From 501 to DTivo

[beejaycee]

Well, my D* system was installed yesterday. The conversation between the installer (who installs both systems) and me was very interesting! He has been so busy doing installs that he did mine on Sunday and (I think it was) Best Buy's free DVD offer w/D* is the one keeping him jumping. He was very discreet and diplomatic in his comments but there was a bit of "I remember Charlie when..." wistfulness.

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!

The DTivo takes awhile to set up. Unfortunately, I didn't read the whole manual (gawd, that thing is huge!) before starting so I probably missed out on several easier ways to do things. And so far I only have one DTivo with both tuners working because of install issues (of my choosing and not the installer's fault) so some things are not up to speed yet. For simplicity, score: 501-1, Tivo-0.

Right off the top, I missed the number of favorites lists with my 501. I used ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED, another that had my most commonly used channels, and a fourth that had the music stations. The DTivo only has ALL, ALL SUBSCRIBED (which I had to set up), and a favorites list. Score 501-2, Tivo-0.

I'm still getting used to the Tivo guide. The default guide was similar to the 501 guide, although it didn't get me a PIP but rather displayed over what was currently playing. Maybe that function is in there and I haven't found it yet. However, the other guide on the Tivo -- WOO HOO! That's how I like to browse! As I go from channel to channel, it displays everything that is showing on that channel for the night. Tivo's guide does seem to be slower and I haven't found a PIP guide (considering that I can pause what's showing while I use the guide, this isn't really a biggie) but it allows me to browse the guide in a manner most useful to me. Score: 501-2, Tivo-1.

The next couple of differences are obvious: I have to find something I want to record on 3 stations (actually, it will be 5 stations once I have the 2nd Tivo completely hooked up) at the same time before there is a timer conflict. 501-2, Tivo-2.

Season pass: what is most impressive to me is that I can tell Tivo how many recordings of, for instance, the Simpsons to keep before deleting the older ones. This keeps me from getting a backlog of reruns that I won't watch anyway and automatically deleting something important that I haven't watched yet. 501-2, Tivo-3.

DVR fee: 501-3, Tivo-3.

<edited> Grouping of recorded shows: I thought there were folders here on the Tivo but I must have been hallucinating... again. But it seems that shows in the same series are grouped together. This is almost a wash but: 501-3, Tivo-4.

I can see that I will eventually swap my Tivo harddrive for a larger drive. 35 hours was 'adequate' on the 501 but the features of the Tivo will probably make me wish for more time very shortly. Upgradability: 501-3, Tivo-5.

In fairness, at one time I had my 501 feeding both the den and bedroom TVs before moving to our new house, something not really feasible with an IR remote unless I ran from room to room to pause, browse, FF, etc. UHF remote: 501-4, Tivo-5.

I bought my whole new system, with shipping (to be refunded) for less than $200. This makes my average Tivo cost (I have 2) to be about $85 each with a 1 year commitment. This is almost a wash because I could have gone for a 510 for about the same price with a 1 year commitment but I would have to take away my 501's DVR fee advantage so I am giving a cost point to Tivo. 501-4, Tivo-6.

So, my initial 24 hour appraisal is I like my Tivos 1/3 better than my 501! With just a hint of bitterness and head-shaking, I think my perceived advantages of the 2 Tivos would have been eliminated by one 522 - especially considering that I would never have switched services had it been available! But considering that I have yet to appreciate the benefits of name-based recording, I am certain I will forget about the phantom 522. And I haven't yet evaluated the Tivo's ability to read my mind and suggest shows for me to watch...

 

[beejaycee]

Whoops! Might have to take a point back. I don't know where I thought I saw folders for recorded programs but t'aint there. This AM, now that I have a bunch of "Tivo suggestions" to watch, the list of recorded shows is just as crowded as on the 501. However, it appears that shows are grouped (the 2 "3rd Rocks" are listed together as are "The Simpsons") but I don't fully understand the method of grouping yet.

And, had I not already given the 501 a point for the UHF remote, I would give it a point just for the power buttons. On the 501's silver remote, they are large, a different color (red), and easily located "top center." The single TV power button on the Tivo is the same size as the surrounding buttons and good luck finding that one in the dark!

 

[Phil T]

Let your DirecTivo settle in for a couple of days. You will begin to get Showcases and all of your guide info.

It was one month ago today I switched from a 501 and Dishplayer after 6+ years with Dish. I got mine for $49.00 ea. and $200.00 in rebates. I just sold my 501 so I am starting a fund for a HD DirecTivo.

I really like the TIVO style guide better then the 501 pip guide. (8 channels when you scroll vs 4 with the pip on)

After seeing Scott's 522 review, I am really glad I made the switch.

 

[Guest]

There is an undocumented sorting feature for your recorded shows...

First, go to the list of shows (Now Playing list).
Then, press the following buttons, one after the other:

Slow-mo
0 (the zero button)
Record
Thumbs Up

After that, pressing 2 sorts by expiration date (so you can see the shows that are going to be deleted first to make room for new stuff listed at the top of the list), and pressing 3 sorts things alphabetically. Pressing 1 sorts by the default sort (oldest recordings at the bottom, newest at the top, except for suggestions which are at the bottom).

 

[video62]

...and $200.00 in rebates.

Who was doing the rebating? Store? Manufacturer? Candy man?
(I just bought two DirecTivos and a 'regular' D* receiver via the web).

Thanks!

 

[Phil T]

My rebates were both from Circuit City. They printed automatically when they rang the sale up. One was the multi room rebate for $100.00. The other was the $100.00 pizza rebate. One required the bar codes from the boxes, the other didn't. They also printed out duplicate reciepts for me.

I sent them both in about a week ago. I hope they show up on the CC rebate website soon. I will post if I have any problems getting the rebates.

 

[beejaycee]

BrettStah, thanks for the info on sorted recorded shows. So, I still feel good about giving that point to Tivo.

The learning curve on the Tivo is a bit higher than the 501. I was trying to explain to SO last night with a 5 minute demo and then left the room, only to be recalled multiple times to say, "now, push that button." And, it seems that the biggest shortcoming continues to be the lack of multiple "favorites" lists. And I still don't have the "channels you receive" list setup in the bedroom.

Last night, I watched "The Simpsons" from Sunday. Came to my first commercial break and hit the skip forward button. That bugger skipped forward 29 minutes! Foolishly I thought that it would be the same as the 501: 5 - 8 quick skips and then back to our show. Heck, 5 - 8 quick skips on the Tivo would probably put me sometime next week! Looks like I'll be reading the Tivo manual today. I looked at it last night and read something about white hash marks but didn't see any on my Simpsons recording. I also looked at a 1 hour recording and the hashes were spaced 15 minutes apart. Maybe this is configurable, otherwise another point to the 501. Why would I want to jump forward 15 minutes? Skipping the halftime show maybe?

The Tivo FF does something kewl: when you hit FF, then play, it jumps back several seconds. On the 501, I would hit the "jump back" button to accomplish the same thing Tivo does automatically. Possible point to Tivo. I say "possible point" because I'm having to use the FF to accomplish the same thing that the 501 would do with the skip so if I give this point to Tivo, the 501 gets a point for its usable (to me) skip button.

And have I moaned/whined about the Tivo remote lately? Sure, it's ergonomic. Which is a good thing, considering how much time I spend holding it to find the tiny, dark button I'm searching for.

 

[beejaycee]

Last night, I watched "The Simpsons" from Sunday. Came to my first commercial break and hit the skip forward button. That bugger skipped forward 29 minutes! Foolishly I thought that it would be the same as the 501: 5 - 8 quick skips and then back to our show. Heck, 5 - 8 quick skips on the Tivo would probably put me sometime next week! Looks like I'll be reading the Tivo manual today. I looked at it last night and read something about white hash marks but didn't see any on my Simpsons recording. I also looked at a 1 hour recording and the hashes were spaced 15 minutes apart. Maybe this is configurable, otherwise another point to the 501. Why would I want to jump forward 15 minutes? Skipping the halftime show maybe?

Well, I still don't understand the hash-mark things but the skip is programable. A search of TivoCommunity turned up:

Select Play Select 3 0 Select. Must be done while playing a show from Now Playing or while viewing "Live TV".

Now I have 30 second skips. :beer:

 

[oljim]

My daughter has a new Tivo, is any way to get to say friday nite at 8PM in the EPG fast? My DP can do this in 5 seconds.

 

[Phil T]

Hit the guide button, then hit the info button. You can then select the day you want.