A bunch of Tivo questions

Forums › TiVo › A bunch of Tivo questions

KaroriPete

96 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 7

#99439 19-Mar-2012 22:03

I used to use a modified Series 1 Tivo and loved it, but really wanted an HD recorder so I got a TelstraClear T-Box - just don't get me started!!!!

Now I'm thinking of going to a Tivo 320 as a backup / replacement, but don't know too much about the "official" Tivo world in NZ.

Is it's future solid? It's obviously useless without an EPG source and I'd hate to buy a box or two and then find that Telecom decide to discontinue the service. How likely is that - could that be the reason for the boxes being discounted?

Secondly, how well does the multi-room streaming work? I'm not that interested in exchanging files with PC's but would like to be able to watch something in one room that was recorded on a different box. I'd be happy if I could do this in realtime, or with perhaps a minute or two of buffering, but wouldn't want to wait for half an hour for a program to transfer. I also don't want to pay $100 to find that it's not that usable.

What are people's experiences with this feature?

How well does the remote recording work from a smartphone or similar? Does it support multiple boxes, and can you select which one to record to?

Finally, I assume the 320 is locked down and you can't install any of the utils and addons that were available for the modified series 1 units, but are there any upgrades or enhancements available?

Sorry for all the questions but it's not easy getting the perfect home entertainment system, and I don't want to stuff up again like i did when I got the T-Box by assuming that it would do what it said on the tin.

Thanks,
Pete.

Skolink

1081 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 32

#597428 19-Mar-2012 22:29

I can answer some of your questions.
Telecom don't provide the service - HybridTV based in Australia do. They are part owned by TVNZ and Channel 7 (Aus). I would expect the sevice to continue for several years yet. If it fails, then the community will come up with a solution.

In other posts, people have mentioned that TiVo-TiVo streaming works really well. I only have 1 TiVoHD (and a Series 1) .

The TiVoHD is locked down somewhat, but you can replace the PROM chip if you want to install addon software. Not as straightforward as using a pre-configured boot disk as for Series 1.

I would rate the TiVoHD UI way above the T-Box (although I only used the T-Box for a week).

psychrn

1610 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 155

ID Verified

Trusted

#597450 20-Mar-2012 07:45

I use the Genie remote service all the time on my Galaxy Note and Asus Transformer prime.
Presumably you can set up 2 boxes for yourself when you register ??

GZMCC. Lenovo Yoga C640. 8 gb Ram and 256Gb SSD, Cam Am Spyder 2016 F3 LTD. GoPro 5 Black, Samsung S22 Ultra, Huawei Watch D. Samsung S6 Lite Tablet, Amateur Radio Callsign ZL1CJH

scuwp

3927 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2510

#597457 20-Mar-2012 08:09

I can have a crack at some of your questions:

Forget Telecom. They have virtually nothing to do with TiVo anymore other than providing unmetered data EPG (negligible) and any downloads from Caspa (which I wouldn't bother with anyway). The EPG comes from Hybrid and there is no suggestion the service will be pulled.

I have 2 TiVo's but haven't bothered to spend the $120 for the Home Network Package to link them, so can't answer your syncing query other than to comment that I hear it works very well.

Remote recording works fine from any browser and yes you can choose which device to record to, you activate each device under one account and you can give them names (i.e. lounge, bedroom) to make it easy to choose. Only proviso is that you must leave a good couple of hours as the TiVo only syncs with the service a few times a day to download any new data (such as recordings).

Yes the 320 could almost be an Apple device - locked and loaded with limited ability for the user to change anything.

Value for money you won't go past a TiVo at the moment. I wouldn't be without one now.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Jaxson

8172 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1332

Trusted

#597458 20-Mar-2012 08:16

It's been mentioned here before too, that depending on where you purchase your unit from, the consumer guarantees act should cover you in the even that the EPG data is pulled.

Mine did take a while to sync at first, as mentioned above, so you need to give it a few days to make sure it's got everything it needs done initially. You can watch live TV right from the start though.

freitasm

BDFL - Memuneh
80646 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 41025

Administrator

ID Verified

Trusted

Geekzone

Lifetime subscriber

#597465 20-Mar-2012 08:45

KaroriPete: Is it's future solid? It's obviously useless without an EPG source and I'd hate to buy a box or two and then find that Telecom decide to discontinue the service. How likely is that - could that be the reason for the boxes being discounted?

As said, Telecom New Zealand has nothing to do with TiVo, which is sold by Hybrid TV, an Australian company with office in New Zealand as well. They were launch partners with TiVo sold in Telecom stores (stupid decisio, who goes to a phone store to buy TV gear?) and offered unmetered downloads of movie rentals (currently the Caspa catalogue is not worth it, so don't worry about it).

It will be years before people understand that Telecom has nothing to do with TiVo in New Zealand in practical terms...

Referral links: Quic Broadband (free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE) | Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies

Support Geekzone by subscribing (browse ads-free), or making a one-off or recurring donation through PressPatron.

allan

2073 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 899

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#597539 20-Mar-2012 10:25

I can confirm that between room streaming works well. The file is basically copied from one Tivo to the other, but you can begin watching as soon as the program begins to transfer. For SD programs, it copies well ahead of where I'm watching. For HD stuff, I have had occasions where I need to wait a bit for more of the file to copy before I can continue watching - particularly when I'm forwarding through ads.

There is a nice feature in that you can pause your viewing on one Tivo and resume watching (and copying) on the other from the pause point onwards only.

Geekzone

Want to support Geekzone and browse the site without the ads? Subscribe to Geekzone now (monthly, annual and lifetime options).

KaroriPete

96 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 7

#597718 20-Mar-2012 14:39

Thanks Allan.

Are you using wifi to stream between your Tivo's, or are they hard wired?

And just to confirm; you need the AU$90 Home Networking Kit to enable this, and that allows streaming between two boxes, and from either box to one PC - correct?

Thanks for your help,
Pete.

gregmcc

2173 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 836

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#597732 20-Mar-2012 15:01

allan: I can confirm that between room streaming works well. The file is basically copied from one Tivo to the other, but you can begin watching as soon as the program begins to transfer. For SD programs, it copies well ahead of where I'm watching. For HD stuff, I have had occasions where I need to wait a bit for more of the file to copy before I can continue watching - particularly when I'm forwarding through ads.

There is a nice feature in that you can pause your viewing on one Tivo and resume watching (and copying) on the other from the pause point onwards only.

I found the wi-fi streaming too slow, in the end I put a 8 port router in and plugged our 3 tivo's and a few other things in, it works great.

Although we have the HNP I'm not sure if it is needed to stream between tivo's, I think it is only needed if you also want media available to/from your PC.

allan

2073 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 899

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#597735 20-Mar-2012 15:04

KaroriPete: Thanks Allan.

Are you using wifi to stream between your Tivo's, or are they hard wired?

And just to confirm; you need the AU$90 Home Networking Kit to enable this, and that allows streaming between two boxes, and from either box to one PC - correct?

Thanks for your help,
Pete.

Yes wifi. You obviously are likely to get better performance out of a hard wired connection.

I'm guessing you do need the Home Networking Kit, but I had it anyway, so can't say for sure.

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4794

#597736 20-Mar-2012 15:05

allan: I can confirm that between room streaming works well. The file is basically copied from one Tivo to the other, but you can begin watching as soon as the program begins to transfer. For SD programs, it copies well ahead of where I'm watching. For HD stuff, I have had occasions where I need to wait a bit for more of the file to copy before I can continue watching - particularly when I'm forwarding through ads.

There is a nice feature in that you can pause your viewing on one Tivo and resume watching (and copying) on the other from the pause point onwards only.

I find the same, and use wifi. It is a G connection. The one thing that is annoying, s that you have to agree to their terms each time you copy a program, not unless there is a way to prevent that screen appearing each time.
You can also copy it to your PC, and I suppose the tranfer speed should be the same for that too, although I have heard people complain that it is too slow. But if you do it overnight, that won't be an issue.
I am pretty sure you need the home networking kit, as it is home networking, but haven't tried it with out it. $90 aus is worth it to unlock that feature.