Tell me the difference between TIVO and DVR.....

[Minnie_me]

We're considering dropping our DVR (and premium channels, etc.), and getting TIVO. Pros? Cons? TIA!

 

[Anewman]

Tivo is a trademarked brand name of DVR.

Both are Digital video recorders.

Dont know of any cable/sat companies that offer TIVO, that is the biggest con for me.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I don't know anything about the regular cable DVRs. We've had tivo for the past year now and I just love it and actually upgraded to the HD tivo. I like that we purchase the machine and can purchase a lifetime plan so no continuous payments or worries about increases.

The tivo is very user friendly. I'm not the best with electronic stuff and even I can manage this. I love all the season pass options and how it has the filters for children(though I don't have any) and how it suggest things you might want to watch or record after getting to know your tv habits.

Most important to me is the easy remote. We use the tivo remote for the tivo, the tv and the dvd recorder. I did not like the cable company crazy big remotes that have a million buttons. I'm confused easily lol.

 

[ICF]

not a whole lot....they both record shows on their hard drive.

One may have some bells & whistles the other doesn't but TIVO is just a brand of DVR, much like Kleenex is for Tissue.

 

[Jennasis]

TIVO is fan-freaking-tastic. DVR is a PITA! We had tivo, and then the unit started acting funny. Turns out that the our Directv is no longer tivo compatible (ie, they want you to buy and use THEIR DVR). SO we had to scrap tivo and now have directv with DVR. It is so awful.

I miss my tivo.

 

[OneDisney]

Tivo is a trademarked brand name of DVR.

Both are Digital video recorders.

Dont know of any cable/sat companies that offer TIVO, that is the biggest con for me.

TiVo works with all cable companies, however it doesn't work with satellite.


There is a rumor though that TiVo and DirecTV are back in talks of making one that works with DirecTV.

 

[tedhowe]

not a whole lot....they both record shows on their hard drive.

One may have some bells & whistles the other doesn't but TIVO is just a brand of DVR, much like Kleenex is for Tissue.

This is like saying there's not a whole lot of difference between a Yugo and a BMW.

It's true at a certain level, but is totally false when it comes to the details.

 

[tedhowe]

TiVo works with all cable companies, however it doesn't work with satellite.


There is a rumor though that TiVo and DirecTV are back in talks of making one that works with DirecTV.

It's not a rumor any more. A few weeks ago, Tivo and DirecTV hare announce the resumption of their partnership. There will be a new Hi-Def DirecTivo box available next year.

 

[preb]

Tivo makes a cool noise when you triple fast forward, like "blup, blup, blup!"

Our DVR doesn't make that cool noise. Besides that, they're very comparable.

 

[Aristomommy]

We have DVR service through AT&T U-verse. My in-laws have Tivo, so I've used both. With the DVR service, you pay a monthly fee and don't need a separate box. With Tivo, you pay differently, more upfront I think, and you have an extra box. Tivo has some features our DVR doesn't have and it has more space to save stuff. We never use all the space on our DVR, so it's not a big deal though. Our DVR service will soon include all our boxes, so technically we could be recording 4 shows and watching 2 shows at the same time. After thinking about both options, I decided on the DVR service, and have had no problems with it.

 

[Aristomommy]

Tivo makes a cool noise when you triple fast forward, like "blup, blup, blup!"

Our DVR doesn't make that cool noise. Besides that, they're very comparable.

I hate the Tivo noise, it's annoying. But I like that it jumps back a little when you hit play. Good for those with slow reflexes.

 

[JARNJ3]

TiVo is far far superior to the generic cable DVR.

I have yet to see the extensive wish list and keyword (think you can record everything that has a specific theme - right now I have "awards" "halloween" "christmas" and "walt disney world" as some of my keywords........

 

[bicker]

Dont know of any cable/sat companies that offer TIVO, that is the biggest con for me.

Comcast offers a TiVo service, running on Motorola DVRs, in the New England area, and the service will be spread around the country, and to other cable companies (including Cox, soon).

The TiVo Series 1 and Series 2 DVRs will work with cable service, under certain circumstances. They will support unencrypted analog channels (often basic cable, sometimes more, sometimes less). After the transition to digital next February, most cable companies will be downconverting digital channels to analog, to continue cable analog service through 2012 (at least). However, some cable companies will be switching themselves to all-digital, sometime over the next three or four years -- some already have in certain areas. If your area becomes all-digital, or if you have cable channels you want to receive that the cable company is encrypting, or if you want On Demand, you will need a cable box. When you're reliant on a cable box, the TiVo Series 2 DT (dual-tuner) DVR becomes a single-tuner DVR.

With regard to the TiVo Series 3, TiVo HD or TiVo HD XL, most cable companies are required to support CableCARD, which is a small device you rent from the cable company that goes into the TiVo that allows you to use your TiVo for your cable service. Note that some cable companies are exepmt (for now) from supporting CableCARD, and in those cases the TiVo would be not much more than a techy's toy; it wouldn't serve any needs of the typical non-techy American viewer.

Finally, DirecTV service does work with HR10 DVRs, known as the "DirecTiVo". However, more and more DirecTV channels are being switched to MPEG4 format, which the HR10 cannot decode. TiVo and DirecTV has signed a new agreement to make a new DirecTiVO DVR, but don't expect to see it for may months.

I like that we purchase the machine and can purchase a lifetime plan so no continuous payments or worries about increases.

We pay monthly, at a price set forth in a three year contract; it cannot be increased over the life of the contract.

not a whole lot....they both record shows on their hard drive.

As others have pointed out, there is a big difference between a regular cable company DVR and a TiVo. Most TiVo support broadband features like online scheduling, multi-room viewing, "TiVo To Go" (which allows you to transfer programming to your computer or laptop or iPod), etc. TiVo's user-interface is considered to be a hallmark of good design, and the guide and search capabilities are often mentioned as the best in the business. People pay more for a TiVo because it is better. By the same token, people don't pay MUCH more for a TiVo, because it isn't THAT much better.

TiVo works with all cable companies, however it doesn't work with satellite.

To be clear about this: The cable companies were compelled by law to make it so that TiVo could create a DVR that worked with them all. The satellite companies were exempt from that law, and decided to preclude TiVo from making DVRs that would work with their systems.

 

[bgirldeb]

We had Tivo with Direct TV. It's far better than any cable DVR we've had.

 

[Green Tea]

We had TIVO, got the cable supplied DVR, and went back to TIVO. It is SO MUCH more dependable, user friendly, and smart than that darn Scientic America box. Tivo is worth whatever the price!

 

[FloraFauna]

I find tivo easier to use.

 

[legalsea]

We have had Tivo for 6 or 7 years and used it with Dish TV and (currently) Direct TV. All are Series 2 Tivos. Highly recommended. My wife loves the Season Pass feature, which makes it dead easy to record all shows (say, of Survivor or Amazing Race). My mother (age 80) likes to be able to easily search for favorite actors (for instance, all movies featuring Hepburn).

My mother even tried a DVR issued by Charter Cable (after her original Tivo went out), and she hated it. After three months she gave up and bought a new Series 2.