TiVo--Dual Tuner?

[Tigger&Belle]

We have a regular TiVo, which we love, for the most part. However, not long after we bought it (of course) they came out with the dual tuner one. I'm thinking that maybe we should put our existing TiVo on the basement rec room tv and buy a dual tuner TiVo for our family room, where we do most of our TV watching.

OK, the questions... We can tie them together, right? How do we do that? By doing that, we can record on one box and watch it on another box, right?

On the dual tuner one that we'd have in the family room, we can watch something and record something else, right? Or record two shows at once? Anything else I should know?

I just want to make sure that it would really be worth getting another unit. The pricing deals totally changed in the time since we bought ours. We bought the lifetime deal on our TiVo, which of course isn't offered anymore.

 

[bicker]

Since both are Series 2 TiVos, you can enable TiVO's HMO service on them, and transfer programs back and forth between the two, as long as you have a home LAN set up.

You might want to make sure you've got a wireless router, unless you plan to run wires to both TiVos. We recently replaced our wireless adapters for both of our Series 2 TiVos, upgrading them to the 'g' protocol (instead of the older 'b') protocol, and so the transfer time between the two TiVo's is practically real-time. (With the older wireless adapters, it could take hours to transfer a half-hour program.)

We also have our desktop computer tied into the network. We can transfer programs to the desktop computer's massive hard drive for safekeeping, and then when we want to watch the program bring it back down onto either TiVo to watch the program. With the full version of Sonic MyDVD software (which is an added cost), you can even burn the program onto DVD. (This is called TiVo To Go service.)

 

[LoraJ]

I have a dual tuner and love it.
Just be aware that it can only record 1 digital channel at a time. I think I have only had a conflict once, but since I do have another TiVo, like you do, it wasn't a major problem.

Like Bicker said, you should definitely network them. It's great! If I am in my loft and recorded something in the bedroom, but want to watch in the loft, I just transfer the file.

Sometimes with the dual tuner, it will be recording two basic cable channels at the same time, and I can watch HBO without disturbing the recordings.

I love TiVo!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

We just have regular cable. At least I think that's what it is. We have a wireless router for the computer--do we use that or is there a special one for the TiVo? As long as I know there's a way to do it, my DH would figure out the details. If we waited for me to do it, I wouldn't even have a computer.

 

[LoraJ]

Since you already have a wireless router, you just need adapters for the TiVo's and you will be good to go.

 

[bicker]

You use the same wireless router that you're using for your computer. Buy wireless adapters ONLY from TiVo. There are less expensive places to get them from, but the one TiVo sells is the only one that actually works well with every TiVo out there. Better to be safe than sorry. I can now watch programs real-time through wireless. That is incredible performance, and FWIR you cannot get that without using the TiVo branded wireless adapters.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My husband mentioned something about the units being able to communicate to each other via ethernet cable. I assume that's the same end result as the wireless. Our existing unit is already hooked up to ethernet and there is a connection in our rec room. So I guess that's easy. It's all Greek to me!

 

[bicker]

No -- connecting the TiVos to the router via ethernet cables is not the same as wireless -- it is A LOT better. Like 10 to 1 better.

 

[LoraJ]

My dual tuner is hooked up by ethernet. The others by wireless.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No -- connecting the TiVos to the router via ethernet cables is not the same as wireless -- it is A LOT better. Like 10 to 1 better.

Remember, you have to talk slowly and use small words... Ethernet is better? Or did you mean that wireless is better? And why? I'm about as stupid as a person can be with all this.

 

[LoraJ]

Ethernet is better.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

OK, we are going to get one. Geez, I wish it were this easy to talk my husband into everything. We are deciding between the 80 hour and the 180 hour boxes. Our existing box that we will put in the rec room is a 140 hour box. How easy is it to transfer programs from one box to another? I think that the 80 hour box will be big enough, especially if we can store programs on the basement box and/or use it for some of the recording and transfer upstairs easily if we want to watch a show on that tv. It should be fairly fast with the ethernet, right?