more info on tivo
 

hi

we have dishnetwork and we are thinking about getting either tivo or the
dish's own version of tivo that they offer. I wanted to know if we got tivo
how would tivo change the channel to record a particular show?

thank you

veris young

"veris and amee young" wrote
we have dishnetwork and we are thinking about getting either tivo or the
dish's own version of tivo that they offer. I wanted to know if we got tivo
how would tivo change the channel to record a particular show?

It does this either with a cable connecting your Dish box and
the TiVo DVR (serial control) or with remote control "blasters"
that are connected between the DVR and the Dish box with a
different cable. The blasters are mounted on the front of the
Dish box near where the Dish box receives remote control
code; they simulate a "real" remote control...the DVR sends
a channel change code to change the channel on the Dish
box, basically.

However, TiVo DVRs cannot control boxes that use RF
(radio frequency) technology; they only work with serial
control or IR (infrared; 99% of all remotes) blasters. So, you
should check to see if your Dish box uses RF for remote
control. If it does, you can't use TiVo unless you can use the
serial port on the Dish box. Serial is the preferred method
since it's faster and not prone to transmission errors like the
blasters can be for some people.

How do you determine if you can use serial control? That's
a good question. Anyone?

Finally, are you committed to staying with Dish? DirecTV
satellite service has its own TiVo DVR: the DirecTV-TiVo
combo box. This would be ideal for those who prefer
satellite over cable. It can record two things at the same
time with *no* degradation in quality from the original
transmission from DirecTV. The box is also cheaper to
buy and the TiVo subscription cost is cheaper as well
($5/month or else included with some deluxe channel
lineup packages). However, there is no product lifetime
subscription offered for these machines.

HTH

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veris and amee young wrote:

hi

we have dishnetwork and we are thinking about getting either tivo or the
dish's own version of tivo that they offer. I wanted to know if we got tivo
how would tivo change the channel to record a particular show?

thank you

veris young



It would use an IR blaster.


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In article ,
Bao H. Lammy wrote:
Finally, are you committed to staying with Dish? DirecTV
satellite service has its own TiVo DVR: the DirecTV-TiVo
combo box. This would be ideal for those who prefer
satellite over cable. It can record two things at the same

Though just for completeness, even though this is a Tivo group.

If he *IS* committed to staying with Dish, Dish also has its own PVR line.
Some can record 2 shows at once, just like the DirecTV-Tivo.

The original poster should do some searching for comparisons and contrasts.
General opinion is that it's nowhere near as good as a DirecTV-Tivo,
but if he _is_ sticking with Dish, 2 tuners is very compelling for some
people compared to dealing with an IR blaster or serial control and the
whole digital-analog-digital conversions.

"Bao H. Lammy" wrote in message
...

However, TiVo DVRs cannot control boxes that use RF
(radio frequency) technology; they only work with serial
control or IR (infrared; 99% of all remotes) blasters. So, you
should check to see if your Dish box uses RF for remote
control. If it does, you can't use TiVo unless you can use the
serial port on the Dish box.

Never hooked one up to a TiVo, but I do know that although some Dish
receivers are RF (UHF to be more specific) they also are IR at the same
time. The remote spits out both signals at the same time and the receiver
is capable of utilizing either. The IR blaster should work provided it has
support for an IR Dish receiver (surely it does...). I'd be surprised if it
didn't work (and would be surprised if you could hard wire the two to change
the channel).

...

Finally, are you committed to staying with Dish? DirecTV
satellite service has its own TiVo DVR: the DirecTV-TiVo
combo box.

Both the major satellite providers offer DVR. Its just that one offers an
integrated TiVo with a receiver, the other is an Echostar designed DVR and
receiver. In some ways it is superior to TiVo (and in a few ways,
inferior). In any event, unless things have changed significantly in the
last couple months, it's next to impossible to get a good deal on a
dual-tuner DVR (model 522 I think, is the current one) from Dish unless you
are a new customer. Single tuner DVR's can be gotten from Dish all day long
for next to nothing, if *not* nothing, even for existing customers. This
was really the only reason I left Dish for DirecTV, the better deal for a
dual tuner DVR at the time.

Also worth mentioning is if one needs just a single tuner DVR and is willing
to live with an obsolete model, you can get a 501/508 and never pay any
monthly DVR fees (the 501 for sure-- the 508 I'm not so sure, it was
grandfathered in at the time Dish starting charging a monthly DVR fee thus
will never, ever see any such fee). It costs the same to use, month to
month, as any standard receiver.

However, TiVo DVRs cannot control boxes that use RF
(radio frequency) technology; they only work with serial
control or IR (infrared; 99% of all remotes) blasters. So, you
should check to see if your Dish box uses RF for remote
control. If it does, you can't use TiVo unless you can use the
serial port on the Dish box.
"Darrell" wrote
Never hooked one up to a TiVo, but I do know that although some Dish
receivers are RF (UHF to be more specific) they also are IR at the same
time. The remote spits out both signals at the same time and the receiver
is capable of utilizing either. The IR blaster should work provided it has
support for an IR Dish receiver (surely it does...).

As Dish Network is an option during TiVo's Guided Setup,
I imagine that there must be at least some support for Dish IR
remote control codes. The question is whether their specific
Dish box is supported, and I don't have the extensive experience
with Dish required to give the OP any personal guarantee.


I'd be surprised if it didn't work (and would be surprised if
you could hard wire the two to change the channel).
[snip]

I take it you are referring to serial cable control for channel
changing...and I have no idea how well or if it's supported.
Doesn't anyone here use Dish with a standalone TiVo DVR
that can tell us? I guess it's so logical to go with a DirecTV-
TiVo combo box if you like TiVo vs. Dish and standalone
that there are very few people using the latter...

As Dish Network is an option during TiVo's Guided Setup,
I imagine that there must be at least some support for Dish IR
remote control codes. The question is whether their specific
Dish box is supported, and I don't have the extensive experience
with Dish required to give the OP any personal guarantee.

I've used TiVo systems with two different Dish Network receivers - the
high-end 5000 and the basic-level 2700. Different IR codes are
required for the two, but they both work.

The last time I heard, the only Dish Network receivers _not_ supported
by TiVo were the old UHF-only-remote-control models, and Dish's own
DVRs.

I take it you are referring to serial cable control for channel
changing...and I have no idea how well or if it's supported.

There is no serial-port channel-change available on TiVo for any Dish
Network receivers.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

"Dave Platt" wrote in message
...
As Dish Network is an option during TiVo's Guided Setup,
I imagine that there must be at least some support for Dish IR
remote control codes. The question is whether their specific
Dish box is supported, and I don't have the extensive experience
with Dish required to give the OP any personal guarantee.

I've used TiVo systems with two different Dish Network receivers - the
high-end 5000 and the basic-level 2700. Different IR codes are
required for the two, but they both work.

Unless you changed your remote control address's, they both should have
taken the same code.

The last time I heard, the only Dish Network receivers _not_ supported
by TiVo were the old UHF-only-remote-control models, and Dish's own
DVRs.

UHF only models were older 5000's, all 4000, the 2000Deluxe and one of the
DVHS decks. All of those, except the 2000 can have IR added fairly easily.

well we would like to stay with dish as they are cheaper then direct tv and
we don't really care for sports so don't need all the sports channles direct
tv offer. Main thing comes down to is how much we have to pay each month. I
have been doing research on this for while but i keep here both sides so i
needed more info. I know there are lot of ppl with directv tivo but since we
are not going to change to direct tv i would like to know experice from dish
ppl who either have stand alone tivo or dish dvr. thank you all for all
info you have provided so far.


"veris and amee young" wrote in message
link.net...
hi

we have dishnetwork and we are thinking about getting either tivo or the
dish's own version of tivo that they offer. I wanted to know if we got
tivo
how would tivo change the channel to record a particular show?

thank you

veris young

sorry forgot to add another thing i just remembered. we are also looking in
to getting the PC tuner card like insta tv or one of those ati tvtuner
card. any one know more on those as for performence or how well does it
record or how easy /hard to set it up ect


"veris and amee young" wrote in message
hlink.net...
well we would like to stay with dish as they are cheaper then direct tv
and
we don't really care for sports so don't need all the sports channles
direct
tv offer. Main thing comes down to is how much we have to pay each month.
I
have been doing research on this for while but i keep here both sides so i
needed more info. I know there are lot of ppl with directv tivo but since
we
are not going to change to direct tv i would like to know experice from
dish
ppl who either have stand alone tivo or dish dvr. thank you all for all
info you have provided so far.


"veris and amee young" wrote in message
link.net...
hi

we have dishnetwork and we are thinking about getting either tivo or the
dish's own version of tivo that they offer. I wanted to know if we got
tivo
how would tivo change the channel to record a particular show?

thank you

veris young

"veris and amee young" wrote in message
hlink.net...
well we would like to stay with dish as they are cheaper then direct tv
and
we don't really care for sports so don't need all the sports channles
direct
tv offer. Main thing comes down to is how much we have to pay each month.
I
have been doing research on this for while but i keep here both sides so i
needed more info. I know there are lot of ppl with directv tivo but since
we
are not going to change to direct tv i would like to know experice from
dish
ppl who either have stand alone tivo or dish dvr. thank you all for all
info you have provided so far.

Well, like I was trying to say earlier, I felt the same as you. I didn't
want to switch from Dish. I was completely satisfied with my model 501 (the
DVR they offered at the time) except that I needed two tuners and it had
only one. I thought surely they would offer me the new dual tuner 522 for
100 buck or so, but no no a thousand times no! I was told it was available
as a 'lease' option for new customers only. In short they couldn't offer it
to me at *any* price so I said to hell with them. They had an older dual
tuner model (721) but it also was too expensive (in fact it was obsolete,
hard to find even thru a retailer).

Other than the limitation of a single tuner, and a few minor things that it
couldn't do that a TiVo can (e.g. season pass) I was completely satisfied
with it. It worked exactly as advertised. If you want to stay with Dish,
and why not, definitely ask them about the 522 as maybe things have changed
since I went through this and they can offer it to you at a good price (or
even lease it maybe) and also IIRC the feature set has been upgraded.
Whether it has anything equivalent to the season pass is unbeknownst to me,
but it wouldn't surprise me if it did. There is no doubt you can get a good
single tuner DVR for a little of nothing (if not totally free with a
programming commitment) such as the model 510 (120 gig drive, which is nice)
so the question really is whether or not you need a dual tuner model, and if
so, whether Dish has anything good to offer at this time. If you don't mind
a single tuner DVR, then it's a no brainer-- just stay with Dish and get the
510.