Re: TiVo
 

Yes, this is true.

Re: TiVo
 

Indeed, however Virgin Media themselves have already announced Sky Arts HD as 'coming soon' in their OWN press release over 7 months ago!!!!:-

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...279&highlight=

Re: TiVo
 

Virgin tell me, every-time I call, that they are not installing anyone who is not either an employee, an S1 owner or a lottery/raffle ticket winner. seeing as no one to discuss this in my previous thread I have to assume Virgin are telling the truth, in which case you are wrong with this statement.

Personally, this is the problem, officially you're wrong unofficially you're right and for that Reason Virgin, it seems are upsetting some people.

Re: TiVo
 

It's on the info panel.. not the most intuitive place, but you can see what both tuners are doing from there.

Re: TiVo
 

Speaking of the raffle draw that we entered. If we dont get picked are we just left in darkness by virgin Media and wont know anything at all?

Re: TiVo
 

Thanks for the info, looks like more features are appearing by the day that improve on the V+.

A question for you (Or anyone else in the know). Am I correct in assuming that the second tuner buffers the previously viewed channel in the background? Or is it any random channel?

Cheers

Re: TiVo
 

People not raving on its SD picture.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1440254

Re: TiVo
 

Would think so matey,That usual for vm.Communication and vm as never gone together :D

Re: TiVo
 

Would welcome comments here from Tivo owners on SD quality versus what they previously had (I have an SA V+). I would certainly not want to go backwards on PQ. Or is this something which can yet be optimised or down to fundamental hardware?

Just wondering that there may be so much focus of feature development/fix, that some of the fundamentals may yet need improving. Without a good PQ on SDS and definitely HD, there can be as many nice features as you want, but without a good picture, the box is worthless!

Re: TiVo
 

I think the sa has better sd than the samsung and tivo

Re: TiVo
 

I can't understand why people are hung up on lack of reminders; there is more functionaity now ----- the ability to record that reminded channel and watch it when you want.

With only 2 recordablle tuners on the V+, then reminders were important, but with the 3 recordable tuners of the TIVO, there is no need for reminders, surely?

Re: TiVo
 

Can anyone tell me if it is possible to use the volume controls on the Tivo remote ? I know that all the remotes I've had for VM boxes have had them but I've never had one that worked. Presumably it needs some sort of programming to tell it what sort of TV you have ?

Also, can someone give us a brief rundown on the recording prioritisation logic that is used.

Presumably, series linked shows take priority over any automatic Tivo favourites/suggestions ?

Re: TiVo
 

Why does no-one actually search for these things? ;) From Virgin's Help Site:

How do I customise my TiVo remote to control my TV?

Re: TiVo
 

Picture quality is much worse than my Samsung V+ box - SD is very much worse, taking it to levels I last saw on Sky. HD is a smidgeon less good than the Samsung V+.

I am seriously thinking about cancelling and going back to the Samsung V+. Much as I love TiVo I'm not going to be able to accept inferior picture quality.

IMO the main SD channels look worse than they did on my S1 TiVo set up to mode 0 and using Freeview. :(

Re: TiVo
 

This is bad news :(
Would it be that it hasn't had a full release yet? can they improve the SD quality?
This would be make or break for me on whether i get one

Re: TiVo
 

Right here goes just been in a VM local store and had a playaround with TIVo and I can honestly say I found no slowness with it , when I went in there was a channel on I pressed the home button and the response time was pretty good. The home page is pretty good and I love the HD graphics , all in all cant wait to get one.

Re: TiVo
 

If the PQ is worse than the v+ box on SD then it's really put me off. Some channels like gold are bad enough at the moment. I wouldn't want to watch them with an even worser quality picture.

Re: TiVo
 

Just posted a long review of the TiVo on the VMHD blog from a friend of mine. He hasn't mentioned PQ but would be the first to notice it and comment on his brand new 50in plus TV. Will ask his about it though when I next see him

Re: TiVo
 

It's newer tech how can the PQ be worse than the Samsung V+ box?

If that's true about the PQ being worse than the V+ boxes that's surprising and very bad news!

Re: TiVo
 

I havent noticed any difference, although I havnt done a side by side comparison.

Regards

John.

Re: TiVo
 

The CEO office called me some weeks back saying there were no more installs going to take place after the staff and initial 1000 boxes went out. The next day I got a call.

---------- Post added at 14:23 ---------- Previous post was at 14:18 ----------

The tuners just sit on whatever ever channel they were last used on, this might not be the last channel you were watching, it could be from a recording a few hours previous. There's a couple of times I've had all tuners on the same channel which is weird, but if you record back to back shows on the same channel with padding you're going to need more than one tuner to cope with the overlaps padding causes.

Re: TiVo
 

Whilst generally very happy with my TiVo, there are two things that either it won't do or I can't figure out how to make it do.
Firstly, when playing back a recorded programme on the V+, there was the option to start it from a particular time, I think the option was called "user defined", I can't seem to find that option on the TiVo.
Secondly, when you had the mini guide on with the V+, pressing the "info" button opened the info page, with the TiVo it seems to have no effect at all. In order to get the info page open I actually have to go to the channel in question or open the full guide and do it from there.
Just wondered if it was me being dense, or have other people found the same! If it isn't me being dense, are these things likely to be changed in the future?:confused:

Re: TiVo
 

My question is this when are Virgin going to start contacting people about TIVO , as they cant possibly contact everyone at the end of March.

Re: TiVo
 

Why not - email numbers don't have a limit (well, it can do, according to what your ISP sets it's "spamming" limits at, but I wouldn't think that would be an issue for VM).

Re: TiVo
 

Can email arrange your booking and install as well.

Re: TiVo
 

High def material looks great, but the SD picture is A LOT softer than on my V+.

I'm a fussy git when it comes to PQ, sitting spending hours tweaking my TV to get everything spot on (I have Panasonics current flagship model, the 42" TX-42V20B).

The first thing I noticed was the SD upscaling was poor and this is my only disappointment with the TiVo right now. The SD upscaling on the SA V+ was excellent, high quality broadcasts on the BBC almost looked like they were in HD. Sadly though SD on the TiVo is very soft and not sharp at all. I have tried forcing the TiVo to output at 720p which does make things a little better, but there's not much in it. I would even say the GUI is pin sharp at 720p, but a tiny bit less so on 1080i.

Unfortunately I doubt anything can be done as the upscaling is usually a hardware thing. My PS3 and old SA V+ do put it to shame though :(

What are Cisco V-HD boxes like?


A.

Re: TiVo
 

Not the question you asked.......:dozey:

Surely they will use email to contact the VM base to ascertain interest, which can then be collected by web page, email, phone, etc, with the thing you mentioned above then happening.

Re: TiVo
 

But they say they already have 50,000 who have registered interest.

They also said these would be contacted first so why email again until its available for new subscribers etc and email those who don't have it yet.

Even allowing for the first 1000 free and the second 1000 free thats still 48,000 left to contact.

That works out at approx 1500 a day 7 days a week for completion by end of March.

If as is thought it will be End of March for calls to pick up again and say June 1st launch for everyone thats still approx 800 calls a day 7 days a week.

Re: TiVo
 

It may not "technically" be the question he asked, but I knew what he meant, and I suspect everyone else did too (well, except you :D).

Re: TiVo
 

Your post is one of several posts I have read on various forums that have noted the SD PQ is much softer/poorer on Tivo than V+.

I guess you can't have it all.

Re: TiVo
 

I try not to make assumptions (especially sweeping ones involving the words "everyone" and/or "all" :D ).

Re: TiVo
 

VM are currently contacting people about TiVo and will have contacted everyone who has registered interest by the end of March.

Re: TiVo
 

Strange that no-one on here has posted that they have been contacted in the past week unless I missed it..

Also the opposite of what CEO office says as reported here as they say no more till end March..........:confused:



So they are calling 1500 people a day 7 days a week are they ?

Somehow I doubt it........

Re: TiVo
 

It's 'the' phone call we're refering to. The one where VM ask us if we want TIVO, and we bite their hand off saying, YES! :D

Re: TiVo
 

I was all geared up for that phone call In readiness with a yes. But the whole thing about the PQ being weaker on SD channels has begun to seriously put me off. I have one of the Samsung led back lit tv's that highlight any weaknesses in picture quality. So I'm in two minds now. Not good...

Re: TiVo
 

I find it very quick about a second or so.:D

Re: TiVo
 

I meant the SD upscaling quality... I have one but it's only on an old 26" LCD TV so it's hard to tell...

Re: TiVo
 

I agree, that is offputting. There do seem to be mixed opinions though.

If this is so, the fact that the hard drive is much bigger means I will be able to record much more in HD so that will offset that a bit.

Re: TiVo
 

Sorry, it is very good, I have had a Samsung 40" LCD TV' and a Samsung 42" Plasma hooked up, I find it does look better on Plasma.

---------- Post added at 17:14 ---------- Previous post was at 17:06 ----------

We just need more HD channels:D

Re: TiVo
 

For SD programmes, just buy an old CRT TV and put it next to it ---- CRTs are great for SD. You'll need a house extension of course.... :D

Re: TiVo
 

So how come know one on heres saying they've had the call lately. Most on here will have pre registered earlier than most others.

Re: TiVo
 

Looking at my planned recording list, I need HD versions of:

Watch
Universal
Alibi
More 4
ITV2

All the rest, I have HD channels for. At least two on above list are possibilities.

Hope they're all 'coming soon'!

Re: TiVo
 

Most of them would just be upscaled SD anyway, there's very few programs on Watch or Alibi that will have been filmed in HD.

Re: TiVo
 

The shows set to record on Watch, More 4 and Alibi are current US dramas so will have been produced in HD.

Re: TiVo
 

I will be watching Rookie Blue tonight in HD, hopefully its a good show.;)

---------- Post added at 17:38 ---------- Previous post was at 17:37 ----------

UniversalHD and ITV2 HD have lot of native HD content.

Re: TiVo
 

whooooooopie good for you:d

I for one will be watching FILM4 HD:D:D:D:D

Re: TiVo
 

Simple question is there a problem with SD picture on TiVo, if there is I will cancel my interest in TiVo. I am not paying nearly £200 and £3 subs for an inferior picture:(

Re: TiVo
 

Have you thought about this........

Maybe the SD is perfectly fine on the Tivo but the HD is much better than the old boxes. So people are thinking the difference in quality is down to poor SD but its actually due to the enhanced HD quality.

---------- Post added at 18:36 ---------- Previous post was at 18:32 ----------

I had VMtv for 3 months and no one in my family watched FLIM4-HD. Although the kids moaned after losing

Disney XD-HD
Nickelodeon-HD
Disney Cinemagic HD

I really missed

Sky news HD
Sky sports 3&4 HD
ITV2/3/4 HD
Sky sports news HD

The Mrs missed

Good food HD
Universal HD
AND the none HD CBS channels

So keep enjoying FLIM4 HD...............

Sorry lol..I'm only jesting with ya.:)

Re: TiVo
 

Anyone who has a V+ box with HD activated know the difference in picture quality but like me are reasonably happy with the SD upscaling on it!

Re: TiVo
 

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/local/2011/06/3.gif

Re: TiVo
 

Surely nobody is so thick that because HD is so sharp the fact the SD image is poor is just an illusion! Personally I think there's no difference between the HD on V= and TiVo, but the SD is quite a bit worse. I've had TiVo a week and it still bugs me watching SD shows. V+ was crisp, this is soft like there's a mist on the screen, or the picture has been zoomed rather than upscaled.

It's a fantastic box, just has this one, serious let down.

Re: TiVo
 

Surely the scaler chip inside is atleast as good as the one in the old box? So maybe a software update is all thats needed to rectify this?

Re: TiVo
 

I'm hoping so, but it's usually down to the chip. I would have thought it would be the same as used in the VHD box as both are manufactured by Cisco and by all accounts that upscales well.

Re: TiVo
 

I've compared the SD picture to the one from the internal freesat tuner on my TV and they're basically identical, so I don't think it's as bad as some are making out.

The tivo also has the ability to produce native 576i and let the TV do the scaling, but that doesn't currently work, alas. Once that's working there won't be an issue.

Re: TiVo
 

My TVs built in FreeviewHD scaling was very soft compared to the V+ also, infact it looked awful in comparison. So the V+ did a much better job than my TV. Unfortunately the TiVo is very similar. I do wonder if TiVo is upscaling at all, or zooming to the output resolution.

Re: TiVo
 

I would suggest going into the Tivo settings but you seem to have a good idea of what you're on about.

So that tells me you've already been through the settings probably 100 times to see if there is an option that may not be enabled somewhere. Have VM commented on the SD picture?

I've read in a few places the Tivo premiere can display at 1080p but cant upscale at all. But this VM tivo is not made by tivo its cisco.

Re: TiVo
 

I am watching on a 40" sony led backlit tv and I think the SD picture is better then the Samsung v+ box I had. The HD picture seems better also.

Re: TiVo
 

Thinking about it, i think i'm going to wait a while before i take the plunge.
Looking at the posts on here and Virgins help & support forums it looks like a lot of people are having problems or its not quite what they thought it would be.
I'll wait untill they've ironed out the wrinkles.

Re: TiVo
 

My question is will sky sports red button be available on TIVO at same time as VM other STB's ?

Re: TiVo
 

The SD picture is worse. I am sorry but that is a fact.

HD is fine and the menus are stunning but SD does not compare to the SA V+ box.

Re: TiVo
 

I've enabled all resolutions on the tivo, 576i, 576p, 720p and 1080i. I've noticed it's auto-switching to 1080i for HD and down to 720p for SD. I'm beginning to think there is no scaler and it's left to the TV.

Re: TiVo
 

Does that mean it's time for you to buy a new TV then, as your TV has a carp scaler? :devsmoke: :p:

Re: TiVo
 

Either that or (going by how you see things) Tivo has a crap scaler.

Apparently Tivo is state of the art now to me this means its FULLY LOADED with the latest tech for what purpose it serves.

So I guess this means it has a powerful scaler chip. Well atleast one better than them £25 HDMI upscaling dvd players in Tescos

Re: TiVo
 

Does Jeremy Darroch pay you to come on here LOL :rolleyes:

Re: TiVo
 

Does Neil Berkett pay you?

All I pointed was that if Tivo is "state of the art" then it will contain the latest tech for the purpose it was built for.

Re: TiVo
 

Actually, you didn't.

You said what it meant to you, which is your interpretation of the purpose it was built for, which, given your obvious anti-VM TV bias, may be different from that of VM/Tivo...;)

Re: TiVo
 

Oh sorry I thought it was built to deliver cable tv over the VM network whilst intergrating Tivo features.

Guess I was wong eh.

Re: TiVo
 

I was in my local Virgin Media store today and I was talking to the employee about TiVo. He told me that in April the 1TB TiVo box (premium) will be released but then in September another TiVo box will be released but with a smaller hard drive.

Can anyone confirm this?

Re: TiVo
 

Two different statements - it may be what you meant to say, but it wasn't what you typed.....;)

Amusing that you type "wrong" wrong.:D

Re: TiVo
 

I don't pick holes in Sky. Sky are good at what they do but I talk VM because that happens to be who I'm currently with.

Re: TiVo
 

And doesn't it , coz I could swear the one I used in the VM shop did all that and more.

Re: TiVo
 

There are over 40,000 customers to contact and only a few of which use this forum. So chances are those getting called are not users of CF;)

Re: TiVo
 

So I was right in my assumption then?

Re: TiVo
 

Got my TIVO yesterday - I would say that the picture quality is much the same as the V+ box. Having said that, SD picture quality varies hugely with channel - for example BB2 SD looks fine but C4 is awful - watching Friends - maybe due to the NTSC port?

I noticed watching BB1 HD football this afternoon that the match feed looked really good but the background build up interviews etc - which presumably were not filmed in HD looked fuzzy to say the least

This is going to be the same debate that was had when CDs first came out - the end result is only as good as the source material, but has the potential to be top notch.

I have seen sky movies HD films on my V+ that looked as good as the bluray versions on my Samsung TV - I need to watch a few on TIVO to compare...

Re: TiVo
 

I think I have heard enough to unregister my interest until they sort out the what seems to be upscaler issue on SD

Re: TiVo
 

So it looks like what i was told wasn't a load of poo afterall.

Re: TiVo
 

I personally don't think there is an issue with the upscaled at all. Some people are expecting too much from SD broadcasts. Especially watching older tv programmes.

For example if you watch Eastenders on BBC1 and switch to the HD version they don't appear too different as it was shot in HD and downscaled for normal BBC1, where as something like friends which was made in the mid 90's and upscaled on E4 HD will still not look that great if watching on normal E4 as was shot in SD. Then channels that have a lower quality anyway will still not look too good upscaled.

So while the SA V+ was good at upscaling and the Samsung was better than that. I do think that the TiVo looks just as good but it also depends on the source material.

I tend not to watch the SD channels anymore as most shows I watch are available on the HD versions of the 5 main channels, ie 1-5.

Re: TiVo
 

No offence but its 2011.................... People have had HD and SD from the same source for 10years or so.

WE KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING. The problem with some internet forums is they dont progress with the times. They still think the average consumer does not understand there tech.

THEY DO...ITS 2011 Even my 10 year old daughter wants Disney channel in HD lol.

Re: TiVo
 

Please stop shouting - it is rude.

btw, BluRay came out in 2006, and BSkyB launched it's HD service in 2006, so "10 years or so" is a little exaggerated.

Re: TiVo
 

All I'm doing is comparing the same channels on two different devices - Samsung V+ and the new TiVo. All SD channels look visibly worse on the TiVo, everything else being equal.

When I moved from Sky to VM I was thrilled at how good their SD channels looked. I had aassumed it was the VM service, but now it turns out to be the boxes themselves and the built-in scaler.

I'm not happy about paying extra for a box which gives me a worse picture than I had before. I'm going to give it a few days, then maybe I'll change back to a V+ box.

Re: TiVo
 

All VM + boxes upscale SD better than Sky+HD box that truly is awful.

Re: TiVo
 

I'm trying to compare tivo and v+ side by side. As I dont have two identical tvs or two cable feeds in the same room I cant:( How have you managed to get around this problem?

Regards

John.

Re: TiVo
 

This may not be as big an issue when VM expand there HD offering further.

Re: TiVo
 

I recently purchased a high end 46� Sony TV and currently use a Samsung V+ box. I am very fussy when it comes to picture quality and find the Samsung V+ picture quality (HD/SD) to be excellent but all this talk about inferior SD picture quality is making me decidedly twitchy about obtaining the TiVo.
Could you confirm? Is there a cooling off period to enable you to return the TiVo if you are not happy with its picture performance and would Virgin Media accept this as a valid reason for return.

Re: TiVo
 

I have to say that I believe the Tivo box's HD picture is far superior to that of the Samsung V+ box. I am watching on a series 7 40" Samsung LCD tv. As for the SD picture quality, that doesn't bother me so much as I now tend to record everything I can in HD. Saying that though, I haven't notice the SD picture to be inferior.

Re: TiVo
 

But only at the end of last week I was told by two Virgin departments that no calls were being made, are they lying :td:

Re: TiVo
 

You just have to wait unfortunately. It is damn hard but I thought they had given up calling and then received a call out of the blue. In fact, the lunchtime of the day I got the call I told the misses that I was fed up of waiting and if she received the call to tell them no. I then got the call about 4 hours later and said YES!

Re: TiVo
 

i concur regarding SD on SkyHD boxes - HD is great SD is pants.

the forums are awash with people complaining about the SD PQ.

With Virgin having way less HD you'd have thought that decent SD upscaling would have been a priority in the hardware spec.

Why would it take a step back? doesn't make sense.

Not even having menus in HD? that is just nonsense.

Re: TiVo
 

My question really was are VM lying to us. I know the answer really as your response alludes to. It is just frustrating that they tell us it's not happening but it is and we know it is :erm:

Re: TiVo
 

This Tivo SD issue should be straight forward. If you had a SA/Samsung HD box before and have not changed TV, then replacing your box with a Tivo shouldn’t reduce PQ, unless it is a case of settings by default not being the best for your TV so you have to adjust.

There is going to be plenty of SD programmes for several years to come even on channels who have HD channel options.

I’ve read posts that even after trying all screen options, new owners of Tivo cannot get a good quality SD picture compared to what they has before with SA/Samsung so this can only be a Tivo box issue. There have been other posts here saying the picture isn’t worse than what they had before so seems to be a mixed issue still.

Like another poster here, I find the SD upscaling on my SA V+ to be excellent and on channels like SD BBC1 I’ve had to check that I am not on channel 108 for HD BBC1 as the picture quality has been so good, my wife even comments that she does not see why people rave about HD when the picture is so good on SD when upscaled!

The last thing I want therefore is the Tivo box to look inferior with “fuzzy or soft” pictures which is certainly not the case today with my SA V+ box. While I have read a few posts on this thread saying there picture is not worse that what they had before, the fact that there is a mixed reaction to this indicates there could be an issue here.

I really think this needs to be fed back to VM to check. I thought this new Cisco box was their latest media center solution and would certainly have an adequate chip set to deliver good quality upscaling.

I have a Sony HX803 TV which gives me a fantastic picture (1080i seemed best for me on SA V+ settings) so any shortfall in this Tivo box will be spotted if true. The box will have to go back if true as I cannot contemplate a reduction in picture quality being remotely acceptable in our house hold. I noticed somebody else with a Sony TV said they were happy with the picture so fingers crossed!

This is the first time I’ve had doubts buying the Tivo as you can have as many features as you like, but if the picture is worse, then that is not good enough. In fact if this is the case, then the only way to get greater HDD storage today would be to move to Sky if their Sky+ box has better PQ (haven’t researched yet) and I would never have thought I would even be thinking of that!

Re: TiVo
 

Out of curiosity if you paid for a TiVo box and wanted to return it, would you get the £149 back. Also, assuming, you pay the £40 installation charge would you be entitled to that back as well. Is there like a cooling of period for all of this, say 28 days :confused:

Re: TiVo
 

I think Virgin need to look into this PQ SD problem and fast, by the looks of recent threads they are loosing tivo customers pretty quickly as no one wants to loose out on picture quality on the SD channels.And that includes me.

Re: TiVo
 

So then it becomes apparent that VM strategy in calls is not to ring on pre reg order as many on here , DS , AV Forums will have pre registered the minute the link went live. Another thing is the free winners only find out around 20th March so probably no calls until after that meaning many will only get installs in April/May.

Re: TiVo
 

That was a TiVo decision - they went for the 'high traffic' areas for HD first. Although they were hinting at the launch of the box in the US last year they could go back in and upgrade more screens as time went on

Re: TiVo
 

Do you have the capability to take direct grabs off the 2 boxes and post them on here? Or does anyone else for that matter?

Re: TiVo
 

Re: TiVo
 

www.tivo.com good place to start.

Re: TiVo
 

Someone with a V+ box and a TIVO box post pics so we can see the difference, if there is any.

Also post your TV model and Amp in your using one.

Re: TiVo
 

Yep, although if someone can grab the direct feed that would eliminate the effect of the TV/AV Receiver.

Re: TiVo
 

I don't need to. The difference is so great it was blindingly obvious as soon as I switched the TiVo on!

---------- Post added at 12:59 ---------- Previous post was at 12:54 ----------

With my Samsung V+ I was constantly impressed with the quality of SD channels, with TiVo I am thinking 'how bad is this?' - it is like watching a poor quality, downloaded movie. Low quality video has distinguishable features, just like low quality mp3 files do. I am quite aware of what I am seeing.