NEED ADVICE!! Tivo just croaked, can't decide if I should get a new box or go to Verizon DVR
suzanne813
Newbie

I had an old school Series II single tuner Tivo that just died. Once I switched to fios 2 weeks ago it wasn't able to get the program information, and when I called support they told me to "clear program info and to do list" and it got stuck on that screen indefinitely. 

So here's my dilemma. I currently have only 1 STB from verizon, and I was planning on ordering a digital adapter (which I believe is $3.99 a month?) so I could at least watch another channel while my tivo was recording. I believe this would cost me $8.99 total a month, plus my $12.95 tivo subscription.

Now that my box is dead, tivo is offering to let me upgrade to the series 2 dual tuner for $49.99, plus 3 months of free service, and no shipping costs. So all in all that would end up costing me about $10. However, it is my understanding that in order for me to either record 2 shows at once or watch one and record one, I would STILL need to get an additional box or digital adapter.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe to stick with the tivo and get the additional digital adapter, it would cost me a grand total of $21.95/month, as opposed to just going with the verizon dvr which has the ability to record 2 shows at once and watch another, for a grand total of $15.99/month. 

I love my tivo, and I have read a lot of negative reviews about the verizon DVR, so my question is whether or not its worth the extra few dollars a month to stick with tivo. If I do stick with the tivo, I'm planning on either paying for 1 or 3 years up front so that will also save me a few bucks each month. Help! What would you do?? 

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Re: NEED ADVICE!! Tivo just croaked, can't decide if I should get a new box or go to Verizon DVR
Joe01880
Contributor - Level 1

@suzanne813 wrote:

I had an old school Series II single tuner Tivo that just died. Once I switched to fios 2 weeks ago it wasn't able to get the program information, and when I called support they told me to "clear program info and to do list" and it got stuck on that screen indefinitely. 

So here's my dilemma. I currently have only 1 STB from verizon, and I was planning on ordering a digital adapter (which I believe is $3.99 a month?) so I could at least watch another channel while my tivo was recording. I believe this would cost me $8.99 total a month, plus my $12.95 tivo subscription.

Now that my box is dead, tivo is offering to let me upgrade to the series 2 dual tuner for $49.99, plus 3 months of free service, and no shipping costs. So all in all that would end up costing me about $10. However, it is my understanding that in order for me to either record 2 shows at once or watch one and record one, I would STILL need to get an additional box or digital adapter.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe to stick with the tivo and get the additional digital adapter, it would cost me a grand total of $21.95/month, as opposed to just going with the verizon dvr which has the ability to record 2 shows at once and watch another, for a grand total of $15.99/month. 

I love my tivo, and I have read a lot of negative reviews about the verizon DVR, so my question is whether or not its worth the extra few dollars a month to stick with tivo. If I do stick with the tivo, I'm planning on either paying for 1 or 3 years up front so that will also save me a few bucks each month. Help! What would you do?? 


Suzanne,

I shoot straight from the hip, if your hooked on TiVo the FiOS STB is NOT going to cut it for you.

@verizon HD DVR @ $15.99 a month = 191.88 a year.

You can get a TiVo HD from Sears for $199.00 (in Store only), if your local Sears is out of stock you can print the ad off the internet and take it to Best Buy and they should match the price. If you have a coupon or Rapid Rewards, get it even cheaper.

You will need one M card from FiOS for the dual tuner TiVo HD at $3.99 a month plus TiVo service but im sure you know all about that.

You will not need a digital adpater with a TiVo HD and FiOS

If you need to go a much cheaper route then the series 2 deal may be the way to go and im not sure about needing a digital adpater with it.

Enjoy your new TiVo...i do!

Message Edited by Joe01880 on 03-25-2009 11:54 AM
Message Edited by Joe01880 on 03-25-2009 11:56 AM
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Re: NEED ADVICE!! Tivo just croaked, can't decide if I should get a new box or go to Verizon DVR
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2

@suzanne813 wrote:

I love my tivo, and I have read a lot of negative reviews about the verizon DVR, so my question is whether or not its worth the extra few dollars a month to stick with tivo. If I do stick with the tivo, I'm planning on either paying for 1 or 3 years up front so that will also save me a few bucks each month. Help! What would you do?? 


I would not buy another TiVo Series2.  That is really an obsolete device, imo.

 

You should decide between the Verizon DVR and the TivoHD.  Verizon improved the reliability of their own DVR with the new IMG 1.6.2 software (all areas should have it within the next 30 days), but it's still not as simple or reliable as the TiVo.  If you've grown accustomed to the way the TiVo works, you may want to stick with that.

 

@as mentioned above, the TivoHD costs $199 @ Sears (or $250 @ Amazon).  Like the Verizon DVR, the TivoHD allows you to watch one HD channel while you record another; it will record two different HD or SD shows while you watch a third, previously recorded show.  The TivoHD has the digital tuners built-in, just like the Verizon DVR, so no other box is needed.  Like the Verizon DVR, the TivoHD works with both SDTVs and HDTVs.

 

The TiVo has a number of advantages -- better (more accurate) guide data, more reliable recording that catches all new episodes and eliminates all repeats, and storage expansion with external drives.  That said, the TivoHD does have one key disadvantage:  no support for FiOS video-on-demand.  If you want to retain access to the FiOS VOD, then you'll have to keep a Verizon box for that purpose.

More information on the TivoHD, including extensive Q&A, can be found in the AVS Official TivoHD Topic.

If you opt for the TivoHD:

Do not deactivate your Series2 yet if you have not done so already.  Why?  Because TiVo offers lifetime subscriptions -- which eliminate all future fees -- at a discounted rate if you already have a TiVo subscription.  If you already have a TiVo on your account, lifetime subscriptions on a second TiVo cost $299 instead of $399.   You would buy the TivoHD at Sears for $199 and then login to your account at TiVo.com to purchase a lifetime subscription for $299.  After that is done, deactivate / cancel your Series2 TiVo; if you cancel your Series2 first, you lose the ability to buy lifetime for $299.

You would need one CableCard (of the M-CARD variety) from Verizon for the TivoHD.  This is essentially an access card -- it plugs into the front of the TivoHD to authorize all the channels you pay for.  Verizon charges $3.99/mo for these cards.  No other box or device is needed.

 

If for some reason you are not satisfied with the TivoHD, you can cancel the subscription within the first 30 days for a full refund.

Message Edited by KenAF on 03-25-2009 01:32 PM
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Re: NEED ADVICE!! Tivo just croaked, can't decide if I should get a new box or go to Verizon DVR
suzanne813
Newbie
Thanks for the advice - I did end up getting the Tivo HD through tivo for $199 with 3 months of free service. I am also gonna get the lifetime subscription this time around. Money was my main concern, but over time (depending on how long this one lasts, my first series 2 lasted a little over 3 years) it should save me money, or at the very least come out even with what I would've spent on the crappy verizon dvr.
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Re: NEED ADVICE!! Tivo just croaked, can't decide if I should get a new box or go to Verizon DVR
KenAF
Specialist - Level 2

@suzanne813 wrote:
Thanks for the advice - I did end up getting the Tivo HD through tivo for $199 with 3 months of free service. I am also gonna get the lifetime subscription this time around. Money was my main concern, but over time (depending on how long this one lasts, my first series 2 lasted a little over 3 years) it should save me money, or at the very least come out even with what I would've spent on the crappy verizon dvr.

All hard drives go bad eventually, be it three years, four years, five years, or seven years.

 

When a TiVo stops working -- like your Series2 -- it is almost always because the hard drive failed.  You can replace the hard drive in a TiVo without much effort.  A company called DVRUpgrade sells a restore CD for $20.  You buy a new hard drive, connect it to your computer, and then boot your computer with this restore CD.  It installs the TiVo software on the new drive, so you can swap the old TiVo drive for the new one.  The whole process takes around 35 minutes.

 

All your subscription information (including lifetime) is tied to a ROM chip inside the TiVo, so it is not affected by drive upgrades and replacements.

 

This is definitely something to be aware of if you buy a lifetime subscription, since you don't want to be stuck with an expensive doorstop if the TiVo's hard drive dies in three years.  The TiVo can use any 3.5" hard drive, and hard drives are fairly inexpensive ($55 for 500GB that stores 80 HD hours) so this is a cost-effective way to extend the life of your TiVo well beyond the 3-5 year life of the typical hard drive.  Thanks to drive replacements, many people are still using their original TiVo Series1 (with lifetime) purchased nine years ago.

Message Edited by KenAF on 03-25-2009 01:51 PM