I have a brand new TiVO... what do I do with it?

Doublespresso

A Couple of years ago I got carried away and bought one of these TiVo boxes. Never used it and now I'm wondering... is there any use for it now that TiVo UK has gone bust?

Cheers

MercilessKiller

I was under the impression you could simply use this as a freeview PVR.. get a freeview box, put it through the TiVO and you can do hard drive recording?

itm2

You can still get the full Tivo experience by subscribing to the programme guide service. Tenner-a-month or a lifetime sub for £200. I have Tivo, Sky+ and BT Vision, and Tivo still beats the other two hands down.
I think the Tivo customer service number is [SIZE=-1]08702 41 8486[/SIZE]

Doublespresso

I didn't know they're still operating... I'll give them a call and check. Thanks
BTW how do I link up: (assuming Tivo can work with Sky)

Sky box + Tivo + Slingbox?

MercilessKiller

You'd have TV to Tivo, Sky+ to Tivo and Slinbox box input.. I think Sky+ has 2 output anyway

Doublespresso

I have a standard Sky not Sky+ and I think it has just one output.
Can I daisy chain:
Sky>>>SlingBox>>>Tivo>>>TV?

Stubert

Don't sky+ and TIVO do the same thing?

Or is it Tivo that remembers the sort of thing you like?

itm2

At a basic level Tivo and Sky+ do the same thing, but Tivo also does lots of other things which Sky+ doesn't, for example:
- Wishlists - for example, if you like Cary Grant you could set up a wishlist for "Cary Grant" and it will automatically record any Cary Grant films/programmes. This is an excellent way of finding things which are actually worth watching among the huge array of rubbish on satellite channels.
- Remembering season passes - Sky+ "forgets" a series link when the series is finished. Tivo will remember it, and will start recording it again when the next series starts. Very handy if nobody tells you that there's a new series starting.
- Suggestions - Tivo remembers what you like (as you say), and can also be trained to tell it what you like if necessary. It will then go and record programmes which it thinks you'll like (provided you have enough space left)
- Managing season pass conflicts. If you have a recording clash (too many season passes to record at the same time) you can manage how Tivo handles it. For example, you can set the priority of season passes (e.g. always record Match of the Day in preference to Parkinson if you have to choose). Tivo can also tell you exactly how it will handle conflicts in advance, so that you can take pre-emptive action. With Sky+ you never know what it'll do until it's too late.
-Programme search - if you want to record a programme but have no idea when it's on, you can search for it by title.

I'm sure there's lots more but these are the things that spring to mind immediately.

If you go one step further and install a network card in the Tivo you can do all sorts of other things, like controlling it over the internet, etc. It can even email you every day to tell you if there are any recording conflicts coming up which you might want to resolve.

If you want to learn more about the wonderful world of Tivo check out this forum:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=14

5limJim

Doublespresso wrote: »

A Couple of years ago I got carried away and bought one of these TiVo boxes. Never used it and now I'm wondering... is there any use for it now that TiVo UK has gone bust?

Cheers

If you decide to get rid, drop me a PM I might be interested in purchasing it, always had an interest in this so would like to see one in action... Am such a gadget-boy :-)