A Tivo way of life.
Paper or Plastic?Ö. Spoon or a fork?Ö..Cable or Dish? Well, preference is normally associated with some experiences that vary in quality, quantity, and performance. I have a personal preference having tried both for several yearsÖ. and enjoyed one (Dish) more than the other (Cable). But that is just the beginning.
A few years ago, when I switch from cable to dish, I was introduced to the wonderful world of Tivo. At first it was ìthatís pretty neatî and ìthatís kinda coolî, but in a short time the Tivo started becoming an integral part of our lives. It is hard to think that such a simple device could lead to such drastic changes in ones life, especially when you donít watch that much TV. So much so, that if I were to take down my wife’s Tivo, I would soon find myself either sleeping on the couch, or with a fork stabbed into my backÖ. (or maybe both).
But anywaysÖ in a short time (being somewhat of a tech-geek), I hacked my Tivo(s), quadrupled the drive space in them, networked them, set up web services, and automatic transfers to a media server (and each other). My Tivosí even email me to tell me whatís up and coming, whatís expiring, and even if the room is too hot.
Anyone can make these types of changes with a good guide and a little know how. A good place for Tivo ìHow Toî guides can be found at DealDatabase.
For those of you who where thinking of giving it a try, but need the one that is standalone (as aposed to integrated with the Dish receiver), Tivo is giving away a 40 Hour Refurbished Tivo with service. Also there are some really good install deals if you go Direct such as RapidSatellite.
Anyone else addicted? …or had their life threatened?
While not a TiVo owner I do get similar benefits using the DVR features of my Dish Network boxes.
Oh, and in the name of full disclosure, I should mention that I am a Dish Network employee.
This is cool…I’ve been wanting to get a TiVo for quite some time now.
Ah, an insider, eh? :-) Heard any word on the new High-Def format that everyone will be switching to? I hear it is not good to buy a current HD-DVR type system, until the standard is finalized.
I hate to snark … but this post, while interesting and informative, has nothing to do with Atlanta. :|
(I have a DVR through Comcast Cable, btw. The only thing that makes TV worth paying for.)
True, little Atlanta mention in this one. Maybe I should have said I use it to catch all my favorite Local news/shows … but that would be a lie…
So, sorry about that. I will endeavour to keep it more Atlanta-centric in future posts.
Well I for one feel that the Cable debate is pertinent here in Atlanta- I’ve been a loyal comcast subscriber for cable/internet for about 4 years. However, my recent move to DeKalb has rendered me very upset about my service in this particular area. Many outages which is frustrating as I work from home. Furthermore, since I also use Vonage, every time my internet bleeps my call is dropped. Does anyone have that BellSouth bundle of services and what is their opinion of it?
Secondly, I also subscribe to TiVo and do love it. Those ‘beeps’ it makes when surfing are so cute. Silly, right? However, I also know that Comcast offers its own little DVR service here in Atlanta. Is there a difference between the two, and does it have the amazing capabilities of TiVo as mentioned in this blog’s primary article?
I believe that it matters greatly where you live in Atlanta when approaching the great cable/internet debate.
Anyone use a Microsoft Media Center PC? They are a bit more expensive (and complex) but you get some pretty cool capabilities like moving to different TV’s/Comps in the house, it is atttached to your home network (so you can send shows to other people as files) and the best part is you can stream shows to a computer elsewhere in the world (if you travel) (also don’t tell Comcast you are ‘serving’ :)) If you use Tivo/DVR a bunch might be worth looking into. Especially if you miss a show by accident and want to Download and play it from the net.
The beep beep is very cute… my wife has said the same thing. A lot of the features that I had to put into my Tivo systems are now native to Tivo (Standalone) used with either types of service. Its free if you have a Tivo already. More info can be found on tivotogo.com/4.9.19.asp It lets you share to and from your Tivo so you can play music and see pictures from your PC on your TV. And also pull programs and burn them to DVD.
As for Media Center PC, I have used one, and the core of it is Media Services (even in Windows XP Media Edition). It allows you to “broadcast” media (songs, movies, pics, etc) as well cas capture (like a tivo). But you need not buy a whole pc if you know a little about computers. You can get an “All in wonder” type PC card and just use a comporable free program on any PC like Media Portal (http://mediaportal.sourceforge.net/)