A brief Tivo update and “Am I really that cheap?”

So, it’s been a little while since I first announced that my wife got me the new Series3 Tivo.  I’ve been a Tivo fan since it first came out.  I took the plunge when the first Series2 Tivo’s came out and have been Tivo-maniac since.  Now that I have had a little time to play with the new unit, I have some thoughts about it.

But, before I get to my Tivo commentary, I must digress just a little.  My wife has been wanting a new flat panel television for some time.  I’ve delayed buying one because of a lot of other projects we have going or are going to be starting soon - full home renovation, possible new car, etc.

So this weekend, after consulting with the gadget “funding committee” (that’s me ), I bought us a brand new flat panel LCD TV. 

I’ve been researching them for awhile and to enjoy the full power of the new Tivo, we needed something new.  My friend Bob received a “By invitation only” letter from Sound Advice where he could receive anywhere from 10 – 50% off on televisions.  So, this weekend we went trolling through all of the local electronic stores to see what was out there.  Our last stop was Sound Advice to see how they compared to the other stores and to see how much the “invitation only” price would be.  Well as you can see, I bought us a television.  I had too.  It was so bright and sparkly I couldn’t resist (actually we got a good price).

All happy about my purchase, I call my wife on the cell to tell her the happy news.  When I tell her we are the proud new owners of a 46inch LCD flat panel television, what do I hear????  Is it, “Cool, that’s great!” or “Alright, we’ve got a new TV!”?  No my friends, those aren’t the words I hear.  I hear “You…  You spent money!?!”

I’m not sure why this should come as a shock.  I spend money.  It’s just I don’t do it often, but when I do I tend to do it big.  What can I say, i’m frugal.  No that’s not the same as cheap.  It just means I want to make sure I’m gettnig good value for our hard earned dollars.  Just because I eat at the company cafeteria each day (hey, a soup and a sandwich is $3), buy clothes once or twice a year, and generally keep things until I can no longer fix them on my own, I don’t know what that gives the impression I am cheap…

Anyway, it doesn’t matter.  When she saw my friend Bob and I carry in the new addition to the family, she broke down into a fit of hysterical laughter.  Partly because she couldn’t believe we had a new tv, but mainly because, compared to the old set, the new one is HUGE!!!!.  We’re talking GIGANTIC… Happy Early Christmas baby!!!!

Now, back to the latest installment of my thoughts on the new Tivo.  There are a few annoying things that have carried over from the Series2 that I would have hoped they would have resolved.  Here’s my short list of things I would like to change.

1. There is still a second or two delay between the time you click a button on the remote and you see the action occur on the screen.  Sometimes it seems like 3 – 5 seconds.  This should be a lot faster. 
2. With the Series2 Tivo, I could press the Clear button on the remote to delete a stored program.  I don’t seem to be able to do that with the Series3, this shortcut seems to have been cut.
3. TivoToGo doesn’t work with Series3 Tivo’s!!!!!!! Bad, bad, bad…  I travel a lot and spool stuff off to my laptop for those long international flights.  I can understand not wanting to spool the HD content (maybe), but the regular analog channels should not be an issue.  Thankfully I still have my Series2 Tivo in another room and can spool shows off of that one.  I’ve also lost the ability to stream content between Tivo’s.  I understand the Series2 Tivo can’t do HD, but I should still be able to transfer 480i content.
4. With the new dual tuner (which I love) there are two LED’s on the front of the box to tell you when something is being recorded and which tuner is doing the recording.  When it is recording something you have asked it two, it will show you the title of the show next to the LED.  When it is recording a Tivo suggestion, you will just see the LED.  I think they should always show you the title, just change the color of the LED if it is a sugggestion.

Overall, it is not a terrible list.  The positives definitely out weigh any issues I have with it.  I’m glad I have it and plan on enjoying it a whole lot more very soon.

Comcast is scheduled to come out next week to put in the CableCards.  Once those are in we can really try things out and give you a report on the full Tivo digital/HD experience.  I can’t wait.  As long as Comcast lives up to their promise, I’ll have the long Thanksgiving weekend to watch all digital, all HD, all weekend. 

R