Why did I wait? Oh yeah...the price drop
Pros:
inexpensive (if you shop around), intuitive controls, time-saver
Cons:
does not permit use with 5.1 surround sound, only stereo
The Bottom Line:
This Tivo unit is an intuitive time-saver. It is inexpensive if you shop around. I recommend it to anyone who can live without surround sound.
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
I have owned the Tivo Series2 for about 6 months. When I purchased it I had a concern - I do not have a land line telephone, only VOIP, and the Tivo DVRs have traditionally used the phone line for set up and to receive the data pertaining to the show schedules, etc. Well, customer service at Tivo was very helpful, and although I did have to take the device to a friend's house to initialize it using a phone line, I was able to set it up at home by using a Wi-Fi adapter (Tivo has a list on their website of which wireless adapters they have tested and approved....they have their own wi-fi accessory, but it is much more expensive than other name brands).
Using the Tivo is very intuitive. It allows you to schedule recordings of two shows at the same time. You can set it to record every episode of your favorite shows, or to record one show....of course you can just hit the record button on the remote to record whatever is on at the time. The 80 Gig harddrive is plenty for me. I have several shows recorded, and do not have any problem with the amount of space available. You can also transfer recordings to your PC via wi-fi, and view them using software from Tivo.
One complication I ran into in setting up the Tivo is that I was unable to use it with 5.1 surround sound. Your sound must come through the Tivo box - of you try to have your surround receiver feed directly from your cable box - you get an echo effect because the Tivo creates a very minor delay. You can still get surround from components that do not connect to the Tivo unit, your DVD player for example. I think the trade off was worthwhile.
Remember, this Series2 Tivo is not an HD unit. Tivo has other units that they market for HD use. I do not have an HD TV, so this was not a concern for me.
Also, look around for the best price on this. It became clear to me that Tivo's price for the unit is very high. I was able to get it from Big Lots on sale for about $69, which is substantially lower than I saw it at other stores.
Additionally, you do need a Tivo subscription to use this DVR. There are various packages available, and I think I am paying between 12 and 13 dollars monthly for the service. Considering that I am a fan of the viewing flexibility that Tivo provides, I find the monthly fee to be acceptable.
All in all, I am very happy with the unit. From being able to record 2 shows at the same time, to being able to pause a live broadcast, the Tivo really frees you up to view at your own pace.
