If you have $1599 (after $200 rebate) to spend, you might to consider picking up a Series 3 TiVo with 2 Teraybtes worth of storage from WeaKnees. In case you’re wondering, two Terabytes will allow you to record up to 292 hours of high definition content or ~2778 hours worth of standard definition content at the lowest quality setting. In order to come up with two Terabytes worth of storage, the DVR utilizes both an internal and external drive.
I wonder how long it will be before we see a similar offer from my friends over at DVRupgrade.com….
————————————————————————————————— As a side note, I would like to thank David for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks David. It really is appreciated!
We all knew this was coming but, today TiVo sent out the following press release which indicates that we should see an upgrade for the S3 and TiVo HD sometime in the near future. As expected, the upgrade will bring TiVoToGo and multi-room viewing (MRV) support to the Series 3 & TiVo HD. Also as expected, TiVo has partnered with Western Digital to release an eSATA drive ($200) which will allow you to easily add additional storage to a S3 & TiVo HD.
TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced the new availability of several exciting feature upgrades and product support for TiVo Series 3 and TiVo HD customers. The news includes the availability of external storage (E-SATA) from Western Digital, the introduction of Multi-Room Viewing and TiVoToGo availability and the new feature of progressive downloads - all for Series 3 and TIVo HD subscribers. Please see below for more information on the news.
E-SATA
· The My DVR Expander external hard drive is capable of storing up to 600 hours of standard-definition (SD) or up to 65 hours of high-definition (HD) television programming based on 500 GB of hard drive storage.
· This is current the only TiVo Verified external storage device.
· The My DVR Expander is compatible with both TiVo HD and TiVo Series3 DVRs.
· WD’s My DVR Expander external hard drive is available now in the United States from Best Buy retail stores and by ordering online from TiVo.com/store.
· MSRP for the My DVR Expander drive with 500 GB is $199.99 USD.
Multi Room Viewing (MRV)
· MRV allows you to transfer programming between TiVo DVRs.
· It now includes support for Series3 and TiVo HD DVRs, meaning you can share shows between Series2, Series3, and TiVo HD boxes.
· Only SD recordings may be sent from a Series3/TiVo HD to a Series2.
TiVoToGo
· TiVo HD and Series 3 users can now enjoy TiVoToGo functionality.
· TiVoToGo™ transfers are available to all networked TiVo DVRs. This service enhancement allows users to transfer programs from a TiVo box to a desktop or laptop PC.
· Using TiVo Desktop software for Windows or Roxio Toast 8 or Popcorn 3 for Mac OS, TiVo subscribers can now transfer recordings from their Series 3 and TiVo HD boxes for playback, DVD burning, or converting to portable device formats on personal computers.
Progressive Downloads
· The progressive download feature gives TiVo subscribers the ability to watch TiVoCast content while it is still downloading, including Amazon UnBox on TiVo.
· When a download begins, the TiVo box checks the speed of the download, and calculates whether you can begin playback. If the download speed is going faster than playback speed, it will let users start playback immediately.
· If the download is slower, it will wait until users have enough of the program “buffered” on disk to be able to play it from start to finish without hitting the end of the buffer, and then let you start playback.
· This service is available for TiVo HD and Series3 subscribers.
According to severalposts on TiVoCommunity.com, TiVo has started to roll out new software (v 9.1.L5) to the Series 2, Series 3 & TiVo HD. The update incorporates a number of new features including the following:
TiVoLovers also has a great summary of what’s new in 9.1.L5. Please feel free to leave a comment on this post if your lucky enough to get 9.1.L5. I just tried to update my two TiVos (S2 & S3) unfortunately, neither of them received an update. I expect that TiVo will publish a software priority page for 9.1.L5 sometime in the near future.
Last week I received an email from the President of DVRupgrade.com (Lou Jacob). Lou contacted me because he wanted to talk about a post I published concerning DVRupgrade’s TiVo HD upgrade drives. After passing several friendly emails back and forth, Lou mentioned that he would be willing to send me a product for review. Out of all the products that DVRupgrade has to offer, I told Lou that I would be interested in reviewing an upgrade drive for my Series 3.
Late last week I received a 750GB upgrade drive from DVRupgrade. The drive was sealed in a static bag and neatly packaged in a box that was labeled fragile. Inside the box there was also a Torx T-10 screwdriver. The Torx T-10 screwdriver is the only tool that I needed for the install so, it was great that DVRupgrade included it with the upgrade kit. Last but not least, DVRupgrade also included detailed instructions on how to install the drive.
Over the weekend I went ahead and installed the drive in my Series 3. The entire process took ~30 minutes. I was extremely impressed with how easy it was to replace my Series 3’s existing drive. DVRupgrade’s installation instructions(PDF) were well written and easy to understand. If you follow the instructions step by step, I don’t see how you could have a problem.
In summary, I would highly recommend DVRupgrade to anybody who wants to increase the recording capacity on their TiVo. The instructions that DVRupgrade provided were extremely easy to follow and the entire process took hardly any time. I really liked how DVRupgrade included a Torx T-10 wrench with the upgrade kit. If you’re thinking about upgrading your TiVo, I suggest that you give DVRupgrade a try. Upgrading my Series 3 was actually a lot of fun.
Before you go ahead and order an upgrade drive, you probably should know that opening your TiVo’s case does void your warranty.
Disclaimer: DVRupgrade was kind enough to allow me to keep the upgrade drive. The fact that I’m allowed to keep the drive has not altered my review of the product. I truly had a great experience with the upgrade kit and that is why I am blogging about it.
DVRUprade has decided to bring their blog back to life. I know from personal experience how hard it can be to update a blog on a regular basis (personal site). Hopefully DVRUpgrade continues to post content to their blog. I look forward to reading what they have to say. In my opinion, you can never have enough TiVo news and information.
TiVoLovers is reporting that the newly released TiVo HD is having a number of video issues even after a recent software update. The issues seem to be linked to Scientific Atlantic CableCARDs. If you’re having any pixelation problems with the TiVo HD, you might want to check out the post over at TiVoLovers as well as a thread on TiVoCommunity.com. According to TiVoLovers, TiVo is aware of these problems and they are working on a fix.
I’m really not surprised that there are issues with the TiVo HD. Most first generation devices have problems early on. TiVo has always been good about fixing their software so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a fix soon.
WeaKnees has announced that they are now shipping upgrade kits for the recently released TiVo HD. Prices vary depending on how much HD content you want to be able to record. For $159 you can currently get a 250GB drive which will allow you to record 32 hours of high definition content. If money doesn’t matter, you migh want to go with a 1TB drive so that you can record 145 hours of high definition content ($599).
Along with the upgrade kits, WeaKnees has also start to take pre-orders for already upgraded TiVo HD DVRs. Just like the upgrade kits, prices vary depending on how much storage you want.
Are you running out of space on your Series 3 TiVo? Well, somebody at TiVoCommunity figured out how to enable the eSATA port on a Series 3 TiVo so that additional storage can be added. The hack looks pretty easy however, since this isn’t a supported TiVo feature there’s always the chance that TiVo may disable this in the future.
In any case, if you want to do this, you can head on over to TiVoCommunity or Engadget for complete instructions.
Since I don’t have a Series 3 TiVo I was unable to try this hack myself. Let me know if you end up trying it…
For those of you who missed it, TiVo recently started to push version 8.3 of their TiVo software. If you’re really dying to get this latest release, you can head on over to the software priority request form.
There’s not much information on what 8.3 includes other then the fact that it will have “new options for recorded programs” as well as “improved” TiVoCast support. One thing to note, this update is only available for Series 2 TiVos.
Thank you for your interest in the new TiVo Spring 2007 Service Update, featuring new options for recorded programs and improved TiVoCast support!
This update is for TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorders only! DIRECTV DVRs with TiVo and TiVo Series1 DVRs are not eligible for this update.
Have a TiVo Series3 Digital Media Recorder? This update is not yet available for these units.
Only DVRs with TiVo Service Numbers beginning with the following numbers are eligible for this software:
110, 130, 140, 230, 240, 264, 275, 540, 565, 590, 595, and 649.
(You can find your TiVo Service Number by going to:
TiVo Central -> Messages and Settings -> System Information.)
*** Please note: It may take up to three business days to receive your new software. We appreciate your patience.
You have received the update when the software version in the System Information screen begins with “8.3″. For more information, please visit our Customer Support site.
Our friends over at EngadgetHD recently upgraded their Series 3 TiVo by adding a 500 GB drive to the DVR. The newly upgraded TiVo now supports up to 65 hours of HD recording as opposed to 35 hours in a standard Series 3 TiVo.
Instead of just purchasing an upgrade kit from WeaKnees or DVRUpgrade, the folks over at EngadgetHD decided to do it the hard way and upgrade the DVR themselves using Linux and several hacks. Please note that this upgrade isn’t intended for everybody. It requires you to have some Linux skills as well as an understanding of hardware and how it works. I really would hate to see somebody destroy their $800 TiVo..
Let me know if you are a brave enough to try out this upgrade. I’m to cheap to buy a Series 3 TiVo yet alone take the chance that I might destroy it…..
If you have $1599 (after $200 rebate) to spend, you might to consider picking up a Series 3 TiVo with 2 Teraybtes worth of storage from WeaKnees. In case you’re wondering, two Terabytes will allow you to record up to 292 hours of high definition content or ~2778 hours worth of standard definition content at the lowest quality setting. In order to come up with two Terabytes worth of storage, the DVR utilizes both an internal and external drive.
Are you running out of space on your Series 3 TiVo? Well, somebody at 
Our friends over at EngadgetHD recently 
