After nearly 2 years of suffering with Comcast and their HD DVR, we finally bought a TiVo Series 3 HD DVR. The Comcast DVR was tolerated because the price for dual tuner HD DVRs was too high and I thought I’d be a good corporate citizen and stick with the Microsoft software that was on the box.
My only regret is that we didn’t do this sooner… we had an original Series 1 TiVo and we really missed it! There’s no question that it’s a product which has been through a lot of end user testing.
Here’s a concrete example of what both the Microsoft and Guideware are both lacking: I’m using the guide, and it currently shows listings for channels 1 through 5. When I hit page down, channel 6 is where 1 used to be. So, if I wanted to get to 5, I have to press up one more time. I can’t think of a single application that uses the page metaphor and exhibits this behavior. Ever other application leaves a portion of the page you were currently reading visible (if for nothing else, some context as to where you are). You can even it try it now, hit page down in Internet Explore or Firefox and see what I mean!
One more example where the Microsoft software irritated me: Adding a Season’s Pass (which records all the episodes of a program) took far more time than it should have. Further, it would freeze the box while it detected potential conflicts. If you can’t calculate the conflicts in a reasonable amount of time (that is, less than say 2 seconds), just add the series and prompt me for resolution once the conflicts have been detected. Waiting for synchronous results in UI is extremely frustrating.
There are numerous other complaints I could vent about… but “I don’t want to get off on a rant here…”
Now that we’ve elimated the Comcast box, the only other option that I felt existed was Windows Vista (or XP) Media Center. There are two main reasons why I chose a TiVo over a Windows Vista Media Center. First, when I watch TV, it needs to ‘just work’. I don’t want to tinker with the machine because a Windows Update broke it, or it’s not waking up at the correct times to record my shows. (Note: I don’t have any first hand experience here… I’m projecting based on what I read about when researching). Second, when compared feature for feature, the TiVo is cheaper than any MCE I could build or buy.
Beyond the superior user experience in both software and hardware (a very quick and intuitive menu system and an fantastic remote), the TiVo just has better features (relative to the Comcast box).
There are a lot of features, but my favorites are:
- Remote web scheduling - I can add/remove programs from the web.
- Amazon Unbox - I have access to the latest movies and TV shows from both my TiVO and PC. I can kick off a download from my PC at work and when I get home, its ready to go.
- TiVoToGo - I can already stream my music and photo from my computer and I’ll soon be able to stream my video collection! Further, almost anything I record I put onto my laptop or phone.
Over the last few years, TiVo (the company) hasn’t faired well. I hope it pulls through, because they have a fantastic product.