What exactly is TiVO? (1 Viewer)

[Jon Mercer]

HI guys - I just need some info aobut Tivo, mostly the kind of answers like
Does it work with Star Choice recievers?
Is it a reciever?
How exactly does it work?

Thanks for any answers.
Jon

 

[Mark_E_Smith]

There are 2 types of TiVos, the Direct Tv receiver with TiVo service is for the DirecTV sat systems. The Stand Alone TiVos are a mpeg3 digital recorder. Inside each SA is an NTSC tv tuner, mpeg3 encoder and decoder, PC style processor and a large (20 to 60 GB) hard drive. SA TiVos record digitally to a hard drive from 1) RF source 2) s-video 3) composite video. The SA TiVo controls the cable receiver via an IR blaster, some applications are controlled via a serial connection. You also have pause, FF and rewind on all recorded programs. But TiVo is always recording so it allows you to pause live tv for 30 min, rewind and do your own instant replay. Some say TiVos are just a digital VCR, but they would be very wrong. All TiVos use the processor to schedule programs to be recorded via a tv guide data. TiVos download a new guide every day and keep at least 10 days of full guide info in a database. You can program a TiVo to record a program 1 time or get a season pass, this will record the show any time it is broadcast on that specific station. This system does not use the time slot for the scheduling it uses the name of the program. So if your program moves time slot or has multiple or special longer programs it will record them also! Since the TiVo is a computer for your tv, you can do keyword searches, you can even set up a key word or actor "wishlist" to record when ever the criteria is met regardless of what channel the program is on. So a TiVo is really a computer for your tv that records programs. As far as what receivers it will be compatible you might e-mail TiVo and ask them. I know it works on most receivers that are used in the US so if it is used in the US it will most likely work. I hope this helps

 

[Jon Mercer]

Thanks for the reply.
I think thats all the info I could ask for.

Jon