I am considering using a TivoHD box as both an OTA tuner and a DVR.

Does anyone have any experience with the quality of the OTA tuner in this box? Does it use a 5th generation ATSC tuner?

I dismissed Tivo earlier in the year due to the high cost, but with the new price points, I'm seriously considering it at this point.

Thanks,

You know that there is a monthly (or lifetime) fee.

Ed

Yes. That is why I want to get some input first as there doesn't seem to be any "trial" service. It looks like at least 1 year is needed to sign up.

Still, I'm not sure what would be a better DVR option for OTA at this point. Perhaps I should check with the DVR forum as re that issue.

If the OTA tuner is shoddy, however, I would not consider it. That is the question I'm trying to answer for now.

Yes. That is why I want to get some input first as there doesn't seem to be any "trial" service. It looks like at least 1 year is needed to sign up.

Still, I'm not sure what would be a better DVR option for OTA at this point. Perhaps I should check with the DVR forum as re that issue.

If the OTA tuner is shoddy, however, I would not consider it. That is the question I'm trying to answer for now.
I have the Samsung 260F ATSC tuner and it is extremely good quality.

I just got the TivoHD since we need to record/time shift 1-2 shows a week.

Comparing directly, the Samsung has the edge in PQ. But the TivoHD is not too far behind. I'm pretty happy with it. If there is any OTA TV that is critical viewing, I will probably watch it live on the Samsung. But not a lot of broadcast TV is that way :D So I end up watching through the Tivo most of the time.

I have both connected via HDMI, and the Tivo takes longer to switch and re-establish the handshake.

The only other options for OTA DVRs are either out of production products (Sony, LG) or HTPC type solutions. Neither fit my criteria (easy for my spouse to use and plug+play).

Thanks for the info.

I found out that the TivoHD box uses the following digital tuner:

ATI/AMD Theater 314 (http://ati.amd.com/products/theater314/index.html)

It sounds like a 5th generation tuner, but doesn't state it directly.

I am looking at possibly using a Tivo box with a computer monitor (that has component inputs). I'm getting tired of waiting for a TV that also does equally well as a computer monitor. 1366x768 resolution on a ~26" screen is not exactly optimal.

I have not been at all impressed with USB ATSC tuners; they make it very difficult to multi-task on my computer, the software is buggy and the quality is relatively poor.

Thanks again,