At my second attempt I was able to register my new TiVo and I am getting used to how it works. It is not perfect, but I am starting to see what all the fuss was about.The TiVo remote control takes some getting used to. I was surprised that the volume control did not work. I pressed the volume up button and nothing happened. Eventually I found instructions which explained that the volume buttons on the remote control did not control the TiVo at all. Instead they control your home theatre system. I selected my brand of home theatre amplifier and then entered a code into the remote control. This then mimics the control for my amplifier. It works very well and saves the usual confusion where you adjust the STB volume one way and try and compensate with the amplifier.
There is also a TV Power button on the remote control intended to turn the TV on and off. My 24" Dell 2405FPW monitor has no remote control, so I entered the code for the amplifier, and can now turn it on and off remotely. However, there is a problem that there appears to be no way to turn the TiVo off. With a normal set top box I would push the off button to put it into standby mode. This then cuts the video signal to the screen which switches to standby mode. But the TiVo is always showing an image and I have to manually turn the monitor off.
Some adjustment was needed for the image resolution. By default the box seems to come set for standard definition TV: 576i video. Native mode is recommended, where the screen switches to a higher resolution, if that is being broadcast. But I found that while my monitor can display the maximum 1080i High Definition resolution, it takes a second or so to change, with annoying flashing in between. So I set the TiVo to always display 1080i (it converts up as necessary). This may not be ideal and as there really isn't any perceivable difference between SD and HD from across the room and no extra HD content, so I might opt for setting everything to SD.Another setting I changed was to turn off all the lights on the TiVo's front panel. These were useful when setting it up but are distracting (looking like the panel on a 60's record player). Perhaps I will turn them back on when having unwelcome guests staying on my sofa bed. ;-)
The fan in the TiVo is not audible, but the disk drive can be heard within a metre or two when it is recording programs. This is not a problem when sitting accross the room.
Some of the terms used in the TiVo interface are a little confusing. For example, I assumed the "Now Showing" menu option displayed live TV (as it is "now showing"), but it is actually the list of what has been recorded (ie: "not now showing").
The text in the on screen program guide is not easily read from accross the room. This may not be a problem if you have a very large screen or very good eyesight, but the population is getting older and a large text option would be useful.
The "thumbs up and "thumbs down" buttons on the remote are clever and seem to work well: you use these to indicate programs you like or dislike to help the TiVo decide what to record.
The "season pass" feature will take some getting used to: it records all episodes of a show automatically, but there are a lot of options to set.
The "wish list" also looks interesting, where you can select programs or genres and request they be recorded. But so far the system has been able to find very little to suit my tastes. When the Olympics start on two channels, there is going to be even less worth watching.
But after only one day, the TiVo is starting to seem the obvious and natural way to watch TV. It seems obvious that you should be able to push a button to record a program, with the system knowing when to stop, and to record later episodes if you want. It also seems obvious for the system to record something you might want to watch if it is not doing anything else useful at the time.
Some problems are not really the TiVos fault. I had assumed I could simply select the HD versions of each station's programs. But I found that the ABC news was missing from ABC 1 HD, with just music and a weather map instead. So I locked out the HD channel and am using the SD one instead. Also Win TV HD started displaying music and scenery, in place of normal programs, so I locked that one out as well.
One thing I am wondering is if the TiVo (or its guide authors) are smart enough to record the SD version of a program, if the HD version is not available. The decision to introduce HD to Australia, in place of additional content, was not a good one, but that can't be blamed on the TiVo; it was done by government at the request of the existing TV stations.
See also:
TiVo Products on Amazon
4 comments:
I have read your blogs about the TiVo PVR and feel I must comment. If you are going to post some sort of publicly viewable review of something, at least have some sort of handle on the technology so you can properly evaluate it. For instance:
In part one of your blog, you mention an issue with the registration process where it would not accept your post code and suburb. Common sense would suggest you should try a nearby suburb with the same post code, but you needed to get this suggestion from someone else. I was already wondering how (and why) you got hold of one of these high tech devices in the first place.
Moving on to your second blog entry, TiVo works but disappointing.
Personally I think it is fairly clear what an Australian Postal Code is, you are griping about two letters here, al. If it said, enter your Australian post code you would have been fine apparently.
You then gripe about some irrelevant issues and sum up the TiVo as beyond the average consumer. Sorry mate, but the average consumer would know what a postal code was, or be able to fill out a for correctly. You even describe most of the setup once you got past your own issues as faster than the TiVo suggested. If you had of worked out the form faster, you would have been watching television in 15 minutes. Hardly beyond the average consumer.
We now move onto to Blog post number three: Getting Better.
You mention an apparent "problem" with not being able to turn the TiVo off, you are not supposed to turn it off, how can it record everything you want and also make TiVo selections if you are turning it off? Also, how can it keep its EPG updated or update its programming if you keep it turned off? It is not meant to be off.
Next you mention image resolution, I would say, you need to get a decent television and you will see a difference in the resolution from the other side of the room.
Oh, and of course the text is not as readable from across the room, you are viewing it on a 24" screen for gods sake. Go buy a real TV.
And finally, I can not believe you said introducing Hi Definition television to Australia was a mistake. Would you like Australia to be stuck in SD forever so you can keep enjoying your 24" computer monitor as a television?
I am sorry, but it appears to me you should not be let near anything technical like this as you seem to have no grasp of anything slightly technical.
Just how smart is it? Can it cope with the situation where the commercial channels deliberately run late in an attempt to stop you from changing channels? (You don't want to miss the end of what you're watching, and then you find that you've missed the beginning of the next program on the other channel...) Or do you just have to change the times so that it records an extra 10 (or even sometimes 15) minutes at the end?
Ian asked me August 08, 2008 11:28 AM :
"Just how smart is it? Can it cope with the situation where the commercial channels deliberately run late ... Or do you just have to change the times so that it records an extra 10 (or even sometimes 15) minutes at the end? ..."
With scheduled programs it seems to be smart enough to cope with changes to the schedule. The broadband TiVo checks the program guide about every 15 minutes, so unless the station makes very sudden changes, it should be okay. There is also the option of adding some extra recording time to allow for variations. When I asked it to record the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympics the TiVo said this was a live show and so it might run late and suggested adding one hour to the recording (given how such events go this seemed a reasonable idea).
knight76 commented August 08, 2008 10:04 AM:
"... If you are going to post some sort of publicly viewable review of something, at least have some sort of handle on the technology so you can properly evaluate it. ..."
When I trying out a consumer product I try to do it from the point of view of an average consumer. Also this was not a review I was writing for a magazine, I went into a shop and bought a TiVo to use and these are just some comments on how it went. You can read professional reviews of the TiVo in the media.
"... you mention an issue with the registration process where it would not accept your post code and suburb. Common sense would suggest you should try a nearby suburb with the same post code ..."
It was not clear to me why TiVo wanted to know my address. Being an honest citizen, I wanted to give the correct information. If TiVo were going to send me a warranty card, or something, I wanted it to arrive at my place. It was frustrating that the TiVo would not accept the correct address, whatever variation I used.
"... I was already wondering how (and why) you got hold of one of these high tech devices in the first place. ..."
I wanted to be able to record TV programs. As explained in the posting I went into a Harvey Norman store and purchased the TiVo. They are on sale alongside the TVs, set top boxes and other PVRs. So it seemed to me it should be something reasonably easy to install. It wasn't something like an external TV antenna, where they suggest you get an installer.
"Moving on to your second blog entry, TiVo works but disappointing. Personally I think it is fairly clear what an Australian Postal Code is, you are griping about two letters here ..."
Yes, it is a minor issue. But as I wrote, I had to think about it for a moment. It would have been simpler if they called it a "Postcode", but perhaps I am just showing my age. ;-)
"If it said, enter your Australian post code you would have been fine apparently."
That would be better, but the correct term is "Australian postcode" (one word, not two).
"You then gripe about some irrelevant issues and sum up the TiVo as beyond the average consumer. Sorry mate, but the average consumer would know what a postal code was, or be able to fill out a for correctly."
As I wrote, the "postal code" only stopped me for a moment, but the problem with my suburb name not being accepted did cause considerable problems. You may well be right that I have underestimated the abilities of the average consumer. You obviously had less difficulty installing your TiVo than I did with mine. I am occasionally asked to help set up gadgets ranging from kitchens to computers and often what seems obvious to the designer can be hard for the user.
"We now move onto to Blog post number three: Getting Better.You mention an apparent "problem" with not being able to turn the TiVo off, you are not supposed to turn it off, how can it record everything you want and also make TiVo selections if you are turning it off?"
As noted in the post, I wanted a button to put the TiVo into a "standby mode", where it would switch off the video and hopefully reduce power use, while still recording programs. This would also allow the TV monitor to switch to low power mode.
In my fourth posting, I reported I found the standby mode at the bottom of the TiVo "Messages & Settings" screen, but this is not as convenient as an "off" button on the remote. Perhaps TiVo could program the TiVo to go to standby when the "TV Off" button is pressed on the remote.
"Next you mention image resolution, I would say, you need to get a decent television and you will see a difference in the resolution from the other side of the room. Oh, and of course the text is not as readable from across the room, you are viewing it on a 24" screen for gods sake. Go buy a real TV."
I only have a small lounge room and would prefer it not to be dominated by a huge TV. A 24 inch screen viewed from about two metres did not seem unreasonably small to me. Now I have got used to it, it does seem a little small, and if buying a new one I might try 32 inch (the prices are now reasonable). That should make the text more readable.
"And finally, I can not believe you said introducing Hi Definition television to Australia was a mistake. "
I would have preferred something like the , UK approach to Digital TV, where they have about fifty SD channels, many of which are free to air.
The Australian approach has a few HD channels, mostly simulcasting the SD channels. The spectrum used by five Australian stations is capable of broadcasting 30 SD TV programs, but we are currently only getting about seven programs in total.
The incumbent TV stations could have each been allocated one SD channel, to simulcast their analog program and then asked to bid against new entrants for the other capacity. The bidders could have made a commercial decision as if it was better to offer a few HD programs or more SD ones. As it is, existing stations can lock out new entrants indefinitely, with little incentive to fully use the capacity they have.
But even within the limitations of the current system, the capacity could be better. As an example the ABC could use its spare capacity to broadcast their radio stations and educational content (ABC 2 switches to music and a weather may overnight). TiVo type devices would work well with this, automatically finding and recording topics the viewer was interested in.
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