# Tivo VS Comcast DVR?



## marcb (Nov 8, 2002)

We currently an older Series 2 Tivo (Sony SVR-3000), and we cannot record any channels above 100, so the question is:

Do we get a new Tivo, or simply go with a Comcast DVR?

The Comcast DVR is nice, as we will no longer need a house phone, and that the Comcast DVR is updated directly thru Comcast cable line.

The Tivo is nice as we won't have a monthly service charge. However, we'll need to get the Tivo that you can update thru an eithernet cable, or wireless adapter. Not sure how this really works??? Do you need to leave your computer on all the time for Tivo to get updates?

So, just wondering if any of you guys have been in a similar situation, and what you found as the best answer.

Thank you,.....marc


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## CuriousMark (Jan 13, 2005)

marcb said:


> We currently an older Series 2 Tivo, and we cannot record any channels above 100, so the question is:


So you plug the cable directly into the DVR. If you get a cable box and rerun guided setup to have the DVR control the cable box you will get those higher channels. This will work no matter how you connect the DVR to the outside world.



> Do we get a new Tivo, or simply go with a Comcast DVR?


Choice is yours, but add getting a cable box to this list of choices, it lets you keep the current TiVo DVR and get more out of it.



> The Comcast DVR is nice, as we will no longer need a house phone, and that the Comcast DVR is updated directly thru Comcast cable line.


This is not an either/or choice. The TiVo DVR does not have to be used with a house phone, you can network it.



> The Tivo is nice as we won't have a monthly service charge. However, we'll need to get the Tivo that you can update thru an eithernet cable, or wireless adapter. Not sure how this really works??? Do you need to leave your computer on all the time for Tivo to get updates?


Ok, this question has several broad answers that depend on choices you have not made yet.

Your existing TiVo DVR has a USB port and you can add either an Ethernet or Wireless network adapter and connect it to your home network (assuming you have one set up already). You could get a TiVo HD DVR and it has Ethernet built in, but would need a USB to wireless network adapter just like your current series 2 would if you wish to go wireless.

If you decide to network a TiVo DVR, and you don't have a home network now, you will need to set one up. The easiest way to do so is to go buy a wireless router from your favorite electronics store. It plugs in between your cable modem and computer, using Ethernet. It will have 4 Ethernet ports and you can use the other three for DVRs, game systems, other computers or just about anything with Ethernet. If devices have wireless built in, or wireless adapters, they can connect with it via radio waves. It will work even when the PC is off.



> So, just wondering if any of you guys have been in a similar situation, and what you found as the best answer.


The BEST answer is the one that works best in your individual situation. You have LOTS of options, so pick the one that makes you happiest.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Well put.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

marcb said:


> ........The Tivo is nice as we won't have a monthly service charge. ..........


If you replace with another TiVo:

If your TiVo is on a lifetime sub, you will have to pay something to get lifetime on the new TiVo, at least $150 I believe. Otherwise you just continue to pay the sub whatever way you are now doing it.


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## pvpost (Nov 7, 2007)

As a family that went from a TiVo series 2 to a Comcast DVR to a TiVo HD, I can tell you honestly that the Comcast DVR will drive you bonkers. It is so user-unfriendly that it baffles me they haven't tried to fix it over the years. 

I think if you'd never used a TiVo it wouldn't bother you as much, but I guarantee you'll be yelling at your DVR quite a bit if you go that way. 

Tim


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## real_goose (Oct 24, 2009)

I had a Comcast DVR for some years and recently switched to a TiVo. I realized that we were mostly watching and recording network stations. If we downgraded service to match what we watch, we would not be allowed to keep our Comcast DVR which requires a certain level of service. So I now have $15.95 month limited basic which also drives the other older TVs in the house.


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## DianaMo (Oct 22, 2003)

The Comcast DVR offers On Demand programs which the Tivo HD doesn't (from what I can tell anyway.)

The Comcast DVR will also give you an idea how much recording space is used up, the Tivo doesn't - although you can look at how many unrequested programs the Tivo has recorded for you - that gives you an idea of what might be available in recording space.

The Tivo HD can do tv program keyword searches and play Youtube videos. Those are really useful features.


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## snowpilot (Aug 18, 2006)

pvpost said:


> As a family that went from a TiVo series 2 to a Comcast DVR to a TiVo HD, I can tell you honestly that the Comcast DVR will drive you bonkers. It is so user-unfriendly that it baffles me they haven't tried to fix it over the years.
> 
> I think if you'd never used a TiVo it wouldn't bother you as much, but I guarantee you'll be yelling at your DVR quite a bit if you go that way.
> 
> Tim


This is exactly what my family did. Bonkers is right. 
If you're used to Tivo, save yourself the frustration and replace it with another Tivo. We tried using the Comcast DVR for 2 months and it's just not well thought out.

If you use the Tivo upgrade option and buy the annual plan (get 2 months free) the cost difference between Comcast HD DVR and TivoHD offset pretty quickly.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

If I were in the OP's situation and had the $$, I'd get a TivoHD w/ lifetime service (if current Tivo is subbed, lifetime is $100 off), and be current with today's technology. Otherwise, I'd just get a cable box to use with the current Tivo.



DianaMo said:


> The Comcast DVR offers On Demand programs which the Tivo HD doesn't (from what I can tell anyway.)


That is true, but it is offset by the TivoHD's ability to rent/buy TV and movies from Blockbuster/Amazon (which is probably cheaper, anyways) and the ability to stream Netflix if you have a subscription.



> The Comcast DVR will also give you an idea how much recording space is used up, the Tivo doesn't - although you can look at how many unrequested programs the Tivo has recorded for you - that gives you an idea of what might be available in recording space.


With Tivo all you have to do is look at the recently deleted folder. As long as the number <> 0, you have room to record something.
It helps to have an upgraded hard drive so you don't have to worry about running out of space. Something else you can't do with a comcast DVR. 


> The Tivo HD can do tv program keyword searches and play Youtube videos. Those are really useful features.


Agree.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

You CAN download PPV's on a TiVo. You just have to call Comcast and click through the menus. Don't even have to talk to a rep. Once you call and order it, the PPV will be available to "all boxes" in your house.

I still have a Comcast DVR along with my TiVo's though because it doesn't have DRM on it and the TiVo boxes do. I use it to archive MMA PPV's. The newish Comcast DVR is worlds better than the old one we had. That was an unresponsive POS. This new one isn't too bad, but it ain't no TiVo. You can program it for 30 SS and you can use the "Page up and down" buttons to skip ahead and back in 5 minute intervals. So yeah, it's "useable" but as I said, it ain't no TiVo. It's also got a TINY hard drive, so it doesn't take many sporting events in HD to fill it up. On the other hand, with a TiVo you can easily add a 1 TB drive and you will be in Hard Drive heaven.


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## DianaMo (Oct 22, 2003)

I watch a lot of tv news programs and I've found that the Tivo zips thru the news a lot smoother than the choppier Comcast DVR.

I will say though that the Comcast DVD makes it easier to read program titles when searching thru a specific tv series than the Tivo does.


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## chesterhound (Dec 18, 2009)

I am new and recently got Tivo. There is no comparison when it comes to Tivo vs Comcast in my opinion. We have had the Comcast HD DVR for several years now. I purchased the Tivo to try it on my bedroom TV. It's a S2 80hr unit. Way better than Comcast! So much more user friendly and responsive than the Comcast device. I would highly recommend Tivo over Comcast and I plan to replace my Comcast HD DVR with the S3 when I can afford it. I'm sold on Tivo!!

chesterhound


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## fatlard (Jun 30, 2003)

It might be also worth wide to consider looking at a Moxi HD. Might be cheaper than a Tivo with lifetime.


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## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

DianaMo said:


> I will say though that the Comcast DVD makes it easier to read program titles when searching thru a specific tv series than the Tivo does.


In what way, specifically, is it easier than this:?


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## Gavroche (May 27, 2007)

bareyb said:


> You CAN download PPV's on a TiVo. You just have to call Comcast and click through the menus. Don't even have to talk to a rep. Once you call and order it, the PPV will be available to "all boxes" in your house.


Can you elaborate on exactly how you do that? I've never heard of a Tivo-branded DVR being able to access any Comcast PPV content.

Even with a series 2 and a cable box, you can not record from a PPV event - at least I couldn't... apparently the Tivo sees the Macrovision (analog) copy protection and disables recording of PPV and On Demand material.

Pleas explain the steps! 
Thanks!


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Gavroche said:


> Can you elaborate on exactly how you do that? I've never heard of a Tivo-branded DVR being able to access any Comcast PPV content.
> 
> Even with a series 2 and a cable box, you can not record from a PPV event - at least I couldn't... apparently the Tivo sees the Macrovision (analog) copy protection and disables recording of PPV and On Demand material.
> 
> ...


I can only speak for the Series 3 HD. All I do is call Comcast and navigate through the menus until I get to the one that says "press 1 to order this event". Then you just hang up and it's done. That night you tune to whatever channel the PPV is on and it will be there unencrypted. In fact, it will be unencrypted on any and all boxes you have that are connected to Comcast and you can record it on as many boxes as you have tuners available.

The only bad part is that TiVo has DRM so most of the time it truly is just "PPV". You get to keep it about 90 minutes after you begin watching it and then it self destructs.


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## Gavroche (May 27, 2007)

bareyb said:


> I can only speak for the Series 3 HD. All I do is call Comcast and navigate through the menus until I get to the one that says "press 1 to order this event". Then you just hang up and it's done. That night you tune to whatever channel the PPV is on and it will be there unencrypted. In fact, it will be unencrypted on any and all boxes you have that are connected to Comcast and you can record it on as many boxes as you have tuners available.
> 
> The only bad part is that TiVo has DRM so most of the time it truly is just "PPV". You get to keep it about 90 minutes after you begin watching it and then it self destructs.


Gotya. Makes sense, thanks for the info. I've never tried it with the series 3 but now I will have to give it a go! When I tried it before using the Motorolla all-digital box and my Series 2, it just gave me a message saying I couldn't record it when I pressed record on the Tivo. That's why I was confused by your use of the term "download."

It also could be that Comcast applies different copy protection schemes in different areas.


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## DianaMo (Oct 22, 2003)

lrhorer said:


> In what way, specifically, is it easier than this:?


When the wordy beginning of the program episode is the same for each episode, you need to click to get the actual episode title on the Tivo.

The Comcast DVR does share that info better than the Tivo.

FWIW, I hear new Comcast DVR's are on the way with more recording space.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

DianaMo said:


> When the wordy beginning of the program episode is the same for each episode, you need to click to get the actual episode title on the Tivo.
> 
> The Comcast DVR does share that info better than the Tivo.


Well then your original general statement isn't accurate if what you mean is:


> I will say though that the Comcast DVD [sic] makes it easier to read *some* program titles when searching thru a specific tv series than the Tivo does.


Considering the number of programs that use that type of episode title, it's barely worth mentioning.


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## V.idiot (Dec 29, 2009)

I'm considering the jump to TiVo from Comcast; the idea of sharing music, photos and recorded shows between TVs on two floors appeals to me...but to get 2 HD TiVos and a 12-month subscription plan is close to $900, and I'd have to keep the Comcast boxes to get HD cable-driven content into them, if I understand correctly. I've used the Comcast DVRs for years and don't find them hard to understand (as others here have stated)...but the drives are small and can't share content, and they sure as heck can't access Netflix or Amazon or Blockbuster content as TiVo apparently can. I'm not certain that a CableCard is available in my area and I'd surely lose On-Demand access if I drop the boxes anyway. This is not the 'no-brainer' decision I'd first thought it would be!


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

V.idiot said:


> I'm considering the jump to TiVo from Comcast; the idea of sharing music, photos and recorded shows between TVs on two floors appeals to me...but to get 2 HD TiVos and a 12-month subscription plan is close to $900, and I'd have to keep the Comcast boxes to get HD cable-driven content into them, if I understand correctly. I've used the Comcast DVRs for years and don't find them hard to understand (as others here have stated)...but the drives are small and can't share content, and they sure as heck can't access Netflix or Amazon or Blockbuster content as TiVo apparently can. I'm not certain that a CableCard is available in my area and I'd surely lose On-Demand access if I drop the boxes anyway. This is not the 'no-brainer' decision I'd first thought it would be!


Lifetime Service will be cheaper in the long run, but would be a fairly big hit up front ($399 for Service for the first box + $299 for up to 5 subsequent boxes). The TiVo DVRs will replace the Comcast boxes, unless you want to keep them around for VOD or PPV, in which case, a "downgrade" to a non-DVR Comcast STB would suffice. As stated though, Netflix/Amazon/Blockbuster would probably negate any need for Comcast supplied PPV/VOD.


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## mikey94025 (Oct 14, 2003)

orangeboy said:


> As stated though, Netflix/Amazon/Blockbuster would probably negate any need for Comcast supplied PPV/VOD.


If you're not familiar with Comcast VOD, it's very different than Netflix/Amazon/Blockbuster selections (thought Amazon & Blockbuster are not subscriptions). The Comcast VOD selection is quite large. I use it all the time to view recent network episodes, Showtime movies, Showtime series, etc. I also have Netflix for recent movies & true DVD experience, but that is certainly a different stream of video selection.


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## cwerdna (Feb 22, 2001)

V.idiot said:


> I I've used the Comcast DVRs for years and don't find them hard to understand (as others here have stated)...


It's possible the those others have totally different software on possibly totally different hardware as you/each other.

I'm not sure what Comcast deploys now but at one point there were at least these being deployed by them:
- *TiVo *(deployed in very limited areas on Motorola boxes) 
- *Microsoft TV Foundation Edition* running on Motorola boxes (such as DCT-6412) in the Seattle and Spokane, WA areas but that's all gone now to i-Guide AFAIK
- *i-Guide* formerly of TV Guide/Gemstar - looks like they're owned by Rovi formerly known as Macrovision 
- Scientific Atlanta Resident Application aka *SARA* running on Scientific Atlanta boxes [Cisco owns them now]
- (not positive on this but http://dvrnews.net/2007/06/16/recording-space-on-the-comcast-dvr/ mentions it) *Passport Echo* now also owned by Rovi
- *Moxi *on different Motorola hardware than the above (I hear it was in former Adelphia areas)

In the past, I've heard universal complaints about how terrible SARA is and to a lesser degree i-Guide. I haven't heard much praise for MSTV or Moxi.

Anyone who has kept up with all this please chime in and correct me, if needed.

(I used to keep http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=293649 up to date.)


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