TiVo Blog Holiday Gift Guide

Here’s a list of items that any TiVo geek would love to receive this Holiday season.  Let me know if you think I should add an item to the list or if you’d like to voice your own opinion about one of these products.

Hardware

• TiVo Glo Remote ($41.73):

A glo remote is a must of anybody who owns a Series 2 or TiVo HD DVR. In my opinion, the glo remote is far superior to the remote that is included with the Series 2 & TiVo HD DVR.  The remote glows in the dark so that there’s no confusion when pushing buttons on the remote.

• Refurbished TiVo HD ($179) or Refurbished Series 2 DT DVR ($79.99):

For a limited time, TiVo is offering a steep discount on refurbished TiVo HD and Series 2 DVRs.  All refurbished units include a full warranty and to make the deal even better, TiVo is includes free shipping.  If buying a refurbished product isn’t your cup of tea, you can always buy a new TiVo HD for $255 or a new Series 2 TiVo for $149.99.  As you can see from these prices, the refurbished units are a far better deal.

• TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter ($39.99):

The TiVo wireless adapter is a great device if you need to connect your DVR to a wireless network.  I’ve used this adapter before and I’ve got to say that it works great.

• Western Digital 500GB My DVR Expander Drive ($113.99):

This drive is a great option if you’d like to expand the storage on your Series 3 or TiVo HD DVR. The drive is easy to install and it will add approximately 65 hrs worth of HD recording capacity to a TiVo HD or Series 3 DVR.  I have an expander drive connected to my TiVo HD and as you can see from this video, installing the drive is extremely easy.

• Internal upgrade drive (starts @ $129.99):

An internal upgrade drive is a great way to increase the recording space on your TiVo.  Unlike the expander drive mentioned above, you will need to open up the case on your TiVo in order to install an upgrade drive.  I installed one of these drives in my Series 3 TiVo and, ever since then I’ve enjoyed having the extra space.  One thing to keep in mind is that you void the warranty on your TiVo as soon as you open up the case….

• WeaKnees Backup Drive (starts @$279.99):

WeaKnees’ backup drive protects your TiVo’s recordings by storing all of your shows on two hard drives in a RAID 1 configuration.  It may be a little overkill however, it’s definitely a cool gift if your interested in ensuring that you recordings are protected from a hard drive failure.

• Sling Media Slingbox AV ($109.95):

A Slingbox is a must for anybody who wants to watch their TiVo from their laptop/desktop computer.  I use my Slingbox whenever I’m on travel.

• Logitech Harmony 880 ($99.99):

If you’re at all like me you probably have 3-4 remotes all of which are required to manage your home theater setup.  The Harmony remote will allow you to control all of your devices with just one remote!  I don’t currently own a Harmony remote however, this is one item that I would love to receive this Holiday season.

Software

• Roxio Toast 9 Titanium (Mac only, $79.99) OR Popcorn 3 (Mac only, $38.99):

Toast & Popcorn are the only officially supported TiVoToGo client for the Mac. I use Popcorn and I have been extremely happy with the software. Both Popcorn and Toast will allow you to transfer shows from your TiVo onto a DVD. Along with being able to burn TiVoToGo content to a DVD, both Toast and Popcorn also allow you to convert your TiVo’s recordings into a format that is compatible with many portable devices. Toast provides additional features which are geared towards authoring DVDs whereas Popcorn is centered more around converting digital content into different formats.

• TiVo Desktop Plus Upgrade (Windows only, $24.95):

TiVo desktop plus is one of my most favorite pieces of software. Desktop plus allows you to convert TiVoToGo transfers to a number of different portable formats.  I use it a lot to transcode my TiVoToGo recordings into an iPod friendly format.

Misc.

• DVRupgrade repair service:

DVRupgrade’s repair service is a great gift if you know somebody who owns a TiVo that is in need of repair.  In some cases it may be cheaper to repair a DVR instead of purchasing a new unit.

• TiVo Accessories (cloting, mug, etc.):

TiVo.com has a number of great TiVo accessories. I especially like the TiVo t-shrirts as well as the TiVo mugs (I know, I know, I’m a geek!).