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TiVo TCD648250B Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder | 
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| Brand: TiVo
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy Used: $424.99
You Save: $75.00 (15%)
New (14) Used (3) from $424.99
Rating:  186 reviews
Sales Rank: 9180
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 16.1
Dimensions (in): 13 x 17 x 3
MPN: TCD648250B
Model: TCD648250B
UPC: 851342000643
EAN: 0851342000643
ASIN: B000I661J0
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Like New - TivoHD Series 3 - Complete w/ ALL Accessories including: Box, Cables, Paperwork, Etc. GUARANTEED TO BE IN IMMACULATE CONDITION! Priority Shipping Preferred!
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| Features:
| | The world's first THX-certified DVR, delivers the highest-quality home theater AV experience | | | 300 hour recording capacity, twice as much as most cable alternatives; 25-35 hours of HD | | | Easily connect to your home network with built-in Ethernet and USB ports | | | Record 2 live digital cable channels at once, while watching a pre-recorded show | | | TiVo service subscription required |
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Product Description
Record up to 300 hours of standard recording time or up to 32 in High Definition with this THX-certified digital video recorder that delivers high-quality, high-definition programming and allows you to record up to 2 live shows at once. Schedule recordings anywhere from tivo.com and the advanced TiVo broadband features, including digital photos, Internet radio, podcasts. The backlit programmable remote control is easy to configure to your TV.CableCARD technology to access your HD digital cable channelsSupports digital cable, analog cable, and ATSC terrestrial over-the-air digitalFull 1080i output over component or HDMIExtremely quiet boxUnrivaled Perfection
No other box comes close. Get the very-top-of-the-line sound, highest-quality picture, and the Emmy award-winning TiVo service all in one incredible digital cable-ready box. Provides Access to Your Digital Cable Programming
Add high-quality entertainment to your home theater without adding clutter. Receive your premium digital cable channels in their full native HD format with CableCARD decoders (available from your cable provider). The TiVo? Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder is also compatible with analog cable and over-the-air digital HD (ATSC). Provides an all-digital connection to your high-end display: HDMI for video, SP/DIF for audio. A True Home Theater Device, THX?-certified
It's not home theater without THX?-certification. The TiVo? Series3 HD box maintains all of the sharpness and detail found in the original broadcast-both in sound and picture-so you get the complete high-definition experience as it was intended. TiVo KidZone
TiVo is the only DVR that gives you total control over what your kids see on TV. With TiVo KidZone, you get to choose which shows your children can watch and record. TiVo KidZone provides a separate Now Playing list that displays only the shows you pre-approve for you children, keeping their shows separate from yo
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| Customer Reviews: Read 181 more reviews...
 Overjoyed to be back with TiVo! September 18, 2006
Sean Harding (Seattle, WA USA)
256 out of 265 found this review helpful
When we purchased an HDTV earlier this year, we resigned ourselves to using the DVR provided by Comcast, our cable company. We knew we needed DVR functionality, and we weren't content to watch only standard definition TV on our new set. So we bit the bullet and replaced our TiVo Series 2 with the Comcast-supplied DVR. I'm not going to review the Comcast DVR in depth here, but it's safe to say that I'm overjoyed to be able to go back to a TiVo device for our main TV.
I've been using the TiVo Series 3 for only about three days, so these are initial impressions. Overall, it's a huge improvement over the cable company DVR. It has the same awesome TiVo interface we knew and loved from our previous TiVos, but it's been spruced up a bit for HD. It looks nice. The picture quality is excellent, and the TiVo Series 3 has a great variety of options for what video modes it sends to the TV.
I had absolutely no trouble getting the two Cable Cards working. I plugged them both in to the box at the appropriate point in Guided Setup, called Comcast to have them activated, and then finished Guided Setup. They've worked perfectly from the beginning, tuning both SD and HD channels, both premium and non-premium.
I stole the TiVo wireless adapter from my Series 2 for the Series 3, and it worked seamlessly. I plugged it in before guided setup, and the TiVo used it for its connection from the beginning.
The only real problem I've experienced is that I've had a few very short audio dropouts. These last for less than a second, and seem to be related to load or resource constraints on the TiVo. For example, on the day I experienced this, I could clearly trigger it by scrolling around in the program guide. Making the box work harder had an obvious correlation to the audio dropouts. However, when I wasn't using the guide, the dropouts were very infrequent, and I haven't experienced them since that day. I don't find this to be a severe bug, but it's obviously something I'd like to see fixed. As it is, it's far less frequent and much less disruptive than the problems I had with my Comcast DVR.
At the time of this writing, a few features have not yet been enabled on the Series 3. This may or may not be a big deal to you:
1. TiVo To Go (transfer shows to and from your computer). I never used this on my Series 2, so its absence doesn't concern me at all.
2. Multi-room Viewing (transfer shows between TiVo boxes over the network). I'd like to have this, but it's not crucial for me.
3. Storage expansion via the ESATA port (attach an external SATA hard drive). For me, this is another "nice to have" feature, and certainly not a showstopper.
TiVo claims that these features will be added in a future release. At this time, it sounds like the ESATA port is less in doubt than the other two features. However, if any of these features is a dealbreaker for you, it would probably be wise to wait until it's actually shipped before you buy a Series 3. There's no guarantee as to when, or even if, these will actually happen. I'm personally ok with that, but you'll have to make your own decision.
I'm extremely happy with the TiVo Series 3. Yes, it's expensive. But to me, it was well worth the cost to get rid of the cable company DVR. To put it in perspective, it costs a lot less than most HDTVs, and in my mind the improvement it brings to the television wathching experience is on par with what HDTV brings.
Finally! But some important things to know before you buy... October 1, 2006
Bruce D. Namerow (Washington, DC)
90 out of 91 found this review helpful
Let me be clear: no other DVR from a cable company can come close to the TiVo experience. TiVo has gotten so many of the fine details right that it's worth every penny of the extra cost.
PROS (especially when compared to cable company DVRs):
-- It could not be easier to find and schedule recordings of your favorite shows. DVR's from the cable company make the process soooooo much more complicated.
-- You can schedule your recordings online from anywhere you have an internet connection. I use this feature all the time -- more than I expected.
-- The television guide is better than any other guide you can find anywhere else. It doesn't get any better. Period.
-- It is so much easier to forward through shows. When you fast forward, it even knows to rewind a few seconds so you don't miss any part of the program. Small detail, but what a difference it makes.
-- The TiVo remote is so comfortable and easy to use. No other remote comes close.
-- You can stream music and videos to your TiVo, so no need to buy a separate multimedia network device. When you have people over, you can leave the tv on and show great pictures or artwork. Very cool.
WHAT'S NEW:
Compared to Tivo Series2, here is what is new:
-- Accepts cable cards, so you can ditch you cable box.
-- Dual tuners so you can watch and record two shows at once.
-- The new remote has backlighting and is a "learning remote"
-- Nice new look that is sleek sitting near the tv.
-- Has a front display that shows the time and other info. You can turn this off if you want.
-- You can hook the TiVo directly into your network with ethernet... no adapter necessary. Or you can use a wireless USB router.
CONS:
While I'm still giving TiVo 5 stars since it does all the important things perfectly, it is important to know that there are some features not available yet, even though they are on earlier TiVo's:
-- You cannot transfer tv shows to your computer or laptop. I use this feature all the time with my old TiVo since it's great for traveling with your favorite shows
-- Kidszone is not available (a great feature if you have kids in the house)
-- Ability to transfer shows between TiVo's.
What to know about CableCards:
-- My cable company had never seen a TiVo Series3, so they were a little confused. Hopefully that will change over time.
-- Cablecards are not terribly common yet and the technology isn't flawless. It took three long visits from my cable company to get the cable cards working. But the problem was NOT TiVo's fault.
-- With the cable cards, you probably won't need your cable box. Since cable cards usually cost a lot less to rent each month, you can save $10 to $15 per month. It makes the cost of TiVo service a little easier to rationalize. ;-)
-- Cable cards do not work if you want to rent movies through your cable company. This is something cable companies are working on, but it could be a while.
This is the best TiVo yet. October 5, 2006
D. Braga (Michigan)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
I'll talk about the cons first which other reviewers have mentioned.
Thumbs Down:
- There's no TiVoToGo or multi-room viewing (you can always keep your TiVo 2 active for the TiVoToGo)
- You cannot record HD from a Satellite receiver or cable box.
- One reviewer mentioned sound drop-out when flipping around the guide. This happens to me also.
- Press thumbs-up to record causes problems for me (rebooting is the worst of the problems). I've opened a ticket with TiVo for this and will avoid that feature for now.
- Also, my TiVo rebooted every time it hit a particular part of an HD recording where the signal was dropping out. I've also opened a ticket with TiVo. The problem has only happened once.
- I will have to open a 3rd ticket with TiVo because I cannot access the broadband features like Yahoo. I had the same problem with my series 2 which required a software update to correct.
- Cable card installation was finicky, but not as bad as the other reviewer mentioned. This was the first HD TiVo the tech had encountered, but the problems with the cable cards were with the company, not the TiVo. Both cards were working fine by the time he left.
- Finally, the $800 price-tag is extreme; especially given some of the problems I've experience.
- TiVo's lifetime subscription is no longer available to new customers. (Even the offer for existing customers expires 12/31).
Thumbs Up:
- Being a TiVo customer since 2001, my experience tells me they will resolve all the technical problems mentioned above.
- This is TiVo!!! Any of you who have TiVo know what that means. I was waiting for this TiVo before upgrading to HD and I'm glad I did wait.
- If you have a current lifetime subscription on a series 1 or 2 TiVo and can afford to drop $1000. You should get this unit for the $800 + another $200 to transfer your lifetime service. This means no monthly fees and your old TiVo will still be active for a year.
- This TiVo's set-up does not require a phone connection like previous TiVos. The whole initial set-up took 20 minutes over my home network.
- The remote is backlit and has a couple new buttons, but is the familiar TiVo remote. (I use a logitech harmony remote though, which I love)
- Recording from 2 tuners! The new series 2 also can record 2 shows, but it's a definite plus made available on the series 3. Press live tv to switch between tuners.
- You can hook up an antenna to record HD content from your local stations for free.
- 5.1 sound!!!! It's great that TiVo records the digital sound along with the HD picture. Watching football last Sunday sounded almost like being in the stadium.
- 480i content through the HDMI output is crystal clear.
- The front display has control buttons, a clock, and displays the name of the show it's recording.
- It is quieter than previous TiVos.
Overall, if you're a current TiVo customer and you don't want to lose the interface you love when you switch to HD, you will want this box. If you're new to TiVo, you will be amazed at it's functionality. TiVo can record based on season passes or word-search wishlists and parents will love scheduling approved content for your children's TV time. Some of you may want to wait for the price to come down and for TiVo to resolve some of the kinks before you buy.
Best HDTV Option - throw away your cable DVR with a smile October 3, 2006
Benjamin Humphrey (Seattle, WA United States)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I've had the new HDTV Tivo for a week. As with other reviewers I previously had a Comcast provided Motorola/Microsoft DVR (Microsoft did the software/guide in the Seattle area at least). The Comcast unit was slow to respond, awkward to use and frequently missed recording programs partially if not completely. It is a terrible device and I went through several. I switched from my old Tivo Series 2 to the Comcast HD recorder only to get HD recording.
So far the Tivo Series 3 is an HD capable and otherwise improved machine to the series 2. For some reason, you need cable cards even if you don't subscribe to non-basic content. Although local HD channels are not encrypted, the HD content schedule won't work without the cards. Not too big of an issue since the cards are free at least with Comcast. The device has a few notable improvements from the Series 2.
Improvements:
Silent Operation. The series 2 was easily audible in a quiet room. Not so now.
Enhanced Remote. It's now backlit and has controls for your TV's input, power up and aspect control as well as your audio receivers volume. Nice !
30 second skip !! I missed this on the Comcast box perhaps more then any other single feature and it remains with the HD box. Thank goodness !
Downgrades:
This is only minor but switching channels is a bit slow. I believe this is common for HD tuners but you definitely can't flip quickly between channels.
Expensive ! $800 is kind of steep for a DVR. Within a year or two, media PC's may superceed this kind of device.
Missed one program so far in a week. I'm not sure why but the Tivo missed about 1/2 of the evening news. I'm unsure as to whether this was a cable outtage or a software failure so I can't blame Tivo for certain.
Summary: Same great features of the original Tivo plus HD. Exactly what I wanted. The interface alone is worth the price. I will never miss wrestling with the FF RW buttons on my Comcast nor just about any other thing about it. You don't know what you're missing till it's gone. If you have a Cable provided DVR, you'll be absolutely thrilled with the Tivo. If you don't have one, then just get the Tivo and be content to know it's worth the money.
Tivo Series 3 performs as expected in HD November 5, 2006
James E. Holloway Jr. (Ft. Lauderdale)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I purchased my tivo series 3 after studying reviews and comments since it came out. I delayed because I have a Sony HDD DHG 250 HD recorder now that does a good job. I wanted to rejoin TIVO because I wanted the better ease of use factor that tivo offers. I found the tivo for 669 to 673 on the web but didnt want to mail order in case the machine was defective. I called best buy and they agreed to match the price. I got the unit home and was able to get it running properly by swapping out the cable card from my existing DVR by sony. I turned everything off first, followed the instructions, read the manual and went to the web site to activate my service as it was after 10 pm and tivo was closed so I couldnt activate over the phone. Sure enough everything worked perfectly out of the box so I was pleasantly surprised. I only have one cable card and have asked comcast to deliver another. 2 weeks they told me and a 24.00 service charge for the visit. I dont know what monthly fee they will charge me for the 2nd cable card because I didnt ask. Regarding the operation of the tivo, it is excellent and operates flawlessly as promised. The fully backlit remote is the best I have ever seen. I have a slew of universal remotes including the fancy philips with the lit screen and this remote is superior. I highly recommend the remote for series 2 owners as you can buy it separately from tivo. THe recorder records beautifully in HD, the software and operation is fast (speedy) and the built in over the air tuner picks up terrestrial HD stations that were unaccessible to me using my tv's own internal atsc HD tuner (sony sxrd HD newest model) as well as my HD dvr from sony. The tivo screen on the machine is fine as is the resolution on the tv screen of the onscreen menus. I am going to look at the home network device next for broadband features but need more research. In summary all is great and I am happy to be back with tivo after a 6 month absence.
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