300-hr TiVo® Series3™ DVR
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- Type: Video Recorder (DVR)
- Broadcast Type: Terrestrial
- Compatible Service: TiVo
- Digital Receiver: ATSC
- TV Resolutions: 1080i (1125i)
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
WOW It's a High Definition TiVo!!!!!
Pros
High definition, THX certified, HDMI and digital out audio out connections, two tuners
Cons
Expensive price, configuring the cable cards used by the two tuners is a challenge
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
TiVo series 3 is a wonderful accompaniment to you flat screen HD TV and your cable provider's HD content. The only HD TiVo DVR. I highly recommend it!
If you have a high definition (HD) television and use a cable television provider THIS is the only digital video record (DVR) you will ever need/want/use/love. The cable company's HD DVR is very clumsy to use and rigid scheduling options will make the non-techie user frustrated. Assuming your cable provider's content is clearly transmitted, your series 3 TiVo will not disappoint. The HD picture quality AND sound is outstanding!
The unit is pricey. However, TiVo addicts won't have issues with the cost. A recent Father's Day promotional $200 rebate made the hefty cost somewhat more palatable. The monthly service charge can range from $14.95 down to $8.33 depending on the payment plan selected. The monthly payments decrease if you are willing to pay the full contract fee up front. The month-to-month payment plans are more expensive. Comcast of Alexandria Virginia charges $9.99 per month to use their Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD unit. You can only lease this unit. The cable company's HD DVR only has 20 hours of HD content recording capacity. Where as the Series 3 TiVo can store 30 hours of HD programming or 300 hour of standard definition programming.
The initial setup of the series 3 TiVo is challenging. To enable the full capabilities of the unit, you will need to work with your cable provider. If you are using a satellite TV content provider you may want to consider their DVR solution. Why? The premium channels can only be viewed and recorded on a series 3 TiVo if you have cable TV's cable cards. At this time, I am unaware of a satellite solution for this issue.
Series 3 TiVo has two tuners. This allows you to view and record two different programs at the same time. This also means you have to arrange with your cable provider to install and configure two cards. Be prepared, very few have had a successful installation experience during the first technician's visit. I found it took 2 appointments, 12 phone calls and a liberal amount of patience to make Comcast of Alexandria properly configure two cable cards.
Cable cards are new to cable companies. Few technicians are skilled in trouble shooting this devices and even fewer customer service telephone personnel are knowledgeable in the card's basics. Comcast of Alexandria Virginia has a division called "Inbound Troubleshooting". These are the specialists. They are a tightly guarded group. The customer service telephone representatives protect the identity of these knowledgeable folks by deferring cable card problems to their house-calling technical support staff. If the problem persists after the second house visits, the Inbound Troubleshooting will call you. Hopefully, this won't discourage you from the pleasures of TiVo.
The beauty of the TiVo machine is in the relationship you develop over time. As the machine learns about your watching patterns, interests and preferences, TiVo makes recommendations and records them for you to sample. You use the Siskel and Ebert thumbs rating system to rate programing and train TiVo to your preferences. One to three thumbs down for awful or one to three thumbs up for fantastic. The more you rate, the better the recommendations.
TiVo uses the entertainment park metaphor, "Season Pass" to record groups of programs from the same series. You can configure the Season Pass to record all or only new episodes. Season Pass keeps track of which ones you have watched and only records those you have not seen, storing the programs neatly into a folder.
TiVo series 3 is a wonderful accompaniment to you flat screen HD TV and your cable provider's HD content. You can watch programmings when it's convenient, discover new programing of interest, and more! As I have only had TiVo for a month, I am still configuring and discovering the music and photo distribution features. The menus are incredibly user friendly. I don't think I'll have any issues configuring the remaining features now that the cable company has successfully installed and configured those pesky cable cards. Notwithstanding the initial cable card configuration issues, you will absolutely LOVE TiVo! I highly recommend it!
The unit is pricey. However, TiVo addicts won't have issues with the cost. A recent Father's Day promotional $200 rebate made the hefty cost somewhat more palatable. The monthly service charge can range from $14.95 down to $8.33 depending on the payment plan selected. The monthly payments decrease if you are willing to pay the full contract fee up front. The month-to-month payment plans are more expensive. Comcast of Alexandria Virginia charges $9.99 per month to use their Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD unit. You can only lease this unit. The cable company's HD DVR only has 20 hours of HD content recording capacity. Where as the Series 3 TiVo can store 30 hours of HD programming or 300 hour of standard definition programming.
The initial setup of the series 3 TiVo is challenging. To enable the full capabilities of the unit, you will need to work with your cable provider. If you are using a satellite TV content provider you may want to consider their DVR solution. Why? The premium channels can only be viewed and recorded on a series 3 TiVo if you have cable TV's cable cards. At this time, I am unaware of a satellite solution for this issue.
Series 3 TiVo has two tuners. This allows you to view and record two different programs at the same time. This also means you have to arrange with your cable provider to install and configure two cards. Be prepared, very few have had a successful installation experience during the first technician's visit. I found it took 2 appointments, 12 phone calls and a liberal amount of patience to make Comcast of Alexandria properly configure two cable cards.
Cable cards are new to cable companies. Few technicians are skilled in trouble shooting this devices and even fewer customer service telephone personnel are knowledgeable in the card's basics. Comcast of Alexandria Virginia has a division called "Inbound Troubleshooting". These are the specialists. They are a tightly guarded group. The customer service telephone representatives protect the identity of these knowledgeable folks by deferring cable card problems to their house-calling technical support staff. If the problem persists after the second house visits, the Inbound Troubleshooting will call you. Hopefully, this won't discourage you from the pleasures of TiVo.
The beauty of the TiVo machine is in the relationship you develop over time. As the machine learns about your watching patterns, interests and preferences, TiVo makes recommendations and records them for you to sample. You use the Siskel and Ebert thumbs rating system to rate programing and train TiVo to your preferences. One to three thumbs down for awful or one to three thumbs up for fantastic. The more you rate, the better the recommendations.
TiVo uses the entertainment park metaphor, "Season Pass" to record groups of programs from the same series. You can configure the Season Pass to record all or only new episodes. Season Pass keeps track of which ones you have watched and only records those you have not seen, storing the programs neatly into a folder.
TiVo series 3 is a wonderful accompaniment to you flat screen HD TV and your cable provider's HD content. You can watch programmings when it's convenient, discover new programing of interest, and more! As I have only had TiVo for a month, I am still configuring and discovering the music and photo distribution features. The menus are incredibly user friendly. I don't think I'll have any issues configuring the remaining features now that the cable company has successfully installed and configured those pesky cable cards. Notwithstanding the initial cable card configuration issues, you will absolutely LOVE TiVo! I highly recommend it!
