Hi Muppetman,
Yes! I think it's a good piece of kit. To me the main attraction is the large hard drive and the three tuners. I have tested using all three tuners to record in HD and at the same time watch a recorded HD programme. No problem. I have set up quite a few series links and so far so good.
The issue with poor SD Picture quality continues elsewhere but I have to say that I find my Tivo / Sharp 32" LED TV to be excellent in both HD & SD.
Others have complained about the remote being very directional. Again I have not found that to be the case. In fact my remote will work perfectly no matter where I point it and is one of the most sensitive and comfortable remotes I have ever handled.
The on screen interface is not as intuitive as I had expected. It has all the hallmarks of a mish mash of technologies cobbled together to produce "Virgin Media Powered by Tivo" some of which seem to be HD and some SD..
The big disappointment is the issue with the BBC resulting in the removal of all BBC content from the backward EPG. To access BBC VOD you have to use the BBC iPlayer which can be accessed via the red button or from the BBC iPlayer APP. Disappointing though this is, it can be explained by the actions of the BBC, which is outside the control of VM. However you would think that just as VM are going to market and promoting this feature heavily somebody would have got word from the BBC that they were pulling the plug.
There is no explanation why this seems to have resulted in ITV, Channel 4 and 5 not being available from EPG rewind. Even though they show up as being available in the EPG if you select them to play directly you are taken to the old VOD menu system to start searching all over again. We are led to believe that this may not be affecting all VM customer and the issue is being investigated. Calls to 151 on this matter get a vague response. One agent in Glasgow, who claimed to be Tivo support, didn't know what an EPG was
.
In answer to your question. Yes! I love it and am not giving it back and am seriously considering going for the Baby Tivo, when it becomes available, to replace a V+ in the bedroom.
Bet you are sorry you asked now!
