Got Tivo?

We got Tivo 2 recently!! What a fabulous machine! Figure skating was the first thing I programmed--now I will not miss ANY skating event!

eliza88

Consider me really dumb. What is a tivo?

Grgranny--Tivo is the latest greatest invention in TV technology (okay, right now I am a bit biased), it is a digital recorder with many programming capabilities. The one we have has 35 hrs. of storage space. There is a "Tivo" subscription service you need to have for programming. You can create a "wish list" or a "season pass" and Tivo will automatically record the program. For skating I created a Season Pass so that ANY and ALL programs with figure skating in it will automatically be recorded. You can program in your favorite shows or select your favorite actors and Tivo will automatically record them. You can pause live telvision and come back and pick up where you left off. Tivo can also record 2 programs at once, as well as record one show while you are watching another. You can also record from Tivo to VCR.

Tivo also "knows" what you like, so if you have say detective type shows on your wish list, it will automatically record other detective shows/movies that you might like. It is also simple to delete anything recorded you do not want.

We were constantly recording shows on video tapes and then forgetting which tape had what recorded on it, accidently taping over shows, etc (basically organizational misfits)...

That's Tivo in a nutshell! (more like a coco-nutshell!)

eliza88

My youngest son bought Tivo in July........he loves it. Everytime I mention a show I should have taped, he comes back with "You wouldn't miss is if you had Tivo"..............42

The people I know who have Tivo say they can't imagine how "primitive" watching and recording TV was before they got it. They all love their Tivo! I've got to fix the plumbing in my bathroom and tend to a few other things, so I'm still in the stone age with my VCR. But lucky you, Eliza!
Rgirl

Excuse me for being intrusive , but how much does a Tivo machine and the subscription cost? It does seem like a VCR-addict's dream.

Verbal--Tivo is about $200-300, the monthly service is $12.95 (or there is a lifetime fee of approx. $300). I have been wanting Tivo for about 2 years and after sampling it during a week visit at my in-laws there was no going back for me! (then I needed to get my husband to see my way of thinking!)

Anyway, we had Comcast cable and were going to add Tivo to it until I started investigation other options...Turns out that Direct TV had a very attractive offer--if you keep their "Total Premium Package" then the Tivo monthly service is free, if you drop your package down then Tivo is $4.99/month.

It is indeed a VCR-addicts dream! We don't get out much since our daughters require babysitters ($$$$), so television entertainment is a high priority! Also I can't count how many times a daughter or a phone call interrupts a favorite show, with Tivo, you just press pause and resume playing when you are ready! Sheesh, do I sound like a commercial or what?

eliza88

OOOH - Thanks Eliza. I have DirectTV and didn't realize that they have a TiVO deal. Was recently thinking about switching back to cable to add high-speed internet and DVR. I gotta get more info on all my options and figure out the monthly cost.

BTW, TiVO is the service that makes it easier to program a DVR. I think you can have the DVR without the TiVO (Not sure about this). If that is possible, it's a step in the right direction since the minimum a DVR hard drive can store is 20 hours and I think the maximum is 80 hours - it all depends upon the unit. At least there's no worry about running out of tape when recording a whole weekend of Nationals or World's.b

I too am curious about this lates gadget. So "what's the deal?"

Here's TiVo's website for all the answers.

Tivo