I'd also be interested to know how well things go for Petey, though I'd only be concerned AFTER he receives the message on his current cable box that the TiVo service is available in his area. I don't think I want to be one of the first non-employees to get the TiVo service. There are always start-up issue whenever any service provider for any type of service offers any new service to customers, and I prefer other folks incur the pain associated with those introductions.

Yeah the CSR's are correct it's a box swap....if you just have a regular dct2000, in other words if you don't already have a DVR. Otherwise, just as has been discussed for nearly 2 years, it's a download to most existing Moto DVR's.

Petey999 is going to have to wait longer because the TiVo software, frankly, isn't available yet.

You can take all those press releases and hit delete.

Yes, the press releases don't mean a thing.
That's why they do them.
And you will have to exchange boxes, too.
Uh-huh.
NURSE. More meds, please.

Yeah, too bad it wasn't a PR that got me excited that the tivo was available in my area, it was a (worthless) CSR.

Real-time update,

I just called comcast and she confirmed that it is not available yet, but we're added to what they call "the TIVO lead. " and they will give me a call as soon as they have it available.

She thinks it will need to be a box change.

I cannot wait!!

If a) the TiVo upgrade will be $2.95 a month, b) you have access to M-Cards (i.e., no $1.99 cablecard rental fee), and c) you have an old TiVo with lifetime service that you purchased before October of 2003, you can get a TiVoHD for the same price (on a present value basis assuming a 5% discount rate) as 36 months of the Comcast DVR with TiVo.

36 months of $11.99 + $2.95 has a present value of $497.15. TiVoHD ($299) plus lifetime transfer ($199) is $498.00. At the 37th month, your TiVo lifetime service starts to pay for itself as compared with he Comcast DVR + TiVo.

Ironically, the best thing Comcast can do to convince me to stick with them over DirecTV is to get me to jump on this TiVo lifetime transfer deal. Since the TiVo only works with cablecards and I'm prepaying for it, I'm unlikely to jump to a provider that doesn't support cablecards.

If you're wondering, the TiVoHD with lifetime starts to pay for itself against the Comcast DVR without TiVo service (i.e. the $11.99 price) in month 47.

If a) the TiVo upgrade will be $2.95 a month, b) you have access to M-Cards (i.e., no $1.99 cablecard rental fee), and c) you have an old TiVo with lifetime service that you purchased before October of 2003, you can get a TiVoHD for the same price (on a present value basis assuming a 5% discount rate) as 36 months of the Comcast DVR with TiVo.

36 months of $11.99 + $2.95 has a present value of $497.15. TiVoHD ($299) plus lifetime transfer ($199) is $498.00. At the 37th month, your TiVo lifetime service starts to pay for itself as compared with he Comcast DVR + TiVo.

Ironically, the best thing Comcast can do to convince me to stick with them over DirecTV is to get me to jump on this TiVo lifetime transfer deal. Since the TiVo only works with cablecards and I'm prepaying for it, I'm unlikely to jump to a provider that doesn't support cablecards.

If you're wondering, the TiVoHD with lifetime starts to pay for itself against the Comcast DVR without TiVo service (i.e. the $11.99 price) in month 47.

I don't think that you can start new Tivo service with the 3 year $299 subscription and then somehow qualify for the $199 lifetime transfer. The lifetime transfer is for existing (pre Tivo HD) subscribers, so won't apply to many people.

Additionally you have to factor in box cost, etc, which means that Tivo will always cost more in the short term (3 yrs or so) than renting your DVR from your cable company.

The Tivo is better (certainly) but people should make up their own mind about whether or not it is better enough to justify the higher costs.

I don't think that you can start new Tivo service with the 3 year $299 subscription and then somehow qualify for the $199 lifetime transfer. The lifetime transfer is for existing (pre Tivo HD) subscribers, so won't apply to many people.

Additionally you have to factor in box cost, etc, which means that Tivo will always cost more in the short term (3 yrs or so) than renting your DVR from your cable company.

The Tivo is better (certainly) but people should make up their own mind about whether or not it is better enough to justify the higher costs.

The $299 in my post was the box cost. I was talking specifically about people eligible for the lifetime transfer, buying the box for $299 and the service for $199. For those people, total cost of TiVo over the 36 months is $498, which is equivalent to 36 monthly payments of $14.90.

where did you read about this lifetime transger? I have an old tivo box with lifetime on it downstairs.

how do you take advantage of it?

nevermind, found it on tivo website

where did you read about this lifetime transger? I have an old tivo box with lifetime on it downstairs.

how do you take advantage of it?

I got an e-mail about it, which sent me here:
http://www3.tivo.com/tivo-promo/show.do?pg=/buytivo/hdservicetransfer.html

For $199, you get a) lifetime on a new TiVoHD, and b) one year of service on the old box. After a year, the old box converts to monthly at the one year contract price until you cancel or renew service.

I think it's only available if you buy the TiVoHD now, and not for TiVoHDs you may have already bought.

You left out a significant other cost.

The cost of HD if you have Comcast. Sure you can get a few QAM channels or OTA with the TivoHD and no Comcast HD subscription, but if you watch premium channels or ESPNs or anything but the basic 4 HD locals, thats an added charge of 9.99 per month to Tivo. So your total bill is cable package, plus 9.99 for HD, plus Tivo fees. So you would have to add ~360 to the total cost for Tivo. And if you are not eligible for a transfer (which the vast majority of people are not) its even more unbalanced.

That makes a big difference, as you end up paying several hundred more AND bearing responsibility for the box.

If a) the TiVo upgrade will be $2.95 a month, b) you have access to M-Cards (i.e., no $1.99 cablecard rental fee), and c) you have an old TiVo with lifetime service that you purchased before October of 2003, you can get a TiVoHD for the same price (on a present value basis assuming a 5% discount rate) as 36 months of the Comcast DVR with TiVo.

36 months of $11.99 + $2.95 has a present value of $497.15. TiVoHD ($299) plus lifetime transfer ($199) is $498.00. At the 37th month, your TiVo lifetime service starts to pay for itself as compared with he Comcast DVR + TiVo.

Ironically, the best thing Comcast can do to convince me to stick with them over DirecTV is to get me to jump on this TiVo lifetime transfer deal. Since the TiVo only works with cablecards and I'm prepaying for it, I'm unlikely to jump to a provider that doesn't support cablecards.

If you're wondering, the TiVoHD with lifetime starts to pay for itself against the Comcast DVR without TiVo service (i.e. the $11.99 price) in month 47.

You left out a significant other cost.

The cost of HD if you have Comcast. Sure you can get a few QAM channels or OTA with the TivoHD and no Comcast HD subscription, but if you watch premium channels or ESPNs or anything but the basic 4 HD locals, thats an added charge of 9.99 per month to Tivo. So your total bill is cable package, plus 9.99 for HD, plus Tivo fees. So you would have to add ~360 to the total cost for Tivo. And if you are not eligible for a transfer (which the vast majority of people are not) its even more unbalanced.

That makes a big difference, as you end up paying several hundred more AND bearing responsibility for the box.

There shouldn't be any difference between the TivoHD and the Comcast box with the Tivo software as far as the 9.99 HD charge goes. You'd be paying the same fee either way. As far as I can tell he does correctly identify the costs that should be different in the two situations. Granted the Lifetime Tivo subscription transfer doesn't apply to many people.

I've seen some pretty strange setups for Tivo boxes with comcast and other cable companies and the cable companies don't seem to be very consistent internally. I saw one post where someone was using a Tivo S3 with a non digital cable package and still somehow managed to talk a rep into getting him cable cards with out any monthly service fee and was getting HD and Digital service while paying for neither. Sure made the Tivo a good deal but I don't expect most other people to be able to get that.

There shouldn't be any difference between the TivoHD and the Comcast box with the Tivo software as far as the 9.99 HD charge goes.

I think Comcast treats that $9.99 fee as an "upgrade to an HD box" fee, not a programming fee. You don't pay it if you use a Comcast DVR or a CableCard, so long as you have Digital Classic or above.

I think Comcast treats that $9.99 fee as an "upgrade to an HD box" fee, not a programming fee. You don't pay it if you use a Comcast DVR or a CableCard, so long as you have Digital Classic or above.


I'm paying an extra $7.99 per month for my Tivo HD box AND my regular Comcast HD receiver, so a total of an extra $16 a month.

Every time I call Comcast they claim that this is an "HD Programming" charge and refuse to remove it.

I'm paying an extra $7.99 per month for my Tivo HD box AND my regular Comcast HD receiver, so a total of an extra $16 a month.

Every time I call Comcast they claim that this is an "HD Programming" charge and refuse to remove it.

Here's Comcast's web blurb on the $5 "HDTV fee" for people with Digital Classic or above.

Want to feel like you’re really THERE? HDTV is for you. Enjoy crystal-clear primetime shows, sports programs, and local broadcast channels — without an antenna, or any other clunky gear. Just install the HD box, and for a small monthly equipment fee you’ll dive into the huge and expanding universe of great HD networks like ESPN HD and Discovery HD Theater. And of course when you subscribe to premium channels like HBO®, Starz®, Showtime® and Cinemax®, they are all available in HD, too.

(emphasis added).

Here's Comcast's web blurb on the $5 "HDTV fee" for people with Digital Classic or above.



(emphasis added).

It definitely seems as though Comcast is hiding this charge from their customers.

Your first digital receiver/box is supposed to be included with any of the Comcast digital package offers, yet if you want to get any premium HD content (Discovery, TBS, ESPN, etc) then they want to ding you with an extra $8 per box charge, regardless of how many boxes you do or don't have.

They are also charging this on cablecard rentals.

Every time I talk to Comcast they are absolutely clueless about Tivo, and argue with me about how my two cable cards means I have two devices with cable cards, not one.

They also refuse to give me an M-card to use in my Tivo HD, even though they, themselves, are deploying M-cards in their own equipment.

Latest 'real' update on Comcast/Tivo, new launch date should be around second week of Nov. in most of New England area (Manchester, NH may have it slightly before the rest). Sorry for the bad news to all the publications that said it launched last week. I think where all those articles last week got their info was from the fact that it was 'supposed' to launch Oct 8. And no this info is not from calling customer care/misinformation hotline.

That would be cool if Manchester, NH gets it slightly before the rest (well, cool for me, because I live there). I will have to call Comcast and see if I can get on a Tivo waiting list.

I will gladly be on of the first testers if possible, assuming the fee to upgrade is very reasonable. I cannot stand the current DVR software.

I think Comcast treats that $9.99 fee as an "upgrade to an HD box" fee, not a programming fee. You don't pay it if you use a Comcast DVR or a CableCard, so long as you have Digital Classic or above.

Its definitely area by area. Here in Nashville, it is a definite programming fee, not a box fee. They gave me initially a 3412 at no extra cost, but I had to later call and add the 9.99 HD programming package to my bill. Then later add the DVR fee separately. Almost all our friends have 3412 boxes even without HD or DVR packages. They simply turn box services on/off based on your plan.

Our next door neighbor has a Tivo Series 3 and I know for sure he pays the 9.99 HD programming fee to Comcast, as well as 1.99 for the second cable card, and then Tivo fees on top. We are pretty good friends and we have discussed the Comcast vs. Tivo thing at length several times. He is waiting for us to get the Tivo software from Comcast and see if the price difference is still worth it.

It may be area by area, but ultimately, when it comes to what your average Joe will get without extreme tales of super low prices, Tivo is a much pricier alternative.

Its definitely area by area. Here in Nashville, it is a definite programming fee, not a box fee. They gave me initially a 3412 at no extra cost, but I had to later call and add the 9.99 HD programming package to my bill. Then later add the DVR fee separately. Almost all our friends have 3412 boxes even without HD or DVR packages. They simply turn box services on/off based on your plan.

Our next door neighbor has a Tivo Series 3 and I know for sure he pays the 9.99 HD programming fee to Comcast, as well as 1.99 for the second cable card, and then Tivo fees on top. We are pretty good friends and we have discussed the Comcast vs. Tivo thing at length several times. He is waiting for us to get the Tivo software from Comcast and see if the price difference is still worth it.

It may be area by area, but ultimately, when it comes to what your average Joe will get without extreme tales of super low prices, Tivo is a much pricier alternative.

Sounds to me like, whatever it is, it's the same for a person with a Comcast DVR and a TiVoHD. Either you pay it in both cases or in neither case. It's not like you pay it with TiVo but not with Comcast's box, right?

Here in Seattle, HD is "free" in that there is no additional cost for the HD feed if we already subscribe to a package that carries the SD feed of the same channel. We also get free CableCards.

I paid $600 for my Tivo HD unit and three years of service. Assuming I use my TivoHD only for the three years of my plan, that is a bit under $17 a month.

By scrapping my Comcast DVR service, I saved $15.00 a month right there, which makes Tivo $2 more a month.

When we were on the Microsoft Enhanced guide, as crappy as it was, it at least worked. Once Comcast WA scrapped it and put us on SARA/iGuide, I didn't last three days before I bought my Tivo. Losing recordings, having random shows record and fill my DVR, and having recordings tune into the SD channel when I specifically selected the HD channel were enough to push me over the edge and spend the extra $2 a month.

Of course, your situation may very well be different. :)

Sounds to me like, whatever it is, it's the same for a person with a Comcast DVR and a TiVoHD. Either you pay it in both cases or in neither case. It's not like you pay it with TiVo but not with Comcast's box, right?

Yes, but the price difference is huge. I talked to him this afternoon.

With Comcast we pay exactly 12.99 plus taxes over the cable package for the DVR with HD service (9.99 for HD, and 2.99 for DVR). Although DVR alone without HD is 4.99.

He pays to Comcast cable package plus 9.99 for HD, plus 1.99 for a second cable card plus taxes (only 1 dollar total less than we pay for everything). And he prepaid for three years of Tivo, at 299, plus buying the box (at least 299). So his sunken cost is huge, even if we eventually add 2.99 to Comcast for Tivo software.

So even adding Tivo to Comcast it yields a difference of 4-5 dollars which takes at least 5-8 years to offset the initial sunken cost of 600 with Tivo (not counting montly fees after the first three years on Tivo).

It definitely seems as though Comcast is hiding this charge from their customers.

Your first digital receiver/box is supposed to be included with any of the Comcast digital package offers, yet if you want to get any premium HD content (Discovery, TBS, ESPN, etc) then they want to ding you with an extra $8 per box charge, regardless of how many boxes you do or don't have.

They are also charging this on cablecard rentals.

Every time I talk to Comcast they are absolutely clueless about Tivo, and argue with me about how my two cable cards means I have two devices with cable cards, not one.

They also refuse to give me an M-card to use in my Tivo HD, even though they, themselves, are deploying M-cards in their own equipment.

I would 1st go down to their office to pick up a rate sheet, and see if the HDTV fee is supposed to be equipment or the service. If they still charge you, file a complaint to your local municipality, they grant Comcast rights to operate in your area, and they should represent you in this matter, if they care about their community at all. Then you write to FCC, write your congressman. Don't let Comcast get away with this.

Here in Seattle, HD is "free" in that there is no additional cost for the HD feed if we already subscribe to a package that carries the SD feed of the same channel. We also get free CableCards.

hmmm, I'm in Seattle and they charged me $1.79/month for the cards...

By scrapping my Comcast DVR service, I saved $15.00 a month right there, which makes Tivo $2 more a month.

I'm paying $11.95/month for the DVR service.

When we were on the Microsoft Enhanced guide, as crappy as it was, it at least worked. Once Comcast WA scrapped it and put us on SARA/iGuide, I didn't last three days before I bought my Tivo. Losing recordings, having random shows record and fill my DVR, and having recordings tune into the SD channel when I specifically selected the HD channel were enough to push me over the edge and spend the extra $2 a month.

I must be one of the lucky ones, haven't had any significant problems with the new guide...

user Leo_ has entered room

Leo(Tue Oct 16 09:38:19 EDT 2007)>Would like to know if I can get the TIVO service yet?

analyst Ish has entered room

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:38:25 EDT 2007)>Hello Leo_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Ish. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:38:31 EDT 2007)>I appreciate you have chosen to chat with us.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:27 EDT 2007)>We are in the final phase of testing the TiVO. We expect to launch it in the second half of November.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:44 EDT 2007)>We will contact you once it launches.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:47 EDT 2007)>Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Leo_(Tue Oct 16 09:42:47 EDT 2007)>Thank you...

Leo_(Tue Oct 16 09:42:53 EDT 2007)>I am all set

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:58 EDT 2007)>You're welcome.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:40:01 EDT 2007)>Thank you for contacting Comcast. If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Simply visit www.comcast.net and select Help.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:40:05 EDT 2007)>Analyst has closed chat and left the room

hmmm, I'm in Seattle and they charged me $1.79/month for the cards...



I'm paying $11.95/month for the DVR service.



I must be one of the lucky ones, haven't had any significant problems with the new guide...



I'm in the seattle area and I don't have any charge for my cable card (I only have one for my set).

I gave up the dvr a month ago. The Microsoft one was buggy (random reboots, missed recordings, buggy interface) and the iguide fixed some of those problems and created its own. Got rid of them and built my own dvr system. Will reconsider when comcast Tivo is out.

user Leo_ has entered room

Leo(Tue Oct 16 09:38:19 EDT 2007)>Would like to know if I can get the TIVO service yet?

analyst Ish has entered room

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:38:25 EDT 2007)>Hello Leo_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Ish. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:38:31 EDT 2007)>I appreciate you have chosen to chat with us.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:27 EDT 2007)>We are in the final phase of testing the TiVO. We expect to launch it in the second half of November.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:44 EDT 2007)>We will contact you once it launches.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:47 EDT 2007)>Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Leo_(Tue Oct 16 09:42:47 EDT 2007)>Thank you...

Leo_(Tue Oct 16 09:42:53 EDT 2007)>I am all set

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:39:58 EDT 2007)>You're welcome.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:40:01 EDT 2007)>Thank you for contacting Comcast. If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Simply visit www.comcast.net and select Help.

Ish(Tue Oct 16 09:40:05 EDT 2007)>Analyst has closed chat and left the room
And from Boston comes this response:user m: has entered room


m:Tue Oct 16 2007 10:13:37 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

WHen will TiVO service be available in my area?


analyst Jeff has entered room


Jeff(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:13:46 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Hello, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Jeff. Please give me one moment to review your information.


Jeff(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:13:56 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

I can help you with your service


Jeff(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:14:48 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

We are very excited about the new TiVo guide that will soon be available on our HD DVRs. We understand that recently there have been several articles released stating that Comcast has begun to roll out the new TiVo guide in the North east region. While the North East region will be the first to have the new guide, and the launch is coming soon, at this time we are still waiting to learn the official launch timeline. We will soon be adding a web page on our site that will allow you to look up details about the new service. Thank you for your interest in the new services and please continue to check www.Comcast.com for updates.


m:(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:15:27 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

So there's no specific time frame currently?


Jeff(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:16:01 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

That is correct.


Jeff(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:16:47 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

Thank you for using Comcast’s Live Chat support, is there anything else I can assist you with today?


m:(Tue Oct 16 2007 10:16:39 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time))>

thank you Jeff -nothing else

Very helpful information scouting, guys! Thanks!

Yes, but the price difference is huge. I talked to him this afternoon.

With Comcast we pay exactly 12.99 plus taxes over the cable package for the DVR with HD service (9.99 for HD, and 2.99 for DVR). Although DVR alone without HD is 4.99.

He pays to Comcast cable package plus 9.99 for HD, plus 1.99 for a second cable card plus taxes (only 1 dollar total less than we pay for everything). And he prepaid for three years of Tivo, at 299, plus buying the box (at least 299). So his sunken cost is huge, even if we eventually add 2.99 to Comcast for Tivo software.

So even adding Tivo to Comcast it yields a difference of 4-5 dollars which takes at least 5-8 years to offset the initial sunken cost of 600 with Tivo (not counting montly fees after the first three years on Tivo).

For those of us who bought a Tivo HD, the break even point is ~3 years. My THD was $259. I'd say $300 is a far cheaper alternative to throwing the Craporola out the window, or God forbid, through my HDTV! :eek:

The urge was there, many times. From my point of view, it was money well spent...

Yes, but the price difference is huge. I talked to him this afternoon.

With Comcast we pay exactly 12.99 plus taxes over the cable package for the DVR with HD service (9.99 for HD, and 2.99 for DVR). Although DVR alone without HD is 4.99.

He pays to Comcast cable package plus 9.99 for HD, plus 1.99 for a second cable card plus taxes (only 1 dollar total less than we pay for everything). And he prepaid for three years of Tivo, at 299, plus buying the box (at least 299). So his sunken cost is huge, even if we eventually add 2.99 to Comcast for Tivo software.

So even adding Tivo to Comcast it yields a difference of 4-5 dollars which takes at least 5-8 years to offset the initial sunken cost of 600 with Tivo (not counting montly fees after the first three years on Tivo).

So you have a Comcast DVR and your friend has a TiVoHD and the difference between your Comcast bill and his is only $1?

Are other people having the same experience? I was counting on my cable bill going down by $11.99 (if M-Cards are available) or $10 (if they're not).

So you have a Comcast DVR and your friend has a TiVoHD and the difference between your Comcast bill and his is only $1?

Are other people having the same experience? I was counting on my cable bill going down by $11.99 (if M-Cards are available) or $10 (if they're not).

Correct. The HD fee is a programming fee here, not a box fee, so that fee is paid whether you have Motorola or Tivo or just a CC for a computer or whatever.

He gets charged by Comcast package + 11.98 and I get charged package + 12.99. Then he pays/prepaid for Tivo separately off course.

So at least here, the Tivo route is a very very expensive route.

And formulaben, there is no way to break even in three years here with our pricing scheme. Not even if you have a lifetime transfer on a TivoHD. Mathematically it does not add up. The minimum cost of TivoHD of 500 (300 box + 199 lifetime transfer) takes ~500 months with no Comcast Tivo surcharge and ~80 months with a potential Comcast Tivo surcharge of 4.99 (although rumors are it will be only 2.99 so 120 months). And if you don't fall within the small percentage of people with an older lifetime, you will never break even.

If the 9.99 for HD was not charged, or if you are content with OTA HD then thats something else entirely, but with nearly 20 HD channels not counting premiums and On Demand HD, the 9.99 is not a bad deal.

Just as an FYI - you can always go out on ebay and buy an older Tivo unit with lifetime service (that qualifies for the offer) and use it for the lifetime transfer to the newer TivoHD unit. That was happening a lot under the previous lifetime transfer deal offered at the end of '06/very beginning of '07. Granted you'll end up spending another $200-$250 to purchase the old unit/subscription, making people's cost comparisons even less favorable for the standalone Tivo. To be fair though, you should factor in a residual value for the TivoHD box several years down the line - it'll still have some market value if someone wanted to sell it later recouping some of their upfront costs (unlike your rented cable dvr). Sort of like comparing leasing versus buying a car - completely depends on each individual's "driving" habits, budget, and desired term of ownership before upgrading to the next best thing. It's a decent deal for people willing to spend the upfront money for true Tivo and a little more freedom from the cable companies.

I sold my Series II Tivo (with lifetime) after using it for 3 years in order to upgrade to HD last year (switching over to Comcast dvr) - wasn't interested in spending the $800 for TivoHD at that time. I got back my entire investment which basically meant I had Tivo for free for 3 years (due to the fact that Tivo doesn't sell lifetime anymore and the transfer deal at that time helped to keep resale values quite high). So I'm now debating whether to take advantage of Tivo's second transfer offer now that their boxes are cheaper (granted it's a "lighter" version) or hope the Tivo interface on Comcast will satisfy my needs.

Correct. The HD fee is a programming fee here, not a box fee, so that fee is paid whether you have Motorola or Tivo or just a CC for a computer or whatever.

He gets charged by Comcast package + 11.98 and I get charged package + 12.99. Then he pays/prepaid for Tivo separately off course.

So at least here, the Tivo route is a very very expensive route.

And formulaben, there is no way to break even in three years here with our pricing scheme. Not even if you have a lifetime transfer on a TivoHD. Mathematically it does not add up. The minimum cost of TivoHD of 500 (300 box + 199 lifetime transfer) takes ~500 months with no Comcast Tivo surcharge and ~80 months with a potential Comcast Tivo surcharge of 4.99 (although rumors are it will be only 2.99 so 120 months). And if you don't fall within the small percentage of people with an older lifetime, you will never break even.

You're absolutely right on that. You could put $498 in an account earning 5% a year and pay $1 a month out of the account literally forever.

I was comparing a box that costs $498 and a box that rents for $12 a month. Assuming that, if one got rid of a Comcast DVR, one's Comcast bill would be reduced by $12.

Thats one thing I hate about comcast. Their pricing is so complicated and inconsistent that it's hard to figure out what it would cost to compare to getting a Tivo.

Thats one thing I hate about comcast. Their pricing is so complicated and inconsistent that it's hard to figure out what it would cost to compare to getting a Tivo.

I wonder if they do that on purpose... ;)

I wonder if they do that on purpose... ;)

Well, their own reps don't seem to know what's going on half the time, so...........

From the Tivo forum -

9.1 is the biggest piece of crap I've ever seen. My channels stop working, season passes randomly changed channels to channel numbers not selected or not even in the channel list, I have to reset my box regularly to get both cable cards working, and various other little annoying bugs like the software forgetting where it was when it reenters the todo list after deleting an item and reentering the SP list, or having to reset the S3 after repeating guided setup to get any channels at all.

The 9.2 patch is coming out (seems like a limite roll out):
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370220

Menu navigation... popping out to the wrong location when navigating and altering the To Do List, Suggestions Folder, etc. All of that seems to be functioning properly now.

cablecard issue fixed
menu bug fixed
esata expansion officially added
30 sec skip fixed

Also turned on eSATA support, although the website seems to be still down.
"This update includes official TiVo support for expandable storage solutions from TiVo partners. Adding more recording time to your DVR is as simple as plugging in a verified eSATA drive. Please visit www.tivo.com/expand for more information."

As I told you the press releases are bogus.... Here is more... I'll also tell you that MOST headends (except NE) do not even have TiVo on their Project List.

This tells me that the rest of the country will not see TiVo on a Motorola system until next year.

Oh... and this isn't from any CSR. A little birdie told me and this bird has a nice track record of being right.

This is so disappointing. I, for one, cannot wait to get TiVo on my Motorola.

hmmm, I'm in Seattle and they charged me $1.79/month for the cards (and) I'm paying $11.95/month for the DVR service.

It does look I am now being charged $1.79 for single M-stream card. Whatever. Small price to pay for working DVR service. :cool:

I thought DVR was $11.95 a month, as well, but my latest bill shows a $15 credit for not having DVR service anymore. My bill has actually gone down $8 a month since moving to Tivo. *shrug*

Here is my chat. I live in MI.

Matthew > when will tivo service be available in my area

Shanna.16582 > Hello Matthew_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Shanna.16582. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Shanna.16582 > I apologize Matthew, but Comcast doesn't support TiVo. Currently we have DVR services.

Shanna.16582 > DVR is much like TiVo.

Matthew_ > comcast is supposed be offering Tivo software on their DVR's. I was told in the spring it would be august.

Shanna.16582 > One moment please.

Matthew_ > Comcast DVR is to Tivo as Childs Big Wheels is to Lear Jet

Shanna.16582 > I apologize. I am not seeing TiVo is supported in any area at this time, nor am I seeing a notice as to when it would be offered. You may need to contact your local office for further information on your local area.

Shanna.16582 > To locate your local office, please use the following link.
https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.ashx?*********/customers/contactus/paymentcenter/locatePaymentCenter.ashx

Matthew_ > Thanks for the knowledge

Shanna.16582 > Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?

Shanna.16582 > Were you able to receive my last message?

Matthew_ > no thanks

Shanna.16582 > Thank you.

Shanna.16582 > Thank you for contacting Comcast! We appreciate your business!

Shanna.16582 > If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-Mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Comcast also offers excellent FAQ and Help forums located at www.comcast.net to help you reach a resolution independently.

Shanna.16582 > Have a great day!

Matthew_ > Comcast DVR is to Tivo as Childs Big Wheels is to Lear Jet

:D

I gave up the dvr a month ago. The Microsoft one was buggy (random reboots, missed recordings, buggy interface) and the iguide fixed some of those problems and created its own. Got rid of them and built my own dvr system.

I'd be interested in the details of how to do that...

I'd be interested in the details of how to do that...


This probably isn't the place to go into detail, but I use MythTV with a few QAM capable tuner cards and an analog tuner card. This allows me to record/timeshift and stream anywhere in the house all my HD locals (90% of what I want to record), and any of the analog stations (1-99, 5% of what I want to record). I also have a firewire connection that allows me to get all the non DTCP enabled channels directly from the cable box. This adds a few more stations I can't get from the other two methods to record. The only things I want to record and can't are HBO and Showtime. But most of what I would record there is always available on demand. Mythtv does a lot more than this, but that's DVR functionality

Good points: Unlimited storage, tuners, and extensibility, commercial skipping, direct seek, bookmarks, audio syncing, and ability to watch from many different devices, I can do whatever I want with the recordings, and many more features. MythTV is free, it will just cost you time. Can be done with pretty inexpensive computers.

Bad points - can take some time to setup and get working properly. I also pay $20 a year for guide data, but there are free ways to get guide data, but the guide data I use is real good. Must be done in Linux which is a major downer for some. Will probably never be able to record EVERY channel cable offers. The time can be cut down a lot by picking the right hardware and using something like Knoppmyth, Mythdora, or Mythbuntu.

Of course you could just use Windows Media Center, vista Premium, GBPVR, SageTV, Snapstream, and many more to do similar things on windows (probably easier to setup for most people). If you want to pay big big dollars you could buy an OCUR enabled Vista machine that uses cable card and gets every station you subscribe to.

More info can be found in the HTPC forums here. Sorry if I went on too long.

...Matthew_ > Comcast DVR is to Tivo as Childs Big Wheels is to Lear Jet...

...Matthew_ > Thanks for the knowledge...
I have a disturbing vision of Brian Roberts standing in his underwear and an admiral’s hat made of newspaper in front of his soporific executive team rolling through his Project Big Wheels presentation, slide 54 of 231.

Why would anyone expect a Live Chat to have info BEFORE the TIVO is released. They are always the last to know...

On to actual conversations. I spoke with someone in my local Comcast Office (I live in West Hartford) and they told me the projected date was on or around Nov 16th. He added me to "the list" and said someone will call me. I said "will they really", and he laughed and said, plan on calling us at around that time.

He was a super nice guy and seemed very informed.

Why would anyone expect a Live Chat to have info BEFORE the TIVO is released. They are always the last to know...

On to actual conversations. I spoke with someone in my local Comcast Office (I live in West Hartford) and they told me the projected date was on or around Nov 16th. He added me to "the list" and said someone will call me. I said "will they really", and he laughed and said, plan on calling us at around that time.

He was a super nice guy and seemed very informed.

Sounds close to what I posted here on October 11, when the CSR told me that the release date would be November 12. I thought it was strange to get an actual date, so either he was making it up, or it really is the scheduled release date.

So this Tivo Software through Comcast HD-DVR boxes, is this limited to Motorola headend areas or for both them and SA regions? I've had a SA8300HD box for a while now and it's starting to get flaky. Going to call local CSR soon and see if they can put me on the "list" for Tivo software upgrade. Thanks for any information.

BTW - I'm in Southeastern CT.

So this Tivo Software through Comcast HD-DVR boxes, is this limited to Motorola headend areas or for both them and SA regions? I've had a SA8300HD box for a while now and it's starting to get flaky. Going to call local CSR soon and see if they can put me on the "list" for Tivo software upgrade. Thanks for any information.

BTW - I'm in Southeastern CT.

It's going to be a longer wait for you in the SA towns being they didn't start working on the code til much after the Moto's. But who knows, maybe it'll be easier to code for the SA's & maybe some of the work is already done.

I also pay $20 a year for guide data, but there are free ways to get guide data, but the guide data I use is real good.

Where do you purchase the guide data? I may need to replace TVNow, trying to find similar data...

any updates on tivo with comcast?

seems like every has gotten off topic a bit, I would love for some bit of new information

any updates on tivo with comcast?

seems like every has gotten off topic a bit, I would love for some bit of new information

As some of the recent posts have said, we'll have to see what happens on/around Nov. 12. Until that time I wouldn't expect to hear much new. If we actually get it up here Nov. 12 it will start to look better for the rest of the Comcast properties.

Any idea if this will be available for just the Motorola 64xx and 34xx's? What about the Pace (SD DVR) boxes?

Where do you purchase the guide data? I may need to replace TVNow, trying to find similar data...

I purchase from schedulesdirect.org because it integrates directly with mythtv.

I think there are places you can grab it in xml format for free (cause I know some mythtv users do this and translate it to the format needed for mythtv).

For now, just the Motorola DVRs. Next, they'll port the code for Scientific Atlanta DVRs. I haven't read anything about porting it for Pace DVRs.

Ok, in an effort to not go back an read 67 pages of discussion, can anyone give me an update as to this launch?
1. When it is actually released ow does one get it? Call them? Use the box?
2. Is it a systemwide launch? I'm in Lancaster, PA and i'm wondering if the Nov. 12-16 launch date will be for everyone considering I still don't have TBS-HD on my system right now.

1. Call in and it will download to your existing box. They will also mail you a tivo style remote.

2. It's rolling out at different times in different areas. Boston and some other areas in the NE seem to be the first markets. The rest of us will get it eventually. Most likely once it's available in your area you'll see adds on comcast and probably a flyer in your bill.

For now, just the Motorola DVRs. Next, they'll port the code for Scientific Atlanta DVRs. I haven't read anything about porting it for Pace DVRs.

Do you mean to say that you know that they have not started working on the SA port yet? I'm in a SA area and am just trying to come up to speed with the hows and whens of this Tivo software upgrade. I'll call the local CSR center but it's always been much more fruitful discussing things here.

For now, just the Motorola DVRs. Next, they'll port the code for Scientific Atlanta DVRs. I haven't read anything about porting it for Pace DVRs.

I thought the press releases said Scientific Atlanta boxes have it now (during the beta) and it was the Motorola boxes that were next. :confused:

I thought the press releases said Scientific Atlanta boxes have it now (during the beta) and it was the Motorola boxes that were next. :confused:

Nope. Comcast is getting the TiVo software for Motorola boxes now. Comcast has said that they're going to fund TiVo's port to the SA boxes, but that might not bear fruit until sometime next year. Additionally, Cox has contracted TiVo to do a similar Motorola port for their systems, which from all the articles I've read indicated a 6-9 month lag from the Comcast delivery dates.

I believe that was only one erroneous on-line article only that said the reverse (SA, then Motorola), which is obviously not true.

Hi,

I don't know if this will help you guys or even if it has posted it here already. I thought I would pass it on incase someone needs the info.

This review is from Crave date 10-17-07
More software upgrades on the way for HD TiVos

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9799432-1.html?tag=nl.e702


Jim

Do you mean to say that you know that they have not started working on the SA port yet?No; My point is that the port to Motorola comes before the port to Scientific Atlanta. I'm not saying where they are within either effort.

I'll call the local CSR center but it's always been much more fruitful discussing things here.The local CSRs will probably not learn about a TiVo service offering until a couple of weeks before it is offered in your local area.

I thought the press releases said Scientific Atlanta boxes have it now (during the beta) and it was the Motorola boxes that were next. :confused:That is indeed the OPPOSITE of what is true. Motorola first; then Scientific Atlanta.

I don't know how accurate it is, but I called in to sales to see about upgrading my internet connection to the higher speed level this morning. I was chatting up the lady and asked her about the Tivo DVRs. It took her a bit to get what I meant, but she finally understood and said that they were not yet available in the Nashville area. I then asked her when they might be and she said she had heard that hopefully within about a month or so we should have them, basically by the Thanksgiving time frame. So I guess I'll check again in a month or so and see what sort of response I get, but I thought I would share that.

From TCF last night (looks like people ARE getting it):

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5618313#post5618313

********************
Got my Comcast Tivo yesterday. Didn't sign an NDA and there's nothing in the Comcast beta forums saying I'm bind to one, sooooo, here are some things a noticed:

Box is a Motorola DCT3416 I. Looks like the regular Comcast box, but it doesn't have the Cable Card slot. No MRV, no 30 secs skip hack. Box has an internal cable modem to communicate.

Remote is a Tivo-like remote, with some buttons added for On Demand, and the Stop and the A-B-C-D the the regular comcast remote has. Double clicking on the Tivo button will take you to the Tivo interface that we all love, but the Guide screen looks like the regular Comcast guide screen, but with color and waaay more faster than the old one.

Overall, compared to a Tivo HD box, the Comcast Tivo interface is a little bit slower, but compared to the regular Comcast box, is a really nice improvement in speed.

Got my Comcast Tivo yesterday. Didn't sign an NDA and there's nothing in the Comcast beta forums saying I'm bind to one, sooooo, here are some things a noticed: Box is a Motorola DCT3416 I. Looks like the regular Comcast box, but it doesn't have the Cable Card slot. No MRV, no 30 secs skip hack.

No 30 sec skip? That's a MAJOR bummer...

No 30 sec skip? That's a MAJOR bummer...

Deal breaker....


:( :(

No 30 sec skip? That's a MAJOR bummer...


Its just one guy. There was a code to use for the Comcast DVR previously, yes? I'd wait for more of a rollout before determining if there is no 30-second skip.

I question that post. I can't find anyone other than him reporting having one yet.

Right now only Employees and family of Employees are getting it.

Thanksgiving week is the roll out begin date for like 3 areas of NE.

Right now only Employees and family of Employees are getting it.

Thanksgiving week is the roll out begin date for like 3 areas of NE.

Since you are in PA and know when NE is rolling out. Do you know when the Detroit area might see HD TIVO?

Since you are in PA and know when NE is rolling out. Do you know when the Detroit area might see HD TIVO?

2009 :p

Sorry, but I have only heard what is going on up in NE. Our area was one of the first 10 regions to get the equipment, and we have yet to get a date.

Here's the official statement from comcast. if you contact them this is what they will tello you

"We are very excited about the new TiVo guide that will soon be available on our HD DVRs. We understand that recently there have been several articles released stating that Comcast has begun to roll out the new TiVo guide in the North east region. While the North East region will be the first to have the new guide, and the launch is coming soon, at this time we are still waiting to learn the official launch timeline. We will soon be adding a web page on our site that will allow you to look up details about the new service. Thank you for your interest in the new services and please continue to check www.Comcast.com for updates. Would you like to be contacted when this service is made available?"

I asked to be contacted.

Could someone please create a summary, 70 pages is a little ridiculous to try and read, I've gone back about 5 and that's too much. What units are eligible for upgrade? what is the upgrade process? costs? etc...

Right now only Employees and family of Employees are getting it.

Thanksgiving week is the roll out begin date for like 3 areas of NE.

Good evening,
Mind if I ask which 3 areas those are?

Thanks

Eventually when the service is in full swing, I expect it to have a nice new Wiki Page.

70 pages of nothing. When TiVo is really out someone will create a new thread titled "Comcast TiVo DVR - Here now" or something like that.

Dave Zatz got a hold of a bunch of Comcast-Tivo pictures in the wild. Here you go..

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-10/comcast-tivo-in-the-wild/

Looks like it has the Dual Live Buffer...thank god!

Dave Zatz got a hold of a bunch of Comcast-Tivo pictures in the wild. Here you go..

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-10/comcast-tivo-in-the-wild/

Looks like it has the Dual Live Buffer...thank god!

Good screenshots on there. Definitely has me excited!

From the looks of those screenshots (great, btw), it appears that whoever took these pics and, I assume, is part of the BETA testing, is in the Manchester NH area (WMUR-DT is not in the Boston Comcast area, even though it is in the Boston DMA). I thought it was being tested in the SE Mass. area....

heres an article on giz

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/almost-freevo/money+saving-comcast-tivo-spotted-spy-shot-gallery-313442.php

Good screenshots on there. Definitely has me excited!

Ditto.

Search by keyword, folders, hybrid video output (wonder if it'll have native?), tivo suggestions. Nice indeed.

Now if they'd just enable that eSATA port :)

Ditto.

Search by keyword, folders, hybrid video output (wonder if it'll have native?), tivo suggestions. Nice indeed.

Now if they'd just enable that eSATA port :)

Esata just made it into the most recent Tivo update so heres to hoping.

I am hoping more than that for two things - some sort of widescreen support for the guide (not stretch image, but actually show more) and the Tivo clipping of shows (as the recent trend of 1:01 and 1:02 hours long shows is crazy).

And I wonder if this will work with the dch3416. They are rumored to be snappier, so I was thinking of upgrading to one of those.

The networks timing of shows has become intolerable. Tonight's is just ridiculous - I had to juggle around everything to get everything I wanted to record. It's crazy.

The networks timing of shows has become intolerable. Tonight's is just ridiculous - I had to juggle around everything to get everything I wanted to record. It's crazy.

No widescreen guide is one of my pet peeves of HDTV. It is right up there with HD stations not having their promos in HD. You would think a commercial advertising that a show is in HD would be in HD? Likewise for a Comcast commercial advertising HD service...wouldn't you think it should be in HD? Or a Comcast HD DVR would show its guide in HD?

Inconsistencies like that drive me nuts!

The networks timing of shows has become intolerable. Tonight's is just ridiculous - I had to juggle around everything to get everything I wanted to record. It's crazy.

I read an article that this is an attempt by networks to prevent DVRing. You essentially have three choices, watch one network only, or watch the show live since you cant record it, or record the show at the expense of other networks shows.
Plus there is no actual show in the extra 1-2 minutes, its simply the commercial break. You would think there should be a rule/law against this kind of scheduling.

Its getting closer! What do you see at the top of your browser for like 1 second?

http://www.comcast.com/gettivo/

Dunno what anyone else gets, but all I get is a page that isn't there...yet.

Dunno what anyone else gets, but all I get is a page that isn't there...yet.

For a brief second, a title comes up on your browser (not on the page itself)
that says "Comcast DVR with Tivo Service"

So thats the soon-to-be-official page for getting Tivo service, but of course its disabled for now.

For a brief second, a title comes up on your browser (not on the page itself)
that says "Comcast DVR with Tivo Service"

So thats the soon-to-be-official page for getting Tivo service, but of course its disabled for now.

Besides the title, the page is empty with a 3 second timer on it, which forwards to the 'check back later' page. But, the page is counting visits/traffic.

From the looks of those screenshots (great, btw), it appears that whoever took these pics and, I assume, is part of the BETA testing, is in the Manchester NH area (WMUR-DT is not in the Boston Comcast area, even though it is in the Boston DMA). I thought it was being tested in the SE Mass. area....

Most of MA north of Boston gets WMUR-HD on 809.

Looks like it has the Dual Live Buffer...thank god!

Hey DirecTV....take note!! :( :rolleyes:

Dave Zatz got a hold of a bunch of Comcast-Tivo pictures in the wild. Here you go..

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-10/comcast-tivo-in-the-wild/

Looks like it has the Dual Live Buffer...thank god!


Just curious which screen shots indicate that it has dual live buffer. Maybe I'm overlooking something. My current Comcast dvr (Moto 3412) has dual live buffer, so I can't imagine the Tivo software would be any different in that respect anyway.

One of the shots showed the ability to change tuners (and if its like other Tivo's, you can down arrow between tuners as well). Does Comcast' DVR allow you to pause one tuner or the other, as well as watch a recording while pausing live TV? DTV's DVR doesn't let you, but Tivo always has.

You can pause either or both tuners on the comcast DVR. Just swap between them and pause/play as needed. I often use this feature to watch two sporting events at the same time. Unfortunately, with HD programs, Comcast only has about a 10-15 minute buffer. I wish they would allow the buffer to be as big as available disk space would permit.

You can also record and pause live tv.

One of the shots showed the ability to change tuners (and if its like other Tivo's, you can down arrow between tuners as well). Does Comcast' DVR allow you to pause one tuner or the other, as well as watch a recording while pausing live TV? DTV's DVR doesn't let you, but Tivo always has.

Ditto to what crossbeaux said above. I pause one tuner while swapping over to another regularly and vice-versa. The dual tuner would become much less useful to me if you couldn't do that. Sure recording 2 shows at the same time is great, but if you lost your buffer each time you swapped tuners (like changing a channel on a single tuner) I'd inadvertently mess myself up all the time or I'd have to start recording many random things just to flip to something else. Sounds like you'll have to switch back to cable w/ Tivo when it's available in your area.

Ditto to what crossbeaux said above. I pause one tuner while swapping over to another regularly and vice-versa. The dual tuner would become much less useful to me if you couldn't do that. Sure recording 2 shows at the same time is great, but if you lost your buffer each time you swapped tuners (like changing a channel on a single tuner) I'd inadvertently mess myself up all the time or I'd have to start recording many random things just to flip to something else. Sounds like you'll have to switch back to cable w/ Tivo when it's available in your area.


Welcome to DirecTV's new DVR...thats exactly what happens on their new box.

Most of MA north of Boston gets WMUR-HD on 809.I live in Burlington, and we don't get WMUR-HD.

Besides the title, the page is empty with a 3 second timer on it, which forwards to the 'check back later' page. But, the page is counting visits/traffic.

Counting traffic indeed


<script language="javascript1.1" src="/Includes/HitBox/hbx_cp_comcast.js"></script><script language="javascript1.1">
//BEGIN EDITABLE SECTION - HITBOX
var _locacct=getCookieVal("HBMktAcctEnt") + ";" + getCookieVal("HBDivAcctEnt");
hbx.acct = (_locacct==";"?hbx.acct:_locacct+";"+hbx.acct);
hbx.fnl="";
//END EDITABLESECTION - HITBOX

I read an article that this is an attempt by networks to prevent DVRing. You essentially have three choices, watch one network only, or watch the show live since you cant record it, or record the show at the expense of other networks shows.
Plus there is no actual show in the extra 1-2 minutes, its simply the commercial break. You would think there should be a rule/law against this kind of scheduling.

Somehow that really wouldn't surprise me. Explains why I'm having so much trouble with it. There is another option though. Just say to heck with it and deal with missing the last minute or so of the show which is what I think most people are going to end up doing. Until they get sick enough of it and just stop watching the show. I really don't think they're going to be successful in stopping DVRing shows, they're just going to end up pissing off their viewers.

had comcast and then got fios and kept one comcat hd dvr for hd on demand which fios still doesnt' have and for a few tvs for just coax connection with no box as comcast gets more channels then fios that way even with qam tuner cus comcast gets analog too so thats good for old crt tvs cus fios gets no analog so unless you have qam tuner tv you get like no channels with fios through coax.

canceled fios and got dtv now and still keeping comcast. should be able to have comcast through coax on most of my tvs with dtv hd dvr (mostly so i have comcast sportsnet philly which dtv has been blocked from being able to carry so far)

the fios dvr functionality was worse then comcast but dtv dvr works better then both. with tivo comcat dvr should be as good or better then dtv dvr. dtv used to use tivo i wonder why not anymore or if they will use it again since comcast is.

you can use a tivo box with dtv now but have to pay extra. i wonder how comcast struck a deal to be able to use it on their moto boxes and not charge ppl extrar. hopefully tivo will allow dtv to use tivo software on their dtv boxes too but again so far the dtv dvr functionality is much smoother and fater then comcat and especially fios.

fios was bad and it would freeze the box for like 10 minutes while it figured out the conflicts, very slow and dumb. comcat dvr had its problems but never as bad as fios.

i'm in phila area so hopefully we getting the tivo software soon. i'm assuming ill hav to swap my existing comcat hd dvr for one at a local office or somethign as soon as they available. they better not say its for new customer only or something as our hd dvr is old now from comcast and i've noticed they only last about a year with heavy use before they go on the fritz. the hdd can only take so much recording and deleting it seems before it acts up. maybe with tivo software its going to be better.

how soon till say the norristown comcast office has the hd dvr's with tivo software?

I really don't think they're going to be successful in stopping DVRing shows, they're just going to end up pissing off their viewers.They're not trying to get folks to stop DVRing shows. Rather, by extending a popular show into another half-hour, Nielsen gives them credit for the larger audience for that extra half-hour. It is a legal and sanctioned (though somewhat silly IMHO) method for boosting advertising revenue.

For those Comcast DVR owners waiting for the Tivo interface, you might want to take another look at the Tivo HD box. Check out today's article from CNET to see what new features are ready to go with the new software upgrade...

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9802326-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

You won't get this with the ComcasTivo experience, and to me it is worth the upfront cost of $250 to get all this, plus TivoCast, KidZone, Rhapsody, etc.

They're not trying to get folks to stop DVRing shows. Rather, by extending a popular show into another half-hour, Nielsen gives them credit for the larger audience for that extra half-hour. It is a legal and sanctioned (though somewhat silly IMHO) method for boosting advertising revenue.

Interesting. Even though its 1-2 minutes? I mean how do you count ratings? Is it per show or per half hour, and in that case, do they double dip into a half hour by having the show transition then? Which would make ratings reports somewhat fake? I honestly don't know much about it.

@amazingisit

Most of those features have been around on the Series 2 for a while, like Tivotogo and such, and they really should have been there a year ago when the Series 3 came out. And I think many people are not so much worried about the upfront cost, but the large monthly cost as well in addition to Comcast fees. In the long run, it has more features but at a large cost, and the Comcast version seems to provide the core Tivo experience, about 80-90% of the important features for a minimal fee and no risk (hardware wise).

Actually ratings are computed by the quarter hour, not half hour.

Most of those features have been around on the Series 2 for a while, like Tivotogo and such, and they really should have been there a year ago when the Series 3 came out.

This was not a viable option for TiVo. They had to get CableLabs approval for these transfer mechanisms, since they're shuffling around copy-protected content. So, they had two options available to them :

1) they could have waited an extra six months to a year to get the approval, which means that these units (S3 and THD) would have been on the market for a month or so right now. They would have lost even more ground and marketshare to the cableco's own DVRs.

or

2) they could ship what they had ready and work on the CableLabs approval in the background, and then release those features when the OK was given.

I think they made the right choice. Better to get the boxes out on the market ASAP and add more features as they became available.



And I think many people are not so much worried about the upfront cost, but the large monthly cost as well in addition to Comcast fees. In the long run, it has more features but at a large cost, and the Comcast version seems to provide the core Tivo experience, about 80-90% of the important features for a minimal fee and no risk (hardware wise).

I don't agree. The cost differentials between the TiVoHD and the cableco DVRs are now significant. It's impossible to make a direct comparison of the costs, since the cableco's vary their pricing on a per-region basis, but for the most part the TiVo solution is pretty damn close in cost to what you'd be paying for the cableco DVR.

The problem with the ComcasTiVo is that it ONLY provides the core TiVo DVR experience. Schedule recordings, record shows, play 'em back, pause, etc. Those are features that are already duplicated by the cableco DVRs. Additionally, the ComcasTiVo takes the TiVo GUI and makes it a fugly cableco version of itself. Yuck.

It's the extra features that you get in a real TiVo that really start to separate the two.

I don't agree. The cost differentials between the TiVoHD and the cableco DVRs are now significant. It's impossible to make a direct comparison of the costs, since the cableco's vary their pricing on a per-region basis, but for the most part the TiVo solution is pretty damn close in cost to what you'd be paying for the cableco DVR.

The problem with the ComcasTiVo is that it ONLY provides the core TiVo DVR experience. Schedule recordings, record shows, play 'em back, pause, etc. Those are features that are already duplicated by the cableco DVRs. Additionally, the ComcasTiVo takes the TiVo GUI and makes it a fugly cableco version of itself. Yuck.

It's the extra features that you get in a real TiVo that really start to separate the two.

I agree on your first assesment that it is hard to make a direct blanket price comparison. However, on a user by user basis, some users may find it cheap some expensive.

In our case here in Nashville, and my parents in Atlanta, we know the difference in price would be high. For one, the Comcast HD fee is a programming fee, not a box fee, and the Comcast DVR service is 2.99. So getting HDTivo would mean we save 2.99 on Comcast bill from DVR then pay 1.99 for a second cable card and then the Tivo fees (up front box + as little as ~9 bucks a month for three years, then some 15-20 per month afterwards, and we are locked into the service, or some 15-20 a month if we do month to month as with Comcast). For others it may work differently, but for us, it is a very pricey avenue.

I do not agree with your second assesment that you don't get the Tivo experience with the Comcast version. You get the season passes, keyword searches, and most of the small features that make Tivo that much better than other solutions, such as removing channels from lineup and so forth. Not only that but you also get On Demand, which is a huge missing feature for Tivo, or which one could equate to Unbox to a certain extent. Sure there are some differences, but not enough to justify it for me. And the Comcast guide is quite nice, even on our Tivo we use the grid style not the Tivo style, as it is much more functional for us, and having the small PIP on Comcast is a nice feature while working in the menus.

DVRs are all about what you call basics, like recording and playback, and its doing these core functions better that makes all the difference, and whats being brought to Comcast. Thats what people want from Tivo and what makes it superior to Motorola software. Tivotogo is icing on the cake, but its the cake that people want first.

And even Tivo is not perfect, and I would rather they focus on providing proper support for widescreen TVs with more guide info being shown rather than stretching the same guide and a few other nitpicks before Tivotogo and some of their other latest creations. They seem to want to make the Tivo a multimedia hub at the expense of perfecting the core of what makes it a Tivo, the DVR.

That said, there is a user on the Tivo Community Forums who has one and who is answering posted questions on the device as compared to a TivoHD. People are accumulating a list of things for him to look at and see if they are in. So far:

-faster than Motorola software.
-can remove channels form guide like on Tivo.
-a 2.79-2.99 fee that covers all DVR in household.
-"record in HD if possible" in season pass is there.
-folders are there
-on demand and PPV available.
-dual buffers are there

he is checking on: Esata, close captioning, total space remaining display and a some other things.

Interesting. Even though its 1-2 minutes?Silly eh? Seems to me that Nielson should just change their policy.... 8 minutes at a minimum, to qualify for the entire quarter hour.

DVRs are all about what you call basics, like recording and playback, and its doing these core functions better that makes all the difference, and whats being brought to Comcast. Thats what people want from Tivo and what makes it superior to Motorola software. Tivotogo is icing on the cake, but its the cake that people want first.



And cell phones are all about being able to call people? While Tivo does recording better than any other DVR there is, other DVR's will eventually catch up. Features will be what sets apart one DVR from another.

Over 1mil iPhones would not have sold in the past 3 months if not for the features it has over other phones (its interface being one of the features)

Tivo is trying to make itself more than just a DVR, while still being the best recorder in the industry.

I imagine a lot of people who have Comcast' DVR today will sign up for Tivo, and eventually want more of what Tivo can do. They just don't know there is more it can do today and whether its valuable to them.

And cell phones are all about being able to call people? While Tivo does recording better than any other DVR there is, other DVR's will eventually catch up. Features will be what sets apart one DVR from another.

Over 1mil iPhones would not have sold in the past 3 months if not for the features it has over other phones (its interface being one of the features)

Tivo is trying to make itself more than just a DVR, while still being the best recorder in the industry.

I imagine a lot of people who have Comcast' DVR today will sign up for Tivo, and eventually want more of what Tivo can do. They just don't know there is more it can do today and whether its valuable to them.

Absolutely agree. But just like your Iphone example, its that prized interface that is being transmitted in the Comcast Tivo deal, the one main thing that sets it apart. If the exact Iphone interface was all of a sudden on a Samsung or Nokia phone, and it was cheaper, albeit slightly clunkier phone, you can be sure that those phones will sell very well as well. People love cheaper things, especially if the regular mainstream features are identical.

Will real Tivo still be better? Of course, but the one thing most people want is the interface and small features, and thats what they will get. And for the price per feature set, I just don't think it can be beat in the Comcast package.

Will it be a way to get people to perhaps eventually move to a standalone Tivo with more features, perhaps. And it is a great move by both Tivo and Comcast.

For those Comcast DVR owners waiting for the Tivo interface, you might want to take another look at the Tivo HD box. Check out today's article from CNET to see what new features are ready to go with the new software upgrade...

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9802326-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

You won't get this with the ComcasTivo experience, and to me it is worth the upfront cost of $250 to get all this, plus TivoCast, KidZone, Rhapsody, etc.

I did. I'm taking the lifetime transfer option for my old S2 as well. Just didn't want to wait another 6 months and then possibly be disappointed by bad performance. Plus, HDTivo will very soon allow me to spend $200 for a 500GB external SATA drive so I can record all the HD I want.

That said, there is a user on the Tivo Community Forums who has one and who is answering posted questions on the device as compared to a TivoHD. People are accumulating a list of things for him to look at and see if they are in. So far:
-faster than Motorola software.
-can remove channels form guide like on Tivo.
-a 2.79-2.99 fee that covers all DVR in household.
-"record in HD if possible" in season pass is there.
-folders are there
-on demand and PPV available.
-dual buffers are there
he is checking on: Esata, close captioning, total space remaining display and a some other things.

Is there a closed captioning issue? Esata, of course, is the biggie - doubt that's gonna be available...

Looks like Tivo just posted their official esata drive - Western Digital 500 GB My DVR Expander @ $199.

https://www3.tivo.com/mytivo/domore/storage/index.html

Is there a closed captioning issue?The "issue" being looked into is whether or not turning on and off closed captioning is easier with the TiVo software than with the iGuide software. With the iGuide software, you need to turn the box off to get into a service menu to switch the closed captioning setting. The question really is whether or not this is an artifact of the software or of the firmware.

In my case, I went with TivoHD because the national Comcast guide just plain didn't work. I was willing to wait while we had the Microsoft guide here in Seattle because it offered enough "Tivoness" in terms of features to hold me over. But once we went to SARA/iGuide, within two days I knew it was TivoHD or go back to a VCR for SD and watch HD live.

Also, I do not use PPV or OnDemand, so those features mean nothing to me and as such are not negatives for going to TivoHD now. For me, it was all about functionality and that functionality is coming at only another $1 or $2 a month over what I was paying with Comcast. So, at worse, I am paying now what I would be paying with ComcastTivo, and yet I get it now and not months (or years) later. And things like Tivo2Go do have value to me, and are things I cannot get with ComcastTivo, and as such becomes positives for TivoHD.

And with how TivoHD charges for service, it's cheaper to go three years up-front if you plan to use the box for more then 15 months and I can reasonably expect it will likely be 6-9 months minimum from the date of purchase of my TivoHD before ComcastTivo makes it out here to Seattle.

And in the end, my Comcast service includes a non-DVR HD-capable box anyway, so I still have access to PPV and OnDemand. :)

Well firmware settings like CC or HD output resolution should be able to be manipulated by the client software.

That is, if Motorola provides a mechanism for programmers to communicate to the underlying firmware and change settings. It's unknown if the path to change CC or resolution settings can be 'pushed down' from the client guide software. I don't see why it would be a big deal.

The issue may be that the Motorola firmware only reads these settings at warm boot (ie, power button). Sure you could push down a different resolution or closed caption setting, but if the Motorola firmware isn't actively checking the status of these settings, you won't see a change until a soft power cycle.

True, though that Motorola and the Client guide software could of collaborated and not only found a communications mechanism to change firmware settings without actually going into the firmware, but to also write a small initilization routine to 'pick up' or activate the settings change.

If the Tivo Software says "Motorola firmware, turn on CC1", it then also has to get the firmware to read the status of the CC1 setting and apply it right now. Same goes with the resolution. I would think that if Motorola's firmware can dynamically apply these settings there should be no issue.

Time will tell.

...there is a user on the Tivo Community Forums who has one and who is answering posted questions on the device as compared to a TivoHD. People are accumulating a list of things for him to look at and see if they are in. So far:...

-can remove channels form guide like on Tivo.

This is great, but how long before Comcast removes this feature?

Just another data point, Tivo has just turned on multi room viewing and "Tivo 2 Go" for Series 3 and Tivo HD boxes.

I suspect that this feature was turned on now to steal a bit of thunder from the Comcast launch. Tivo makes far more money from the sale of one of their own boxes with service contract than the tiny amount they get from Comcast.

Well firmware settings like CC or HD output resolution should be able to be manipulated by the client software.

That is, if Motorola provides a mechanism for programmers to communicate to the underlying firmware and change settings. It's unknown if the path to change CC or resolution settings can be 'pushed down' from the client guide software. I don't see why it would be a big deal.

The issue may be that the Motorola firmware only reads these settings at warm boot (ie, power button). Sure you could push down a different resolution or closed caption setting, but if the Motorola firmware isn't actively checking the status of these settings, you won't see a change until a soft power cycle.

True, though that Motorola and the Client guide software could of collaborated and not only found a communications mechanism to change firmware settings without actually going into the firmware, but to also write a small initilization routine to 'pick up' or activate the settings change.

If the Tivo Software says "Motorola firmware, turn on CC1", it then also has to get the firmware to read the status of the CC1 setting and apply it right now. Same goes with the resolution. I would think that if Motorola's firmware can dynamically apply these settings there should be no issue.

Time will tell.

As far as resolution goes, the screen shots so far seem to show that it can be changed on the fly.

That is the most important feature to me so far.

I hope the hybrid selection will allow for 480i not 480p though.

native would be best of couse:cool:

Just another data point, Tivo has just turned on multi room viewing and "Tivo 2 Go" for Series 3 and Tivo HD boxes.

For those who use Tivo 2 Go, do you transfer programs to your PC in order to burn them to DVD? Is that easier/better than using a dedicated DVD recorder?

For those who use Tivo 2 Go, do you transfer programs to your PC in order to burn them to DVD? Is that easier/better than using a dedicated DVD recorder?

You have to install TiVo Desktop 2.5.1 to take advantage of the MRV and T2G features... you also need to enable the TiVo units in your home for transfer by logging into the TiVo website and managing your account to turn these features on.

For Windows users, the transferred recordings show up with a .TiVo extension but can be played in Windows Media Player... extra nice is that both SD and HD shows can be transferred in their recorded resolution. Those shows with Copy Protection show up with a red slash symbol in the Tivo Desktop software and cannot be transferred. So far the only recordings out of my 198 recordings showing this are the "Henry Rollins Show" and a couple of TNT movies that were auto-recorded (Ghost and When Harry Met Sally). The other network shows I've recorded (even Desperate Housewives) do not show the copy protection flag. I believe most premium content (HBO, Showtime, etc) will not be able to be copied.

Tivo builds a conversion package for the Series 2 units which makes burning to disc, or conversion for iPods or the Sony PSP a one-click process. You have to buy this software.

I'm pretty sure that there are 3rd party tools out there that will also convert/burn the .TiVo extension media.

Transferring is a bit on the slow side. I transferred 10 1 hour SD episodes as well as a 7GB 1 hour HD episode and it took about 8 hrs. I believe that with the multi room viewing you can begin watching a show that is being transferred as long as there is enough of it transferred to start up the buffer for playback. Obviously those with fast (wired) home networks will get more out of this feature than those with slow wireless home network connections. I am contemplating buying a 2nd TiVo HD unit for my workout room specifically to take advantage of the MRV feature.

As far as resolution goes, the screen shots so far seem to show that it can be changed on the fly.

That is the most important feature to me so far.

I hope the hybrid selection will allow for 480i not 480p though.

native would be best of couse:cool:

Yes I did see that. Native would be best for HD material, but my TV cannot decode 480i on HDMI. It doesn't matter if it's a DVD player, Video Game system, Cable or Sattelite box... my TV just won't do it. "Unsupported Mode" is what it displays.

A system like DirecTV where you can put a 'tick' or check a box next to each compatible resolution would work great. In my situation I would put a check mark next to 480P, 720P, and 1080i.

So the Tivo software can communicate to the underlying Motorola firmware resolution settings. Now if the Tivo software can detect the current channels decoded resolution, there should be no real reason that a native mode wouldn't be possible.

Also, the fact that this is possible leads me to believe that the Tivo software will also be able to send a Closed Caption on/off message to the underlying Motorola firmware, and activate it on the fly. There is a Closed Captioning link in the channel info bar, so this looks promising.

People say that the Motorola box isn't bad... It's just were accustomed to mediocre software. Perhaps with creative programming they can really polish this Motorola turd into a gem. After all, what's a decent computer without a decent operating system?

One thing you won't be able to do with the Comcast Tivo is download recordings directly to your PC or Mac using a web browser. Tivo enabled that feature on the $250 TivoHD and Tivo Series3 yesterday.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.gif

One thing you won't be able to do with the Comcast Tivo is download recordings directly to your PC or Mac using a web browser. Tivo enabled that feature on the $250 TivoHD and Tivo Series3 yesterday.

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.gif

Sweet. When I browse to my TiVo with https it asks for a login/password but isn't taking the login/passwd for my TiVo online account. Where do you get the TiVo login and password set up?

Sweet. When I browse to my TiVo with https it asks for a login/password but isn't taking the login/passwd for my TiVo online account. Where do you get the TiVo login and password set up?As on the Series2, the login is "tivo" and the password is your Media Access Key.

You can find your Media Access Key on your TiVo under Account & System Information -> Media Access Key. Your browser should save the login so you won't have to enter it again.

As on the Series2, the login is "tivo" and the password is your Media Access Key.

You can find your Media Access Key on your TiVo under Account & System Information -> Media Access Key. Your browser should save the login so you won't have to enter it again.

Thanks, that did it.

Damn I'm glad I didn't opt for Comcast. There's little cooler than being able to download all of your recorded stuff to a PC. The PC even shows up as a new folder on the TiVo once the sharing is set up.

A system like DirecTV where you can put a 'tick' or check a box next to each compatible resolution would work great. In my situation I would put a check mark next to 480P, 720P, and 1080i.


How does that work? Let's say I choose compatible resolutions as 1080i and 720p only (say, the box does a better job converting SD to HD than does my fairly cheap TV, but my TV does a better job at converting 1080i to 768p than does the box at converting it to 720p). What does the box do with 480i content? Do I get to pick whether it sends that at 1080i or at 720p? If so, how?

How does that work? Let's say I choose compatible resolutions as 1080i and 720p only (say, the box does a better job converting SD to HD than does my fairly cheap TV, but my TV does a better job at converting 1080i to 768p than does the box at converting it to 720p). What does the box do with 480i content? Do I get to pick whether it sends that at 1080i or at 720p? If so, how?

I think if 1080i is selected and no SD resolution is selected, the box upconverts SD material to 1080i. If only 720P is selected, then it converts SD to 720P.

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but did Comcast ever release this? If so, then are they limited to certain geographical regions?

I haven't been keeping up with this thread, but did Comcast ever release this? If so, then are they limited to certain geographical regions?They just did recently.

It's currently available only in certain areas of New England, with more coming soon.

I think if 1080i is selected and no SD resolution is selected, the box upconverts SD material to 1080i. If only 720P is selected, then it converts SD to 720P.

I guess that's acceptable (certainly better than having to power down to change the resolution every time like with the current software), but I'd rather have something like:
If the source is __, display it in __. I would use:
480i - 720p
480p - 720p
720p - 720p
1080i - 1080i

I guess that's acceptable (certainly better than having to power down to change the resolution every time like with the current software), but I'd rather have something like:
If the source is __, display it in __. I would use:
480i - 720p
480p - 720p
720p - 720p
1080i - 1080i

Ok I agree with that.

I don't think programming something like that would be impossible... it's just nobody wants to pay someone to write the code.

Boy I'll tell you, specialized systems programming is very expensive!

Ok I agree with that.

I don't think programming something like that would be impossible... it's just nobody wants to pay someone to write the code.

Boy I'll tell you, specialized systems programming is very expensive!

I don't think that's the concern. I think the concern is confusing the users.

https://comcast.p.delivery.net/m/p/com/tivo/default.asp

The site is now up and running.

Nice!

Well, I wonder where it IS available.
I put in two zipcodes for where I have Comcast service...Boston, and Cape Cod.
Neither one came up as "available."
I have a feeling the site's not REALLY live yet. When you click on the comcast.com/tivo link, it comes up that you're not allowed into it. But at least we do know it's on the way!

This is the transcript of my conversation with Cust. Sup.



Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:49:34 EDT 2007)>Hello charlie_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Adam. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:49:49 EDT 2007)>Charlie, I will be happy to help you with this.

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:50:07 EDT 2007)>At this time we are still beta testing the TiVo software and has not yet been released.

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:50:15 EDT 2007)>We do not have a release date at this time

charlie_(Wed Oct 24 19:50:58 EDT 2007)>How can/will i be notified when available. Can i sign up for a wait list. or email? i've been waiting for months for this

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:51:15 EDT 2007)>Notifications will be sent once the software has been released

charlie_(Wed Oct 24 19:51:55 EDT 2007)>is it weeks, months???????/

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:52:06 EDT 2007)>I do not have a release date at this time.

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:52:12 EDT 2007)>SO I could not say

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:52:21 EDT 2007)>However, it will be in the very near future

charlie_(Wed Oct 24 19:52:24 EDT 2007)>how will i be getting notified. mail, email?

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:52:28 EDT 2007)>Once the software is done with the beta testing

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:52:38 EDT 2007)>We will send out mailings and emails

charlie_(Wed Oct 24 19:52:51 EDT 2007)>thanks adam GO SOX

Adam(Wed Oct 24 19:53:17 EDT 2007)>You are very welcome.

Adam is such a dummy, he didn't even bother to cut-and-paste the official Comcast reply.

I don't think that's the concern. I think the concern is confusing the users.

DirecTV and Dish Network HD customers sure aren't confused.

I suspect that this feature was turned on now to steal a bit of thunder from the Comcast launch. Tivo makes far more money from the sale of one of their own boxes with service contract than the tiny amount they get from Comcast.I wouldn't be so sure, about EITHER of those two assertions. TTG and MRV for the S3 has been "Coming Fall 2007" for about a year, now, while the Comcast launch was supposed to be back in June. And TiVo often loses money on the hardware they sell, so I don't think we know whether they make more on a direct customer than they'll make per subscriber to the Comcast TiVo service.

...
I have a feeling the site's not REALLY live yet. When you click on the comcast.com/tivo link, it comes up that you're not allowed into it. But at least we do know it's on the way!

It is working now.
http://www.comcast.com/tivo/

Again, it may be up, but it is not accepting any of several Boston area zips that I enetered. Anyone having any luck getting it?

I believe most premium content (HBO, Showtime, etc) will not be able to be copied.

Seems to be no problem copying directly to a DVD recorder, is it different when copying from a PC?

I wouldn't be so sure, about EITHER of those two assertions. TTG and MRV for the S3 has been "Coming Fall 2007" for about a year, now, while the Comcast launch was supposed to be back in June. And TiVo often loses money on the hardware they sell, so I don't think we know whether they make more on a direct customer than they'll make per subscriber to the Comcast TiVo service.


Tivo has publicly stated that when they sell the Tivo HD hardware they make a small profit. That would imply that when they sell the Tivo HD hardware to resellers they are breaking even or selling at a small loss.

Additionally previous indication has been that Tivo receives around $1 per month per Cable subscriber. This is in addition to the lump sum payment and possible maintenance contracts Tivo gets to develop software for the Cable boxes.

On the other hand Tivo gets a minimum of $6.33 per month of profit on a service agreement on a Tivo box. They get much more profit than that if a 3 year contract is not signed. They can get as much as $15 per month.

Seems to be no problem copying directly to a DVD recorder, is it different when copying from a PC?

It's completely different. The broadcaster sets copy flags on content that they don't want copied. Tivo honors these flags and will not let you transfer a program with the copy flag turned on.

DirecTV and Dish Network HD customers sure aren't confused.

They don't have the interface I suggested, either. Do they?

On the other hand Tivo gets a minimum of $6.33 per month of profit on a service agreement on a Tivo box.That's revenue, not profit. That has to be bounced up against the costs of all the things the subscription covers: feature enhancements (and yes, the S1 people get shafted), customer service costs, fees to Tribune, etc.

That's revenue, not profit. That has to be bounced up against the costs of all the things the subscription covers: feature enhancements (and yes, the S1 people get shafted), customer service costs, fees to Tribune, etc.

True. It's revenue. I think though that the carrying costs for a Tivo subscription are extremely small. Tivo pays very little for the guide data, and their data/server charges are probably rather tiny when spread out over their entire user base.

True. It's revenue. I think though that the carrying costs for a Tivo subscription are extremely small. Tivo pays very little for the guide data, and their data/server charges are probably rather tiny when spread out over their entire user base.

They still have to pay for modem pool access for the units that still aren't hooked up to the internet.

They still have to pay for modem pool access for the units that still aren't hooked up to the internet.

We have large modem pools were I work. You can get the lines for as little as $15 a month and a quality modem bank is fairly inexpensive. Also I would expect that it doesn't require a mountain of modems to service the Series 3 and Tivo HD units that are running on dialup.

It is the 21st century after all.

True. It's revenue. I think though that the carrying costs for a Tivo subscription are extremely small. Tivo pays very little for the guide data, and their data/server charges are probably rather tiny when spread out over their entire user base.I'll wait to see this reported by TiVoJerry before I'll believe it.

Do keep in mind that TiVo loses money. They are not a profitable company. I think you're grossly underestimating the costs of their operations.

True. It's revenue. I think though that the carrying costs for a Tivo subscription are extremely small. Tivo pays very little for the guide data, and their data/server charges are probably rather tiny when spread out over their entire user base.If you look at Tivo's annual report, you'll find that the monthly costs associated with the service -- guide data, data/server, etc-- cost ~$2 of every $10 in fees. Tivo spends another $4 of every $10 on software development. That isn't yet sufficient to pay the receiver subsidies (boxes are sold at a loss) and other operational expenses.

You are correct that Tivo's average cost per customer does trend downward as they add more customers.

I'll wait to see this reported by TiVoJerry before I'll believe it.

Do keep in mind that TiVo loses money. They are not a profitable company. I think you're grossly underestimating the costs of their operations.

Ya, I know they are losing money, although they did post their first profit not too long ago.

However, do imply that they could possibly make more money on the Comcast deal, at least in the short term, than they make on their own boxes seems a bit optimistic.

Tivo is on record as saying that they make a small profit on the Tivo HD hardware when they sell it direct. So I don't think they are taking much of a loss on those boxes even when they sell them to distributors or direct to retailers.

Ya, I know they are losing money, although they did post their first profit not too long ago.Followed immediately by another quarterly loss. It wasn't a trend.

However, do imply that they could possibly make more money on the Comcast deal, at least in the short term, than they make on their own boxes seems a bit optimistic.Unless I'm mistaken, there is no way they can lose money on the Comcast deal. It is cost-plus.

We have large modem pools were I work. You can get the lines for as little as $15 a month and a quality modem bank is fairly inexpensive. Also I would expect that it doesn't require a mountain of modems to service the Series 3 and Tivo HD units that are running on dialup.

It is the 21st century after all.
AIUI, TiVo partners with a network service provider who already has modem pools all over the country. It probably would not be cost effective for TiVo to establish their own national backbone nework to connect every local modem bank to their host site.

I would guess that they might get a bargain rate for their network traffic since the much of it happens in non-peak hours (e.g., 2 AM ot thereabouts).

No free rides ...

the website is up

http://www.comcast.com/tivo

Http://www.comcast.com/gettivo

and I don't mean it just exsist, there is a page there now to enter zip to check for service

Check previous posts. This news is old, and there is no zip code that gets you service...yet. Or that anyone is aware of.

Check previous posts. This news is old, and there is no zip code that gets you service...yet. Or that anyone is aware of.

Sorry missed one post about it, old news? It only started working this morning. I only read back about 10 posts thinking people would be discussing it but no one on this thread seems to know how to stay on topic.

no one on this thread seems to know how to stay on topic

Considering this thread is about a "coming soon" that has been just around the corner for 6 months, I'm actually surprised how close to true topic the comcast/tivo website is. :D

so I was waiting for someone to say they tried every zip code in the county and 666 is the only place with service

If anyone ever gets a chance to sign into the Comcast.net forums under the title Cable TV, there is a Comcast forum Administrator / Employee who states that the beta has been very successful and that the deployment may be accelerated.

One could hope......

yeah, I read that. Could mean anything considering it took 2 years to get this far. Accelerated could mean in 1 year.

I had a dream last night that I was able to get the Tivo software for my box, but not legitimately.

I'll try to recollect what I can from the dream.
In my dream I downloaded a leaked copy. It was a .bin file off of rapidshare or a torrent. I was able to load it on the DCT-6412 by setting up a TFTP server with a certain directory structure and ip address. I plugged this into the Ethernet port on the DCT, and initiated a firmware download by powering it on while holding a combination of keys on the front panel.

Anyway I was using it and it was really cool. Too bad it was all a dream! I remember that when I would push menu or guide, there was a good 2-3 second pause, but once you were in the menu it was pretty quick. The system played all of the tivo clicks and beep sounds. I kinda remember thinking 'is this it??? this is all I've been waiting for?' I also remember a message onscreen about unable to contact customization server at 10.x.x.x\gixxxxxxxxx\tivo . I attributed this to the headend not having the server to support some of Tivo's features.

Wow my imagination was pretty vivid.

I had a dream last night that I was able to get the Tivo software for my box, but not legitimately.

I'll try to recollect what I can from the dream.
In my dream I downloaded a leaked copy. It was a .bin file off of rapidshare or a torrent. I was able to load it on the DCT-6412 by setting up a TFTP server with a certain directory structure and ip address. I plugged this into the Ethernet port on the DCT, and initiated a firmware download by powering it on while holding a combination of keys on the front panel.

Anyway I was using it and it was really cool. Too bad it was all a dream! I remember that when I would push menu or guide, there was a good 2-3 second pause, but once you were in the menu it was pretty quick. The system played all of the tivo clicks and beep sounds. I kinda remember thinking 'is this it??? this is all I've been waiting for?' I also remember a message onscreen about unable to contact customization server at 10.x.x.x\gixxxxxxxxx\tivo . I attributed this to the headend not having the server to support some of Tivo's features.

Wow my imagination was pretty vivid.

Wow, that's a pretty vivid "dream" there cypher. ;)

Really I think that the Comcast Tivo service has been so built up over the past two years that for many people it will inevitably be a let down. It just can't possibly live up to the hype.

I had a dream last night that I was able to get the Tivo software for my box, but not legitimately.

I'll try to recollect what I can from the dream.
In my dream I downloaded a leaked copy. It was a .bin file off of rapidshare or a torrent. I was able to load it on the DCT-6412 by setting up a TFTP server with a certain directory structure and ip address. I plugged this into the Ethernet port on the DCT, and initiated a firmware download by powering it on while holding a combination of keys on the front panel.

Anyway I was using it and it was really cool. Too bad it was all a dream! I remember that when I would push menu or guide, there was a good 2-3 second pause, but once you were in the menu it was pretty quick. The system played all of the tivo clicks and beep sounds. I kinda remember thinking 'is this it??? this is all I've been waiting for?' I also remember a message onscreen about unable to contact customization server at 10.x.x.x\gixxxxxxxxx\tivo . I attributed this to the headend not having the server to support some of Tivo's features.

Wow my imagination was pretty vivid.

Hey, thanks. If you have any more "dreams" about this software, feel free to share them. I don't like the part about the 2-3 second pauses.

I had a dream last night that I was able to get the Tivo software for my box, but not legitimately.

I'll try to recollect what I can from the dream.
In my dream I downloaded a leaked copy. It was a .bin file off of rapidshare or a torrent. I was able to load it on the DCT-6412 by setting up a TFTP server with a certain directory structure and ip address. I plugged this into the Ethernet port on the DCT, and initiated a firmware download by powering it on while holding a combination of keys on the front panel.

Anyway I was using it and it was really cool. Too bad it was all a dream! I remember that when I would push menu or guide, there was a good 2-3 second pause, but once you were in the menu it was pretty quick. The system played all of the tivo clicks and beep sounds. I kinda remember thinking 'is this it??? this is all I've been waiting for?' I also remember a message onscreen about unable to contact customization server at 10.x.x.x\gixxxxxxxxx\tivo . I attributed this to the headend not having the server to support some of Tivo's features.

Wow my imagination was pretty vivid.


I wonder if during your next dream you could see if it has native resolution?

Or perhaps see if the hybrid mode supports 1080i/480i instead of 1080i/480p?

Sweet Dreams!

I think it will be exactly what I expect from TiVo. And if it isn't, then I will blame the hardware and not TiVo.

I know I had quite an imagination growing up. Nice to know it's still there!

Cool dream, but then when you wake up its like, awww man!

I think it will be exactly what I expect from TiVo. And if it isn't, then I will blame the hardware and not TiVo.


Well, the Tivo HD menus are still very very slow, at least compared to series 2 boxes.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Comcast box was even slower.

I know I had quite an imagination growing up. Nice to know it's still there!

Cool dream, but then when you wake up its like, awww man!

In your dream did you happen to notice if the 30 second skip function still worked after your hacked Tivo upgrade?

Does anyone know if we will be able to hack a 30 second skip in the real thing? I don't care how much nicer the Tivo UI and other functions are, I can't upgrade without being able to skip.

In your dream did you happen to notice if the 30 second skip function still worked after your hacked Tivo upgrade?

Does anyone know if we will be able to hack a 30 second skip in the real thing? I don't care how much nicer the Tivo UI and other functions are, I can't upgrade without being able to skip.

Always interesting to see just how different we all are, and how some features mean so much to some, and not for others. Actually, I'm with you on this one, but I'm sure you'll be flamed for it.

Well, the Tivo HD menus are still very very slow, at least compared to series 2 boxes.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Comcast box was even slower.Hmmm...
My Series3 is much faster than my Series2 540. I didn't think the TiVoHD was that slow. Are you on v9.2?

Well, the Tivo HD menus are still very very slow, at least compared to series 2 boxes.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Comcast box was even slower.

Are you still running 8.1, or have you gotten 9.2 yet ?

8.1 was definitely very slow. This was fixed in 8.3 on the Series3, and in 9.1 and 9.2 on the TiVoHD.

My point indeed. TiVo is quick to see problems and fix them.

No matter how many problems I pointed out to Comcast and GuideWorks they jut told me the iGuide was perfect.

Go figure.

I had a dream last night that I was able to get the Tivo software for my box, but not legitimately.

I'll try to recollect what I can from the dream.
In my dream I downloaded a leaked copy. It was a .bin file off of rapidshare or a torrent. I was able to load it on the DCT-6412 by setting up a TFTP server with a certain directory structure and ip address. I plugged this into the Ethernet port on the DCT, and initiated a firmware download by powering it on while holding a combination of keys on the front panel.

Anyway I was using it and it was really cool. Too bad it was all a dream! I remember that when I would push menu or guide, there was a good 2-3 second pause, but once you were in the menu it was pretty quick. The system played all of the tivo clicks and beep sounds. I kinda remember thinking 'is this it??? this is all I've been waiting for?' I also remember a message onscreen about unable to contact customization server at 10.x.x.x\gixxxxxxxxx\tivo . I attributed this to the headend not having the server to support some of Tivo's features.

Wow my imagination was pretty vivid.

In your next dream could you dream up the following.

1. Comcast CSR's that have a clue.
2. Comcast adding new HD stations without a long protracted negotiation
3. And a 30 Second skip hack for the new Tivo software

Be careful what you wish for.... your #2 would happen if Comcast owned those stations. You may not like the result of that. :)

In your next dream could you dream up the following. 1. Comcast CSR's that have a clue. 2. Comcast adding new HD stations without a long protracted negotiation 3. And a 30 Second skip hack for the new Tivo software

Not to mention esata!

How about commercial skip instead of a 30 second skip? :)

That's called On Demand. :)

That's called On Demand. :)

If onDemand had all the shows I watch in HD. But it's not even close in my market. Of the major networks only CBS has HD onDemand, and they only offer CSI in HD...

But yeah, if onDemand had everything I normally record...

I haven't read through the whole thread but has Tivo worked out the issues with Scientific Atlantic and their Cable Cards?

wrong place for that question, this is for comcast installing tivo software on comcast hardware, motorola first.

If onDemand had all the shows I watch in HD. But it's not even close in my market. Of the major networks only CBS has HD onDemand, and they only offer CSI in HD...But yeah, if onDemand had everything I normally record...

And if only OnDemand didn't cripple the FF and REW functions...

Does anyone have a guess (or dream like recollections) if the Tivo enabled boxes will have
multi-room viewing capabilities?

Its the one thing I truly wish for! Having two 3416's and no ability to share between the two sucks!!!

Has any one yet been able to punch in their zip code into the gettivo page of Comcast and actually get it to come back that TiVO service IS available in their neighborhood?

i am sure once someone successfully puts one in they will post. I am also hoping the will send the emails out in a timely manner. But I will most likely expect the reminder emails to be delayed from the actually availability.

Does anyone have a guess (or dream like recollections) if the Tivo enabled boxes will have
multi-room viewing capabilities?My guess is "no". Comcast is working on MRV-like capability to be added as part of a separate activity, not related to TiVo software.

My guess is "no". Comcast is working on MRV-like capability to be added as part of a separate activity, not related to TiVo software.

Cool, that cant happen fast enough for me....

Really I think that the Comcast Tivo service has been so built up over the past two years that for many people it will inevitably be a let down. It just can't possibly live up to the hype.
I'd say it is commonly held that the Tivo design is superior to iGuide. So even if performance isn't that great, if the features simply work as advertised, it would be a significant upgrade over iGuide. Just recording programs as scheduled would be a big bonus.

I'd say it is commonly held that the Tivo design is superior to iGuide. So even if performance isn't that great, if the features simply work as advertised, it would be a significant upgrade over iGuide. Just recording programs as scheduled would be a big bonus.

Amen to that!!! Coming from a directivo box, I never had to worry if something was recording or not, or if the unit was going to delete a program because of space full, etc.

With this moto box, I really do check with dreaded anticipation if a series record actually did or not. And if I dont watch it for a few days, will it be there when I look again....too much stress!!

But so far my biggest pet peeve is the remote control delays with this box. for no apparent reason the box dosent respond for a few seconds and then all the remote key presses start queuing. Wow is that annoying!!!

Im still kinda new to the Moto box - I can't believe how slow it responds when watching OnDemand. In fact, the first time I used OD, I pushed a button..nothing happened...so I pushed a few more just to see what was working and what wasn't. About two minutes later, all hell broke loose from the commands in the queue. IT was really pretty funny, in an annoying sort of way. The reason I pushed all those buttons was because I wasn't even sure the features like pause, FF, etc. even were supposed to work with OD. I guess they are, huh? Just reaaaaaaaaalllllllly slooooooooooooooooooooow.
Bring on the TiVO!

It will be interesting to learn how the response time is with the Tivo software on the Moto box. The current hardware/firmware/software combination certainly has performance issues, as witnessed by the no response/command queuing issues it seems like most everyone faces. Hopefully the source of those problems isn't buried deep in the firmware, and swapping in the Tivo level can affect it.

Im still kinda new to the Moto box - I can't believe how slow it responds when watching OnDemand. In fact, the first time I used OD, I pushed a button..nothing happened...so I pushed a few more just to see what was working and what wasn't. About two minutes later, all hell broke loose from the commands in the queue. IT was really pretty funny, in an annoying sort of way. The reason I pushed all those buttons was because I wasn't even sure the features like pause, FF, etc. even were supposed to work with OD. I guess they are, huh? Just reaaaaaaaaalllllllly slooooooooooooooooooooow.
Bring on the TiVO!With OnDemand the Moto needs to wait for the Comcast local (node) server to respond. So it's not a Moto software issue (other than you don't like what it is doing while waiting).

It will be interesting to learn how the response time is with the Tivo software on the Moto box. The current hardware/firmware/software combination certainly has performance issues, as witnessed by the no response/command queuing issues it seems like most everyone faces. Hopefully the source of those problems isn't buried deep in the firmware, and swapping in the Tivo level can affect it.

From the Tivo forums, is seems the speed differences are as follows:
Current Moto Software (slowest) <<<< Tivo Comcast < TivoHD.

In other words, much, much, better, but slower than TivoHD.

I wonder if it will wipe my current reocrdings and scheduled recordings, or if it will be smart enough to keep them.

I'm not too terribly optimistic however.

And if only OnDemand didn't cripple the FF and REW functions...
I think this is what I am most excited about, better control of On-Demand shows. I find that I am watching On-demand more and more.

"Browse a new easy-to-use On Demand interface and use TiVo Trickplay™
New On Demand menus simplify navigation. TiVo Trickplay™ provides greater control while watching On Demand shows: you can not only fast-forward and rewind but also do an instant replay, skip-to-tick, and skip-to-beginning or end."

I wonder if it will wipe my current reocrdings and scheduled recordings, or if it will be smart enough to keep them.

I'm not too terribly optimistic however.

HAHAHAHAHA

You were kidding right?

I wonder if it will wipe my current reocrdings and scheduled recordings, or if it will be smart enough to keep them. I'm not too terribly optimistic however.Early rumors were that the storage of recordings was NOT changed -- that the TiVo software uses the same recording storage, and therefore existing recordings would be unaffected. This also dove-tails with the idea that MRV-functionality will be effected by some Comcast feature rather than via some TiVo feature (though clearly accessible using the TiVo software).

Still waiting for corroboration of these rumors.

HAHAHAHAHA

You were kidding right?

Nope not realy.

See the Post Above.

Well it's really getting closer for all the non-believers out there. Got my hands on a dct3416 for almost a half hour or so today & for the most part it looks pretty good. Some of this info is on Comcast site or has been said in the past but I'm just relaying it from first hand use. I have near zero experience with a real Tivo box so I can't make many comparisons to it.

A couple initial observations. There are settings in the Tivo software for changing both the CC & resolution without turning box off & going to menu. Unfortunately the CC didn't seem to do anything for the few channels I tried it on, this was the case on the setup I was dealing with for either going through the Tivo way or turning box off & using that menu. Not sure if it was to do with hookup to tv or what (hooked up to std def 32" tv via comp. & also via coax), I didn't really spend too much time messing with it though, I know this is a big deal for some so I'll try to check into this again later. Changing the resolution did seem to make a difference though, as stated this was only a SD set so it was on 480i (possibly capable of 480p but didn't check) but when I went to 720p the screen went out & was on 720p in 'off/menu' screen to get back to 480i again, so at least this should make some people happy. The one big thing I found was (as was mentioned by someone before) the 30 sec skip didn't work. I was only trying it from a buffered show which had about 15 minutes in buffer but when I was as far back & tried skip it went to live tv again. I'm pretty sure I programmed the button for the skip correctly as I've done this plenty of times before & not sure what the results are if you try it on a recorded show. I'll have to try this again in the near future but this really disappointed me. Overall the new guide does look nice, much better then existing guide. And here's another plus, no ads at the bottom of the screen when going through the guide! As would be hoped being we'll be paying extra anyway. It brings the # of channels on the screen to 7, still just 3 half hour blocks though.

You can turn on/off the infamous Tivo 'bloop' sound effects. Search feature is real nice, lets you search from all channels as well as OnDemand, it's about frigin' time we can search OD! OD screen is totally different also with the Tivo interface, didn't play around in there much but it looks good. The 'peanut' remote has a nice feel for some of the main functions. One big 'bug' that I found was on the main channel guide screen you can choose to reorganize the shown channels by all, HD only or some other options...painful experience. When changing between views box freezes for somewhere between 30-60 seconds while reorganizing. Not sure if they figure people will just choose one lineup & leave it or what but it's not the type of thing you want to just change back & forth for the heck of it. The remote never actually turns the box off (as I guess is normal for Tivo boxes & many people leave the Moto DVRs on all the time anyway), it can of course be turned off using the button on the front panel & there is an option to 'restart Tivo' in the menu (like traditional Tivo).

There is supposedly still trouble getting this Tivo guide on the DCH's, engineers working on this big time, not sure how much of the population they'll release this to if they can't even get it on their newest box. Word is that upon download your existing shows 'should be safe', I'll keep my fingers crossed for the day I finally get it on my DVR's. Let me know if there's anything else you want me to try to check out on it that I haven't already mentioned. Launch date is still penciled in for Nov. 12 for NE area, but we shall see.

How was the speed? When you do a page down or up in the guide does it redraw pretty quick? Did you notice any remote control lag, where you press the button and it takes a while to respond like on the iGuide software? How was the overall speed compared to iGuide?

Yeah how's the navigation and channel changing speed? Did you say the box can change the HD resolution on the fly?

I'm surprised they are having trouble getting it to run on the DCH since it's the newest and fastest box. Maybe it has to do with some kind of underlying firmware communication since they run the version 18 series firmware while the DCT's are now running the version 16 series. Does the Tivo still run on top of firmware 16.35, or did Motorola have to release a special firmware capable of working together with the Tivo software?

Honestly, I might not go ComcasTiVo if we lose 30 second skip. In daily interaction, I use that feature more than I use the guide or search.

Honestly, I might not go ComcasTiVo if we lose 30 second skip. In daily interaction, I use that feature more than I use the guide or search.

Same here, although lately I've been using FF3 and the 10-sec back button...

So, are they going to just push a software update or does this require a new box?

Word is that it is just a software update.

Same here, although lately I've been using FF3 and the 10-sec back button...

I use FF4 and the back button a few times

I never liked 30 second skip with tivo. it takes away the jump to the next hash mark and jump to the end.

I find that FF at the highest sped and one or two jump backs are faster than 30 sec skip anyway.

I use FF4 and the back button a few times

I never liked 30 second skip with tivo. it takes away the jump to the next hash mark and jump to the end.

I find that FF at the highest sped and one or two jump backs are faster than 30 sec skip anyway.

It does and it doesn't. If you hit FF once, then the "30 second skip" jumps to the next hash mark. A few clicks and you're at the end. Best of both worlds, if you ask me.

No 30 second means a no-go for me too. I couldn't imagine watching football without it. :(

Why would they not include the 30 sec skip? Both US satellite providers have it even on non-TiVo DVRs. And isn't it on Comcast non-TiVo DVRs (maybe with a special remote code)? Are they afraid of the wrath of the content providers?

It does and it doesn't. If you hit FF once, then the "30 second skip" jumps to the next hash mark. A few clicks and you're at the end. Best of both worlds, if you ask me.

Did not realise that!

Still I like the jump to end/begining with one button.

And I still find it faster and easier to FF at the highest speed and click 8 sec back once or twice.

That 30 sec skip is a pain. You have to keep hitting it, and then you still have to jump back 8 sec.

Did not realise that!

Still I like the jump to end/begining with one button.

And I still find it faster and easier to FF at the highest speed and click 8 sec back once or twice.

That 30 sec skip is a pain. You have to keep hitting it, and then you still have to jump back 8 sec.

Back when I had a direcTivo, I setup a 3 minute and 4 minute skip button using the 30 second skip and macros on my remote to minimize the number of times I'd have to do this. Still had a 30 second skip button as well.

at this point, I don't even care if I lose a few recordings. I want the iguide purged from my box into a fiery hell.

at this point, I don't even care if I lose a few recordings. I want the iguide purged from my box into a fiery hell.

:D

There two statements don't fit together!

I have near zero experience with a real Tivo box


I'm pretty sure I programmed the button for the skip correctly as I've done this plenty of times before

Are you sure you are doing it correctly?
Start watching a previously recorded show in your now playing list and use the remote to enter <select> <Play> <select> 3 0 <select>
It's a toggle, so only do it once.

How was the speed? When you do a page down or up in the guide does it redraw pretty quick? Did you notice any remote control lag, where you press the button and it takes a while to respond like on the iGuide software? How was the overall speed compared to iGuide?

I'd say the speed was better overall then the iGuide but nothing spectacular. Doesn't appear to have page up/down anymore, when I tried with original Comcast silver remote the up/down buttons now do the 'thumbs' up/down. Pretty sure the 'peanut' remote doesn't have page up/down buttons. But when just arrowing down there was sometimes some draw delay, would show channel but sometimes took a second or two to fill in show info. Overall speed not vast improvement in my opinion, a little better but definitely isn't as quick as I would've hoped for.

Did you say the box can change the HD resolution on the fly?

It appears this way.

I'm surprised they are having trouble getting it to run on the DCH since it's the newest and fastest box. Maybe it has to do with some kind of underlying firmware communication since they run the version 18 series firmware while the DCT's are now running the version 16 series. Does the Tivo still run on top of firmware 16.35, or did Motorola have to release a special firmware capable of working together with the Tivo software?

Will hopefully find out update on the DCH issue tomorrow. Not sure on the firmware version.

I don't know if this has been posted, but is the Guide data for the Comcast Tivo software stored on the drive, or still only in memory?

I'd say the speed was better overall then the iGuide but nothing spectacular. Doesn't appear to have page up/down anymore, when I tried with original Comcast silver remote the up/down buttons now do the 'thumbs' up/down. Pretty sure the 'peanut' remote doesn't have page up/down buttons. But when just arrowing down there was sometimes some draw delay, would show channel but sometimes took a second or two to fill in show info. Overall speed not vast improvement in my opinion, a little better but definitely isn't as quick as I would've hoped for.

On Tivo the up/down channel buttons are the page up/down in the guide.

That's one of the things I didn't like about Tivo when I had the DirectTivo. The repaint of the grid guide was very slow (yes even after the upgrade to speed it up). I could never get used to using the Tivo style Guide. I like to see multiple times on multiple channels at once which requires the grid guide. But boy do I miss the robustness of the Tivo solution over the iGuide solution that I have today.

So, are they going to just push a software update or does this require a new box?

Push, as stated this was just on a standard dct3416. It had the original iGuide one day & Tivo the next.

On Tivo the up/down channel buttons are the page up/down in the guide.

I didn't realize this, will try it again.

There two statements don't fit together!


Are you sure you are doing it correctly?
Start watching a previously recorded show in your now playing list and use the remote to enter <select> <Play> <select> 3 0 <select>
It's a toggle, so only do it once.

Not exactly sure what you didn't understand on those statements unless you thought I programmed Tivo's for a 30 sec skip, I was referring to programming remote for the Moto 30 sec skip w/iGuide.
1. Press the "Cable" button at the top of the remote to put it into Cable Box control mode.
2. Press and hold the "Setup" button until the "Cable" button blinks twice.
3. Type in the code 994. The "Cable" button will blink twice.
4. Press (do not hold) the "Setup" button.
5. Type in the code 00173.
6. Press whatever button you want to map the 30-second skip command to (ex: A / Lock). The "Cable" button will blink twice if successful.

I'm hoping I pressed 00177 by mistake instead of 00173 because the result I had was going to Live tv which would be correct if I hit a 7 instead of a 3, will have to try this again (I'm not religious but I'm praying I hit that wrong #). Not sure what the key sequence you mentioned is but if you could explain it for me I'd appreciate it, is it referring to how you do it on a regular Tivo?

On regular Tivo, when you are watching a previously recorded show, you can hit the following sequence of keys to turn the skip (->|) button into a 30 sec skip. The sequence is:

Select, Play, Select, 3, 0, select

Do the key sequence again and the key toggles back to skip to tick

I'd say the speed was better overall then the iGuide but nothing spectacular. Doesn't appear to have page up/down anymore, when I tried with original Comcast silver remote the up/down buttons now do the 'thumbs' up/down. Pretty sure the 'peanut' remote doesn't have page up/down buttons. But when just arrowing down there was sometimes some draw delay, would show channel but sometimes took a second or two to fill in show info. Overall speed not vast improvement in my opinion, a little better but definitely isn't as quick as I would've hoped for.With Tivos, channel +/- is supposed to do page +/- when you are navigating the guide.

Is that not the case with the Comcast Tivo software?

Not exactly sure what you didn't understand on those statements unless you thought I programmed Tivo's for a 30 sec skip,

That's exactly what I thought.

It sounds like on the Motorola remote, you are actually programming the remote to send a different command.

With TiVo, you are sending a sequence of commands so that the TiVo OS will now treat the skip to tick button as a 30s skip instead.

In theory, either/both ways could have been implemented in the new software. Testing will tell

Theres some small updates to I-Guide coming soon...
http://www.comcast.com/newguide/#

I'll gladly try the Tivo still. The I-Guide is still the same boring looking I-Guide.

I'm sure the I-Guide update still freezes every few minutes causing the remote commands to queue up. Hopefully the tivo software fixes that problem.

Theres some small updates to I-Guide coming soon...
http://www.comcast.com/newguide/#

I'll gladly try the Tivo still. The I-Guide is still the same boring looking I-Guide.

I'm sure the I-Guide update still freezes every few minutes causing the remote commands to queue up. Hopefully the tivo software fixes that problem.

Can't tell if there's a keyword search search for regular programming; it does say "select" markets will be able to search VOD by keyword, actor or director. Live recording awareness (for extending end time), overlap clipping and smart tuner swaps are welcome.

I've heard new firmware is coming soon too.

For people who have seen it, does the Comcast TiVo let you specify "Channels I Receive" like the standalone TiVo boxes do? Better yet, does it get that information automatically from Comcast based on my package subscription?

Can't tell if there's a keyword search search for regular programming; it does say "select" markets will be able to search VOD by keyword, actor or director. Live recording awareness (for extending end time), overlap clipping and smart tuner swaps are welcome.

I've heard new firmware is coming soon too.

Keyword only applies to SA markets. The Motorola i-Guide has none of that good stuff.

I reiterate. The i-Guide is LAME.

Does anybody know if the Comcast TiVo will allow firewire recording (DVHS) and if it will support additional storage via eSATA?

Firewire is supported at a lower level than the guide software, so TiVo software won't affect whether or not Firewire is supported. The same is true, to some extent, of eSATA support, but also beyond that extent, FWIR, eSATA support is not part of the TiVo software recently deployed.

Does anybody know if the Comcast TiVo will allow firewire recording (DVHS) and if it will support additional storage via eSATA?
Firewire ports on STBs leased to customers by cable companies are mandated by the FCC. So, yes, Firewire output *should* still work.

In the interest of full disclosure, there is, IMHO, a ridiculous debate regarding whether an update from the FCC mandated the Firewire ports be active, or merely present. If the ports are required to be present, it makes no sense but to require they are active.

And I still find it faster and easier to FF at the highest speed and click 8 sec back once or twice.

Tivo has a feature called something like "overshoot adjustment", during 2X or 3X FF or RW, if you hit play, it tries to adjust for the delay between when you see something and when you actually hit the remote button, so it doesn't start playing right at when it receives the remote signal, but a little back for FF, and a little forward for RW. It works pretty well for most people, unless if you have super fast reflexes. Usually when I use it, when I hit play during FF2, it jumps right to where I want it to start playing.

Tivo has a feature called something like "overshoot adjustment", during 2X or 3X FF or RW, if you hit play, it tries to adjust for the delay between when you see something and when you actually hit the remote button, so it doesn't start playing right at when it receives the remote signal, but a little back for FF, and a little forward for RW. It works pretty well for most people, unless if you have super fast reflexes. Usually when I use it, when I hit play during FF2, it jumps right to where I want it to start playing.

I know, I use to have one and loved it.

However at the fastest FF I would still goof it up a bit, and one to two jumps back fix it.

I was thinking if Comcast has spent two years figuring out how to put Tivo software on your cable box for a charge. How long will it take them to figure out a way to get it off your cable box if you decide to opt out of the Tivo service.

I was thinking if Comcast has spent two years figuring out how to put Tivo software on your cable box for a charge. How long will it take them to figure out a way to get it off your cable box if you decide to opt out of the Tivo service.

Not very long at all. They simply, from the office, wipe your box clean and reinstall the old software.

It's a shame that alot of people do not understand the difference between Hardware and the various software layers used on said hardware.

Comcast is ONLY using a TiVo Interface and Guide software on there pre-exsisting Motorola Hardware. DO NOT EXPECT This DVR service provided by comcast to act and work just like a TiVo STB that has both TiVo Hardware designs and TiVo based Software and Guide.

It's a shame that alot of people do not understand the difference between Hardware and the various software layers used on said hardware.

Comcast is ONLY using a TiVo Interface and Guide software on there pre-exsisting Motorola Hardware. DO NOT EXPECT This DVR service provided by comcast to act and work just like a TiVo STB that has both TiVo Hardware designs and TiVo based Software and Guide.

Why not?

So far these seem to jsut as much if not more than d* hd tivo's

It's a shame that alot of people do not understand the difference between Hardware and the various software layers used on said hardware.

Comcast is ONLY using a TiVo Interface and Guide software on there pre-exsisting Motorola Hardware. DO NOT EXPECT This DVR service provided by comcast to act and work just like a TiVo STB that has both TiVo Hardware designs and TiVo based Software and Guide.

Sounds like you have used the interface, and your experience indicates that we should all be lowering expectations (again), or am I just reading too far between the lines?

If it ever gets released, I guess everyone can judge for themselves, but it sounds like I may need to give santa a call to put an S3 back on my Christmas list.

Gabatta-
If you do get that S3, let me know how it works for you.
I'm in Boston also, and will be getting Comcast after the first of the year, and would like to decide before then whether to go with the Comcast box w/TiVO or the S3.

Tivo has a feature called something like "overshoot adjustment", during 2X or 3X FF or RW, if you hit play, it tries to adjust for the delay between when you see something and when you actually hit the remote button, so it doesn't start playing right at when it receives the remote signal, but a little back for FF, and a little forward for RW. It works pretty well for most people, unless if you have super fast reflexes. Usually when I use it, when I hit play during FF2, it jumps right to where I want it to start playing.

Dunno, I don't think I have particularly fast reflexes, but I absolutely hate this "feature." Much rather have it start exactly where I hit the play button.

Gabatta-
If you do get that S3, let me know how it works for you.
I'm in Boston also, and will be getting Comcast after the first of the year, and would like to decide before then whether to go with the Comcast box w/TiVO or the S3.

I certainly will. However I can tell you now, that several friends have the S3 in use with Comcast in this area. The integration with the cable card and S3 works very well. As for the S3 itself, the unit functions admirably; fast interface with virtually no freezes and skips. It is certainly debatable, but the already excellent ComcasPQ looks slightly better to my eye via the S3, than via my sorry 3416. The S3 has too many excellent features to get into here.

I certainly do not expect the Comoast/TiVo offering to be on par, but I am hoping for a fast interface the the basic TiVo functionality. IMO, the main drawback to the S3 (and reason I am waiting to see the Comcast offering) is the lack of integration with OnDemand and PPV. I do not use these services much, but others in my household do. It would really bum me out to have two cable boxes for our needs. If you don't need these services, and don't mind shelling out the $ for the S3, there is no reason not to head in that direction.

Dunno, I don't think I have particularly fast reflexes, but I absolutely hate this "feature." Much rather have it start exactly where I hit the play button.That's what the feature does. It compensates for the delay between when you intended to press the button and when the IR receiver in the DVR received the signal from your remote control.

That's what the feature does. It compensates for the delay between when you intended to press the button and when the IR receiver in the DVR received the signal from your remote control.Exactly.

I won't use DVRs without this feature anymore. Once you've used it for awhile, the concept of hitting replay after fast forward just becomes absurd.

Dunno, I don't think I have particularly fast reflexes, but I absolutely hate this "feature." Much rather have it start exactly where I hit the play button.

That's what the feature does. It compensates for the delay between when you intended to press the button and when the IR receiver in the DVR received the signal from your remote control.

Dunno, with Comcast it used to back up 30 seconds or longer when using FF4.

I don't believe you're referring to the same feature as we are. We're talking about "overshoot adjustment" -- you're apparently talking about "Replay".

I am thinking that we will start seeing the Comcast Tivo in the next 2 weeks. Anything after that and your risk it being drowned out in the news by the holidays. I imagine Comcast would want to get lots of press about this, especially right before people begin to think about buying new HDTV's for gifts.

I don't believe you're referring to the same feature as we are. We're talking about "overshoot adjustment" -- you're apparently talking about "Replay".

Nope, I'm talking about overshoot. As I recall, with the Microsoft software it used to back up several minutes when using FF4. I much prefer zero overshoot adjustment.

That was the Microsoft software... we're talking about the TiVo software.