TiVo Series 3 - "Official" Thread - Page 54

Randy - exchange your S3, it could be faulty. (I still blame your TVs)

And stop drinking the SA KoolAid - that thing is quite the turd, I've used it! You're projecting your HDMI delay disappointment to unrelated aspects of TiVo S3 usage!

One huge potential positive is that it gives the cable companies 50% less chance to screw things up on the CableCARD install. Only one thing to possibly screw up, rather than two.

Indeed, that would be a major positive aspect.

For sure, but that's just the "cost of living increase" -- this will warrant an additional "merit increase" as well.


You've misunderstood. Because CC is so complicated, the additional training IS (part of) the additional cost. Regardless, the CC is also the additional value that substantiates the "merit increase".


That's a rather convenient statement. Untrue, in this case. They had nothing to do with the requirement for separable authentication. You cannot pin that on THEM at all. Everything they do with regard to accomplishing separable authentication is the fault of those who lobbied for that legislation (not the MSOs), and everything that stems from it is simply COST to them -- as I've said several times already, they benefit from it NOT AT ALL.

is there any way to rearrange/reorder channels for those like me not using cablecards???

Not at this time, and there has been no official notification that they're planning on adding that capability.

No, you misunderstood. The majority of the extra labor cost is tied up in the horror stories of 6 hour installs or installs that take 4 truck rolls. They're obviously not doing any training at all. If they were, the installers would have a clue about it before they'd actually done a CableCARD install in a customer's house.

You are correct that they did not have anything to do with making separable security a requirement, but it was their own consortium that came up with CableCARDs. Not the FCC, not any CE companies, the cable companies themselves. They wrote the spec, and now they're being forced to lie in the bed they made. I have no sympathy for them for that reason, if no other.

You're trying to excuse them from that because when they came up with the CableCARD they didn't know they'd be required to use them for their own boxes, which is just an utterly ridiculous position to take.

Of course, you know that, and I know that, and hell even bicker1 probably knows that but he'll never admit it. Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, you're engaged in a pointless pursuit in discussing this topic with Mr. Comcast. He only puts down the pom-poms to post more pro-Comcast stuff, and then gets back to his cheerleading activities.

Not exactly. You can add/delete channels from your "channels you receive" list, which affects the guide and any SeasonPass and WishList recordings. You can also make a list of favorites, I believe, which can be shown in the guide view. Either way, though, the ordering will always remain numerically sequential by channel number.

My point was that they gain NOTHING from having separable security. Nothing. Everything from there on, including coming up with a solution, like CableCard, was cost for them -- money they expended that served their owners not-one-bit. The government should never have placed such a requirement on them, but having done so, it should have footed the bill of the cost of the research to find a technical solution that would cost the businesses the least amount to implement (perhaps in the form of tax credits), rather than making it an unfunded mandate. However, our government is all about unfunded mandates eh? Sure, we don't need to pay for what we want. We'll just pass the buck down the line.

It's called honesty and reality, instead of the fantasy some folks peddle. I couldn't care less about Comcast, specifically -- they're just the company that you're casting reckless aspersions on today. Tomorrow you could be posting ridiculously biased things against some other company. I say the same sort of things about American Airlines, Walt Disney World, Nationwide Insurance, Ralston-Purina, Shaw's, etc., and that was just in the last week. Wherever folks are myopically putting their own personal interest over the principles of capitalism, I provide the same type of balance.

I'm considering buying s3.
Just wondering how happy generally people are with the unit???

Very happy. Once the CableCARD installation was straightened out by Adelphia/Comcast, things have been running very smoothly. It's nice to be able to use a reliable, easy to use DVR, rather than the crappy 8300 w/ SARA that I was saddled with previously.

Is it a bird ... Is it a Plane .... No! It's Capitalism-man

A lot of it has to do with your individual situation with your cable company.

My personal experience was that the local cable company had something screwed up for several months where I had trouble tuning a couple of the HD locals. Eventually they fixed whatever the problem was and everything is smooth sailing. Plus I can tune the Fox HD channel over the air which the local cable company doesn't offer.

I kept the Motorola DVR as sometimes I want to record 3 or 4 shows at the same time. My cable provider changed software from the Pioneer Passport to something else which has had one problem after another. I'm tempted to get a second S3 if I could get a deal on the monthly service and ditch the Motorola all together.

I use mine for OTA only, i.e., no cablecards. I've been using it for about 5 months, and before the S3, a regular Tivo for about 8 months.

I don't rave about the S3 like many others do, but that might be because I've so quickly grown accustomed to it's conveniences that I suppose it doesn't impress me all that much because I take it so much for granted now. It's not that big of a deal to me. However, when I reeeally stop and think about my previous recording alternatives and my previous ways of skipping around recordings (FF, slowmo, rewinding, etc), well, that's when I realize just how much I've come to depend on the Tivo and if forced to go back to my former methods and options for dealing with these issues, they would quickly exasperate me now. Having had no experience with cable/satellite dvr options, I cannot compare the respective user experiences against the Tivo S3.

And while I don't utilize Tivo Suggestions, I do have a ton of Tivo Wishlist entries, which conveniently & automatically record any of my Wishlist interests should they ever pop up in the programming schedule. Enter in the name or title info once, and it's there for as long as you keep it in your Wishlist. I've got tons of musical artists as well as some previously-aired programming that I hope get repeated somewhere down the line. I love that this system allows me to have my interests auto-recorded without me having to study the tv guides to see what's coming up each and every week.

That being said, there are a few irritating things I wish that I could change, or, random headscratchers that throw me for the occasional loop. For example, their was an 'American Idol' episode last week which stopped recording 20 minutes into the program. I cannot figure out why. It just stopped.. no other program conflicts or disruptions that I could figure out. very strange. This is not a common occurence though.

Also, 'Lost' failed to record last week. I have this series on a Season Pass to record only first run episodes. ('Lost' will sometimes take a first run episode, then the very next week, repeat that same episode just prior to airing that weeks new 'Lost ' episode, which is apparently causing the Tivo software problems/conflict). The Tivo cancelled the recording because of some rule about "this program episode appears more than once within 28 days", which makes no sense to me. If the episode/show is designated as a first airing, just record it, even if is being represented to Tivo as a first airing more than once within that 28 day schedule! If the same episode is represented the second time as being a rerun, revert back to the original rule.. don't record that repeat airing! The only alternative or workaround Tivo offers is for you to change the Season Pass to "record all showings", which would necessitate frequent deletions from the "now playing" list.

On balance, unless you are a computer stud who can tweak and assemble some killer media pc solution without spending countless hours on the project, the average joe/jane would be hard pressed to find a more convenient, flexible HD/SD dual-tuner recording system than the S3. I only which it had a triple tuner, instead of just a dual.

I have a Sony DVR which I absolutely love and its all free, guide and all (montly fees that is). How much does your TIVO cost every month? The Sony is discontinued and I'm looking into getting another DVR. I don't like the idea of paying every month for a TV Guide when I can get it free. I'm strictly OTA. Does TIVO charge a monthly fee just to get the guide?

Thanks
Marshall

CruelInventions - the failed Lost recording can be attributed to flawed guide data (provided by your local stations or their national counterp[arts to Tribune, from whome TiVo gets it).

As for AI - maybe your S3 was just doing you a favor and saving brain cells and irrecoverable moments of a life you're trying to waste? Or perhaps Sanjaya had been voted out already?

In all seriousness, I know you're on TiVoCommunity as well, so check the Now Playing or TV Show talk sections tos ee if these problems were commonly observed among the TiVo populace. My S2 picked up Lost and I don't watch AI.

Uh, didn't the cable companies get the mandate to come up with CableCARD because they asked for it? I somehow doubt they would have been happy had the FCC tasked the CEA or even IEEE to come up with a standard access device. Also, their coming up with CableCARD most certainly benefited them, just as telephone companies unbundling local loops benefited them. Now they can compete in other markets and have a more lax regulatory regime.

I suppose the government should have paid for telephone companies to come up with a standard electrical interface.

Lay down the Rand, you've obviously been reading too much of it. Just like a monopoly on video services isn't cool, a monopoly on devices to access that video service is not cool, but you seem the type to think that if the market makes the monopoly, that's OK. Good for you, but realize that you're way out of the mainstream on that. Capitalism is not a religion, it's a means to an end, one that history demonstrates must be tempered by regulation to avoid nasty byproducts.

By the way, if they gain nothing from separable security, why is it that until the DCT-700 came along, why were almost all cable companies buying boxes with ISO slots for separable security? Perhaps because they gain something?

"First Run" does not mean "the first time the program is ever shown," it is considered first run for a while (a week or two from the original air date, IIRC), in case, for example, the real first run is pre-empted by a higher priority season pass. The 28 day rule prevents it from recording the episode repeatedly while it is still considered first run, and more importantly, prevents the thing from doing what every other DVR seems to do, which is record the same episode of a series repeatedly in a short span of time.

One of my biggest problems with the Motorola 3416 running Passport is that it will repeatedly record the same episodes of cable shows over and over again.

The only thing TiVo could do better, IMO, is handle news shows that don't have episode information without recording them on every showing, but I can't even think of a good way to do that, so I don't blame them for not handling that case.

Since I don't watch Lost, I don't know for sure, but it seems probable that the TiVo thought it got that episode last week when it was, in reality, pre-empted by coverage of the VT shooting. I would have missed Boston Legal this week but for my being familiar with TiVo's behavior regarding the 28 day rule. The nice thing about the 28 day rule is that normally, in your example of Lost, you'll only get the new episode that airs each week, even if you set it to take repeats, since it will have already recorded one of them within the last 28 days. The 28 day rule is designed for just such a thing.

I got in just before Tivo ended their pre-pay, lifetime membership deal, so I don't pay anything monthly. Bit the $$ bullet upfront and *finger crossed* this unit will remain viable for years, amortized more cheaply the longer it, and Tivo the company itself w/their software/guide, hang around.

I wouldn't have taken the plunge otherwise, as I am allergic to paying ongoing monthly fees for entertainment purposes. But that's my personal foible.

You have to purchase one of their machines in order to rent their programming guide/software. You cannot purchase just their guide/software to use in conjunction with some other dvr equipment, if that's one of your questions. Of course, there are those people who find a secondhand Tivo with lifetime subscription and transfer it into their name. That would be your only workaround to getting use of their software/guide without having to go the monthly fee route.

lol, I knew I would take crap for the AI viewership. I like to watch the show, though I doubt I would ever buy an album by any of the contestants, whether it be this year or anytime previous. I just like the circus of it all, I suppose. I usually fast forward through a good chunk of it, even skimming (or especially skimming) through the vocal performances, unless one grabs me pretty quickly.

Good idea about going to the Tivo forums.. I don't spend enough time there. So many internet distractions, so little time!

More on Lost later (still working through weirdo's post on this subject).

I'm sure I'll be labeled a TiVo fanboy (and probably rightly so!), but you're paying for much more than just a guide. There are Season Passes, Wishlists, it properly records first-run episodes, etc, etc. Now I had the Sony DVR, so I know the difference -- and it's monumental. I had many problems with several of the Sony DHG units, but, when they worked, they were fine. They just don't have the bells and whistles the S3 has. Plus the TiVo program guide is light years ahead of TVGOS. I pay $12.95 per month, basically less than 50 cents per day, and I have no problem at all doing it. That's much less than a cup of coffee per day.

every room in my house would be tivo-wired if there's no monthly fee.

Well, I'm looking at my third cableCARD installation for my single S3 this evening. I'm really thinking of selling my TiVo outright at this point. I've wasted many, many hours on this installation over the past week already. It's not the TiVo's fault, but this is becoming a nightmare.

I feel your pain but I would recommend patience here. I have been reading everything I could find about the S3, both here and over at the TiVo Community Forum, since last summer and I am convinced that those who keep pinging on both TiVo and their local cable company until the job is done will be glad they did. I was lucky because my only glitch was a CableCARD that was DOA. Even then, I did all right because the other one worked out of the box and my tech was able to get a replacement for the dead one from a co-worker who was working nearby.

The Dirty Little Secret is that CableCARD technology in its present iteration is not ready for prime time. Nevertheless, the cards can be made to work and usually will work - after awhile. It might not be the cards, though, so you might want to consider getting TiVo to replace your S3, just to make sure that the box isn't your problem. A fellow here in OKC bought one around the first of the year and had to get TiVo to replace it before he could get it working. Both the new box and the CableCARDs for it proved to be perfect.

Yup. I had to have the Comcast guys over 3 times, and had to make a few phone calls before my S3 was completely up and running. It was simply a matter of getting our hands on some functional cards (inventory was tight a little while back), and getting the installers to hook up with people who knew what they were doing over the phone at Comcast. No TiVo-specific issues at all. It took about a month, all told from start to finish. In the end, it's definitely worth it, and I have no regrets at all.

My cablecards work, but the installer had to bring 3 to get two working ones (motorola, thru Comcast). Two times in fourmonths, I had to call Comcast to re-hit the cards over the phone, following the order on the install sheet. They have worked well for the last two months.

I hope that there can be some sort of converter box that can allow the cards to handle switched video in the future. I like the S3, but I want at least 4-5 years from it for the price I paid.

For those who don't follow TivoCommunity, Tivo just released the v8.3 software for the Series3.

Summary of Changes (preliminary)

• When viewing the program screen for any recording, you'll now notice a "More Options" menu item. From here you'll be able to schedule additional recordings including the option "Get a Season Pass".
  
  
• New HDTV option added for searches and wishlists, so you can now choose to find and auto-record only high-definition programs that meet your search criteria. Note the guide data for this feature was just added today, so you won't see this new option until your box has downloaded and indexed that information. According to TivoPony, that may take ~24 hours.
  
  
• Responsiveness of "Search by Title" and "Grid Guide" is improved, particularly if you've removed a lot of channels from your lineup. Previously, the Series3 would index and process all data for every channel in the entire cable co lineup, regardless of how many channels you actually receive. With this update, channels you've removed from the lineup with the "Do not receive" screen are no longer indexed or processed, thereby improving responsiveness for "Search by Title" and "Grid Guide" display.
  
  
• If you have folders enabled, the software update also moves the HDTV Recordings folder to the bottom with the other folders (rather than the top).
  
  
• Should fix REW and FFW "jumping" that users saw with certain providers (FiOS).

I have a Sony DHG unit and its never given me any problems. All the bells and whistles you mentioned don't mean anything to me. I just was to record a program in HD. TVGOS seems ok, I don't know what more you could want. It gives you the schedule with detailed information about the programs and you can search for programs a lot of different ways. What more could you want and use on a daily basis? I also have a MDP-130 card for my computer that records in HD and uses Titan TV to schedule recording from the internet. Again ALL FREE. My only point is TV Guides are available all over the place, (newpaper, Internet, etc., etc. ) and their all free just as my OTA signals are. I don't mind paying $800 for the DVR but for me isn't that enough? Do I have to pay $13 a month for the rest of my life to get something that I can get else where for free?

Marshall