Comments on: What’s More Important HDTV or Timeshifting

By: wardude

wardude — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:13:22 +0000

Terrie,

The S3 will live or die based on how well the cablecard works. You have to assume that Tivo is making very sure and this is why we are still waiting.

By: Terrie

Terrie — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:23:26 +0000

I think HD is great but I’m addicted to my Tivo. In any case, I have just one broadcast net (ABC) in HD so I have no use for an HD DVR. And when I do record HD content, my Pioneer Tivo/DVD recorder’s “Extreme Fine Quality” setting looks pretty good. No, it isn’t HD but it works for me.

When the Series 3 comes out, I’ll wait ’til we find out how the cablecards are working. My TimeWarner (SA) cablecard did not work in my Philips LCD TV. Cable company says CableCard technology is “not ready for prime time,” and Philips tech support says it is the card’s fault, not the TV’s. I’d hate to plop down my cash for the S3 only to have it not work.

By: Sean

Sean — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 02:21:19 +0000

I’m cheating. I got the Comcast DVR (with the WA State Microsoft software, not iGuide) and moved the TiVo to the bedroom. Frankly, the Comcast DVR is fine. No, it’s not as nice as TiVo, but it does the job and it records HD. For me, being able to record HD content in HD more than makes up for the shortcomings of the Comcast DVR.

At this point, a TiVo offering is going to have to be either extremely compelling or extremely cheap (or both) for me to bother going back. There’s a lot of inertia there; it took me over a year to give in and get the Comcast HD DVR, and it’s going to take something significant from TiVo to get me to go back. And I truly am a big TiVo fan. I wish they’d gotten their act together on this sooner…

By: MegaZone

MegaZone — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 23:20:13 +0000

I watch 100% of my TV timeshifted. Watching live isn’t even an option for me, I’m just not home and/or awake when most of the shows I watch are on. And some I could be home for, but I’d have to give up social events that are more important to me than TV.

I’ve also tried cable company DVRs and LOATHE them. So I am more than happy to stick with TiVo and SD until the S3 is out. TiVo matters more to me than HDTV.

By: Robert Schwarz

Robert Schwarz — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:41:38 +0000

I have both with the HR10-250. I can’t imagine living without it. I nearly had a heart attack when the hard drive died.

By: Joshua Ochs

Joshua Ochs — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:16:39 +0000

“For me the ability to skip commercials is a very small part, the main benefit is not being a slave to the TV schedule.”

Hit the nail on the head - Tivo allows you to chage your behavior, and take control of your life again. HD just looks prettier.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 19:23:33 +0000

Timeshifting is WAY more important.

But HD is very, very cool.

By: Eric J

Eric J — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:03:54 +0000

I have certain shows I prefer to watch in HD - Lost and anything on HBO. There are other shows I like to watch on the live digital feed, even though they’re not in HD - Survivor, Amazing Race. Everything else, other than live sporting events, goes through TiVo.

By: Tim P.

Tim P. — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 17:01:28 +0000

I live in the stone age. I don’t have an HDTV. I prefer the services Tivo provides, over HD content. When the S3 comes out, I’ll start investigating HDTV, but not a second before.

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:39:19 +0000

I refuse to give up either. So my DirecTV is being installed today, two hours after the install of my Panny 50″. Yes, I won’t be able to share content between that unit and my Tivo units, but I have about 85% of the same functionality, and I have way more HD content

By: Robert Aitchison

Robert Aitchison — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 15:28:32 +0000

For me the ability to skip commercials is a very small part, the main benefit is not being a slave to the TV shcedule.

The ability to live my life and not have to worry about when the shows I watch are actually broadcast is far more important than HD. I have an HDTV with an ATSC tuner and haven’t even considered even getting an antenna to watch OTA HD content because there is no appeal to watching live TV.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:44:59 +0000

In my house, time-shifting has won out over HD. Except in a few rare occurrences. We’re eagerly awaiting the S3, though!

During the Winter Olympics, we got the HD DVR from our cable company (Time Warner Austin), and it was *awful.* Luckily it came with a 30-day money back satisfaction guarantee, and you know what, after the Olympics ended, we found we were not satisfied.

– Tom

By: Bierboy

Bierboy — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:34:44 +0000

Every person I’ve had over to watch a live sports event in HD has been duly impressed, so I wonder if you were actually watching the sporting events in HD? I can’t imagine anyone not being impressed, as long as the HD set is decent size (I’d say at least 42 inches or more) and properly calibrated (not necessarily PROFESSIONALLY calibrated).

By: New York

New York — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:30:36 +0000

I dont understand what is so cool about HD. Ive watched several sporting events in HD at friends houses; I still dont get it. I could get an HD DVR via Time Warner, but Im simply too addicted to the TiVo functionality. So, when S3 is ready, Ill buy it, and watch in HD, but until then, its TiVo all the way.

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:27:25 +0000

Like most folks, I’m also torn…

In the bedroom we have SD with TiVo for time shifting. In the den, we have naked HD for sports, Lost, and the local evening news. I’d like to have a DVR on the HD set, but I don’t want to upgrade to the digital and HD package to get the somewhat-annoying Moto 6412.

I figure I’ve made it this far, I can wait another few months for the S3 or Comcast Moto TiVo.

By: Kirby Files

Kirby Files — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:22:24 +0000

Yup, I’m the same. I have my HD downstairs with my home theater, and my series2 tivo upstairs recording all sorts of shows. But I mostly want to watch things in HD, and I lose the benefits of the tivo. I haven’t tried Comcast’s HD DVR, but hav heard enough bad press about it that I don’t think I’m likely to pay the extra 5 dollars a month for it.

My alternate solution has been to order a lot more TV through Netflix, which looks quite good with my progressive output and faroudja scaler.

OTOH, my wife doesn’t like dark rooms, and *loves* tivo even more than I, so she tends to watch her shows upstairs on the flat-screen.