TiVo R54080 (80 GB) 80-Hours DVR
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- Type: Video Recorder (DVR)
- Broadcast Type: Cable Satellite
- Compatible Service: TiVo
- Analog Tuner: NTSC
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So far, so good!
Pros
VERY easy setup, easy to follow menus, versatile & expandible.
Cons
Connecting to a home network can be challenging.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
For those on the fence, the deal can't be beat. WAY easier than programming a VCR. Warning: Once you have one, you'll have a hard time going back!
I have had family and friends hounding me for months about TiVo. My sister-in-law and her husband have 2, and networked them together to share recordings across their house. I resisted at first, partly because I'm stubborn, and partly because I knew deep down I would like it and just like the satellite radio, I would wind up paying yet another subscription fee. Oh well, I guess that's what overtime is for.
So anyhow, one day I see that TiVo is running a special with a substantial rebate (FREE!!!) when prepaying for a year. So, I took the plunge and 5 days later was unpacking the Series 2 recorder on the living room floor. I was amazed to find that everything I needed for setup was included right there in the box. Very nice. To be honest, the setup was about a thousand times easier than I expected. The TiVo plugged into the back of my cable box so I didn't have to futz around with the infrared transmitter. I plugged it into a phone line with the mile-long phone cord and within minutes the happy little animated TiVo guy was dancing around on the Sony. After going through the idiot (me!) proof configuration, the receiver dialed in downloaded, updated, whatevered and I was in business.
Setting up the channels was a little trickier because to be quite honest I didn't know which of our cable systems hundreds of channels I actually got. I guess I only watch about ten of them. This was quickly solved by giving one of the kids a walkie-talkie and sending her upstairs to the other TV to click through and report which ones worked.
Not content to just leave things alone, I went shopping and picked up a network adapter and got the TiVo hooked up into my home network. This gives the ability to set up recording from TiVo's web site, and also allows you to record programs and "push" them to the hard drive of a computer (or computers) in your house. This works well, so my wife can have her Dr. Phil on her computer, I can have South Park on mine, and the kids can watch Spongebob without all of us dueling for a remote.
I have no real criticism of the TiVo but it still is fairly new. The networking can be a bit troublesome but this doesn't seem to be the fault of the receiver, more likely the software you download from TiVo needs a few tweaks.
So anyhow, one day I see that TiVo is running a special with a substantial rebate (FREE!!!) when prepaying for a year. So, I took the plunge and 5 days later was unpacking the Series 2 recorder on the living room floor. I was amazed to find that everything I needed for setup was included right there in the box. Very nice. To be honest, the setup was about a thousand times easier than I expected. The TiVo plugged into the back of my cable box so I didn't have to futz around with the infrared transmitter. I plugged it into a phone line with the mile-long phone cord and within minutes the happy little animated TiVo guy was dancing around on the Sony. After going through the idiot (me!) proof configuration, the receiver dialed in downloaded, updated, whatevered and I was in business.
Setting up the channels was a little trickier because to be quite honest I didn't know which of our cable systems hundreds of channels I actually got. I guess I only watch about ten of them. This was quickly solved by giving one of the kids a walkie-talkie and sending her upstairs to the other TV to click through and report which ones worked.
Not content to just leave things alone, I went shopping and picked up a network adapter and got the TiVo hooked up into my home network. This gives the ability to set up recording from TiVo's web site, and also allows you to record programs and "push" them to the hard drive of a computer (or computers) in your house. This works well, so my wife can have her Dr. Phil on her computer, I can have South Park on mine, and the kids can watch Spongebob without all of us dueling for a remote.
I have no real criticism of the TiVo but it still is fairly new. The networking can be a bit troublesome but this doesn't seem to be the fault of the receiver, more likely the software you download from TiVo needs a few tweaks.
