TiVo - The Bells and some of the Whistles [ Edited ]

[mrbillshaw]

TiVo (take it from me) The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

TiVo can change  your lifestyle for ever - you'll never look back - except to get all the TV you missed.

First of all let me say that the Virgin Media TiVo box is not  the original TiVo Premier XL box but is obviously a repackaging probably branded Virgin. The box is based on the TiVo Premiere XL and the remote control is the TiVo Premier Remote.

TiVo Premiere XL:-

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-premiere/index.html

If you don't want to read all the technical specs, here's some summaries and links if you want more details. It's hard not to be too techie but that's the nature of the beast.

Storage

1TB (1,000,000MB) of storage for either 1,350 hours of SD (Standard Definition) TV or 150 hours of HD (High Definition) TV.

Virgin say 500 hours so they are obviously basing it on a mix of SDX and HD.

Extra storage (another 1TB) that's another 150 hours HD. This not a USB drive, which are more common. but an eSata drive. If you already have an external eSata hard drive I see no reason why you can't use that. Amazon UK have a wide range of eSata/USB and eSata/Firewire external hard drives.

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-accessories/extra-dvr-storage/index.html

http://www.geek.com/articles/gadgets/review-western-digital-my-dvr-expander-1tb-esata-2009069/Networ...

Connect to your home network and the Internet.

http://www.tivo.com/mytivo/howto/getconnected/howto_connect_dvr_internet.html

Ethernet connection (built in) to connect to your PC. Wireless connection (adapter almost certainly not supplied) via an additional Wireless Adapter.

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-accessories/dvr-networking/index.html

You can use your existing Wireless Adapter/Router if you have one.

If you don't have a Wireless Adapter/Router I would recommend the Netgear Wireless 802.11g Router available at Amazon UK. As usual you are paying through the nose if you buy a TiVo adapter.

http://www.netgear.com/home/products/wirelessrouters/simplesharing/WGR614.aspx

Having said all that you will need a TiVo Wireless N Network Adapter if you want to have Multi-Room Viewing. That's the ability to transfer recordings from one TiVo box to another. It also gives faster downloading of HD movies and shows and faster transfers to your PC.

The two USB ports are provided to enable upgrades to various peripherals, including the TiVo Wireless G Adapter, a future keyboard remote or a Cable Tuning Adapter. A Cable Tuning Adapter is used to get Digital Switched Video, probably only available in the US. Virgin will almost certainly use a CableCARD, like the Virgin V+ card inserted in a slot on the back of the TiVo box. This option is only available with the TiVo Slide Remote - see below (not supplied).

If you want wireless connectivity you will connect your Wireless Adapter/Router to one of the two USB ports.

The USB ports cannot be used to connect other media devices such as flash drives so I can't see any need for a USB Hub.

TiVo recordings can be transferred to your PC (via Windows Media PLayer) or Mac (via Roxio Toast Titanium) and onward from there to portable devices such as iPhone or iPad.

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-accessories/dvr-networking/index.html

If you ever need a USB Hub I would recommend the D-LInk USB 2.0 Hub available at Amazon UK. I don't think the Belkin USB 1.1 4-Port Hub is available in the UK.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=152

TiVo Premier Remote:-

http://www.tivo.com/products/tivo-accessories/tivo-remote/index.html

An excellent remote but if you want the best there's the TiVo Slide Remote. Expensive, but a must for the remote control addict. If your wife says you'll need an operation to remove the remote control then this is a must have for you. If you don't want to spend that much then there's always the TiVo Glo Premium Remote.

If you have an iPhone, which you are seriously attached to, then try downloading Peanut from the Apple App Store. It gives you as good as the TiVo Slide. It's a complete TiVo Slide look-alike when vertical but if you rotate the iPhone horizontally then it presents you with a full QWERTY and numeric keypad just like the real thing except for the cursor and OK buttons.

The expectation level at the moment is off the scale.

Apologies for the delay in posting but better late than never. I've been having Windows 7 problems on my iMac and almost lost all the above at one point when Windows crashed. Teach me to save as i go. Some of it also took a fair bit of Googling.

That covers most of the technical aspects. I may do something on the TiVo features but it would help if I got some feedback and would welcome questions.

Happy TiVoing when it happens.
Bill Shaw

Moderator Edit: Removed Personal Information

[Hambone]

Thanks for that.

Very informative.

I just hope Virgin will allow access to all the features.

[GregC]

Very informative indeed.

"TiVo can change  your lifestyle for ever - you'll never look back - except to get all the TV you missed."

I'm currently missing Boardwalk Empire and am going to be missing Game of Thrones, how can Tivo help me on that?

Oh, it can't!

Sorry, not interested.

[Ramper]

It'll only be as good as it's content

[russianmonkey]

Not to get too technical but 1Tb=1,073,741,824Mb

If you're going to write such a big article, it makes sense to get little things right!

[Albez]

Bah, I'd rather stick to my ps3.. but thanks for the info!

[superhands]

Used the virgin box a few times now, looks awesome.

stops watching junk or channel flicking.

question is, is the keyboard remote due?

as far as only as good as the content 4000hours not enough??

best off cancelling all tv products with every one and go buy some box sets.

[ttyrie]

''It'll only be as good as it's content ''

Quite agree- waste of time having TiVo without the content

[kettle]

---

russianmonkey wrote:

Not to get too technical but 1Tb=1,073,741,824Mb

If you're going to write such a big article, it makes sense to get little things right!

---

As we are being a bit picky tonight(lol), are you not wrong also? 1,073,741,824Mb (mega bits) is 1024Tb (terra bits) is it not? 1Tb = 1024Gb = 1,048,576Mb; 1TB = 1,048,576MB = 8,388,608Mb, no? Regards

[mrbillshaw]

Thanks for that - too busy chasing down info to try and help the less technical - maybe you should try it some time.

Constructive comments about the actual product would be more useful. NOT picky c**p about my attemots to help with something I hadn't even heard about till my wife pointed it out in Elecctric on 3/2/2011.

Try one good deed a day - you never know you might just like how it makes you feel - but somehow I don't think it's in your nature.