Anyone out there use Tivo? We are going to drop Cable for cost reasons, but would still like to be able to watch the shows we enjoy on the major networks. I ordered an HD Antenna, but I'm not sure which Tivo to go with of the different models they have available (Premiere, Premiere XL and Premiere Elite).

2/6/2012 3:22:38 PM

yes. tivo fucking rocks. it's been way better than any cable or satellite company's DVR. As for which model to go with, ignore storage space, since you can easily swap the drive out. pick the one with the features you want the most, then roll with it

2/6/2012 7:17:56 PM

i don't know how to tell you to set it up, but wouldn't a computer (that you already have) be cheaper possibly?

2/6/2012 8:22:48 PM

I've already looked into PlayOn but it only functions on PCs and I have a Mac. I've looked a little into getting Apple TV, but Tivo seems to be the most robust and offer the ability to record live tv.

2/6/2012 10:37:40 PM

Cost reasons? If the cost of cable is effecting your money situation you have got bigger issues.

Also, have you looked into satellite? We pay about $50 a month for DirecTV and get all we need and then some. Couldn't be happier with it.

2/7/2012 12:54:44 AM

Being able to afford something vs. not wanting to pay for something are completely different ideas. A minimum of $1000 in savings a year can be better spent on other things for my family, so we're opting out of cable for the time being.

thanks aaronburro for you input on the tivo. We'll probably just go with the Premiere as it seems to have all the integration points we want.

2/7/2012 10:34:51 AM

eyeTV has products that work with a mac. i almost asked for one for christmas, but then decided to stick with dish.

2/7/2012 11:24:27 AM

You realize you will be paying a service for Tivo on a monthly basis to get listings updated (10-13 bucks a month). I have been a tivo user since mid 2000's and have loved it. I pay more a month than directv, and I hate my cable company but Tivo is such a good DVR I do not want to let it go. Any Tivo model that can handle HD (series 3, HD, premiere) will be able to work with a HD antenna and get the locals. Amazon unbox and netflix should handle the rest.

2/7/2012 10:31:40 PM

Yep, I did see that there's a monthly fee with Tivo. We have Netflix instant already and are Amazon Prime subscribers, so we should have a pretty good assortment of streaming content to watch.

2/8/2012 9:36:32 AM

i have had tivo since 1999 and obviously love it. but if most of what you're going to be watching is streamed, why not go with a roku or the like? why pay all that money to be able to record broadcast tv that will be available to be streamed in a year? you can just watch live off the antenna if you really want to see something right now. or add in hulu plus and that'll probably cover you even more.

if you're going to get a tivo anyway, the premiere will probably be fine. you don't need the expanded capacity of the XL. if you're an audio snob then the THX might be important for you (not available on the premiere). the Elite gives you the ability to record more channels at once but you probably don't need that either.

2/8/2012 12:25:47 PM

DirecTV was supposed to be working on a new box with TiVo to replace their disastrous current DVR. It was supposed to come out 4th quarter 2010, IIRC, and here we are in 2012. allegedly it came out in some markets recently. hopefully it'll be damned good

2/8/2012 3:23:36 PM