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Question about the 60hr refurb Tivo's from a new Tivo adopter
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Posted by: Robby

Just couldnt resist the deal on the refurb 60hr Tivos so I'm soon to be a Tivo owner :). My question is that, does the tivo I ordered come activated with service or do I need to call them up again and sign up for that? I remembered this question about 1/2 a second after I hung up with the Tivo rep that took my order, and dont feel like waiting 3 hrs to ask such a simple question.

Robby

Posted by: CrispyCritter

You'll need to order service once you receive the TiVo (note that you can sign up on-line if you want.) You'll need the Serial Number of the TiVo to order service.

Posted by: BeIshmael

Actually, I couldn't resist the deal either despite the fact that I had bought my first Tivo the week before. I'm going to return the first Tivo I bought once the second one arrives.

When I ordered the factory renewed one, they said I had to select the service right then. That activation of the service when you buy the unit was one of the requirements when buying the factory renewed units.

If you look on this page:

http://www.tivo.com/2.7.asp

Under the hours that they are open, it says " Must activate TiVo service at point of sale."

So if you bought one of the factory renewed units, they you probably already signed up for the service.

My sales person told me that the unit would arrive activated and I wouldn't have to go through the activation process like I did on the one I bought last week.

Posted by: Robby

thats what I was thinking but the service rep for me never asked me which one I wanted to be signed up for.

Posted by: BeIshmael

I would recommend waiting until the unit arrives. Once it arrives, if the sales person has selected a service plan that you didn't want, you'll need to call them.

Otherwise, you can just sign up for the service online once you have the unit. Avoid the 3 hour call until you absolutely must do it. :-)

Posted by: Dajad

Are these refurbs Series 1's or 2s?

...Dale

Posted by: BeIshmael

Series 2

More details:

http://www.tivo.com/2.7.asp

Posted by: Dajad

Yes, but nowhere on that link do they say Series 2. Anyway, I've since read in another thread that they are Series 2's with the rather limiting 1.1 USB port. Not something I'd want.

Thanks BeIshmael

Posted by: kitsap

quote:
Originally posted by Dajad
Yes, but nowhere on that link do they say Series 2.

:confused: The heading on the page is "Certified Factory Renewed TiVo Series 2 60 Hour Digital Video Recorder."

quote:
the rather limiting 1.1 USB port

:confused: What do you think you'd be missing with 1.1?

Posted by: BeIshmael

As kitsap pointed out, the fact that it is Series 2 is listed in the heading. They don't list a part number, but from the FAQ's that I've read, it looks like there is only one version of the 60gb whereas the 40 and 80 have two different Series 2 models.

It is my understanding that there are two versions of the Series 2. The original ones had USB 1.1 and had a bracket for a second hard drive. The newer ones have USB 2.0 and no place for a second hard drive. (You can get a bracket from 9thtee.com for a second hard drive in the new boxes, but there are concerns about the heat and ventilation in the new machines).

As for the limitation of USB 1.1, it is a limitation of the throughput of the USB 1.1 spec. The current thinking is that 1.1 will not be fast enough to transfer video from one Tivo to another using the Home Media Option in real time. However, all of this is speculation because it isn't know how the sharing using the Home Media Option is handled.

So really, the question becomes which is going to be more important to you. Do you anticipate sharing video with another machine? Is the possibility that you will want to share worth $200 that it would cost to buy a 60 gb?

I only have one Tivo and don't think the video sharing will be an important part of our usage. Even if it was, I think I would pick the ability to upgrade the hard drive easily over the speed of USB 2.0.

It looks like you've been around this forum for a bit of time (since 1999), so you may be looking for a second Tivo with which to share video in which case you're probably right.

Posted by: jmace57

BeIshmael...you said

quote:
Originally posted by BeIshmael
As for the limitation of USB 1.1, it is a limitation of the throughput of the USB 1.1 spec. The current thinking is that 1.1 will not be fast enough to transfer video from one Tivo to another using the Home Media Option in real time. However, all of this is speculation because it isn't know how the sharing using the Home Media Option is handled.

On the TiVo site where they sell the 60 hour units, it says "Enabled for future services in home entertainment, including digital music, photos and more. "

Regards,
Jim

Posted by: BeIshmael

quote:
Originally posted by jmace57
BeIshmael...you said

On the TiVo site where they sell the 60 hour units, it says "Enabled for future services in home entertainment, including digital music, photos and more. "

Regards,
Jim

I don't understand what you mean. USB 1.1 does support the media sharing. It's just that the bandwidth of 1.1 means that it may take longer than real time to transfer best quality video to another Tivo. For example, if you had a 1 hour recording, it might take 1 hour and 15 minutes to transfer to another Tivo using USB 1.1. USB 2.0 is substantially faster meaning that it would probably take less than real time to transfer it to another Tivo.

I am by no means an expert in this. This thread is discussing the issue in more detail: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-v...&threadid=95345