Comments | grahams: Tivo Part Deux

grahams

Tivo Part Deux

May 30, 2001 14:05

Ok, So I investigated the Tivo thing a bit more, and it turns out that a while ago it was advantageous to get the Sony unit because it was cheaper, but this is no longer true. The feature set between the two brands is almost identical, the Sony has a lousy remote compared to the Phillips, and the Sony is more expensive (although not that much more ( Read more... )

television, lazyweb, tivo, tv

Comments 9

joe714 May 30 2001, 11:32:30 UTC

Yeah, you're allowed by law to setup a DBS dish on a rental property.. I've done it several times (sucessfully) with temporary mountings.. In theory, you can even put the dish inside and point it out the window. (I haven't been able to do that, Travis has. It depends on the line of sight and lead content in the glass.) Probably the best is to find something secure that you can notch a chunk of 4x6 to, then bolt the dish to the 4x6, and clamp that to the railing.

Dish network is at 110/119 degrees, DirecTv is at 101. Odds are if your neighbors can see dish, you should be able to see directv. To get a better idea, go to here and select the DirecTV 101 slot and Boston.. Take a compass and a protractor and see if you've got a clear sky view at the angles they give back (The azimuth is true north, to correct it to magnetic you'll want to add about 16 degrees for Boston ( ... )

grahams May 30 2001, 11:49:34 UTC

I'm glad you responded.... I was going to mail you about it, since I know you know a ton about it, but the power was still off in NRH.. :)

I will have to go buy a compass on the way home today to see if I have good sky..

Thanks for all the suggestions, I may be tapping your head a bit more in the next few days as I play with the notion of committing to this crap.

As far as the local channel shit goes, I know it's a mess... And quite frankly, I am not even sure if I am gonna bother with it. I thought about it a bit more and I have trouble thinking of ANY local networks that I want to watch. In fact, I am so much more accustomed to the NYC networks having lived in jersey, it will probably be nicer than the crap here. :)

My two cents... enigma72 May 30 2001, 20:09:10 UTC

I have had DirecTV for over two years and in that time only lost reception about three times. Each time the loss only lasts about 30 minutes or so, until the big cloud/storm passes by.

As far as the local chanels go, I'm not sure if it matters to you, but DTV only offers Boston stations 4,5,7, and Fox. So no Dawson's Creek or Moesha for you. :)

Lastly, if all you really want is Tivo functionality you can build virtually the same thing using a PC. All you need is a decent sound card, a video card with the correct in and ouputs, and a munga hard drive. There is free software that will do the rest for you.

The advantage to a PC based PVR is that you can record all you the TV you want without paying that damn monthly subscription to Tivo (and the initial setup is most likely cheaper). Another cool thing is that you would then have a PC hooked into your AV system which allows you to do all kinds of other cool shit, play MP3's surf the net, etc.

Hope this helps...

Re: My two cents... grahams May 30 2001, 22:44:16 UTC

Lastly, if all you really want is Tivo functionality you can build virtually the same thing using a PC. All you need is a decent sound card, a video card with the correct in and ouputs, and a munga hard drive. There is free software that will do the rest for you.

The advantage to a PC based PVR is that you can record all you the TV you want without paying that damn monthly subscription to Tivo (and the initial setup is most likely cheaper).
Ugh... Don't even get me started on why that is a bad idea. I used to have a PC integrated into my home theater setup, and I laid out quite abit of money on 'quality' components to try and make it not completely blow. It was the biggest fucking mistake I have made to date ( ... )

Re: My two cents... enigma72 May 31 2001, 05:04:06 UTC

Yeah, I guess you do have your points there.
The main reason I would consider it is the price, I already have tons of parts hanging around and would only need a video card to complete the job.

ALso, I just don't see the point in paying the monthly fee to Tivo, 10-20 a month??? For a glorified TV guide?

Re: My two cents... grahams May 31 2001, 06:31:31 UTC

ALso, I just don't see the point in paying the monthly fee to Tivo, 10-20 a month??? For a glorified TV guide?

It is $9.99 a month, or $249 for a lifetime subscription.

My subscription to the print TV Guide is like $1.50 a week, and I can't search through it. :)

Thread 6

....and another thing enigma72 May 30 2001, 20:17:07 UTC

Here is a link on building a PC based PVR unit if you are interested in going that route.

http://www.maximumpc.com/reprint/ultimate_entertainment/