I've notice repeated discussions in other threads comparing/contrasting the pros, cons, costs of Comcast's Tivo DVR to the Tivo HD (or S3). I thought it was time it gets it's own thread.

Would anybody like to take a shot at comparing the features? I realize Comcast pricing varies by region, but it would be nice to also discuss pricing comparisons and monthly cost of ownership.

I've notice repeated discussions in other threads comparing/contrasting the pros, cons, costs of Comcast's Tivo DVR to the Tivo HD (or S3). I thought it was time it gets it's own thread.

Would anybody like to take a shot at comparing the features? I realize Comcast pricing varies by region, but it would be nice to also discuss pricing comparisons and monthly cost of ownership.


I am paying $12/month for a Comcast HD dual tuner DVR. I am thinking about the current promotion to get the HD Tivo and a lifetime subscriptiion for $698.99. My sister has Tivo and she will buy the package for me if I give her the money, since this promotion is for current Tivo owners giving Tivo as a gift.

I am hoping that I can save enough money to make it worth ~$740 including tax. I didn't know that Switched Digital Video was coming up, and that is a concern of mine.

I need to make a decision in the next 2 weeks so that I can get free shipping from TIVO.

Note that they've already announced a target date for the tuning resolver that will help address SDV concerns on the TiVo S3 and TiVo HD. Of course, you need to factor in the as-yet-undisclosed fee your cable company will charge for rental of the tuning resolver. They will not be selling them -- only renting them.

Note that they've already announced a target date for the tuning resolver that will help address SDV concerns on the TiVo S3 and TiVo HD. Of course, you need to factor in the as-yet-undisclosed fee your cable company will charge for rental of the tuning resolver. They will not be selling them -- only renting them.


Is there a link to info on the tuning resolver? I wonder how much the tuning resolver is going to rent for? If I have to rent something from Comcast, I might stick with the Comcast DVR. I want to save money over a period of years.

Thanks for the info.

Is there a link to info on the tuning resolver? I wonder how much the tuning resolver is going to rent for? If I have to rent something from Comcast, I might stick with the Comcast DVR. I want to save money over a period of years.

Thanks for the info.

http://www.zatznotfunny.com/2007-11/sdv-usb-dongle-details-emerge/

and here (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=375723&page=8)

I think the best way to save money is to aim for less service, rather than trying to find a way to pay less for the same level of service. In the end, all comparable options will be driven inextricably to the same price-point.

My decision was made for me by Comcast when they switched us from the Microsoft Guide to SARA/iGuide.

As bad as I thought the MS guide was, it is light years ahead of SARA/iGuide in functionality and usability.

Most of my "Season Passes" disappeared when I was switched over and many shows (sports, mostly) and I could not create new passes for, but had to manually schedule them when they appeared (so it required me to know when they were, since the guide didn't).

It also randomly added Season Passes as well as started recording random shows. While I was lucky, many folks had shows they wanted to see erased to make room for the new stuff the machine was randomly recording.

The only benefit iGuide/SARA had was episode summaries, which the MS guide never really did.

My Comcast DVR was now essentially non-functional, so I lasted three days on iGuide/SARA before I bought a TivoHD and a three-year plan.

If Comcast had kept the MS guide, I was willing to wait for Comcast/Tivo since it worked and it had some nice Tivo-like features like "skip-back" during FF when you hit play. It also had faster RW and FF speeds.

But they didn't, so I didn't, and I have been the happier for it. My Cable bill has dropped about $10 a month since going to Tivo (do not ask me why), so I am rapidly recovering my costs.

Boxes do fail. I've had to swap out two Motorola DVRs and one TiVo S3. The two Motorola DVRs were replaced no-questions-asked, while for the S3, since I was within the 30 day return period, my best option was to return the S3 entirely and buy a new one. After 90 days, I would have been without a DVR for a while, and probably would have had to pay for a repair, since the box would have been out of warranty.

I have no doubts that they do fail. I have never experienced a box failure in some two decades - be it Comcast or Tivo - so I don't factor it into the equation because I don't expect to experience one.

However, I would not be so reckless to expect everyone else to feel the same when it comes to calculating their own costs.

How can you compare something that does not exist?

Just because you don't have access to it doesn't mean it does not exist. :)

Those who do have acces can't talk about it.

bicker1, you are something else.

There has been no indication that tuning resolver will be leased - Comcast and others would be silly to risk the wrath of the FCC by requiring consumers to pay for their blatant disregard of the CableCARD mandate.

And the FUD about Tivo boxes getting repaired was a good one ... :)

bicker1, you are something else.You mean, someone who says something that you disagree with? :confused: I'm sure you've encountered that before.

There has been no indication that tuning resolver will be leasedNor any indication that they will provide them for free. As I've said on TCF, several times, my best guess is that the first one will be "included" (not "free"), and they'll charge and extra monthly fee for any additional.

Comcast and others would be silly to risk the wrath of the FCC by requiring consumers to pay for their blatant disregard of the CableCARD mandate.Tell THAT to the folks in Chicago, who are already subject to what you've chosen to call "blatant disregard". The FCC has done NOTHING to resolve their situation, and in all likelihood WILL NOT. That shows you just how much the FCC considers this "blatant disregard" of its regulations.

And the FUD about Tivo boxes getting repaired was a good one ... :)Just because things haven't happen to you doesn't mean they don't happen. Head over to the TCF and you'll find hundreds of reports of faulty TiVos.

People want information on which they can rely. When there IS no information on which people can rely (such as the answer to the question, "Will my TiVo break?") then the best approach is to get information on what can go wrong. The Boy Scouts motto: "Be prepared."

does no one else use the on-demand? I use it to rent movies or watch the free ones. I can almost always find something on there to watch.

I personally do not, as I find it difficult find enough time to watch what I DVR.

However, many have noted the lack of OnDemand is a deal-breaker for them for non-Comcast Tivo. Tivo does have Amazon Unbox, but I don't know how it compares as I do not use it, either.

Pay Per View does work with a Tivo unit, you just need to call instead of order from the box. So for those who do not watch OnDemand, but do watch PPV, Tivo could be a viable option for them.

Pay Per View does work with a Tivo unit, you just need to call instead of order from the box.

Unless they implement iPPV via the On-Demand infrastructure (which is generally a switched video system), in which case you may not be able to; I know some people on the TiVo Community Forum have called their cable companies about that and been told that. (Of course, the cablecos *could* make it work if they really felt like it...)

I think the on-demand has a pretty good selection. I looked in the unbox from amazon and I would hate having to download it to the box as oppose to just hitting play.

I love my Tivo, I just don't think it is cheaper to buy a Tivo HD vs renting the tivo service from comcast. I understand if you buy one and it works for like 5 years you will come out ahead but that won't be the case for everyone.

Does anyone know if the comcast Tivo ever plans to support multiroom viewing? And how well does HD MRV work with the TivoHD and S3 (assuming of course you have the internal network bandwidth).

I use onDemand from time to time, but not PPV (all the PPV seems to have are things I'm sure my wife wouldn't want to watch with me :)). I really appreciate the times onDemand seems to have some programming in advance of release, and when they do fall previews (sometimes with full episodes).

Comcast previously announced plans for their own flavor of MRV --- not TiVo-specific, so it will work across all Comcast DVRs in the home.

Between my S3 and my computer, HD TTG is slow, of course, but it works. I can't speak first-hand about HD MRV.

to buy a Tivo HD vs renting the tivo service

This is a personal decision, but it needs to be pointed out that by all accounts, what you will get from Comcast, once you get it, which is TBD, is best described as Tivo-lite. It has the same basic interface and many of the features. But it is NOT a full featured Tivo. So take that into mind when considering the relative cost vs features of the two.

From what I've gathered, the Comcast TiVo service will provide most, if not all, of the core of the original TiVo (i.e., Series 1) service: Trick-play, Season Passes, Wish Lists, and Suggestions. It will have its own program guide source (but from the screen-shots I've seen it looks comparable or better). What it won't have is the broadband functionality: Online Scheduling, MRV, TTG, Unbox, Rhapsody, TiVoCast, etc. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it will also have some of the advanced core features such Trash Can and Overlap Protection.

Comcast previously announced plans for their own flavor of MRV --- not TiVo-specific, so it will work across all Comcast DVRs in the home.

Between my S3 and my computer, HD TTG is slow, of course, but it works. I can't speak first-hand about HD MRV.

Thank you. I'll have to look that announcement up...

From what I've gathered, the Comcast TiVo service will provide most, if not all, of the core of the original TiVo (i.e., Series 1) service: Trick-play, Season Passes, Wish Lists, and Suggestions. It will have its own program guide source (but from the screen-shots I've seen it looks comparable or better). What it won't have is the broadband functionality: Online Scheduling, MRV, TTG, Unbox, Rhapsody, TiVoCast, etc. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it will also have some of the advanced core features such Trash Can and Overlap Protection.

I agree, from what I have read the core Tivo is very similar. You miss out on the addons which I rarely use and would gladly give up for on-demand. The main thing I like about my tv is the remote, general navigation, season pass mgmr, and searching for programs. All of those will be there as I understand it.

I agree, from what I have read the core Tivo is very similar. You miss out on the addons which I rarely use and would gladly give up for on-demand. The main thing I like about my tv is the remote, general navigation, season pass mgmr, and searching for programs. All of those will be there as I understand it.Perhaps the most important thing you give up with the current version of the Comcast TiVo software: eSATA drive expansion.

You won't see this on your Comcast TiVO:

http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivo/sysinfo_1tb.jpg

Instead, you'll have ~20 HD hours.

You can also forget about downloading high-definition recordings to your computer with a web browser (http://mysite.verizon.net/~fiosdvr/tivoweb.png).

Perhaps the most important thing you give up with the current version of the Comcast TiVo software: eSATA drive expansion.

You won't see this on your Comcast TiVO:

Instead, you'll have ~20 HD hours.

Of course, you won't see this in your web browser either:



I am good with 20 hours of HD, I usually watch the programming right away. I mainly record it due to conflicts or just to skip commercials. Also I don't use the online features of Tivo, I tried tivotogo but it was so slow it wasn't worth it and I can't image it in HD. I started to test the unbox but just figured it was more of hassle than hitting the order button on my comcast dvr. I do play that jewel game on the tivo, will that be there?

My wife and I use Comcast VoD several times a month.

Instead of setting up DVR recordings of some shows, we just watch them On Demand. This especially works great for older series that we haven't gotten into like The Soprano's or Sex and the City. But saving space isn't really an advantage. I mean, with stand alone TiVo's you can get x00Mb of storage. What's cool here is the selection. We discover shows and programming that we wouldn't ordinarily watch.

Additionally, we buy 2-3 PPV movies a month. We most often by the "New Releases" which are movies that are on DVD or are just about to come out on DVD.

Also, a good number of the movies come in Hi Def. The newer releases cost $1 or $2 more than the SD version. Also, there's a large library of free movies...including free HD movies.

This gives us hundreds of shows and movies at our fingertips without taking up any hard drive space.

One neat feature coming to the new Comcast TiVo is that we will be able to search and scan through all On Demand programming just as if it were normal programming. This will be an amazing feature for us. It will most likely result in us using On Demand even more now that it is more accessible.

Right now, we can't search VoD programming unless we exit out of the live programming guide and enter the VoD menus.

BTW: By hooking up a Slingbox to the STB, you can access all the programming from your mobile phone or laptop.

One of my pet peeves is not being able to have as the default, a list of my favorite stations that ALWAYS appear in the guide. I know Comcast dvr allows for favorites, but extra buttons have to be pushed each time and it defaults to the guide with all the stations. I would like to delete stations forever that I do not watch or subscribe to and never see them on the guide. Is this possible with the new Comcast Tivo software?

I'd like to dust off this old thread to hear latest impressions as to the best way to go.

So I am finally ready to take the HD plunge, am a devoted Tivo guy, and live in comcast territory. All I seem to read are nighmares about the comcast/tivo motorola box setup, and it isn't even available where I live yet. Should I wait for it, or just go ahead and get the TiVo HD DVR and put a comcast card or two in it?

I'm especially concerned about speed. I've read the comcast box with TiVo software is reeeaaally slow. Is the TiVo HD box with comcast card any faster?

I've never used on demand much, but I bet I would if it were easy. In my current setup (TiVo Series 2 plugged into a comcast motorola box) it is damn near impossible and very clunky, so I never even try.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm 18 months into my TivoHD ownership here in Seattle and I figure I'll be lucky if Comcast offers me a Tivo DVR option in the remaining 18 months of my pre-paid contract.

Considering how much a better experience it is then I-Guide/SARA, and I ended up saving some money every month, as well, I am very happy. :cool:

Bit off topic:
Will two-way Cable Card have any positive or negative effects on either or both of these units?
Thanks too all!

Howdy, folks.

I have a place in Minneapolis and Comcast is the cable presence there. I would like to make the jump to HD with a new TV and everything else, but want to have a very good DVR experience. Currently, I use a 4:3 TV with ReplayTV and it works great. Obviously, I want HD.

So that said, it looks like I have two options, not considering a Comcast-designed DVR. I can buy the stand-alone Tivo HD DVR for $600 and a monthly contract, or I can wait until Comcast rolls out its own Tivo-branded DVR in Minneapolis.

Two questions:

1) does ANYBODY - ANYBODY - have a clue when Comcast is coming to Minneapolis? Has there been any movement outside of New England? Do we have any insiders here who know what is going on? I've been following this off and on since Comcast signed the Tivo deal in 2005. It's almost 2009!

2) If I get the Series 3 Tivo HD DVR, how difficult will it be to configure it with the Comcast service. Right now, I don't have a cable box. Just coax plugged into the wall. Now as far as I can tell from Tivo's website, this will work. How is this experience (viewing)? I've read a bit about cable cards, but have mostly heard that Comcast is tough to deal with in getting these cards and then also getting them to work with the Tivo (and don't the Cablecards cost extra, also?).

I'd like to move to HD, but until I get this DVR situation resolved, I'm not ditching my current setup. It just works too smoothly for me to deal with Comcast's garbage software DVR.

PLEASE advise.

Thanks so much for your help!

Brad

So that said, it looks like I have two options, not considering a Comcast-designed DVR. I can buy the stand-alone Tivo HD DVR for $600 and a monthly contract, or I can wait until Comcast rolls out its own Tivo-branded DVR in Minneapolis.The TivoHD sells for about $250, and can be had for as little as $200-$220 from the likes of Costco and Circuit City.

If you want the TivoHD XL model with a 1TB drive, that will cost $599, although if you do want a high-capacity unit, it would be cheaper to buy the standard TivoHD for ~$250 and upgrade it with a 1TB hard drive (150+ HD hours) for $125 (http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-av-gp-wd10evcs-hard-drive-1tb-serial-ata-300-serial/q/loc/101/206827123.html). If you want something a bit cheaper, you can upgrade to a 500Gb hard drive (75 HD hours) for $65 (http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-av-gp-wd5000avvs-hard-drive-500gb-serial-ata-300/q/loc/101/206827120.html). Instructions to do the upgrade can be found at the end of the first post (FAQ #30) in this thread (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=370784).

For the subscription, you have several options. You can pay $399 for a lifetime subscription to eliminate all the fees. Or you can pay prepay $129 for a year, which works out to $10.75/mo. Or you can go month-to-month and pay $12.95/mo.

2) If I get the Series 3 Tivo HD DVR, how difficult will it be to configure it with the Comcast service. Right now, I don't have a cable box. Just coax plugged into the wall. Now as far as I can tell from Tivo's website, this will work. How is this experience (viewing)? I've read a bit about cable cards, but have mostly heard that Comcast is tough to deal with in getting these cards and then also getting them to work with the Tivo (and don't the Cablecards cost extra, also?).Comcast provides one free CableCard with each digital cable subscription. If you don't have digital cable, or want more than one CableCard, the cost will be about $2.00/mo per card.

Install is simplified with the newer TivoHD, which supports both tuners with a single MCARD. The older TiVo Series3 model required two CableCards, which doubled the chance that the representative would get something wrong. In the past, many people would find that one card had been correctly activated, but not the second, so only one tuner would work. The TivoHD has eliminated those headaches by supporting both tuners with a single card.

Most Comcast reps now have experience with activating CableCards in boxes, which makes for better installations. One year ago, very few reps had any experience activating CableCards.

...want to have a very good DVR experience.What I've found is that the quality of one's DVR experience is direct related to how closely their expectations match the reality. What undercuts the experience for a lot of folks is engaging in "woulda coulda shoulda" thinking.

Currently, I use a 4:3 TV with ReplayTV and it works great. Obviously, I want HD.Overall, you'll encounter a better overall experience, since HD is clearly something you want. Not every aspect of the experience will be better than the same aspect of your ReplayTV experience, but overall, the net effect will be better.

So that said, it looks like I have two options, not considering a Comcast-designed DVR. I can buy the stand-alone Tivo HD DVR for $600 and a monthly contract, or I can wait until Comcast rolls out its own Tivo-branded DVR in Minneapolis.All three are valid options, meaning that each of the three could be the best option for you, depending on your own personal preferences and priorities. I've tried the first two options, and find the (real) TiVo to be a little more expensive, but "worth it" to me because (and only because) I can attach an eSATA drive and thereby get over 100 hours of HD stored up, programming to watch during the upcoming hiatus.

2) If I get the Series 3 Tivo HD DVR, how difficult will it be to configure it with the Comcast service. There are two difficulties I've encountered most often, neither of which are things that you have much direct control over: First, pairing the cards requires slow, deliberate, and conscientious action on the part of cable company employees, and that's often too much to ask of folks who are rewarded for doing their work as quickly as possible, to keep costs down. Second, the (real) TiVo is far more sensitive to inadequacies in the cable companies' installed infrastructure and your own interior cabling. That last bit, of course, you do have control over, and indeed, I have had a lot of the cabling in my home replaced to better support my (real) TiVo.

Right now, I don't have a cable box. Just coax plugged into the wall. Now as far as I can tell from Tivo's website, this will work.I'm not sure what you read, but the TiVo HD requires CableCARDs to marry your cable service to the proper program guide data for each channel. So, no, it won't "work" -- at least not like a TiVo.

Hi Fellas.

Thanks a great deal for your thoughtful and lengthy responses. That helps out a lot.

A couple of follow-up questions...

1) you spoke of an "installation" involving the Cablecard. Does this mean that I must have a Comcast person come out to my place during regular business hours and have him hand it to me? Isn't this something that I could just take possession of and slide into the Tivo HD? The "installation" process isn't clear to me.

2) I prefer to get the Comcast Tivo. That would be the best of all worlds for me. I don't have to pay Tivo for a box, less monthly subscription fees, and no hassles in getting Comcast equipment to work with Tivo equipment; it's integrated by nature.

So this begs the question, when will Comcast get its Tivo DVR out to Minneapolis? Does anybody have a clue? Is Comcast even moving on this matter, to anywhere besides New England? Is there any sort of recent development, beyond a press release? Actual rollouts in other places of the country?

Thanks again for your help!

Brad

1) you spoke of an "installation" involving the Cablecard. Does this mean that I must have a Comcast person come out to my place during regular business hours and have him hand it to me? Isn't this something that I could just take possession of and slide into the Tivo HD? The "installation" process isn't clear to me.

They'll come to your home, (most likely) copy down the serial number on the back of the card, insert the card into the unit, read off the Host ID and Pairing ID numbers, and provide those for input to someone at their main office. They'll then wait for a hit to be sent, and verify that encrypted channels are viewable with the TiVo. Once that is the case, you're all ready to go. However, don't be surprised if they try to blame the cards or the TiVo for any problems, or just generally complain about it - many techs hate dealing with them, just because it's different, so grumbling is expected.

2) I prefer to get the Comcast Tivo. That would be the best of all worlds for me. I don't have to pay Tivo for a box, less monthly subscription fees, and no hassles in getting Comcast equipment to work with Tivo equipment; it's integrated by nature.

Unfortunately you're then stuck with Motorola's DVR - which is a very slow, limited little box. I've heard varying reports of problems even with the TiVo software. The Comcast TiVo box *sounds* like a really good idea, but from what I've heard from a lot of people it doesn't exactly live up to the potential it sounds like it ought to have. If you don't tax it too much, it might be alright, but if you're a heavy DVR user, you may well be quite unsatisfied with it. I do think that's less to do with the TiVo UI software than the Moto box itself.

So this begs the question, when will Comcast get its Tivo DVR out to Minneapolis? Does anybody have a clue? Is Comcast even moving on this matter, to anywhere besides New England? Is there any sort of recent development, beyond a press release? Actual rollouts in other places of the country?

At this point, I don't think even Comcast knows - it's just a wait and see thing.

Not sure I follow some of these threads stating the TV MUST have a cable card. I called Comcast in the Chicago area. I have the option of the cable card in the TIVO but then I would lose "On Demand" and "pay per View". OR, I could get a COMCAST HD cable box and plug it INTO my TIVO.

Thinking right now, I will just get the comcast box and the TIVO box. Duplicate space but a bit more flexability.

One of my pet peeves is not being able to have as the default, a list of my favorite stations that ALWAYS appear in the guide. I know Comcast dvr allows for favorites, but extra buttons have to be pushed each time and it defaults to the guide with all the stations. I would like to delete stations forever that I do not watch or subscribe to and never see them on the guide. Is this possible with the new Comcast Tivo software?

Yes on all counts.

Not sure I follow some of these threads stating the TV MUST have a cable card. I called Comcast in the Chicago area. I have the option of the cable card in the TIVO but then I would lose "On Demand" and "pay per View". OR, I could get a COMCAST HD cable box and plug it INTO my TIVO.

Thinking right now, I will just get the comcast box and the TIVO box. Duplicate space but a bit more flexability.

Well folks, maybe this is indeed incorrect.

I found this on the net when discussing the TIVO box.


Any TiVo that can use a CableCARD can NOT use a cable box instead


Not sure I understand that and goes against what Comcast told me but it this true and if so, why?

Anyone out there with an HD TIVO AND a box?

Not sure I follow some of these threads stating the TV MUST have a cable card. I called Comcast in the Chicago area. I have the option of the cable card in the TIVO but then I would lose "On Demand" and "pay per View". OR, I could get a COMCAST HD cable box and plug it INTO my TIVO.

You can't use an HD-capable TiVo to capture from a cable box; you'll still need a CableCARD (or two, if you can only get S-Cards). However, you can have a regular cable box for getting PPV or VOD content, if you really want those. You may have to pay an additional outlet fee, depending on which Comcast location you're in.

The Tivo HD replaces the box, and Cablecard(s) are required to get all of the channels on your sub.

You can have both a cable box and a TiVo HD, but they're not connected to each other; they're both connected to your television. You watch one at a time.

Wait, why cant I have an HD cable box connected to my HD TIVO box the same way as my non HD cable box is connected to my non HD TIVO box?

Wait, why cant I have an HD cable box connected to my HD TIVO box the same way as my non HD cable box is connected to my non HD TIVO box?

Because the new TiVos don't work that way - they capture all content by using the integrated NTSC, ATSC or QAM tuners. There are no composite/S-video inputs for capturing video like the Series 1/2 units had. If you want to capture digital cable content, and it's encrypted, CableCARDs are required.

Because the new TiVos don't work that way - they capture all content by using the integrated NTSC, ATSC or QAM tuners. There are no composite/S-video inputs for capturing video like the Series 1/2 units had. If you want to capture digital cable content, and it's encrypted, CableCARDs are required.


GOT IT! Thanks.

There is a tru2way enabled Series 4 in the works. There might also be a Tivo HD2 which would be the decontented version. Tru2way would allow you to have a fully integrated tivo. You get a tivo UI that supports the tivo features and SDV. Then you have a Cable UI for VOD, and other 2 way services. All thanks to tru2way.

There is a tru2way enabled Series 4 in the works.

Well, it's not really known when that'll actually appear. It could be in the works for awhile yet - and it's not known how long it'll be until tru2way deployment is actually broad enough for it to even matter.

You get a tivo UI that supports the tivo features and SDV.

The tuning resolvers should be available soon (and I believe in some areas, they already are). You don't need to drop more bucks for that.