Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
62 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worthy Successor to Tivo Series 2, April 5, 2010
This review is from: TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black) (Electronics)
This is finally a worthy successor to the Tivo Series 2. While there have been 2 previous HD Tivos before, their relative cost and the lack of available options for lifetime subscription made them unattractive financially compared with the cable company DVR. If you purchase directly from Tivo, there is a (...) lifetime subscription option to those with a previous lifetime subscription. That makes this a worthwhile deal, even if it takes about 30+ months to break even.
If you've not used a Tivo before, I would say it is head and shoulders above Comcast's ugly, ill-conceived interface. If you've used Verizon, it will be a step up, but not nearly so dramatic. If you've used Tivo before, you'll feel right at home. It's basically the 8 year old Tivo interface that's been spiced up here and there, with supporting links to Netflix & Blockbuster for streaming movies.
This Tivo requires an M-Series cable card if you're not recording from an antenna. If you're not sure, call your cable company to see if they support it. Verizon did struggle with this question, although eventually I found someone to confirm the Verizon cable card supports multi-stream. However, the Verizon tech they sent was helpful and had the job complete in about 15 minutes.
Although the Tivo supports resolutions up to 1080P, it is only available at 1080p/24, so if you have a slightly older set that only supports 1080p/60, you'll have to drop back to 1080i. That isn't spelled out anywhere on Tivo's site, although it probably doesn't make much of a difference.
This Tivo networks nicely with older Tivo's allowing you to transfer video between them, although it's not possible to transfer from an HD Tivo to a SD Tivo, although the reverse works nicely. You can also use the Tivo Desktop (a free download) to transfer to your PC. You can even save it to watch later or on your portable (Google "kmttg tivo").
I won't write a review of the Tivo interface. More people have done it better than I could, so Google for reviews. You should know, although the new menus are in high definition, once you get away from the primary menus, it drops back to the old 480/SD menus. The only reason I can tell is the screen on the TV flips a bit until it resyncs with the lower resolution.
This version of the Tivo has a backlit remote, although by default that isn't turned on. It also supports separate volume and muting with an A/V receiver, although it doesn't give you the ability to turn it on with your remote. My A/V receiver did not work with the codes provided, but a chat with Tivo pointed me to a page on their support site where you'll find the new Tivo has a "learning" remote. That did the trick.
If you use Tivo's Chat support, the agents are well-informed and patient.
I've had one brief incident as I messed around with various menus where the HDMI lost sound sync with the TV. A quick resync through the A/V receiver got me back and running in a few seconds. Time will tell if that was a one-time glitch or a problem.
Previous Tivos have worked with Amazon video on demand (which works reasonably well). Now there are additional options to select high-def material, and you also have options to download from Blockbuster and Netflix. Keep in mind there is a charge for this type of on-demand movie, similar to what you'd expect from your cable company. However, this function is integrated beautifully into the overall search function. As an example, let's say you're interested in a program such as "Chuck". As you search for the program, not only will it find the upcoming episodes on TV, but will also present you with the complete episode guide, giving you the options to either record from cable/antenna, or for shows that aren't available you can download them to your Tivo to watch. That's very clever and convenient.
Overall, it's an expensive purchase, but Tivo does their best not to make you feel stupid for buying it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Smooth sailing here with 2 Premiere XL's - even with Comcast!, April 15, 2010
This review is from: TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black) (Electronics)
I've had a TiVo or two since the Series 1.
Some observations:
1.) Bought one here from Amazon and one from TiVo directly. Buying from Amazon is just so much better than buying from the manufacturer... TiVo shipped theirs via some weird shipping arrangement, whereas Amazon Prime ships it 2-day and tracking is always accurate. I had an upgrade offer from TiVo, but by the time they charge tax, etc. the price was like $429 and Amazon's $499 price on this was offset by their $50 Amazon OnDemand credit - so kind of an ok deal to go with Amazon. A no-brainer if you don't have a TiVo upgrade offer.
2.) These units are slick-looking. Sure, some people will complain that they have lost their fancy clock on the front, etc., but the thinner height and black case are great - looks great with our 40" LCD sitting on top of it.
3.) Smoothest install ever - and that was with Comcast. Comcast in my area (Pittsburgh) drives me nuts - in fact, these new TiVos were impulse buys after Comcast screwed us with not being able to "transfer" two of their DVR's with our recordings on them to our new address - they said it simply wasn't possible and they would need to collect the boxes and give us new ones. Yep, we lost all of our recordings on their boxes. Idiots. So I was surprised when the installer showed up with the CableCards and we had two of them up-and-running in 15 minutes. Quite a bit different than my first TiVo CableCard installs from yesteryear. But probably a few things in my favor:
A.) When booking the appointment, I stressed I needed the installer to bring M-cards (multistream) instead of S-cards (single stream). I also stressed to them that the installer should actually bring 4 of them, as it is not uncommon to have bad cards floating around in inventory, etc. I stressed that these notes be placed in the work order prominently. Low and behold - the installer showed up on-time, with M-cards and 4 of them!
B.) The installer hadn't done many and was more than willing to let me guide the process. I had the boxes set-up and through Guided Setup, latest system software upgrade installed, etc. before the appointment so that all that was needed was popping the M-card in. I also showed him best practice of taking a picture with my iPhone of the CableCard (to capture serial number and such) *before* putting the card in (b/c ejecting the card after inserting it can re-generate new pairing info, etc.) and recording the relevant information that appears on the screen after inserting the card. I can't tell you how many prior CableCard appointments I've had where the installer has jacked things up so badly by popping them out so many times to get information or doublecheck if it was a 0 (zero) or an O (oh). If only Comcast would let customers pick-up the cards and install them themselves... I thought some areas did, but the Pittsburgh market evidently doesn't as I asked several people (on the phone, in person at the service center, etc.).
C.) You have no control over this one, BUT I LUCKED OUT - the back-office person the installer called into to activate the CableCards was *COMPETENT*. He didn't even need to repeat one digit of any number and the person on the backend properly entered the information, told us to go to the Info screen and wait til a MSG count went past 3500 and voila - all channels, even premium channels, worked perfectly from the start.
It seems Comcast has gotten a lot better with CableCards ever since their newer set-top boxes are required by the FCC to have CableCards in them (permanently mounted, but nonetheless, they are CableCards and work the same way on their system as they would on third-party boxes. Or, I recognize that after years of bad Comcast service, I was finally overdue for a great experience.
4.) ABSOLUTELY NO LOCKUPS or problems here - at all - in my two weeks I've had them. I don't know why other people are having such issues other than luck of the draw - but my experience has been perfect.
5.) I was introduced to iTivo for the Mac - which is awesome! Transfers and converts TiVo shows (none copyright flagged content) to a number of formats - even imports into iTunes for auto transfer onto your iPhone for on-the-go viewing.
What am I disappointed with? A few things - typical TiVo moves:
* Why can't they build wireless into these boxes? Having an external adapter stinks.
* Along those lines, why release your latest boxes and THEN a month or two later plan on making available a Wireless-N adapter for the box. Being stuck with Wireless-G to transfer recordings is lousy. Yes you can use a 3rd-party wireless bridge, etc. and I used to do that kind of stuff, but these days I just want solutions that work well out of the box!
* TiVo did indeed get these boxes out before they are polished. It's kind of lousy that the HD menus are rather topical and when you drop down into deeper menus the old standard-def stuff is still there. The boxes can be a bit laggy when doing things on them. I still hate the fact that flipping through digital channels is slower than old-school TV's - and on TiVo there's like 3-5 seconds of gray screen between each channel.
* TiVo is a bit abusive on their subscription model. Basically, their goal is to lock you into a contract which you basically can't escape from. I've paid an early termination fee from them before and wasn't happy about it, but hey, I signed what I signed and knew it from the start...
All in all though, very happy with our purchases of these two and our luck with CableCards this go-around. We'll be close to getting pay-back on the purchase of the equipment after 2-years of not paying $16 per Comcast DVR - and have a lot more functionality/flexibility to boot.
I hope the above has been helpful - just always know what you are getting into with technology. The reviews from people that had no clue CableCards were needed/used are useless - that information is everywhere. If you aren't willing to deal with growing pains associated with emerging technology, just stick to the cable company's boxes - you'll get some stability with the trade-off of less functionality.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works flawlessly as adverstised, April 4, 2010
This review is from: TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black) (Electronics)
After reading the negative review related to the need for a CableCard, I had to respond with how the product actually operates. I found the Company's literature to be very straightforward in explaining what was required to operate the unit. The whole process worked really well for me. I had preordered the Premiere XL and it arrived on Monday, upon which I called Verizon for a CableCard. They arrived Tuesday morning and it took 10 minutes to install the card and download all the channel data. Done. Painless and works flawless. Verizon Fios folks currently charge a few bucks a month for the CableCard and did not charge me for the Tech to come over for the install.
The TiVo itself works great, exactly as outlined in the literature. The menus and search features are far easier to use for my family than any of the other company DVR's I've used in the past. I do miss the Verizon on-demand, but being able to access my Netflix online, plus the other options from Amazon and Blockbuster makes up for it. Have already used free software available on the internet to transfer shows on the TiVo to my Mac, PC, and iPhone. Takes awhile to perform the transfer, but it's many GB's of data.
Love the auto-backlit remote and the onscreen menu's are very slick. Great purchase, very happy with the unit so far. When activating with TiVo I did purchase the 3 year warranty, but the cost was offset by the Amazon On-Demand credit received when purchasing from Amazon.
Should note the unit does not have wireless capability, so if you don't have the ability to plug the unit directly into an Ethernet port, make sure you get the wireless-N accessory when purchasing.
[UPDATE]
The Optical audio out port has stopped working. TiVo is replacing my unit and making it easy, but it is a little annoying that a unit less than 30 days old has this type of malfunction. Changing my rating down to 4-stars as a result.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
Saving...
