Have DTV with Sony HD200 = what tivo??

merlinn,


For DirecTV, you should order the DirecTivo from DirecTV. It's either $49 or $99, depending on their current promotion, and includes free installation.


Note this box won't record HDTV, but it will let you watch one SD channel while recording another. It will also let you record two different SD channels simultaneously while you are watching a previous recording. Of course, you can pause, instant replay, and rewind live programming, and skip commercials on recorded programming. It's very, very easy to use.


The HDTV DirecTivo is much more expensive -- at $899 -- but it lets you record any two HDTV (or SD) channels simultaneously while watching a previous HDTV recording. It has two OTA tuners and two DirecTV satellite tuners built-in, so it would eliminate the need for your current HDTV receiver. There is no way to record HDTV from your current DirecTV receiver; in order to record HDTV, the HDTV receiver must be built into the DVR, as in the case of the HDTV DirecTivo .


With both the standard DirecTivo and HDTV DirecTivo, recordings are 100% identical to the original live broadcast, because it records the digital bitstream directly from satellite (or the digital bitstream from your local DTV/HDTV broadcaster). There's no PQ degradation and you retain the Dolby Digital sound.


The DVR fee for the DirecTivo is a flat $5/mo, regardless of how many of them you have in your home. They waive the fee entirely if you subscribe to their top programming package.

merlinn,


As I said above, there is no way to record HDTV from your current DirecTV receiver; in order to record HDTV, the HDTV receiver must be built into the DVR, as in the case of the $899 HDTV DirecTivo.


You could buy a standalone Tivo to record SD from your HD200, but you would do better to order a $99 DirecTivo and connect it to a different input on your Lexicon. No matter what Tivo you get, it will be connected to a different video input on Lexicon, and you'll use its interface instead of the Sonys for viewing recordings and pausing live TV. You would continue to use your Sony for watching HDTV, but you would switch to the Tivo to watch everything else.


The DirecTivo from DirecTV costs less upfront ($49-$99 vs $199) and less per month ($5/mo for a second receiver + $5/mo DVR fee vs $12.99/mo for standalone) and will let you watch one channel while recording another -- which you cannot do if you use your HD200 with a standalone Tivo.


I assure you, if you get a DirecTivo, you will not be disappointed. If you are disappointed at all, it will be because you no longer like to use the Sony to watch TV.

Btw, AVS runs a forum dedicated to the Tivo called TivoCommunity . It's the best place to ask questions on Tivo and share your experience.