http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/ Engadget Comments for Hands-on with the TiVo Series3! http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/

Too bad i dont live in the states

Number 2!]]>Sep 12th 2006 1:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 1:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 1:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 1:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 4:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 4:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/work correctly - so I can watch my DVR "remotely".

]]>Sep 12th 2006 6:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 8:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 8:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 8:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 9:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
If they got rid of the monthly fee or slashed the price of the unit, I may consider it, but that is just TOO much money for the improvements over my current HD DVR. At least for the cost of a Vista media center, you will be able to do all of this in addition to all the other things you can do with a PC. I just can't justify this pricing in any way.]]>Sep 12th 2006 9:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 9:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
1. I have an S1 & an S2 with lifetime. I can add an S3 for 6.95 a month. I get to lose a cable box and remote which saves me 5.50 a month. Net 1.45 a month difference. (hmm...there are two card slots so maybe that doesn't add up?)

2. Assume I pay $199 to transfer minus 1 free year on the old unit then pay again for the old unit after 12 months. I'm back to the same 1.45 a month difference but have given them $115 extra dollars.

3. The only thing that makes any sense to me is if, sometime in the future, my S1 and S2 are gone. And I no longer have a lifetime unit then the S3 would cost me 12.95 a month. So transferring might make sense in the long term. (or I suppose if i am going to chuck the S1 after transferring)

The bottom line is it's not worth thinking about this much. We're talking $50 to $100 a year difference? If you do have to think about it maybe you shouldn't drop $800 on a DVR?!]]>Sep 12th 2006 9:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 9:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
Sure, if you record the non-HD alternative! There's always a non-HD version of the broadcast channels.]]>Sep 12th 2006 9:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 9:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/ In answer to your question, for a limited time you can get lifetime if you have it now transferred to your hdtv box for $199 and they will let you use tivo on your old box for a whole year, but the original box has to have lifetime already. There should be something on the now showing menu letting you know where to get this deal, but try phoning the 866-921-tivo cust. svc. again, and ask them how to do this. I know its for a limited time.
Hope this helped!]]>Sep 23rd 2006 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 10:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/WHAT?!?

Only a 250GB HD, no multi-room or TiVO-to-Go? For $800?!!? Wow, what a joke!! What am I supposed to do, keep my old TiVo units around for that functionality? Oh wait... they'll "allow" me to transfer my lifetime for another $200, but then I'll need to pay monthly on my current boxes just to retain multi-room, etc.

What a mess! TiVo - Please upgrade the HD to a reasonable size, add back multi-room and TTG (at least on the non-cablecard shows). And how about giving loyal customers a break instead of charging $800?

Think I'll keep my crappy $5/mo Comcast/Moto HD box for now.]]>Sep 12th 2006 10:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 10:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.tivo.com/vip]]>Sep 12th 2006 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 10:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 10:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
Wish lists? I have Dish Pass which is just slightly less functional, bit in some ways better. Wish Lists are not worth $800.

Search and Guide data? Have them.

250 GB HD? Have it.

HD DVR? Yes.

Multiple tuners? Well I know TIVO has 2 OTA and 2 HD and 2 regular tuners? This does kick the 622's butt, but not in a $800 way. The VIP622 has 2 Sat tuners (both HD) and an OTA tuner. Rarely if ever am I trying to record more than 3 things at exactly the same time.

TIVO to GO? Well it doesn't exist, but you can currently buy a Portable PocketDish for the VIP622.

Multi Room functionality? Not yet on TIVO, but the VIP622 can output to two TV's in different locations independently of each other, both with access to all DVR recordings independently.

External Hard Drive support? Not yet on TIVO, but not yet on Dish, although this is one of the features that is coming on Dish as it is on TIVO.

So what exactly am I getting with a TIVO? It may be nicer and have a few small items of additional functionality, but come on!! Through Dish you can get the VIP622 for $100 after $100 rebate!! TIVO? $800. It is just not worth the price if you are a Dish Network subscriber. ]]>Sep 12th 2006 10:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 11:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
After having had HD cable in my home for what, 4 years now, Tivo has finally made it to the batter's box and it turns out he brought his bat, but forgot his batting helmet, glove, and shoes.

It's just inexcusable for Tivo to release this thing with limited functionality. It should be able to re-map channels to deal with QAM. There should be a selection of models with larger drive options. eSATA, Tivo To Go, TivoCast, MRV, and high-def Photo viewing should all be functional. And it shouldn't be a fight with stupid cable operators to get the cablecards for it. TiVo should have a # to call to report such problems, and a legal team ready to serve papers to each cable company that plays dumb.

Thank God I have that old Series 1 with grandfathered lifetime. I'll wait until the S3 is ready for primetime (and with a lower price), and then transfer my lifetime service. Looks like I'll be waiting another 6 months to a year for these shortcomings to get ironed out!

Disappointed.]]>Sep 12th 2006 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
I think you meant:

"Not only does the S3 handle OTA"
]]>Sep 12th 2006 12:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
does anyone know the hdmi version that is output by this new tivo?]]>Sep 12th 2006 2:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/You will only be able to transfer your life time sub until Jan. 07. So unless you adopt early you will be stuck with the monthly. ]]>Sep 12th 2006 3:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
You're confusing my situation with non-grandfathered lifetime subscription Tivos. I could even hold onto my lifetime and transfer it to another model 10 years from now. From www.tivocommunity.com:

Grandfather transfer: The one-time "Grandfather transfer" (for people who purchased Product Lifetime on or before January 21, 2000 [as in, more than six years ago], and who have not already used their one-time transfer) is still allowed and will also be honored for future hardware releases from TiVo, such as the Series3. If you have any trouble when you call, please mention KDB code 09-07-04 to the agent.]]>Sep 12th 2006 4:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.tivolovers.com/Series3-Review.html
http://www.tivolovers.com/Series3-FAQ.html
http://www.tivolovers.com/Photos/Series3-Review/]]>Sep 12th 2006 5:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 6:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 12th 2006 8:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
Also I want to see a shot of the Now Playing screens to see if it allows sorting/folder organizing of recorded content because the new DirecTV HD DVR HR10-250 seems to not have this capability out of the box.]]>Sep 12th 2006 9:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 13th 2006 4:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
No worries, since mine was ordered from tivo.com and I should have it by friday!]]>Sep 13th 2006 6:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 13th 2006 5:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
1. What's the performance like of the S3 coupled with TiVo's wifi adapter? I realize TiVo-To-Go has not been activated on the S3 yet, but I'd still be interested to know if everything's been smooth sailing in terms of making the "daily call" over a wireless network.

2. Will TiVo honor any unused Lifetime Subscription service cards that were sold by the likes of BestBuy, or must they only be used on S2 models?
]]>Sep 13th 2006 6:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 14th 2006 1:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 15th 2006 1:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/]]>Sep 16th 2006 3:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 16th 2006 8:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Sep 17th 2006 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
It is a pretty sweet with these advantages over the Comcst DVR:

250GB vs 120GB -- Greater than 2X the storage which is really a necessity for all the HD shows we watch and all the kiddie shows we keep around. The need for "OnDemand" greatly diminishes.

Excellent scaling of 480i to 720p. I have a 2005 Panasonic Plasma and after some experimentation, I found that the 480i video scaling in the TiVo was actually superior to that in my TV. The THX certification does seem to be meaningful after all. My TV is not THX certified.

Okay, so I don't get TiVoToGo yet. I am bummed. This was a feature I was looking forward to for the 4 hour drives to the ski slopes. However, I do get network Photo viewing. I was going to build a home theater PC or buy an HD digital media viewer ($200 - $300) to view photos on my TV, but now I don't need to. My wife and the kids loved watching the slide shows of our trips to Disneyland and Disneyworld. Something you can't do with a Comcast DVR. When you think that printing photos can easily be $100 or more, the cost doesn't seem so out of wack. And far more convenient than a slide carosel.

Other great features over the Comcast DVRs - Wishlists, folders, better UI, doesn't shut off in the middle of viewing a show, ATSC tuners for OTA HD (Comcast doesn't carry all of the local DTV signals).

As for unencrypted QAM tuning. You know, I tried this on my TV for awhile when I got it a year ago. But it was really cumbersome to try and remember the mapping. Yeah, it would be good if TiVo had software to do this. However, there's a problem. Comcast occasionally reorganizes the QAM channels and maps them to different channels. Given that the CableCards are $0 per month from Comcast where I live, it's worth the $16 truck-roll to have an installer come out and get hassle free mapping.

And I just found out that my Plasma TV is now $1000 less than I paid in 2005. OUCH! I guess if I was really concerned about the price drop, I should have waited one more year and it would have paid for the TiVo Series 3. Couldn't wait any longer for the TS3. Just hated the Comcast DVR that much. But I am going to wait a year (or more) until the Blu-ray/HD-DVD thing settles out.

Anything to complain about?

Yeah, TV.yahoo.com doesn't work for the TS3 right now (it does for the TS2 however) and this seems to be glitch on TiVo's side (they forgot to configure the affiliate software to allow TS3's to do online scheduling). You can use the TiVo site for online scheduling, but the Yahoo TV thing is a bit easier to use (if it works).

I would have liked the WiFi installation to be just a little easier. I had to reboot the box to get it to work properly. (The Comcast Moto DVR has a built in Cable Modem that is provisioned by the Cable company).

Also, I think that it should have been 300GB (or more) out of the box, rather than 250GB. Just waiting for 500GB or 750GB eSATA drives to work with TiVo and I may go straight to 1TB. Weaknees is already offering upgraded TS3 which has one 750GB drive (100 hours of HD, >900 hours of SD). $600 for the upgrade is more than I want to spend right now.]]>Sep 18th 2006 2:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
As for the lifetime service cards from earlier this year. I read someplace that this would work for the TS3 as well (not just TS2). It might have been a link from a seller on eBay you had linked to the TiVo page. I've been trying to find something in the TiVo knowledge base or FAQs confirming this. You need to double check.
]]>Sep 18th 2006 3:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/
I understand this is a cool gadget--AND I LOVE TIVO!--but who in their right mind would pay $800 dollars, plus taxes, plus a monthly service fee for this product--which is inferior?

I canceled Tivo in August and got my Comcast Motorola box with a dual-tuner and HD. I don't love it, but its functional and only $5/month and I don't have to cough up $800 plus $12.95/month for the same functionality. I mean, what I can I say, "You can't use TivoToGo with my Motorola box", well guess what, you can't do it with their $800 box either! Nor can you use multi-room sharing.

Sorry Tivo, you're moving in the wrong direction. Give me the box for $99 like it used to be, and maybe I'll pay the $12.95/month. ]]>Sep 21st 2006 12:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/12/hands-on-with-the-tivo-series3/Oct 17th 2006 12:22AM