# Soon to be Ex-ReplayTV user looking for TiVo Info



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

You may have heard that ReplayTV is shutting down their guide service (and also it seems the clock synchroniztion system that allows the units to be used as anything but bricks). I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself come July 31 when my two units no longer work. I may be able to jump through hoops to get them to continue to function, or I may make the jump to TiVo. But I know next to nothing about TiVo... I was hoping some of you would be kind enough to educate me...

Some of my questions in no particular order....

1) Looking at cost and expandability, is the Premier XL unit really worth $200 more than the standard unit? The hard drive is bigger, but you can expand those, right? Leading to my second question....

2) Is it possible to cheaply expand disk capacity with a USB hard drive? Or do you need to crack them open to replace the internal hard drives?

3) I see a lot of web related features... Hulu, Netflix, YouTube... How well do these work? Is there actually good content you can get?

4) The TiVo sight says that only their (expensive) wireless adaptors are compatible with these units... Is this true? Are there cheaper alternatives?

5) What is the current collective wisdom regarding lifetime activation versus monthly fees? It's a 5 year break even -- is this reasonable? My ReplayTV's "lasted" 10 and 8 years respectively -- they were reasonably bulletproof (had to replace one power supply and several hard drives, but still chugging) so it would have been a good deal for them. Any ideas of what "lifetime" means for modern TiVo units?

6) I subscribe to broadcast basic cable from time Warner and get the local broadcast HD channels in clear-QAM. If I understand correctly, for TiVo I would need to get a cablecard for a few bucks a month from Time Warner, but would then be able to "tune" with guide info both the analog channels and the clear-QAM HD channels. Is this straightforward to set up?

7) Any other tips or insights you can share with me?



Thanks,

Joe


----------



## Riverdome (May 12, 2005)

1) Looking at cost and expandability, is the Premier XL unit really worth $200 more than the standard unit? The hard drive is bigger, but you can expand those, right? Leading to my second question....Yes the drives are expandable. If you have the confidence to do it yourself there is little reason to buy the XL.

2) Is it possible to cheaply expand disk capacity with a USB hard drive? Or do you need to crack them open to replace the internal hard drives?You can use some external eSATA drives. They install easily but if EITHER the internal or external drive fails you will loose all recordings. IMO replace the internal drive if possible.

3) I see a lot of web related features... Hulu, Netflix, YouTube... How well do these work? Is there actually good content you can get?I have used each once, maybe twice. They work but from my experience my time is worth more than the patience it requires to make these work. Cable TV works period. Anything requiring more patience than that isn't worth it to me. The qwerty remote would help with my lack of patience.

4) The TiVo sight says that only their (expensive) wireless adaptors are compatible with these units... Is this true? Are there cheaper alternatives?Sorry I have no idea, I prefer a wired network.

5) What is the current collective wisdom regarding lifetime activation versus monthly fees? It's a 5 year break even -- is this reasonable? My ReplayTV's "lasted" 10 and 8 years respectively -- they were reasonably bulletproof (had to replace one power supply and several hard drives, but still chugging) so it would have been a good deal for them. Any ideas of what "lifetime" means for modern TiVo units?The hard drive is what will fail and that can be replaced. IMO go with lifetime and have faith that the motherboard rarely fails within the 'not breaking even' time period. If the mobo dies your lifetime dies with it.

6) I subscribe to broadcast basic cable from time Warner and get the local broadcast HD channels in clear-QAM. If I understand correctly, for TiVo I would need to get a cablecard for a few bucks a month from Time Warner, but would then be able to "tune" with guide info both the analog channels and the clear-QAM HD channels. Is this straightforward to set up?
The basic cable card setup with your cable co is easy as pie. Even if you need a tuning adapter that process has been painless for most people. I don't do any over the air so can't help there.

7) Any other tips or insights you can share with me?
There is rumor abound that a new box is coming soon and _possibly_ before the end of the year. Hate to ever wait on Tivo to do something but ...... If it were me I would probably get a cable company DVR for the summer and see if Tivo makes any promises about retail availability of the new quad-tuner box. Yes you might be on the cable company DVR longer than you want but you also might be buying one of the last dual-tuner Premiere left in the warehouse.


----------



## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

1) Not in my opinion- see 2) below.

2) You can buy an add on drive, but it is super easy to expand an internal drive. Lots of benefits- cheap, good for having a backup, less points of failure (I wont argue with HDD MTBF, just that there is only 1 drive vs. 2)

3) For most, these work great, see 4) below. I love netflix, no love for Hulu+.

4) TiVo wireless adaptors only work, unless you go with an ethernet to wireless bridge. Wired is best, especially if you plan to do a lot of streaming.

5) Lifetime. Not sure where you got a 5 year payback, most calculations come in around 30 months.

6) Cablecard- yes. May be included in your package. Others can comment upon Tuning Adaptors, which I believe are common for TW.

7) Read through the site, but recongnize that negative posts are influenced by those feelign the pain. Those feelign the love don't post as often.


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

1) As a XL owner, no it isn't worth it. I only bought them at launch because we didn't know if you would be able to upgrade the Premiere at the time.

2) Replacing the internal drive is the better solution imho. There are the expanders but I don't know how reliable they are. Also depending on how much content your local cable company flags or doesn't flag, you might just be able to use the stock drive and use TiVo Desktop/KMTTG/PyTiVo to copy recordings to your PC. This way you could just copy them back when you wanted to watch them since it is cheap to just add more drives to the PC. 

3) It depends on what you want. The apps themselves aren't the greatest, but if you use the HDUI the integrated search works well for Netflix content since the search results will both be shows on Netflix or shows you can record.

4) Wired here and used MoCa adapters at my parents house for theirs so no idea.

5) Lifetime is better. 20x24 = $480. Buying the TiVo Premeire for around $80 from Amazon you can get lifetime for $499 or possibly $399 with coupon code PLSR. With the coupon code you are paying the same price for a lifetime TiVo as you would for 2 years of monthly. 

6) Pretty much though installs results vary. Also if your local Time Warner uses SDV you will need a tuning adapter which are free but can be troublesome. 

7) Look into programs like PyTiVo, KMTTG, and Streambaby. It greatly expands what the TiVos can do.


----------



## jadziedzic (Apr 20, 2009)

Joe, I used to have a pair of ReplayTV units, and bought a TiVo, so a couple of things that immediately come to mind:

1) At present TiVo does not stream recorded content from one box to another; if you wan to watch a show from unit A on unit B it must be copied it in its entirety. It appears that streaming MAY surface on the TiVo Premiere in the near future based on some experiences others have reported here. (The biggest obstacle folks encounter with copying is that some cable operators mark (some|all|none) shows as "can't copy", so you're basically out of luck at that point.)

2) TiVo does not have any form of co-operative scheduling across multiple units.

3) TiVo does not have any automated commercial skipping, but it does have a 30-second skip ahead which is a reasonable alternative.

Tony


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Thanks for the input/info everyone.

I'm going to be stuck with "wireless" unless I cut holes in the floor and wire the TV room for ethernet.

What "risk" is there for opening up the unit and putting in a new hard drive? I'm assuming warranty's will be voided... any idea of how often they are "needed".

Tony,

My Replay's were older units that didn't have any streaming function, so I can live without that. What they did have that I used a lot was "quick skip" which I had set for 30 sec or 3 min jumps forward, and "instant replay" which I had set for 7 sec or 1 min jumps back. Can the 30 sec skip forward for TiVo be customized like that?

Thanks again for your info, everyone!

Joe


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Depending on how many TiVos you are looking at getting you might also want to look at the MoCa adapters. I used this at my mom's and it works great. You put one at the TiVo connecting the coax and ethernet to the TiVo and then one a router/switch that has access to the coax. It basically makes the coax a long ethernet cable. 

There is little risk in opening the box. Most say wait 30-90 days past the initial warranty before opening just in case another issue pops up with the box. 

The 30 sec skip on the Premiere can be queued up so as many times as you hit it so it will continue to keep going. I usually do it for about 3 mins for the commercial breaks so I just hit the button 6 times real quick. You can always hit play or pause and then play to interrupt it if you hit it too many times.


----------



## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

innocentfreak said:


> Depending on how many TiVos you are looking at getting you might also want to look at the MoCa adapters. I used this at my mom's and it works great. You put one at the TiVo connecting the coax and ethernet to the TiVo and then one a router/switch that has access to the coax. It basically makes the coax a long ethernet cable...


I second the MoCA adapter option. I live in an apartment with lots of wireless networks surrounding me. I opted for MoCA over wireless or powerline adapters, and have had a very good experience with them.


----------



## brshoemak (Nov 27, 2010)

DrJoe1 said:


> What "risk" is there for opening up the unit and putting in a new hard drive? I'm assuming warranty's will be voided... any idea of how often they are "needed"


No risk. You'll need two different sized Torx screwdrivers (one for the case, the other to remove the hard drive). There is no "warranty void if removed" sticker preventing you from opening the chassis. Keep the old drive around in case you need to send it in for warranty work.

I pulled a 320GB Western Digital Green drive from the unit and replaced it with a 2TB Western Digital Green drive that was on sale at the time. Total cost: $60 for the drive + 2 torx drivers = $64. Best investment I have made entertainment/technology wise. Ridiculous amount of recording time - I currently have about 250 Deleted Items (all HD) with lots of other recorded content and movies.

Drive extenders are not worth it and only serve as another point of failure.


----------



## Greysquirrel (Jun 17, 2011)

Like the OP I to am a RTV user and for a number or reasons I don't want to deal with using WIRNS, not a PC user and don't know anything about windows machines.
That said, most of my questions have been answered already but I haven't been on the TIVO site yet so can you tell me how many tuners are in the TIVO. 
I need at least two but more would be a plus. 
Can anyone recommend what model to choose from the lineup, HD would be great but not a deal killer for me.
Thanks for any information you can provide me. 
Not trying to hijack the thread but both the OP and I are in the same boat.


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Greysquirrel said:


> Like the OP I to am a RTV user and for a number or reasons I don't want to deal with using WIRNS, not a PC user and don't know anything about windows machines.
> That said, most of my questions have been answered already but I haven't been on the TIVO site yet so can you tell me how many tuners are in the TIVO.
> I need at least two but more would be a plus.
> Can anyone recommend what model to choose from the lineup, HD would be great but not a deal killer for me.
> ...


Pretty much everything since the series 2, so series 3, TiVo HD, and Premiere, is 2 tuners.

They really only currently offer 2 new boxes, the Premiere and the Premiere XL. The XL is THX certified and comes with a 1TB drive a remote that lights up.


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

re: number of tuners, a previous poster suggested a 4-tuner model is in the works...

about MoCA, 

Is this something that won't interfere with the current cable modem or cable video feeds? How much does it cost?

thanks,

Joe


----------



## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

Wow, I was unaware that Replay was shutting down their guide service, but I'm not surprised. The units haven't been sold in years.

5) All my TiVos (other than my DirecTiVo, where I couldn't get lifetime) had lifetime. I would personally go for lifetime unless you think the company will go under before the breakeven point.

I passed the breakeven point on my Series 1s (sold them last year) LONG ago, esp. when lifetime on them was less ($200 and either $250 or $299, respectively). My Series 1s were activated on 2/28/01 and 4/13/02. I last actively used them in late 09 and they still seemed to work fine when I sold them in late 2010.

My Series 2 was activated on 3/11/06 and was mostly loaned out to friends. It still worked fine, as of a few months ago.

Agreed w/the others saying that if anything fails, it's usually the hard drive which can be replaced easily. You won't lose lifetime or your subscription status by switching drives. At least on all units prior to Premiere (never had one), the serial number (TSN) was stored on a crypto chip on the motherboard.

I agree that using an external eSATA DVR Expander just adds another point of failure. It's almost like running RAID 0. (At least on Series 3 TiVos) If one drive dies and you have to unpair/divorce the drives, you lose all the recordings made after the pairing. That is... if you can even unpair them successfully.

(I ran into a problem where I couldn't unpair and was stuck in a loop, essentially. I lost all my recordings since I couldn't boot successfully despite the many attempts to unpair. I ended up disconnecting the presumably bad internal drive, swapping some cables, and restoring an image onto my Expander. My external Expander is now my A drive. )

FWIW, the ONLY TiVo internal drive that has ever given me trouble was that one in my TiVo HD. The ones that came in my 2 Series 1s, Series 2 and DirecTiVo never gave me trouble. I've had trouble w/some drives I've added.



DrJoe1 said:


> What "risk" is there for opening up the unit and putting in a new hard drive? I'm assuming warranty's will be voided... any idea of how often they are "needed".


Yes, it's voided. The warranty's not very long anyway (http://support.tivo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/32). In the past, when I only had older units (w/o any officially supported expansion options), I waited until the 90 days was up before opening up the unit.

Welcome to the TiVolution!


----------



## gilbreen (Sep 5, 2007)

DrJoe1 said:


> re: number of tuners, a previous poster suggested a 4-tuner model is in the works...
> 
> about MoCA,
> 
> ...


No, they are designed to coexist with your cable modem and video over the same coax. I currently use the Netgear MCAB1001 MoCA Coax-Ethernet Adapter Kit and they work great.

It originally sold for over $250 but you can find them for around $100 on Amazon.com.

http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-MCAB1...5NMI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308348666&sr=8-1

Good luck!

EDIT - I am also a ReplayTV refugee. Been using the Tivo Premiere for a couple of years. Miss some features of the ReplayTV but been very happy with Tivo. I also recommend getting the standard Premiere and then when you are ready, upgrade to a larger HD. I installed 2TB HDs in both of my Tivos and have not had any issues.


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Ethernet-Over-Coax-Adapter/dp/B0022NHMZY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308359519&sr=8-3-fkmr0

These are the ones I got for my mom since she needed two. You can also sometimes find used Adaptec FiOS routers on ebay and use those. You just have to make sure you turn off the various settings so it doesn't conflict with your router.


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

DrJoe1 said:


> 6) I subscribe to broadcast basic cable from time Warner and get the local broadcast HD channels in clear-QAM. If I understand correctly, for TiVo I would need to get a cablecard for a few bucks a month from Time Warner, but would then be able to "tune" with guide info both the analog channels and the clear-QAM HD channels. Is this straightforward to set up?


I think the other questions have been answered.. but no, you won't get the analog channels anymore, once you put cablecards in. (At least this is true for most people -- where there are "digital simulcasts" of the analog channels.)

*Most likely* you won't notice, because you'll still tune the same channel # as before, and it will "just" be digital, and usually a better picture (as long as you have a good signal)... and also increased disk space usage. In my experience, as someone who for a very long time used only analog, and Tivo Basic quality [lowest, some consider unwatchable but I don't], the lowest quality digital-but-not-HD signals are about 2x the size. Digital artifacts 'bug' me a lot more than analog artifacts, and I would nowadays probably choose the digital channel for a decent proportion of the recordings, but I still wish I had the choice.


----------



## Elgato54 (Sep 21, 2010)

DrJoe1 said:


> You may have heard that ReplayTV is shutting down their guide service (and also it seems the clock synchroniztion system that allows the units to be used as anything but bricks). I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself come July 31 when my two units no longer work. I may be able to jump through hoops to get them to continue to function, or I may make the jump to TiVo. But I know next to nothing about TiVo... I was hoping some of you would be kind enough to educate me...
> 
> Joe


I also have a lifetime replay. I had no idea they are shutting down. Do you have a link to the story?

They sold a lifetime contract. There should be some form of contract buyout for whoever holds the liability.

At least they could issue a final free patch that allows the units to be used as manual recorders.

Thanks


----------



## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

DrJoe1 said:


> 1) Looking at cost and expandability, is the Premier XL unit really worth $200 more than the standard unit? The hard drive is bigger, but you can expand those, right? Leading to my second question....


I cannot at this point in time recommend the TiVo Premier series of DVRs. This especially if you are served by a CATV system that sets the CCI byte of all non-broadcast channels to 0x01. Certainly, if I were in the market for a DVR today, I would not get a Premier. I can recommend the TiVo HD as a reasonable alternative, although its networking is somewhat slow. Depending upon my application, I think I would probably opt to get an original S3 from ebay, if I were shopping for a DVR today. I see you are on Time Warner Cable. Be warned: this definitely applies to you. If you ever might want to transfer your recorded videos to an external device or to a second TiVo, stay away from the Premier, at least at this point in time.



DrJoe1 said:


> 2) Is it possible to cheaply expand disk capacity with a USB hard drive? Or do you need to crack them open to replace the internal hard drives?


There have been some responses to this already. The answer is, "Neither one". The expansion port is eSATA, not USB. The only officially supported external drives are the WD DVR Expander drives. These are the only ones that will "plug n play" as expansion devices. Other external drives can be used (I'm using a Hitachi 1T drive in an Antex MX-1 case on one of my TiVos), but it means cracking open the TiVo, removing the drive, and attaching both to an external PC in order to marry the drives. Most people do not recommend this alternative, as opposed to simply upgrading the internal drive. I tend to agree. Regardless of which path you choose, I recommend upgrading the internal drive, and putting the original on the shelf. That way, when the upgrade drive fails, you can simply pop the original back in and be up and running in a matter of minutes.



DrJoe1 said:


> 3) I see a lot of web related features... Hulu, Netflix, YouTube... How well do these work? Is there actually good content you can get?


"Not so much", if you ask me. Some people think it's terrific. YMMV.



DrJoe1 said:


> 4) The TiVo sight says that only their (expensive) wireless adaptors are compatible with these units... Is this true? Are there cheaper alternatives?


Well, it's not 100% true, especially not with TiVos other than the Premier, but it's certainly the path of least effort. I do not recommend wireless solutions for any purpose, especially not video, unless it is absolutely necessary. Expect problems, if you choose this path (for TiVo or any other purpose).



DrJoe1 said:


> 5) What is the current collective wisdom regarding lifetime activation versus monthly fees? It's a 5 year break even -- is this reasonable? My ReplayTV's "lasted" 10 and 8 years respectively -- they were reasonably bulletproof (had to replace one power supply and several hard drives, but still chugging) so it would have been a good deal for them. Any ideas of what "lifetime" means for modern TiVo units?


Given that you kept your RTV that long, I would expect you might keep the TiVo a similar length of time. Failures happen, of course, as well as fire, flood, and theft. It's a roll of the dice. Note the lifetime service increases the resale value of the unit if you ever decide to sell it on ebay. Given that you are on TWC, an ebay unit (S3 or THD) with lifetime service might be a good choice for you.



DrJoe1 said:


> 6) I subscribe to broadcast basic cable from time Warner and get the local broadcast HD channels in clear-QAM. If I understand correctly, for TiVo I would need to get a cablecard for a few bucks a month from Time Warner, but would then be able to "tune" with guide info both the analog channels and the clear-QAM HD channels. Is this straightforward to set up?


Well, having dealt extensively with TWC customer service, let me say *NOTHING* is guaranteed to be straightforward, not even getting them to disconnect service. That said, there is no reason the process should be painful or difficult. Unfortunately, that does not mean it won't be. With a little luck, you will get an installer who more than very recently started walking upright, and it won't be difficult.

Note TWC has policies regarding digital service, and I don't really know what they are. You may be required to upgrade to a digital tier. If you don't have any premium channels, then you won't need a Tuning Adapter, but if you do, a Tuning Adapter is required. Most of the HD versions of the basic channels are premium. Here in San Antonio, for example, HD Theater, Discovery HD, TNT HD, AMCHD, TCMHD, etc, are all SDV channels, requiring the Tuning Adapter.

TWC broadcasts all its analog channels in digital, as well. As someone else mentioned, you will be able to tune these same channels. It is possible some of them may look better on the TiVo, although probably not.


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

one quick post so I can point to an HTML, one to go


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

DrJoe1 said:


> one quick post so I can point to an HTML, one to go


Two quick posts so I can point to an HTML...


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

Elgato54 said:


> I also have a lifetime replay. I had no idea they are shutting down. Do you have a link to the story?
> 
> They sold a lifetime contract. There should be some form of contract buyout for whoever holds the liability.
> 
> ...


You will see a splash screen flash on your unit with the notice -- I saw it two days ago. Seems to be tied to a cookie/event and comes at different times on different units.

www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1341460
www.planetreplay.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15657&sid=ee05bcd1974fd82221dbb07ad422812e

There has been a lot of discussion on saving the service, but there are issues to work out:

I'm not technically up to speed on all this (all the talk of vitual machines and WiRNS and such is another language to me):

The networked units seem to have the clock encrypted, and need to have it reset on a daily basis. While WiRNS seems capable of updating the channel guide, it can't at this time set the clock;

The older, non-networked units would need to have modem-to-ethernet adaptors created to use WiRNS (no clock problem for them, though)

All units would lose the ability to get new channel lineup information

In their notice, DNNS says the units will be able to "manually record" -- but that is not sure at this time for the networked units.

There also has been lots of talk of what the "lifetime" implications are. ReplayTV, of course, went bankrupt years ago. The holding company that purchased the non-IP assets (DirecTV bought the IP), DNNS, is finally shutting down the service. Presumably they are no longer making enough on monthly subscriptions to justify keeping it. Or maybe they have gotten to the point where they can't support it any more from a technical knowledge point of view. But lots of folks feel how you do.

One lawyer pointed out that the company's liability would be no more than $300 (the cost of a lifetime lisense), prorated against age. And that it is unlikely that the total liability would reach the minimum necessary for a Federal class action suit. There is no legal definition for "lifetime", and I am sure that they could argue that with the demise of analog OTA broadcasting, the effective lifetime of the units was reached. Likewise, they could argue that most units now in service are not original (have replacement power supplies or hard drives or both), and hence have passed their reasonably expected "product lifetimes". Or they can just say it is "end of life" because they cannot support it any more. As far as Panasonic goes, I suspect most of my fellow Showstopper owners have lost their receipts years ago (I have). It doesn't seem like DNNS or Panasonic will be doing anything. Some are hoping that DNNS might release the source code or encryption for ReplayTV.

For me, I'm surprised I had dial up access as long as I have.

Joe


----------



## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

innocentfreak said:


> 1)2) Replacing the internal drive is the better solution imho. There are the expanders but I don't know how reliable they are. Also depending on how much content your local cable company flags or doesn't flag, you might just be able to use the stock drive and use TiVo Desktop/KMTTG/PyTiVo to copy recordings to your PC.


Not if he buys a Premiere, on anything other than locals.



innocentfreak said:


> 6) Pretty much though installs results vary. Also if your local Time Warner uses SDV you will need a tuning adapter which are free but can be troublesome.


"Troublesome" in that they are not 100% stable. They require rebooting from time to time. Their function is completely transparent to the user: the user doesn't have to do anything special to make use of the TA.



innocentfreak said:


> 7) Look into programs like PyTiVo, KMTTG, and Streambaby. It greatly expands what the TiVos can do.


Not if he buys a Premier, they don't. Well, not KMTTG, anyway. In order for him to make much use of KMTTG, he'll need a hacked TiVo.


----------



## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

DrJoe1 said:


> You will see a splash screen flash on your unit with the notice -- I saw it two days ago. Seems to be tied to a cookie/event and comes at different times on different units.
> 
> www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1341460
> www.planetreplay.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=15657&sid=ee05bcd1974fd82221dbb07ad422812e
> ...


This story parallels the UK TiVo Series 1 folks.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Most questions have been answered rather well.

I will answer #4 more directly than others, saying that the TiVo G adapter is the only USB wireless adapter supported on any of the HD model TiVos. Any Ethernet based network sysem will work. That would be Ethernet itself, MoCA, Powerline extenders, or any Wireless Ethernet Bridge.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

I have just read the threads DrJoe1 linked to.

From what I have read, they are only discontinuing the guide, but keeping the authentication servers running at very least, and possibly permanently activating non-lifetime units. Wirns supposedly will still work.

Unclear if the dial-ups will be discontinued.


----------



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

lrhorer said:


> Not if he buys a Premiere, on anything other than locals.
> 
> "Troublesome" in that they are not 100% stable. They require rebooting from time to time. Their function is completely transparent to the user: the user doesn't have to do anything special to make use of the TA.
> 
> Not if he buys a Premier, they don't. Well, not KMTTG, anyway. In order for him to make much use of KMTTG, he'll need a hacked TiVo.


It depends on his area as I said in the quote you posted.

No TA here so I am just going off what is said here.

False. I use kmttg everyday with my premiere.


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

classicsat said:


> I have just read the threads DrJoe1 linked to.
> 
> From what I have read, they are only discontinuing the guide, but keeping the authentication servers running at very least, and possibly permanently activating non-lifetime units. Wirns supposedly will still work.
> 
> Unclear if the dial-ups will be discontinued.


I'm not sure where you got this idea -- it seems like EVRYTHING including authentication servers is going down... this reply was in the middle of the AVS Forum post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=20577415&postcount=91



> Just got off a call to tech sup
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ...


----------



## DrJoe1 (Jun 17, 2011)

I really do apreciate all of the input you all are giving -- it helps a lot.

As far as purchasing a new Premier vs a Series B or other unit over eBay -- what are the differences between the units? Wouldn't it be best to go with the latest unit? It doesn't seem eBay saves much in the way of money (for lifetime activated units).

As far as connectivity, MOCa may be beyond my means (especially if I get lifetime activation). It seems that wireless would be cheapest and easiest. Aside from downloading video from online sources like Netflix, does it take much bandwidth to support TiVo?

Thanks,

Joe


----------



## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

lrhorer said:


> I cannot at this point in time recommend the TiVo Premier series of DVRs. This especially if you are served by a CATV system that sets the CCI byte of all non-broadcast channels to 0x01.


The CCI byte issue affects the S3 and THD also.


----------



## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

shwru980r said:


> The CCI byte issue affects the S3 and THD also.


Yes, but you can "fix" that issue with an S3 or THD. The Premiere has yet to be "cracked".


----------



## johnm4 (Jun 23, 2008)

Wow... I had no idea ReplayTV was shutting down. I still have 2 units that I use to record public access several times a week with a manual recording (no guide data for public access stuff anyway), but this clock sync thing worries me.

I had planned to replace it with a Premiere at some point, once TiVO finishes up the HD menus...


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

DrJoe1 said:


> I really do apreciate all of the input you all are giving -- it helps a lot.
> 
> As far as purchasing a new Premier vs a Series B or other unit over eBay -- what are the differences between the units? Wouldn't it be best to go with the latest unit? It doesn't seem eBay saves much in the way of money (for lifetime activated units).


You mean Series 2.

A very brief rundown:
Series 1/2 are analog only. Digital requires a separate box. Series 1/2 support IR channel changing on many provider STBs, serial for a few. Series 2s made to work with antenna work with most antenna digital converter boxes. The Series 2 DT was made to not work with antenna at all, only cable and provider STBs. Series 1s are networkable by adding an internal network card, but only connect to the service for that, generally. Series 2 network functionality, in addition to connecting to the service, allows transfers (copies), between TiVo units and PCs (copy protection allowing), and from online services. Series 2s network with USB wireless or Ethernet network adapters. The supported adapters are limited, see the TiVo site. The Series 2 DT includes Ethernet built in. All the Series 1/2 models use IDE HDDs. The DVD combo model TiVos are all Series 2s, and except the Humax DVD models, come with free Basic service. All other Series 2, late series 1s (generally made October 2001 and later), and HD models require subscription.

For the Series 3/4 models, they have dual analog/digital tuners built in, decode cable with cable card (two for the Series 3, one or two for the TiVo HD, one for the Premiere), cannot use a box at all, but are antenna compatible directly. They have an MPEG4 type decoder, so can stream some online services, as well as what the Series 2s can do. All HD models have Ethernet and USB. They use an internal SATA drive, an eSATA expansion. 
They have automation interfaces, which allow computer/tablet control with an app.



> As far as connectivity, MOCa may be beyond my means (especially if I get lifetime activation). It seems that wireless would be cheapest and easiest. Aside from downloading video from online sources like Netflix, does it take much bandwidth to support TiVo?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Joe


Really no, but if you intend to make use of the online video services, wireless, at least G, is not recommended.


----------



## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

steve614 said:


> Yes, but you can "fix" that issue with an S3 or THD. The Premiere has yet to be "cracked".


And given that used S3/HDs w/lifetime can be had on fleabay for $350-375, a case could be made that they are a better buy right now than the Premieres anyway, considering the higher cost and unfixed issues on the Premieres.


----------



## coupster (Jun 22, 2011)

As another in ReplayTV purgatory, I 'd like some clarification from the experts here. Please.

My ReplayTV is currently connected to a cable STB via coaxial cable, using an IR cable for channel changes and an ethernet connection for talking to the world. I have no HD programming and don't plan on getting any in the foreseeable future. Oh I also have no land line phone connection.

It seems that a comparably functional Tivo is a Series 2. I guess its fairly old cause I can find no discussions of it anywhere. What are the downsides to getting this model? 

If I have to go up to a Series 3, do I swap out the STB for a Cablecard from my cable company or do I have to go out and buy one and have them configure it? Small local provider - Morris Broadband.

Any other gotchas on either? 

Thanks.


----------



## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

coupster said:


> As another in ReplayTV purgatory, I 'd like some clarification from the experts here. Please.
> 
> My ReplayTV is currently connected to a cable STB via coaxial cable, using an IR cable for channel changes and an ethernet connection for talking to the world. I have no HD programming and don't plan on getting any in the foreseeable future. Oh I also have no land line phone connection.
> 
> It seems that a comparably functional Tivo is a Series 2. I guess its fairly old cause I can find no discussions of it anywhere. What are the downsides to getting this model?


 Yes a Series 2 is what you need to record from a cable and/or Satellite STB. You can pick them up pretty cheap on ebay - I would get one with lifetime service or you will have to pay $12.95/mo and commit to 1 year of service.



coupster said:


> If I have to go up to a Series 3, do I swap out the STB for a Cablecard from my cable company or do I have to go out and buy one and have them configure it? Small local provider - Morris Broadband.
> 
> Any other gotchas on either?
> 
> Thanks.


If your cable is still analog you can use a Series 3 HD, TiVo HD, or Premiere with it without cable cards. If it is digital (SD or HD) you will need cable card(s) and they have to come from your cable provider. With a small provider you should check and make sure they will provide you with cable cards.

Good Luck,


----------



## pbcanney (Mar 31, 2011)

Its a shame Replay is ending


----------



## pbcanney (Mar 31, 2011)

atmuscarella said:


> Yes a Series 2 is what you need to record from a cable and/or Satellite STB. You can pick them up pretty cheap on ebay - I would get one with lifetime service or you will have to pay $12.95/mo and commit to 1 year of service.
> 
> If your cable is still analog you can use a Series 3 HD, TiVo HD, or Premiere with it without cable cards. If it is digital (SD or HD) you will need cable card(s) and they have to come from your cable provider. With a small provider you should check and make sure they will provide you with cable cards.
> 
> Good Luck,


Think ahead a year or two. Time Warner still pushes the analog channels out but many Comcast sites are going full digital and will require either a converter or cablecarded/tuning adaptered unit. Series 2's probably have a short shelf life.

The FCC mandates your cable company MUST supply cablecards for a nominal monthly fee


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

coupster said:


> If I have to go up to a Series 3, do I swap out the STB for a Cablecard from my cable company or do I have to go out and buy one and have them configure it? Small local provider - Morris Broadband.


You get the cablecard from your cable company -- for a small monthly fee.. But it will almost certainly be 'included' in your digital cable subscription. Your monthly fee MIGHT go down (since you won't have a cable box anymore), but likely will stay the same...


----------



## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

innocentfreak said:


> It depends on his area as I said in the quote you posted.


He specifically stated he is on Time Warner Cable.



innocentfreak said:


> False. I use kmttg everyday with my premiere.


No, true. I have no doubt you use kmttg every day with a Premier, but only if your CATV provider does not ubiquitously set the CCI byte to 0x01. If your CATV provider decides tomorrow to start setting the CCI byte, kmttg will be useless to you exept on locally braodcast channels. Like me and a few million others, his provider sets the CCI byte. You may well be next. If I had a Premier, kmttg (and other transfer utilities) would be virtually useless, which in my case, at least, means the TiVo would be largely useless.


----------



## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

mattack said:


> You get the cablecard from your cable company -- for a small monthly fee.. But it will almost certainly be 'included' in your digital cable subscription.


I don't think this is usually the case. Certainly it is not for TWC customers. CableCards are $2.99 a month, each.



mattack said:


> Your monthly fee MIGHT go down (since you won't have a cable box anymore), but likely will stay the same...


As always, the mileage varies. Here in San Antonio, IIRC:

CableCard $2.99 each
STB $7.99
DVR $10.00 flat + $9.95 per DVR


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

If you don't have a STB, you get the cablecard instead of it, that's what I mean.


----------



## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

2006 is the last year a new Series 2 model was lanunched, and that is the Series 2 DT. The catch with that particular unit, is that it is not antenna compatible at all (to comply with FCC rules such a device have a digital tuner if it can tune antenna), and dual Tuners requires analog cable. It only supports one digital box. They are not available new. All of the previous Series 2s support antenna, and fully support antenna with box.

If you want to hack it at a software level, anything with a TSN beginning with 5 or higher, will require a PROM hack before you can apply hacks on the drive.

Except for the Dual tuner and any of the HD units, you need an Ethernet adapter as well, to connect to your Ethernet home network.

You get the Cablecard from your provider regardless if they rent or sell them. They should rent them. 

IMO, If I had more or less traditional cable, I would go with a Premiere, even with an SDTV.


----------



## dstoffa (Dec 14, 2005)

pbcanney said:


> Its a shame Replay is ending


Well, ReplayTV as it is currently known will be ending 7/31. However, all the existing units will live on, at least until the 32-bit Unix clock overflows some time in 2038.

Methods are in place to keep units working post 7/31. An alternate guide service is in the works for those who do not want to work the solution themselves. For those who want to do it on their own, all they will need is WiRNS 3.0, and a guide source (SD or a scraper). The new WiRNS handles all the clock setting and authorizing.

Cheers!
-Doug


----------



## jilter (Oct 4, 2002)

Funny,
I just threw away my two Lifetime Replay units.
I loved those machines, but could not bring myself to deal with the hassle once Comcast forced us into boxes for all cable access.
One of my machines had the automatic commercial skip. A revolutionary wonderful machine. I am surprised I was able to use the boxes as long as I did (almost 9 years!)

I bought a Tivo first back in 2000 and right way got into the ReplayTVs.
I preferred the interface after weeks of side by side comparisons. The Replay made it easy to avoid conflicts, as well as scheduling a certain show at a certain time without forcing me into a Series Recording. The Replays were the first I networked and pulled video from. *R.I.P. ReplayTV*. Thanks for all the coolness you provided me oh so many years ago before DVR's were found in every household.


----------



## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

I gave mine away late last year because they were collecting dust - going HD took them out of play in my house, but the crappy way you have to use them now with IR blasters etc. on Comcast would've taken them out for me anyway.

I do miss commskip, but it was only about 50% correct anyway - it all depended on the channel you were recording. And the ability to record on another networked Replay was nice, but single tuner Replays were too limiting.


----------



## minimeh (Jun 20, 2011)

Re: Commercial Skip
Sometimes when it missed, it _really_ missed. There were times when you had the feeling that the story arc had just gotten rather impressionistic. Turn off commercial skip, got back a ways, and realize it had skipped a whole 15-20 minute segment of the program. Typically, this happened when there was a scene where a complete black-out on the screen occurred, maybe caused by a character in a black coat at night walking by the camera in close up.

Re: ReplayTV service termination
As soon as I got wind that the homeship service was ending, I decided to give up the fight and look at alternatives, thus arriving at a TiVo Premiere purchase. I was able to locate someone who would pay for shipping expenses of the two units, so at least I was able to find them a good home.

R.I.P.


----------

