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TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder

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16 User Reviews

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• Reviewed by: bobprice

  Updated: 02-28-08

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Easy setup very intuitive. Great user interface.

  Weaknesses: I have been a bit hamhanded with the remote that came with it. I'll buy the lighted one. The channels seize up once every few weeks and I have to unplug and reboot to fix it.

  Overall Evaluation: I bought this Hd TiVo 2 months ago and have had no problems. The setup was easy with the usb wireless connecting automatically to my network and updating the machine. I'll never use vhs again. Easy to go to TiVo and rig up favorites that record each week only when they are new episodes. Nice to have HD instead of the analog dual tuner it replaced. Easy to learn for this geezer.

• Reviewed by: barry1955

  Updated: 01-02-08

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:3 Months

  Strengths: Inexpensive, will take M-cablecards

  Weaknesses: Terrible remote control

  Overall Evaluation: This is a great compromise if you want a TIVO dvr. It is not their best HD unit but it is half that unit's price. The remote control it comes with is garbage, I recommend upgrading to a TIVO GLO remote immediately, night and day !! This HD model also does not come with a HDMI cable or telephone splitter, not a big deal compared to paying twice the price for the premium unit. If you have never used TIVO HD before, buy this, you will love it !!

• Reviewed by: hyt1900

  Updated: 12-17-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Ability to use HDMI cablesEthernet slot in back

  Weaknesses: No huge software advantageslower than the series 2 boxes

  Overall Evaluation: My wife and I had a Series 2 unit for about a year and a half and come to love it and couldn't imagine life without Tivo. We live in Indianapolis which has great "over the air" High Def. channels so we bought a new Samsung HD Tivo and decided to get this HD Tivo.The good news is, I didn't need a cablecard from Comcast,just a $5 antenna to pull the HD channels. Tivo found all our channel and even tells us when we recorded a show in "HD". The "kinda" bad news is that the Tivo software is the same with the Series 2, nothing really new....except that it is much slower than our series 2 which changing channels and accessing the Tivo menu. My guess is because Tivo is viewing both the antenna channels and cable channels.Overall, this was a nice box to have since we can now get HD channels plus the abiliy to use a HDMI cable and a Ethernet cable in the back.My advice to anyone with a series 2 to stay with their box until it dies.

• Reviewed by: rambocat888

  Updated: 12-10-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:1 Weeks

  Strengths: Record 2 HD shows simulataneously, while watching a third already recorded show.

  Weaknesses: TIVO and satellite don't work together.

  Overall Evaluation: This model makes HD recording more affordable and has all the features you could ask for in a DVR. The TIVO interface is the best in the business. You can record both over the air and cable broadcasts with ease. You can download movies from Amazon unbox and music videos from Music Choice.

• Reviewed by: DaffyDuck

  Updated: 12-05-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: look, easiness and user friendliness, cable cards- M card compatible, HD recording, hdmi output, record two showings at the same time

  Weaknesses: small hard drive, no wireless built in, price for subscription or lifetime subscription price, remote could use work.

  Overall Evaluation: I got this so I would not have to get an additional box from my cable provider which costs about an additional $8 per month. I thought, why not get this and have it so I subtract 8 from this every month saving costs since my cable provider provides M-cable cards for free (the first one). It turned out to work so very well. Great HDTV experience with my sharp 46' (64u model). I get all the HD channels plus digital, this can record two things at the same time (Even if both are HD) as well as allowing me to watch something recorded or something that is recorded while it records two shows. Or I can watch whatever I want plus it can still be recording. Great value, especially worth it if you can do it like I did and get lifetime on it. The service will pay for itself within 4 years (even when I use Net present value for the TOTAL cost). Also, get the tivo wireless adapter (they are like $30)... save yourself the headache of finding the right one that is compatible as well as functions well like the tivo branded adapter.

• Reviewed by: jpbloom55

  Updated: 12-03-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Can finally playback HD programming, records HD from a variety of sources, dual tuner, same awesome interface that keeps TiVo lovers coming back for more!

  Weaknesses: Much slower than previous versions I've owned, only one set of outputs, still bugs with multi-room viewing.

  Overall Evaluation: This is my third TiVo box, and I've been a loyal user for about 5 years now. I've always loved the ease of use as well as the intuitive interface and features of TiVo. I firmly believe that anyone who uses TiVo will never go back--either to VCR or to cable company DVR's...they're simply inadequate. Anyway, regarding the TiVo HD, I've been wanting to record in HD for a long time now, as the majority of programming I watch is available in the format, but I never felt that I could afford the previous "Series 3" boxes which are more expensive and require a new activation for rebates. As such, I waited for the right time to buy this "lite," less expensive HD model, which doesn't have the hassle of rebates. This way, I could simply transfer service over to it from one of my old boxes--I'm glad I did!!!As I noted above, this box can record HD from a variety of sources--OTA antenna, straight from the wall after a channel scan (if your cable company transmits local channels in this manner--eg, 9-1, 9-2), and also on a digital "tier" with Cablecards. The picture is awesome, and I'm only using the included Component cables. Set-up (sans cablecards) is quick and straightforward, as it is with all TiVo's. The dual tuner is awesome too--I've had a Series 2 Dual Tuner box for a year now, and couldn't live without the ability to record two shows at once. As for drawbacks, there are a few. The box is noticeably slower than previous ones I've owned--even after updating it. This means that getting to and from menus take a little longer--roughly a second or two--and switching from menu-view to live TV (or tuning channels) takes a second as well. This was disappointing, but I can live with it. I was also disappointed in the fact that this box only has one set of outputs, unless one wishes to use the optical audio output--which I do not. As such, you can really only hook your box into one component--or straight into your TV--if you're going to use the A/V audio outputs, which the majority of people do. I'm probably going to buy some piggyback cables. This is a drawback for people such as myself who have had previous boxes hooked both straight into my set, as well as into my DVD recorder for transferring programs to DVD. One final drawback is the Cablecard feature. I haven't had mine installed yet (that happens tonight), but I've read horror stories in various places about the process. I wish TiVo would've given us the OPTION of using Cablecards or a set-top-box, as in the future. I don't see why it would've been so hard to both build in CableCard capability as well as a set of HD inputs and an IR blaster to control a STB. Given the choice, I would've opted for the STB, as I'd rather not fiddle around with cable company install of these very unreliable CableCards...oh well...only time will tell.All in all, Tivo HD is an awesome product that should serve me well!

• Reviewed by: todeo

  Updated: 11-28-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:1 Weeks

  Strengths: Great TiVo functionality; Dual HD tuner; easy to install and use; great price - much cheaper than the Series 3 TiVo

  Weaknesses: Only records 20 hours of HD content; does not include HDMI cable

  Overall Evaluation: The best DVR in the business just got better! The new TiVo HD does almost everything the Series 3 Tivo does for a whole lot less money. This thing blows away my Time Warner DVR. It's so much easier to use and holds more programming, too. They have now activated TiVo to go and multi-room viewing funtionality. Plus, you can download movies from Amazon unbox. Great buy!

• Reviewed by: SleepyReviewer

  Updated: 11-27-07

  Overall Rating: 3 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Inexpensive, better User Experience than Cable PVR

  Weaknesses: Setting up w/ cable was a huge pain

  Overall Evaluation: Bought this at amazon for $250, installed quickly until I had to get it working with the digital cable from Millenimum. What a pain! Had to schedule an appointment to get the cable cards, and they charged me $30 to come out to install them. Worse yet, I had to take a day off as they don't really come out on weekends, and had to waste the entire day waiting around for the cable guy to come. Cable companies are doing everything possible from getting you to switch to Tivo...and this sucks.

• Reviewed by: arnoldschwartz

  Updated: 11-27-07

  Overall Rating: 5 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:4 Days

  Strengths: Dual HD tuners; easy to use; no need for cable box; great TiVo user interface

  Weaknesses: only records 20 hours of HD programming, but an external eSata drive can remedy that. can't use on-demand

  Overall Evaluation: I bought this to replace my crappy comcast DVR. Not only is this much more user-friendly and easier to program, but it also has a larger hard drive than Comcast's DVR. The cable card installation was a snap. Can also download movies from amazon.com's Unbox service. This is a great buy and well worth the $$.

• Reviewed by: customervalued

  Updated: 11-21-07

  Overall Rating: 4 Star Review

  Duration of ownership:

  Strengths: Price, quality, expandable

  Weaknesses: Monthly or prepaid plans rate continue to increase.

  Overall Evaluation: Once you go tivo its hard to use any other dvrs. Despite the pricey monthly fees, the subscriber base is increasing. Finally a HD tivo at a more obtainable price then the S3. The features are very similar to the S3 and the atsc tuner uses a 5th generation chipset for quick and strong tuner response.

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