Would you wait longer for the Voom DVR if it could be integrated with TIVO?

Scotty

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jun 13, 2004
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Would you wait longer for the voom DVR if it meant that TIVO could be integrated with it, and the whole house solution?

I just realized after getting a Tivo box, that I would. I'm totally hooked on the Tivo interface!!!!

I just purchased a Toshiba SD-H400 digital media center. $299 from Best Buy (if you can find them, they are end of life models, I think), with a $100 rebate from Tivo, making it $199.

It comes with an 80 hour (36 hour at high quality recordings) hard drive, a progressive scan dvd player, and tivo. It has component output, but doesn't record or playback hd. It's mainly for the DVD player. But it does playback the Tivo recordings through the component cables too.

Here's how I set it up after an hour or so of wrestling with it.

I hooked 1 of the rca outputs of the voom box to the h400's inputs (I'm going to try the s-video later). I hooked the component cables of the h400 to the tv (I only have one component input, and its on my tv). I hooked the optical output of the h400 to my stereo. I took a splitter, and split my antenna to the voom box and to the h400. I hooked the infra red control cables from the h400 to hang over the voom front panel.

The setup above is all about compromises. Since I only have one component input, and one optical input, when I want to watch hi def in dolby digital, I have to hook the voom components and optical up. When I want to watch what I have recorded on h400, I have to disconnect the voom box, and hook up the h400. the voom box and the h400 are always connected via rca, so the h400 can record from the voom, even when i have its output to the tv and stereo receiver disconnected.

I stepped through the h400 tivo setup (take about 20 minutes or so then 4 hours or so to index what you setup). I asked for voom and antenna. You won't be able to record from your voom digital locals. You have to have the h400 (tivo) pull in the analog locals. It has no 8vsb tuner in it like the voom box. But since it can't record HD for me, that works out.

After about 4 hours, it had the program guide all indexed, and ready to start recording my prefs. I quickly set up season passes to all the new fall season shows I was interested in. The box is sooooo cool when it comes to doing this. And the program guide shows so much more info. And it is correct where the voom program guide is wrong so many times. It has a much more detailed explanation of the shows. And where voom's program guide lists <The musicians play a round of their favorite songs> for rave, the Tivo guide says something like <Fleetwood Mac plays several of their hits from "The Dance", including...> and they go on to name several songs. It's great!

I woke up this am and checked now playing. None of my shows had come up to be recorded, but there were 4 shows recorded. 3 of them I couldn't care less about, and I pressed the thumbs down button on the remote for them. But based I guess, on the fact that I had setup a Season pass for the Simpsons, the device had gone out and caught a late night showing of Futurama from cartoon network's adult swim. I hit the thumbs up button, and watched a great episode!

My next thing to purchase is a new receiver with multiple component and optical sound inputs, so that I can hook both of these boxes up at once to my tv and switch easily between them.

All these great pieces are there, but separated by format and connector, incompatibilities.

Now, the solution that I'd be willing to wait for!!

A Voom Hard Drive chassis (let me add the additional hard drives later, it comes with one to start). It has a cable tuner or two (like the one in the LG DVD players with the QAM tuner for cable HD), several Voom dish tuners, an 8vsb tuner or two, and an ntsc tuner or two. I want to hook up cable, antenna for digital, antenna for analog, and voom dish. Maybe these tuners come in PCI cards that can be added to the chassis later as needed or wanted. These tuners scan an pick up anything with a modest signal strength. Let me decide to keep or throw away the channel after its' been added to the list and I can see what the picture looks like.

It comes with Tivo software, the TV Guide guide, records hd, sd, and anything in between. It should have a DVD player/recorder for archiving shows from the hard drive. It should have all the major connections. And it should perform the functions we saw in the uCentric demo.

What do you all think? Should they incorporate Tivo, and stuff the current no good program guide and incorporate the ucentric whole house stuff with Tivo?
 
At this point I don't want to wait anymore for a DVR. I'd be happy if they released a cardboard box with a monochrome userguide just so long as it could record HD and let me watch whatever whenever.
 
What makes TIvo so special? If I can find my shows and hit record, and it doesn in 1080i HD, that's all I want. I would rather have that today, and a year for the whole house at this point.
 
Well YES! I have three TiVo's and two of them are 240 hour units. All the trick things that you can do with them are hard to explain to someone that has not used all the built-in guide features. My Wife loves it that she always has her favorite programs recorded when she comes home from work @ mid-night and can't understand why everyone doesn't have TiVo. She also loves VOOM, when she can watch it live. The Season Pass allows you have every first-run program that you choose without the re-runs, something VCR's and cable-TV DRV can't do I understand. You can search and record other showings that do not conflict the two shows you are presently recording. No one else comes close, but most think of it as a VCR, and if you use it that way, shame on you! Do you ever wonder why DirecTV customers buy the 1K HD recorder? A lot of it has to do with the TiVo built in, not just the HD recording. I plan to keep DirecTV and my TiVo's even if VOOM comes out with their promised DVR. It doesn't look like TiVo will be involved, but it would have been a great move. Any DVR from VOOM will be an improvement if they lease it. If things don't work out with VOOM in two years, I will buy a modified TiVo recorder that presently go for around $1700. You don't need to spend big bucks to enjoy TiVo and hopefully the same for VOOM's DVR. Since I built this home with a video distribution system I'm not really concerned with having a network of DVR's but it is a cool feature. There are only two of us with five TV's and the TiVo remote (modified) http://www.weaknees.com/rf_remote_details.php works in any room. Have not networked VOOM yet, but sure could. Presently have it all, but VOOM could have a bigger piece of it, if they get their act together.
 
rickaren said:
Well YES! I have three TiVo's and two of them are 240 hour units. All the trick things that you can do with them are hard to explain to someone that has not used all the built-in guide features. My Wife loves it that she always has her favorite programs recorded when she comes home from work @ mid-night and can't understand why everyone doesn't have TiVo. She also loves VOOM, when she can watch it live. The Season Pass allows you have every first-run program that you choose without the re-runs, something VCR's and cable-TV DRV can't do I understand. You can search and record other showings that do not conflict the two shows you are presently recording. No one else comes close, but most think of it as a VCR, and if you use it that way, shame on you! Do you ever wonder why DirecTV customers buy the 1K HD recorder? A lot of it has to do with the TiVo built in, not just the HD recording. I plan to keep DirecTV and my TiVo's even if VOOM comes out with their promised DVR. It doesn't look like TiVo will be involved, but it would have been a great move. Any DVR from VOOM will be an improvement if they lease it. If things don't work out with VOOM in two years, I will buy a modified TiVo recorder that presently go for around $1700. You don't need to spend big bucks to enjoy TiVo and hopefully the same for VOOM's DVR. Since I built this home with a video distribution system I'm not really concerned with having a network of DVR's but it is a cool feature. There are only two of us with five TV's and the TiVo remote (modified) http://www.weaknees.com/rf_remote_details.php works in any room. Have not networked VOOM yet, but sure could. Presently have it all, but VOOM could have a bigger piece of it, if they get their act together.


That's what I'm talking about! I didn't know what I was missing until I started playing with that Tivo unit the other night. I'm going on a little vacation to LA, and I can't wait to come back and find out what it has recorded for me in addition to all my season passes. This afternoon, while it was off, I caught it recording Little Man Tate for me, without me even asking! I've seen that movie, but it's one that I enjoyed, so if it's picking things I enjoy after only setting it up yesterday, it's great! When I get back, I probably going to upgrade my receiver from a Denon AVR 3200, to a 3805, so I can get more component inputs and more digital optical sound ports. Anyone use this receiver?
 
Tivo or HD Recording Now? HD Recording NOW!

I love Tivo, as you can tell from my signature. :D I would love to have an HD TIVO for Voom, but I am not willing to wait. I want an HD DVR, and I want it BAD!

I have two dual tuner Tivo's with D*, which are great. I travel often on business, and the Tivo allows me to watch what I want, when I want. I have converted many, many people to Tivo, but now converting those same people to Voom. I actually watch less TV because I watch what I want, and do not sit through commercials.

As much as I enjoy Tivo, I LOVE HD even more. I watch Tivo only when I come home from business trips, otherwise it is HD as much as possible. I am saddened by seeing an SD picture on my TV.

If I had an HD TIVO DVR, with VOOM, that would be be great. But for now, I want my VOOM HD DVR, and the Tivo's will stay for SD on D*.

By the way, how is Replay TV? I was given one as a gift. Is it a nightmare to set-up?
 
As much as I enjoy Tivo, I LOVE HD even more.
I am just the opposite. I had Tivo SD and a non-Tivo HD box with Directv. I almost never used the HD box unless there was a HD movie or sporting event. Now I have a HDtivo and love it. I will consider adding Voom when the DVR is on the market. From what I have seen, it looks very cool!
 
I like the idea, but voted no because I'm getting tired of waiting. And while we are at it, I'm getting tired of waiting for WM9, the elliptical dish, and the capabilities of the new satellite that was supposed to be active this month.
 
madpoet said:
I hate Tivo. So no. Now if it was with Replay...
Yes, Replay Rocks. it's already able to share recordings between boxes I've been doing it for 2 years now.

The HD PVR will take that a step further :yes
 
I voted no because I refuse to pay TIVO a fee. My Panasonic Gem Star guide is free over the air and it's namebased and never misses a show.
 

How important is the DVR to you as a Voom customer?

What's A DVR?

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