TiVo comes to Canada, but lacks HD

Canuck TV lovers have something to look forward to this holiday season, as TiVo is officially launching in Canada with the 80-hour Series2 DVR. HDTV watchers will continue to wait patiently, though, as no plans for Canadian HD products were announced, and no Canadian cable companies use the CableCARD standard in the Series 3 high-definition boxes. The Series2 will be available from Canadian retailers like Future Shop and Best Buy in early December for $199 CAD plus a TiVo subscription.

[Derek @ Nov 26th 2007 10:10AM]

It's about time...

[Peter @ Nov 26th 2007 10:30AM]

Er... I've been using my TiVo here in Canada for the last 2 years. Finding somewhere to buy one hasn't always been easy, but definitely possible if you looked hard enough during the last year. Wide availability in the big box electronics stores is the only news here.

Lack of HDTV support is going to make it hard sell against the cable/satellite provers' PVRs that support HDTV.

[terrylam @ Nov 26th 2007 10:37AM]

Been using it for 2 years as well.

This is great news and hopefully my outstanding complaint against Shaw with the CRTC will get more clout when I add to the file that products can be bought directly in Canada.

Cable cards have to happen. I hate being tied to a specific unit and that's the crux of my complaint with the CRTC. I suggest everyone write to them. They do listen and they have been corresponding with me and with Shaw for the last 2 years. Shaw's corporate management has been talking to me, but nothing they have provided to me has been satisfactory. "Thank-you for choosing Shaw", well if I truly had a choice it wouldn't be them.

[Chris @ Nov 26th 2007 10:39AM]

I had TiVo in Canada for 2 years, before i made the switch to HD, and had to go to the Rogers PVR. Man, it's awful.

Maybe the fact that they're finally launching TiVo in Canadian stores means that Tivo HD is coming up here eventually? That would be awesome, and I'd be the first to sign up. But with no CableCARD up here, I'm not holding my breath.

[Mark @ Nov 26th 2007 10:40AM]

And I just bought an HTPC with Media Center.

[Slashy the Clown @ Nov 26th 2007 10:50AM]

I, too, have had TiVo for years. The reason no TiVo in Canada was because they didn't want the expense or trouble to make the menus French and English. I'm glad they came to the best solution which was to offer it in English Canada only, at least until they see if there is any demand from the Frenchies.
Rebates?

[huh @ Nov 26th 2007 11:34AM]

You must be joking. Adding French language support and menus is not a big job. They probably already have Spanish language support, which provides the groundwork.

[Slashy the Clown @ Nov 26th 2007 1:19PM]

I'm serious! There is no spanish language support. Believe it or not, that is what held TiVo back in Canada.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 10:52AM]

No it will not be a hard sell at all.The pvrs in canada cost big bucks and are very limited features.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 11:42AM]

Chirs
About 5 years ago i had a rogers pvr it was just a joke.The lack of features etc.Now there doing away with the non hd pvr which makes no sense at all.IF you want the pvr it now is $500 or $24 a month.

[Peter @ Nov 26th 2007 11:58AM]

This actually bodes well for TiVo. It fills the void for people who want a PVR but haven't made the transition to HDTV yet. It probably is a shrinking market, but for everyday viewing it's still a great option.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 12:07PM]

I really can see tivo beeing a very hot xmas gift.

[Mahkinah @ Nov 26th 2007 12:36PM]

I just got TiVo HD for OTA use. It's great, but there's a few channels missing in the guide (City HD, CTV HD, and CBC HD). I wonder if they're gonna add these now that more attention is being payed to Canada?

[Delroy @ Nov 26th 2007 1:05PM]

@Travis: You must live near a small redneck town. The Canadian cable and satellite providers have offered PVRs for years, and yes, even high definition models.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 1:08PM]

Delroy
While it is true they have offered pvrs for years.They don't even come close to a tivo.


1)They have only very limited features.
2)The max amount of hours is 120.While with tivo you can upgrade to 2400 hours.

[jonathan @ Nov 26th 2007 1:12PM]

As long as Rogers and Shaw won't be using the CableCard system HD is out. The control freaks at both these cable companies won't let us do anything unless we buy their hideous power consuming cable boxes. The CableCard is kind of an elegant solution but because it lacks the ability of two way communication the cable companies in Canada will not even humor it. They want each Canadian to be able to buy pay-per view even if you wish not to have that ability. Until the consumers in Canada demand cable box free HD via CableCards we will have none. So no Tivo in HD, at least not unless you use OTA.

[Khris @ Nov 26th 2007 1:13PM]

Why do I want a Tivo when I can build my own SageTV DVR with as many tuners as I want, avoid having to pay a monthly fee to use it, and save/convert/copy the recordings to/from wherever I please??

[Peter @ Nov 26th 2007 2:02PM]

"...build my own"

There's your answer right there. The average consumer doesn't want to build anything.

[RB @ Nov 26th 2007 4:08PM]

I did that but I am not using it anymore now that I have PVR from Cogeco. The PVR from Cogeco is just so damned convenient.

[Evan @ Nov 26th 2007 1:31PM]

Too little, too late. Unless Rogers offers cable cards (which is unlikely unless they are forced by government), we won't see an HD TiVo, and it's too late for a standard-definition TiVo to have a major impact.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 1:32PM]

Khris
If you want zreo features then the saga is the way to go.

[Evan @ Nov 26th 2007 1:36PM]

Uh, maybe because you have to *build* your SageTV box? A TiVo is simple. Not everyone *wants* to assemble a PC or fiddle with software.

[Evan @ Nov 26th 2007 1:37PM]

(My comment was supposed to be directed at Kris)

[Richard @ Nov 26th 2007 4:09PM]

I think that the Tivo is coming to late to the scene. I was looking for one years ago but now I am happy with the PVR from the cable company.

[warrenpeace™ @ Nov 26th 2007 4:23PM]

There is nothing like the TiVo interface and it's usability. It has feature that a nerd will appreciate, but it's also simple enough that your Mom can use it. That's why it's lasted even though cable companies are making it more and more difficult to use with your existing service.

I had the HD PVR from Rogers (actually I had two different models, but 4 different machines in total 'cause they kept acting up) and the interface was so infuriating that I cancelled my HD service after a month and now watch regular analogue TV with my TiVo and watch TV downloads with my Divx DVD player. I'd love to have HD, but won't until they support CableCard and I can have a TiVo.

[jayme @ Nov 26th 2007 4:57PM]

Richard
Tivo has been in canada for a few years now.Back in 2005 a poll was done at at that time sum 40,000 canadians had tivos.Now its very close to 90,0000.With tivo beeing easy to buy here now that will atleast triple maybe more.Now with cable companys cutting back on pvrs part of the reason is lack of sales.This time is the best time for tivo to expand its canadian market.

[Chris.L @ Nov 27th 2007 3:52PM]

Well I'm not about to break the contract with my cable company for my current DVR, but I guess its good news that I could one day own a TiVo.

Would be nicer if I could get all the american channels on it though, since you can't get most of the good channels in Canada, even if you were willing to pay for them on a satallite or digital cable box.

[Chris @ Nov 28th 2007 7:56PM]

Tivo in Canada???I don't get it .
So what TV signal do you get/use if rogers won't supply cablecards.
How does it work here?
Does the Tivo box still communicate with HQ via phone line?

[jasonmcohen @ Nov 28th 2007 9:33PM]

I own the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD PVR which has a 160GB hard drive. The HDD space can be upgraded by an extra 500GB by purchasing a product such as Western Digital's DVR Expander External eSATA hard drive ($200).
What features are missing from these boxes compared with the TIVO units (other than being able to scehedule recordings over the internet)? Why would I purchase a TIVO in Canada right now if I have HDTV???

[mbeacher @ Nov 30th 2007 12:59PM]

Here's a good overview of the TiVo vs. Rogers pvr models (as you can see TiVo has far more features... it's just a question of what you are looking for).
http://www.pvrcanada.com/learning_centre/?cmd=tivo_vs_rogers

The one missing feature of Rogers Scientific Atlanta pvr that has always infuriated me is that there is no way to directly transfer recorded shows to your pc. The only way to really do this is to hookup your pc's video recording device/card to the s-video and rca outputs on the pvr and then replay the whole thing and capture the feed. I do this on a regular basis... and what a pain!

But with tvo's TiVoToGo feature this will make transferring shows a snap - no more recapturing! The one downside is that it seems like I'll have to keep my Rogers digital box if I want to TiVo any digital channels... correct? Which means I can't turf my Rogers box and would have to pay an extra TiVo monthly subscription on top of what I already pay Rogers on a monthly basis. Maybe Rogers will step up to the plate with the new TiVo competition and add some of these competitive features to their boxes...I'm not holding my breath though :-(

[Anth @ Dec 1st 2007 11:47AM]

Hey mbeacher,

That link you posted is comparing both a SD and HD Rogers box to 2 regular SD Tivo boxes. That's why I think it says on the Rogers HD box will record in HD.

If you compare the Rogers HD to this TiVo - HD Digital Video Recorder, Model: TCD652160

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8386999&type=product&id=1180743545252

then it will record up to 20 hours of HD content onto the 160gb hard drive.

Now it's just a matter of waiting until they approve cable cards up here in Canada, which I've heard will happen by second quarter of 2008.

Fingers crossed.

[Anth @ Dec 2nd 2007 2:21AM]

Anyone from the US, what does a cablecard normally cost from your cable company? Just curious.

Hope they aren't that expensive!

[MK @ Dec 3rd 2007 3:10AM]

I just don't see a market for this in Canada at this point. At $199 I would consider buying Tivo to possibly replace my MCE box. Not recording in HD will make my eyes bleed, but I can see the use of it.

But… why the heck would I want to pay monthly subscription fees on top of my cable, when I can easily avoid them by using ANY other DVCR solution. A lot of Canadians will find this hard to swallow.

[Charles Kaiser @ Dec 17th 2007 11:17AM]

Any other DVCR/PVR/DVR whatever you want to call them pales in comparison to the User Interface and convenience of Tivo. My favourite Tivo feature is being able to set my Tivo to record a program that I forgot to add via the Internet. Also being able to connect my Tivo to my home's wireless network so that I can sent programs recorded on it to my computer or watch content on my computer via the Tivo.

If they ever get the HD Tivos here in Canada, then the cable companies will never be able to rent or sell another PVR. Tivo is like Crack. Once you try it, you are HOOKED!