Are all Tivos created equal?

[t_nehpets]

Hi all,

I'm looking at buying either a Hughes HDVR2 or an RCA DVR-40.

The main attraction for me is moving recordings onto the PC, or even onto DVD. I'd also like to swap the hard drive as soon as possible!

Are either of these units not condusive to hard drive upgrades? Is the process similar to upgrading a UTV?

I also heard a criticism of Tivo units where the hard drive is always running. Is this the case with both units? Can this be changed? (I'd be concerned about HDD mean time).

Any comments would be appreciated.
---
Steve

[PlainBill]

Hi all,

I'm looking at buying either a Hughes HDVR2 or an RCA DVR-40.

The main attraction for me is moving recordings onto the PC, or even onto DVD. I'd also like to swap the hard drive as soon as possible!

Are either of these units not condusive to hard drive upgrades? Is the process similar to upgrading a UTV?

I also heard a criticism of Tivo units where the hard drive is always running. Is this the case with both units? Can this be changed? (I'd be concerned about HDD mean time).

Any comments would be appreciated.
---
Steve


Either can be upgraded. I've never upgraded a UTV, but understand the process is roughly 'Turn off power, open unit, remove old hard drive, install new hard drive, replace cover, connect to phone line, plug in power and turn on, wait several hours'.

Upgrading a DirecTiVo is much more involved, but you also can get a lot more. I suggest reading at least the first three pages of tge sticky in the Series 2 support thread 'Sleepers Iso - Series 2 scripts for.....'. Once you've absorbed the basics, come back here and ask questions to clear up any points that aren't clear.

PlainBill