Dave Zatz is first to report that TiVo is now selling a TiVo branded 802.11g wireless adapter on their site. If anybody ends up buying one of these adapters let me know. I’d be more then happy to post your review.
I currently use a Linksys USB200M
If you read this blog often then you probably already know that I gave my in-laws a TiVo that I received from the JCPenney’s Dockers deal. One of the best things about this offer was that it included a three-month gift subscription as well as the fact that the subscription doesn’t require a one year commitment!
Since my in-laws aren’t that tech savvy I took it upon myself to setup their TiVo. If I didn’t set it up for them then they never would have done it for themselves. As you probably already know, one of the first things you need to do to setup a new TiVo is activate the subscription. In order to do this, you need to either call up TiVo’s 1-877-289-8486 number or activate the box using TiVo’s website. Since I didn’t have an internet connection handy I decided to active the subscription using the “old” method of picking up a phone ;).
Right away I ran into a problem. For whatever reason, the gift subscription code that I had wasn’t valid. The individual that I spoke with told me that they would need to elevate this issue up and that somebody would call back within the next couple of days. To be perfectly honest, I was a little concerned with this “solution”. I mean how many times have you been told that you would receive a call back from a company only to be left waiting for a call two months later?
To my surprise I received a call back from TiVo two days later! Now that’s what I call good customer service. I was told that I would receive a call back and sure enough I did! The individual that called me back told me that the issue had been resolved and that the gift subscription code that I had would now work.
I know that I’ve ragged on TiVo’s customer support before however, this time I was extremely happy with their level or response. Keep up the good work TiVo!
I found a great interactive TiVo upgrade site while browsing around del.icio.us. If you’ve ever considered upgrading but you didn’t know where to start, than you should definitely check out this site. The guide steps you through a couple of questions about your setup then at the end it gives you detailed instructions on what you will need and where to get it. Check it out if you haven’t already. I know I’m going to keep this bookmark handy!
I’ve considered upgrading my TiVo for a long time, however; I think I’m going to wait for the dual-tuner HD TiVo to come out before I spend more money on my current TiVo setup. How about you?
It has come to my attention that some people may be having a tough time accessing this site. If you are one of those unlucky individuals, the reason why you were having a problem was because I had installed a wordpress plugin that was suppose to stop Spambots from accessing this site. According to one individual, the error that they received was similar to this one. Prior to running this plugin, I was getting so much spam that I was having a tough time keeping up with it. By using this plugin, it looks as though I may have denied some valid users. If you were one of those individuals who was prevented from access this site, please send me some feedback and let me know what you setup is (browser, os). I apologize to anybody who was wrongfully denied access. As of right now, the plugin has been disabled and you should be able to browse the site just fine :). Damn spambots!
Congratulations to Dave Morse for winning TiVoBlog.com’s contest. For writing a wonderful essay, Dave will receive a $25 gift cert. to BestBuy as well a TiVo t-shirt. Thanks to everybody who submitted an essay. I really enjoyed reading them!
Here’s Dave’s essay:
With apologies to David Letterman (who I TiVo every weeknight 
), here is a list of the top 10 reasons of why TiVo is better than the competition:
10. The “peanut”-shaped remote: It has won design awards from the Consumer Electronics Association, and everyone I know who has a TiVo raves about it. The remote was designed based upon focus group feedback, and as such it’s very easy to use, with color-coded “Thumbs Up” and “Thumbs Down” buttons to rate show preferences, a huge yellow pause button for when you have to step away from the TV, etc. Every button is positioned in a logical place, and the remote itself is quite ergonomic and fits well in anyone’s hand.
9. Online scheduling from the Internet: If you hear about a show you don’t want to miss but you’re not in your house, simply login to the TiVo web site, browse the online TV guide, and schedule it remotely! I have used this feature many times and it works flawlessly.
8. WishLists: This is one of the most underrated (and perhaps underutilized) features of TiVo. The ability to find shows that include your favorite actor/actress, subject, genre, or keyword is extremely powerful. DVRs from the competition can’t touch this.
7. Cost: The cost of standalone TiVos (especially with recent promotions) has dropped dramatically over the past several years. At the time this was written, a 40-hour Series 2 TiVo could be had for $49.99! A build-your-own PVR or Windows MCE PC can’t touch that.
6. “Service-agnostic”: Unlike DVRs from cable or satellite companies that tie you to their service via integrated tuners, standalone TiVo boxes can handle any provider you throw at it, be it cable, and satellite, or just an over-the-air antenna. If you decide to change providers, you can take your TiVo (and all of your preferences and saved shows) with you
5. Music and Photos: The ability to stream MP3s and view slideshows of photographs from networked PCs extends what was originally a DVR into a home entertainment device.
Read more…
As if $19.99 wasn’t cheap enough for a 40 hr TiVo, Amazon now offers a 5% discount on this offer! To take advantage of the 5% discount, make sure you enter the following promotional code when you checkout: CUSTAPPRSAVE. According to this page, the offer is only good from Dec. 13 - Dec. 20.
As always, if you do take advantage of this offer, feel free to put me down as your referrer (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) :).
Updated: I just went through the checkout process. When you add the promotion code, the final price is $139.87! This price also includes shipping free 5-9 day shipping! This almost sounds too good to be true!
Are you running out of space on your TiVo? If yes, you might want to consider getting yourself a terabyte TiVo! Due to the shortage of 500 GB drives, WeaKnees currently only offers a DirecTV HR10-250 DVR with one terabyte of storage. The post states that standalone TiVos will also be offered at some point.
Today is the last day to submit your essays! The individual with the best essay will win a $25 BestBuy giftcard and a free TiVo t-shirt. Good luck!
There are only two days left for you to win a free $25 BestBuy giftcard and a TiVo t-shirt. Just thought I would let you know :).
Updated: 12/13/05: After seeing a couple of other site’s holiday shopping lists, I noticed that I may have published this post too early. Needless to say, I’ve decided to republish it with a couple of updates.
Do you have a TiVo addict on your shopping list? If yes, here’s a list of items that every TiVo geek would love to have under their Christmas tree.
: Any TiVo addict would love to have another TiVo in the house. Besides, they’re dirt cheap now! If you get your TiVo lover an extra TiVo, make sure you buy them network adapters (see below) so that both TiVos can be connected to each other.: There are a number of good TiVo books out there however, this one seems to be the best.: I’ve heard nothing but good things about this device. A Slingbox allows you to watch your TiVo recordings from anywhere including work and on the road. and the Linksys USB200MAnybody else have any suggestions?
