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The Official AVS TiVo "Series4" Premiere topic

378K views 4K replies 290 participants last post by  dturturro 
#1 ·
 
#1,227 ·

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I have downloaded quite a few Amazon videos and have never had a single issue.
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Yes, it's extremely rare that I've had an issue with Amazon downloads on my TiVo...
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^ Neither have I, but all of them were in SD.

Thanks for the feedback. Actually I'm relieved that others are able to get their Amazon movies with few problems.


I've had this problem on 3 different Tivos. Interestingly the only time I didn't have a problem was with a SD movie.


I re-watched the movie and the glitches are definitely repeatable, so I assume they're in the file. I'm guessing the problem is that they (Amazon and Tivo) don't have enough data checking and error correction on the data stream. I wonder if the fact that I downloaded at 8 PM on a Sunday night (must be peak watching time?) had an impact on this.


Also, I've never had a problem with VUDU movies (on my PS3), but I've only watched two of those.


If anyone cares, I used kmttg to look at my Tivo and it tells me that the Amazon HD movie has a bitrate of 4.44 MBps. For comparison, a network TV show will have 15-18 MBps
 
#1,228 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnMc /forum/post/21423343


I'll answer #1 & #3

1) You really don't want to ever turn the TiVo off. It needs to be on to catch recordings, etc. The disc is always recording the last 30 minutes of whatever tuner #1 and tuner #2 are tuned to.


3) The -> (skip) button is also the - button, so for 2-1 you press 2->1

Thanks for the answers



Now a couple more questions....


Is there quick n' easy way while scrolling thru the Guide "Listings" for the day to see if a particular show is scheduled to record? Maybe there's something I'm overlooking.. it's been a hectic few days.



(I think) I initiated a transfer or copy from one DVR to another last night. It told me it would "do it when it wasn't busy" or something to that effect. I didn't look back to see what actually occured (if anything) before I went to bed. I'm not clear if this procedure "copies" or "moves" the program, deleting it from the first DVR?
 
#1,229 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 /forum/post/21434408


Thanks for the answers



Now a couple more questions....


Is there quick n' easy way while scrolling thru the Guide "Listings" for the day to see if a particular show is scheduled to record? Maybe there's something I'm overlooking.. it's been a hectic few days.



(I think) I initiated a transfer or copy from one DVR to another last night. It told me it would "do it when it wasn't busy" or something to that effect. I didn't look back to see what actually occured (if anything) before I went to bed. I'm not clear if this procedure "copies" or "moves" the program, deleting it from the first DVR?

The shortcut to your "To Do" list is "TiVo" "2". You can get to it thru the menus, but I always use the shortcut. The "To Do" list will show all programs that are scheduled to record and whether they are "Wish List", "Season Pass", "Transfer, or "manual" records. there is also an entry that will show you all exceptions and the reason why (i.e. "conflict", "removed by user", "no longer in guide", or "duplicate")


Transfers are always copies and will never remove the program from the original TiVo. The blue light will light on the destination TiVo indicating a copy in progress. You can start watching on the destination TiVo before the transfer is complete, but sometimes it will pause if you run out of transferred material.
 
#1,230 ·
Thanks JohnMc.


I just discovered that I can see the "To Do" list for each DVR on the internet also....



I can also see the titles of the shows I recorded on DVR2, but the one that I (thought I) copied to DVR1 doesn't appear to be on DVR1....
 
#1,231 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hyrax /forum/post/21434359


Thanks for the feedback. Actually I'm relieved that others are able to get their Amazon movies with few problems.


I've had this problem on 3 different Tivos. Interestingly the only time I didn't have a problem was with a SD movie.


I re-watched the movie and the glitches are definitely repeatable, so I assume they're in the file.


If anyone cares, I used kmttg to look at my Tivo and it tells me that the Amazon HD movie has a bitrate of 4.44 MBps. For comparison, a network TV show will have 15-18 MBps

I used my TiVo to order Midnight in Paris the other night and it played *mostly* fine with four or five moments where there were brief freezes with blocky artifacts plainly visible. Audio seemed to keep going ok.


This may be a seasonal issue- maybe more people were hitting amazon's network that night (yes I realize their video distribution services may be provisioned separately from their e-commerce stuff, but the holidays may also be peak VOD season as well). I wonder if we would see this as often in March, let's say.


Also while we are on the VOD topic, note Netflix quality may improve soon according to this article
http://www.techofthehub.com/2011/10/...g-to-tivo.html

"TiVo has acknowledged they are working on implementing a new Netflix client incorporating the new SDK and it will support 1080P video"


True, older boxes may not support the 1080p part, but I'm hopeful that *all* TiVo customers will get an updated Netflix client that will at least support newer encodings and thus improve quality.
 
#1,232 ·
New TiVo Premier XL user.... maybe a dumb question -


My son and I are going to the Saints/Lions playoff game Saturday night. My wife will be home with some friends watching the game on TV with the TiVo so that she can sync (delay) the TV picture a bit to align with the local radio broadcast (friendly announcers).


I have the TiVo set to record the game, with extra time padded on to the end. When my wife uses the Tivo to sync with the radio sound:


Will her "Live TV" be using the same tuner as the one being recorded from, or the second tuner?


If it is using the same tuner and then she changes the channel or something, will it be transparent to her (no questions about "do you want to cancel this recording")?


Please pardon my ignorance, but I've only been using TiVo for less than a week . . .
 
#1,233 ·
In my market, radio play-by-play arrives *faster* than TV; no amount of fiddling with the TV will help, you need a Tivo-type device to delay your *radio*.


You cannot make the TV signal arrive faster than it is broadcast, and usually TV has significant delay relative to radio.


Maybe your local radio station deliberately delays their broadcast even *more* than TV, but I would be surprised if so.
 
#1,234 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by NxNW /forum/post/21448015


Maybe your local radio station deliberately delays their broadcast even *more* than TV

YES, it does. and the FM radio simulcast is delayed even more than the (primary) AM broadcast. I normally choose the FM (most delayed) paired with the OTA broadcast (least video delay) and then delay the video to suit.


I've done this for years with my Sony DVR's... but this will be the first time with the TiVo's. Since I won't be here (but my wife will) I'm trying to know what to expect beforehand, regarding just how the TiVo's will perform.
 
#1,235 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 /forum/post/0



YES, it does. and the FM radio simulcast is delayed even more than the (primary) AM broadcast. I normally choose the FM (most delayed) paired with the OTA broadcast (least video delay) and then delay the video to suit.


I've done this for years with my Sony DVR's... but this will be the first time with the TiVo's. Since I won't be here (but my wife will) I'm trying to know what to expect beforehand, regarding just how the TiVo's will perform.

Interesting-I stand corrected!


A long as you aren't recording a second program on the other tuner, your wife should be able to change the channel with no warnings.


Good luck!
 
#1,236 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 /forum/post/21448144


YES, it does. and the FM radio simulcast is delayed even more than the (primary) AM broadcast. I normally choose the FM (most delayed) paired with the OTA broadcast (least video delay) and then delay the video to suit.


I've done this for years with my Sony DVR's... but this will be the first time with the TiVo's. Since I won't be here (but my wife will) I'm trying to know what to expect beforehand, regarding just how the TiVo's will perform.

May I inquire as to the call letters of the radio station?
 
#1,239 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 /forum/post/21448765


Wwl 870 am. 105.3 fm

WWL is on vradio, so I can stream it on my AVR. But it can't be used for the audio on an HDMI input. Audio inputs are only good for a 0 to 250ms lip-sync adjustment anyway. You could (if you had my AVR) feed the output of a radio and use that for audio, but most TV broadcasts use a 6 second delay. Anyhow, my idea won't work. BTW, only the AM station is on IP radio, not the FM.
 
#1,241 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by WS65711 /forum/post/21448144


YES, it does. and the FM radio simulcast is delayed even more than the (primary) AM broadcast. I normally choose the FM (most delayed) paired with the OTA broadcast (least video delay) and then delay the video to suit.


I've done this for years with my Sony DVR's... but this will be the first time with the TiVo's. Since I won't be here (but my wife will) I'm trying to know what to expect beforehand, regarding just how the TiVo's will perform.

I don't see how this is going to work with a Tivo because it has, what, a 3-second live buffer built in? I don't think your radio would be delayed that long.
 
#1,242 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by slowbiscuit /forum/post/21449816


I don't see how this is going to work with a Tivo because it has, what, a 3-second live buffer built in? I don't think your radio would be delayed that long.

I don't know.. that's why I'm asking the question! This is the first game we'll be trying it on (using the TiVo instead of the Sony) and add to that the fact that I won't be home.. my wife will be at the controls
.


But in my case WWL AM radio is somewhat delayed (for the Saints games) and the WWL FM simulcast is always delayed about 8 to 10 seconds from the AM broadcast. The station claims to be delaying the AM broadcast so that people can do just what I do.. turn down the sound on the TV. But it's difficult for them to do, since the OTA, Cable, and Satellite video feed all arrive at different times. what has always worked best for me was to use the FM (most delayed) broadcast and the OTA (best quality and first to arrive) video, and then delay the video to sync them together.



Beginning this season, WWL also has the rights to stream the Saints games on their "Listen Live" internet feed. This adds about another 15 or 20 seconds of delay, but I've never had to resort to using it.
 
#1,244 ·
I'm looking for an OTA STB Tuner and in another thread someone mentioned getting a TiVo Premiere. They said that if I only wanted to use it as a tuner then I wouldn't need to pay for the subscription. I've got a couple of HTPC's that record everything I need. I just need a good OTA tuner for my theater projector so that I can watch football on the big screen. The PC that I use now looses the picture every now and then.


So, can I use the TiVo Premiere without a subscription if all I want is a tuner?
 
#1,245 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 /forum/post/21458540


I'm looking for an OTA STB Tuner and in another thread someone mentioned getting a TiVo Premiere. They said that if I only wanted to use it as a tuner then I wouldn't need to pay for the subscription. I've got a couple of HTPC's that record everything I need. I just need a good OTA tuner for my theater projector so that I can watch football on the big screen. The PC that I use now looses the picture every now and then.


So, can I use the TiVo Premiere without a subscription if all I want is a tuner?

From searching this thread, it will work as a tuner. No network or recording. I don't know why it can't do manual recordings, but I don't have one (yet).


Up top there is a Search Thread tab. Enter "without subscription" and you will get many opinions.
 
#1,248 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 /forum/post/21458540


I'm looking for an OTA STB Tuner and in another thread someone mentioned getting a TiVo Premiere. They said that if I only wanted to use it as a tuner then I wouldn't need to pay for the subscription. I've got a couple of HTPC's that record everything I need. I just need a good OTA tuner for my theater projector so that I can watch football on the big screen. The PC that I use now looses the picture every now and then.


So, can I use the TiVo Premiere without a subscription if all I want is a tuner?

Yes, but guide data will not be available, and it will nag you every so often about not having a subscription.


-Ted
 
#1,249 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ncted /forum/post/21459574


Yes, but guide data will not be available, and it will nag you every so often about not having a subscription.


-Ted

I can deal with that. When I watch TV on the big screen it's for a specific show and it's actually the only live TV I watch. All other TV is recorded in the living room with our media center PC.


I understand that this has a very good and reliable tuner in it. That's what I'm looking for since it seems that the OTA STB tuners all seem to be somewhat unreliable.


Thanks for the information.
 
#1,250 ·
Quick follow up question. If I buy one new at best buy their website states that a minimum 1 year subscription is required. Does this mean that I have to buy a used TiVo or can I buy the new one and just ignore the subscription?
 
#1,251 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_63 /forum/post/21459873


Quick follow up question. If I buy one new at best buy their website states that a minimum 1 year subscription is required. Does this mean that I have to buy a used TiVo or can I buy the new one and just ignore the subscription?

The price at Best Buy is lower than list, hence the subscription to get their money back. You need to find one that isnt subsidized with the requirement.
 
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