<strong>Honestly, I can't figure out how Tivo got the mindshare it has... its product line isn't as consumer friendly, it isn't as capable, and it doesn't cost any less.</strong><hr></blockquote>
One big benefit for TiVo (or UltimateTV) compared to ReplayTV if you have satellite service: direct digital recording.
If you have a Replay TV, or one of the "stand-alone" TV units for that matter, you end up receiving a digital signal through your dish, turning it into analog to get the signal outside of the box and into your recorder, and then digitizing the signal all over again.
Because of the way digital signal compression works, putting a signal through two passes of compression is always a Bad Idea and should be avoided if at all possible.
Plus, the video digitizer in any current consumer device either has to burn through a lot of disk space or produce much lower quality video at comparable data rates to those coming off your satellite dish.
I like a lot of things about ReplayTV, but I won't even think about it until they do direct recording of satellite broadcasts.
TiVo's Home Media Option will fit into virtually any home network, making it easy to incorporate into new or existing, wired or wireless networks (802.11b). The premium package includes an upgrade to the TiVo Series2 and access to software that can be downloaded from TiVo's website. Key features include:
-- Broadband Remote Scheduling
Schedule recordings from the office or on the road and TiVo DVR will make the changes to your recording schedule in minutes, not hours or days. Subscribers can access remote scheduling from anywhere they can access the Internet. TiVo subscribers can schedule recordings from <a href="http://www.tivo.com"; target="_blank">www.tivo.com</a> and these changes will be relayed to their specified TiVo DVR in less than an hour, allowing for same day recordings.
-- Enjoy the entertainment you want, anywhere in your home
The new TiVo Home Media Option will allow subscribers to stream music and photos stored on the PC directly to the family TV. With the TiVo remote, subscribers can relax in the living room and view digital photos and listen to digital music that is stored on the PC. Video can be streamed from a TiVo in the bedroom to a TiVo DVR in the living room. The TiVo Home Networking Option will support a number of different digital audio and image formats including JPEG and MP3.
-- Broadband Content from Universal Music Group, Corbis Collection
TiVo has secured new relationships with some of the world's leading providers of digital content so that subscribers can immediately enjoy the entertainment experiences available through broadband with the Home Media Option. Universal Music Group will make available to all subscribers with the TiVo Home Media Option and a broadband connection the ability to playback selected music and promotional video from many of its top recording artists. And TiVo networked subscribers will be able to easily access and display compelling fine art, photography and illustrations from the Corbis Collection -- the world's leading source of digital media -- on their televisions. This feature enables TiVo Home Media Option subscribers to enjoy the world's greatest pictures, on demand and in the comfort of their home.
Pricing:
The TiVo Home Media Option(TM) will be available in Spring 2003 for a one-time fee of $99 to TiVo subscribers with Series2 units. Activating the service on additional TiVo units within the home will require a one-time fee of $49 per DVR. The Home Media Option(TM) is a basic software download, sent by broadband or phone line to any TiVo Series2.
You have *GOT* to be kidding me. Try adding a larger hard drive. Got a Linux box lying around? You need one to install the filesystem, bless it, etc, and that's only because someone reverse engineered the ability. Then you have to install the hard drive. Want to pull files off of it? You can either hack an ethernet card into it (voiding your warrantee) for $100, buy a USB/Enet adapter (ooooh, USB speeds), or... remove the hard drive, plop it in a *ta-da* Linux box, and try it that way.
</strong>
<hr></blockquote>
You got a couple of facts wrong.
1) You don't need a linux box to bless it. I added new hard drives using my i686. Yes, you have to download a floppy image that contains a version of linux on it and use that, but you don't need a linux box sitting around. If you only have a mac, I guess you are a bit stuck.
2)Adding an ethernet card is hardly a hack. It just plugs right in. Perhaps you mean adding the software to use the card is a bit of a hack. Yes, you need to modify the startup scripts to turn on pppd. However, this is easy enough to do since you have the unit open and you also have the hard drives out (to upgrade them)
3) Adding an ethernet card doesn't void your warranty. It's the opening of the case that does it. I would be shocked if opening up your replayTV unit doesn't also void your warranty. Most manufacturers don't like the idea of a person opening up their equipment, frying the motherboard, and then trying to get warranty service on it.
4) Voiding the warranty is not as big of a deal as you make it sound. The thing that is most likely to fail are the hard drives. Since you will be replacing them, you can keep the old hard drives around as backups.
5) There used to be software to get the mpeg files off of the hard drives. I'm not sure what the status of those projects are. If you have it hooked up via an ethernet card, it should have acceptable speeds.
Yes, ReplayTV has a few of these features built in, but unfortunately, you are stuck with what they gave you. I would much rather have a smaller feature set, but the ability to add new features.
[quote]
<strong>
OTOH, a ReplayTV unit figures out that the hard drive is new and auto-configures it, comes with it's own Enet port, and unlike the TiVo, isn't a door stop if the company closes its doors.
Yup, a TiVo *CANNOT* operate without contacting the mothership. a) The scheduling information format is proprietary b) The TiVo can, theoretically, be used in 'manual' mode, like a programmable VCR... except that... c) the *ONLY* way to set the time/date on a TiVo is to have it contact TiVo.
</strong>
<hr></blockquote>
This is not as big of a problem as you make it sound. Yes, TiVo has to contact the *mother ship* However, TiVo doesn't actually produce the TV listings - instead, they outsource that. So, if TiVo fails, I would imagine that one of the final updates would be to repoint the software to the company that is actually generating the listings.
*PLUS* Since we can hack into the TiVo, some bright hackers may figure out how to repoint it on their own. It really hasn't been an issue, so very little time has been spent on the issue.
I'm surprised they don't come with CD/DVD burners. I only record video I will watch over and over again, it is very rarely a timeshift issue where I'll watch only once. Thus TiVo sucks until I can pull MPEG-2 files from it. ReplayTV looks awesome and I'll get one eventually.
Comments
<strong>Honestly, I can't figure out how Tivo got the mindshare it has... its product line isn't as consumer friendly, it isn't as capable, and it doesn't cost any less.</strong><hr></blockquote>
One big benefit for TiVo (or UltimateTV) compared to ReplayTV if you have satellite service: direct digital recording.
If you have a Replay TV, or one of the "stand-alone" TV units for that matter, you end up receiving a digital signal through your dish, turning it into analog to get the signal outside of the box and into your recorder, and then digitizing the signal all over again.
Because of the way digital signal compression works, putting a signal through two passes of compression is always a Bad Idea and should be avoided if at all possible.
Plus, the video digitizer in any current consumer device either has to burn through a lot of disk space or produce much lower quality video at comparable data rates to those coming off your satellite dish.
I like a lot of things about ReplayTV, but I won't even think about it until they do direct recording of satellite broadcasts.
<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030109/sfth016_1.html"; target="_blank">Home Media Option Press Release</a>
Here's the new functionality:
TiVo's Home Media Option will fit into virtually any home network, making it easy to incorporate into new or existing, wired or wireless networks (802.11b). The premium package includes an upgrade to the TiVo Series2 and access to software that can be downloaded from TiVo's website. Key features include:
-- Broadband Remote Scheduling
Schedule recordings from the office or on the road and TiVo DVR will make the changes to your recording schedule in minutes, not hours or days. Subscribers can access remote scheduling from anywhere they can access the Internet. TiVo subscribers can schedule recordings from <a href="http://www.tivo.com"; target="_blank">www.tivo.com</a> and these changes will be relayed to their specified TiVo DVR in less than an hour, allowing for same day recordings.
-- Enjoy the entertainment you want, anywhere in your home
The new TiVo Home Media Option will allow subscribers to stream music and photos stored on the PC directly to the family TV. With the TiVo remote, subscribers can relax in the living room and view digital photos and listen to digital music that is stored on the PC. Video can be streamed from a TiVo in the bedroom to a TiVo DVR in the living room. The TiVo Home Networking Option will support a number of different digital audio and image formats including JPEG and MP3.
-- Broadband Content from Universal Music Group, Corbis Collection
TiVo has secured new relationships with some of the world's leading providers of digital content so that subscribers can immediately enjoy the entertainment experiences available through broadband with the Home Media Option. Universal Music Group will make available to all subscribers with the TiVo Home Media Option and a broadband connection the ability to playback selected music and promotional video from many of its top recording artists. And TiVo networked subscribers will be able to easily access and display compelling fine art, photography and illustrations from the Corbis Collection -- the world's leading source of digital media -- on their televisions. This feature enables TiVo Home Media Option subscribers to enjoy the world's greatest pictures, on demand and in the comfort of their home.
Pricing:
The TiVo Home Media Option(TM) will be available in Spring 2003 for a one-time fee of $99 to TiVo subscribers with Series2 units. Activating the service on additional TiVo units within the home will require a one-time fee of $49 per DVR. The Home Media Option(TM) is a basic software download, sent by broadband or phone line to any TiVo Series2.
--------------
RosettaStoned
<strong>TiVo more hacker friendly?!?
You have *GOT* to be kidding me. Try adding a larger hard drive. Got a Linux box lying around? You need one to install the filesystem, bless it, etc, and that's only because someone reverse engineered the ability. Then you have to install the hard drive. Want to pull files off of it? You can either hack an ethernet card into it (voiding your warrantee) for $100, buy a USB/Enet adapter (ooooh, USB speeds), or... remove the hard drive, plop it in a *ta-da* Linux box, and try it that way.
</strong>
<hr></blockquote>
You got a couple of facts wrong.
1) You don't need a linux box to bless it. I added new hard drives using my i686. Yes, you have to download a floppy image that contains a version of linux on it and use that, but you don't need a linux box sitting around. If you only have a mac, I guess you are a bit stuck.
2)Adding an ethernet card is hardly a hack. It just plugs right in. Perhaps you mean adding the software to use the card is a bit of a hack. Yes, you need to modify the startup scripts to turn on pppd. However, this is easy enough to do since you have the unit open and you also have the hard drives out (to upgrade them)
3) Adding an ethernet card doesn't void your warranty. It's the opening of the case that does it. I would be shocked if opening up your replayTV unit doesn't also void your warranty. Most manufacturers don't like the idea of a person opening up their equipment, frying the motherboard, and then trying to get warranty service on it.
4) Voiding the warranty is not as big of a deal as you make it sound. The thing that is most likely to fail are the hard drives. Since you will be replacing them, you can keep the old hard drives around as backups.
5) There used to be software to get the mpeg files off of the hard drives. I'm not sure what the status of those projects are. If you have it hooked up via an ethernet card, it should have acceptable speeds.
Yes, ReplayTV has a few of these features built in, but unfortunately, you are stuck with what they gave you. I would much rather have a smaller feature set, but the ability to add new features.
[quote]
<strong>
OTOH, a ReplayTV unit figures out that the hard drive is new and auto-configures it, comes with it's own Enet port, and unlike the TiVo, isn't a door stop if the company closes its doors.
Yup, a TiVo *CANNOT* operate without contacting the mothership. a) The scheduling information format is proprietary b) The TiVo can, theoretically, be used in 'manual' mode, like a programmable VCR... except that... c) the *ONLY* way to set the time/date on a TiVo is to have it contact TiVo.
</strong>
<hr></blockquote>
This is not as big of a problem as you make it sound. Yes, TiVo has to contact the *mother ship* However, TiVo doesn't actually produce the TV listings - instead, they outsource that. So, if TiVo fails, I would imagine that one of the final updates would be to repoint the software to the company that is actually generating the listings.
*PLUS* Since we can hack into the TiVo, some bright hackers may figure out how to repoint it on their own. It really hasn't been an issue, so very little time has been spent on the issue.