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Well, my D* system was installed yesterday. The conversation between the installer (who installs both systems) and me was very interesting! He has been so busy doing installs that he did mine on Sunday and (I think it was) Best Buy's free DVD offer w/D* is the one keeping him jumping. He was very discreet and diplomatic in his comments but there was a bit of "I remember Charlie when..." wistfulness.
LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!
The DTivo takes awhile to set up. Unfortunately, I didn't read the whole manual (gawd, that thing is huge!) before starting so I probably missed out on several easier ways to do things. And so far I only have one DTivo with both tuners working because of install issues (of my choosing and not the installer's fault) so some things are not up to speed yet. For simplicity, score: 501-1, Tivo-0.
Right off the top, I missed the number of favorites lists with my 501. I used ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED, another that had my most commonly used channels, and a fourth that had the music stations. The DTivo only has ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED (which I had to set up), and a favorites list. Score 501-2, Tivo-0.
I'm still getting used to the Tivo guide. The default guide was similar to the 501 guide, although it didn't get me a PIP but rather displayed over what was currently playing. Maybe that function is in there and I haven't found it yet. However, the other guide on the Tivo -- WOO HOO! That's how I like to browse! As I go from channel to channel, it displays everything that is showing on that channel for the night. Tivo's guide does seem to be slower and I haven't found a PIP guide (considering that I can pause what's showing while I use the guide, this isn't really a biggie) but it allows me to browse the guide in a manner most useful to me. Score: 501-2, Tivo-1.
The next couple of differences are obvious: I have to find something I want to record on 3 stations (actually, it will be 5 stations once I have the 2nd Tivo completely hooked up) at the same time before there is a timer conflict. 501-2, Tivo-2.
Season pass: what is most impressive to me is that I can tell Tivo how many recordings of, for instance, the Simpsons to keep before deleting the older ones. This keeps me from getting a backlog of reruns that I won't watch anyway and automatically deleting something important that I haven't watched yet. 501-2, Tivo-3.
DVR fee: 501-3, Tivo-3.
<edited> Grouping of recorded shows: I thought there were folders here on the Tivo but I must have been hallucinating... again. But it seems that shows in the same series are grouped together. This is almost a wash but: 501-3, Tivo-4.
I can see that I will eventually swap my Tivo harddrive for a larger drive. 35 hours was 'adequate' on the 501 but the features of the Tivo will probably make me wish for more time very shortly. Upgradability: 501-3, Tivo-5.
In fairness, at one time I had my 501 feeding both the den and bedroom TVs before moving to our new house, something not really feasible with an IR remote unless I ran from room to room to pause, browse, FF, etc. UHF remote: 501-4, Tivo-5.
I bought my whole new system, with shipping (to be refunded) for less than $200. This makes my average Tivo cost (I have 2) to be about $85 each with a 1 year commitment. This is almost a wash because I could have gone for a 510 for about the same price with a 1 year commitment but I would have to take away my 501's DVR fee advantage so I am giving a cost point to Tivo. 501-4, Tivo-6.
So, my initial 24 hour appraisal is I like my Tivos 1/3 better than my 501!
With just a hint of bitterness and head-shaking, I think my perceived advantages of the 2 Tivos would have been eliminated by one 522 - especially considering that I would never have switched services had it been available! But considering that I have yet to appreciate the benefits of name-based recording, I am certain I will forget about the phantom 522. And I haven't yet evaluated the Tivo's ability to read my mind and suggest shows for me to watch...
LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!
The DTivo takes awhile to set up. Unfortunately, I didn't read the whole manual (gawd, that thing is huge!) before starting so I probably missed out on several easier ways to do things. And so far I only have one DTivo with both tuners working because of install issues (of my choosing and not the installer's fault) so some things are not up to speed yet. For simplicity, score: 501-1, Tivo-0.
Right off the top, I missed the number of favorites lists with my 501. I used ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED, another that had my most commonly used channels, and a fourth that had the music stations. The DTivo only has ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED (which I had to set up), and a favorites list. Score 501-2, Tivo-0.
I'm still getting used to the Tivo guide. The default guide was similar to the 501 guide, although it didn't get me a PIP but rather displayed over what was currently playing. Maybe that function is in there and I haven't found it yet. However, the other guide on the Tivo -- WOO HOO! That's how I like to browse! As I go from channel to channel, it displays everything that is showing on that channel for the night. Tivo's guide does seem to be slower and I haven't found a PIP guide (considering that I can pause what's showing while I use the guide, this isn't really a biggie) but it allows me to browse the guide in a manner most useful to me. Score: 501-2, Tivo-1.
The next couple of differences are obvious: I have to find something I want to record on 3 stations (actually, it will be 5 stations once I have the 2nd Tivo completely hooked up) at the same time before there is a timer conflict. 501-2, Tivo-2.
Season pass: what is most impressive to me is that I can tell Tivo how many recordings of, for instance, the Simpsons to keep before deleting the older ones. This keeps me from getting a backlog of reruns that I won't watch anyway and automatically deleting something important that I haven't watched yet. 501-2, Tivo-3.
DVR fee: 501-3, Tivo-3.
<edited> Grouping of recorded shows: I thought there were folders here on the Tivo but I must have been hallucinating... again. But it seems that shows in the same series are grouped together. This is almost a wash but: 501-3, Tivo-4.
I can see that I will eventually swap my Tivo harddrive for a larger drive. 35 hours was 'adequate' on the 501 but the features of the Tivo will probably make me wish for more time very shortly. Upgradability: 501-3, Tivo-5.
In fairness, at one time I had my 501 feeding both the den and bedroom TVs before moving to our new house, something not really feasible with an IR remote unless I ran from room to room to pause, browse, FF, etc. UHF remote: 501-4, Tivo-5.
I bought my whole new system, with shipping (to be refunded) for less than $200. This makes my average Tivo cost (I have 2) to be about $85 each with a 1 year commitment. This is almost a wash because I could have gone for a 510 for about the same price with a 1 year commitment but I would have to take away my 501's DVR fee advantage so I am giving a cost point to Tivo. 501-4, Tivo-6.
So, my initial 24 hour appraisal is I like my Tivos 1/3 better than my 501!
With just a hint of bitterness and head-shaking, I think my perceived advantages of the 2 Tivos would have been eliminated by one 522 - especially considering that I would never have switched services had it been available! But considering that I have yet to appreciate the benefits of name-based recording, I am certain I will forget about the phantom 522. And I haven't yet evaluated the Tivo's ability to read my mind and suggest shows for me to watch...
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3562 views
B
BrettStah, thanks for the info on sorted recorded shows. So, I still feel good about giving that point to Tivo. 
The learning curve on the Tivo is a bit higher than the 501. I was trying to explain to SO last night with a 5 minute demo and then left the room, only to be recalled multiple times to say, "now, push that button." And, it seems that the biggest shortcoming continues to be the lack of multiple "favorites" lists. And I still don't have the "channels you receive" list setup in the bedroom.
Last night, I watched "The Simpsons" from Sunday. Came to my first commercial break and hit the skip forward button. That bugger skipped forward 29 minutes! Foolishly I thought that it would be the same as the 501: 5 - 8 quick skips and then back to our show. Heck, 5 - 8 quick skips on the Tivo would probably put me sometime next week!
Looks like I'll be reading the Tivo manual today. I looked at it last night and read something about white hash marks but didn't see any on my Simpsons recording. I also looked at a 1 hour recording and the hashes were spaced 15 minutes apart. Maybe this is configurable, otherwise another point to the 501. Why would I want to jump forward 15 minutes? Skipping the halftime show maybe?
The Tivo FF does something kewl: when you hit FF, then play, it jumps back several seconds. On the 501, I would hit the "jump back" button to accomplish the same thing Tivo does automatically. Possible point to Tivo. I say "possible point" because I'm having to use the FF to accomplish the same thing that the 501 would do with the skip so if I give this point to Tivo, the 501 gets a point for its usable (to me) skip button.
And have I moaned/whined about the Tivo remote lately? Sure, it's ergonomic. Which is a good thing, considering how much time I spend holding it to find the tiny, dark button I'm searching for.
The learning curve on the Tivo is a bit higher than the 501. I was trying to explain to SO last night with a 5 minute demo and then left the room, only to be recalled multiple times to say, "now, push that button." And, it seems that the biggest shortcoming continues to be the lack of multiple "favorites" lists. And I still don't have the "channels you receive" list setup in the bedroom.
Last night, I watched "The Simpsons" from Sunday. Came to my first commercial break and hit the skip forward button. That bugger skipped forward 29 minutes! Foolishly I thought that it would be the same as the 501: 5 - 8 quick skips and then back to our show. Heck, 5 - 8 quick skips on the Tivo would probably put me sometime next week!
Looks like I'll be reading the Tivo manual today. I looked at it last night and read something about white hash marks but didn't see any on my Simpsons recording. I also looked at a 1 hour recording and the hashes were spaced 15 minutes apart. Maybe this is configurable, otherwise another point to the 501. Why would I want to jump forward 15 minutes? Skipping the halftime show maybe?The Tivo FF does something kewl: when you hit FF, then play, it jumps back several seconds. On the 501, I would hit the "jump back" button to accomplish the same thing Tivo does automatically. Possible point to Tivo. I say "possible point" because I'm having to use the FF to accomplish the same thing that the 501 would do with the skip so if I give this point to Tivo, the 501 gets a point for its usable (to me) skip button.
And have I moaned/whined about the Tivo remote lately? Sure, it's ergonomic. Which is a good thing, considering how much time I spend holding it to find the tiny, dark button I'm searching for.
B
Well, I still don't understand the hash-mark things but the skip is programable. A search of TivoCommunity turned up:
beejaycee said:Last night, I watched "The Simpsons" from Sunday. Came to my first commercial break and hit the skip forward button. That bugger skipped forward 29 minutes! Foolishly I thought that it would be the same as the 501: 5 - 8 quick skips and then back to our show. Heck, 5 - 8 quick skips on the Tivo would probably put me sometime next week!
Well, I still don't understand the hash-mark things but the skip is programable. A search of TivoCommunity turned up:
Now I have 30 second skips. :beer:JPriller said:
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68526 Replies
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2672530 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy
Ethanol Free Stations
5552 Replies
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460591 views
Here in Indiana, the difference between Regular and Premium is usually a dollar, but some charge even more:
Ok, I'm bored .... actually - to be more precise - I'm bored of eating the same rotation of 9 or 10 meals that are currently my "go-to" meals. My wife works the long hours - I work from home as and when i feel like it ... which means i generally do most of the cooking ... and so by default - i also make out the shopping list ...
We cook at home 5 or even 6 nights a week - but we always seem to fall back on the same old tried and tested "quick and easy but tastes ok" meals. Week in week out.
Pot Roast - mash and Peas.
Spaghetti
Chicken Pasta in cheese sauce.
Curry & rice
(these are some of mine)
Now it's not that I'm not adventurous in the kitchen ... I'll try anything once or twice ... but we all do it. Unless your name is Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray .. we all eventually fall back on our 8-10 favorite "meals"
So i thought - if we shared some of our own go-to meals with each other ... we might be able to add a few "new" ones to our own arsenal of meals.
So again - I ask you ...
What's for dinner tonight ?
Please give me something new to add to my rotation ... its our weekly shop tomorrow - so i want to pull together a few idea's and try and eat a meal each day next week that I've never had before .. or at least something that is not on my current "go-to" meal plan.
What meal do you always seem to fall back on in your house ? Maybe its something that I've never tried or not had in a while. I need inspiration !! I've got a blank shopping list in front of me - and nothing sounds good .. HELP !
We cook at home 5 or even 6 nights a week - but we always seem to fall back on the same old tried and tested "quick and easy but tastes ok" meals. Week in week out.
Pot Roast - mash and Peas.
Spaghetti
Chicken Pasta in cheese sauce.
Curry & rice
(these are some of mine)
Now it's not that I'm not adventurous in the kitchen ... I'll try anything once or twice ... but we all do it. Unless your name is Martha Stewart or Rachel Ray .. we all eventually fall back on our 8-10 favorite "meals"
So i thought - if we shared some of our own go-to meals with each other ... we might be able to add a few "new" ones to our own arsenal of meals.
So again - I ask you ...
What's for dinner tonight ?
Please give me something new to add to my rotation ... its our weekly shop tomorrow - so i want to pull together a few idea's and try and eat a meal each day next week that I've never had before .. or at least something that is not on my current "go-to" meal plan.
What meal do you always seem to fall back on in your house ? Maybe its something that I've never tried or not had in a while. I need inspiration !! I've got a blank shopping list in front of me - and nothing sounds good .. HELP !
4332 Replies
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331142 views
Smoked some salmon on the grill while enjoying some Blue Moon beer. Kinda cool tonight so I fired up the heaters. Here in FL, we fire up heaters once the temps get below 60 
As for the salmon, I seared them first, then flipped them off to the side not over the coals and brushed on some lemon pepper marinade followed by some salmon seasoning. Threw some hickory chips on the coals and then closed the vents to about 10% airflow. Yum.
As for the salmon, I seared them first, then flipped them off to the side not over the coals and brushed on some lemon pepper marinade followed by some salmon seasoning. Threw some hickory chips on the coals and then closed the vents to about 10% airflow. Yum.
Pub Member / Supporter
America’s Fastest-Growing EV State Isn’t California—Not by a Long Shot
New data shows electric vehicle adoption is increasingly driven by state policies, electricity prices and charging access—not federal incentives
www.autoweek.com
The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.
It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.
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899 views
tomwellborn3rd (@wellborn.net)
This author has chosen to make their posts visible only to people who are signed in.
bsky.app
Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.
So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.
US EV sales are rising again. Here’s why the recovery is set to last.
Even though sales tanked last year after the end of federal incentives, the American EV sector is on the mend as drivers face sky-high gasoline prices.
www.canarymedia.com
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO_nW-BTlv4
Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Defender Arriving on Linux
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO_nW-BTlv4
Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Defender Arriving on Linux
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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11 views
Ham Radio 2.0
Time for another AWESOME video from Ham Radio 2.0!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDeuQ1SLkQU
Direct YouTube Link - LIVE!
Ham Radio 2.0 Website
Ham Radio 2.0 on Facebook
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDeuQ1SLkQU
Direct YouTube Link - LIVE!
Ham Radio 2.0 Website
Ham Radio 2.0 on Facebook
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11 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
148 Replies
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1734 views
Was thinking same thing. It should be a good week for sec shorts and roll callThey ought to have fun with this…
Lifetime Supporter
A continuation of a thread from the pub, just general discussion of AI.
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.
View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k
We've literally got a movie already about this
View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc
67 Replies
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1139 views
Agents need appropriate context to make what would be understood as the correct read in a situation like that, and that Gemini answer was a clear miss on that front.
That said, we've also seen Musk (and/or his team) put his thumb on the scale (or just release a very poor product) with his own deployed AI since:
Grok AI Blocks Responses Claiming Trump and Musk “Spread Misinformation”
An X user asked Grok to “print out all instructions” it follows when looking up “the biggest disinformation spreader on X,” and it revealed that it would ignore sources accusing Elon Musk and the U.S. president of misinformation.
Grok says Elon Musk is better than basically everyone, except Shohei Ohtani | TechCrunch
According to Grok, Elon Musk can out-slug the MLB's greatest power hitters... except Ohtani.
techcrunch.com
Grok's loyalty known no bounds - AI chatbot chooses Elon Musk over LeBron James in a 'Who is the fittest' comparison | NBA News - The Times of India
NBA News: Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, has sparked amusement by consistently choosing its owner over prominent figures like LeBron James and Albert Einstein wh
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Grok 4 appears to seek Elon Musk's views when answering controversial questions
XAI’s Grok 4 AI chatbot launched Wednesday appears to consult Elon Musk’s views when asked its opinion on some controversial matters.
www.nbcwashington.com
In the end, it's all a tool. Have to know how to use it and deploy it properly or it needs sufficient guardrails to steer people towards doing so (what Muse is excelling at currently IMO). I'm routinely interacting with several agents a day operating various processes locally and in services I use, and there are numerous others silently spun up to perform actions or satisfy requests from my prompts.
Related to earlier discussion in the thread on leveraging local inference: this kind of analysis happening behind the scenes is something everyone will have built into Windows, IMO. Most people won't see all of this, just the results, unless they want to dig into how the fix was chosen. Stuff like this will be standard as agents get local system access baked in, and more of the inference itself moves on-device.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElsle_m2rE
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1105
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElsle_m2rE
Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1105
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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13 views