TiVo TCD658000 HD XL DVR
TiVo HD XL DVR holds up to 150 hours of HD programming or 1,350 hours of standard-definition programming. In addition to its capacity, the TiVo XL is THX certified for the best possible sound and video quality. The TiVo service keeps track of the latest TV schedule, and automatically records every episode of your favorite shows, even if the day or time they air changes. TiVo DVRs have two tuners, so they can record two different TV shows at the same time. Use a TiVo WishList search to find every show with your favorite actor, director, keyword, or sports team. TiVo Suggestions are personalized shows selected to match your preferences. When you enable KidZone on your TiVo DVR, you can select the programs and channels that your children can watch. You can search for TV shows by title, category, keyword, or person in the Find TV shows section of tivo.com. When you've found the show you want to record, simply log in to your tivo.com account, select the DVR you want to set to record, and decide whether you want to record just that episode or every episode of the series. Replace your cable box using one of more CableCard decoders available from your cable company Works with digital & analog cable; digital & analog antenna; Satellite not supported Digital Transition ready Video output modes - 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, native, & hybrid TiVo Series3 architecture In the box - TiVo HD XL DVR TiVo backlit, programmable remote control Quick Start guide Manual HDMI cable, composite cable, component cable, phone cord, power cord, 4 AAA batteries
TiVo TCD658000 HD XL DVR Accessories
 TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs
Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.6ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
Premium HDMI v1.3 Cable (2M/6ft.)
Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition)
Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote
Western Digital WDG1S5000VN 500GB My DVR Expander eSATA
Get Smart (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)
TiVo TCD658000 HD XL DVR Reviews
I hold onto my electronics for a long time, so I always buy the most advanced unit I can. This is my first TiVo, and I've had it a month now. Buying an HD model was a given, but I opted for the 1 TB disk so that I would never (I hope) run out of disk space or need an external drive. I can't imagine how I got by without one. It's awesome, especially compared to a VCR. And in keeping with my long-holding style, I bought the lifetime (of the unit) TiVo license, for a pricey $400. This thing set up like a charm, connected to my internet wirelessly (with the optional TiVo doohicky), and went right to work.
This thing has a MASSIVE capacity that I haven't come near to filling (thank God, too, I'd be a total couch potato if it were). Oh, my God, I had a series 2 Tivo with my regular tube TV, but when I upgraded to the Bravia 40", I knew I wanted the HD Tivo. You get the same ease of use, fantastic listing of upcoming titles, but with some very cool new features. The price is steep, but I had gotten a promotional $100 off coupon via E-mail from the Tivo folks, and that made it easier to pull the trigger.
All in all, a great product that I don't know how people live without. Also, the lifetime membership pays for itself in the end (wish I had known about that option when I had my series 2 all those years paying monthly). They are very knowledgeable and courteous. Tivo actually CALLED MY CABLE COMPANY FOR ME, set up a three-way phone call with the cable installer, and was there in the background of the call to clarify/assist if I or the cable guy needed clarification of what was to be installed.
My local cable company was giving me major run-around setting up installation of the cable cards (bad/false information, totally clueless staff). All in all, so happy with this purchase, and for any newbies, I cannot say enough wonderful things about the folks at Tivo tech/customer support.
Kudos Amazon. oh, so much better than the Motorola DVR. Amazon return policy (on line, emailed UPS sticker etc). The new unit works fine. The faulty Tivo went back while Amazon sent a replacement at no additional shipping charge to me. was a delight. The first unit failed to recognize the cable cards - fortunately the Verizon tech was with me as Tivo tech support were not willing to accept a hardware fault initially. This is the first item I've ever needed to return to Amazon for any reason, and my experience with the process was simply excellent.
You can either use an ethernet cable or the separately available wireless USB connector. The installer went through his entire stack of 20 cards before he found four that worked properly. Both these features require an actual broadband connection. TiVo's HD XL, on the other hand, gives you over 150 hours (according to the unit's diagnostics screen, it's 157 hours) of HD storage. I am seriously in love with this machine.
A separate button automatically backtracks the action eight seconds. And if the time slot changes, the TiVo (like any DVR) will make the schedule changes for you. If you follow several weekly series, and then add a couple of HBO HD movies, that 25 hours can fill up surprisingly quick. TiVolike most electronic equipmentgenerates a lot of heat. It literally took him almost three hours of trying, with several calls to his tech support office. The big hangup was with the premium channels for some reason. Let me begin by saying that a DVR (regardless of the brand) will change the way you watch TV.
Again, there is a diagnostics screen that tells you the internal temperature and whether it's "normal." There is no actual power button; however, you can use the remote to put the unit in "standby" mode. There is a switch on the remote that can actually distinguish between TiVo 1 and TiVo 2. You can, however, record two shows while watching a third that has already been recorded. As a result, I pretty much stopped watching "live" TV years ago. And the beautiful thing about the remote with this unit (not sure if this is true all TiVo remotes) is that you can scan through the ads at three different speeds. I'm even considering marriage, though I think such a union would only be legal in Massachusetts. Again, the Season Pass Manager allows you to "prioritize" your recordings in case conflicts between three or more potential shows arise. I had a generic DVR from my caable company for several years before I decided to make the leap to TiVo, and I'm glad I did.
I enjoyed the HD XL so much, I ended up also buying a TCD652160 for the bedroom. You can also rent (or even purchase) downloads from Amazon (you have to watch the rentals within 30 days). Looking at it another way, that's the equivalent of over six seasons of "24". There is a Season Pass Manager that enables you to record either every single episode of a show on a particular channel, or just the first run episodes. With a DVR you can just record everything, save it for later, and then scan through the commercials. The pause button also provides a very stable freeze frame image. This is handy, since some networks let their shows run long. NBC often does this with Heroes, and you would otherwise end up losing the last scene.
This reduces the heat buildup somewhat if you're not actually using the TiVo. While setting it up is a cinch, its effectiveness will also depend on the location and range of your router. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call Massachusetts about a marriage license. My previous DVR from the cable company limited me to about 25 hours of HD recordings. Finally, the cablecard set up can be a major pain in the neck. When you hit play, it automatically backs up the recording several seconds, This is great if you overshoot the end of the commercials.
Of the 60 or so movies in my Netflix queue, about 10 or so were available for streaming at no additional charge. Another great feature: You can use the Season Pass Manager to add an additional minute or two (or more) to your recordings. And if that's STILL not enough, you can purchase a separate expansion unit that will add another 75 hours of storage. I've also run into this with some shows on the History Channel. Though I haven't run into a problem with regular broadcast network shows, the Amazon recordings will be locked down to the specific machine that first recorded them. If you have a Netflix account, TiVo allows you to access it through the Videos On Demand screen. if you want, you can also place two machines near one another and share the same TV.
A separate screen allows you to record specific weekly timeslots. Keeping ample available recording space sometimes became a challenge. And if you have one with a dual tuner, it means you never have to choose between two favorite competing shows. It can be annoying if you're trying to pinpoint a very specific scene you just saw, but there's a great slo-mo button for that. Though a single multi-stream card can handle both tuners, my local cable office only had the single stream cards available. There is a fan on the back of the unit, but you still have to be careful about putting the machine into tight, enclosed entertainment centers.
This is great if you want to record, say, the 8 PM Sunday showing of The Simpsons regardless of whether it's a rerun WITHOUT also recording the additional 12 showings of the series during the week. Though that model only holds 20 hours of HD recordings, you can network the two machines through your broadband router and transfer most recordings back & forth between the two machines. That meant TWO cards for each machine. And if you're watching TV in the dark, the backlit remote with this particular TiVo is great. The unit has two tuners, so you're limited to recording (or recording and watching) two channels at a time.
The other cool thing I noticed is that both my Tivo HD units can see each other on my home network, allowing me to transfer recorded shows between Tivo units over my home network. We recently dropped DirecTV in favor of Verizon FIOS for television service. The only nice-to-have feature I found missing is a caller-ID option, which I enjoy having. You can even watch some YouTube videos through this thing.
After a few days, the Tivo unit pulled down a software update and I was then able to stream Netflix and Amazon On Demand video, which I found uber-cool. The interface is VERY user friendly and they (Tivo) are great about pushing out software updates to the units. Part of the reason people buy a Tivo unit is so they can fast forward through commercials. These on-demand features require a fairly speedy Internet connection I believe so your mileage may vary. As for deducting 1 star, I have to attribute that to two things - the cost of the unit and the annoying advertisements they're now running on various menu screens/actions. Unimpressed with Verizon's HD DVR offering, I did a good bit of checking with all signs pointing to the Tivo HD XL (and non-XL) DVR. It may be there and I just haven't found it.
The Verizon Tech attached this unit to a single cable run in the house, popped is credit-card-like decoder card inside a slot on the Tivo unit and I was off to the races receiving content over both built-in tuners. It's easy to get addicted to Tivo and there's a reason why. The guide and interface is virtually the same as past Tivo units. Amazon delivered my Tivo HD XL quickly and offered the best price at the time of my purchase. Considering the cost of the box, the monthly Tivo subscription and any kickback for on-demand sales they may get, I would think they could spare you from the annoying ads. The XL offered a TON of HD storage capacity and even more standard definition capacity.
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