TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is finally a worthy successor to the Tivo Series 2. While there have been 2 previous HD Tivos before, their relative cost and the lack of available options for lifetime subscription made them unattractive financially compared with the cable company DVR. If you purchase directly from Tivo, there is a (...) lifetime subscription option to those with a previous lifetime subscription. That makes this a worthwhile deal, even if it takes about 30+ months to break even.
If you've not used a Tivo before, I would say it is head and shoulders above Comcast's ugly, ill-conceived interface. If you've used Verizon, it will be a step up, but not nearly so dramatic. If you've used Tivo before, you'll feel right at home. It's basically the 8 year old Tivo interface that's been spiced up here and there, with supporting links to Netflix & Blockbuster for streaming movies.
This Tivo requires an M-Series cable card if you're not recording from an antenna. If you're not sure, call your cable company to see if they support it. Verizon did struggle with this question, although eventually I found someone to confirm the Verizon cable card supports multi-stream. However, the Verizon tech they sent was helpful and had the job complete in about 15 minutes.
Although the Tivo supports resolutions up to 1080P, it is only available at 1080p/24, so if you have a slightly older set that only supports 1080p/60, you'll have to drop back to 1080i. That isn't spelled out anywhere on Tivo's site, although it probably doesn't make much of a difference.
This Tivo networks nicely with older Tivo's allowing you to transfer video between them, although it's not possible to transfer from an HD Tivo to a SD Tivo, although the reverse works nicely. You can also use the Tivo Desktop (a free download) to transfer to your PC. You can even save it to watch later or on your portable (Google "kmttg tivo").
I won't write a review of the Tivo interface. More people have done it better than I could, so Google for reviews. You should know, although the new menus are in high definition, once you get away from the primary menus, it drops back to the old 480/SD menus. The only reason I can tell is the screen on the TV flips a bit until it resyncs with the lower resolution.
This version of the Tivo has a backlit remote, although by default that isn't turned on. It also supports separate volume and muting with an A/V receiver, although it doesn't give you the ability to turn it on with your remote. My A/V receiver did not work with the codes provided, but a chat with Tivo pointed me to a page on their support site where you'll find the new Tivo has a "learning" remote. That did the trick.
If you use Tivo's Chat support, the agents are well-informed and patient.
I've had one brief incident as I messed around with various menus where the HDMI lost sound sync with the TV. A quick resync through the A/V receiver got me back and running in a few seconds. Time will tell if that was a one-time glitch or a problem.
Previous Tivos have worked with Amazon video on demand (which works reasonably well). Now there are additional options to select high-def material, and you also have options to download from Blockbuster and Netflix. Keep in mind there is a charge for this type of on-demand movie, similar to what you'd expect from your cable company. However, this function is integrated beautifully into the overall search function. As an example, let's say you're interested in a program such as "Chuck". As you search for the program, not only will it find the upcoming episodes on TV, but will also present you with the complete episode guide, giving you the options to either record from cable/antenna, or for shows that aren't available you can download them to your Tivo to watch. That's very clever and convenient.
Overall, it's an expensive purchase, but Tivo does their best not to make you feel stupid for buying it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black)

Tivo TCD748000 Digital Video Recorder TCD748000 Digital Video Recorders

Click here for more information about TiVo TCD748000 Premiere XL DVR (Black)

Read More...

DISH Network ViP722 DVR - Digital TV tuner / satellite TV receiver / DVR Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Wow. I am really trying to like Dish Network. I recently switched from DirecTV after being a DirecTV subscriber since the mid 90's. When told it would take almost 6 weeks for a DirecTV service person to come out and replace my dish, I looked into Dish Network, liked what I saw and switched. They were able to have someone out the next day. The price was a lot less for more programming than I was getting from DirecTV. The HD content is wonderful. Their installation guy was hard working and professional and their customer service people were excellent. The only DVR they had was the VIP722. I had TIVO's with DirecTV. Long story short, My first VIP722 died after about 3 weeks. I went through the disconnect, reconnect routine a number of times. I tried plugging it directly into the wall instead of a surge protector or battery backup. Noting seemed to help. To Dish's credit, they were quick to replace it by 2nd day shipping the replacement. I've now had the replacement connected for almost a week and am now getting weird video/audio syncing issues, random reboots, freezes, fast forward stuttering followed by more freezes. In other words, annoying reliability/quality issues. I thought my first unit might have had a cooling issue so with this one, I made sure there was extra ventilation and placed a usb powered external fan on the back/left side to help pull heat out. Off topic but I purchased this along with another external fan for my Onkyo 806 to solve a heat issue with that. If you have an Onkyo unit that gets extremely hot, the fan did the trick. Back to the VIP722: If this one complete fails like the first, I'll give it a go with a third. If that fails, I'll have to cancel my Dish subscription and either go back to DirecTV or cable. Fios isn't available in my area unfortunately. The VIP isn't in the same league as Tivo in many respects, quality and reliability being just two. Regardless and in spite of a relatively non-intuitive interface and a lack of a 'it just works' TIVO record, I was willing to make the change. Boy do I miss my TIVO's. Dish really needs to work this out. Losing subscriptions over a loser of a DVR/receiver would be a shame because in every other respect, Dish is a great service.
UPDATE, 05/08/2009: I'm on my third 722 but this one works flawlessly. No video syncing issues, stuttering video, freezing or constant reboots. The only thing I did differently was to NOT connect this to the internet. This is wild speculation but I feel like the unreliability I experienced with the other two might have been related to software updates via the ethernet connection. Now that I have one that works reliably, I'd give it a 4 star review if Amazon's system allowed for a rating change. TIVO is still the benchmark but once you get used to the 722's interface, everything works well.

Click Here to see more reviews about: DISH Network ViP722 DVR - Digital TV tuner / satellite TV receiver / DVR

Click here for more information about DISH Network ViP722 DVR - Digital TV tuner / satellite TV receiver / DVR

Read More...

DISH Player-DVR 510 - DVR - 100 hour(s) - DISH network Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I used to consider DirecTV to be the preferred choice of satellite television providers. With the introduction of new personal video recorder models, also referred to as PVR's or DVR's, Dish Network has established themselves as a formidable competitor in the areas of price, selection, picture quality, and customer service. My gripe is with their lack of Dolby Digital and 5.1 surround sound channels. It's enough to be a dealbreaker for audiophiles.
This model was a free replacement for an older model satellite receiver being phased out in 2005. A phone call set up the shipment and the process was painless. The receiver contains standard cable jacks for input and output as well as two RCA audio and video outputs, an S video output, and a Dolby Digital connector. With the number of audio/visual devices out there (TV, VCR, DVD, Satellite as well as stereo components), I would have liked to have seen an RCA audio and video input.
Included with the DVR is a built-in infrared "blaster" that works like a remote to control VCR's supported by the device (all major brands.) With this function you can use the satellite receiver to record programs to your VCR instead of the DVR. That said, it can be a daunting task to ensure both the VCR and DVR are set to the correct channels and appropriate TV/video settings or you'll end up recording the wrong program. This is why A/V inputs would be helpful and you'll likely be better off recording the program to the DVR first to transfer to the VCR later.
The Dish Network's customer service staff are some of the finest I have talked to in any company. Not only are they friendly and helpful, but I've found them to be knowledgeable (reducing the need for transfers) and hold times are usually under a minute. After installing the receiver, activation took less than five minutes and we were up and running before I hung up the phone.
Compared to the older receiver, I find this new receiver delivers a sharper picture with improved contrast and clarity. Until now, I gave the nod to DirecTV, but I believe the two are now equal. Dish also fixed some annoyances while channel surfing. In the past, pulling up the Dish guide meant obscuring the entire channel. Now the channel is moved to the right corner of the screen, similar to DirecTV, so you can view the current channel while you scan other channels. Another channel surfing option is to flip through the names (only) of programs on different channels. Unfortunately, this method obscures the top third of the screen with the title of the current channel and the bottom third of the screen with the title of the channels you're flipping through. The size of this obscured screen space could be drastically reduced and still provide the same information.
Another new feature is the ability to display the name and phone number of incoming telephone calls for those subscribing to caller id service through their telephone company. Finally, the old receiver used to suffer severe lag in downloading program descriptions. This problem seems to have disappeared entirely.
On to Digital Video Recording. This is my first experience with DVR's and I must say they have made the process very intuitive. I haven't had to refer to the user manual yet. The most prominent difference between DVR users and those without is the ability to pause live television. This is easily done via a big yellow pause button on the remote. Once this happens, the DVR kicks in and begins recording from the point you pause. To the end user, it simply looks like you hit the pause on a DVD. As soon as you start up again, the DVR continues to record as you watch so you never miss anything. Because you're now watching recorded television, you now have the advantage of skipping past commercials until you reach the point where you're back to a live broadcast. The only drawback is you will lose what you have recorded if you switch to a different channel. The system does prompt you beforehand so you won't switch back to live mode by mistake. The process may sound complicated but it's very painless. If you can operate a VCR, you can operate this DVR.
Programming the DVR to record programs is even easier than a VCR in my opinion. Simply scroll through the guide until you find a program you wish to record, then hit the record button. A prompt comes up, select VCR or DVR, and you're ready to go. I did get a tech to admit that it is possible to record one channel while watching another but they are only offering this service to new subscribers. Apparently, replacing the receivers of existing customers to include this feature will tax the current capacity of their system. If you're limited to recording the same channel you're watching as I am, a timer icon will pop up five minutes prior to warn it's about to flip the channel on you. To access and playback recorded programs, simply hit the button marked "DVR" on your remote and a list of recorded programs will pop up. Scroll through the list until you find the program you want, hit the select button, and you're off and running.
Thanks to DVR, the remote control is now as intuitive as you can get. The standard up/down/left/right controls are used to flip through the channels, the channel guide, and menus, but now you have DVR controls similar to what you would find on a VCR remote. This provides the ability to replace your current VCR remote entirely as all the functions are supported. The Dish remote acts as a universal remote for three devices in addition to the satellite. I just wish there were four devices we could add instead of three. If I didn't have to choose between controlling the home theater system and the DVD player, I could have eliminated all of the remotes in the house.
Perhaps it's better marketing but DirecTV seems to be the provider of choice for sports fans thanks to their all-inclusive sports package. Dish is the winner for music fans thanks to their partnership with Sirius. I counted 140 music channels (although I'm tempted to exclude the 20 or so channels that are broadcast in mono.)
This brings me to my only major gripe with Dish Network - the sound quality. Dish Network broadcasts only HBO, Showtime, and a few Pay-per-View networks in 5.1 or 6.1 surround sound. That's it. All other stations are simply 2-channel stereo, including premium channels. The signal/noise ratio is high enough that you won't hear any hiss, but the channel separation seems to be rather low for regular stereo. I find myself frequently fiddling with the virtual (fake) surround effects to find a setting I like. Anyone used to the immersive effects of true five or six channel digital audio will find the Dish Network sorely lacking. Since most cable companies do not have this limitation, I have a hard time recommending the Dish as an alternative to anyone owning a home theater system.
Finally, a new feature entitled Dish@Home isn't a gripe as much as an example of a really bad business decision. I beta-tested a similar service through a cable company years ago and this isn't any better. The service attempts to provide information such as news, weather, sports scores through your television yet the process is so slow and cumbersome you'll never use it. The games on cellular phones are higher quality and at least a game on a phone is a one-time fee vs. the monthly subscription this service tries to extract from you. I expect Dish@Home to die a quick death.
Hope the review helped.

Click Here to see more reviews about: DISH Player-DVR 510 - DVR - 100 hour(s) - DISH network

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about DISH Player-DVR 510 - DVR - 100 hour(s) - DISH network

Read More...