I have a tivo and I like it. But for people who have time maybe they can setup mythTV by themselves using a desktop linux machine, to save the monthly service fee.

Tivo is great for the average person. I have had mine for two years. You can easily throw in a 300+ gig hard drive and have a 385 hour+ TiVo. I plan to upgrade mine to TiVoHD in the next few months. TiVo service is not that bad of a cost, it is only $13 or less, costs that much to get a DVR from the cable company, and you don't get to upgrade those. TiVo has a lot of extra features that you can use. Set-up TiVo.net and you can watch DiVx on your TiVo. There are a ton of upgrades you can do to with it.

BTW, the picture is of the Sires 2 DVR, not the DT.

I have heard recent rumors that TiVo will be offering its DVR services through the Evil Comcast.... I hope this is true as Comcast DVR service is the worst! Their 'season pass' feature hardly works.

#1 - How often does mythTV update programming schedules?

TiVo did join comcast since DirectTV decided to go with another service. It will still be the same DVRT, just different programming. It is unlikely that they will change the box much, but at least it is the friendly TiVo service you love.

BTW, if you have DirectTiVo looks like service will be over by the end of this year. I've been hearing rumors that the boxes will stop working in the next two months.

Buy a couple tv tuners and beyond tv for your desktop. Its a 1 time fee.

Tivo raised their rates on me 3 times! (the last time was to 16.95, higher than other people get starting out) I quit and am going to mythtv

will this unit record HD content?

Hi JVance! I am sorry I don't know how often mythTV updates their program schedule. I am still using a DT tivo and haven't tried out mythTV yet.

For #7 you may get 3 years service at $300, which is cheaper than month to month.

i still don't understand why i'd ever use tivo. twc dvr is $5.95/mo and no contract and if it breaks i just toss it at 'em and they give me a new one

Comcast's DVR is only $5 a month.

What is twc?

Comcast DVR is $10 for me.

#7. not sure what your issue is, I have been paying the same for two year, even called and asked about getting an HD model and they said I could keep it the same (back when the normal rate was $17)

#10, because you can do a ton more, stream MP3's, increase the size of the drive, rent unbox movies, transfer video's to your ipod or to DVD. Just look at the features of a TiVo and decide if it is worth $6 a month. Most people spent more than that on coffee for 2 days. Not to mention, that TiVo also listens to their customers. When the hackers added things to the TiVo, they incorporated them into the normal things (IE TiVoToGo, multi-room viewing). I hear of TiVo's breaking, but most are easy repairs if they are not covered by the warranty.

#8 - No this is not the HD unit, that one is still $300-500.

#6 - true, but does it make the TiVo sound?

Not sure who this applies to or how long you have to have have had your service, but a friend of mine who's been on a tivo monthly plan for years just called them up and said he was going to cancel service, and they offered to drop him down to $6.95/mo. Further, if you already have a TiVo, additional units are also eligible for a lower monthly rate ($6.50-6.95? I forget).

#12: .TWC = Time Warner Cable

#10 I have TWC too, don'tya have to pay another fee on top of the DVR fee? I do, it's more like $12.95 a month for me.

If you're thinking about getting TiVo, you should seriously consider spending the extra $ and get a TiVO HD box instead.

too bad you need the tivo service to make this work. would be nice to hook up to my dish network service for an extra dvr

that is the rub, getting that service, but if you can swing the lifetime membership it is def worth it

I love my series 2 and it has worked flawlessly for 2 years. But we got HD service, and I build my own PC based system to record HD. I miss the reliability and ease of use of the Tivo. As the HD versions drop in price, i'll probably pick one up.

meh, pass