Directv DVR (tivo) - Page 2

FlyACL · 08-07-05, 06:55 PM

I know there was a rumor that there would be ads about 6-8 months ago. To date I have yet to see one.

08-07-05, 06:57 PM

if the directv grid is the normal one like on other receivers, that is what i prefer :)

dingui2 · 08-07-05, 08:31 PM

Tivo is the best thing ever.

Once you go Tivo, you will never go back.

koop · 08-10-05, 02:04 AM

Originally Posted by Grentz

Ya, the tivo home stuff is not on the Directv Tivo. It is locked and no hacks to get around it as of yet.

All the hacks you want.
It took me about 2 weeks of reading to learn enough linux commands to hack my box, but now I can extract and insert video, schedule via the web, show pictures and play mp3s stored on my PC, and it connects to my network when I stick a Netgear wireless USB adapter in the back. It is easier to hack older model DirecTiVo's, but possible with all models including the new HD recorders using a technique called the Monte. The DirecTV software has all the feature built in, they just don't turn them on for some unfathomable reason.

08-10-05, 03:50 AM

Doesnt work with the R10 though, i have looked hard and found even if you find hacks for the R10, people report it just screwing up, and the R10 is probably the one i will get. I will find out tomorrow (i dont have a choice, its whatever the installer brings) :)

But i can upgrade the hard drive hehehe

i think i will start out first not doing anything though, as i want to learn the tivo a bit as i have never had one. Feel comfortable, then go advanced and fix it up all nice like :p

08-11-05, 01:39 PM

Well, they came yesterday and got me all hooked up (really simple stuff, but i cant do it as i am not Dtv certified). Anyhow, i didnt get the R10, I actually got a Phillips DSR708 which many on different forums have said is made better and just as good as the R10 :)

Anyhow, got it setup later yesterday and still playing with it. So far very very cool as i have never used a real tivo before. And amazingly I had already added the ability for the unit to call tivo over the internet within about 1 hour of getting it (i didnt even know how to use the box practically yet, but i wanted to go over the net as it had to download a software update that was taking forever over the phone)

So i found a Serial cable that would work (its a special one with a headphone like adapter on one side, but i happened to have a digital camera that used the same cable (WHAT LUCK!) and had it running in no time via PPP (i cant use a usb adapter as Directv locks their tivos usb ports and i didnt feel like hacking my unit). So now i dont have to worry about getting a phone line to my tv and then the tivo using the phone line, its all running through the pc i have under my tv :approve:

Well, anyhow, had to give an update :)

X5X5X5 · 08-11-05, 01:47 PM

Tivo's are alright. I have a buddy that has DTV with a Tivo and I really don't like it. I prefer my ReplayTV a lot more...it's an 80hr and when I bought it, it had a green sticker on the top that said if you purchased that particular model then you got three years of service for FREE!!! How could I pass that up. So I paid $299 for the unit, service is $12.95 per month...after three years of free service, I pretty much got the unit for free. It's not proprietary so I can use it on a satilite service if I want...I OWN it so I can take it with me anywhere I move and keep all my recorded shows. I think it's much better to own your own DVR. I purchased the extended warranty so if the thing breaks, it's covered. And on top of it all, they are so easy to work on that after it's out of warranty I could work on it myself...no big deal.

KnipKnup · 08-11-05, 02:03 PM

I guess I'm too late to tell you to order direct from Tivo and get the $100 rebate. The Tivo box direct from Tivo supports broadband with NO LAND-BASED TELEPHONE LINE. The DirecTv Tivo box still requires a hardwire telephone line.

Our house has not had anything but Cell phones for 4 years, when is DirecTv going to catch up?

KnipKnup · 08-11-05, 02:09 PM

Originally Posted by derekivey

Yeah,

I had the regular Tivo one, and they were starting to add ads. We would like to switch from cable to Direct TV, but our internet (Comcast) cost would go up if we canceled cable tv.

I have not seen ads on my Tivo box, this is on Tivo Series II box. Not sure where the ads would be since it is tuned directly to the broadcast feed.

08-11-05, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by KnipKnup

I guess I'm too late to tell you to order direct from Tivo and get the $100 rebate. The Tivo box direct from Tivo supports broadband with NO LAND-BASED TELEPHONE LINE. The DirecTv Tivo box still requires a hardwire telephone line.

Our house has not had anything but Cell phones for 4 years, when is DirecTv going to catch up?

Not really that good of a deal, i got the DTV tivo for free just paid 48$ installation. The DTV has DUAL TUNERS can you say watch one program, record another :)

DTV is integrated perfectly, its identical to a normal tivo (minus the tivo home stuff) yet it has DTV all built in

Also i have mine calling through the internet...you didnt read my post close enough if you think i am doing it through the phone line. Within 2 hours of getting the tivo i had it going through the internet via a serial cable, i didnt even have to hack the tivo...just added a special dial in number :approve:

And finally, I DO OWN THE BOX, yes i can only use it on directv, but the box is mine and i can take it with me when i move. I like directv over cable and dish network, so me this is plenty good as it can move with me with my recordings :approve:

Another neat thing is that i got the DSR708 so it is hackable and considered better quality than the R10 :p

And my final note, for that 48$ they replaced my dish, added new wire, installed the tivo, and did all the setup for me :approve:

08-11-05, 07:32 PM

I have Dish, not Direct, but I have the HDDVR Unit, plus one reciever with 2 tuners with 80 DVR built in.

Regardless of what system you have, DVR/Tivo is the greatest.

I don't use it 24/7, but I use it enough to know that I wouldn't want to not have it.

KnipKnup · 08-11-05, 10:51 PM

I read your post (I think closely), but you were lucky enough to have some cable from your camera coupled with another cable. What is the cable like? Is this something one could purchase at Radio Shack? Even with the Tivo box direct from Tivo, I had to haul it over to a friends house and mooch their phone line for a night to make the initial call, then it worked over broadband. I found later that there was a default phone number that 'set' the box to use broadband. I am not sure if that option works before the initial dial-in. DirecTv swore up and down that their box would not. That was 8 months ago though, maybe things have changed...

08-12-05, 12:32 AM

Well to be fair it was through the phone line running half way accross my house for the initial (i had to have pro install as per policy rules, and the pro didnt like not seeing a telephone line at first, so i strung one accross the house)

The cable you can find here http://www.9thtee.com/tivo-sa2n.htm

its called the TiVo Null Modem Serial Cable and is about half way down that page.

Sorry about earlier, lots on my mind and now looking back my post sounded a bit harsh, didnt mean to be.

I have heard you can use it for the initial, you just have to set your dial prefex to the right number and then it uses the serial cable.

also, here is the guide i used: http://www.tivohelp.com/archive/tivo...ki.net/45.html

But at the end i specified an ip instead of using the "assign automatically using dhcp" (even though i have dhcp on my network and thats how my computers get their ips, it would not work with auto detection, i had to specify a range (just has to be something like 192.168.0.200 - 192.168.0.201) and it worked perfectly)

My main reason to try the serial within 2 hours of getting the box was 1 because i had a pc under my tv already that i dont use much, but it is wifi connected to my network for picture showing and stuff. and 2 because it was doing the upgrade from 3.1 to 6.2 and it had been on the phone line for 1.5 hours and still was not done downloading (there is not status on how far downloaded) so i pulled the plug on the phone, changed it to serial dial in, and boom, had it updated in 30minutes....so serial is faster than phone line, but it still is not super fast and it did not use much of my bandwidth on my dsl connection...

KnipKnup · 08-12-05, 07:26 AM

Warning, long post ensues...

After looking at the cable (link in post above), my memory has been sparked.

First, I admit, I have two Tivo boxes... :love:
Both direct from Tivo, which means they don't replace my DirecTv receivers. So the Tivo box connects to the DTV receivers and then the Tivo box connects to the broadband.

The mooching of the initial setup took about an hour on my friend’s phone line but then it came up with a message that the box was indexing stuff and don't unplug box for 3-4 hours. (The Manual says the initial setup only takes 30 min and must not include the time for indexing). I left the box there overnight.

I was embarrassed to mooch the dude’s phone line again so I went the avenue of hacking the phone line thing. I attempted to build a phone line that would connect the Tivo box to my cell phone and dial out that way. I tried my Gomadic cable, but that connects my phone to axim and couldn't find the pin-outs or routing of their comcube connector (I'm sure that is their secret). I also didn't want to risk frying my phone or Tivo box trying.

I finally broke down and drug the thing over to my friends for a mouthful of humble pie

and a phone line.

Once I drug the thing back home, I found that the box would only accept USB for internet broadband connection - no Ethernet plug. :realmad: This started more hacking and ended with me buying an USB to Ethernet adapter.

When I did the initial setup with the phone line, I accidentally selected local broadcast (not DirecTv) and when I brought the box home, there was no option to switch it to DTV. I messed up and down with all the settings and finally just re-started the initial setup. This went to the screen requiring a phone line, and when I backed up from that screen, it appeared my Tivo box initial setup was cleared.

I searched the Tivo website help pages and found info on setting the default dial-in number to some number that told the box it is set for broadband. After I did this, it went through the initial setup again (much, much faster). However, the Tivo page was worded to suggest that this only works after an initial setup had completed over an actual phone line. At this point, I wondered if it was true but was just happy to get it all going. Maybe if I ever get a third Tivo box I'll try, but I think I'll buy a bunch of "Kill your TV" bumper stickers first!

Now I get to the cable... One of those serial cables came in my Tivo box (actually now I have two - one with each Tivo box). These are for the dialing setup. Since this box connects to the DTV receiver, the Tivo has to tell the receiver what channel to turn to. There are two options, IR or serial. Well, neither of my DTV boxes have a serial port, so I went with the IR cables. The serial ones are kicking around here somewhere. :rolling:

Tivo Box pros/cons

Pros
Works with any service so you can change later
Supports broadband and Tivo Home options, including Tivo to Go

Cons
It is not a receiver, so must have a separate DTV box
Only USB broadband port, no Ethernet.

08-12-05, 06:20 PM

the cable that came with your tivo will work but you need a null modem adapter for it to make it work for dial in via PPP.... (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Null+Modem+Adapter this changes the pinout to be proper on the tivo cable)

Also, i have haerd you can use ethernet usb adapters

for me though, i cant do any of the networking without major hacks (one reason i like standalone tivos is the home media stuff, but o well, i like dual tuners also

)

The one thing i did just do is upgrade to a 200gb hard drive. So right now i have 171 hours that i can fill up :p

Amazing, sycning over the net, and 171 hours all in less than 48hours of getting my first tivo :)

www.tivocommunity.com has been a big help, its like aximsite for your tivo hehehe

to be fair though, the PPP is not really a hack, more just an alternative method.