# Nero Liquid TV now 34.99 w/ coupon



## dbthornton (Nov 13, 2004)

Just got an email from Nero that the Liquid TV is now on sale for $34.99 with coupon code AW-GB50-88KP . You enter the code at checkout, and it's good for 500 uses. I just checked and it was at 425 left.

The current price ($69.99) shows free shipping, but I don't know if the reduced price comes with free shipping.

I guess the Liquid TV is on the way out.

DBT


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I got this offer also and I came here to figure out what the product does. I don't have a clue yet. Hopefully there is discussion here and I can figure it out before it is sold out, assuming it is a useful product.

Chris


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

Shipping is free, I added it to my cart without checking out so I at least know that much. Amazon.com has many less than glowing reviews, mostly related to customer support. I still haven't a clue if it does anything I want at a price I am willing to pay.

Chris


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Chris Gerhard said:


> I got this offer also and I came here to figure out what the product does. I don't have a clue yet.


It's software that you can use with an HTPC.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/10/15/nero-liquidtv-tivo-pc-review/


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Here's some other threads about Liquid TV.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=406480

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=422283

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=406531


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

LiquidTV is a bad deal at any price. It basically turns your PC into a Tivo with the addition of up to two tuners. The problem is, you're limited to only two tuners and you have to pay monthly fees to Tivo, Inc., just like you do with a real Tivo. There are better PVR apps out there for a PC that don't have the limitations or monthly fees attached. Guide data is freely available with every other PVR app for a PC. Why pay Tivo for something that you can get for free with more functionality? If you've got Vista Home Premium or Ultimate or any version of Win 7, you've already got the Media Center software included that has PVR capabilities and free guide data.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

mr.unnatural said:


> LiquidTV is a bad deal at any price. It basically turns your PC into a Tivo with the addition of up to two tuners.


Four tuners.



> The problem is, you're limited to only two tuners and you have to pay monthly fees to Tivo, Inc., just like you do with a real Tivo.


Four tuners. Annual service. It's $99 per year, same as a second TiVo that only has two tuners.



> There are better PVR apps out there for a PC that don't have the limitations or monthly fees attached. Guide data is freely available with every other PVR app for a PC. Why pay Tivo for something that you can get for free with more functionality?


But they don't appear as another TiVo on the network, they don't integrate the metadata at the same level that a TiVo (or LiquidTV does). They don't boop like a TiVo, either.


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

Well... for that price, I couldn't resist.

Cowboydren's threads have me thinking about things - having the two extra tuners (one HDHomerun) in the back-end is intriguing and $34.99 delivered for the full retail package of LiquidTV is well within the "play money" category for working with my home video server/Tivo solution.

Thanks for the heads up.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

mr.unnatural said:


> LiquidTV is a bad deal at any price. It basically turns your PC into a Tivo with the addition of up to two tuners. The problem is, you're limited to only two tuners and you have to pay monthly fees to Tivo, Inc., just like you do with a real Tivo. There are better PVR apps out there for a PC that don't have the limitations or monthly fees attached. Guide data is freely available with every other PVR app for a PC. Why pay Tivo for something that you can get for free with more functionality? If you've got Vista Home Premium or Ultimate or any version of Win 7, you've already got the Media Center software included that has PVR capabilities and free guide data.


It says one year free TiVo service with the purchase of the product. Is that not correct? After a year, it will have to be something I really want to purchase another year but I sure might at that time if I like it. I am still undecided but I might order it at $35 if it does include one year of TiVo service at that price.

Chris


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

I took the leap, too. $35, includes HARDWARE (tuner and remote), shipping and the first year of service...you just can't pass that up. If nothing else, the first year is a $35 experiment to see if you can live with it or not. Then, next November, you get to decide if it's worth $99 to continue.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

Wow, this is a great deal with the hardware and year of service included. It's cheaper than the cost of the tuner alone I think. The Hauppauge WinTV USB tuners are > $50 on newegg. Nero even includes a free Tivo plush doll that costs $10 on tivo.com. Definitely seems like clearance pricing. Couldn't pass it up, I'm in for one. 

I wonder if the remote will work with a real Tivo?


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

I _believe_ that's the same Hauppauge (sic) USB ATSC tuner that TiVo.com sells for $85. This package originally sold for $199, which was way too much. Being at $99 moved some units, $69 moved a few more, but for $34.99, you'd be a fool to ignore it.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

cowboydren said:


> I _believe_ that's the same Hauppauge (sic) USB ATSC tuner that TiVo.com sells for $85.


And that one appears to be the WinTV HVR 950Q. Here it is on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116034&Tpk=hvr 950Q

This has hit the front page on slickdeals, so it probably won't last long. Those who are interested should act soon.


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## stamasd (Jun 26, 2002)

spocko said:


> And that one appears to be the WinTV HVR 950Q. Here it is on Newegg:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116034&Tpk=hvr 950Q
> 
> This has hit the front page on slickdeals, so it probably won't last long. Those who are interested should act soon.


I have the 950q (purchased separately), and I'm not impressed by it.

It heats up like a furnace - literaly, don't put it on anything flammable or you may regret it. Also don't touch it with the bare hand after it's been on for 10 minutes or so, or you may get burned.

Also, it needs a lot of CPU power to run. On my laptop with C2D at 2.26GHz the analog video is OK, but ATSC is very stu-tu-tu-tututtery.


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## jaredmwright (Sep 6, 2004)

Picked this up because I couldn't pass up such a deal with 12 months, remote, tuner and software. I am more interested in seeing if they develop new features in the future and this is a inexpensive onramp to trying it out. Worst case, I have a new tuner for my Windows 7 media center that I have been putting off on using as a DVR since I lack an HD tuner.

It was mentioned that it could support up to 4 tuners, if this is the case, I may see how well it works and get rid of my second HD TiVo and replace it with this. I will report back my experience and I hope other will as well...


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

stamasd said:


> Also, [the 950q] needs a lot of CPU power to run. On my laptop with C2D at 2.26GHz the analog video is OK, but ATSC is very stu-tu-tu-tututtery.


Interesting. I'd expect it to be the other way around, since ATSC mode just writes the stream to disk, while NTSC mode actually requires the CPU to intervene. Not that it matters much to me; if this works at all, I'll be investing in a Silicone Dust HD Homerun or two. I just don't trust USB devices.



jaredmwright said:


> It was mentioned that it could support up to 4 tuners, if this is the case, I may see how well it works and get rid of my second HD TiVo and replace it with this. I will report back my experience and I hope other will as well...


I emailed Nero about this some time last week, and they assured me that it could run four tuners, and that it is compatible with the HDHomerun, but they'd never seen somebody run two dual-tuner Homeruns at the same time.

Incidentally, Walmart.com had the Homerun for $148 with free ship-to-store, but that seems to be gone now. Newegg.com has it for close to the same price, though.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

For $35, I bought it. For a TiVo plush and a remote, how could I go wrong? I will use it and see how it goes, but it sounds like it will take more work to use than my TiVo.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

This is a great deal, still about 290 left when I checked. Maybe buy 3 or more and just install one each year and get a year's service each time?

Chris


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

cowboydren said:


> Interesting. I'd expect it to be the other way around, since ATSC mode just writes the stream to disk, while NTSC mode actually requires the CPU to intervene. Not that it matters much to me; if this works at all, I'll be investing in a Silicone Dust HD Homerun or two. I just don't trust USB devices.
> 
> I emailed Nero about this some time last week, and they assured me that it could run four tuners, and that it is compatible with the HDHomerun, but they'd never seen somebody run two dual-tuner Homeruns at the same time.
> 
> Incidentally, Walmart.com had the Homerun for $148 with free ship-to-store, but that seems to be gone now. Newegg.com has it for close to the same price, though.


Microcenter has the HDHomeRuns for $139.99 + shipping.

If you have a Microcenter nearby you can do instore pickup


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## sbourgeo (Nov 10, 2000)

Thanks, I picked one up to play with.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

A great deal if the tuner is included. The 950Q also does QAM by the way, not just analog and ATSC.

We've been hashing out issues in the current 1.6.x release here:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=429614


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

I too had to do the same (pick one up to play with) at that price.

Scott


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

Sadly based on terrible reviews of this product and the impending 4-tuner Ceton CableCard prospect in Windows 7 MCE I don't think I would bother installing this product even if it was given away for free at this point.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

I figure it gives me an extra remote, since my mom always loses her, another tuner, and the IR receiver for $35. I doubt I will even activate the software.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

moyekj said:


> Sadly based on terrible reviews of this product and the impending 4-tuner Ceton CableCard prospect in Windows 7 MCE I don't think I would bother installing this product even if it was given away for free at this point.


Call me the oddball, but I don't need CableCard; I need four OTA tuners. Though the press info so far has indicated that the Ceton unit will also decode 8VSB, I need to see it work with OTA before I can drop $400 on a single tuner. I want it to work, I really do.



innocentfreak said:


> I figure it gives me an extra remote, since my mom always loses her, another tuner, and the IR receiver for $35. I doubt I will even activate the software.


This is the least that your $35 can do.


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## batt (Oct 17, 2007)

I just ordered it after playing with the demo. I have been running SageTV for a while without issue. Demo did not seem very responsive on my old dual core AMD, but not to bad. It a good deal just for the USB Tuner. Right now Im running a Avermedia A180 for ATSC and a Haugpauge PVR 500. Liquid TV recognized all three tuners. Pict quality on NTSC seemed a bit worse than with SageTV. ATSC looked pretty good. If i tire of LiquidTV I get ATSC QAM with the USB Tuner, something I dont have with the a180. Well worth the 35 bucks.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

spocko said:


> And that one appears to be the WinTV HVR 950Q. Here it is on Newegg:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116034&Tpk=hvr 950Q
> 
> This has hit the front page on slickdeals, so it probably won't last long. Those who are interested should act soon.


Are you sure the tuner included is the Hauppauge HVR 950Q? The picture shown with the Liquid TV hardware has the model number by the USB connection while the Newegg picture has the model number by the coaxial connection. It does appear to indicate 950Q on the Nero site picture but I can't see it clear enough to be certain.

Chris


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## jmace57 (Nov 30, 2002)

spocko said:


> I wonder if the remote will work with a real Tivo?


I have heard the answer is no.

But I am in for one as well - for hardware alone, this is a real deal.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Are you sure the tuner included is the Hauppauge HVR 950Q? The picture shown with the Liquid TV hardware has the model number by the USB connection while the Newegg picture has the model number by the coaxial connection. It does appear to indicate 950Q on the Nero site picture but I can't see it clear enough to be certain.
> 
> Chris


It is the HVR-950Q, unless something has changed. I have the retail box package and that's the tuner that came with it. It receives analog cable, OTA ATSC, and - when used with products other than LiquidTV - Clear QAM.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

jmace57 said:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by spocko
> I wonder if the remote will work with a real Tivo?​I have heard the answer is no.


As far as I know, yes it does. I've tried it on my TiVo HD and it seemed to work fine.

That's the short answer, anyway. I'm not known for short answers.  Long answer:

The channel, navigation and play buttons did work on my TiVo HD but the volume control did not immediately work on my Sony TV. I didn't test further but probably all buttons function normally, and maybe using the TiVo remote setup screen I could get it to work with the Sony...although then it wouldn't be set to work with the PC anymore and I might not know how to change it back. There is of course at least one button on this remote that is only for a PC: window maximize/minimize.

Also I've tried it in Windows Media Center (Windows 7):

Volume and most other buttons work without any setup in 7MC, enough to be usable there depending on your patience level. Buttons_ not _working in 7MC include window max/min, Guide (instead use navigation up-arrow for in-picture two-line guide, Stop to exit to a full guide screen) and of course the TiVo face. Haven't been able to figure out how to leave Live TV and get back to the main menu without resorting to the mouse though.


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## travisc77 (May 26, 2005)

spocko said:


> ...Nero even includes a free Tivo plush doll that costs $10 on tivo.com. Definitely seems like clearance pricing. Couldn't pass it up, I'm in for one.


Where do you see Nero including a Tivo plush doll?


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

The doll had it's own line item on my invoice.


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

cowboydren said:


> The doll had it's own line item on my invoice.


Looks like they must have run out of the Tivo Plush dolls. I don't see it being added anymore.

Ted


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

I got one of those dolls for free when TiVo launched at CES years ago, they were giving them away out of their booth. You're not missing much, they're not very plush at all. My kids didn't have a clue what to do with it.


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

For anyone who has LiquidTV on order from the deal the other day... here is a great complement to it.

thenerds.net has the SiliconDust HDHomeRun on sale

Link

It is $110.99 + $9.99 shipping but use coupon code taker for $8.00 off.

Total is $112.98.

This is about $40.00 off of the usual price of the item.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

Ugh. And I just blew my budget on the software.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

wombat94 said:


> For anyone who has LiquidTV on order from the deal the other day... here is a great complement to it.
> 
> thenerds.net has the SiliconDust HDHomeRun on sale
> 
> ...


Most of us that purchased LiquidTV aren't sure it was worth $35 as far as installing it and using it so adding a $113 expenditure would be quite a risk at this point. LiquidTV is going to have to work really well before I would buy a $113 tuner to use with it.

Chris


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## batt (Oct 17, 2007)

Chris Gerhard said:


> Most of us that purchased LiquidTV aren't sure it was worth $35 as far as installing it and using it so adding a $113 expenditure would be quite a risk at this point. LiquidTV is going to have to work really well before I would buy a $113 tuner to use with it.
> 
> Chris


HD Homerun is a great piece of hardware, no matter what PVR software you run.


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

batt said:


> HD Homerun is a great piece of hardware, no matter what PVR software you run.


While I agree that the $35.00 for LiquidTV is a risk - this tuner is not a big risk.

The above quote is absolutely correct. I've been reading about the HDHomeRun for a couple of years - it is a great tuner and it will work with LiquidTV - or just about any other PC PVR software you can name.

The $113 price is the lowest I've ever seen it.

One very valuable feature of the HDHomeRun is that it is a network device... for Laptop users, it can be nice to not have to be connected to a wired USB device in order to use PVR software of any kind.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Code is apparently dead now...


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

batt said:


> HD Homerun is a great piece of hardware, no matter what PVR software you run.


That may be but for me, having just purchased a $35 product with TiVo to try to make a PC into a DVR, I am not interested yet. If the product I purchased doesn't work acceptably with the supplied tuner, I am not going to buy this one at $113 to use with LiquidTV.

Chris


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

With Windows 7 I doubt I will even install the software. They have a good enough DVR function in Media Center.


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## Popasmurf (Jun 10, 2002)

I'm sure everyone will probably be getting one of these, but just got this...



> Dear Sir/Madam,
> 
> Thank you for your recent purchase of Nero Liquid TV-TiVo PC. Due to the
> overwhelming demand we are currently experiencing some delays in shipping.
> ...


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I got the same message, I wonder if there was a glitch that permitted more than the 500 to be ordered at that price? It sure wouldn't make any sense to offer a promotion limited to the first 500 and then not be prepared to fill 500 orders.

Chris


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

I got that message, too. I think they were trying to get rid of the LiquidTV boxes, but didn't expect to actually sell them this quickly. Bump to 3-day shipping is nice, though...


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

cowboydren said:


> I got that message, too. I think they were trying to get rid of the LiquidTV boxes, but didn't expect to actually sell them this quickly. Bump to 3-day shipping is nice, though...


They offered a two-day promotion limited to the first 500, at 17.5% of retail including hardware worth a multiple of the purchase price based on current discount prices from other sellers. I don't get it, how can that not sell well? I am still inclined to believe there were mistakes made with their ordering system and more than 500 were sold, probably a multiple of that number, and that they were not prepared for that.

Chris


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## batt (Oct 17, 2007)

wombat94 said:


> While I agree that the $35.00 for LiquidTV is a risk - this tuner is not a big risk.
> 
> The above quote is absolutely correct. I've been reading about the HDHomeRun for a couple of years - it is a great tuner and it will work with LiquidTV - or just about any other PC PVR software you can name.
> 
> ...


From what I have read and my experience using the demo, and the yearly 99.00 subscription fee, LiquidTV might not stay on my PC for long. I run SageTV on my current HTPC with three tuners.

A Hauppauge PVR 500 for Basic Cable and a Avermedia A189 for ATSC. The Avermedia does not do Clear Qam ATSC but the included tuner with the LiquidTV package does. One major flaw in LiquidTV is it does not do QAM ATSC. More than likey the tuner will end up as a fourth timer in my SageTV setup.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

Now I'm confused, but excited:



> The LiquidTV package comes with the software, a year of complimentary TiVo service *(the annual fee thereafter is $40)*, a standard TiVo remote, a TiVo IR receiver/blaster combo, and a Hauppauge USB ATSC/NTSC/QAM combo TV tuner. The software requires a relatively unobtrusive activation process, although if you want to move it to another machine after youve activated, youll probably need to make a phone call.


Nero Liquid TV, MaximumPC.com (Posted *10/17/09* at 02:30:37 PM by Will Smith)

I think having TiVo integration and metadata might be worth that, if not $99 per year.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

cowboydren said:


> Now I'm confused, but excited:
> 
> Nero Liquid TV, MaximumPC.com (Posted *10/17/09* at 02:30:37 PM by Will Smith)
> 
> I think having TiVo integration and metadata might be worth that, if not $99 per year.


Clearly young Will did not actually try to use the software for a day. And, he appears to not understand the difference between analog cable and QAM. QAM of any kind is not supported at all by LiquidTV / Tivo PC 1.6. I'm very disappointed with Maximum PC this time, it's one of my favorite magazines but this time the Editor in Chief has done his readers a severe disservice.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

Mine arrived via fedex today, complete with Tivo doll and 10% discount coupon. Heckuva deal for $35. 

The Tivo doll is clearly a CRT, complete with the typical bump on the back for the electron guns. That must be why they had to give him away.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

spocko said:


> Mine arrived via fedex today, complete with Tivo doll and 10% discount coupon. Heckuva deal for $35.
> 
> The Tivo doll is clearly a CRT, complete with the typical bump on the back for the electron guns. That must be why they had to give him away.


Mine came in as well, a nice package if nothing else. The remote seems to work great with my HD TiVo and I did install the software and scheduled a recording overnight that worked. I tried to upgrade to the new software version without success but that is for another thread if I decide to continue to try to use the product.

Chris


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## pnolans (Dec 16, 2006)

I just got this via FedEx. Really excited. Didn't realize it came with a Hauppage WinTV-HVR 950q usb tuner! 

The bad news: I installed it , and it immediately blows up. 
I can't figure out how to paste the jpg in here, but it's the standard windows 
dialog box with 
"Nero LiquidTV.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close"
....
"Please tell Microsoft about this problem... " with Send/Don't send
The details of the error report say it's "nmuidirect3d.dll" that's unhappy. 

I am running XP SP2, I have 4gb memory, MS .NET Framework is installed, the drivers are installed, MS VC++ (2005 AND 2008) redistributable are installed, the services are started up. 
I have tried both the kit that comes with the CD and the upgrade off of the Nero website. So, far, nothing works. 


Nero's Tech support forces you to make a choice on the product you're using and guess what? LiquidTV is not one of the choices. 

So far, not too happy.


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## pnolans (Dec 16, 2006)

Interestingly enough, I got this to work on the 3rd PC I tried. 

Obviously, an incompatible mix of software. 

Hmmmmm


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## wombat94 (Nov 18, 2007)

Pokemon_Dad said:


> Clearly young Will did not actually try to use the software for a day. And, he appears to not understand the difference between analog cable and QAM. QAM of any kind is not supported at all by LiquidTV / Tivo PC 1.6. I'm very disappointed with Maximum PC this time, it's one of my favorite magazines but this time the Editor in Chief has done his readers a severe disservice.


The one way I'm aware of (from reading, not personal experience) to have Clear QAM work with LiquidTV is the SiliconDust HDHomeRun.

The HDHomeRun - since it is a network device which is presented to the local PC by special drivers - is able to do some things. From their website, there is a utility that will allow you to map clear QAM channels to present them as if they were ATSC channels to client software. Theoretically this will allow QAM channels to be tuned by LiquidTV.


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## Slainte (Nov 1, 2004)

I ordered one from the special as well, got it yesterday and installed it.

I'm getting intermittent crashes on my Vista PC. Downloaded and installed the latest update, doesn't seem to have addressed the issue. More troubleshooting required.

In between crashes, I put in my media access key for MRV. The standalone Tivos on the network are able to see the PC and browse now playing, but when I try to query the Tivo boxes from Liquid PC, it isn't able to connect to either of them. If I run Tivo desktop on the same PC, I'm able to connect to both of the stand alone Tivos. 

Not the product for you if you're looking for a seamless, out of the box trouble free experience. Hopefully I'll get the wrinkles ironed out over the weekend when I have more time to play with it.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I was able to update to ver. 1.6 and things are working pretty well, at least as far as I have gotten with it. My laptop is Intel Dual Core 2.0Ghz, I believe about the absolute minimum to use this software and playback hasn't been perfect but acceptable. I am using a single OTA ATSC tuner, the supplied Hauppauge tuner only and scheduled and successfully recorded a couple of programs. I installed TiVo desktop which may not even have any functionality with this product, I don't even know. My one goal with this was to be able to use it as a 3rd tuner when 2 tuners aren't enough and play back the recordings using my standalone HD TiVo. It shows this PC with Nero LiquidTV on the Now Playing List but doesn't find the Now Playing List when I select it. I don't know if that requires TiVo Desktop Plus or if that has any relevance. I would think not but I will try to find an active thread here about using this product and see if I can figure something more out.

Chris


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I was able to start a transfer of a program recorded on the PC to my HD TiVo so I am making baby steps and so far I have seen nothing that makes me believe this product won't be suitable for my limited intentions for its use.

Jumping around on the menus did result in a crash so it isn't rock solid as far as stability.

Chris


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## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

Snapped it onto my Mac PBPro with EyeTV software installed; plug 'n' play, as somebody used to say. No interest in the LiquidTV.

Nice $35 toy to play with for awhile, not sure what I'll do with it long term.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

cowboydren said:


> LiquidTV First Thoughts:
> 
> I have to say that I'm running this on some pretty beefy hardware, a Dell Opteron 960 with an Intel E8400 dual-core CPU at 3.0GHz and 4GB of RAM (3.25 usable thanks to Windows XP x86). I don't have much disk space, but I'm really just playing around on this machine. That said, I don't know what all of the griping is about.


I posted a preliminary report of my [mostly positive] experience in the above thread. Click on the blue arrow after my name to read the whole thing.


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

who cares about the software (sucks), I got a basic HD Tuner and an extra remote control for $35 bucks!!!


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## snedecor (Jun 27, 2001)

Got the package, the software is buggy, the hardware looks good. Can't MRV from either of my two Series 2's

Anyone know if the IR receiver/blaster that was in the package can be used to control a satellite box from within Windows 7 MCE? If so, I could replace my Living Room TiVo Series 2 and go all Windows 7 MCE. I've already got 3 ATSC tuners in addition to the Hauppauge in the Nero Package, that I want to use the Composite in from my satellite box and blast the channel numbers via the included IR transceiver.


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Several folks have mentioned the remote is sending Tivo codes and it works with a SA Tivo box, so I'd say it most likely does not issue Windows MCE codes.

Diane


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

snedecor said:


> Anyone know if the IR receiver/blaster that was in the package can be used to control a satellite box from within Windows 7 MCE?


I tried it briefly in Windows 7 Media Center (7MC), but do not have an external satellite box. The remote works with 7MC, although not perfectly and of course some of the dedicated TiVo buttons don't do anything. Navigation and Select work, Info brings up the guide, navigation also brings up the in-picture guide. Play, Fwd, Rev, Stop and the number buttons work as you would expect. Your mileage may vary.


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

The TiVo remote worked okay with BeyondTV 4 and Hulu Desktop, except that there's no Escape key on the remote, which really hurts in the long run. Otherwise, it's mostly functional.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

Now it's available for only $30:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1698767


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

spocko said:


> Now it's available for only $30:
> 
> http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1698767


Cool! Thanks for posting the link. Apparently they've restarted the promotion for "Black Friday" so this may not last for long. Starts at $34.99 and then becomes $31.49 after you enter the coupon code - even though that code is supposed to be for purchasing two items, it worked for me on only the one package. Plus tax of course, but somehow it doesn't seem to charge shipping even though they say they're sending a retail box package.

I can't figure this out entirely, they may have made some mistakes to our benefit in how they set up the promotion store, but it's worth a try: this is a great deal on another QAM/ATSC/analog tuner stick!


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## CrispyCritter (Feb 28, 2001)

Looks good! I was charged a total of $29.99 since I'm out-of-state. Hard to pass it up, so I'll play around with it a bit.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

At only $30, it's a great deal on the HD tuner. I've used the Hauppauge 950 and, while I wasn't all that impressed by it, it's not a bad little tuner for use with a laptop or even a full PC as long as you have a strong OTA signal. I never tried it with QAM so I can't comment on how well it performs. I'd probably play around with the LiquidTV software but since there's already a free DVR app included with some Vista releases and most Win 7 versions, I can't see using it as a long term DVR solution, especially with fees attached.


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## Pokemon_Dad (Jan 19, 2008)

mr.unnatural said:


> <snip>
> I never tried it with QAM so I can't comment on how well it performs.
> <snip>


The tuner works great with QAM. LiquidTV doesn't work with Clear QAM at all, and has lost even many of the Extended Basic formerly analog channels due to new digital roadblocks thrown up by Comcast, but with some tinkering in Vista or 7 Media Center - or with Beyond TV, SageTV, MythTV, EyeTV etc. - you'd probably do fine with QAM too. I think though that for many with Comcast service, the best choice would be a convenient and reasonably priced CableCard tuner for PCs. The 950Q is not that, but for $30 it's worth a try. And for those using only ATSC, at $30 it's a no-brainer.


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

I just had a thought about this deal. I wonder how long you could hang onto the software before you install and activate it. For instance, the current deal only costs $30 and you get the tuner included and a free year of the Tivo service. LiquidTV supports four tuners so why not buy four packages, connect all four tuners, but only activate one of the licenses. When the current license expires, uninstall LiquidTV, install a 2nd version with a fresh key, and extend your Tivo service for another free year. With four packages you could theoretically use LiquidTV with free Tivo service for four years. The renewal fee costs $40 so you'd actually be coming out way ahead on the deal.

Never mind. I just tried the link and they're sold out. Oh well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.


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## qz3fwd (Jul 6, 2007)

Does this POS software still BSOD XP w/Exdues Firewire Comcast DVR drivers installed?


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## cowboydren (Oct 7, 2009)

That sounds kind of specific. Have you downloaded the latest version and activated a trial?


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I don't like the software well enough to use it much on my computer but might use it once in a blue moon when I need another tuner. I have found that recordings are missed without explanation and I see too many crashes. This is certainly nothing like my experience with standalone and DirecTV TiVo. If software updates improve things, I will give it another chance but this product just isn't even close yet in my opinion. The included hardware makes this a great deal however.

Chris


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