Tivo or cable companies component?

[Sly]

I can't decide which to get. I have Cox, they have a recording unit. I think both are about the same price monthly. If I went with Cox, I think the unit is combined with the receiver box so it would only be one total unit, whereas if I went with Tivo it would be yet another unit added to my desk. Because of this, right now I'm leaning towards Cox.

Any input? Anyone try both?

[Sly]

Oh, I just thought of another pro for going with Cox, one less remote!

[Idigmygirls]

Tivo is far and away the best DVR on the market. Don't short-change yourself.

(Also, look at the tivo remote. It is the best remote, too)

[reynold]

I go for Tivo, too. It's the best so far.

[ungratefulninja]

We've got the Dish DVR at work and I've got Tivo at home. I prefer the Tivo. When I switched from cable to dish I didn't have to redo my recordings, which was another plus.

[lazycash]

I've got 2 tivo units and one cox dvr in my house. The tivos are a bit better than the cox dvr in terms of features. However, I use the cox hd dvr on my main tv because it records my hd shows and I like the all in one cable box/dvr. Also, if there's a problem with the cox dvr all you have to do is take it down to their store/office and switch it out rather than worrying about warranty issues on the tivo.

[rodney25]

Tivo wins!

[eoworm]

tivo is awesome. tv watching becomes more effecient.
less title/end sequences, commercials... in an hour you can watch three half hour shows.
a good way to work that ass crease into the couch.

[Jace]

tivo is flat out the best thing invented in the past few years

it has SO many features that regular dvr's don't have

directv has a killer deal, you get the dual tuner box with directv service, and the tivo "fee" is only $4.95 a month

if you get tivo, don't settle for less than DUAL TUNER, you will regret it later

[Jace]

btw, i would switch to directv...I will never have anything but directv again

our directv and dual tuner tivo is all one box....it is pretty smooth

and now they have that directivo hd box....I want one so bad, but they are like $400-500

[Idigmygirls]

Originally Posted by Jace

and now they have that directivo hd box....I want one so bad, but they are like $400-500

Sounds like it's time to replace my old tivos. Dual tuner hd tivo sounds awesome. My two complaints with my tivo were no HD and only one tuner (thus the two tivos).

[Jace]

Originally Posted by Idigmygirls

Sounds like it's time to replace my old tivos. Dual tuner hd tivo sounds awesome. My two complaints with my tivo were no HD and only one tuner (thus the two tivos).

yeah, they ain't cheap though

http://www.sendgadgets.com/product_i...oducts_id=3413

and you can't get directivo units from directv anymore, you have to order them from someone else

but directv said they will continue to allow tivo systems, even though they sell their own dvr now

[studiocritic]

what features do tivos have over cox DVRs, jace?

(i've had both.. can't think of any off the top of my head)

[betsy]

I've had tivos for years. We just got an HD TV and decided HD tivo was too pricey, so we went with the generic Time Warner DVR. It sucks. It sucks so hard we are thinking about spending the 800$ on the HD tivo. Here's why:

the DVR randomly erases things without warning, even when it seems like there is plenty of space. Also, it doesn't always erase the oldest program, I cant figure out how it makes its choices.

The schedule only has 2 or 3 days worth of data, so it's hard to choose things in advance

It's hard to search for programs (the tivo interface is much easier to use when you want to just browse catagories)

The fast forward doesn't have the nice little noises so you know what speed you are at

The fast forward doesn't seem to correct for reaction time as well as tivo does

It's not as warm and fuzzy overall.

Some of these things might seem trivial, but after becoming used to tivo, the time warner DVR is like Hydrox compared to Oreos.

[Jace]

Originally Posted by studiocritic

what features do tivos have over cox DVRs, jace?

(i've had both.. can't think of any off the top of my head)

-suggestions
-A search engine to find and automatically record the shows that match your interests (by title, actor, director, category, even keyword)
-Easy home networking features that enable online services like Podcasts, Yahoo! Weather & Traffic, and local movie listings & tickets from Fandango
-Easy-to-use to-go features that let you transfer shows to your laptop or portable device, or easily burn them to DVD
-Product Watch

[Jace]

Originally Posted by betsy

The schedule only has 2 or 3 days worth of data, so it's hard to choose things in advance

that would bug the FUCK out of me....I love skipping weeks ahead and finding shit, great for when we go on vacation

[betsy]

Originally Posted by Jace

that would bug the FUCK out of me....I love skipping weeks ahead and finding shit, great for when we go on vacation

Yeah.... I told my husband that I would never pay 800$ for an HD tivo, but I might have to eat my words. The generic DVR is just awful.

I've barely added any programs to the DVR cause its such a pain... and movies? forget about it.

[Jace]

Originally Posted by betsy

Yeah.... I told my husband that I would never pay 800$ for an HD tivo, but I might have to eat my words. The generic DVR is just awful.

I've barely added any programs to the DVR cause its such a pain... and movies? forget about it.

those hd tivo are coming down in price though, which is nice

[betsy]

Originally Posted by Jace

those hd tivo are coming down in price though, which is nice

I figure they have to eventually, so we are trying to wait. We wanted to take the offer to transfer lifetime service, but that expired 12/31. Maybe they will have another such offer, but I won't hold my breath. I hear tivo only makes money on the service now, and not really on the units.

Has anyone made a myth tv PVR?

[lazycash]

Originally Posted by betsy

I've had tivos for years. We just got an HD TV and decided HD tivo was too pricey, so we went with the generic Time Warner DVR. It sucks. It sucks so hard we are thinking about spending the 800$ on the HD tivo. Here's why:

the DVR randomly erases things without warning, even when it seems like there is plenty of space. Also, it doesn't always erase the oldest program, I cant figure out how it makes its choices.

The schedule only has 2 or 3 days worth of data, so it's hard to choose things in advance

It's hard to search for programs (the tivo interface is much easier to use when you want to just browse catagories)

The fast forward doesn't have the nice little noises so you know what speed you are at

The fast forward doesn't seem to correct for reaction time as well as tivo does

It's not as warm and fuzzy overall.

Some of these things might seem trivial, but after becoming used to tivo, the time warner DVR is like Hydrox compared to Oreos.

Thats definitely worse than the Cox dvr. The cox dvr has easy search functions by date, time, name, etc. Its also 2 tuners so you can record 2 shows simultaneously and record any HD broadcast. It may not be Tivo, but for $12/month and no cost for the unit its a nice option for those who have Cox and want to record HD broadcasts.

[Sly]

I have HD, so I definitely want the HD solution. Paying $800 for the unit, then $13 a month for service WITH contract isn't very attractive though. For $800 I can build my own pimped out media center. Sure I won't have the Tivo service/software, but damn.

Cox is looking like the better deal here.