# help



## markham (Jul 2, 2005)

Can I ask you experts what you think I should doI am thinking of changing my old TV with a Sony bravia lcd but this is the problem. I have a Tivo, which I love, but the offer for the new TV comes with a Sony RDRHXD870B DVD/HDD digital box and looking through the technical details it appears to my inexperienced eye that it will do everything the Tivo does. Your advice will be much appreciated.


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## 6022tivo (Oct 29, 2002)

How does it get its guide data??


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## ColinYounger (Aug 9, 2006)

It does do what a TiVo basically does - records TV onto a disk.

But if you do the following:
Pause live TV
Rewind\FF live TV
'Trick Play' (jump + 15 mins, etc) through a recording
Use season passes
Use wishlists
Use suggestions
Then you might be disappointed.


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## martink0646 (Feb 8, 2005)

I'm not an expert but just someone who has used TiVo from the beginning. I think you maybe looking at this backwards. Work out what you love about TiVo & the features you use the most then compare those with the Sony. You will probably find that whilst the Sony covers the basics, it will not deliver the sometimes intangible 'TiVo' experience. SKY+ delivers all the basics but the user experience is awful.

That said, I think if I was using an unmodified TiVo I could be swayed by other technology, but using a networked, fully hacked up TiVo the experience is almost second to none.

I am playing around with an HTPC front end called xLobby & it looks very promising, but at the end of the day it is still a PC & not a plug & play (turn on & leave) device.

Finally, there is probably nothing stopping you using them together?!

Martin


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## speedyrite (May 18, 2002)

6022tivo said:


> How does it get its guide data??


I've got a Sony HXD560, which I use to archive off TiVo and as an alternative recorder when there are clashes - it gets guide data over the air. Look up Freeview Playback. Series Link is not available on all channels yet and there's (obviously!) no concept of Wish Lists.


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## ColinYounger (Aug 9, 2006)

> Using them together


Exactly what I was going to follow up with - you could use the Sony as a backup device for TiVo, to burn programs onto DVD, etc.

At the end of the day - if it comes with the TV, what's the problem?


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## ColinYounger (Aug 9, 2006)

Mea Culpa! I mixed up my definition of 'Trick Play'. The pause, rewind, etc features for Live TV is trick play.

Knew I was trying to be too clever.


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

If you are keeping your Tivo make sure it has software version 2.5.5a or it may upset your new Sony TV.

Press Tivo, Messages & Setup,System Information to check your software version.

Automan.


markham said:


> I am thinking of changing my old TV with a Sony bravia lcd.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

markham said:


> Your advice will be much appreciated.


Solution 1:-

Sell the free Sony PVR on Ebay for say £180 or more and use the money received to buy a Cachecard and 512MB of RAM and a new large hard drive for your Tivo and record your stuff on your Tivo in Mode 0 so that it will look decent on the Sony Bravia.

Only downside is that a Tivo does not have dual tuners. Everything else is better than on the Sony box.

Solution 2:-

Do nothing, continue to enjoy Tivo and save yourself £1000 or so on the Sony Bravia.


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## markham (Jul 2, 2005)

Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply. The Tivo I have is completely unmodified so pete77 your solution re having it modified and watching on mode 0 (whatever that is) sounds good. I would have to get someone to do the mod as I am useless at DIY.However AUTOMAN your remark re software version is a worry as my system shows 2.5.5-01-1-023 is this going to give me big problems re the Bravia


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

markham said:


> Thanks to everyone who took the trouble to reply. The Tivo I have is completely unmodified so pete77 your solution re having it modified and watching on mode 0 (whatever that is) sounds good. I would have to get someone to do the mod as I am useless at DIY.However AUTOMAN your remark re software version is a worry as my system shows 2.5.5-01-1-023 is this going to give me big problems re the Bravia


Upgrading to software version 2.5.5a is an officially supported option via Tivo Customer Services. The software then just updates overnight via the usual daily call.

As to upgrading your Tivo the outfits called www.tivoheaven.co.uk and www.tivoheaven.com and an Ebay seller called Tivo Central (all also known for participating in this discussion forum) will supply the pre-prepared upgraded hard drives and/or the Cachecard and RAM to install. However buying a Tivo that is already upgraded on Ebay can work out cheaper but all the heavily upgraded units with Cachecard etc that the Sky HD upgrading Tivo owners were selling now seem to have gone in the main.

Perhaps you may want to take delivery of your Sony Freeview Playback unit and give it a spin and see if it is for you or not and if it is not then sell it on Ebay and perhaps consider upgrading your Tivo.


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

Pete77 - I think you meant http://www.tivoland.com/ and http://www.tivoheaven.co.uk


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

AMc said:


> Pete77 - I think you meant http://www.tivoland.com/ and http://www.tivoheaven.co.uk


So I did.

Strangely enough I see that blindlemon has not picked me up on making an error that was unfavourable to his main commercial rival.


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## AMc (Mar 22, 2002)

Pete77 - I think you take the "rivalry" between those three more seriously than they do. Certainly I've never seen them posting here complaining about each others' pricing.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

AMc said:


> Pete77 - I think you take the "rivalry" between those three more seriously than they do. Certainly I've never seen them posting here complaining about each others' pricing.


I think you will find those outfits actually take the rivalry between them very seriously indeed and get very twitchy about the competition.

The views of most of the established players on Andrew in Northern Ireland who was vastly undercutting them on the price of a Cachecard and then a Cachecard and 512MB of memory package are more or less unprintable.

Yet having purchased my Cachecard from andrew and had it supplied in one day by recorded delivery first class post with the Silicon Dust CD I was entirely happy with the service received.

There was also a lot of knocking copy of mikerr when he started selling lower cost Tivo hard drive upgrades on Ebay.


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## markham (Jul 2, 2005)

Contacted 08702 41 8486 Sky but they say they have not had any software updates for seven years and suggested I contacted Tivo heaven...anyone any ideas


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## 6022tivo (Oct 29, 2002)

LOL - How much is he paying them.. 

The software update is to turn off some sort of embeded teletext details that cause certain TV sets to flash, go off to standby and mess up completley.

Speak to sky again and say you have the new Sony with the certain model number, and they will change your flag on your service number to download version a of the software.

It is no different to the standard other than the teletext signal is changed so it does not effect these tv'S


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

markham said:


> Contacted 08702 41 8486 Sky but they say they have not had any software updates for seven years and suggested I contacted Tivo heaven...anyone any ideas


Tivo's last UK software update was actually 5 years ago at some point in 2002 when they released V2.5.5 and V2.5.5a and not 7 years ago (which is when they launched in the UK with V1.5.1 of the software)

You aren't asking for a new software version but merely the alternate software version that has always been available for the last 5 years for owners of many newer tvs that suffer from some issue caused by V2.5.5 also recording part of the teletext signal. Ask to speak to a supervisor if you can't get any sense out of the first adviser you speak to on the Tivo cust

If you bought an upgrade drive from www.tivoheaven.co.uk they could supply it with v2.5.5a of the software installed. All you would have to do is open the Tivo box and unscrew and remove the old drive and plug in and rescrew down the new hard drive in the hard drive bracket.

Or on Ebay you will also find upgrade drives advertised from Tivoheaven.com and TivoCentral who I believe can both provide drives with v2.5.5a of the software presinstalled. Having a much larger hard drive in your Tivo should greatly improve its flexibility for you.


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## Wonder_lander (Jan 13, 2003)

I have a bravia and am running 2.5.5 ?!


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Pete77 said:


> 7 years ago (which is when they launched in the UK with V1.5.1 of the software)


Doesn't time fly. We are all so lucky to have such a fantastic product.


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> If you bought an upgrade drive from www.tivoheaven.co.uk they could supply it with v2.5.5a of the software installed. All you would have to do is open the Tivo box and unscrew and remove the old drive and plug in and rescrew down the new hard drive in the hard drive bracket.


IIRC if you are on the TiVo database as being on 2.5.5 and connect using 2.5.5a it "upgrades" you back to 2.5.5.


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Why the quotes? It is an upgrade to have 2.5.5. Version 2.5.5a is a kludged downgrade with LESS functionality (no subtitle recording) for people with certain TVs!


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## 6022tivo (Oct 29, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> If you bought an upgrade drive from www.tivoheaven.co.uk they could supply it with v2.5.5a of the software installed. All you would have to do is open the Tivo box and unscrew and remove the old drive and plug in and rescrew down the new hard drive in the hard drive bracket. .


The worst thing you could do..

If you did your tivo dials in notices a difference in SW version expected on the server and your tivo, and starts to download 2.5.5 into the alt partition.

Then pends a restart, during the restart it detects the newly downloaded 2.5.5 is older and does not switch partition, then on the next dial in it re-downloads the 2.5.5 and cycles again.

This way, your phone line will be tied up for about an hour every day, and the tivo will restart at 2am every day.


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## mrtickle (Aug 26, 2001)

Ouch! So surely then it is far better all round, if you need it, to use the "patched" version of 2.5.5 which has subtitles disabled. And you'd be able to switch to and from the normal 2.5.5 relatively simply without involving TiVo and without risking all those problems.


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## 6022tivo (Oct 29, 2002)

As far as tivo customer services and the way it works, going to 2.5.5a server side is a one way process, they can NOT get your status back to 2.5.5 (As you will have the problems as mentioned before). If you have brought a 2.5.5a drive without informing customer services, you must inform them and say the normal info about buying a incompatable TV, and they will change the SW version associated to your service number (tivo).


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