Tivo or UTV???

[jwmghf]

I am looking into UTV or Tivo. I am wondering which system is better. Is one easier to use than the other???

Thanks,

jwmghf

[Torg]

First off you are asking the wrong question. This forum does not condone, nor support hacking DTV. As for your question it is ambiguous. How hard it is depends on how much knowedge you have. Neither is any easier, or harder, then each other.

[jwmghf]

I don't know much about either systems. Where can I find out about the pro's and con's of each of the units. And Torg, "What is the name of this Forum, am I missing something???"

Thanks,

jwmghf

[scarabus]

I can't tell you the cons of UTV because I don't believe in giving money to Micro$oft. Though I was tempted to buy an XBox when I heard that M$ lost money on each box sold.

The Sony SAT-T60 is the dog's bollocks. You want one. End of story. TiVo rocks, the service is well worth the money and I can't imagine life without it.

[captain_video]

Now for a completely unbiased opinion (I currently own and operate both systems). First of all, you need to decide what it is you expect your PVR to do for you. If you want it strictly for timeshifting of programs then either unit will work for you. Both units have dual tuners and do pretty much the same thing. It actually boils down to personal preference. If you don't have any desire to perform any sort of hack to enhance the usefullness of the unit then you may consider the UTV. However, if you have any disposition to hacking, then the DTivo is the unit of choice. Both units can be upgraded with larger hard drives. The UTV is probably easier to upgrade but you are limited to a few different models of hard drive and you can only upgrade it with a single drive. The DTivo can use virtually any IDE hard drive and can be expanded to two drives of up to 137GB each.

A hacked DTivo can be subbed to DTV (legally) for only $4.99 per month (assuming you already have a DTV sub with another receiver) and an unhacked (i.e. "untouched" unit) can be subbed with the Tivo service for an additional $9.99/month (the Tivo fee is supposed to drop to $4.99/month in the very near future). A UTV will cost you the same $4.99 per additional unit plus $9.99/month for the UTV fee. Some people have had luck subscribing to DTV with either unit and have not had to sign up for either Tivo or UTV service. Just keep in mind that the UTV will not function as a PVR (or DTV receiver, for that matter) without having certain tiers activated on the DTV sub, which the UTV service provides for you. You can add additional UTVs or DTivos without having to pay any additional Tivo or UTV fees for the added receivers (it still costs $4.99 for each additional receiver). You cannot mix and match UTV and DTivo units under one fee structure but you can add as many of the same type PVR with no additional service fee.

I personally have never particulary cared for the Tivo interface. Fortunately, with a DTivo you have the option of using a DTV program guide so its not much of an issue. The Tivo software has been around longer and is more sophisticated when it comes to using the season pass feature. UTV has a similar feature but it doesn't work quite as well. I have not fully explored all of the features of each unit since I use both of them primarily for timeshifting. I could care less about useless features like WebTV (UTV) or Tivo Suggestions and Showcases. I'm sure that some may find them useful but then again it's a case of personal preference. Sadly, you cannot audition either of these units for a side-by-side comparison of their features. The Tivo Series 2 units are at Best Buy so you should be able to check out the features on the Tivo side, at least. I haven't used one of these units yet but I suspect the interface hasn't changed all that much.

I currently use my UTVs for day-to-day recording of regular programming. I had been using the DTivo in a "testing" capacity until last weekend but now it has a legit sub. The DTivo was used solely for extracting shows to my PC for archiving to DVD. Video extraction is currently not viable with a UTV. The UTV uses Windows CE for an OS whereas Tivo uses Linux. I have another DTivo on the way that probably needs some repair but if I get it up and running I plan on cancelling my UTV subbed units and using the two DTivos instead. I already have a new Turbonet card ready and waiting for the 2nd unit. I found that I've had too many missed recordings due to various reasons unrelated to the PVR itself that have cost me shows that I was trying to archive. I plan on using the 2nd unit as a backup so I don't have to wait for the show to be rerun in order to capture the program.

P.S. Torg - Go back an reread the initial post. There was never any mention of hacking DTV until you brought it up. The rules of this forum have nothing to do with condoning or condemning DTV hacking, merely its discussion. The question of ease of use was a legitimate one. We're all here to help, not to bash.

[scarabus]

Who are you calling biased? Just because almost every piece of consumer electronics I own has a Sony logo doesn't make me biased, in the same way that M$ doesn't have a monopoly :D :D

Many people find TiVo suggestions useful; it finds some amazing stuff sometimes. I watched PEARL HARBOR II - PEARLMAGEDDON yesterday - very funny.

The fact that you're ditching UTV in favour of a DirecTiVo says it all for me.

Originally posted by captain_video
P.S. Torg - Go back an reread the initial post. There was never any mention of hacking DTV until you brought it up. The rules of this forum have nothing to do with condoning or condemning DTV hacking, merely its discussion. The question of ease of use was a legitimate one. We're all here to help, not to bash.

The original post was edited before I read it - it may have said something else. Though I've never seen anything that said this forum was opposed to DSS hacking.

[jwmghf]

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it!!! Please, if anyone cares to add more info that would be great.

jwmghf

[captain_video]

Well, I expected to take some flak for my posting. This is, after all, a DTivo forum so what else could I expect.

Who are you calling biased? Just because almost every piece of consumer electronics I own has a Sony logo doesn't make me biased, in the same way that M$ doesn't have a monopoly

I don't believe my response was directed to any one particular poster unless, of course, you feel you qualify. Your reply clearly indicates that you have a bug up your butt about Microsoft. Admittedly, I was hesitant to purchase a UTV for exactly the same rationale but Sony was offering up to two $200 rebates on their UTVs at the time I purchased them so I figured I had nothing to lose. My initial cost was about $35.00 each plus shipping (try and find a 40GB hard drive for that price, let alone a DTivo). I can get at least $150.00 apiece for each of my UTVs on ebay, which was my original rationale for purchasing them in the first place. I never intended to keep them long-term but they have grown on me in the time I have owned them.

I based my opinion on actual hands on use over an extended period. I am only "ditching" UTV for monetary reasons alone. I actually find the UTV easier to use than the DTivo. As I said, its much more user friendly. The future of UTV is often debated and nobody seems to know what is actually in store for it. As of this date, there are no current plans to release any future UTV models other than a rumored merger of the UTV and XBox (actually backed by several Microsoft employees on other forums). At least we know that Tivo will be around a while longer, even if the Tivo service will now be supplied by DTV for their next generation DTivos. Microsoft did an extremely poor job of promoting an otherwise fine product. PVR interfaces are a personal preference and there is no single format that will appeal to every user. You have to make the decision for yourself. The hacker's choice is DTivo, hands-down but the casual user may prefer UTV.

UTV's are for aunt sally that can't set the clock on the vcr and your 4 year old daughter to watch sesame street and barney re-runs...

I see that Riley has two UTVs (does this mean we have to start calling him Aunt Sally?). As I said, its very user friendly. You just made my point for me. Not everyone that owns a PVR is a hacker or ever intends to use it for anything other than watching Sesame Street and Barney reruns. I recently sold a SA Tivo to someone that has a 3-year old son that uses it for that very same purpose so it seems that this is not limited to just the UTV. Besides, when was the last time you ever had to set the clock on a PVR? I've used VCRs for decades and I had to record a show for my wife using the VCR a couple of months ago. It had been so long since I used it that I actually had to get out the manual to remember how to set up the timer!

There is no additional $1.00 fee for extra UTV units. It's a straight fee of $9.99 per month for as many UTVs you want to connect to your DTV service. If you're getting charged an additional fee I'd call DTV and complain as this is not supposed to be part of their pricing structure. If you decide to discontinue the UTV service, just make sure you disconnect the sat inputs to the UTV before you call DTV to cancel. The UTV recordings can still be viewed as long as the tiers have not been wiped from the access card (so much for the paperweight theory).

Best Buy no longer carries UTV but occasionally you can find an open box return for next to nothing. Ditto for Circuit City. The UTV and current DTivo are no longer being manufactured so you will have to look elsewhere to procure either unit, with ebay being the obvious first place to look. You can still purchase new units from on-line sat dealers if you're a new subscriber and I know of at least one sat dealer that sells refurbished Philips DTivos to existing subscribers.

[captain_video]

I wasn't aware that you were a Pegasus subscriber. I'm not familiar with their subscription arrangements but I've heard that they're different than the normal DTV structure. That explains the extra fees you're getting charged. DTV doesn't charge any extra fees anwhere else with a straight DTV sub. I have never received any of the messages you've referred to about a new series UTV being introduced. I lurk in the UTV forums all the time and I've never seen any info posted there either. It must be another Pegasus thing that's unique. Perhaps they have some sort of arrangement to have UTVs manufactured for them, similar to the AT&T (D)Tivos that I've heard about. It sounds like your situation is more of the exception rather than the rule. I'm also wondering if the UTVs that are arriving "by the truckload" to your area aren't also somehow subsidized by Pegasus. They seem to be non-existent in the rest of the country.

RCA did introduce a 70-hour UTV (the 495) but it was apparently very short-lived. Sony has yet to introduce any new models not have they announced any that are forthcoming. As I said, I lurk in the UTV forums and several of the participants are Microsoft employees and at least one of them has close ties to the UTV project (or so he claims). If the poster is legit, the rumors of UTV's demise is somewhat exaggerated as Microsoft has supposedly not abandoned it altogether but is doing a "reorganization). Only time will tell what they're really planning so we'll just have to wait and see.