Akimbo - TV Over The Internet

[lajohn27]

I can absolutely confirm that my TIVO plays very well with my Rogers (Motorola) box here in New Brunswick. Thru an online forum, I can also confirm that it controls Scientific Atlanta gear just fine.

I use the Motorola PVR to record the HD stuff and the TIVO for EVERYTHING else. The TIVO user interface is just so much better.

[Wayne]

I have had two TiVos for about 2 years (maybe 3 - I've lost count) and they works great for SD content. I have older Series 1 TiVos and the limited Canadian support is not available for that so I have to stick to the roll your own data methodology. I use them with a SA3250HD and SA3200 terminals - I have minor issues of low volume levels on the SA3250HD. The TiVo uses an IR blaster to change channels on the STB and has to encode the video to MPEG-2.

Advantages of using a TiVo (vs. a SA PVR):
Much better UI, very few issues of missed shows.
Ability to export files to DVD.
Ability to export files to iPod and PSP.
Can schedule shows through a web interface.
Can use to play music, display photos.

Disadvantages:
Takes control of the tuner - you can't watch one show and record another.
Some of the above may require a bit of hacking.
Cost is about C$15 per month.
Can't do HD.

[nathan]

Originally Posted by Wayne

Some of the above may require a bit of hacking.

That's almost a selling point for me. I like fiddling...if I didn't already have my MythTV box for stuff like that, I'd definately pick up a Tivo. Wonderful machines.

[57]

Originally Posted by nfitz

Yeah, well aware of that thread (SATA)(P.S. Just popped over to that thread ... case in point. There are 396 posts in there ... 396 posts is no longer information, it's abusive!

I guess I wasted my time summarizing that thread. If you actually looked at the first post of that thread you would have noted that there's no need to read 396 posts... only a couple - the first post and the summary post.

http://digitalhomecanada.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=23773

I've summarized several long threads on "topics of interest". I wish some other people would do the same, instead of bitching.

[bababoey]

I hooked my Tivo 3 weeks ago and really love it, I have tried to configure so I can watch one show and record another but no success, The book said I should be able to this, Has anyone been able to do this with Tivo and a Rogers SA 3200?? also the TV Guide and Show Cases is gone from my Tivo Central is this because I am Set up with a Canadian postal code thanks

[lajohn27]

Originally Posted by bababoey

I hooked my Tivo 3 weeks ago and really love it, I have tried to configure so I can watch one show and record another but no success, The book said I should be able to this, Has anyone been able to do this with Tivo and a Rogers SA 3200?? also the TV Guide and Show Cases is gone from my Tivo Central is this because I am Set up with a Canadian postal code thanks

1) Watching while recording would either require 2 cable boxes.. (presuming you wanted to watch a digital channel and record a digital channel) or a dual tuner STB. (i'm not familiar with the 3200) OR .. you could watch one analog channel 2 to 69 and record one digital channel.. All you need to do that is split the cable, and hook it up both to the SA3200 and to the RF input of the TV. The TIVOs are NOT dual tuner so it cannot control two boxes etc. [ It has been posted on the TIVOCOMMUNITY site that the new TIVOs due in 2006 will be dual tuner HD capable and work with both cable and off-air HD feeds. ]

2) Showcases are gone because TIVO doesn't have Showcase arrangements with Canadian broadcasters and the video material that makes up showcases is normally recorded by your TIVO off the American Discovery channel at 4am. The Canadian Discovery channel doesn't carry this program (Usually listed in guide information as TELEWORLD).

-

As for the poster a few messages back.. a simple hack will get your Series 1 box working in Canada. You start guided setup (use any US postal code) up till the point where it makes its first phone call - then presuming your box is hacked - you enter a dbset command from the # prompt and set the Canadian postal code from the command line.

Then proceed with guided setup as normal. This works like a charm. (For more information on this hack - visit forums.tivocanada

ENjoy!

John

[57]

The book may have said "watch an already recorded programme while recording another"? This only requires one tuner.

[TheTinRam]

I guess “to each his own” would be a good saying here. I personally don’t see the advantages of Tivo over SA DVRs (with Rogers digital cable)

More user friendly IPG? What’s so user friendly about having ANOTHER box on top of your digital cable box and needing to configure them to work together? That’s user friendly? What’s so user friendly about only having a single tuner so you can’t record something and watch something else at the same time?

I admit I have never used a Tivo but until they integrate it with the Rogers box I probably never will. I head Direct TV has their box integrated with Tivo.

I guess what is happening with them these days is sad since Tivo pioneered the whole DVR concept but the competition just killed them by integrating their boxes with cable company’s cabled boxes.

Tivo has been in trouble financially for a while now. They have one hope left of not going belly-up, and that is the deal they signed with Yahoo recently. If the whole IPTV thing really takes off, it will make Tivo a pioneer again.

[guido]

Originally Posted by TheTinRam

I guess “to each his own” would be a good saying here. I personally don’t see the advantages of Tivo over SA DVRs (with Rogers digital cable)

More user friendly IPG? What’s so user friendly about having ANOTHER box on top of your digital cable box and needing to configure them to work together? That’s user friendly? What’s so user friendly about only having a single tuner so you can’t record something and watch something else at the same time?

I admit I have never used a Tivo but until they integrate it with the Rogers box I probably never will. I head Direct TV has their box integrated with Tivo.

I guess what is happening with them these days is sad since Tivo pioneered the whole DVR concept but the competition just killed them by integrating their boxes with cable company’s cabled boxes.

Tivo has been in trouble financially for a while now. They have one hope left of not going belly-up, and that is the deal they signed with Yahoo recently. If the whole IPTV thing really takes off, it will make Tivo a pioneer again.

Saying you've never used a TiVo, says it all my friend. Once you've used it once you'll realize how wrong your statement is.

As much is it to try and wrangle with SA's boxes .. like trying to cancel just 1 recording - trying to actually search for something - trying to tape a program *anywhere* - trying to manage the tiny recorded list - trying to figure out why my program didn't tape because the name shifted.. etc, etc ....

I do agree that the PVR + Cable box setup isn't a great one, most because you lose the multiple recording functionality of the unit. The non-HD is the kill zone for me, so I'm SOL for now.

It's a question mark for rogers who'll they will use for their next gen boxes, ideally a TiVo HD unit would be compatible *directly* with Rogers cable .. IOW no need for the SA box.. but no idea if we'll see that.

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by bababoey

I hooked my Tivo 3 weeks ago and really love it, I have tried to configure so I can watch one show and record another but no success, The book said I should be able to this, Has anyone been able to do this with Tivo and a Rogers SA 3200??

This would only work to allow you to record (or watch) when one of the channels is analogue (i.e. channels 2-75) and the quality will likely suffer a bit. To do this you need the TiVo to be able to use two inputs - the cable box via S-video (or composite) and the TiVo's own RF tuner. I did get this working with mucho hacking but I don't know that I would recommend my method to others.

I believe there may be another way as I thought I once read that a TiVo should work with a sat box and RF which would allow the typical American customer to get local channels, but I don't know if the TiVo lets you use both inputs if you tell it that you have a cable box.

Try searching or posting on TiVo Community Forums to find out more.

The other way to do this is to buy two cable boxes which isn't as ridiculous as it sounds as Rogers sells them for $99 less $100 in programming credit. The only problem you may have is that Rogers only allows you to have as many cable boxes as legal cable outlets. I found this out last year when I was replacing two rented boxes with purchased boxes and they would only let me have 4 boxes activated at once.

[firstimeoninternet]

hi,

do you think that tivo will work with bev? that is the tv provider service i got.

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by firstimeoninternet

hi,

do you think that tivo will work with bev? that is the tv provider service i got.

Yes - there are many people using a TiVo with BEV. You do have te normal caveats - no HD and only a single tuner.

[SensualPoet]

I happen to have an Akimbo BroadbandTV box at home ... fairly disappointing for Canadian users but an interesting concept (far too many content providers aren't available in Canada).

I might be tempted to try TiVo ... but the official TiVo site kinda discourages Canadian sales/users; support sounds lacklustre. I want something I can use without a lot of muss and fuss.

Plus, I'm a certified HD lover.

So my next step is, more likely, an HD PVR from Rogers. I think it's something that, once I try it, I'll wonder how I ever did without it. But right now I tend to watch more DVDs and TVLand than mainstream network TV. And at 20 hours of HD TV on the Rogers PVR I feel a tad underwhelmed at the prospect of spending up to $25/mth.

[Crispy]

"The only real fix is to loosen the content market rights rules....."

Actually the easier fix is to change your PC regional settings to "United States", clear your cache and then reload the site and voila your viewed as American.

Of course this fix is referring to the Media Center Edition plugin version.

Crispy

[hugh]

Zip will be integrating Akimbo offerings into its website so customers can search both at the same time.