# Refurb TivoHD @ $179.99+$5.00SH @ Woot



## buddhawood (Oct 9, 2000)

http://www.woot.com/


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

DAMN! What options do we have regarding lifetime service currently?


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## edrock200 (Feb 7, 2002)

also claims 3 months service included.


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## rmstone (Oct 13, 2007)

edrock200 said:


> also claims 3 months service included.


From SlickDeals:

Plus if you act between MARCH 9th, 2008 AND JUNE 28th, 2008, youll get THREE FREE MONTHS OF SERVICE when you use the promo code 3FREEHD at http://www.TiVo.com/activate.


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## Bluecobra (Mar 5, 2008)

I just bought one of these and didn't do any research! It seemed like too good of a deal to pass up.

Three questions:

1. I bought a Series 2 Tivo a few months ago under a 1 year agreement. Can I use the "Change TiVo Service Number" to change my service to the new HD Tivo?

2. I see that the monthly plan is now $12.95, while I'm still paying $16.95. Is there anyway to get on that plan or do I have to wait until the year is up and sign up again for another year?

3. Assuming that I can change my service number, can I sell my Series 2 on ebay or is it tied to me somehow?


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

Bluecobra said:


> I just bought one of these and didn't do any research! It seemed like too good of a deal to pass up.
> 
> Three questions:
> 
> ...


1. Yes, you can go to tivo.com and "manage my account"
2. You'll have to wait until the year is up.
3. You can certainly try to sell it - take a look at closed auctions on eBay to get an idea of what to expect. I don't think that you'll get a lot of money for them, but anything you get is better than nothing!


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## dforemsky (Aug 6, 2003)

Tivo is still running a lifetime service option for users that already have a Tivo. ($399 for lifetime service)

Does anybody know if this option works if you buy the Tivo somewhere else (like woot) and then activate it? Or do you have to buy the box from Tivo as well?


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## Turtleboy (Mar 24, 2001)

Wooted.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

Are there any rebates for this tivo? Didn't say on woot


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## kmdmb (Sep 18, 2007)

Wooted


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

Test said:


> Are there any rebates for this tivo? Didn't say on woot


None that I know of.


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## buddhawood (Oct 9, 2000)

Test said:


> Are there any rebates for this tivo? Didn't say on woot


NO rebates for this unit.


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## jdl (Mar 23, 2003)

I bought my lifetime on a Series 2 in May of 2003. Can I still transfer that for $199 or is the $399 option the only one available?


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## joe warner (Dec 8, 2006)

dforemsky said:


> Tivo is still running a lifetime service option for users that already have a Tivo. ($399 for lifetime service)
> 
> Does anybody know if this option works if you buy the Tivo somewhere else (like woot) and then activate it? Or do you have to buy the box from Tivo as well?


I bought a second Series3 TiVo from a outside dealer and I received my $200 rebate (Spring rebate) and also received the $399 lifetime service offer.


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## DeathRider (Dec 30, 2006)

I missed getting a S3 from CC for $279 (last week i was in NH store, said they had a few the week before).

Guess I'll have to woot so I can replace my S2.


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## mdl_77 (Nov 11, 2006)

Thx for posting... wooted!


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## rturrentine (Jan 24, 2003)

While $179 + $5 S/H is a good price, you can still get a refurb directly from Tivo.com for $199. With shipping that's only $15 more than woot.com. The advantage is a 1yr warranty from Tivo.com instead of a 90 day warranty.

http://www.tivo.com/promo/factory_renewed_dvr.html


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## rturrentine (Jan 24, 2003)

rturrentine said:


> While $179 + $5 S/H is a good price, you can still get a refurb directly from Tivo.com for $199. With shipping that's only $15 more than woot.com. The advantage is a 1yr warranty from Tivo.com instead of a 90 day warranty.
> 
> http://www.tivo.com/promo/factory_renewed_dvr.html


I'll follow up my own post... the Tivo.com offer does require you to sign up for a new service plan. So if you want to transfer a current plan, this might not work and woot.com might be better.

As always, read the fine print...


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## faerie (Sep 1, 2003)

dforemsky said:


> Tivo is still running a lifetime service option for users that already have a Tivo. ($399 for lifetime service)
> 
> Does anybody know if this option works if you buy the Tivo somewhere else (like woot) and then activate it? Or do you have to buy the box from Tivo as well?


They are? The only one I can find expired 2/13/08. Do you have a link to info about the current lifetime?


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## rturrentine (Jan 24, 2003)

I see the lifetime option when I sign into my account and then go to Buy TiVo and select TiVo price plans. The info says expiration is Feb 13 but from what I read they are still offering it. In fact, I talked to a CSR this week and he offered it to me but I was transferring an existing lifetime service.


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## skylark_pilot (Aug 29, 2003)

rturrentine said:


> While $179 + $5 S/H is a good price, you can still get a refurb directly from Tivo.com for $199. With shipping that's only $15 more than woot.com. The advantage is a 1yr warranty from Tivo.com instead of a 90 day warranty.
> 
> http://www.tivo.com/promo/factory_renewed_dvr.html


But the Tivo.com refurb only has two service options (month-to-month and one year) and "is not eligible for Multi-Service Discount".


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## Tiyuri (May 3, 2002)

rturrentine said:


> While $179 + $5 S/H is a good price, you can still get a refurb directly from Tivo.com for $199. With shipping that's only $15 more than woot.com. The advantage is a 1yr warranty from Tivo.com instead of a 90 day warranty.
> 
> http://www.tivo.com/promo/factory_renewed_dvr.html


There are two other disadvantages

1) tax. Tivo.com charges me tax. Woot does not.

2) Since it is pre-activated you cannot buy one of those lifetime deals you see on eBay until after your service period has expired.


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## Chuck_NJ (Mar 4, 2007)

I recently bought my second hd and tranfered lifetime from a series 2. During that tranfer they gave me one year free on the series 2. Could i buy another HD for the $179 and transfer the 1 year i have left free on the series 2 to the new hd?


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## Chiparoo (Aug 5, 2007)

Tiyuri said:


> There are two other disadvantages
> 
> 1) tax. Tivo.com charges me tax. Woot does not.
> 
> 2) Since it is pre-activated you cannot buy one of those lifetime deals you see on eBay until after your service period has expired.


It doesn't appear in the Woot offer that it is pre-activated, so couldn't you just activate it with a $399 Lifetime Offer from TiVo and forget about the free Woot 3 months subscription?


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## Chiparoo (Aug 5, 2007)

Chiparoo said:


> It doesn't appear in the Woot offer that it is pre-activated, so couldn't you just activate it with a $399 Lifetime Offer from TiVo and forget about the free Woot 3 months subscription?


Oh my confusion....the refurb deal from TiVo.com is preactivated (not the Woot deal). That is a disadvantage.


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## Chiparoo (Aug 5, 2007)

faerie said:


> They are? The only one I can find expired 2/13/08. Do you have a link to info about the current lifetime?


Several CSRs have confirmed that the Lifetime Sub offer of $399 was extended to Apr 2, although it apparently can't be found in writing.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

So with the Woot deal it is possible to get a TivoHD with Lifetime for ~585? Darn I payed 627 and thought I got a good deal.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Wooted.


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## pcguy69 (Jun 14, 2007)

Chiparoo said:


> Several CSRs have confirmed that the Lifetime Sub offer of $399 was extended to Apr 2, although it apparently can't be found in writing.


 I love Tivo, they have always been helpful the couple of times I have needed to contact them, I'm really happy to hear about the lifetime deal I hope they will transfer my lifetime series 2 to the HD, It sort of makes sense for them to do it because when cable goes all digital (2009) I think the series 2s are going to vacuum. Tivo doesn't want to have a bunch of unhappy lifetime customers, so I hope they continue to support the Lifetime transfers. I guess I could sell my series two and buy the lifetime deal if I have to. Tivo has changed my life.


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## jjp007 (Feb 3, 2008)

Hmmm i might have to get another Tivo for the bedroom.....not that i need one in there or anything  
Remember with the HD Series 3 Tivos you have to get a cable card from your cable company. Which can be a huge pain in the butt.

Is this deal still going on? I don't see it.


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## mike_camden (Dec 11, 2006)

jjp007 said:


> Is this deal still going on? I don't see it.


Nope; woots are 24 hour deals only.


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## bltkmt (Apr 28, 2003)

jjp007 said:


> Remember with the HD Series 3 Tivos you have to get a cable card from your cable company. Which can be a huge pain in the butt.


Is that true? I think you can also simply hook it to a cable box as well, right?


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

bltkmt said:


> Is that true? I think you can also simply hook it to a cable box as well, right?


No. It cannot be connected to and control a cable box.


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

bltkmt said:


> Is that true? I think you can also simply hook it to a cable box as well, right?


It's partially true. While it is true that you cannot hook up a Series 3/Tivo HD to a cablebox, it is not true that you have to have CableCards installed in order for it to work. Many people are happy using their S3/THD with OTA channels along with any QAM channels they might pick up.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

brettatk said:


> It's partially true. While it is true that you cannot hook up a Series 3/Tivo HD to a cablebox, it is not true that you have to have CableCards installed in order for it to work. Many people are happy using their S3/THD with OTA channels along with any QAM channels they might pick up.


Since we're in an SDV-heavy area, I suspect that's how I'll use mine at first, leaving my S2 to get all the cable stuff until a bidirectional CableCard solution becomes available. I'd been tossing around the idea of getting a THD for a while now, and this deal was the final catalyst.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

wooted one


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## Chiparoo (Aug 5, 2007)

pcguy69 said:


> I love Tivo, they have always been helpful the couple of times I have needed to contact them, I'm really happy to hear about the lifetime deal I hope they will transfer my lifetime series 2 to the HD, It sort of makes sense for them to do it because when cable goes all digital (2009) I think the series 2s are going to vacuum. Tivo doesn't want to have a bunch of unhappy lifetime customers, so I hope they continue to support the Lifetime transfers. I guess I could sell my series two and buy the lifetime deal if I have to. Tivo has changed my life.


The only Lifetime Offer that is going on now (until Apr 2) is the purchase of a Lifetime Subscription for any box for $399. It is not a "transfer your subscription from an older box to another box" offer.


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## OvrrDrive (Dec 14, 2004)

pcguy69 said:


> It sort of makes sense for them to do it because when cable goes all digital (2009) I think the series 2s are going to vacuum.


The vast majority of tivo users have at least some level of either cable or satt service and the "all digital" movement in 2009 won't effect them at all in any way, shape or form.

It really amazes me just how many people don't understand what's happening in '09.

The skinny is that if you are paying for cable in your house the move will not affect your televisions at all. It's only people that are receiving their TV channels OTA that will need digital tuners. The FCC does not own the frequencies MSO's use in their coax.

Btw, I don't think I'd buy a refurbed tivo hd just because of the sheer number of problems in this forum from people trying to get theirs working correctly. It was worth the extra $100 to get a new one and increase my chances of one that works as well as mine does.

Don't get me wrong, I love woot. I just don't love used tivos.

And I also don't think I'd buy a lifetime right now on a cable card "1.0" device either. Next year the new two way cards should be out and you will need to buy a new tivo at that time if you want on demand or PPV. I don't think I'll be the first to jump on it, but I will definitely want CC 2.0 in the future sometime.


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## derspiess (Jul 10, 2007)

jjp007 said:


> Hmmm i might have to get another Tivo for the bedroom.....not that i need one in there or anything
> Remember with the HD Series 3 Tivos you have to get a cable card from your cable company. Which can be a huge pain in the butt.
> 
> Is this deal still going on? I don't see it.


Nope, you missed the boat 

Woot is a "one deal per day" type site. Although they also have their sellout.woot site, wine.woot & tshirt.woot


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

OvrrDrive said:


> I also don't think I'd buy a lifetime right now on a cable card "1.0" device either. Next year the new two way cards should be out and you will need to buy a new tivo at that time if you want on demand or PPV. I don't think I'll be the first to jump on it, but I will definitely want CC 2.0 in the future sometime.


Anticipation of a newer, better, bidirectional HD TiVo was another factor which pushed me to grab the Woot deal. I was loathe to lay out $299 for a device which I may well want to replace in a year or so, but $179 I could justify to myself. The same reasoning led me to be less concerned about the reduced warranty of the refurb.


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## garath (Mar 7, 2008)

Eccles said:


> Anticipation of a newer, better, bidirectional HD TiVo was another factor which pushed me to grab the Woot deal. I was loathe to lay out $299 for a device which I may well want to replace in a year or so, but $179 I could justify to myself. The same reasoning led me to be less concerned about the reduced warranty of the refurb.


That's exactly why I bought mine through woot. I was having trouble pulling the trigger even at $250, but $185 is a great price. If it all works out well I'll probably be looking at getting whatever the next series is. This is more of an experiment.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

OvrrDrive said:


> It really amazes me just how many people don't understand what's happening in '09.


To be fair, it is better for people to think MORE is going to change than really will, than it is for people to think that LESS is going to change than really will.



OvrrDrive said:


> The skinny is that if you are paying for cable in your house the move will not affect your televisions at all.


It isn't quite *that *simple. Nothing will change on that specific date (2/17/2009), but things are changing in cable, and it *may *indeed affect folks, unless they already have a cable box on every television in their house.


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## OvrrDrive (Dec 14, 2004)

The bottom line is that if you are paying for cable, even televisions that do not have a digital tuner built in, or a new digital tuner box attached to them will still work the *exact* same as they do now. There are no other changes coming to affect this, nor will there be. The Rf signals in the coax will remain unchanged due to this whole ordeal the FCC is doing. It only affects OTA and off-air transmission, and in no way at all now or ever will this ruling by the FCC affect what you will receive in your house from the cable company.

Eventually the cable companies may indeed go all digital, but it is in no way related to this snafu from the FCC. They will do it for bandwidth and service offerings dictated by an ever-changing market so they can remain competitive with the competition.

These are educated guesses on my part, but I am involved enough in this situation that I am pretty well educated on the subject.


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## FrodoB (Jan 3, 2005)

In fairness to all the people with a mistaken impression of the digital changeover, I just last weekend listened to a Control4 (home automation/HT) sales guy who repeated the canard about needing a new TV or a DCB, even though almost his entire home show audience would be cable/sat users. And if anyone should know, I would think it should be him. (I don't know if he knew the real details and was just dumbing down with limited time in the presentation or not.)


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

It is amazing how many people think their TV's will be obsolete next year. When these ADC set top boxes come out I wonder how many people that have been using cable or satellite will run out and buy one to only realize that they do not need it.


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## cdeckert219 (Jan 7, 2006)

I caught the Woot "heads up" and finally pulled the trigger to get an HD box. Then I got the tip regarding Buy.com offering a 1TB drive for under $250. My wife is going to be very happy to get rid of that clunky SA8300HD DVR (which "gray screens" regularly and has been impossible for her to figure out). She's been asking, "Can't we just get a TiVo that does HD?" Then I printed the threads regarding cable card setup and tips on Time Warner challenges. Next I got the latest scoop on upgrading drives, since it's been a couple years since I did my S2 boxes. Finally, I got a lot of laughs reading the rants regarding all the "controversial" topics.

For any newbies out there, my 2 cents... TiVo is definitely better (easier!) than the cable box; upgrading a drive yourself is not rocket science; and refurbs are a good option (especially if you plan to upgrade the drive...since that is probably the most common point of failure).

For those of you posting helpful tips, thanks!!!


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

FrodoB said:


> In fairness to all the people with a mistaken impression of the digital changeover, I just last weekend listened to a Control4 (home automation/HT) sales guy who repeated the canard about needing a new TV or a DCB, even though almost his entire home show audience would be cable/sat users. And if anyone should know, I would think it should be him. (I don't know if he knew the real details and was just dumbing down with limited time in the presentation or not.)


And in further fairness, the reality is that the February 2009 date would provide very convenient cover for cable companies deciding to go "all-digital".


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## vulture99 (Mar 5, 2008)

Chiparoo said:


> The only Lifetime Offer that is going on now (until Apr 2) is the purchase of a Lifetime Subscription for any box for $399. It is not a "transfer your subscription from an older box to another box" offer.


Is this offer open to anyone? Are the refurbished TiVo HDs from the woot.com sale eligible?


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

vulture99 said:


> Is this offer open to anyone? Are the refurbished TiVo HDs from the woot.com sale eligible?


Don't know if it's open to anyone - go to TiVo's online store and go thrugh the motions of buying an HD; if you see Product Lifetime as an available option, then it's available to you! I called and spoke with a TiVo CSR, and was informed that I did not have to buy from TiVo; I could get it regardless of where I bought the device.


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## OvrrDrive (Dec 14, 2004)

bicker said:


> And in further fairness, the reality is that the February 2009 date would provide very convenient cover for cable companies deciding to go "all-digital".


Trust me when I say the cable companies are taking a bad enough rap on this one as it is. Their intention is not to screw over any of their customers any more than they have to.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

Which is why it is so likely that they'll use the February 2009 date as cover for what they need to do, which is to clear up bandwidth so they can provide more HD channels.


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## OvrrDrive (Dec 14, 2004)

Just exactly what is your affiliation with the industry here?

Pissed off customer?

The MSO I work for is NOT planning on doing anything at all when the FCC takes back the airwaves. You can try conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory, but the cable companies are not causing this nor are they profiting from it. 

Just exactly what are you trying to prove?


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

OvrrDrive said:


> Just exactly what are you trying to prove?


Exactly my thoughts. Cable companies DO plan to use this to their advantage.... by getting more customers to purchase cable rather than a "new tv."

Shoot, the local cable company here doesnt even broadcast the 2-99 channels digitally yet.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

OvrrDrive said:


> Just exactly what is your affiliation with the industry here?


None.



OvrrDrive said:


> Pissed off customer?


Satisfied customer, and often I find myself defending the industry from truly baseless attacks. Just ask around.

I cannot account for your inability to recognize my comments as impartial.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

bicker said:


> None.
> 
> Satisfied customer, and often I find myself defending the industry from truly baseless attacks. Just ask around.
> 
> I cannot account for your inability to recognize my comments as impartial.


yah, this is a 180 from Bicker's usual position. Heck I though he was a cable industry rep of some sort when I first "debated" with him over cable cards.

So this is just his own thoughts on the matter even though I as well disagree with Bicker on this one.


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## jondar (Aug 15, 2004)

OvrrDrive said:


> Trust me when I say the cable companies are taking a bad enough rap on this one as it is. Their intention is not to screw over any of their customers any more than they have to.


Yeah, right. RCN has already turned off analog in some of the Chicago market, and expects to rollout the change to the rest of their markets over the next few months. When this hits us, I can expect to pay an additional $36/month for 6 boxes if I want to keep all the functionality I have now (3 lesser used TV's and 3 TiVos, 1 of which is a DT which will end up with only single tuner functionality.) Not to mention that they're deploying DCT700s, which means IR only, no serial control.

Assuming you could actually buy cablecard ready set top boxes somewhere, no one I know has been able to get RCN to commit to saying you can use them with their network, pointing at network compatibility issues.

They can tout the "more bandwidth means more HD" line, but if they really weren't out to screw the customers, they'd be leaving at least the basic network tier in analog so Grandma's TV and those in lesser used rooms don't go totally dark.


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## bicker (Nov 9, 2003)

There are people who completely disagree with you about that. They consider "wasting bandwidth" on analog basic service to be "screwing the customers" ... just "screwing" different customers.


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## RaGINaR (Oct 3, 2005)

Mine is on it's way . Should be here Friday!!!

Get this, my Dish receiver crapped out this weekend. They wanted 15 dollars to ship me a new one... Guess it's a sign to switch back to cable? 

Can't wait!


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

Mine gets here today.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it at first. 
TWC (Austin) can't come out to install my cablecards (they insisted I need 2) til next monday. 

I'm kind of cheesed about the whole SDV mess. But i guess i should have done my homework before jumping in and impulse buying one from woot.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Mine shipped yesterday, and is on the FedEx truck for delivery today! I love living just down the highway from Woot World Headquarters.


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

Eccles said:


> Mine shipped yesterday, and is on the FedEx truck for delivery today! I love living just down the highway from Woot World Headquarters.


have you called TWC about cablecard(s) yet?


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

blog said:


> have you called TWC about cablecard(s) yet?


Nope. I work just across MoPac from TWC's head office, so I plan on heading over there at lunchtime. I'll be hooking up my "rabbit ears" and setting it up for "Antenna only" at first if I can't get a truck roll for this week.

I plan on retaining my existing S2/Cable box for SDV content, but the S2 must know I'm up to something - it threw a hissy fit last night and now refuses to connect to the TiVo servers, but that's another thread in another part of the forum.


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

mine just got here

i hooked it up in my office to my monitor for now. 

Almost there. Just a few minutes more...


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

How long should the "Almost there. Just a few minutes more..." screen be up here? (it's been 15 minutes)


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## RichB (Apr 2, 2003)

blog said:


> How long should the "Almost there. Just a few minutes more..." screen be up here? (it's been 15 minutes)


Yikes. It does not sound good.

- Rich


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

I rebooted it and it sorted itself out. 

Seems to be going properly now


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

FedEx says mine's still on the truck. Methinks it's time to go work from home for the rest of the afternoon.


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

maybe I'll pick up a set o' rabbit ears for this thing so i can at least get a little HD while I'm waiting for TWC


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## ATXFrog (Mar 11, 2008)

Eccles said:


> FedEx says mine's still on the truck. Methinks it's time to go work from home for the rest of the afternoon.


Did you call FedEx? Whats it show on the tracking page? I'm sitting here in anticipation for mine to get here in south austin.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

I think it's a good idea to set up your HD and make sure it works before calling the cable company.


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## blog (Mar 11, 2008)

Mine is working fine, although honestly it is completely useless since all i ever watch is HD.


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## gotdurnrite (Dec 19, 2006)

Mine just came in today. Got my CableCard before coming home, but the damn thing won't load. I get the "Welcome, Powering Up" screen then it flicks off and comes back to this screen. It's been doing this for about 15 minutes. Anyone ever seen something like this before?


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

blog said:


> Mine is working fine, although honestly it is completely useless since all i ever watch is HD.


I think this thread will be of interest to you
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=362736


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

gotdurnrite said:


> Mine just came in today. Got my CableCard before coming home, but the damn thing won't load. I get the "Welcome, Powering Up" screen then it flicks off and comes back to this screen. It's been doing this for about 15 minutes. Anyone ever seen something like this before?


Well - it -was- refurbished. I'd unplug it, let it sit for a minute, then plug it back in and see what happens. I hope mine is OK. My woot order is expected later this week.


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## Meanee (Mar 10, 2008)

Looks like mine got delayed a day and will be coming in on Friday. I am in Brooklyn, NY. And appointment is scheduled for Sunday to install m-card...

I just hope FedEx won't screw up shipping any more. In the morning, tracking page said it will be delivered on Thursday


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

blog said:


> Mine is working fine, although honestly it is completely useless since all i ever watch is HD.


I record HD on my TiVo HD just fine without a cablecard.


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## gotdurnrite (Dec 19, 2006)

I called Tivo and they are going to exchange it, but they tell me the turn around time is a 3 to 4 weeks. *sigh*


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## brettatk (Oct 11, 2002)

gotdurnrite said:


> I called Tivo and they are going to exchange it, but they tell me the turn around time is a 3 to 4 weeks. *sigh*


I guess you let it sit for a pretty long time before unplugging it? If not then I'd plug it back in and let it sit for atleast and hour. If after that it hasnt budged from the Powering Up screen then I'd go through with the exchange.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Eccles said:


> Nope. I work just across MoPac from TWC's head office, so I plan on heading over there at lunchtime. I'll be hooking up my "rabbit ears" and setting it up for "Antenna only" at first if I can't get a truck roll for this week.


I got the delivery notification from FedEx at about 4pm yesterday, left work, and hit the TWC office. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I spoke with a counter agent who knew exactly what I was talking about and what I needed, and scheduled me for an installation between 8am and noon the next day (today). More woot!

Got home, unpacked, and installed the THD with rabbit ears and a split cable drop for analog cable channels. Worked like a charm, and I was able to force the TiVo service update (from 8.1 which it shipped with, to 9.2) and verify that everything was working and ready for the CC installer. I also noticed that I was able to receive HBO on analog Ch98 - apparently they had never installed a blocking filter on our line.

This morning, the installer arrived at about 10:45. He was a TWC employee, not a third-party contractor. He explained that they had been having so much trouble fixing failed installs done by contractors, that they are now sending their own people out in the first place. He spent a while working outside the house where the cable comes in and splits, before coming back into the house to install the actual card. (When I asked him, he said that he had been checking the levels, etc, to avoid having to come back out again if I had trouble later, but after he left I discovered that HBO Ch98 is now dark, so I guess he rectified the missing filter situation.  )

The actual card install took about 10 minutes, most of which was spent on the phone waiting on a TWC agent to activate and authorize the card. Everything went smoothly, and the box is now up and running with everything except the SDV channels. I'll be hanging on to my old Explorer 2100 and TiVo S2 so I can continue to get SPEED until the channel resolver eventually hits the market. The installer knew what I was talking about, but had no information on any arrival date.

So all in all, I'm one happy camper!


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Oh, I forgot to mention the one small issue I had with the refurb: after it had been running for a while, I noticed that the System Status was showing an internal temperature of 67C, "High, but still ok - check vents," and further investigation revealed that the rear fan was not turning. I pulled out my trusty penknife and turned the blades manually to check if it was seized, and it started up and had been running fine since then - it just seemed to need a little kickstart. I'll keep an eye on it, but if it stops again I'll probably replace it myself - I'd be loathe to return the entire device (and be without it for several weeks) for something as simple as that.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

I bought one of the woot.com refurbed HD TiVo's too. I bought my RS-TX20 from woot and the only problem I had with it was when the hard drive crapped out on me. Fortunately, it was still under warranty and was replaced at no charge.

Delivery is scheduled for 3/14. I was about to check the progress on my order to see what progress had been made since last night. When a Fed Ex driver walked in with my TiVo! Unfortunately, I am stuck here at work and won't be able to hook it up until later tonight.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

I just hope the wife doesn't kill me....


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## faerie (Sep 1, 2003)

my tivo appears to still be at the fedex facility. it's supposed to be delivered today though. We'll see... starting to wonder as the website says it's still at the facility, yet it's 915am =/


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## mdl_77 (Nov 11, 2006)

Received mine today -> DOA!! Same issue as gotdurnrite. Good luck to the rest of you.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

You might try the "kickstart 57" procedure described in this post. Good luck!


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## cleverdevil (Nov 12, 2007)

I got mine, and its running smoothly now, although minus CableCard, until the Comcast installer comes tomorrow. For now, I at least get the local channels in HD after doing a channel scan (I am assuming these are the QAM channels).

On top of that, when I called to activate my TiVo, the representative let me transfer my lifetime subscription from my *very* old Series2 for *NO CHARGE*. How do you like them apples!?


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

cleverdevil said:


> I got mine, and its running smoothly now, although minus CableCard, until the Comcast installer comes tomorrow. For now, I at least get the local channels in HD after doing a channel scan (I am assuming these are the QAM channels).
> 
> On top of that, when I called to activate my TiVo, the representative let me transfer my lifetime subscription from my *very* old Series2 for *NO CHARGE*. How do you like them apples!?


WHOA!

just got mine. definately refurbed as the front panel is a bit tarnished. i've got to get your cs rep! i want to move from my S1 over to the THD.


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

WOW! Just able to transfer my S1 Lifetime over to THD for $0. My S1 will NOT get the 1yr as the previous offer. But I'm happy!


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## vulture99 (Mar 5, 2008)

cleverdevil said:


> On top of that, when I called to activate my TiVo, the representative let me transfer my lifetime subscription from my *very* old Series2 for *NO CHARGE*. How do you like them apples!?


Cool! How old was your Series 2? Did you have to say anything special to get it transferred? Let us know the secret password


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## dwit (May 5, 2004)

chewy2314 said:


> WOW! Just able to transfer my S1 Lifetime over to THD for $0. My S1 will NOT get the 1yr as the previous offer. But I'm happy!


Series 1 units activated with lifetime before a certain date(sometime in 1999, I think) are eligible for a free one time transfer.

That was the policy in force at the time.


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

vulture99,

I just ask the CS if i can please transfer my S1 lifetime over to a "new" THD. He put me on hold for a minute and then ask if the THD came from TiVo or not. I said it came from a retailer and then he said okay. As he was doing the transfer, I asked if this will cost me anything and he said no.


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

dwit,

my S1 was activated in Nov 2001. this date now shows it under my new THD unit.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

came today, all set. running perfect. does not come with ethernet cable, just FYI. no problem for me.

also FYI, the 3FREEHD only works for single DVR homes - multi-service discount is an either/or thing. i chose multi because it'll be cheaper in the long run.


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## faerie (Sep 1, 2003)

ours arrived today as well. cablecard is set up, went with lifetime service, everything ran pretty smoothly. Will need to pick up an new HDMI cable.


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

you don't really need to, it only does 1080i anyway and it came with a component.


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## faerie (Sep 1, 2003)

hmn. is there no advantage to running HDMI over component?


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

only if you have a digital receiver, for the audio. but there's already an optical audio out. the only real advantage you get with HDMI is a 1080p source like Bluray. otherwise, there is no difference in video quality. and Tivo only does 1080i.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

briansemerick said:


> otherwise, there is no difference in video quality. and Tivo only does 1080i.


For short distances with high quality cables this is true. However component is more dependent on cable quality and/or distance. HDMI can usually survive long runs with inexpensive cable without loss in quality.


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## GadgetGav (Dec 11, 2001)

Got my (second) TivoHD thanks to this Woot deal. Planning a refurb of the bedroom which will include a flat panel TV, so I thought I'd jump on this.
Can I get some clarity on the lifetime sub transfers. If you had an old lifetime on a S1 box (I have since 2000) are you only allowed to move that once..? I got an S2 just as my S1 died and transferred. I'm asking a lot to be able to transfer it twice, I know since it's supposed to be the lifetime of one box..! I've seen in various places that a new lifetime sub will cost $199 or $399. Can anyone tell me which it is..?
I'll have to work out the break even point of just leaving the S2 lifetime as it is and getting the second TivoHD on multi discount vs getting a new lifetime sub on one of the HDs...


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## dwit (May 5, 2004)

GadgetGav said:


> Got my (second) TivoHD thanks to this Woot deal. Planning a refurb of the bedroom which will include a flat panel TV, so I thought I'd jump on this.
> Can I get some clarity on the lifetime sub transfers. If you had an old lifetime on a S1 box (I have since 2000) are you only allowed to move that once..? I got an S2 just as my S1 died and transferred. I'm asking a lot to be able to transfer it twice, I know since it's supposed to be the lifetime of one box..! I've seen in various places that a new lifetime sub will cost $199 or $399. Can anyone tell me which it is..?
> I'll have to work out the break even point of just leaving the S2 lifetime as it is and getting the second TivoHD on multi discount vs getting a new lifetime sub on one of the HDs...


Tivo units activated with lifetime Oct 2003 or before can transfer for $199.

Anyone with an existing Tivo subscription can activate additional unactivated units for $399 lifetime.

That's assumming both offers are still open. I think they are. May expire soon(or may not?).


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## faerie (Sep 1, 2003)

I was able to get in on the second offer today. $399 for lifetime is available until 4/2


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

faerie said:


> hmn. is there no advantage to running HDMI over component?


One advantage is just having fewer cables to snake through your entertainment center.

If you are looking for good quality but inexpensive HDMI cables, Monoprice.com is a good place to try.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10240&cs_id=1024008&p_id=3959&seq=1&format=2


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

GadgetGav said:


> Got my (second) TivoHD thanks to this Woot deal. Planning a refurb of the bedroom which will include a flat panel TV, so I thought I'd jump on this.
> Can I get some clarity on the lifetime sub transfers. If you had an old lifetime on a S1 box (I have since 2000) are you only allowed to move that once..? I got an S2 just as my S1 died and transferred. I'm asking a lot to be able to transfer it twice, I know since it's supposed to be the lifetime of one box..! I've seen in various places that a new lifetime sub will cost $199 or $399. Can anyone tell me which it is..?
> I'll have to work out the break even point of just leaving the S2 lifetime as it is and getting the second TivoHD on multi discount vs getting a new lifetime sub on one of the HDs...


Wouldn't hurt to ask to transfer the S2 lifetime to THD. My refurbed THD now shows lifetime and my S1 now shows (1) New, call 1800xxxxxx.


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## garath (Mar 7, 2008)

Just got mine. Running through the guided setup right now and will be calling Cablevision in a few minutes to set up a cablecard install. Would have done it earlier but given the excessive $50 install fee for it, I wanted to make sure my Tivo worked and I liked it.

Looking forward to getting rid of the awful SA 8300HD box though.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

SUCK!

I hooked up my TiVoHD last night and went through the Guided Setup without a hitch. I was able to watch some live TV, surf some channels, set up some Season Passes. That's about it. It started with random reboots. I tried to force it to connect to tivo several times (via dial up) with reboots happening before it would finish. After that it would reboot minutes after finishing from the last reboot.

I spoke with TiVo support and arranged to send this unit back for replacement. HOPEFULLY, I will have it back without missing much of the NCAA Tourney.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

I received mine today. I opened the box, and the unit looks to be in good shape. The manual and Read Me First guide look like they have been read before. The manufacture date on the back of my Woot unit is December 17th, 2007. I'm curious just how "refurbished" this unit is. 

Tomorrow I might actually turn it on -- still need to decide what TiVo package to get (3 year or lifetime, assuming that option is available to me).


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## garath (Mar 7, 2008)

JohnnyO said:


> I received mine today. I opened the box, and the unit looks to be in good shape. The manual and Read Me First guide look like they have been read before. The manufacture date on the back of my Woot unit is December 17th, 2007. I'm curious just how "refurbished" this unit is.
> 
> Tomorrow I might actually turn it on -- still need to decide what TiVo package to get (3 year or lifetime, assuming that option is available to me).


Mine was a Dec '07 also.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

MIne had a born on date of Nov 28, 07


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## GadgetGav (Dec 11, 2001)

Mine was something like Jan 8th 2008 and looked new to me...
I got all the parts I was supposed to and it seems to run without any problems. Now to call the cable co for two more cable cards and call TiVo to see if I can transfer the lifetime sub...


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## GadgetGav (Dec 11, 2001)

BTW, is there a For Sale section in here - I couldn't see one.
I'm wondering where to offload my 186hr Series 2. EBay I suppose, but a more specialized forum might be a better choice.


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## cdeckert219 (Jan 7, 2006)

I bought the Woot special, too. It arrived on Thursday. My 1TB SATA drive from Buy.com arrived the day before. 

I hooked up the unit to make sure it works before calling TWC. Booted fine and completed setup fine. When I went to watch live TV, though, the channel appeared for a few minutes, but then the screen went gray. Going back to the menus was wacked... gray background with menu options visible. I forced the upgrade to 9.2. Rebooted and everything works fine now. It's been up for just under 2 days and everything works fine. I get a couple HD channels through rabbit ears and basic cable stuff.

When I called TWC, I aked for a multi-stream card. She said, "We only support single direction." I asked (politely) if she would please note in the work order that I am requesting a multi-stream card. She agreed. She did seem to know what a TiVo was and that it required cable cards. My appt is tomorrow night (Sunday). We'll see how it goes...

Once that's done, then I plan to install the TB drive. I'll post results!


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## vulture99 (Mar 5, 2008)

cdeckert219 said:


> I hooked up the unit to make sure it works before calling TWC. Booted fine and completed setup fine. When I went to watch live TV, though, the channel appeared for a few minutes, but then the screen went gray. Going back to the menus was wacked... gray background with menu options visible. I forced the upgrade to 9.2. Rebooted and everything works fine now. It's been up for just under 2 days and everything works fine. I get a couple HD channels through rabbit ears and basic cable stuff.


I have the same issue with my woot.com TiVo HD, although I also experienced the gray screen this morning after upgrading to 9.2a last night. I just wrote a post about this in the "TiVo HD - All Video Vanishes" thread.

I also got the WD 1 TB drive from buy.com but holding off on upgrading the drive until I can make sure this unit is working properly!


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## mike_camden (Dec 11, 2006)

Mine arrived on Thursday. It has a man. date of Jan 18, 2008. It looked to be in pretty much new condition. No problems with receiving basic cable channels or functional use. Comcast is due to arrive sometime between 12 - 4 today (which means around 7 if at all).


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## cleverdevil (Nov 12, 2007)

My TiVo HD came from woot, I transferred the lifetime subscription from my series 2, and hooked it up. Then I called Comcast, and had a terrible experience (which I have documented here: http://cleverdevil.org/article/74/thats-comcastic), but am now up and running.

This is my first HD TiVo, and I have to say, I am impressed in some ways, and disappointed in others.

The Good:
* Its TiVo, in HD!
* TiVoCast and Unbox are cool, although I really wish there were HD rentals or HD podcasts.
* Its got a "native" pass through mode, unlike my old Comcast DVR POS.
* TiVo2Go in HD?! Fantastic, although TiVo's treatment of Mac users is shameful.
* TiVo2GoBack (via pyTivo) is awesome. I am totally miffed that the on-board h.264 decoding isn't enabled, because transcoding large h.264 movies into MPEG-2 results is massive files and a loss of quality. I hope this is rectified in the future.

The Bad:
* I don't like how it changes channels, putting up a big gray box on the screen, followed by an audible "popping" sound before showing the channel. This happens in both Native and Fixed modes, and is really irritating.
* No TiVo sound effects on certain channels. This is annoying because I like to hear the effects to know when the TiVo has received my button presses. This really diminishes my experience.
* It seems like they aren't taking advantage of the resolution available to them with the guide and on-screen menus. The font on these is absolutely *huge* and it seems like there should be a setting to turn the font size down a bit.
* The menus are in 720p. Why? Better to have it in the higher resolution, and scale down if needed. On my 1080p TV, I can definitely tell that the menus aren't at the highest possible resolution.
* The installation process... mostly Comcast's fault.

All in all, I am excited to be free of my Comcast DVR, and back in a happy TiVo place.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

cleverdevil said:


> The Bad:
> * I don't like how it changes channels, putting up a big gray box on the screen, followed by an audible "popping" sound before showing the channel. This happens in both Native and Fixed modes, and is really irritating.


I see the gray for a second when changing channels, is that normal??


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

cleverdevil said:


> * No TiVo sound effects on certain channels. This is annoying because I like to hear the effects to know when the TiVo has received my button presses. This really diminishes my experience.


go to Audio options and change to PCM. if you read the disclaimer there it'll tell you about that.


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## cleverdevil (Nov 12, 2007)

briansemerick said:


> go to Audio options and change to PCM. if you read the disclaimer there it'll tell you about that.


If I change it to PCM, I get the sound effects, but then I don't get Dolby Digital sound anymore. The sound effects aren't *that* important... I still don't understand why they can't play the sound effects in DD.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

The DD is a digital stream of audio that they can not inject other effects into. It's rather easy to do this with analog signals but not digital. They would have to decode and recode the stream.

On another note, my refurb has a mfg date of 20-feb-08. I suspect this is a date of refurb. Someone didn't do a very good job of covering up a sticker underneath of it.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

cleverdevil said:


> The Bad:
> * I don't like how it changes channels, putting up a big gray box on the screen, followed by an audible "popping" sound before showing the channel. This happens in both Native and Fixed modes, and is really irritating.
> * No TiVo sound effects on certain channels. This is annoying because I like to hear the effects to know when the TiVo has received my button presses. This really diminishes my experience.
> .


1. I dont get the grey box on my THD.
2. Watch for the yellow light on the front of the unit.


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## Seattle (Dec 13, 2001)

Test said:


> I see the gray for a second when changing channels, is that normal??


I am getting the same thing.


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## MedievalKnight (Mar 15, 2008)

I think my WOOT Tivo HD is defective as is wont go past the "Beginning Antenna Channel Scan"

It just hangs there forever....

Anyone else see this problem?


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

Seattle said:


> I am getting the same thing.


hmmmm yours is the refurb from woot right? I guess I'm going to have to go search it out in the other threads.


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## doopstr (Nov 13, 2004)

chewy2314 said:


> vulture99,
> 
> I just ask the CS if i can please transfer my S1 lifetime over to a "new" THD. He put me on hold for a minute and then ask if the THD came from TiVo or not. I said it came from a retailer and then he said okay. As he was doing the transfer, I asked if this will cost me anything and he said no.


I called today and was told that I could not do any kind of lifetime transfer from my S1. He offered to sell me a new lifetime for $399.

Is there any kind of transfer promo going on now? I can't find anything on tivo.com. I wouldn't mind spending $199 to transfer the current one but $399 is a bit much since I have no other use for my S1.


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## RaGINaR (Oct 3, 2005)

Same here. Tried to transfer from my S2 (2 years 5 months and 9 days) and she wouldn't let me. She was very strange about letting me activate with a lifetime (which I did). Not the best customer service I've ever had considering what I was signing up for. 

Cancelled dish and have a install appointment with Mediacom. They promised me that I'd be getting an M-card and that it'll cost 35 a month! woohoo .

Anyways, long wait till Friday.

Oh, and the other bad thing, Series3 only support the darn Tivo wireless adapter? WTF? That was a rude awakening. One is on order from Amazon as we speak... I was really disappointed with that.

Hope everyone else is getting free transfers >


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

RaGINaR said:


> Oh, and the other bad thing, Series3 only support the darn Tivo wireless adapter? WTF? That was a rude awakening. One is on order from Amazon as we speak... I was really disappointed with that.


I'm glad you mentioned this. I intended to say the same thing. I was pretty hacked that my Linksys adapter wouldn't work on the THD. The only up side to this is at least I'll get faster speeds and I can upgrade my WLAN to WAP encryption now.

I found one on buy.com for $39.99 - $10.00 (Google Checkout sign up bonus)= $29.99. Not a bad price, I guess, but I was not pleased with having to upgrade my WLAN adapter.


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## RaGINaR (Oct 3, 2005)

EvilMidniteBombr said:


> I'm glad you mentioned this. I intended to say the same thing. I was pretty hacked that my Linksys adapter wouldn't work on the THD. The only up side to this is at least I'll get faster speeds and I can upgrade my WLAN to WAP encryption now.
> 
> I found one on buy.com for $39.99 - $10.00 (Google Checkout sign up bonus)= $29.99. Not a bad price, I guess, but I was not pleased with having to upgrade my WLAN adapter.


Nice call on the Google checkout bonus... I should've used that. I bought on amazon for 39.99 + free shipping. I had also forgot about being able to upgrade to WAP now; a nice change since the S2 was the only device on my network that couldn't support it. As cool as WEP is... security is important.

Just as a corallary, I had a ton of movies and such on my S2... Can I transfer them using MRV to the new HD? I'm sure this was posted in another thread but we might as well learn together. 

Just waiting for my M-card on Friday; hopefully the guy will be willing to follow the Tivo instructions and it'll get up and running quickly!

Oh, and on another note: what's up with the eSAtA drive slot only working with specific models? I've read the threads for the HD and they're boarding ridiculous. Paying a premium for a larger HD? What are everyone's plans for upgrading? I'm assuming the majority of us are not going to stick with 20 hours of HD. Anyone know if you're able to install 2 drives in this bad boy? I couldn't find a good thread on replacing the internal drives. I figure 2 1tb drives might work out well .


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## Agro (Apr 20, 2003)

My HD Tivo arrived last Friday at 1pm. Cox showed up at 3pm. They installed a Scientific Atlantic "M-Card". I had no troubles with getting everything up and running. Thanks w00t!


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## Tiyuri (May 3, 2002)

From reading here and the thread on Woot about this it really seems to be hit or miss. Some, like mine, work perfectly. Others are DOA, missing power cables, etc. I'd love to know what the failure rate of the ~3,000 Woot sold was. The replies say Tivo has been pretty responsive so far but I wonder if that will stop when they put 2 and 2 together and realize that the big upswing in units needing to be replaced comes from Woot. I also wonder if Woot was even authorized to sell them or what? If the failure rate is as high as it seems I don't know if Tivo would want their reputation besmirched like this.


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

Tiyuri said:


> From reading here and the thread on Woot about this it really seems to be hit or miss. Some, like mine, work perfectly. Others are DOA, missing power cables, etc. I'd love to know what the failure rate of the ~3,000 Woot sold was. The replies say Tivo has been pretty responsive so far but I wonder if that will stop when they put 2 and 2 together and realize that the big upswing in units needing to be replaced comes from Woot. I also wonder if Woot was even authorized to sell them or what? If the failure rate is as high as it seems I don't know if Tivo would want their reputation besmirched like this.


The conspiracy nut in me thinks this is why tivo is allowing some users to transfer their lifetime to the new refurb box. Hoping they will die after 90 days.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

Tiyuri said:


> If the failure rate is as high as it seems I don't know if Tivo would want their reputation besmirched like this.


Interesting question. I purchased two. The first one I set up is working fine. I hope to do the other one tonight. I would think that TiVo is hoping/expecting that folks buying refurbished gear understand they are taking a risk in exchange for the reduced price.

John


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## garath (Mar 7, 2008)

Tiyuri said:


> From reading here and the thread on Woot about this it really seems to be hit or miss. Some, like mine, work perfectly. Others are DOA, missing power cables, etc. I'd love to know what the failure rate of the ~3,000 Woot sold was. The replies say Tivo has been pretty responsive so far but I wonder if that will stop when they put 2 and 2 together and realize that the big upswing in units needing to be replaced comes from Woot. I also wonder if Woot was even authorized to sell them or what? If the failure rate is as high as it seems I don't know if Tivo would want their reputation besmirched like this.


Satisfied people generally don't go out of their way to say so. The fact that there have been a number of people claiming DOA tivos in this thread is testament that people with a problem seek out resolution. The only people posting 'works great' are the ones that generally already frequent these boards. Given that these refurbs are likely straight from tivo, I doubt the failure rate is exceptionally high and the happy majority is silently enjoying their new Tivo.

Mine works fine btw. Only thing my box was missing was the cablecard instruction sheet for installers.


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## peternelson (Sep 19, 2005)

I also bought the TiVoHD from Woot. It arrived last Wednesday with all pieces. I made an appointment with Comcast (Ann Arbor, MI) on Friday to install the CableCard. Before the cable installer came I ran it through Guided Setup with just analog cable. My TiVoHD has a manufacturing date in Nov 2007 and came with v8 software. I forced a network connection a few times until I saw that it downloaded the latest v9 software. After restarting the TiVo, everything worked great (although this is only with "basic" cable).

The cable installer came on Friday afternoon with a couple MCards and stayed for nearly 4 hours trying to get one of them to work! Unfortunately by the time he got to my house (around 4:30-5:00pm) the "dispatch office" at Comcast was really busy (probably understaffed on a Friday night) and everytime he called he was put on hold for 30-45 minutes, just trying to get the card activated. The card was never activated properly - we even went through the whole process again with another MCard (which took another hour at least, since Comcast phone support was so slow). Comcast would send a signal to activate the card, and we could see signs of activation/communication (it had "OOB" communication) but the TiVo would get stuck on the "Acquiring Channel List" screen everytime it tried to tune in a channel. I finally let the guy leave around 9pm when we realized we had to call again. I stayed on hold with Comcast and had them send another signal to the MCard which still didn't work.

On Saturday morning I called TiVo directly and had a REALLY helpful phonecall with TiVo customer support. She walked me through some debugging (similar information can be found on TiVo's website) and found that my CableCard wasn't properly activated/paired.  She took down all of my information (including cable card #'s, etc) and even made the phone call to Comcast to help me set up a new appointment. Comcast tried to send another signal to my CableCard, but that still didn't work. Eventually I got connected to the local installation supervisor at Comcast (Randy) who was really, really helpful, and within a half-hour of taking down my CableCard info over the phone, he was able to activate my MCard and get my TiVoHD working! 

Everything works now - the TiVoHD is fantastic!


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

RaGINaR said:


> Nice call on the Google checkout bonus... I should've used that. I bought on amazon for 39.99 + free shipping. I had also forgot about being able to upgrade to WAP now; a nice change since the S2 was the only device on my network that couldn't support it. As cool as WEP is... security is important.


It should also boost speeds on the WLAN too. IIRC, on a 802.11 network, it automatically slows the entire network to the lowest speed adapter. Meaning that an entire network of 802.11g devices would be slowed down to 802.11b speeds if there is one or more 802.11b device connected to the WLAN.



RaGINaR said:


> Just as a corallary, I had a ton of movies and such on my S2... Can I transfer them using MRV to the new HD? I'm sure this was posted in another thread but we might as well learn together.


I would think so. You may have to take the scenic route to do it. I won't be any help there. Once I get my THD back, I will drop the Toshiba to Basic level and keep the THD as my only TiVo account.

The other questions regarding the HDD, I have no clue. Once my 90 day warranty expires I will be keeping my eye out for a deal on a new HDD. (BTW, what is the size (GB) of the standard THD HDD?)


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## chewy2314 (Sep 11, 2003)

Test said:


> The conspiracy nut in me thinks this is why tivo is allowing some users to transfer their lifetime to the new refurb box. Hoping they will die after 90 days.


Now i'm wondering the same thing! I'm waiting for my WD GP 750Gb to put into the THD. I guess I should have tried it out on my cable before I transferred the lifetime! I'll report back as soon as I get that new drive in it and turn it on at home.

Edit: BTW, mine came in a brown box with all the cables, remote and docs. only thing on my box is that there are marks on the front panel. All the cables, remote, and docs appear new.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

EvilMidniteBombr said:


> (BTW, what is the size (GB) of the standard THD HDD?)


I believe it's a 160.


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## Lupin (Apr 3, 2007)

I got mine in on Thursday. Only problems I have had is since I got the Cable Cards it likes to restart once or twice a day and I get weird audio hissing when I pause TV via Optical Audio.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

EvilMidniteBombr said:


> It should also boost speeds on the WLAN too. IIRC, on a 802.11 network, it automatically slows the entire network to the lowest speed adapter. Meaning that an entire network of 802.11g devices would be slowed down to 802.11b speeds if there is one or more 802.11b device connected to the WLAN.


Its true that a B device will slow a G device but only when the B device is sending packets and not all the way to B speeds, just slower than pure G. Some WAPs have the option to enable G only mode to keep the speed high.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

Eccles said:


> I believe it's a 160.


Thanks. I guess a 500 GB HDD would be quite a boost.



ciper said:


> Its true that a B device will slow a G device but only when the B device is sending packets and not all the way to B speeds, just slower than pure G. Some WAPs have the option to enable G only mode to keep the speed high.


My Linksys router can do that but it does no good if I have my 802.11b adapter running on my Series 2.  I guess I could unplug it and just connect every couple of weeks or so. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a really sweet deal on another TiVo branded wireless adapter.


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## GlenH100 (Mar 17, 2008)

I got my Woot! THD last week. So far, so good, except that it has spontaneously rebooted a couple of times since the CableCard was installed. The CableCard installation is broken. It won't activate/pair yet, and Charter hasn't yet figured out how to fix it. 

--Glen


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## gotdurnrite (Dec 19, 2006)

I got my replacement yesterday. The whole exchange only took a couple of days, I guess because I only had to send it to Fort Worth, TX. At this one at least this one boots up. I get home so late so my M card is not activated. I should do this tonight, here's hoping I don't have any problems with Comcast.


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

gotdurnrite said:


> I got my replacement yesterday.


Did the exchange come from TiVo or Woot?

My first Woot box has been running fine on raw basic cable and OTA HD for 3 days. I am going to set up my second Woot TiVoHD tonight.

I -think- I will be eligible for Lifetime on that second unit, where that was not an option on the web activation for my first unit. Although I've been using TiVo via DirecTV since 2001, apparently that does not count as being a previous customer, since the money flowed through DirecTV.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

I sent mine off to Ft. Worth yesterday. It's a 3-4 day trip one way via UPS Ground. So much for catching the opening round of the tournament in HD.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

EvilMidniteBombr said:


> My Linksys router can do that but it does no good if I have my 802.11b adapter running on my Series 2.  I guess I could unplug it and just connect every couple of weeks or so. I'll have to keep my eyes open for a really sweet deal on another TiVo branded wireless adapter.


Why not grab a wireless bridge? Even many old linksys routers can be converted to bridge mode which would then allow you to connect multiple devices, instead of just one with the Tivo adapter.


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## RaGINaR (Oct 3, 2005)

ciper said:


> Why not grab a wireless bridge? Even many old linksys routers can be converted to bridge mode which would then allow you to connect multiple devices, instead of just one with the Tivo adapter.


That was my first hope; I have a BEW11S4 sitting around here. Unfortunately, it doesn't do bridge mode .

The Tivo adapter should be here tomorrow. Hopefully giving me enough time to update the box before the cable installer arrives. Wee .

So, seriously, who is upgrading their HDs?


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## gotdurnrite (Dec 19, 2006)

JohnnyO said:


> Did the exchange come from TiVo or Woot?


I went thru Tivo. If you read between the lines on Woot's return policy they kinda don't want you to return to them, only as a last resort. Whatever, the new unit is working great and the upgrade to 9.2 went thru last night and I tested a transfer this morning. :up:


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

gotdurnrite said:


> I went thru Tivo. If you read between the lines on Woot's return policy they kinda don't want you to return to them, only as a last resort. Whatever, the new unit is working great and the upgrade to 9.2 went thru last night and I tested a transfer this morning. :up:


Excellent news! I fired up my second Woot! unit last night, did Guided Setup, and as of now, it seems fine. Assuming it is still OK tonight, I'll activate it with TiVo, and then call Comcast for the cablecard installation.

Who knows - maybe I will be free of DirecTV by the end of March!


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

Update:

I sent my HDTivo back on Monday and got my replacement yesterday. Brand spankin' new HD TiVo in the box! BRAND! NEW! With the instructions, remote and cables! Suhweeet! I hooked it up and ran through the setup last night. I had a problem setting up the wireless network connection and was really starting to get discouraged. Then I realized I was using the wrong password. (duuuh!) Once that was out of the way, it was up and running in no time.

Basically it breaks down like this. For $184.99 I got a brand new HD TiVo. That's at least $115 less than retail. 

WOOT.COM + TIVO = EPIC WIN!


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## JohnnyO (Nov 3, 2002)

EvilMidniteBombr said:


> Update:
> 
> I sent my HDTivo back on Monday and got my replacement yesterday. Brand spankin' new HD TiVo in the box! BRAND! NEW!
> WOOT.COM + TIVO = EPIC WIN!


Nice.

I activated my second HD TiVo with Lifetime, and it is working well. Now I need to call Comcast and try to negotiate some sort of "Dump the Dish" deal. I am guessing that might be difficult as I am already a low-end basic cable -plus Internet subscriber, and this will only be a package upgrade.

John


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

JohnnyO said:


> Nice.
> 
> I activated my second HD TiVo with Lifetime, and it is working well. Now I need to call Comcast and try to negotiate some sort of "Dump the Dish" deal. I am guessing that might be difficult as I am already a low-end basic cable -plus Internet subscriber, and this will only be a package upgrade.
> 
> John


My father and brother did something similar with Comcast. IIRC, Comcast would not do anything at all while they were still customers. But once they told Comcast that they had an appointment for satellite installation, Comcast offered them the discounted rate. They also said that they actually went to our local Comcast office to negotiate instead of calling the 1-800 number. I'd even advise against calling the number listed in your phone book. The one here sometimes gets routed to Nashville or other cities. Your mileage may vary. Good luck.


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## RaGINaR (Oct 3, 2005)

Well, had the cable card (note, 1) installed yesterday. The installer/cable company didn't understand the difference between multistream/single stream cards, so the installer only came out with one. On the plus side, installing it was very quick and painless! It took about an hour from when the guy showed up to getting HD working.

Speaking of HD, it's beautiful. I'm sorry I waited so long for the switch. Second, satellite really sucks! I thought the picture was better than cable until now. Even the SD channels are more clear than Dish ever was. My wife really enjoys HD too; she doesn't have to wear her glasses to watch TV . We're still waiting for our Tivo wireless to transfer all our programs over from the S2; until then we have them both hooked up and running! 

Well, thanks to Woot for making me switch. I'm glad I made the decision.


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## Archangel00 (Aug 25, 2006)

I got one of these too. So far so good. Totally happy and amazed with it.

Set it up intially for OTA only with the stock drive...
Transplanted in a 750GB Seagate DB35.3 drive...
Updated the software....
Redid guided setup to do cable and OTA to see what I could get on the QAM tuner...(i only have cable internet, no CATV service at all)...and wasn't impressed.
Did guided setup again and went back to OTA only....
During all this downloaded the first seasons of Weeds, Heroes, Jericho, and In Treatment from my Amazon Unbox account.
Used TiVo desktop to transfer some vids too...
Haven't had a single problem.....


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## cleverdevil (Nov 12, 2007)

After a good solid period of time with the new TiVo HD, I am pleased to say I am nearly 100% satisfied with the box. I've had enough time now to say that the picture quality is as good as with the old Comcast/Motorola DVR, and the user interface is everything I came to expect. It started out a little slow at first, but after it had time to index all of the program data (48-72 hours), it was highly responsive, even more so than my Series 2.

I installed pyTiVo on my Mac Mini that I use as an upconverting DVD player and video server, and its pretty cool, although I have audio glitches in most videos. Still, very neat. TiVo2Go works like a charm when I access it through the web interface of my TiVo, and the resulting videos look amazing in HD, and are easy to strip of DRM using tivodecode.

On a side note, I am like one referral in my TiVo Rewards away from getting something good, and the time runs out on the rewards program fairly soon. If there are any new TiVo owners as a result of this Woot who want to help me out, please send me a PM. I'd greatly appreciate it!


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## bltkmt (Apr 28, 2003)

I just got off the phone with Tivo to RMA my Woot.com box...it CONSTANTLY reboots and freezes. I tried disconnecting the wireless adaptor for a few days, but the box still rebooted. Oh well. I must say Tivo was very gracious and is sending a replacement box with a shipping label. Hopefully, will have a brand new box for the price of a refurbed one.


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## cdeckert219 (Jan 7, 2006)

Hopefully the final word on my Woot! specials. 

I got 2 of them (one from Woot! directly the other from Woot! via eBay). The first one worked fine. I upgraded to 1TB internal and it has worked perfectly for 3 weeks now. The second box worked fine with the stock drive. I tried using WinMFS to upgrade to an internal 1TB, also, but couldn't get it to copy the original drive (would freeze up about 2 minutes into it). So... I copied the original drive from the 1st one and popped it into the 2nd unit. I did a clear and delete all and it's been working fine for a few days now. Guess it worked out well that I got two of 'em otherwise I would have had to RMA the 2nd one.


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