# Should I switch from TivoHD to Roamio?



## AllisonPJ (Aug 28, 2003)

I've had a TiVo HD for many years now (6 or more, at least) and it's been great. Before that I've had TiVos pretty much since their beginning, with a short period of using cable company boxes when we first got HD. The TiVo HD has been great, up until this week when a recording ended up too garbled to watch (the channel was coming in fine), leaving me to suspect the hard drive might finally be dying. Naturally, this happened the day AFTER their latest "upgrade to Roamio and keep your current subscription price" deal ended. My luck. (I'm on the $12.95/month plan. Keeping that is a big reason I haven't upgraded yet.)

So, my question: is the Roamio (either the base one or the Plus, I haven't decided which yet) going to be a headache to switch to? I already have a mutli card, though given its age (same as the Tivo as I've never had to replace it) I may find I need a newer one. And the biggest issue: tuning adapters. When I first got this TiVo, the tuning adapter situation was such a pain that after a while I gave up and returned it. We have Bright House, and use their DVRs on the other TVs in the house, so any time I want to record something on an SDV channel, I just use one of those. The setup isn't ideal, but it's worked all right for me. I found that with the TA, the constant reboots made the TiVo impossible to use. Every time the TA rebooted, the TiVo would be locked up on the "tuning adapter detected" screen, waiting for me to hit "OK" on the remote, and until I did so it wouldn't record anything. I missed more recordings than I got because of it, rendering the TiVo basically useless. I figured better to have a reliable TiVo with fewer channels than one that never works.

In the years since I gave up on TAs, have they gotten any better? I'm on Tampa area Bright House, if that helps. If I switch to a Roamio with 4 or 6 tuners, it would be nice to be able to get all the channels and stop using the other box as backup. And maybe I'll even be able to add a TiVo Mini to it and get rid of another Bright House DVR. I currently have a Vulkano on my TiVoHD, which I use to watch recordings on my ipad - either in other parts of the house or on the occasional vacation. It's not the best quality streaming, but it works well enough, so I'm not sure I really need the TiVo stream function. (Unless it turns out the Vulkano won't work with a Roamio, which wouldn't surprise me given my luck with electronics.) 

Anyway, I've read some things both here and on other review sites that make me worry that the Roamio is buggier than my TiVoHD, and that along with the TA issue has me nervous about switching. I don't want to go back to worrying that my shows aren't going to record due to reboots and whatnot.

Sorry for being so long-winded. I hope someone has some advice for me. To boil it down: is Roamio a good upgrade from TiVo HD, or is it buggier? Should I do it now before my HD fails, or hold off a bit in case the subscription deal comes back around? And what's going on with Bright House TAs these days? Worth it to try again, or just keep going with CableCard only? Thanks!


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## squint (Jun 15, 2008)

The deals Tivo offers typically aren't that good so I wouldn't lose any sleep over missing one. If you called in to end service on your Tivo HD, it's likely they'll offer you lifetime for $99 which is a way better deal than $12.95 monthly.

I would either go big and get a Roamio with lifetime service or go small and repair the Tivo HD and get $99 lifetime on it. Either way, I'd give the tuning adapter another shot. They may work better now.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

I can't speak to Bright House tuning adapters specifically, but recent tuning adapter firmware updates and Roamio software updates have made tuning adapters work much better in general than they used to.

And I agree with Squint. If you can afford a Roamio w/lifetime, do that. If not, then at least get the $99 lifetime on the HD.


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## Icarus (Jun 15, 2002)

I skipped the premier line also, and the move from S3 (similar to your Tivo HD) to Roamio is very impressive. Things work more like they should (backgrounding of season pass re-ordering, etc). The UI is responsive, etc, etc.

Most of the things you lived with but found annoying are gone. Yes, there's a few new annoying things, but not anything like the things you had to live with before.

Go for it.

-David


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## Kracko (May 30, 2004)

My Tivo HD just died so now I'm looking at the Roamios too. The Tivo website says the base model doesn't have streaming built in ("With TiVo Stream") but the tech on the phone I just spoke to said it does.

So who is right? Does the base Roamio model stream without the Tivo Stream?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Kracko said:


> My Tivo HD just died so now I'm looking at the Roamios too. The Tivo website says the base model doesn't have streaming built in ("With TiVo Stream") but the tech on the phone I just spoke to said it does.
> 
> So who is right? Does the base Roamio model stream without the Tivo Stream?


It does not. If you want the stream feature on the base Roamio, you have to buy the TiVo Stream separately. The tech you spoke to was either just mistaken or thought you were trying to ask about whether the base Roamio would work with the Mini.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I have no problems at all with my TiVoHDs for OTA only but would still recommend the OP replace the TiVoHD with a Roamio.


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

I've got BHN w/ TA in CFL. I'd say its worth the headache these days. Is it perfect, by no means, but usually OK. I had a TA hooked up to a HD for years and forgot about it. I can't say its been as good with Roamio yet. Its worth the extra channels, but you should keep an eye on it. The TA is free, try it again for a while, if your unhappy, unplug it.

Also, I'd recommend the BHN forum over at dslreports for the any issues. Their rep is very good at getting customers up and going quickly.


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## AllisonPJ (Aug 28, 2003)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think I may go with the switch to Roamio, but still do the monthly subscription. Lifetime is just too much to pay up front, even if it is better in the long run. Hopefully the TAs aren't as much of a nightmare now, although someone mentioned them being free - I remember being charged for mine from BH, but maybe they stopped doing that?

Now to decide between the base Roamio and Plus. Plus is on sale right now at Best Buy for $325 (Amazon, too, but I feel better with BB for easy returns), but I'm not sure I really need the extra features. As long as my Vulkano still works with Roamio, I won't need the TiVo stream features, and 6 tuners feels excessive, even with all the TV I watch.  And if I go with the base model, I could use the savings to add a Mini and maybe dump our extra BH DVR, which we have solely for overflow recording when the main BH DVR's 2 tuners are in use (the TiVo is my bedroom unit, as the rest of the family likes the BH DVR for the on demand, PPV and ability to exchange for free when it goes wonky. Which it does often. Another reason I prefer TiVo!) Of course, the Mini then has the added subscription, but $6 a month is much better than the $20 we pay for the BH DVR. Even figuring in the extra $3 I'd incur for switching to Roamio, it's a good deal. 

Which brings up another question (sorry!). The base Roamio looks like it needs an adapter for MoCA. I can connect the Roamio to my network router (wired), but not the Mini. Would the Mini still need some sort of MoCA connection, or is that only if the base Tivo isn't wired to the router?

Thanks again, and sorry for all the extra questions!


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

AllisonPJ said:


> ......I currently have a Vulkano on my TiVoHD, which I use to watch recordings on my ipad - either in other parts of the house or on the occasional vacation. It's not the best quality streaming, but it works well enough, so I'm not sure I really need the TiVo stream function. (Unless it turns out the Vulkano won't work with a Roamio, which wouldn't surprise me given my luck with electronics.) .....


 One thing to consider with the basic Roamio and a Vulkano is that the basic Roamio only has an AV out jack that supports left/right analog stereo audio and composite 480i video, not 480p, 720p or 1080i component video. I'm not sure which Vulkano you have but this may diminish your picture quality when streaming from it. The Roamio plus/pro do offer component HD out. I know vulkanos don't stream HD, but I have seen better PQ with mine when the input is 480p and higher.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

AllisonPJ said:


> Now to decide between the base Roamio and Plus....6 tuners feels excessive, even with all the TV I watch.


I know it seems like that, but if you think you ever might add more than 1 Mini, then the 6 tuners really might come in handy sometime in the future.



AllisonPJ said:


> Which brings up another question (sorry!). The base Roamio looks like it needs an adapter for MoCA. I can connect the Roamio to my network router (wired), but not the Mini. Would the Mini still need some sort of MoCA connection, or is that only if the base Tivo isn't wired to the router?


You are correct that the base Roamio does not have MoCA built in, so you will need a MoCA adapter for the Roamio if you can't connect the Mini to your ethernet network. That's another advantage of just getting the Plus model.


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

AllisonPJ said:


> Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think I may go with the switch to Roamio, but still do the monthly subscription. Lifetime is just too much to pay up front, even if it is better in the long run. Hopefully the TAs aren't as much of a nightmare now, although someone mentioned them being free - I remember being charged for mine from BH, but maybe they stopped doing that?


Yes, Bright House (BHN) stopped charging for the TA a very long time ago. I've heard TA's are harder to come by in the Tampa area. Even in CFL I had to wait a few days for them to restock. Again, if you have any trouble go to the Bright House forum. Open a ticket with BHNtechXpert, he'll make sure you get what you need. https://secure.dslreports.com/forum/bhousedirect


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## AllisonPJ (Aug 28, 2003)

Again, thanks. The whole MoCA thing confuses me some. According to the installation page for Mini, it says if your TiVo is connected directly to your router (as mine would be, through an Ethernet cable to the router, then the router to the cable outlet, like in their diagram), then it says you only have to connect the Mini to your cable outlet. No other equipment. Is that true?

I hadn't thought about the tuner issue. So if I'm recording 4 shows and want to watch another recording on the Mini, I couldn't until a tuner was free? [Edit: further reading has answered this one for me. It looks like you only need a free tuner to watch line TV.]

I can't tell exactly how my Vulkano (Flow) is connected without pulling everything out of the cabinets, but from what I can see on the back of it, it's some variation of composite/component. Not much help, I know. My issue with Stream is that I've read you can't use it to stream to a TV - that the app won't allow for HDMI-out viewing. I can do that with the Vulkano and it's the main reason I have it. So if I can't plug my iPad into a TV and watch Stream, there isn't much point. I'll take a lesser PQ from the Vulkano in that case.

I guess I have more thinking to do!  With Best Buy matching Amazon pricing, I could get the basic Roamio for less than $170, so it's tempting to just go with that. But then I worry I'll regret not having the Plus features later.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

AllisonPJ said:


> Again, thanks. The whole MoCA thing confuses me some. According to the installation page for Mini, it says if your TiVo is connected directly to your router (as mine would be, through an Ethernet cable to the router, then the router to the cable outlet, like in their diagram), then it says you only have to connect the Mini to your cable outlet. No other equipment. Is that true?


Yes, that is true. But unless your router has MoCA built in (like the FiOS routers do) you would need a MoCA adapter at the router.



AllisonPJ said:


> I hadn't thought about the tuner issue. So if I'm recording 4 shows and want to watch another recording on the Mini, I couldn't until a tuner was free? [Edit: further reading has answered this one for me. It looks like you only need a free tuner to watch line TV.]


Just to reaffirm your findings, you are correct. A free tuner is only needed to watch live TV on the Mini.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

AllisonPJ said:


> Again, thanks. The whole MoCA thing confuses me some. According to the installation page for Mini, it says if your TiVo is connected directly to your router (as mine would be, through an Ethernet cable to the router, then the router to the cable outlet, like in their diagram), then it says you only have to connect the Mini to your cable outlet. No other equipment. Is that true?
> 
> I hadn't thought about the tuner issue. So if I'm recording 4 shows and want to watch another recording on the Mini, I couldn't until a tuner was free? [Edit: further reading has answered this one for me. It looks like you only need a free tuner to watch line TV.]
> 
> ...


The Plus/Pro Roamio is the way to go unless you need OTA which only the basic supports, with the built in Stream, extra 2 tuners and moca support of the Plus/Pro it's worth the extra cost just to have those features just in case you need them later.If you think you might need the higher models then don't waste your money on the basic, get at least the Plus model and you won't regret it.

I bought the basic first and ended up going with the Pro later but before buying the external.stream and larger drive for the base Roamio including moca adapters all of such is built in to the Plus and pro. I spent more by trying to get by with the base Roamio instead of getting the better one right off.

Once you have 6 tuners, you will be so spoiled and you can't figure out how much TiVo. viewing is so much better than the old 2 tuner models, having 6 tuners is reason enough to go with the Plus or Pro!


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## AllisonPJ (Aug 28, 2003)

It looks like the Plus is the way to go. Unfortunately, that sale I had my eye on at Best Buy ended yesterday. Figures. Not only are they back to full price, but they're out of stock in all stores within 50 miles of me. Just my luck that the one time I don't give in to my buying impulses, I miss out on a good sale! So now I think I'll wait a bit, see how my HD behaves, do some more research and see if another sale pops up.

My router is a Netgear WNDR3300, and doesn't appear to have MoCA. So I'll have to get the adapter, which is another expense to figure in. Maybe waiting is my best bet. As long as my HD doesn't do anything crazy, my current setup has been working fine. But I thank you all for the help, and will continue to keep my eye on the Pluses.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

AllisonPJ said:


> It looks like the Plus is the way to go. Unfortunately, that sale I had my eye on at Best Buy ended yesterday. Figures. Not only are they back to full price, but they're out of stock in all stores within 50 miles of me. Just my luck that the one time I don't give in to my buying impulses, I miss out on a good sale! So now I think I'll wait a bit, see how my HD behaves, do some more research and see if another sale pops up.
> 
> My router is a Netgear WNDR3300, and doesn't appear to have MoCA. So I'll have to get the adapter, which is another expense to figure in. Maybe waiting is my best bet. As long as my HD doesn't do anything crazy, my current setup has been working fine. But I thank you all for the help, and will continue to keep my eye on the Pluses.


Just FYI, if you are looking for a deal, you could always go the ebay discount code route. There was chatter that TiVo had started cracking down on selling the codes, but it seems to have just been a passing issue. You can get a Plus w/lifetime for $600+the cost of the discount code. If you are interested, the codes are discussed extensively in the "Roamio deals" thread:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=507790&page=42


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

AllisonPJ said:


> So now I think I'll wait a bit, see how my HD behaves, do some more research and see if another sale pops up.


Its worth picking up your (free) TA while you wait. You'll be pleased with it on the HD compared to your last experience and you'll have the equipment once you pull the trigger on the Roamio. Good luck.


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## Icarus (Jun 15, 2002)

Flash sale on roamio plus/pro w/ lifetime service ...


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/489137436333588480


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

* TiVo reserves the right to terminate this promotion at any time without notice. Offer ends July 31, 2014 or once *2,000* units are sold.

199 lifetime is a good deal


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