Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 27

Can a TiVo unit be used as a simple VCR?

My daughter is on a limited budget -- no cable, no sat -- just an antenna, TV and a VCR (now broken). She can replace the VCR for under $75.

But, I see refurbished Phillips HDR212 Series 1 TiVos for about $100. Can that unit be used as a manually programmed VCR without subscribing to the TiVo service? Anything a programmable VCR can do that the Phillips wouldn't do?

Thanks,
AJ

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Malibu
Posts: 7285

• VCR+ Plus
  
• letting you exchange tapes with friends of PBS shows or other shows with copyrights which allow such behavior
  
• manually setting the time (TiVo normally uses a daily modem call to set its clock, but some people don't have regular phone lines)

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 5232

Yes, any HDR212 is old enough to have shipped with TiVo software 1.3, and no matter what software version it's running now it will work as a glorified VCR without the TiVo service. It'll pop up a daily nag screen about not having service, but it will work. Anything that shipped with 2.0 or later won't do anything without TiVo service.

The other question you could be asking is what a TiVo (even one without service) can do that a VCR can't. It allows you to watch one show while recording another, or to start watching a show it's in the middle of recording from the beginning, pausing it whenever you want to, while it records the rest - all without having to wait for the show to end so you can rewind the tape or stick another one in.

And a TiVo WITH service, well that's something else again. If your daughter's budget situation improves, TiVo service can be subscribed to at any time.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 3135

But be aware of what you are getting storage-wise. At VCR quality, the lowest-priced units are in the range of 15-25 hours - that may be fine or not depending on how she uses tapes.

That said, I've never seen a young person that didn't fall in love with TiVo and never look back.

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Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 27

Thanks for the replies.

If the unit needs to have its clock set over the modem, how can you manually program it to record at the right time if you don't have the TiVo service.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Malibu
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A TiVo subscription is not required to allow the TiVo to use its modem in order to just set the time.

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Registered: Nov 2001
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I don't know if it will try to dial in every day if it doesn't have service, but you should be able to force a call from the menus once a week or so if it doesn't. The clock won't probably drift much, you might be able to get away with once a month.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Malibu
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A second or two of clock drift per day seems typical. Some TiVos are much better than this reportedly.

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Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 27

OK, my daughter wants to get a low-cost Series 1 and go the unsubscribed route for now, especially since she only has an antenna with a few local channels.

One more question. I've searched the forum and have seen two conflicting opinions as to whether you can rerun the Guided Setup after it's been run the first time and are past the grace period for signing up. For example, if she sets it up the first time, and then moves to another city with different local channels, and still wants to use it as unsubscribed, can Guided Setup be run again without a subscription. Or, is it even necessary to run it again?

Thanks,
AJ

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Lansing, MI
Posts: 5232

I'm unclear myself about how Guided Setup works without a subscription. At the very worst, if your daughter moves she could pay for a month of service and then cancel after that. But be forewarned that TiVo service can be addictive.

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