# Tivo HD in Future



## love that tv (Jul 8, 2006)

is it possible that DTV will release a DTV HD box with Tivo software in the future? i have 2 of the hughes Tivos, and they NEVER gave my any problems. just recently tivo released their series 3 unit (that records HD), i hope they can replace the HR20 with it.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

Anything's possible. Is it likely? No way.

I am one of the few people who say GOOD RIDDANCE to Tivo.


----------



## PoitNarf (Aug 19, 2006)

love that tv said:


> is it possible that DTV will release a DTV HD box with Tivo software in the future? i have 2 of the hughes Tivos, and they NEVER gave my any problems. just recently tivo released their series 3 unit (that records HD), i hope they can replace the HR20 with it.


Don't hold your breath.


----------



## dogface (Sep 16, 2006)

Yeah, I don't see it happening either. D* has way too much invested in the 
HR20. I can definitely appreciate the desire to have the stability that TiVo brought to the table but D* will get it right (eventually). Just hope we don't all pull out our hair during the process.


----------



## RunnerFL (Jan 5, 2006)

Jeremy W said:


> I am one of the few people who say GOOD RIDDANCE to Tivo.


I'm with you...


----------



## mika911 (May 2, 2006)

RunnerFL said:


> I'm with you...


Why? It works so well.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

mika911 said:


> Why? It works so well.


It does it's job very well. But the UI is garbage. The only good thing I can say about it is that I like the animated smoke in the backgrounds. Otherwise, I'd toss everything else out.

The HR20, on the other hand, is still learning how to record and playback with 100% reliability. This will come over time, no matter what the doubters say. But the UI is outstanding, even though it's very drab. Tivo seems to think that their UI is perfection, because it hasn't seen any significant changes since it was first released. So this tells me that any future Tivo products will have the same crappy interface, and therefore I will not like them.


----------



## NFLnut (Sep 29, 2006)

I for one miss the UI from TiVo, and would love to see a TiVo reunion. I'm not holding my breath, but if Murdoch holds to his comments and sells D*, I hope the "new" owner will restore the relationship. 

I DO like the interactive features of the HR20, and yes, TiVo will have to add some new bells and whistles (other than those), but I miss wishlists, suggestions, and some of the other TiVo patents.


----------



## indysatelliteguy (Sep 30, 2006)

I heard from a Tivo rep that Tivo will be releasing their own D* compatible unit... This was months ago.
The rep said "before x-mas, probably near when D* makes their own DVR. 

Since then the HR20 is released (full of issues I knew it would have) and Tivo has released its series 3 cable card HD MPEG 4 unit... I'm still holding my breath in anticipation of something that actually works correctly (besides my 622 E*)


----------



## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

Jeremy W said:


> The HR20, on the other hand, is still learning how to record and playback with 100% reliability. This will come over time, no matter what the doubters say.


Like the R15, huh?

So you are only *****ing about aesthetics. Weak. Very weak.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

indysatelliteguy said:


> I heard from a Tivo rep that Tivo will be releasing their own D* compatible unit... This was months ago.


The Series3 is compatible with DirecTV. It's not integrated like the DirecTivos are, though. And it would not be possible for Tivo to build a DirecTV box on their own, because DirecTV needs to approve every receiver.


tonyd79 said:


> So you are only *****ing about aesthetics. Weak. Very weak.


UI is much more than aesthetics.


----------



## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

Jeremy W said:


> The Series3 is compatible with DirecTV.


No, it isn't. No A/V inputs on it like previous stand-alone Tivos. It can use cable cards and/or OTA inputs.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

bwaldron said:


> No, it isn't. No A/V inputs on it like previous stand-alone Tivos. It can use cable cards and/or OTA inputs.


Ah, my mistake. I haven't been following the Series3 very closely, I wasn't aware that they removed that functionality.


----------



## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

> It does it's job very well. But the UI is garbage. The only good thing I can say about it is that I like the animated smoke in the backgrounds. Otherwise, I'd toss everything else out.


The UI is Tivo's trademark and many people happen to like it. I used to prefer the UI on my older ReplayTV's but the Tivo UI has a habit of growing on you. It's all a matter of personal preference. Granted, the UI could probably use an overhaul at this point as it is long overdue. However, the UI is incidental as far as I'm concerned. The primary menu items you use the most are easy to find and readily accessible. The rest just takes a bit of a learning curve to figure out, but it's not terribly difficult. The major factors I always consider important when choosing a DVR are as follows:

1. Can I set up a season pass and forget about it?
2. Will it record all shows of a season pass without fail?
3. Will it give me the best picture quality available?
4. Will I be able to record Dolby Digital audio?
5. Can I upgrade it?

The HR20 appears to be able to perform items 1 through 4 admirably. DTV did their homework and was right to postpone the introduction until they got most of the functionality correct. Items 1 and 2 are crucial to me. Items 3 and 4 are at the mercy of the provider. However, the last item on the list is a real deal breaker for me.

I've been upgrading and hacking Tivos for almost six years now and not being able to tweak my DVR to my own tastes would be totally unacceptable. It's the one thing that sets the Tivo apart from every other DVR being made. If all you want is a box to record your shows then the HR20 will fill the bill. If you want something special that will allow you far more flexibility, then a Tivo is a no-brainer for the rest of us. No offense, but I think of the HR20 as the DVR for dummies.


----------



## cybok0 (Jan 5, 2006)

captain_video said:


> The UI is Tivo's trademark and many people happen to like it. I used to prefer the UI on my older ReplayTV's but the Tivo UI has a habit of growing on you. It's all a matter of personal preference. Granted, the UI could probably use an overhaul at this point as it is long overdue. However, the UI is incidental as far as I'm concerned. The primary menu items you use the most are easy to find and readily accessible. The rest just takes a bit of a learning curve to figure out, but it's not terribly difficult.


dont forget you have to hit guide twice so the guide will come up, unlike tivo one button push(another reason tivo is the cream of the crop.)



captain_video said:


> No offense, but I think of the HR20 as the DVR for dummies.


 thats funny :lol: :lol: :lol: !Devil_lol :uglyhamme :icon_lol:


----------



## NFLnut (Sep 29, 2006)

Yeah. I happen to agree that the TiVo UI is MUCH more elegant than the HR20! There are some things I DO like about the HR20 .. mainly being able to access the menu/ToDo List/setup/etc, without having to completely dump out of the program I'm watching. Other than that, the TiVo UI and the way it works is MUCH better than the HR20. For example, I MUCH prefer the TiVo live guide. I HATE the D* grid!! Hate it! But the one thing that I REALLY hate is the new leasing model that D* has adopted. The only plus is that they will replace a malfunctioning machine, however after purchasing 6 TiVos since early 2000, I've only had one go bad where a HD replacement didn't fix it. I DON'T like not having the capability/authorization to add/replace an HD when I desire more recording space!

I would buy an S3/HD-TiVo, but not being able to directly capture the DirecTV bitstream is a MAJOR limitation.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

cybok0 said:


> dont forget you have to hit guide twice so the guide will come up, unlike tivo one button push(another reason tivo is the cream of the crop.)


Yes, that is an incredibly stupid design decision. But it can easily be resolved by using a "smart" remote that can be programmed to send the signal twice when you press Guide, so that stupid little menu never comes up.


----------



## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

> I would buy an S3/HD-TiVo, but not being able to directly capture the DirecTV bitstream is a MAJOR limitation.


Not if you switch to digital cable. The S3 captures the digital bitstream the same way the HR10-250 HDTivo does from DTV.


----------



## BillyT2002 (Oct 19, 2002)

Now that I know where all of the bodies are buried so to speak. I'm actually starting to like the HR20 UI better than the TIVO UI as I can do almost anything and still watch my programming while i'm doing it.

Which leads me to what I'd like to see as the ideal someday.

I would love a box that would give me an option to display the entire UI on a tablet PC or other devce which could be used as a large screen remote control to the DVR (using in-house wifi). Then leave the entire screen of the television for showing programming. That would be a-w-e awesome.


----------



## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

> I would love a box that would give me an option to display the entire UI on a tablet PC or other devce which could be used as a large screen remote control to the DVR (using in-house wifi). Then leave the entire screen of the television for showing programming. That would be a-w-e awesome.


It's already here. We call it TivoWebPlus. Hook up a laptop and you're all set.

Oooops, I forgot. You can't use TWP with the HR20. It only works with Tivos. OTOH, sendkey doesn't function fully with most of the current Tivo OS versions.


----------



## BillyT2002 (Oct 19, 2002)

CV - You should re-read what I actually wrote... let me highlight it for you....

I would love a box that would give me an option to *display the entire UI on a tablet PC or other device* which could be used as a large screen remote control to the DVR (using in-house wifi). Then *leave the entire screen of the television for showing programming*. That would be a-w-e awesome.

I am saying I never ever want to see the UI on the television screen. Currently there is no way to accomplish that - even with a TIVO (of which I have two: an HR10-250 and an HDVR2).


----------



## captain_video (Nov 22, 2005)

And you should re-read my response. TivoWebPlus allows you to see the UI on your PC or laptop that's networked to your Tivo. The UI doesn't show up on the TV, only on the remote display, which is exactly what you were wishing for. You access TWP using a standard web browser by entering the Tivo's IP address in the URL line. The only caveat is that the sendkey function doesn't work 100% with the latest versions of TWP. Sendkey is the utility that allows you to mimick button presses on the remote from your PC using TWP. You can, however, navigate through the UI remotely and select functions without ever seeing it on your TV screen.


----------



## tiger2005 (Sep 23, 2006)

While we are at it, what about the Dual Buffers??? This is one of the best features on a DVR and D* has totally ignored it in their R15 and HR20 models. What is up with that? How you can create your own DVR and not include, at a minimum, all the non-patented features of the most popular DVR on the market? Imitation is the sincerest form of flatterly. If you want to add your own features after that, great! But that should be done only after you have delivered a product your customers will accept, not a product they are worried will affect the way they watch TV therefore they would rather leave for a competitor that offers the very functionality you used to offer.


----------



## cybok0 (Jan 5, 2006)

BillyT2002 said:


> Now that I know where all of the bodies are buried so to speak. I'm actually starting to like the HR20 UI better than the TIVO UI as I can do almost anything and still watch my programming while i'm doing it.


with tivo you can pause live tv then go into your menu and set up what ever you want then go back to live tv and start watching where you left off.

I dont think the R15 would ever be capable of that.



tiger2005 said:


> While we are at it, what about the Dual Buffers??? This is one of the best features on a DVR and D* has totally ignored it in their R15 and HR20 models. What is up with that? How you can create your own DVR and not include, at a minimum, all the non-patented features of the most popular DVR on the market? Imitation is the sincerest form of flatterly. If you want to add your own features after that, great! But that should be done only after you have delivered a product your customers will accept, not a product they are worried will affect the way they watch TV therefore they would rather leave for a competitor that offers the very functionality you used to offer.


I agree but also add skip to tick a *must have* feature.


----------



## Jeremy W (Jun 19, 2006)

cybok0 said:


> with tivo you can pause live tv then go into your menu and set up what ever you want then go back to live tv and start watching where you left off.
> 
> I dont think the R15 would ever be capable of that.


The R15 and HR20 are fully capable of that. The only difference is that the paused channel would be in a window on the screen.


----------



## cybok0 (Jan 5, 2006)

Jeremy W said:


> The R15 and HR20 are fully capable of that. The only difference is that the paused channel would be in a window on the screen.


If you watch a recored program it doesnt stay paused like the DTIVO does.


----------



## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

Jeremy W said:


> It does it's job very well. But the UI is garbage. The only good thing I can say about it is that I like the animated smoke in the backgrounds. Otherwise, I'd toss everything else out.
> 
> The HR20, on the other hand, is still learning how to record and playback with 100% reliability. This will come over time, no matter what the doubters say. But the UI is outstanding, even though it's very drab. Tivo seems to think that their UI is perfection, because it hasn't seen any significant changes since it was first released. So this tells me that any future Tivo products will have the same crappy interface, and therefore I will not like them.


I got my HR20 today. I love my HR10's stability.

If/when the HR20 gets dual buffers, fixes the closed caption and stability issues, and of course activates OTA (and maybe speeds up the 30 sec slip) I will be a very happy camper.


----------

