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Strengths: TiVo series 2 has great improvements, looks neat, is user-friendly, with fair-quality recordings.
Weaknesses: IR channel changing cables is not a good option. Will record HD/Comcast cable shows, but not in full HD quality.
Summary: I received my TiVo Series 2 (80-hour) last Christmas, and once I familiarized myself with the controls, it has been an awesome addition to my entertainment setup.
If you're familiar with basic TV/audio-visual technologies, setting the TiVo up should be a breeze. For me, I did have to take some time to make sure I would be recording and viewing with the best picture and sound. Which meant: figuring out the proper S-Video, cable and RCA ins and outs.
The menus are simply and very user-friendly. TiVo seems designed to make sense to the average user, and at adequate all-around quality levels for the more demanding audio-video geeks (meant in a nice way, since I'm one of them).
The infamous channel changing cable.
TiVo gives you the option of using a 9-pin serial/data cable that plugs into the cable box in order for the TiVo to change channels, or infrared (IR) control cables. I could use the serial cable with my first cable box, which changed the channels flawlessly. But surprisingly, the newer digital/HD-ready cable box I recently got does not allow me to use the serial cable, so I have to use the somewhat troublesome IR cables until the technology is resolved. The IR control cables are attached to the cable box and stick out like mini red eyes staring at the cable box's front IR receivers. General setup issues and interference make the IR option less reliable, and therefore less desirable. This would be my main con regarding TiVo, although I could easily be blaming the Motorola/Comcast cable box instead.
Currently, I have an HD-ready TV with digital/HD cable through Comcast. The way I have it setup took some time, but it might help to share with you here: Basically, the cable goes into the digital/HD receiver from Comcast, and I have digital component cables from the cable box to the TV for HD viewing. I have composite cables (red, white, yellow RCAs) from the cable box to the TiVo, and an S-video from the TiVo to the TV fore regular viewing and recording. I have an digital connection between by cable box and audio receiver, and regular RCAs from my cable box to the TiVo (and TiVo to TV).
My TiVo WILL RECORD a high-definition broadcast, but the recording WILL NOT be in true high-def picture and sound. The technology simply does not exist for Comcast digital/HD subscribers (I believe HD-ready TiVo units are available for Direct TV customers). However, TiVo has recently made a deal with Comcast, and not only are HD-ready TiVo boxes supposed to be out early next year, Comcast/HD-ready TiVo boxes should be ready around the same time.
Worth noting:
Instead of a phone line, my Tivo series 2 connects via a USB wireless device to the Internet, which not only is supposed to be better for updated services and schedules, but it allows for TiVo desktop and TiVoToGo usage. This allows me to schedule recordings from the Internet, as well as any home networked computer. On my home computers I can also transfer the recordings to a hard drive for storing, or even for burning onto a DVD (with certain software only), which I've tried and works great!
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