# Can I Use Tivo As Hd Tuner



## Mr. ELITE (Jun 8, 2011)

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and was wondering if I can use the TIVO as a HD tuner without the subscription ? My rear projection does not have a HD tuner (back then manufacturers didn't have to provide one; it was an additional $2000 for my PIONEER ELITE 530HD).

What are you paying for when you do subscribe? Thanks.

JP


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## kturcotte (Dec 9, 2002)

Basically you're paying for guide data. I think technically it would work, as long as you don't want guide data, but when you buy a Tivo you're agreeing to either a 1 year or 2 year commitment to keep the monthly service active (And paid). They probably won't let you just turn it off.


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## blacknoi (Jan 23, 2006)

I have an unsubbed premier (bought it for 50 bux new on amazon) that I just use as a cablecard tuner.

Trickplay (pause up to 30 minutes works) but everything else just says 'tivo service suspended'.

I changed the channel banner to clear quickly so i just get the channels showing and no annoying nag that I'm not subscribed.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Mr. ELITE said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I'm new here and was wondering if I can use the TIVO as a HD tuner without the subscription ? My rear projection does not have a HD tuner (back then manufacturers didn't have to provide one; it was an additional $2000 for my PIONEER ELITE 530HD).
> 
> ...


Depends on which TiVo you are talking about. Any Series 3 and above can be used to tune both Over The Air (OTA) and unscrambled cable, analog and digital and SD & HD.

Good Luck,


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Mr. ELITE said:


> What are you paying for when you do subscribe? Thanks.
> 
> JP


Short answer:

Program guide information
Season Pass® recording
WishList® search
Smart Recording
TiVo Suggestions
Parental Controls (except in the HDUI - known bug)
Online Scheduling Feature
Graphical Elements
Multi-Room Viewing Feature
Access to PC-Based Media
TiVoToGo Feature

Long answer:


> *3. The TiVo Service.* The TiVo service consists of program guide information and the following features:
> (a) Season Pass® recording - automatically finds and records every episode of a series all season long;
> (b) WishList® search - finds and records programs that feature your favorite actor, director, team or even topic;
> (c) Smart Recording - automatically detects program line-up changes for your cable/satellite provider and adjusts recording times so you don't have to worry about the details;
> ...


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## Mr. ELITE (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies. I don't have satellite or cable. Had satellite a few times when the kids were still living at home. Now I'm an empty nester who only recorded a few movies off DISH to watch them at a later date. To make a long story short, I discontinued 
satellite and now watch network television during the OCTOBER thru MAY season. Even then, I do not view more than 2 hours per night. Do you think the $499 lifetime is overkill for my purposes? Is the quality of the OTA tuner very good or just mediocre? By the way, if I were to take advantage of some discounted price on AMAZON (maybe a $15 max savings) would TIVO allow me to purchase the $499 lifetime membership?

Thanks again,

JP


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## socrplyr (Jul 19, 2006)

Only you can make the decision whether it is worthwhile or not. However, I do believe the fewer channels you have, the more important a DVR is. It allows you to have more to watch at any given time. 

I don't know how good the OTA receiver is. There have been conflicting reports on the board here...

It doesn't matter where you purchase the Tivo from to get the lifetime...


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## kturcotte (Dec 9, 2002)

If you're going to use it *ONLY* for OTA, I'd go with the Tivo HD. It's supposed to have a better OTA tuner in it. Unless you plan on using Premiere ONLY features, like Hulu+. Even then, there are other ways to get the Premiere only features. I don't think there's anything on the Premiere that's EXCLUSIVE to the Premiere.


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## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

blacknoi said:


> I have an unsubbed premier (bought it for 50 bux new on amazon) that I just use as a cablecard tuner.
> 
> Trickplay (pause up to 30 minutes works) but everything else just says 'tivo service suspended'.
> 
> I changed the channel banner to clear quickly so i just get the channels showing and no annoying nag that I'm not subscribed.


Have you tried it as an OTA tuner?


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## blacknoi (Jan 23, 2006)

unitron said:


> Have you tried it as an OTA tuner?


No, I'm about 50 miles away from most NYC tv transmitters and get zero OTA reception since the digital transition. Prior, I used to get 2 channels in analog SD with OK results.

I'd have to erect a large external antenna for OTA viewing and since I have cable, there's no need.


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## h2oskierc (Dec 16, 2010)

socrplyr said:


> It doesn't matter where you purchase the Tivo from to get the lifetime...


*It does matter.* I bought mine at best buy for $99 and lifetime service IS NOT an option for me until my 1 year contract is up. At that point I can buy lifetime, but not until then.


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## dwit (May 5, 2004)

h2oskierc said:


> *It does matter.* I bought mine at best buy for $99 and lifetime service IS NOT an option for me until my 1 year contract is up. At that point I can buy lifetime, but not until then.


It used to matter, but not for units *purchased/activated after* the May 19 pricing announcements.

Now all Premieres(purchsed/activated after May 19) have the same pricing options, no matter where purchased(excluding promos that may run, of course).


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## Mr. ELITE (Jun 8, 2011)

TIVO tech support confirmed the fact that all Premieres are now eligible for the $499 lifetime. When I asked about the quality of the boxes, the rep mentioned that, based on her experiences, they last from two to twelve years, depending upon how well the boxes are run (temp, humidity, etc). A good quality box with a long life seems to be a good thing since a box's early demise with a $499 sub isn't much bang for the buck.

The rep also confirmed (reluctantly) that the box can be used as a HD tuner without a sub, but said there may be nagging messages. I'll probably get the box and even a lifetime sub later this month. I've read a lot of glowing reviews here and on AMAZON. I know there are many users who have the previous generation box and are disappointed about the few updated features, but since this TIVO is a first for me , I'm hoping to be a 'happy camper' with the PREMIERE.

There really aren't many options for OTA HD tuners. The only other one I could think of is the CHANNEL MASTER CM 7000PAL. And, again, based on reviews, this CM7000 PAL appears to have a reliability problem. Oh well, sometimes it's just the luck of the draw.


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## DPF (Mar 20, 2003)

If you're even thinking about it, then go lifetime. Way worth it. My old Series 2 is still going in the kids toyroom, used everyday. My Premiere is lifetime in the Family room. If I get another, it will be lifetime as well.

The biggest factor in being happy with the performance of the premiere as a DVR is it's Network connection. If possible, I strongly suggest hardwiring. Hopefully you have a nice, stable, home Internet connection.

Once I hardwired, my Premiere performs great. No issues at all. Some still have some lockup issues, but once I went to hardwire, mine disappeared.

-DPF


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