Does Tivo work with Dish?

[samplesj]

First, there is no way that one can build a PC which is comparable to a TiVo for $400 (the cost of a TiVo box plus a lifetime sub) ... unless you've already got most of the parts just lying around already and aren't going to count those as adding to the cost.

While its true that a PC based PVR will probably cost more than a TIVO (even with lifetime), you don't necessarily have to assign the full cost of the PC to the TIVO functions. Having the PC often allows other uses of it. Don't worry about the processor being pinned by recording either. With the right hardware you should see almost NO load on the processor at all. For example I have my SageTV box in the den. In this location it works really well for casual browsing by my wife. It also saved me from having to buy another jetdirect network adapter for the printer down here. No tricks needed to get the TV shows saved to DVD either. I record directly in a supported DVD format so I just pick the shows and burn a normal dvd without having to reencode. I could even strip commercials on the DVDs if I wanted to spend the time. Its also not just about the $. The PC based PVR offers a lot more functionality.

Do you need the capability to record a second (or third or fourth...) channel at the same time? Just add another tuner to the PC. There is no need to buy another TIVO with another lifetime activation fee attached. Of course this works best with analog cable since you would need another receiver for digital cable or satellite. If they hadn't crippled the zone 2 remote of the 322 it would be perfect for this.

What about disk space? Do you have enough in your TIVO? Not only can you use whatever size you want to in a PC based PVR, but you can also use more than 1. I have about 650gb in mine right now.

Its not just a PVR. The interface I use has built in support for local forecasts from the online weather channel site (not just once every 10 minutes on cable or not at all for satellite). I also have integrated support for IMDB so I can find out who was in the movie right on the TV in the middle of the credits.

Now here is a real winner for PC based PVRs that most people don't think about. How many different TVs watching different shows can you have hooked up to your TIVO? With 2 $70 boxes I have three different TVs being feed from this PVR and all can watch something different (prerecorded [live is limited by available tuners of course]). I could add more even. I've tested three different shows running at the same time and I don't think I'm anywhere near the limits. I just only need three right now. Think about how much home audio/video distribution normally costs. As a side benefit not only do the other TVs get picture from here but I can actually control them from either place. This means I can setup shows for my son to watch without running up and down stairs as I work.

Jeremy

 

[roadrhino]

While its true that a PC based PVR will probably cost more than a TIVO (even with lifetime), you don't necessarily have to assign the full cost of the PC to the TIVO functions. Having the PC often allows other uses of it. Don't worry about the processor being pinned by recording either. With the right hardware you should see almost NO load on the processor at all. For example I have my SageTV box in the den. In this location it works really well for casual browsing by my wife. It also saved me from having to buy another jetdirect network adapter for the printer down here. No tricks needed to get the TV shows saved to DVD either. I record directly in a supported DVD format so I just pick the shows and burn a normal dvd without having to reencode. I could even strip commercials on the DVDs if I wanted to spend the time. Its also not just about the $. The PC based PVR offers a lot more functionality.

Yes ... from folks I know with new MCE and MythTV boxes like that they can use their DVRs for light computing as well as a DVR.

The key point I was making is that the cost of a computer that can "do what a TiVo can do" is considerably higher than the TiVo cost. Further, the knowhow necessary to setup these sorts of systems is considerably more than the knowhow necessary to use a TiVo. For someone like me (and it sounds like you as well), I wouldn't count my personal time to set up the box because I would enjoy it as a hobby. However, for a typical person, the time to set up the system should also be counted as a cost.

Roadrhino

 

[Stargazer]

That is what I was getting at, you can use the PC for more than just a DVR but also for computer functions as well. Most people already have a PC.