# Why would you need more than 1 TIVO?



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

Please don't scream too loud, but, why would you need more than 1 TIVO?


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Multiple shows on at the same time


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

I have one connected to each TV in the house (two in the living room where I have an HD TiVo and a networked/hacked SD TiVo.) With this setup, I can record at least 8 shows at the same time, and watch the contents of any TiVo in any room. I can also listen to my mp3's in any room, using the Music & Photos function.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Jun 14, 2005)

Is this for a survey or something?

Why would you need more than one satellite receiver?

Why would you need more than one car?

Why would you need more than one child?


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## ebonovic (Jul 24, 2001)

Also for capacity... .more tuners and more room

With dual tuners in each unit, and a little planning....
You can record a LOT of shows


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## dirtypacman (Feb 3, 2004)

For when you just dont want to let anyone else use the remote.


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## Martin Tupper (Dec 18, 2003)

To avoid recording conflicts: More tuners means that you can record more programs simultaneously. So you don't have decide which program(s) won't get recorded.
To avoid viewing conflicts: You want to watch the ballgame, but your significant other wants to watch American Idol. If you only have one TiVo, somebody has to wait [shudder]or go watch live TV[/shudder]
To avoid running out of storage space: More drive space=more shows can be stored.


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## profbobo (Sep 19, 2001)

DouglasPHill said:


> Please don't scream too loud, but, why would you need more than 1 TIVO?


Since each DirecTiVo can only output one thing at a time...

His and Hers.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Two SD TiVos for conflicts and one HD TiVo strictly for HD.


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## jeff125va (Mar 15, 2001)

Martin Tupper said:


> To avoid recording conflicts: More tuners means that you can record more programs simultaneously. So you don't have decide which program(s) won't get recorded.
> To avoid viewing conflicts: You want to watch the ballgame, but your significant other wants to watch American Idol. If you only have one TiVo, somebody has to wait [shudder]or go watch live TV[/shudder]
> To avoid running out of storage space: More drive space=more shows can be stored.


That about sums it up, although I sort of combine #1 with redundant recording capability to avoid missed recordings. I have 3 TiVos (two HD, one SD) that I use for general recording/viewing. On HD-TiVo #1, I have my "true" priority list in order of my favorite shows. On HD-TiVo #2, I have that list in reverse order. That way, I can record up to 4 shows at once, but most often I have at least one show recording on both, which gives me some backup in case one of them has a random reboot or something. On my main SD DirecTiVo, I have the same SP priority list as HD #1, but I have all of my shows that only record in SD at the top of that list (Scrubs, Simpsons, etc.) On another SD unit which we rarely use, mostly for my daughter to record MTV stuff, I have just those SD shows in reverse order. The SD units give me further redundancy in case either the satellite or OTA reception is poor.

Of course, the redundancy factor diminishes the more drive space factor. Although about a month ago our HD units were getting pretty full so we deleted a bunch of shows that had been recorded on both from one or the other to free up some space, so to some extent that helps.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

Here's the rundown, Douglas: 

1) HR10-250 is for High definition programming from DirecTV and, when I get around to putting up an outdoor antenna, HD OTA. 
2) SD-DVR-80 is for Standard Definition programming from DirecTV. I'm not wasting any space on the HR10-250 on SD programming and, yes, I still do watch some SD programs. 
3) TCD540040 is for 3 OTA network channels, NBC, ABC, & UPN, that I don't have waivers for and local news. 

Hope that clears it up for you.


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## mhalver (Nov 3, 2005)

Definately for conflicting recordings. I'm thinking about getting a second one for just that reason. All of the new shows that I want to watch this next fall (there aren't many) and those that I couldn't see because until recently I couldn't get the network but had watched on DVD and liked (Veronica Mars for instance - my area doesn't get UPN - thank you CW!) are on at the same time as shows that I already watch. Ya, I could just replace my existing unit with a dual tuner unit - but I'm happy with it and don't want to do that.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Jun 14, 2005)

1) Can record more shows at once.

2) Can have my "own" TiVo(s) (his/her/kid's factor).

3) Can view programs recorded on one anywhere there is a TiVo connected (except for the HR10-25).

4) Can listen to music and view photos anywhere I have a TiVo connected.

5) Bragging rights.


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

Once you have one DVR on the account it does not cost any more than a regular non-DVR receiver to add another DVR. If you have at least one DVR then it makes no since to have any regular receivers.


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## KDX (Jun 3, 2006)

Last Friday, I went from one DirecTivo and one standard receiver to two DirecTivo's. I sometimes don't understand or don't hear what was said on the TV. It is nice to be able to rewind it for a few seconds to play it again. Previously, I could only do this on one of the two TV's. Now I can do it on both.

rminsk makes a great point about it not costing any more to have a DVR instead of a standard receiver. That helped to seal the deal on getting a second DVR.


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## Pauli (Mar 1, 2004)

Because I can.


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## SmackDaddy (Jul 27, 2001)

Arcady said:


> I have one connected to each TV in the house (two in the living room where I have an HD TiVo and a networked/hacked SD TiVo.) With this setup, I can record at least 8 shows at the same time, and watch the contents of any TiVo in any room. I can also listen to my mp3's in any room, using the Music & Photos function.


Arcady - how do you switch between the various Tivos in each room? Do you have all s-video and composite out going into an Inday switcher and then feeding that into an RF modulator?


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## rlj5242 (Dec 20, 2000)

I feed all of my Tivos as well as DVD and VCR into a couple of Sony MRD-D1 frequency agile channel modulators and then send that feed to all of the TV's in the house. The Sony is very similar to the Channel Plus 3025 channel modulator.

-Robert


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Pauli said:


> Because I can.


Best answer.


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## Uncle Briggs (Sep 11, 2004)

It's a sickness. Don't judge me!


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## rhuntington3 (May 1, 2001)

Ask Brad.


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## patg25 (Nov 25, 2004)

Tivo #1 (HD) - Dad (DO NOT TOUCH)
Tivo #2 (SD) - Kid #1
Tivo #3 (SD) - Kid #2


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

SmackDaddy said:


> Arcady - how do you switch between the various Tivos in each room? Do you have all s-video and composite out going into an Inday switcher and then feeding that into an RF modulator?


I have the HD TiVo's component out running into a receiver, and the SD TiVo's s-video out running into a DVD recorder's s-video input. The DVD recorder's component output then runs into a different component input on the receiver. The HD TiVo and DVD recorder optical outputs are connected to the receiver. The component output on the receiver is connected to my projector's component input. I use the receiver to switch inputs on the projector. There is also a 27" HDTV set hooked up in that room for when I don't need the huge projection screen. That TV is connected to the HD TiVo via HDMI (but with analog audio so I don't have to turn off Dolby 5.1), and the SD TiVo is connected via composite video to another input on the TV. The s-video output on the receiver is also connected to the TV set, so it can display anything else plugged into the receiver, such as a VCR or video game.

I do not use RF for anything. It gives a horrible picture and has mono sound. Most of my SD TV monitors do not even have RF inputs or tuners - they are s-video/composite/component only. If at all possible, avoid RF if you want a good result.


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## moxie1617 (Jan 5, 2004)

Why would you care if I need more than one Tivo?


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## Billy Bob Boy (Jul 25, 2004)

One for each of the intricate moods of Billy Bob Boy 8


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## cowboys2002 (Jun 15, 2001)

More than 1 TV. 3 tv's, 3 directivos, 6 tuners. Still not enough at times!

No more arguing over watching things live.

More familytime. 

I can record things for the children on a seperate Tivo and "review" before allowing them to watch.


Next question.


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## blhirsch (Mar 1, 2003)

Because I don't LIKE non-tivo TV anymore.

My thumb just goes for the replay and pause buttons. I instinctively hit "list" all the time.

I think it would make me sad to have a regular TV anywhere in my house. I don't even watch TV at non-tivo friends' homes or hotels anymore. Without my tivo I'm just uninterested in watching television. 

Even though I have MRV, I still basically have the same season pass list on each tivo. 

Since it doesn't cost me anything to have a tivo rather than a regular receiver, there's no reason for me NOT to have a tivo anywhere I have DirecTV coming into a television.


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

blhirsch said:


> there's no reason for me NOT to have a tivo anywhere I have DirecTV coming into a television.


I have TiVo in some places that I don't even have a satellite connection, since I can use MRV to get shows from other (connected) units on the network. This is great for TV's that are only used occasionally, like the one in the kitchen.


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## old7 (Aug 7, 2002)

We have 8 DirecTiVos

1 HD - Series, Specials and sports
1 HD - Movies, Movies and overflow from the other HD TiVo
1 SD - Movies (SD of course, not watched too much lately)
1 SD - Series Mostly (Network shows)
1 SD - Non-network Shows Discover Channel, History Channel...
1 SD - Child # 1
1 SD - Child # 2
1 SD - Master Bedroom (Probably going to upgrade to HD in December)

All of the SD DirecTiVos are MRV enabled.


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## Yog-Sothoth (Jun 14, 2005)

Why would anyone need more than 640K of RAM?


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## DAVIDGR (Oct 26, 2002)

I have multiple Tivos, each which records different genres. For instance, I have an old Series 2 primed to record old movies, a HD model for situation comedies, another hooked up to my stereo for music videos and American Idol, another for news and documentaries, one in the basement for animation (you know... cartoons), etc.

That way, if I'm in the mood for a specific type of program, I don't have to search... I can just flip on the appropriate box, sit back and enjoy!

Oh yeah, my kitchen Tivo records Foodnetwork, the workshop gets DIY, and my home gym shows FIT TV!


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## SmackDaddy (Jul 27, 2001)

rlj5242 said:


> I feed all of my Tivos as well as DVD and VCR into a couple of Sony MRD-D1 frequency agile channel modulators and then send that feed to all of the TV's in the house. The Sony is very similar to the Channel Plus 3025 channel modulator.
> 
> -Robert


So do you combine those into one cable and then feed that combined cable into your multiswitch?

Arcady: There are some RF modulators out there that do a great job. Very hard to tell the difference between a local Tivo and RF input.


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## rlj5242 (Dec 20, 2000)

SmackDaddy said:


> So do you combine those into one cable and then feed that combined cable into your multiswitch?


 No external multi-switch. Just the one built into my Phase III dish. All of the equipment sits in the theater room. These source equipment is connected to a Panasonic AE900 projector in the theater room and a Mitsubishi WS-55411 in the living room by HDMI, component video or s-video (best option for each source/TV combo). This requires a lot of cabling in the walls. Also, each source is connected to the MRD-D1 with composite video/analog audio. The outputs of the modulators are combined to a single cable that is sent to a distribution amp (1 in/4 out) in the attic and then out to other rooms of the house. I'm slowly switching remotes over to Harmony so that control in each room will be the same. My second 880 came in yesterday from the Dell deal.

-Robert


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## mrpope (Jan 13, 2006)

two dtivos cost the same as 1 dtivo and 1 sat box. plus i don't have to watch crappy tv now that we have two. wife loves american idle. personally i don't get it.


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## TimGoodwin (Jun 20, 2003)

The pause and the rewind buttons.


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## Rainy Dave (Nov 11, 2001)

One for the adults, one for the kids. And we can use the kid's TiVo to record shows on the rare occasion there are more than 2 shows that the adults wish to record.


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## alexcue (Apr 1, 2000)

humm, for each TV in the house.
Plus one more for the Wife, so she doesn't feel left out.


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## Jebberwocky! (Apr 16, 2005)

One of my three DTivo's (1 SD and 2 HD) in my family room is toast. Last night the other two HDTivo's were recording shows at 9:00 and I had top watch the NBA finals using my antenna (the shame). I really wanted to watch it in HD but had to settle for crappy OTA reception.

I'm not sure how you could get along with only two let alone 1. 

I also have 1 on my basement and 1 in my bedroom.


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## BigBearf (Aug 18, 2005)

TV room with 3 hr10-400s and 2 Hughes DVR-400s all zippered for a total of 10 inputs. Great for HMO and MRV and great during NBA playoffs and NFLST. 

Bedroom with HR10-400 and Phillip 704-400 zippered for HMO and MRV. 

Kitchen with HR10-400 and Hughes HDVR2-400 zippered for HMO and MRV. Great for music and podcasts for educational purposes. 

Do I think this is excessive, NO. I enjoy them all and just today got the Harmony 880 via the Dell deal and can't wait the dive into that.


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## narnia777 (Jan 12, 2003)

I have my old 40 gig RCA filled with old tv shows that I haven't watched yet, not activated. I have another 40 gig that I got with the DVR4ME promo filled with movies from HBO/SHOWTIME previews, it's not activated now eithor. My main Tivo is my R10 80 gig and is activated with both tuners active. I also have a 80 gig DT standalone Tivo for some alacart programming on Dish Network and Basic cable.

All this in one room I've had as many as 3 Tivo's connected at once and 2 Directivos activated at once with up to 4 active receivers.

Jim


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## crkeehn (Mar 1, 2005)

So my family unit doesn't get jammed with all the iterations of Power Rangers....


Oops, my wife has suddenly become addicted to Power Rangers so it's recording them anyways.

For the family

For the kids


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## mr.unnatural (Feb 2, 2006)

Three HDTivos and one SD DTivo.

All season passes are set up with padding added at the beginning and end to avoid scheduling glitches and minor schedule overruns (I still haven't figured out how to compensate for Bushus Interruptus during prime time). I look at the new season show schedules in the fall and spread the season passes out between the HDTivos to allow for non-overlapping recordings and to even out the total recording hours for each HDTivo. The SD DTivo is used exclusively for non-HD programming. 90-95% of my HD recordings are done OTA with an occasional HBO season pass thrown in. I get all my movies from NetFlix before they ever hit PPV or the premium channels.

I'll have all four Tivos recording simultaneously on some nights but mostly just one or two at any given time. I'll always have a tuner free to watch live TV anytime I wish and still not miss a single season pass.


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## dtremain (Jan 5, 2004)

For the same reason you need more than one wife.


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## Jerry_K (Feb 7, 2002)

The simple answer if you are married is, your wife found out about season passes.


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## Jasen Palmer (May 24, 2006)

why does the phone always ring when you are in the bathtub?

what is the meaning of life?

why the heck not take the road most traveled?


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## newsposter (Aug 18, 2002)

JimSpence said:


> Two SD TiVos for conflicts and one HD TiVo strictly for HD.


May I suggest you get your 2nd HDtivo free via that offer in the other thread? You sure deserve it being out there in the lower dma area


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## Mark W (Dec 6, 2001)

Yes, the simple answer for me is, why not? It doesn't cost any more to have a DTivo than a regular receiver. A regular receiver is just not an option for me any more.

I don't really have too many can't miss shows. All my DTivos are stock size, and I hardly ever have scheduling conflicts where I would need more than 2 tuners. I guess I'm different from most here.

I watch shows from the "Live TV' fairly frequently, BUT NEVER LIVE! I use the dual buffer capability constantly. In the morning when I want to see the weather in the bedroom, I can't imagine waiting for it to come on. Tune the correct channels, go about getting ready, then rewind to what I want. Watch the interesting 10 minutes of SportsCenter, and off to work I go.

The better question is, why would you have a standard receiver? You have no control over it. Control your TV!


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## rminsk (Jun 4, 2002)

Jasen Palmer said:


> why does the phone always ring when you are in the bathtub?


Because WE are watching you and know when you are in the bathtub.



> what is the meaning of life?


Don't know what the meaning of life is but the answer is 42.



> why the heck not take the road most traveled?


If the roads are like Los Angeles roads then you will have to get a new set of shocks, tires, and rims from all the potholes that just destroyed your car.


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## painkiller (Jun 23, 2005)

Gives me something to watch when my wife is home.


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## Tivo 175 (May 4, 2004)

Simple Math:
Total number of channels in the Total Choice Package (how ever many that is now)
4 Major Networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC)
2 (or more) Tivos with 2 tuners each
It all adds up.

Not to mention those shows (like Lost) that run 61 or 62 minutes on 1 network and the Tivo refuses to record 2 shows on the other 2 networks in the next hour because of the 1 or 2 minute overlap. That's when having a 2nd Tivo comes in handy.


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