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
- Buyer beware on TiVo Series 3
- I've been a loyal TiVo subscriber since Series 1. I own a Series1, Series2 and most recently Series 3 HD. The Series 3 HD worked perfectly for 4 months with cable cards. It has recently, however, stopped working (constant reboots and locking up) and I have gotten no suitable solution from TiVo or my cable company for 3 weeks now. I have gone back to my cable company's DVR and this TiVo box is now a 600 dollar dust collector.
- 2008-02-07, 9 of 13 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Finally Back with Tivo!
- Like most other people, I was forced to go to my cable company's dvr when I switched to HD (in this case it was Cox Cable's Scientific Atlanta box (blech)). With the FCC's July deadline, Cox was finally forced to issue cable cards for 3rd party DVRs -- allowing me to go back to Tivo -- and not a moment too soon. If you know Tivo (which I am assuming you do)-- then you know this box. Its the same familiar interface with all of the HD goodness to go with it.
A word about cable cards -- Cox cable was surprisingly helpful in getting it set up for me. (they have to "install" it at 30 bucks each.). First off, contrary to what the first technician told me, a multistream card does NOT allow multi channel recording of HD channels You STILL NEED TWO CARDS in this DVR. Secondly, because the cards are "one-way" the cable company cannot ping them to trouble shoot. It had to send the setup instructions three times for the cards to take. Fortunately, Tivo has a diagnostics so you can see which card is receiving what channels.
I guess if you are into movies on demand, it may behoove you to wait for the two-way cards to come out next year (it is still unclear if the current Tivo will work with them), but if you are like me, and are willing to simply call the cable company when you want an On-Demand programs, then wait no longer -- the $200 off PLUS $200 rebate makes this the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with your old friend! - 2008-02-03, 4 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Probably the best there is, but MAN I hope for better.
- TiVo drives me crazy because there are SO MANY simple things they could do to vastly improve their software, but they're scared to death to change anything. Also the monthly fees are ridiculous for the service provided (especially when you end up with 4 TiVos like I now have).
ALSO, it seems like they charge more for HD tivos, which is lame because they just provide tv listings. Oh and ads. They give you ads you didn't ask for -- so I guess you're paying for that privilege too.
That being said, there is NO BETTER option out there. You're stuck with 'em. And this is their best unit.
I immediately bought the western digital expander ( which is unfortunately still not available on Amazon, only at TiVo) to give this a reasonable number of HD hours. If you are serious enough to be buying this, then you are serious enough to need the extra space.
BTW, unlike previous reviews, let me not that this DOES COME WITH AN HDMI CABLE. I bought an extra cable because the other reviews complained it didn't come with one. It does.
Also, you will almost certainly need to buy the overpriced $50 TiVo wireless adapter. So don't leave that out.
The remote can control two DVRs, which is nice if you're like me and moving from an SD TiVo to an HD one, and will still have the old one around for a while.
WARNING: If you have a tivo already, the new remove is different. The select button is in the middle of the arrow pad instead of below it. I'm undecided on whether this is a plus or a minus. It IS different, and you will find yourself muting the tv ALL THE TIME (it's where the select button used to be) until you get used to it.
It has a cool display on front that shows the name of what's being recorded, but it's way to small to see. - 2008-02-02, 0 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- TiVo Series 3 Great except it does not work wht DIRECT TV
- The series 3 TIVO is a geat unit. No other DVR even comes close to the TiVo features. TiVo should resolve their problems with Direct TV since the unit will not work with a Direct TV.
- 2008-01-25, 0 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- There is no turning back...
- The Series 3 box is a more expensive unit, but they've gotten the price down into the sane range. It includes the upgraded remote, which is a learning remote as well as a programmable one. It also has the basic buttons on the front of the unit (nice feature if your remote wanders), but it still has a very clean/sleek/uncluttered look.
My TiVo is the primary (and only) tuner I have. I bought a tunerless television/monitor, which helped keep the price down. TiVo is simply the best DVR out there. If you read reviews of other DVR's you'll see the lowest reviews coming from former TiVo owners. Nobody else has been able to match the elegance of TiVo. It's a pretty strong endorsement when people are opting-out of a free DVR offer from their cable or satellite company and paying for these instead.
Beware: you will be hooked. Yep, I'm gonna be stuck paying them a subscription for the rest of my life (or buying a lifetime subscription), but it's sooooo worth it. I'm actually saving money because I've dropped my cable and am just filling my TiVo with free over-the-air HD broadcast network programming.
This comment has been in many reviews, but it's probably worth repeating: this TiVo cannot control a separate tuner box, so you cannot use it with a dish. You can get one or two cable cards and use them, though. - 2008-01-23, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
