[Guest]

Will Tivo, or similar product, allow you to record one channel from a dish, while viewing another? I realize there is a $10 monthly fee for Tivo service. What does this service provide and what are Tivo's functions if you don't subscribe to their service?

 

[John Corn]

Hi Ken, Welcome to DBSTalk :hi:

It will allow you to view one channel while you record another.
You have to pay the monthly $10.00 fee or a lifetime for $250.00 in order to use TiVo.

There's a fee because TiVo uses subscription revenue model. They don't make the box, they make the software that enables the PVR funcionality.

Also just because "I own the box" doesn't mean that you own a "licence to the software inside it.". That's akin to saying that just because you own a computer, you own the software on the hard drive. Unless you've paid for the license for that software, you don't own it! TiVo is granting you that license in return for a monthly fee.

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, good or bad, it's just the way it is.


The Tivo units do work without paying a subscribtion, they are just have limited features, the monthly service allows you to set up season passes and wishlists that other PVR's do not have. If you want minimal features like other PVR's than just don't subscribe. The whole reason to pay the extra money is for those features you can't get elsewhere, it doesn't just record a channel at a time specified it adjusts for special episodes and so on. The features you get for the money are quite extensive.

 

[timf]

If you're referring to the DirecTV combo box (and I'm assuming you are since this is a DBS site), then without the TiVo service all you can do is manipulate live TV (pause for up to 30 minutes, instant replay, etc.). In order to do any sort of recording, you need to pay for the TiVo service.

 

[John Corn]

duh.....nice catch Tim, guess I didn't mention you couldn't record.
Thanks
By the way Welcome to DBSTalk.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, John and Tinf, for your replies. If all I really want to do is record, and be able to record one show while watching another, are other PVRs that I can get with the SAT service sufficient?

 

[scooper]

Dish 501 is exactly that - a satellite receiver with a Hard disk recording ability that is programmed exactly like a VCR - except you can select your programs via the EPG and not strictly by channel/starttime/endtime .

 

[Kenster]

Thanks Scooper. Which service offers the Dish 501 and do you know the extra costs involved, startup costs and any extra monthly fees?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The 501 is only available from Dish Network.

 

[Guest]

Does the PVR501 allow you to record one channel while watching another? I didn't think it had two tuners.

Greg Bimson

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No the 501 will only allow you to watch a recording while recording another, the 721 is needed to watch one channel while recording another.

 

[EricG]

Scott forgot to mention that the 721 is a yet to be released product. DirecTiVos are available now.

 

[lee635]

When is the 721 due out and did tehy announce any 721 deals for new or current subs at the team summit????

 

[EdF]

In addition to two 7200 Dishplayers, we have an original S/A Tivo dedicated to a 3700. The Tivo service was cancelled when the monthly rate was increased several months ago. Although we no longer get daily listings, the Tivo works just fine without daily listings. Using it is just a matter of setting up manual timers (repeating ones for "season passes"). The Tivo has not called in for over two months now and still works great - it even made the daylight savings time change on its own!

We have it set up for Letterman M-F, an hour of the Simpsons on Fox-Philly each day, The Shield on FX, Mad TV, and several other repeating programs. We would have cancelled Tivo service long ago if we had known how well it works without the service. If you do cancel service, just be sure to UNPLUG the phone line before calling to cancel so they can't "ZAP" your Tivo on the next call-in!

 

[Kenster]

I'm now confused a little bit. Scooper says the Dish 501 works just like a VCR, which I take to mean you can record one channel while watching another channel. Then Scot says the 501 only lets you watch one recording while you're recording something else at the same time. So, can the 501 record one channel while you are viewing another channel?

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

No it's cant record one channel while watching another channel.

Again you can watch a show from the PVR while recording something else.

The 501 is only a single tuner receiver, in order to watch 1 show while watching another channel is with a dual tuner receiver.

Dish Network has the 721 coming out in late May which can do this.

DirecTV has the DirecTivo and Ultimate TV both are available now and seem to be loved by their owners.

Hope this helps.

 

[Tony S]

Kenster,

With the 501, you can watch a show that you have previously recorded, while recording something else (at the same time). This is something that you can not do with a VCR.

What Scott meant (I think) when he said that the 501s work just like a VCR, was that the way you set up timers to record is similar to a VCR (except you can use the EPG to select the show to record).

 

[Guest]

Kenster:

What you are thinking of as "VCR-like" is actually a characteristic of Cable TV (and Antenna).

Satellite requires a "tuner" for each channel being viewed. Almost all satellite receivers, whether they have a PVR inside or not, only have one "tuner", so they can only be used on one channel at a time.

The two satellite providers have the following products that have two tuners instead of one:

DirecTV - DirecTiVo; UltimateTV

Dish Network - DishPVR 721 (in final testing, due soon)

However, there are certain advantages to having two separate satellite PVR receivers, rather than one with two tuners.

If you have several family members, note that only one program at a time can be VIEWED on a two-tuner receiver. This is because they only have one set of outputs. If someone is using it to watch a live program, then you can't also watch a recorded program on its hard disk.

If instead you have two single-tuner PVRs, then two different programs can be watched by two different family members at the same time.

Also, note that with a single-tuner PVR, you CAN watch a RECORDED program while another program is currently recording. And, frankly, when you have PVRs, you will find that you don't watch anything live any more, because if you watch the recording (even 15 minutes later) - you can fast forward through all the commercials.

I have two 501s and I find that having two separate boxes that can show two different programs to two different people is invaluable. For example, my son comes home from school, finishes his homework, and then wants to see some cartoon show (that he has seen 20 times before). Since I have two 501s, he can watch his program, while my wife and I watch the news (or listen to one of the music channels) in another room. This is not possible with just one of the two-tuner models.

PS I also own a standalone TiVo. I use this mainly for its WishList automated search, which of course, does not work without the listings subscription. If - as mentioned above - you don't subscribe to the TiVo service, you don't have any of TiVo's unique features, so I don't see the point of using an unsubscribed TiVo with satellite.

 

[AllieVi]

Originally posted by kstuart
Kenster:

However, there are certain advantages to having two separate satellite PVR receivers, rather than one with two tuners.

I don't yet have a PVR, but expect to one day. Thank you for pointing out this limitation of the dual-tuner model to those of us who haven't fully thought about the issue.

 

[Curtis0620]

Originally posted by AllieVi


I don't yet have a PVR, but expect to one day. Thank you for pointing out this limitation of the dual-tuner model to those of us who haven't fully thought about the issue.

Even better is to have two 2-tuner PVRs.

Being able to record something will you watch live TV is invaluable.

 

[spanishannouncetable]

Originally posted by Curtis0620


Even better is to have two 2-tuner PVRs.

Being able to record something will you watch live TV is invaluable.

"Watch live TV" ? How quaint (check sig)