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AT&T-Branded Tivo compatible with DirecTV?
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Posted by: therippa

Hey guys, I own a ATT-branded series 2 (3.2 software I believe - it now supports the serial connection to the att digital boxes) and am planning on switching to DirectTV (RCA units). Is my Tivo compatible with this? And if so, how well?

Thanks!

Posted by: CyberGlitch

It should be compatible but you would be better off switching to a combo unit. The combo units save the bitstream from the satelites and play it back in the exact same quality. Using a SA unit it will be encoding/decoding several times and degrade the picture quality.

Posted by: feldon23

TiVo standalone $199-449
$12.99/month per TiVo
Records from any source in the US (will not control large dish or A/B cable systems)
Stereo audio
30 hour unit = 9 hours at Best quality
60 hour unit = 18 hours at Best quality
Record 1 channel at a time

DirecTV with TiVo $199 (Sony T-60 from 1800-DIRECTV or pre-order a HPVR2 from Circuit City for November delivery)
$4.99/month per household
Records DirecTV only
Dolby Digital audio
~25-35 hours recording at Best (perfect) quality
Schedule Pay-Per-View movies to record automatically
Record 2 different programs at the same time

Posted by: srs5694

Just to make something explicit: You can probably sell your AT&T TiVo on eBay for about what you'd pay for a new DirecTiVo, if not more, so the net cost of making the switch to a DirecTiVo should be $0 or negative. The monthly cost will be lower, as feldon23 points out. IMHO, unless DirecTV doesn't deliver your locals or you have some other reason for needing to record analog inputs, switching to a DirecTiVo is well worth the hassle of replacing the device and selling your current unit on eBay or the like.

Posted by: therippa

Well, switching to a DirecTV tivo poses a new problem - I upgraded my AT&T to 160 gigs with a 120 gig harddrive - I don't want to lose the 220 episodes of the simpsons I have saved...what could I do about that?

Posted by: CyberGlitch

Do what I did. Purchase the DVD set. Series 1 and 2 are out now with rest to come. Then just setup your new TiVo to do what it's currently doing. You'll get um all back eventually.

Posted by: phone1

quote:
Originally posted by CyberGlitch
It should be compatible but you would be better off switching to a combo unit.

To answer your original question a little less vaguely - it IS compatible, and TiVo's serial connection will work with any DTV receiver that also has one.

On another note - I wouldn't depend on TiVo as an archival storage device. If your that big a Simpsons fan, buy the DVD's as suggested - then they'll also be in nice chronological order.

Posted by: therippa

quote:
Originally posted by phone1
On another note - I wouldn't depend on TiVo as an archival storage device. If your that big a Simpsons fan, buy the DVD's as suggested - then they'll also be in nice chronological order.

I'm still buying the DVD's, but they're coming out as two sets a year...it'll take till 2008 to get the full collection at this rate!

Posted by: phone1

quote:
Originally posted by therippa
I'm still buying the DVD's, but they're coming out as two sets a year...it'll take till 2008 to get the full collection at this rate!

That would work out about right for me - by 2008 I might be ready to watch this season's Simpsons. :p

Posted by: jsmeeker

quote:
Originally posted by therippa
Well, switching to a DirecTV tivo poses a new problem - I upgraded my AT&T to 160 gigs with a 120 gig harddrive - I don't want to lose the 220 episodes of the simpsons I have saved...what could I do about that?

Keep the AT&T TiVo. Hook it up to a regular DirecTV reciever. Then, get a DirecTiVo. Record a total of 3 things at once with your 2 TiVos.