# new to Tivo



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Hello all
Or should it be Help!
I have just bought a scenium Tivo from ebay. i have not received it yet and was just wondering if i have done the right thing. Are they still popular in the uk? I have always wanted one ever since i saw one while i was working for Sky.(going back 7-8 yrs)
What can it i do with it? I already own a sky hd box but run it as a plus box. i can receive analogue terrestrial and digital signals, and i also have a 100.0Mbps
internet speed from Virgin media. 
So in a nut shell what can i do?
Thank you.
Sean.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Wow! A new Tivo user. I envy you  I've had one for so long that I now can't imagine life without one. That said, I think I'd've waited until VM brought out their new Tivo-powered Digital Video Recorder later this year.

What can you do with it? Well, that all depends on whether or not it's been hacked yet and had things like a cachecard or turbonet card fitted.

At a minimum you will now be able to watch any show on commercial tv without having to sit through the ads  Add to that Wishlists and Season Passes and you really will wish you'd bought one ten years ago


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Method to my madness Carl. Get the wife hooked on the cheaper unit, then bingo along comes Vm with another tasty worm.

hacked, cachecard, turbonet card.
TELL ME MORE PLEASE.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

ericsean said:


> Method to my madness Carl. Get the wife hooked on the cheaper unit, then bingo along comes Vm with another tasty worm.


I like you're style 



ericsean said:


> hacked, cachecard, turbonet card.TELL ME MORE PLEASE.


Well, a basic unit has only 40 hours of recording at 'basic' (ie crap) quality and 12 at 'best'. So the first thing you're going to need is a larger hard drive.

Then you can always add a little module called a turbonet card. This will allow you to hook your unit up to the internet so you can access your Tivo wherever you are in the world in order to monitor it and set recordings, check wishlists, etc. A cachecard is the same thing but with some added memory so that your Tivo will respond quicker as the database is loaded (ie cached) onto the memorry first. (Just like adding more RAM to your PC!)

Try having a look around these sites for more information and prices.
(Other sites are probably available. I mention these three only because they are all run by members of this Forum.)

www.tivoheaven.co.uk
www.tivoland.com
www.tivocentral.co.uk


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Ok cheers for the info. The unit has not landed yet, but ill dive into it as soon as it does. Getting exited now. Who needs christmas presents when your an adult.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Why not get anything you need ordered right now so you can fit them when yout Tivo arrives  I'd start with a larger hard-drive with the cachecard drivers and everything else already installed, even if you don't get the card itself straight away


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

cwaring said:


> Why not get anything you need ordered right now so you can fit them when yout Tivo arrives  I'd start with a larger hard-drive with the cachecard drivers and everything else already installed, even if you don't get the card itself straight away


Because ive just bought a promax explorer - £1833. Thats why, lol
That and my wife would castrate me. Id more than likely start with the cachecard as id want to get on the net with it. If possible id like to send the tivo stored progs to my laptop or xbox (hardwired to modem). Im technically
inept at this so i might be on here asking stupid questions in the near future, or right now


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

ericsean said:


> Because ive just bought a promax explorer - £1833. Thats why, lol,That and my wife would castrate me.


Fair enough 



> Id more than likely start with the cachecard as id want to get on the net with it. If possible id like to send the tivo stored progs to my laptop or xbox (hardwired to modem). Im technically inept at this so i might be on here asking stupid questions in the near future, or right now


That's doable. Well, you can 'stream' programmes from your Tivo anyway; and it's not _too_ technical to accomplish


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

All im hearing is good news and i like it. right - Im off now. I should be getting the tivo tomorrow, so keep looking on here and ill give you the run down of what i get. Cheers for the info Carl.  top bloke.


----------



## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

ericsean said:


> That and my wife would castrate me.


But think of all that money you'll save on children's clothes.


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Hurray! its here.
er, what now?


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Cachecard? Bigger hard drive?


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

cwaring said:


> Cachecard? Bigger hard drive?


No subscription!!!!!!!!!
Grrrrrr


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

I have set it up. Done the phone call thing (twice) as it failed first time. and now ....... ta dahhhh ! er, nothing. boo hoo. Why does it say i have to phone up tivo. Surely this means more money being spent on it. Its back in the box at the moment. Now im stuck. my birthday is in the first week of may. Come on cwaring, help me out here. I can hear my tivo in its box calling me. Its crying to get out and is wondering why its new owner has put him straight away again.


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Just wondering whether to subscribe for a month first to see whats its like, Then do the lifetime one when im happy with it. Will have to use my birthday money though. My bank account is emptier than Ben Johnsons trophy cabinet.


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Whoops! Ahh, yes. I did fail to ask if it had a Lifetime sub or not  Sorry!

At this point I would normally urge someone to take out the LT sub. However, with a new VM Tivo (hopefully) less than a year away, I'd do with the monthly sub as, by the time it becomes available, your wife will be so used to it she will be _insisting_ that you get one


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Carl, you are now fired.
please clear your desk and turn the light out on your way out.

Am i right in thinking the box has to be rigged up and switched on when i ring up to subscribe?


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

ericsean said:


> Carl, you are now fired. please clear your desk and turn the light out on your way out.


Like I haven't heard _that_ before 



> Am i right in thinking the box has to be rigged up and switched on when i ring up to subscribe?


No.


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Thats it then. ill do a months subs and see how it goes.


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Anyone know the phone number!!
08702418486 no longer exists

just found this
http://www.tivo.com/abouttivo/international/tivo-virgin-media.html


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

It's around here somewhere. Try a search


----------



## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

The new TiVo Customer Services number is 0844 241 0703


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Cheers for that. signed up for a month at a time.
just multi tasking, getting rid of a virus on the other laptop.
bl00dy security tool virus, grrrrrr.:down:


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

Jesus, it took all day to set up. Just recorded my first program to get used to the system. Record quality on one below best is very very good. What I need to do now is put the TiVo central to the house. But still let every bedroom (4) and living room and dining room (computer area) be able to access it and to be able to program it. I'm wanting to hook it up to two sky plus boxes and a freeview box and also a Freesat hd box. Can this be done, or do I ask too much?
Anyone know the best method?
I'm not alien to this type of setup as I have my own aerial installation company. (www.digital-aerial-upgrades.co.Uk) but have never used a TiVo before.


----------



## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

Standard Series 1 Tivo can only record from one STB but if a Sky box is used as the main input it is possible to use the RF input to input a Freeview box as well as long as the Freeview box has an RF modulator fitted as opposed to only having RF loop-through.

As far as your paying a monthly subscription you may wish to look at this as a very cheap option of getting a lifetime subscription. http://www.tivoland.com/Tivoland/system3.html


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

RichardJH said:


> Standard Series 1 Tivo can only record from one STB but if a Sky box is used as the main input it is possible to use the RF input to input a Freeview box as well as long as the Freeview box has an RF modulator fitted as opposed to only having RF loop-through.
> 
> As far as your paying a monthly subscription you may wish to look at this as a very cheap option of getting a lifetime subscription. http://www.tivoland.com/Tivoland/system3.html


What do they get out of it???


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

A box of spares, I assume


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

ericsean said:


> ..and dining room (computer area) be able to access it and to be able to program it.


That's where the turbonet/cachecard with Tivoweb comes into it. Get one of those and it's as simple as typing a local IP into your browser


----------



## ericsean (Apr 11, 2010)

funny that, ive just texed the family about having money for my birthday. going to get one v soon. You got any Carl?


----------



## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Only the one in my Tivo 

Try those websites I posted links to earlier.


----------

