I'm keeping Voom because it works with Tivo

[red ufo]

I read alot of strange info about if Voom works with Tivo or does it? I just bought a Tivo the $99 dollar version so I'd have a hard drive to save local shows To my surprive Tivo works 100% with voom. During the install you have a choice of Direct TV, Dish, or Voom.

I know alot of people here would like to know whats up. First of all Tivo will download the PG from Voom and intragrate it into Tivo. From there you can record channels in SD just like on Direct TV. Tivo is no longer Direct TV bitch.

I think VOOM lied about the PVR so I bought this to hold me over until they get their sh*t together if ever. Its good enuff for basic recording of midnight shows until the VOOM releases their PVR.

Later I might sell my Tivo on Ebay for whatever I can get but until Voom releases their PVR. I can stop live TV, and use all Tivo assets with voom.

PS. No thanks to the archive. I found little info if voom and Tivo worked together. I was hoping there was plenty of data in this archive to help me but I could find squat and bought a Tivo hoping it might work. It does and I can prove with my screen shots of vooms PG in Tivo if needed.

 

[Ominous1]

Can't you just use the voom auto tune with any DVR even if it doesn't have built in support?

My HDTV capture for PC also supports standard SD via coax/RCA/S-video...so I should be able to use a s-video cable to the PC and have it record and have the voom box setup to tune to a station at a set time.

 

[dtsfanohio]

So it records OTA HD, Sat HD and SAT SD all in SD? How does the HD recorded look on play back?

Can you Please give a brief overview of how you set it up (connections, cables needed or provided), etc? I was thinking of doing the same thing to bridge until the Voom DVR becomes a reality.

Thanks

 

[red ufo]

Of course it don't record in HD. Does anything record HD from VOoM? No. But the main selling point of Direct TV is Tivo. Tivo now supports the PG from Voom in Series2. The only thing I see bad is no recording from channel 200-300 of the HBO stuff on Tivo. I'll bet this will be what happens also in the Voom PVR too.

I don't care to record HD stuff because you'll fill up a HD PRV quick and have no ability to port it to DVD, Blue Ray, so why bother? I just need SD Tivo to record mundane stuff for the old lady. It keeps her happy and thats what matters.

To me its a VCR on Voom and its really smart. I think when Voom decides to grace us with the PVR it will be very stupid compared to Tivo and not worth the (twice the Tivo fee).

 

[Technut]

The only thing I see bad is no recording from channel 200-300 of the HBO stuff on Tivo. .

anyway ro get around this problem ? I want to be able to record the sopronos when they come on

MR>C

 

[Ilya]

PS. No thanks to the archive. I found little info if voom and Tivo worked together. I was hoping there was plenty of data in this archive to help me but I could find squat.

Strange... The TiVo question has always been on the list of Top 10 Questions in the FAQ, which has a link to a 7-page thread about TiVo: Does Tivo work with Your Voom?

By the way, red ufo, does TiVo PG integrate VOOM OTA channels? I didn't do that in the past, but I wonder if this has changed? Thanks for the update!

 

[FunkyBoss]

The only thing I see bad is no recording from channel 200-300 of the HBO stuff on Tivo.

Why?

 

[subdude212]

The only thing I see bad is no recording from channel 200-300 of the HBO stuff on Tivo.

There are several threads in this forum which discuss and offer valuable information regarding hooking up Tivo with VOOM. Try the search feature - it actually works. Don't forget to look at the YAHOOGROUPS - VOOM Forum. I've posted a few times on this topic.

To dispel the rumors and false information you have provided in this thread here are my observations:

I have a Tivo Series 2, it works with VOOM and IT RECORDS ANY CHANNEL THAT I CAN RECIEVE WITH MY VOOM STB. It was quite useful in recording last season's Soprano's episodes for instance. So, at least for the Tivo Series 2 to suggest that it doesn't work with HBO or channels between 200 - 300 is false. My TIVO records all VOOM exclusive channels, all HBO, SHO, MAX, ESPN, etc. However, I haven't figured out a way to get Tivo to record an OTA subchannel in any automated way but I also haven't felt a need to do this at all so its no big deal for me.

I'll bet this will be what happens also in the Voom PVR too. I think when Voom decides to grace us with the PVR it will be very stupid compared to Tivo and not worth the (twice the Tivo fee).

Based on announced plans and press releases (from January 2004) the networked PVR system that is being developed for VOOM by Ucentric is supposedly going to be feature rich and in many ways should equal or exceed Tivo's existing and planned solutions. There is a VOOM DVR Discussions forum here for topics pertaining to the planned solution.

 

[red ufo]

Strange... The TiVo question has always been on the list of Top 10 Questions in the FAQ, which has a link to a 7-page thread about TiVo: Does Tivo work with Your Voom?

By the way, red ufo, does TiVo PG integrate VOOM OTA channels? I didn't do that in the past, but I wonder if this has changed? Thanks for the update!

Ya, I see them all in Tivo. I had to go into Tivo and manually select channels 200-300 and now I can record them. Also had to do that with the OTA channels. Ask the average guy browsing here if Tivo and Voom work together and most don't have an answer. I guess they didn't before but they do now.

It must have had something to do with Direct TV dumping Tivo and making there own stuff.

 

[Ilya]

So, how does it work? Can the TiVo switch channels on the STB (via some IR emitter?) or do you have to use VOOM's Program Planner if you want to schedule a recording?

 

[JEFFinINDY]

So it records OTA HD, Sat HD and SAT SD all in SD? How does the HD recorded look on play back?

Can you Please give a brief overview of how you set it up (connections, cables needed or provided), etc? I was thinking of doing the same thing to bridge until the Voom DVR becomes a reality.

Thanks

The quality of HD recordings on the TiVO is great... thanks to the nice features in the Voom receiver.

The Voom box has a few nice features:

1 - all the outputs are active all the time. This means you can just connect the TiVO using an S-Video cable or a composite video cable.

2 - in the setup of the Voom box, set the picture format for "wide to narrow" images to "Squeeze". This will give you an anamorphic (squeezed) image on your S-Video and composite outputs for HD programs. Your widescreen TV can then stretch the squeezed image giving you a nice widescreen picture with a full 480 lines of vertical resolution. This is much crisper and cleaner than expanding a letterboxed image where you are expanding only 300-some vertical lines of resolution to full screen.

I would say that a TiVO recording of a Voom HD (or OTA HD) channel is near-DVD quality.

Jeff

 

[JEFFinINDY]

So, how does it work? Can the TiVo switch channels on the STB (via some IR emitter?) or do you have to use VOOM's Program Planner if you want to schedule a recording?

Use the IR blaster. It "just works". I used the IR blaster on my cable box and it would mess up changing the channel about once every week or so. The Voom receiver works really well with the IR - no missed channel changes yet!

You don't need to use the program planner, unless you want to record OTA channels. Unfortunately , TiVO doesn't support the local channels in the program guide unless you run an analog signal from your antenna into the antenna input on the TivO. There's no reason they couldn't -- they just don't. Their excuse is that the TiVO has no way to tune a digital subchannel, but most people only want to record from their primary channel anyway.

So...

I keep a limited basic cable feed going into the TiVO so I can record locals with the TiVO, so I can have some TV during bad storms, and so I can receive local weather forecast from The Weather Channel.

HTH,
Jeff

 

[red ufo]

DVD quality recording with Tivo? Man I need to check my settings. Mine looks nowhere near that and I have recording set to 'best quality'.

The Tivo changes changes on the VOOM STB. There is no need for the program planner. I think Voom will need to hire a small army of C programmers if they want to caught up with Tivo. I think realistically were 1 year out from a Voom PVR.

IMHO. Voom is busy figuring out ways to check the PVR harddrive so you can't upgrade to a larger harddrive in the future without them knowing. This way they'll nickle and dime you for more storage space later. This is one reason for the delay in my opinion. I really feel 'the squeeze' of them on my wallet.

 

[JEFFinINDY]

DVD quality recording with Tivo? Man I need to check my settings. Mine looks nowhere near that and I have recording set to 'best quality'.

Set the Voom receiver to output 480i if you use the TiVO for most of your viewing. It will noticeably improve the quality of TiVO recordings.

Jeff

 

[subdude212]

You don't need to use the program planner, unless you want to record OTA channels.

Not to split hairs but this isn't entirely correct. You an easily set your Tivo to record any primary channel to record at a given time by doing so with Tivo's Manual recording options. (i.e. record channel 5 for 2 hours at 8:00 PM) In order to record a digital subchannel you could use the program planner to make the channel change combined with your Tivo record options.

 

[JEFFinINDY]

Not to split hairs but this isn't entirely correct. You an easily set your Tivo to record any primary channel to record at a given time by doing so with Tivo's Manual recording options. (i.e. record channel 5 for 2 hours at 8:00 PM) In order to record a digital subchannel you could use the program planner to make the channel change combined with your Tivo record options.

True - I should have mentioned that. I did that for a few weeks, but it gets tedious if you're used to wish lists, season passes, recording by name, etc..

Jeff

 

[Dreamin]

Tivo does do a nice job of seamlessly integrating your basic cable or a regular OTA (non-HD) with the Voom channels... they are all available in the Tivo program guide, and the system changes channels as need to record them.

For the IR blaster, i've found the "med" setting works better than the "fast"... I lost 1 channel change a week w/fast.

 

[tdillon]

Tivo has added the Voom service to their faqs.

http://customersupport.tivo.com/knowbase/root/public/tv2080.htm?

They say only SD support currently.