Ariel Arons: Unlike a VCR, Tivo lets you record a show by name - you don't need to know the channel, time and date. This is why it needs a phone line (or computer network connection) so it can download the TV scheduled data. It's this TV schedule data that you're paying for, and yes, Tivo requires a subscription or won't let you do anything. The Tivo company sometimes offers a lifetime subscription, which is about $300 and covers the lifetime of the unit. This subscription is transferable, so a lot of people will sell used Tivos with lifetime subscriptions on eBay.However if you don't care about the advanced features of Tivo, you can get a DVD recorder from your local electronics store. This is essentially the same as a VCR but it uses a blank DVD instead of a video tape. (standard blank DVD will hold between 2-6 hours of recording, pretty much like a video tape.) Some DVD recorders also come with a hard drive, which you can use for recording as well.If you have ca! ble or satellite, however, you may want to find out about their recorders. They offer a Tivo-like device that replaces your normal cable/satellite box. The cost is usually $5-10 extra a month - which is cheaper than a Tivo+service, but you never own the box....Show more
Mark Hovanes: Most TiVo models require a subscription to do much of anything. This is becasue TiVos business model is to sell the hardware cheap, and license the use of their software and guide, with a subscription to the service. To use the require service, a phone or broadband network connection is required.If you want no monthly cost, and do not want to buy Product Lifetime service for a TiVo, you do not want a TiVo at all....Show more
Teodoro Lamond: be sure you hook up the VCR to the tivo. on the tivo, there could desire to be some type of video and audio outputs. they could be marked output to VCR. you do no longer opt to plug them into something categorized enter. Now, play the tivo and ! hit record on the VCR. verify the VCR is desperate to the sple! ndid channel, maximum circumstances its channel 3.
Ollie Desalvo: To get all the features of a Tivo machine, U either have to pay a monthly fee or have lifetime service, as already mentioned. And U need either a phone line or broadband connection to get the TV guide info. But if you don't need the TV guide, a Tivo will work recording TV shows in the manual mode. The Series 2 Tivo must have had service at one time and it can't have 'closed' for the service state. It will show "Tivo account status" 'open'. But U must not connect to the phone line or broadband or Tivo will shut it down when Tivo sees that you don't have lifetime or are paying a monthly cost. I have one like this in my bedroom and I recorded the football game yesterday. The bad things about using it this way is that you can't change the TV channel lineup, time, date, and you can't record using the 'record button' . U can only record by using the manual record feature. And having the Tivo control a convert! er or cable box can't be changed to how it is set up. So U have to have it on the right channel to record, or the box must already set up for that box/converter.The other option is buying a Series 1 Tivo. Most of those machines can be used to record manual like a VCR and as mentioned above, but U still can connect to Tivo for time and other updates and change the configuration even without service. Tivo doesn't shut these machines 'off' like the do a series 2 when they see that U don't have service. But Series 1s don't support digital converter boxes. I have a couple of these right now. So they are actually better than a series 2 machine if you want to use them without service. Only modified ones can use broadband access....Show more
No comments:
Post a Comment