Can I use an old (unactivated) tivo?

[hubie]

I have the Plus HD package that comes with “DVR service”, but I didn’t order a DirecTV DVR.

I have an old (unactivated) tivo. Can I ‘plug in’ this tivo to my DirecTV HD receiver and record shows? Do I need to ‘activate’ the tivo with tivo the company? I don’t feel like buying a DVR from DirecTV and paying another $6 a month for this if I don’t have to…

[Earl Bonovich]

You need to activate the SA-TiVo with TiVo, Inc to enable the DVR services.
If you don't have another SA-TiVo the fee is about $13 a month.

[captain_video]

If it's a standalone model then you will have to subscribe to the Tivo service through Tivo, Inc. Since you already get the DVR service included with your current DTV package you'd only need to pay the standard mirroring fee of $4.99 for any additional DTivo or receiver you add to your account. The DVR service is a flat fee that covers all DVRs added to your account and is not charged for each individual DVR.

[Clint Lamor]

I also have to ask what is the SA Tivo going to do about any HD shows you try to send to it?

[hubie]

a little confused here with all the different posts...

So I need to call Tivo and activate, and that will cost me $13/mo. And DirecTV will charge me another $4.99/mo? THat's $18/mo total...i'm better buying hte Tivo from DirecTV for 100 bucks then paying the $4.99/mo for my 2 year HD contract....

[Earl Bonovich]

hubie... the 4.99 DirecTV will charge you is the ACCESS Card fee (mirroring fee)... .not the 5.99 DVR Fee.

So yes... you would be paying DirecTV for the extra receiver.
And TiVo, Inc... for the DVR Services..

[captain_video]

I think Hubie is getting confused even more but I'll do my best to set him straight.

The type of service you have to pay for depends entirely on what type of Tivo you plan on using.

1. Standalone Tivo - this requires a service plan from Tivo that is separate from DirecTV. You can use the SA Tivo in conjunction with an existing DTV receiver or get another receiver dedicated to use with the Tivo. The extra receiver will cost you $4.99 per month for the mirroring fee. A SA Tivo has nothing to do with the DVR fee that's included with your current DTV subscription.

2. DirecTV Tivo (aka DTivo) - this is an integrated box that contains two DTV tuners and a Tivo. The receiver requires a $4.99 mirroring fee, but only if it is in addition to your main receiver, in which case it will be the primary receiver on your account and is included in the subscription package you currently have. If you have a subscription that does not include the DVR service then you must pay an additional $5.99 DVR fee on top of your paid subscription. Since your package includes the DVR service you would only have to pay the mirroring fee as outlined above.

If you have DirecTV then the best scenario would be to get yourself a DTivo. You're already paying for the DVR service so you may as well take advantage of it. Your cost would only amount to an extra $4.99 per month for the extra receiver. A SA Tivo would require both a dedicated DTV receiver plus the Tivo service fee, for a grand total of about $18 per month (remember that you are also paying for the DVR service in your plan without the benefit of having a DTivo). Using a SA Tivo with DTV just doesn't make sense economically. You also get a better quality recording with the DTivo since it records the digital stream from the satellites directly to the Tivo hard drive.

You will be unable to record anything in High Definition unless you have a HDTivo (model HR10-250) or DTV HD-DVR (HR20-700). The HR20 can only be leased through DTV whereas you can buy an HDTivo on ebay and own it outright. The monthly fees are the same no matter which DTV DVR you choose. The HD access fee is already included in your plan so you should consider getting a HD DVR to make use of it.