So I was in Fry's and saw a TiVo box for less than $200. How exactly does it work, as in does it replace my HD cable box? Or will I still need the POS Astound gave me?

 

Comcast will give you a new card to activate your box. It replaces the entire comcast box.

 

Like stated above the TiVo has CableCard slots on the back so all you need is the card from your cable provider and it will replace your current box. Make sure to get the card that allows tuning/recording of two channels simultaneously, if available, otherwise you will need 2 cards.

 

So I can just go to Astound and get a card for it? Cool. Didnt think it was that easy

 

yep, and if you get the HD tivo (GET THAT, don't **** around with a series 2, get the series 3. However you don't need the uber one get I think its called the XL series, the most expensive one just adds THX)

I love my tivo, now mine has a duo card in it (one card does all the work of 2 cards), I have mine hacked (upgraded internal drives to 2 750 gig) plus I have a external 1T drive on it. I also have the tivo pro software on my server so I can push movies and content from my server out to the TV in the living room.

 

You may not be able to just go pick up a card. I had to have Comcast come and install the card. It's called an M-card for Comcast, multi-stream instead of single stream. That's the one that will allow you to use 2 tuners to record one show and watch another. Having comcast come out was a pain, the tech didn't really know what he was doing, set it up and said it could take 24 hours for the programming to come up. The next day, still nothing, I called Comcast and they never received the single from my TIVO box. So the guy on the phone resent the signal and everything has been working like a charm ever since. I did buy the XL one simply cause I didn't want to modify a brand new Tivo to get the larger hard drive.

 

I also own 2 Tivo HD's. Bought one when they first came out about 2 1/2 years ago, then bought a 2nd one for the bedroom about 6 months ago. I definitely would recommend getting the base Tivo HD model for about $200, then upgrading it with a 1TB hard drive for about 160 hours of HD recording, or over 1000 hours of SD recording.

I'd also recommend getting the lifetime subscription. Normally it's $400, but I can get it for your for $300. Or if you know anyone with a Tivo subscription, I believe it's $300 for all current members.

And what bluwrxwgn said is spot on, Comcast techs are idiots. Hopefully your cable company is better. I'd try picking it up at the local office first, so you can save on the install fees. Pop in the card, go through the setup. Then you'll have to call your cable company to activate the cards. Basically, you'll read off the serial #'s on the card, some #'s on the Tivo Screen, and they should be able to pair it.

Good luck. PM me if you have any questions.

 

what does the lifetime subscription get you?

 

A lifetime subsription. Since you have to pay to have the Tivo service, a lifetime subscription up front is way cheaper than paying monthly rates.

Right now I am using Amazon On-Demand often. Since I already have an Amazon account, I can go on and download a movie to watch instead of driving to Blockbuster or waiting for Netflix in the mail. But they also have Netflix on there if you already have a Netflix subscription. It just doesn't get into their system until 2 weeks after it's released on DVD though. Since I didn't see Inglorious Bastard's in the theater, I waited for DVD and had to wait till the 15th of January to download it even though it was available to purchase around Christmas.

 

Zero monthly fees. And a good resale value if and when you decide to sell the unit.

Based on Tivo's website, the cost is normally:
$12.95/month
$129.00/year
$299.00/3 years
$499.00/4 years

Some may argue that the additional monthly or lifetime fee is not worth it for Tivo, but in my opinion, the Tivo interface is worth the extra costs. But to compare, I want to say it's over $15 a month to rent a Comcast box. The only real benefit I see in a Comcast box is On Demand. Tivo HD also offers On Demand, but goes through services such as Amazon, Netflix, and others.

Or you can build your own HTPC and not have to pay for monthly services. There are tons of choices out there. Depends what your preference is I guess?

 

lifetime fee is good, just hope tivo doesn't go bankrupt tho lol

 

yea they tried that game with us, we told them to **** off, went down to the comcast site, and picked up the card and installed it ourselves.


btw if anyone wants their TIVO hacked, I have a good guy that knows his ****, and wont charge you an arm and a leg to do it.

 

I may or my not be retarded, but I dont know what this is

 

Home theater pc you probably could have figured that out if you had just put htpc into google, lol..

 

possibly.....