Series 4) boxes in November 2012 which further upgrades the user experience and performance of the boxes. The most visible change to the experience are three (3) new high definition screens. They are the Season Pass Manager, To Do List, and History. There are also new HD screens associated with scheduling manual recordings, and finding programs by time or channel. TiVo didn't just convert the screens to HD, they added functionality liek the ability to easily see conflicts in the To Do List. You'll also notice that you can now manage favorites and channels right from the Grid Guide and you can click left in the Grid Guide to go back in time which is something I've been wanting for a long time. When it comes to handling a multi-TiVo household, you now have better control of a remote Premiere DVR and the remote shows list is also in HD. You now have the ability to manage the remote DVR as well this feature was likely established for the upcoming TiVo Mini IP Set Top box and the Preview non-DVR box that is already released to TiVo's cable partners. Another minor update is you can change the name of the DVR without the need to go to the TiVo web site. Since my last update, TiVo also released the TiVo Stream box (separate purchase required) that connects to your home network and allows you to stream your recordings or pseudo-live TV to iOS devices (Android coming in early 2013) from any Premiere that is hard-wired (MoCA or Ethernet) to your local network. Finally, TiVo has made a number of performance tweaks. My Elite/XL4 is noticeably faster (less sluggish) when navigating the menus. Season Pass re-ordering is now done in the background. There are many bug fixes as well but TiVo has not released the details on those. I will update this review again when TiVo released the Mini IP Set Top box to retail sometime next year with another software update for dynamic tuner hijacking.
Buy TiVo Premiere XL4 TCD758250 HD Digital Video Recorder Now
We are the TiVo family: as it is all in the timing, we were seeking to get a new TiVo and so glad we waited for the few weeks as the new model revealed the four tuners! Very easy to set up and we are Verizon Fios Customer and now you can grab a cable card from the Verizon shop or pay postal for it to be delivered to you.; now you can initiative the cable card on your own via the automated phone or website. It took all of 15 minutes to activate the cable card! Sooo easy. no more making an appointment with a technician.So with four tuners it means we can record four channels simultaneously, record one Internet program whilst watching a pre-recorded show!! We were coming up with needing to record three programs and our two tuner TiVo couldn't cope! So much storage that we don't need to buy an external hard drive to store the HD program that we have for our TiVo Series 3.
We love that out TiVo series three and Elite can talk to each other. We notices if we started watching one program in one room, we can pick it up where we left off on the other TiVo! How cool is this. The transfer replay quality is great as if your were watching it from the original TiVo that recorded the show. Note that transfer is wireless and hence if you have N then it will be a lot quicker.
We love that the IPad has an app for TiVo and now I can search for programs to record without interrupting the program that we are watching. How cool is that! The new TiVo interface allows a smaller screen of the program that you are watching (top right of TV screen) whilst you are searching for shows to record or to search in 'my shows' that were previously recorded.
Didnt even think about it, we bought the lifetime license for it as most TiVo last about 7 to 8 years for us; so it really pays off for us.
Only wished they kept the clock on the front screen!
Read Best Reviews of TiVo Premiere XL4 TCD758250 HD Digital Video Recorder Here
I ordered the Tivo XL4 because, let's face it, who wouldn't want 4 tuners especially with my wife and I and all the shows we watch? As a Cablevision customer, I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to switch the cable card from my oldest model, the HD and seamlessly pair it to the XL4 over the phone. Then, I was amazed at the boot up time of but a few minutes compared to the other models which you could shower, shave and eat breakfast and it still wouldn't be finished. Using the iPad Tivo app, I was able to easily transfer all of our season passes to the XL4 and cancel them on the HD XL, which will now be my secondary machine. I like the the look of the new interface and many of the new added features. After that the fun ends. For all of the chest-beating by Tivo about how revolutionary the XL 4 is, I have found it to be incredibly SLOW when trying to work the menus and select programs to watch. It goes at a snail's pace. At this point, I would be happy if the XL4 would operate at least as quickly as the HD XL. Furthermore, the Hulu Plus app doesn't work and keeps returning me to the main menu telling me to try later. Thank God I have Apple TV or my $7.99/mo. subscription would be wasting away. I sure hope a software update fixes the HuluPlus issues and, most importantly, SPEEDS UP the damn machine. Seriously, I'm not joking the XL4 is like buying a Ferrari with a 4-cylinder from a Ford Focus. This long time Tivo customer is xtremely disappointed.Want TiVo Premiere XL4 TCD758250 HD Digital Video Recorder Discount?
I just added an Elite to go with my other two Tivo's, and so far it's working great.The initial setup was long. The Tivo instructions say to insert the cable card when the guided setup asks about it. Don't do that. Wait until after the guided setup is complete. Some cable cards can cause the guided setup to go into an infinite loop. Between the guided setup, initializing the cable card and gathering up all the Software upgrades and menu downloads the whole process took a couple of hours.
Once it was running, I set up the menus in SD mode. Much faster and easier to work with than HD menus. I got rid of the sounds, went through my channel list and got everything in order.
After it was all done, I tested recording in HD, along with SD and TV watching. The Elite works great for me. I'm on Comcast and things went as planned.
On the Elite, I can record four HD shows at once and store 300 hours of HD without adding an external disc. I can alternatively store 2800 hours of SD. I have a Panasonic V series Plasma and SD looks great on it, so sometimes I just record the SD version of a show. Adding an external 1 TB drive would give me an additional capacity of 150 hours of HD and a 2 TB external drive would add 300 more hours capacity for HD.
Adding the 1 TB external is easy. Anyone can do it. Adding the 2 TB is not straightforward and most people will have to use a service like Weaknees to do that. As an alternative, Tivo plus software let's you move movies from Tivo to a computer and back, so that's another way to add capacity. If you need to store more than 2700 hours of SD or 300 hours of HD, you've got issues which additional capacity won't solve.
My other two Tivo's are networked with the Elite. It takes about 5 to 10 minutes to transfer a one hour SD show to another Tivo and three to five times longer to transfer an HD show. HD shows take up a lot of disc space, approximately ten times as much as a std def show. I have a fast hardwired network and that makes a big difference. Wifi is slower.
I'm only going to store HD shows on the Elite Tivo and keep the SD shows on my series 3 Tivo to best use the disc space on each one. The 3rd Tivo is dedicated to shows my wife likes that I can't stand like the X Factor. I don't want to even see them in the Tivo menu so I don't look on her Tivo often. Before the Elite, I recorded most shows in SD and few in HD. With the huge capacity of the Elite, I'm now recording nearly everything in HD. There are cable channels that are in HD range but broadcast older shows where the quality of the broadcast is not truly HD. I try not to record those in HD, if I know they are on the schedule.
I have had problems with digital artifacts and HD recording early terminations on previous Tivo's. That can be caused by weak signals, too hot a signal (add an attenuator), cable cards or hard drives. It's not easy to diagnose and fix those kinds of problems if they happen to you. It is one of the issues in DVR management. And yes, those same problems exist with cable company cracker box DVR's.
Anyway, I like my Elite.
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I've been a user of Tivo for quite a few years. When I purchased the original Tivo Premiere about 2 years ago, I had a fair bit of buyers remorse. The Premiere didn't do anything particularly better than the Series 3 it replaced, and the HD menus were way too slow for me to tolerate.The January 2012 software update to v20.2 *finally* changed that. The HD menus were updated and performance improved enough that I decided to use the HD menus exclusively. The speed wasn't great, but it was much tolerable.
All that being said, with the recent price reduction of the Elite/XL4, I thought it would be a good time to get in on it. Recording up to 4 shows at once is a nice feeling and I never have to worry about program overlaps.
What I didn't expect, however, was the sluggish performance resurfacing once again. I suspect this is a result of the hard drive doing double-duty (always buffering 4 channels), but it is noticeably slower than the other Premiere Tivos. This is disappointing and unfortunate.
I am tolerating it because I like having the 4 tuners, but it's not yet working at what I'd consider a "decent" speed -at the speed of a 2-tuner Tivo Premiere.
I'll update the review if/when things change.
Pros:
Records 4 shows at once
Streams between other Tivo Premiere boxes
The newest Netflix app is cool
MoCA support
Consumes only 21-23 watts of power typically
Cons:
Sluggish all-around performance
New Youtube app is barebones and unintuitive
Doesn't bake fresh donuts
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