Tivo Series2 $100 OFF - $299

[TriggerMan]

Just received these links from Tivo via email:

"Get a TiVo Series2 DVR starting at $299, after $50 price drop and mail-in rebate. Offer expires 12/31/2002"

http://www.tivo.com/flash.asp?page=get_index
Rebate

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

nice find. I want one but $300 is still steep b/c of the subscription fee.

 

[bit]

amazon has it for $300 shipped after $50 rebate too. no tax in most states.

 

[Crank]

GoodGuys.com has the same prices as Amazon and no tax in ANY state. They run various sales pretty frequently, so definitely give them a look if you're thinking about buying one of these.
I've got one of the new 80 hour units coming from them soon!

 

[Heinrich]

Do these units record non-compressed video (ala local stations for us DirectTV users)

 

[tivo1]

the short answer The direct tivo units... dont need to do any compression.. since they capture a compressed data stream already... they just store that.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: Heinrich
Do these units record non-compressed video (ala local stations for us DirectTV users)

Yep, the standalone TiVo's record off an antenna just fine.

 

[dxpaap]

bump

 

[LordSnailz]

bump for an awesome price

 

[unsped]

Originally posted by: tivo1
the short answer The direct tivo units... dont need to do any compression.. since they capture a compressed data stream already... they just store that.

i dont believe this is correct... is it? i thought all tivo's did analog -> mpeg2 conversion. interesting if its true.

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: unsped

Originally posted by: tivo1
the short answer The direct tivo units... dont need to do any compression.. since they capture a compressed data stream already... they just store that.

i dont believe this is correct... is it? i thought all tivo's did analog -> mpeg2 conversion. interesting if its true.

It is correct. DirecTiVos do not do analog to digital conversion. That's why they have no quality settings like most PVRs.

 

[Ray78]

Originally posted by: unsped

Originally posted by: tivo1
the short answer The direct tivo units... dont need to do any compression.. since they capture a compressed data stream already... they just store that.

i dont believe this is correct... is it? i thought all tivo's did analog -> mpeg2 conversion. interesting if its true.

DirecTivos don't need to do an analog->mpeg conversion because the directv stream is already compressed coming off the satellite. The direcTivo just records the raw data stream to the hd and decodes it during playback. Standalone Tivos do compress because obviously they are receiving an analog signal from your cable box or antenna.

 

[Sepen]

Originally posted by: Ray78

Originally posted by: unsped

Originally posted by: tivo1
the short answer The direct tivo units... dont need to do any compression.. since they capture a compressed data stream already... they just store that.

i dont believe this is correct... is it? i thought all tivo's did analog -> mpeg2 conversion. interesting if its true.

DirecTivos don't need to do an analog->mpeg conversion because the directv stream is already compressed coming off the satellite. The direcTivo just records the raw data stream to the hd and decodes it during playback. Standalone Tivos do compress because obviously they are receiving an analog signal from your cable box or antenna.

Yes, this is correct. I have 4 DirecTivos and 2 Tivos and the difference is like night and day. The Tivo picture is not something to write home about but the DTivo is great. That is why I am so glad Seinfeld is on DTV now, much much much easier on the eyes.

 

[FiDo14DiDo]

whats the monthly service charge for TIVO?

 

[elton]

Originally posted by: FiDo14DiDo
whats the monthly service charge for TIVO?

$12.95 / month or $249 for a lifetime subscription.

 

[BigPlastic]

I think the question was do DTiVo's record analog stations you are receiving via your antenna in conjunction with DirecTV?

 

[Sepen]

Originally posted by: BigPlastic
I think the question was do DTiVo's record analog stations you are receiving via your antenna in conjunction with DirecTV?

No.

 

[worms]

DTivo's can only record digital data. They cannot record cable TV or from VCR/DVD/camcorder/etc. They can record two things at once and recordings are done with NO loss of quality.

Regular Tivos can only record analog data. They work fine with all the regular stuff but satellite data must be decoded by your dish reciever, then re-encoded by the Tivo. You can only record one thing at a time and cannot channel surf through the Tivo while it is recording. There is a small but noticable loss of quality on all recordings.

The secret AT&T Tivo is a better and cheaper version of the regular Tivo but has a smaller (40GB) hard drive. It is only sold direct from Tivo and has absolutely nothing to do with AT&T. It has nothing to do with AT&T. There's no relation between the AT&T Tivo and AT&T and you don't need to know anything about AT&T. I stress this because Tivo does not like to sell these units and discourage people from buying them with rumours about AT&T dependency.

The 60 hour Tivo can only record a few hours of TV. There is a typo in the description -- it is actually a 60GB Tivo, not 60 Hour. That works out to about 10-20 hours depending on the quality setting. By the time you pay $600 for the unit and service, only being able to record a dozen shows is pretty frustrating. Fortunately they can be upgraded with up to (2) 137GB drives. I find that a total of 100GB+ is the minimum needed to fully utilize the Tivo's capability. Technically, there is a way to record 60 hours on a 60GB unit -- so long as you don't mind all your shows looking like some porn you downloaded from a BBS in the early 90's.

Finally, the Sonic Blue ReplayTV is much better in every way but the company is being sued into oblivion by the TV industry for it. Sonic Blue's only other revenue source is their extensive line of MP3 players for which they are being sued into oblivion by the record industry.

Anyway, I have a 120GB AT&T unit and am pretty happy with it.

 

[scooterboy]

Originally posted by: worms

Finally, the Sonic Blue ReplayTV is much better in every way...

There are LOTS of people who would disagree with you here, but this isn't the forum for that discussion...

 

[sat4fun]

$12.95 / month or $249 for a lifetime subscription.

For the lifetime of the unit. Tivo modems fail all of the time and the cost to repair is quite steep. The lifetime option isn't always the best option.

 

[511PF]

Originally posted by: worms
There is a small but noticable loss of quality on all recordings.

This is not true. There is absolutely NO visible difference between my Digital Cable signal and TiVo best quality.

Originally posted by: worms

The secret AT&T Tivo is a better and cheaper version of the regular Tivo but has a smaller (40GB) hard drive. It is only sold direct from Tivo and has absolutely nothing to do with AT&T. It has nothing to do with AT&T. There's no relation between the AT&T Tivo and AT&T and you don't need to know anything about AT&T. I stress this because Tivo does not like to sell these units and discourage people from buying them with rumours about AT&T dependency.

Go to http://www.tivo.com and click 'Buy TiVo'. The third device in the list is the AT&T Tivo. Where's the secret part come in again? They sell the devices to non-AT&T customers. It's a simple partnership. Why are you spreading misinformation?

Originally posted by: worms
The 60 hour Tivo can only record a few hours of TV. There is a typo in the description -- it is actually a 60GB Tivo, not 60 Hour. That works out to about 10-20 hours depending on the quality setting.

This is patently false. On the 'Basic' quality setting, you get approximately 60 hours of recording time. On the medium quality setting, which is how I record most of what I watch, you get 37 hours. That's 37 one hour shoes, or 74 half-hour shows.

Originally posted by: worms
By the time you pay $600 for the unit and service, only being able to record a dozen shows is pretty frustrating.

Again, blatant misinformation. See post above regarding number of shows. The service for the standalone device is available at $12.95 per month. You do not have to pay the lifetime subscription. DirecTV just lowered the cost of TiVo service to $4.95 a month for all subscribers without Total Choice Premium. Total Choice Premium subscribers pay nothing. DirecTV with TiVo boxes are available for $150 for new subscribers. Standalone boxes are available from $250. You COULD spend $600, but you don't have to.

Originally posted by: worms
Finally, the Sonic Blue ReplayTV is much better in every way but the company is being sued into oblivion by the TV industry for it. Sonic Blue's only other revenue source is their extensive line of MP3 players for which they are being sued into oblivion by the record industry.

This person apparently feels the need to alleviate his post-purchase anxiety by writing misinformation about competing products. Worms - no one cares what you bought. And if you're happy with it, good for you. You don't have to post misinformation to justify your purchase.

 

[Havoc13]

Originally posted by: 511PF That's 37 one hour shoes, or 74 half-hour shows.

How many "shoes" is that again? 37?

Dude, if your gonna try and bash another persons post at least look your own post over...

Too much hate and discontent here already, the last thing we need is another "in your face know-it-all"...

 

[unsped]

replaytv requies a one time setup fee, which is the same cost as tivo's lifetime subscription, so dont even use that arguement.

 

[future]

I am really happy I got my Panasonic ReplayTV 2 years ago for $140
This is one of those rare cases of "investment" in technology- it's now worth more than when I bought it.
Working great, no monthly fee, web site to set new recordings.
One of the must have things around the house

 

[dolph]

Originally posted by: scooterboy

Originally posted by: worms Finally, the Sonic Blue ReplayTV is much better in every way...

There are LOTS of people who would disagree with you here, but this isn't the forum for that discussion...

hmm.... no. i think that supplying information that will make whoever decides to buy this give it a second thought should be welcomed. worms himself has a tivo unit, and he obviously feels that replay is better, so he gives his reasons why. if someone (aka 511pf) wants to challenge his post, he's free to do so. as long as it doesn't get out of hand, opinions like those help people become more informed about their purchases.