I'm looking into buying a tivo but I have no idea how they work. I'm cheap so I want something that you don't have to subscribe to.


Give me tips.

TIA

 

DVR > Tivo.

Is DVR available in your area? If so, I would opt for that. I hate the whole "predictive recording" crap you get with Tivo. It assumes you like to watch "Oprah" if you've scheduled it to record "The Man Show". h:

 

Basically, they are digital VCR's with built in hard drives. You can schedule recordings, pause, and rewind live TV, etc. Make sure you get one with a dual tuner so you can record 2 channels at the same time.

 

I didn't know you could record 2 channels at once, thats awesome. Does anyone have suggestions for a DVR I should look for? Like I said, I don't want to subscribe, I just want to record by time- not by the actual program guide or whatever.

 

Don't get TIVO. They'll probably be out of business as soon as Directv drops them as a vendor if they haven't already. Directv represents like two thirds of their entire customer base. They've been losing market share anyways due to people just buying DVR's.

 

I don't think there's a way around the subscription fees.

If you're looking for a next gen video recorder, stand alone dvd recorders are quite nice. Best Buy has a "Lite-On" dvd recorder for $85 this week. Get a pack of 50 blanks for $15 and you'll be set for a long time

 

but you can't edit right? you would need something with a HD to be able to edit add cahpters and stuff like that.

 

I've heard of people getting a DVR and then just setting it up to record at certain times w/out the actual subscription. I was under the impression that with the subscription you can tell it to record "Punk'd" but without the subscription you would have to tell it to record for 30 minutes on Tuesday night 9pm-9:30pm. I'm not really sure at all.... :dunno:

I already have a DVD recorder in my computer - I was just more looking for something to record shows.....it's a bday present idea.

 

these stand alone like VCR's.



They take normal DVD-R's and can be programmed like a VCR. I like it because I'm not spending loads of cash on bulky VHS tapes.

 

Yeah, there is a subscription fee for all of them, whether it is TiVo or through your cable provider. With TiVo, if you don't subscribe, you cannot plan in advance. All you can do is hit record while watching something or pause. It is pretty much useless.

As for the predictive recording, you can turn that off or just tell it that it is a bad TiVo when it records Oprah