TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Record up to 300 hours of standard recording time or up to 32 in High Definition with this THX-certified digital video recorder that delivers high-quality, high-definition programming and allows you to record up to 2 live shows at once. Schedule recordings anywhere from tivo.com and the advanced TiVo broadband features, including digital photos, Internet radio, podcasts. The backlit programmable remote control is easy to configure to your TV.CableCARD technology to access your HD digital cable channelsSupports digital cable,… Product details and pricing info |
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186 Customer Reviews Posted
- TiVo Series 3 HD
- The Series 3 is a great DVR. I purchased this when TiVo was giving $200 cash back, which put the final price within $100 of the standard HD TiVo. For that price I couldn't pass up the extra storage space, OLED front panel and back lit remote. Being able to see the name(s) of the show(s) recording on the front of the unit it really nice.
The TiVo interface is pretty good. It's still got some quirks to it that I'm surprised haven't been rectified by now. But, overall, it's the best game out there. FWIW, I think the old Ultimate TV interface was the best I've ever used.
Being able to transfer shows back and forth to my computer, and stream from the computer to the TiVo is also awesome and works extremely smoothly. - 2008-02-17, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Warning if you have Verizon FIOS TV service
- I bought this product to work with my Verizon FIOS service. After getting the TiVO I called and had Verizon come out with 2 cable cards. After arriving home I noticed severe pixelation on some SD channels. I called TiVO and was told it was my Verizon service and then I called Verizon and they sent a tech out to check my service. No issues were found. I then decided to take one of the cable cards out of the TiVO and plug it directly into my TV. To my surprise I had no pixelation on any channel. I watched for several hours than placed that card back into the TiVo and removed the second card. Right away I got pixelation on some SD channels.
I returned the TiVO to Amazon (Great customer service!) and went back to the Verizon HD DVR. I have no issues now.
I love the TiVO interface and had TiVO's when I had Sat and loved them but this particular model did not play well with my Verizon FIOS service and after reading many fourms have determined that many users across the country have had the same issues with this device and Verizon FIOS TV service. - 2008-02-14, 10 of 12 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- TiVo Series 3 HD -- Fantastic! So much better than Series 2!
- I just bought a new TiVo Series 3 HD through Amazon ([...] -- GREAT SERVICE!), and couldn't be happier. I just installed a new home theater system, with a Sony 52 inch KDLXBR4 LCD HDTV, a Denon A/V Receiver, and 5.1 built-in surround sound. I also have two Humax TiVo Series 2's, with built-in DVD/DVD recorders, and a VCR (which I have yet to turn use since upgrading). Operating it all is a Harmony 550 Universal remote.
My local cable provider is Comcast. Despite all this equipment, I'm very cheap when it comes to paying for cable, so I wanted to get the service as cheaply as possible. I am renting two digital cable cards from Comcast for $[...]/month each, which adds to my basic cable bill of $[...]/month. I went to the cable company, got the cards, installed them, and called the cable company to get them paired/activated. After one small glitch, we were up and running. It also came with an HDMI cable, so I didn't need to buy anything additional.
The picture quality is *incredible*! I am really having difficulty watching programs on my old TiVos now. With the dual tuners/cable cards, I can watch and record two different programs at the same time (or record two at the same time, since I never do watch live TV). This is the first time I've really watched true HD content on my TV (despite having an upconverting receiver), and after watching HD TV it's very difficult to watch regular definition TV again.
The software is also much improved. Fast forwarding is much faster, and the remote responsiveness is incredible. I could use my new TiVo with my universal out of the box without reprogramming it. In fact, I really haven't used its new and improved remote yet, since I don't really need it.
One other GREAT feature is that the series 3 detects the aspect ratio of the show, and changes the aspect ratio on your TV to match the native aspect ratio of the program. With the series 2's, I have to do it manually, and it gets to be a minor annoyance.
I also appreciated the additional hardwired ethernet port, allowing me to connect directly to my home network rather than having to buy another wireless adapter. (The whole house is wired for internet, so this turned out to be very convenient and made the installation much quicker.) I also like that I can add on additional external disk drives to expand capacity, rather than having to open up the box to replace the disk.
The only thing that I really miss from my series 2 is the ability to burn the programs to DVD. But, I'm sure that once the whole Bluray/HD format wars settle down, a DVD burner won't be far away. Then I'll have to upgrade my laptop to watch 'em I suppose...
One more note on this. I bought the TiVo through Amazon, from a company called [...]. Their service was incredible (very good at communicating the status of the purchase), and the box was delivered very quickly.
If I could rate this six stars, I would! All the feature improvements over the series 2 have added together to greater than the sum of the parts. All in all, a great product, and I'm very pleased. - 2008-02-13, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- There is NO substitute for the real TIVO!!
- We went from a DirecTV Tivo (good) to a Dish Network DVR (bad!) to a ReplayTV (Moved to an apartment)... We longed for the Tivo, but I held off on it waiting for the Series 3 to come out. If you have HD digital cable then this is THE DVR to own!
My Charter cable card install was flawless and it has worked great for over a year now. Be aware, you do not get On-Demand features via the Tivo but I do not care, that is what Amazon Unbox video to Tivo is for.
The Tivo offers more than a DVR, its internet features are vast. I use an open-source program on a PC media server to stream all kinds of video up to the Tivo (pyTivo is the program). I am able to pull stuff off the Tivo to archive or watch on my phone. We stream our MP3 music collection and listen to podcasts. Tivo is the centerpiece of our home entertainment system. TV without a Tivo just plain stinks... So glad the S3 finally arrived last Xmas!! Do get a 500VA APC backup just for your Tivo, it is a computer... - 2008-02-10, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- TiVo at its BEST
- Tivo's latest creation has all the features of earlier machines and some new tricks. Dual tuner, HD antenna input, on machine display of what is being recorded, TiVo to TiVo transfers, plenty of recording space on the hard disk, quiet operation, wireless network ability, on machine controls, spiffy cabinet design and remote with piano black and backlit display. I recommend using it with the TiVo wireless adapter to get the full benefit of super fast downloads and interconnectivity. Pricey, but worth the money. I'm extremely satisfied with this unit.
- 2008-02-08, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
