TiVo R240060 60-Hour Digital Video Recorder

• TiVo service fee is not included
• Up to 60 hours of digital audio/video recording capacity
• 2 USB ports offer ready connectivity with home networks
• Works with antenna, cable, digital cable, satellite, and combinations
• Everything required for installation is supplied

This product is great, i love TiVo, but I'm not going to concentrate on reviewing TiVo itself, rather this TiVo brand DRV. People need to understand that TiVo is really just a service and software, too often these reviews are filled with info on the service, which is fine, but doesn't help the reviewer make a decision on which DVR unit to buy.

Ok the first thing i want to do is dispel some of the complaints of other reviewers. For the reviewer who stated "However, I was disappointed in the picture quality. I record at Basic Quality so as to get the most hours of recording time", i would say that if you look at the different quality settings you will see that "Basic" is the lowest, so of course you are going to have the lowest quality. It doesn't really matter what the levels of quality are called, if you pick the lowest one, you're going to get the worst quality, try using a higher quality setting.

Next, for the reviewer who stated "This is a very cool product, but it's extremely loud. The fan and hard drive combine to create a high-pitched whistling noise that we found impossible to live with", I'm not sure what he/she is even talking about, it must have been a defective unit. Mine is silent, i really can't hear a thing. Now the manual clearly states that you shouldn't set the TiVo directly on top of another component, or put another component on it, as this maybe block ventilation. So if this person has created a "component sandwich" with their TiVo in the middle, maybe the fans are coming on frequently, I don't know, mine makes no noise.

One review states "Be sure to understand that not only do you need to buy the TiVo (the player) itself, but you also need to buy the sevice!", this is 100% false. You don't have to purchase any service at all. The service gives you access to the "Season Pass" feature where you can tell TiVo to record every showing of a certain show. But you can always set the TiVo up to do this manually, you do not have to purchase any service at all.

Another reviewer has this to say, "Another thing: no power switch. Again, for casual TV users, this is a waste of equipment lifespan & electricity." This is really quite nitpicky, if you turn the TiVo off, it cant make its dial-in call to get your updated schedule of shows, and it cant search for shows you might like based on your preferences. Besides that it doesn't use much power at all, and the only thing that would be getting any wear and tear are the hard drives and they sleep when they aren't in use. He also states "it's just a very expensive toy", um hello.... Of course it is, that's the fun of it.

Finally there is this complaint, "You need a credit card to activate the service. This is a real problem for those who do not have, or choose not to use, credit cards". Ok lets see, first of all you don't need to sign up for the service, and if you don't have a credit card I'm guessing you run into this problem all the time, it isn't just with TiVo...

This TiVo unit works as advertised, I cant really say anything else about it. One thing to realize is that, while this is an 80 hour unit, that really is only about 25 hours of recordings at the highest quality level. I know some of you are saying "25 hours is plenty", and you're right, but if you were looking at a unit with less recording time, remember that you only get about 30% of the total time at the best level. The only other problem I have with this is that recording a show while watching something else on live TV is impossible if you have a cable box for your TV. I have digital cable, and therefore I need a cable box, well you cant split a digital signal very easily and its then impossible to record on one channel and watch another. But it isn't that big a deal as one can still watch a recorded show and record another.

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NOTICE: Most of this review relates to TiVo in general, not this specific hardware device, although they all pretty much work the same. I have a Sony SAT-T60 DIRECTV/TiVo combination receiver and a Hughes GXCEBOT DIRECTV/TiVo combination receiver. I've provided a few comments on these combo units because I highly recommend them if you are looking at buying a TiVo.

My wife and I became addicted to TiVo within 1 month after installing it. In fact, we bought a second TiVo for the bedroom about six months after purchasing our first one. We have gone from watching 90% live TV/10% recorded (VCR) to 90% Tivo/10% live TV! We hardly watch anything anymore at its regular time. We simply pull up the "Now Playing" menu, which lists all the shows I have previously recorded, and watch whatever we're in the mood for drama (Law and Order or Boomtown), comedy (Friends, South Park), reality TV (Survivor, Fear Factor), or sports (Illinois basketball, cliff diving).

There are so many cool things about TiVo, but these are my FOUR FAVORITE things:

1) Season Pass, which once you set it up, will record a particular show EVERY time it's on or even all shows with a particular actor or subject,

2) Easy to record (simply choose the show, not the time and channel) and easy to find and play (scroll through "Now Playing" list of previously recorded shows and choose "Select" to play),

3) Record two shows at once (like Survivor and Friends, which both start at 8:00 on Thursday) with a DirecTV/TiVo combination receiver, which we have. The TiVo Series2 product you are shopping for will only record one show at a time, but you CAN watch a previously recorded show while taping a show that is currently being broadcast.

4) Replay button skips back 7 seconds, which comes in handy whenever you miss something that was said, or you want to go back and pause something so another person can see it. We probably use this button more than any other on the entire remote.

HOW HAS IT CHANGED OUR LIFE?

Let me just give you 3 examples:

FIRST, we watch TV on our time. We never worry about what time, or even what day something is on. We have TiVo recording about 20 different shows for us each week and we watch them at various times, depending on our schedule. It doesn't matter when I get home from work, whether I'm out of town, or what time the kids go to bed. Our shows are on when WE want to see them.

SECOND, we have a Season Pass for three kids shows (Sesame Street, Clifford, Teletubbies). Every day, it tapes the new one and deletes the one from yesterday. So, there is always a fresh show to put on for our kids when we need to get them out of our hair. No bulky video tapes, and none of the stories get old. They're seeing and learning something new every day.

FINALLY, we pause and replay shows all the time. Want to stop and get a drink? No problem-pause. Phone call? No problem-pause. What did she just whisper? Replay it. Who was that behind Julia Roberts at the Oscars? Replay it, then pause or slo-mo. Use TiVo for a month and you won't believe that you ever watched television without it.

We started with the monthly subscription and moved to the lifetime after just a month (it's good for the life of the box, not you). I bought a 4-year warranty as a safety precaution (new technology and insurance against the lifetime subscription). DirecTV customer service is decent, but not great (they handle the TiVo side as well). The BEST resource for TiVo is the TiVo AVS forum, which you can link to from the Buzz section of the TiVo Web site. It's a "must read" prior to buying this unit (if my review hasn't answered all your questions). But I am not exaggerating when I say that this is the coolest, most liberating invention to come out since the World Wide Web. No joke! You will fall in love with your TiVo too.

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A note regarding DIRECTV/TiVo units: First, it looks like the Justice Department is going to block the Echostar-DIRECTV merger. So, any fears that subscribers might have had about losing TiVo service to Echostar's technology are likely overblown now. I've also discovered that DIRECTV/TiVo combination units rarely hold the number of hours suggested. My Sony advertises "up to 35-hour recording capacity." In reality, the data density of the DIRECTV signal is variable and you will rarely have even 30 hours of capacity. I have been maxing out at around 23 hours before things get deleted involuntarily. You can control the recording quality on stand-alone units and therefore, you can tell exactly how much capacity you're using. Recording quality is not an option with the combo units, but you should assume that you will NOT be able to retain more than 22 to 25 hours of programming before shows must be deleted in order to make room for new recordings. This doesn't change my enthusiastic view on TiVo or the combo units one bit.

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TiVo is one of those items that once you have it, you'll never know how you did without it. Never worry about having a tape cued to tape your favorite shows. You can even watch a previously recorded show while another one is recording. Or, you can start watching a recorded show before it finishes. Wishlists will scan the program listings for titles, actors, directors, or subjects you're interested in. Season passes let you record all episodes of a show, regardless of when it's on.

You can pause and rewind live TV as well. While you're paused, TiVo is recording the show. You can either resume watching where you stopped, or fast-forward to the current broadcast. This is helpful in skipping commercials as well -just start watching 10-15 minutes after the show starts broadcasting, and then fast-forward through the commercials.

Be aware that the TiVo service is a required item -it won't function at all without it. A telephone line is required for the initial setup, but after that you can use an internet connection instead. The latest release (4.0) of the TiVo software supports wired and wireless ethernet adapters (seperate purchase; check TiVo's web site for compatible devices). New systems will automatically be upgraded to the latest software when they dial in.

Also new in 4.0 is the Home Media Option. This service ($.... one time fee for the first TiVo, $... for each addtional) allows you to share shows between TiVos if you have more than one. It also allows you to transfer pictures and MP3s to your TiVo from your PC. However, you can't view recorded shows on your PC.

HMO also allows you to schedule recordings via TiVo's web site, in case you're at work or out of town and realize there's a show you want to record.

TiVo will work with virtually all broadcast, cable, or satellite systems. For systems that require a cable box, TiVo has an IR blaster that emulates the box's remote control. That way, TiVo can set the channel for its recordings. If you have DirectTV service, you should consider the Hughes reciever with a built-in TiVo.

There is a wealth of information about TiVo on the internet, both for general use, and for the technical minded, how to upgrade the device.

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Unless you already know, it is difficult to clearly explain just how terrific this item is. If you know someone with a DVR (digital video recorder), they probably have already encouraged you to purchase one. When I discuss TiVo with others, they often say, "I do not watch that much TV". A DVR allows you to watch TV on your schedule instead of the broadcaster's schedule and besides most people grossly underestimate their TV watching time. Just for a moment, set aside the many nifty features a DVR has and imagine sitting down and watching your shows when you want to. This is hard for most non-DVR owners to understand and fully appreciate. A DVR gives you tremendous freedom.

TiVo allows you to record any shows based on a wish list. This wish list can be an actor, director, subject or keyword. For example, my wife found a fondue set at a yard sale. I created a wish list for TiVo to automatically record shows that have "Fondue" in the description that are classified as "Cooking" shows. This task took about 2 minutes. This same method could be used to record sporting events with your favorite team. Telling the unit to perform tasks like this is done on the screen in large easy to read text with very easy to read instructions.

Before purchasing, I did some research looking into several DVRs. I read the Amazon reviews for both ReplayTV and TiVo. I went to the web sites for each manufacturer and read discussion group postings. Both units are very similar and offer mostly the same features. Some things to consider when looking:

DVRs allow you to record shows on several quality levels (TiVo settings are basic, good, high, best). My 40hr unit is 40hrs on the 'basic' quality setting. If I recorded everything on the 'best' setting, my capacity would actually be about 13hrs. I have compared all of the quality levels and yes there is some difference. I only find the 'basic' setting is noticeably degraded so I use the 'good' setting at a minimum. I record certain shows on higher settings and others on lower settings. For example, I record cooking and stand-up comedy shows on a lower setting because the image quality means less to me; I record others such as nature shows on a higher setting as I want the image to be clean and sharp. I have had my unit for about six weeks and the one thing I did not consider was the temptation to park shows or movies on the unit with the intention to watch them on some rainy day. Storing shows on the unit takes up space. For this reason, I now wish I had gotten a larger unit.

I had a few problems setting up my TiVo. The TiVo must take control over your cable box (if you have one) to be able to change the channel. This is done with either a serial cable or infrared blasters. Not all cable boxes have serial cable inputs. Mine did but the TiVo said it could not 'talk' with the cable box using the serial port during setup. I called my cable company and they said their cable boxes are not compatible with the TiVo unit. I went online and read discussion group postings and the fanaticism associated with TiVo was quite evident. I found out many cable companies deliberately make it inconvenient to connect a DVR as they plan to come out with their own competing models in the next several years. Just be aware if you have any problems setting up the unit, call TiVo support for help instead of your cable company.

Again, unless you already have a DVR, it is difficult to entirely illustrate just how terrific they are. They give you tremendous freedom and control over your TV.

According to a 15-year audio install company, I was the 1st person to buy and install a Tivo in MN. I love the product. You will find you use it a lot more than you anticipate. That said beware of the liftime 1 time service fee verbage. Note it says{PRODUCT} lifetime. That means if you pay $249 ( like I did a few years back) and upgrade to a new box, ( I use it so much I upgraded to a 80 hour box) Your old lifetime subscription goes into the garbage with you old box. Yep they want you to buy a new one with each new box you buy. That is pure BULL$H!+ in my view everyone should email them and tell them so. Also note that you can record it low res. down and dirty ( to save recording space) or, med high or super high quality. The hour recording they show is for the tacky down and dirty mode which you will use less and less the longer you use the unit. If you have a plasma TV or any kind of quality system, you'll want to record for top quality. Thus, don't make the mistake I did and buy a lower capacity hour unit thinking you'll never record more than what they advertise it at. . I found you need to take that hour time they advertise on the box and divide it by 4 to get the real capacity of your machine. Thus the 80 hour machine will allow you to record 20 hours in high quality playback before it asks you to start deleting previous recording requests. Note that as your space fills up the unit will start asking you to delete scheduled recordings to make room for any new additions you want to ad. I think you'll agree that this defeats the purpose of having a TIVO in the 1st place. Thus, buy the max machine (currently the 80 hour unit) if you buy one at all. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. IN conclusion, this unit is the coolest and most innovative invention in years. If you buy one you'll use if more than any electronics device you probably own. It's worth every dime and I never had 1 problem with my original machine in over 3 years. One last note. All others always compare themselves to Tivo and not vice versa. Think about it.. don't invest in a want-a-bee. This machine is dependable, has tons of cool features and is easier to use than heating up your morning coffee in the microwave.