TiVo : Help for a new user please

[jd001k0598]

Hello,

I am really sorry and you have probably had this discussion a million times but I am going to ask you all for some help and your opinions anyway.

I currently have Sky HD with BB (awful). Fed up with the BB and getting nowhere with Sky. At the end of the day it's never going to compete with VM. I am definately going with VM for the BB but I am also considering the television package. I have everything with Sky apart for the sports. I don't know anyone who has Tivo so I am looking for some good advice.

I have three HD boxes and would be looking for three Tivo boxes and the 60mb BB. I have noticed VM do not have Sky Atlantic and Universal HD, the others don't really interested me. The amount of channels Sky have compared to VM is large amount of rubbish and looking further into it it looks as though VM is quality rather than quantity. Is there any chance on Sky Atlantic and Universal HD coming to VM?

I would also like to ask about the On Demand service which people tell me is superb on VM. Is there more availale than on Sky?

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read this and I look forward to your replies.

Anything on Sky Atlantic I want to watch I download. The Tivo box is excellent and much better than the Sky HD box. The on demand is great but I prefer Netflix to both especially the US Netflix

Welcome to the forum BTW

[jd001k0598]

Thanks for the reply and the welcome.

What is Netflix, is it free, is it an app on Tivo? Can anything on Atlantic be downloaded in HD?

---------- Post added at 11:44 ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 ----------

Just had a look at Netflix, it looks good. Didn't see anything in HD though.

Does the Tivo box upscale?

Netflix is not free but its only 6 quid a month. Lots of good series and lots of movies and with a little knowhow you can access US content which is just loads better than either Sky or VM OD service imo

You can download any new tv show a couple of hours or less after it airs in the US if you know where to look

Yes and so should your tv. I got a high end panny and it is absolutely awesome when it comes to upscaling

[jd001k0598]

Panny?

Panasonic sorry

[jd001k0598]

Just signed up for VM, 3 TiVo boxes and Netflix. Any help on how to get the American content would be greatly appreciated as its mainly American stuff that I watch.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

I have noticed VM do not have Sky Atlantic and Universal HD, the others <snip>Is there any chance on Sky Atlantic and Universal HD coming to VM?

The prospect of Sky Atlantic arriving on VM anytime soon are quite small as Sky want's to keep it as a USP for their satellite service. Sky are planning to add it to their Now TV internet service, so things may change then, but I wouldn't count on that for increasing the chances of it coming to VM.

Universal HD stands a better chance of appearing on VM than Atlantic, but despite many rumours of it's imminent arrival, it hasn't appeared yet.

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

I would also like to ask about the On Demand service which people tell me is superb on VM. Is there more availale than on Sky?

At one time, VM excelled at catch up and on demand over Sky, but the general consensus now is that they are pretty much equal.


The Tivo box has far more functionality over the Sky box. Just a few being:

3 recordable Tuners

Whishlists (set a recording for a show that doesn't air for months ahead, or favourite actor, director, keyword etc.)

Automatic recording clash resolution and a list of those that can't be resolved automatically.

Series links last forever; you don't have to keep resetting them

Optional automatic recording of suggestions for shows similar to those you currently watch

Detailed search function for actors or show titles with options to set series links or whishlists and a direct link to Youtube for what you searched for

A large selection of default recording option settings

MRS (Multiroom streaming). With this you can watch shows that you have recorded on one Tivo, on any other Tivo in a different room. Sadly, the broadcasters limit the channels you can do this on, so you can't do it with every channel.

---------- Post added at 12:47 ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 ----------

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

Any help on how to get the American content would be greatly appreciated as its mainly American stuff that I watch.

http://www.unblock-us.com/


This works out at around £3.30 p/m and allows you to select all the Netflix regions by selecting the region from a drop down list on their site. There is a free one week trial.

It also gives you access to the free part of HULU, which is like the US equivalent of iplayer for the US Network TV channels such as ABC, NBC etc.


If you check the DS and AVforums, unblockus is the most widely used of these VPN services, but it only works with specific sites that they choose.

[jd001k0598]

Thanks for all your information passingbat. So in your general opinion which is the better Sky HD or TiVo?

I have signed up for Netflix and will be paying the extra for the unblock. Having been with Sky for 18 years it will be a different experience I'm sure. I am a bit of a tech freak so the many more options that TiVo offer look good. I won't have to keep looking on my iPad at IMDB to see more about the actors that are in something that I am watching - hopefully.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

Thanks for all your information passingbat. So in your general opinion which is the better Sky HD or TiVo?

I have signed up for Netflix and will be paying the extra for the unblock. Having been with Sky for 18 years it will be a different experience I'm sure. I am a bit of a tech freak so the many more options that TiVo offer look good. I won't have to keep looking on my iPad at IMDB to see more about the actors that are in something that I am watching - hopefully.

I've never had a Sky HD box, but as I understand it, it has the equivalent functionality of the old VM V+ box, though I think Sky have introduced some new functionality recently.


The main features on Tivo that I couldn't live without now are the 3 recordable tuners; with many of the headline shows in the 9-10 slot, I find that all three tuners are recording a lot of the time. With only 2 tuners, you would often have to use the plus 1 channel, but that isn't in HD.

Like you I watch a lot of US shows, so the wishlists are invaluable. I can look at the new US shows starting around September that I am interested in and set up a recording on a wishlist now. Then, if the show turns up on a UK channel, whatever the channel is, it will automatically get recorded.


Also, only having to set up a series link once is great; no more checking to see if the series link is still there after a season or mid season break.


The actor 'other shows' information is not as comprehensive as IMDB, but it is still useful and the fact that you can set whishlists directly from that information is great.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

Thanks for all your information passingbat. So in your general opinion which is the better Sky HD or TiVo?

I have signed up for Netflix and will be paying the extra for the unblock. Having been with Sky for 18 years it will be a different experience I'm sure. I am a bit of a tech freak so the many more options that TiVo offer look good. I won't have to keep looking on my iPad at IMDB to see more about the actors that are in something that I am watching - hopefully.

They are both good at what they do , having used them both here's my honest opinion.

TIVO PROS , More advanced functionality as passingbat has described , Youtube access , remote record functionality , multiroom streaming , 3 recordable tuners , dedicated modem for On Demand.

TIVO CONS , Bit slower through the menus , EPG data can on occasions be flaky especially with schedule changes.

Sky+HD PROS Dynamic EPG which can be adjusted to reflect sport overruns or schedule changes , On Demand easier to navigate (in my opinion) , start recordings from defined number of minutes , remote record functionality.

Sky+HD CONS No OTT access , Only 2 tuners , On Demand uses BB connection , no conflict management facility.

I'm sure you'll find both boxes are a work in progress with upgrades in the pipeline.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

remote record functionality.

.

Do you mean setting up a recording when you are away from home?


If so, you can do that on Tivo, for each TiVo box that you have. You can also check your planned recordings and modify them. You can check your recorded shows and delete those no longer required . You can also check series links and whishlists; all the above whilst away from home.

As per Sky, you can also watch some live channels and on demand content whilst away from home.

[jd001k0598]

Originally Posted by muppetman11

Sky+HD CONS No OTT access , Only 2 tuners , On Demand uses BB connection , no conflict management facility.

Having only 2 tuners is a definite pain. Always having a recording clash and them have to watch something on the planner or OD which is Okay but not always what I want to do.

TiVo does sound far more superior. I will have to get used to the UI which wont be a problem.

Can I also ask about the SD quality on the TiVo. I have read on several forums that the TiVo SD quality is not very good. Wondering how true this was.

I would also like to ask if the TiVo would upscale SD on the Netflix.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by passingbat

Do you mean setting up a recording when you are away from home?


If so, you can do that on Tivo, for each TiVo box that you have. You can also check your planned recordings and modify them. You can check your recorded shows and delete those no longer required . You can also check series links and whishlists; all the above whilst away from home.

As per Sky, you can also watch some live channels and on demand content whilst away from home.

I know you can , I included remote record functionality in both boxes pro , however I agree being able to access your planner away from home on the TIVO app is a plus over Sky , an excellent feature.

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

Having only 2 tuners is a definite pain. Always having a recording clash and them have to watch something on the planner or OD which is Okay but not always what I want to do.

TiVo does sound far more superior. I will have to get used to the UI which wont be a problem.

Can I also ask about the SD quality on the TiVo. I have read on several forums that the TiVo SD quality is not very good. Wondering how true this was.

I would also like to ask if the TiVo would upscale SD on the Netflix.

The SD quality is fine on my parents TV , no better or no worse than the Sky+HD box.

Netflix isn't currently available on VM TIVO although there's been lots of rumours to suggest it eventually could be.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by jd001k0598

I would also like to ask if the TiVo would upscale SD on the Netflix.

Although there are rumours of Netflix being added to Tivo in the future, I am not aware of it being added. So you would need to view Netflix by other means. You can use a laptop hooked up to your TV or one of several inexpensive streamer boxes; I use a Western Digital Live Streaming Media Player.

If Netflix is added to Tivo, you would not be able to use Unblockus with it as you need to alter the DNS settings, and Tivo won't allow you to do this. It is a simple thing to do in streamers such as the WD Live or Apple streamer. It is not as easy to do in the Roku box as the Roku won't allow you to change DNS settings in the box itself, and you have to modify them in your router. The unblock us site gives all the details you need to modify DNS in each device.

Using a Windows 7 laptop for Netflix, limits you to 720p video and stereo sound. The WD Live and Apple streamers give you 1080p and 5.1 audio. Some blueray players and TVs have a Netflix app, but I'm not sure what the video and audio outputs are.

If you are looking for a Netflix device, this could be usefull:

http://www.techofthehub.com/whats-best-netflix-player


With regard to the SD and HD picture on Tivo, I have seen a lot of posts both claiming one is better than the other from both sides of the fence