Great point about the cost. $900 is a fair price, but like I said, not in love.
Suprisingly, this new one is not faster at all.
Hmmmm...Somethings TiVo could have added...
- Folders grouping programs together - Free space indicator - A wider program guide to take advantage of widescreen TVs - The ability to add external storage - Network connectivity - Internet integration (for example, a movie listing in the guide could link to IMDB). - More advanced Wishlists and Seasons Passes (let me add my own criteria and filters) - Caller ID
The list is endless...See the TiVo Suggestions at TC for more ideas.
I received my unit 2 days ago and I must say that I don't love it. It is acceptable, but not anything to fall in love with.
TiVo really dropped the ball by not adding any new features or functionality, not even the HMO features. This is a stright port from the old version of TiVo software to support HDTV.
TiVo had the opportunity (and more than plenty of time) to make this product a huge leap the PVR game, but they seemed to have choose the safe route.
So for your $900 you get a TiVo that supports HDTV, but not much else.
I could have installed Windows XP, the current (and, I will acknowledge, far and away the best) Windows operating system to date, plus new applications. But that would be expensive.
This more expensive claim is bogus. Dan says he installed Xandros Desktop OS Version 2 - Deluxe Edition which costs $89, the same price that Windows XP Home Upgrade costs.
The recommended system requirements for Xandros and XP are almost identical.
So why hassle with Xandros when he could have just upgraded to XP and he would not have had to reinstall any applications, plus Star Office (not free) runs on XP. He could have avoided the hardware problems too.
Of course this would not have made for such an interesting article and this is must be Dan's true motivation...
Besides, it would feed a beast I'd rather not make any bulkier.
Log in using your primary email address and password. Click Submit to
continue.
Click the Multiple Computer Access link
to continue.
Click the Add Computer link and follow the directions.
Note: You can have a maximum of three Computer Connections
per Cox High Speed Internet account (including your primary computer). Adding additional
computers to your account does require a monthly fee. For prices, call
your local Cox Communications Office.
Let's try and get it right. They is you and me. These costs are passed on to the consumer (collectively us). Vonage does not pay these fess.
Even at $26.50 per month, my Vonage line beats the pants out of my old POTS line. The RBOCs need to stop trying to protecting their low margin POTS business and get in the broadband (via fiber) business. Get me fiber to my curb, they you can sell me phone, video, bb, etc...
But does the Nokia go the other way, from the DVR to my Nokia handset?
With my Windows Media Center, I have DVR functionality where I can transfer recordings directly to my Smartphone/PPC. I can also burn them to DVD for archiving. This is where MCE beats TiVo.
Actually, no, I would rather have my governement make the most effective use of MY tax dollars.
If Linux has the lower TCO and increased employee productivity, then choose Linux. Same goes for Windows.
I want the best government for my money. Spending less on IT allows governement to spend more providing value to us citizens.
4 years of investigating MS and this is all they could come up with? Looks like the EU has an over-abundance of greedy bureaucrats who want to perpepuate their careers.
Go ahead and force MS to sell those in the EU a copy w/o WMP. Now EU users will be forced to pay $30 to $40 to Real, Music Match, Quicktime, etc. to get the same functionality they get for free with WMP.
A: Generally consumer grade satellite broadband systems are advertised with upload speeds of "up to" 128kbs. One way systems come with no upload speed predictions.
In actual use, at least at this time, none of the consumer grade two-way satellite systems get upload speeds near the 128kbs suggestion. There is a wide variance in actual upload speeds from moment to moment. You can expect that most of the time the upload speed of a two way system will be in the 30kbs-80kbs range. Due to latency issues with satellite connections, most upload speed tests will show speeds lower than actual FTP uploads.
Microsoft has a license program called Open Charity License. They offer their software at 90% discount for ANY qualified 501(c)(3) organization. Microsoft has offered this licensing for YEARS, of course the Times forgot to mention it.
I did consulting for an academic/non-profit and they get Office XP for $40.
And here is the update. Kudos to Phillip Dampier...
A Brief Update on Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000
This is an update to a review of the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 PVR box now available in many areas from your local cable company. The original review can be found at: http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=KQHh9.27 9170% 24vg.48306613%40twister.ny roc.rr.com&oe=UTF-8&ou tput=gplain . Please be aware I now consider the original review OUT OF DATE and you should rely on this update when considering the 8000.
A slower-than-anticipated arrival of some updated code within the box has corrected some of the 8000's most serious problems but issues still remain. I'll update the current status of the issues reflected in the original review. This is based on extensive testing of a code update issued in late October, 2002. A month of testing reveals:
"Won't Record Bug" - This was the 8000's most serious flaw. Programming scheduled to record on an ongoing basis would not consistently record, regardless of whether the user selected automatic or manual programming. It generally occured most frequently with daily programming after the first week to ten days of recording.
Current Status: Fixed with caveats (see corrupted data report below)
"Starts Recording and Never Stops Bug" - A user records a single program but the box never leaves record mode, eventually consuming all available disk space.
Current Status: Fixed
"Box Won't Allow You to Offload Recorded Programming Using the Supplied RCA-Outputs" - Users are encouraged to archive programming on video tape before the box runs out of space, but the 8000's external RCA connectors arrived in homes disabled, subject to a software upgrade or activation by cable operator.
Current Status: Fixed in some areas, still disabled in others. Call your local cable operator to complain if still disabled. The coaxial output is functional, but not as good quality as RCA outputs.
"Warning that the box needs both tuners to record two simultaneous scheduled events bug" - The best way to explain this is to say you are recording something while watching something else, and now you want to record a third program. The box will tell you it needs to get you to forget about the show you are watching - it needs that second tuner to record the second program. Unfortunately, although the box alerted you to change channels or stop watching within two minutes, it often wouldn't record that second program regardless of what you did.
Current Status - Fixed. Box changes channels on you automatically, which is what it should do to guarantee both shows are recorded.
"Recording PPV Programming Requires You to Order Before Scheduling a Recording"
Current Status - Unknown as I don't use PPV. Any reports from readers?
"Program descriptions not transferred to the 8000's recorded program list"
Current Status - Fixed.
"No indication of disk space used or remaining space available"
Current Status: Current design of the box does not allow for this feature.
"If a program selected for recording at all instances is entered, it will only record that program on the channel originally entered. You must make individual program entries for each channel the program appears on."
Current Status: No change
"Video Artifacting Present on Recorded Programs"
Current Status: This is reported to be a signal level issue. Call your local cable company for assistance.
"Sluggish response to user commands"
Current Status: Unchanged... the box requires patience as it remains sluggish to respond to key pressed commands. It may be a memory issue or demand on the box's CPU. No fix known as of now.
NEW ISSUES WITH CURRENT SOFTWARE AND OTHER REFLECTIONS
The software update issued has helped address and correct most of the box's most s
Here is the best review of the SA 8000 on the web...
Sci Atlanta Explorer 8000: Not Ready for Primetime
Cable companies have been concerned for sometime about the growing level of competition they face from small satellite dish providers DirecTV and DISH. These national competitors have begun incorporating personal digital video recording technology into some of their receivers, allowing customers to digitally record, pause, and review programming. Some cable subscribers have clamored for this type of feature as well and have invested in Tivo and Replay units to accomplish this.
Now, cable operators are primed to respond to customer requests with the introduction of digital video recorder cable boxes like the newly released Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000. Equipped with a hard drive and all the technology necessary to receive digital and on demand programming, the Explorer 8000 attempts to deliver a one-box solution to existing cable subscribers contemplating a switch to satellite or investing in a standalone Tivo or Replay unit.
Larger than most cable boxes, the Explorer barely squeezes into equipment stacks, and like some of its predecessors, it's best placed atop other equipment, because it generates considerable heat.
The 8000 series can be custom configured by cable operators with different size hard drives. Time Warner of Rochester, NY (one of Time Warner's test markets) deployed Explorer 8000's with the Maxtor 4D080H4, a value line 80 gig 5400rpm hard drive, capable of storing from 30-40 hours of programming, depending on whether the recorded channel was on an analog or digital tier. The unit makes almost no noise.
The 8000 integrates the digital video recorder with the critically-panned Scientific Atlanta standard interactive program guide (the one that starts with programming lists two hours in the future) and assigns a pseudo-channel on the digital tier for viewers to view and access their recorded programming. Users can also manually configure recording times for the unit.
The box is targeted to customers who want the convenience of digital video recording without upfront equipment costs. The box is provided on a month-by-month rental basis. In the Rochester test market, the rate is $9.95 per month in addition to the standard monthly $5.60 digital equipment fee (and a.35 cent per month fee for the remote control). Time Warner points out that competitors like Tivo make you purchase the equipment and still pay a fee of up to $9.95 per month for the program guide (which is also a way for these companies to recoup added costs).
Among the major benefits of the Explorer 8000 is its graceful integration with digital cable service. Recording most cable programming that requires a cable box with external equipment (a VCR or DVR) requires consumers to jump through hoops in setting up the equipment to interact properly and keep their fingers crossed. Since the Explorer 8000 is a one box solution, no extra steps are required to configure the box.
Also, the Explorer 8000 contains two tuners capable of recording two cable channels at the same time, which is unique in the field of current generation recorders. It incorporates a software-based picture-in-picture feature so that users can review programming on two channels even if their television did not come with this feature (or P-in-P became irrelevent with the addition of a cable box that outputted all programming on a single channel).
Programming the Explorer 8000 is generally done by accessing the standard Scientific Atlanta-provided program guide. Users can scan for programming for up to seven days in advance by channel, program theme, date, time or title. Simply highlight the desired program, hit a key and the 8000 will bring up a menu asking if you want to record this program once or each time it airs and how long you
1) Do not tell anyone you are pregnant until 12-15 weeks. Miscarriages are quite common and you will feel horrible if it doesn't work out.
2) Do not tell your friends/family the sex or the name of the baby until he/she is born. If you tell everyone these details upfront, there is much less suprise and interest when the sepcial day finally comes. I have had 2 sets of friends who were told the wrong sex (it is never exact unless you have genetic testing) and boy were they red faced (and stuck with the wrong clothing and no name).
3) Buy a PVR or a TiVo if you ever want to watch TV again. PVR's are a new parents best friends.
Powerschool was offering this functionality long before it was assimilated by Apple in 2001, and at $6-$10 per student per year, Apple is not helping anyone, there are selling software.
I am not sure if you have tried it but for me it works works as advertised.
I pay 26.77 including taxes (a stunning 48% discount from my RBOC) for local service, caller ID, voice mail, call forwarding, etc, and 500 long distance minutes. The sound quality is comparable, with only spoardic latency problems. The company I have lets you manage/listen to your voicemail via the web, forward your calls if the network is unavailable, get real time online billing, and offers virtual numbers (extra fees) that allow unlimited local incoming calls from any area code they offer service. If I need 911 I have three cells phone usually within reach. BTW, not everyone in the US even has 911 service.
I have kissed my POTS goodbye and couldn't be happier.
Try it, you might be suprised and you will save significant $$$s.
Slashdot Mirror
See below. As near as I can tell TiVo has added any significant functionality to the DirecTv models in 3 years.
Great point about the cost. $900 is a fair price, but like I said, not in love.
Suprisingly, this new one is not faster at all.
Hmmmm...Somethings TiVo could have added...
- Folders grouping programs together
- Free space indicator
- A wider program guide to take advantage of widescreen TVs
- The ability to add external storage
- Network connectivity
- Internet integration (for example, a movie listing in the guide could link to IMDB).
- More advanced Wishlists and Seasons Passes (let me add my own criteria and filters)
- Caller ID
The list is endless...See the TiVo Suggestions at TC for more ideas.
I received my unit 2 days ago and I must say that I don't love it. It is acceptable, but not anything to fall in love with.
TiVo really dropped the ball by not adding any new features or functionality, not even the HMO features. This is a stright port from the old version of TiVo software to support HDTV.
TiVo had the opportunity (and more than plenty of time) to make this product a huge leap the PVR game, but they seemed to have choose the safe route.
So for your $900 you get a TiVo that supports HDTV, but not much else.
For example in Ohio...
When the retailer charges you sales tax on your purchase, you do not have to pay additional use tax to Ohio.
From the article...
I could have installed Windows XP, the current (and, I will acknowledge, far and away the best) Windows operating system to date, plus new applications. But that would be expensive.
This more expensive claim is bogus. Dan says he installed Xandros Desktop OS Version 2 - Deluxe Edition which costs $89, the same price that Windows XP Home Upgrade costs.
The recommended system requirements for Xandros and XP are almost identical.
So why hassle with Xandros when he could have just upgraded to XP and he would not have had to reinstall any applications, plus Star Office (not free) runs on XP. He could have avoided the hardware problems too.
Of course this would not have made for such an interesting article and this is must be Dan's true motivation...
Besides, it would feed a beast I'd rather not make any bulkier.
Without a browser installed on my shiny new PC, how would I browse to download the browser of my choice?
Looking at their AUP I also came across this...
How do I add a second computer to my Cox High Speed Internet service?
To request additional computer access, do the following:
Note: You can have a maximum of three Computer Connections per Cox High Speed Internet account (including your primary computer). Adding additional computers to your account does require a monthly fee. For prices, call your local Cox Communications Office.
Let's try and get it right. They is you and me. These costs are passed on to the consumer (collectively us). Vonage does not pay these fess.
Even at $26.50 per month, my Vonage line beats the pants out of my old POTS line. The RBOCs need to stop trying to protecting their low margin POTS business and get in the broadband (via fiber) business. Get me fiber to my curb, they you can sell me phone, video, bb, etc...
But does the Nokia go the other way, from the DVR to my Nokia handset?
With my Windows Media Center, I have DVR functionality where I can transfer recordings directly to my Smartphone/PPC. I can also burn them to DVD for archiving. This is where MCE beats TiVo.
Rights-Enabled PDF Documents
Actually, no, I would rather have my governement make the most effective use of MY tax dollars. If Linux has the lower TCO and increased employee productivity, then choose Linux. Same goes for Windows. I want the best government for my money. Spending less on IT allows governement to spend more providing value to us citizens.
4 years of investigating MS and this is all they could come up with? Looks like the EU has an over-abundance of greedy bureaucrats who want to perpepuate their careers.
Go ahead and force MS to sell those in the EU a copy w/o WMP. Now EU users will be forced to pay $30 to $40 to Real, Music Match, Quicktime, etc. to get the same functionality they get for free with WMP.
"Personal Video Recorder" and its acronym "PVR" are now trademarked by TiVo in the U.S.
15 million in 3 years. Not too shabby. I mean look at TiVo. They are going on 6 years and they have a measly 700,000 subs.
Easy to learn, difficult to master.
And get a card like this for your laptop/desktop.
Sierra Wireless Aircard 555
Sorry, old news. MS/SQL Server used to be the leader (and still is). They lost the crown for about 3 weeks to IBM.
I did consulting for an academic/non-profit and they get Office XP for $40.
More details...
Open Charity License Overview
And here is the update. Kudos to Phillip Dampier...
A Brief Update on Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000
This is an update to a review of the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 PVR
box now available in many areas from your local cable company. The original
review can be found at:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=KQHh9.27 9170% 24vg.48306613%40twister.ny
roc.rr.com&oe=UTF-8&ou tput=gplain . Please be aware I now consider the original review OUT OF DATE and you should rely on this update when
considering the 8000.
A slower-than-anticipated arrival of some updated code within the box has corrected some of the 8000's most serious problems but issues still remain.
I'll update the current status of the issues reflected in the original review. This is based on extensive testing of a code update issued in late
October, 2002. A month of testing reveals:
"Won't Record Bug" - This was the 8000's most serious flaw. Programming scheduled to record on an ongoing basis would not consistently record,
regardless of whether the user selected automatic or manual programming. It generally occured most frequently with daily programming after the first
week to ten days of recording.
Current Status: Fixed with caveats (see corrupted data report below)
"Starts Recording and Never Stops Bug" - A user records a single program but the box never leaves record mode, eventually consuming all available disk
space.
Current Status: Fixed
"Box Won't Allow You to Offload Recorded Programming Using the Supplied RCA-Outputs" - Users are encouraged to archive programming on video tape
before the box runs out of space, but the 8000's external RCA connectors arrived in homes disabled, subject to a software upgrade or activation by
cable operator.
Current Status: Fixed in some areas, still disabled in others. Call your local cable operator to complain if still disabled. The coaxial output is
functional, but not as good quality as RCA outputs.
"Warning that the box needs both tuners to record two simultaneous scheduled events bug" - The best way to explain this is to say you are recording
something while watching something else, and now you want to record a third program. The box will tell you it needs to get you to forget about the show
you are watching - it needs that second tuner to record the second program. Unfortunately, although the box alerted you to change channels or stop
watching within two minutes, it often wouldn't record that second program regardless of what you did.
Current Status - Fixed. Box changes channels on you automatically, which is
what it should do to guarantee both shows are recorded.
"Recording PPV Programming Requires You to Order Before Scheduling a
Recording"
Current Status - Unknown as I don't use PPV. Any reports from readers?
"Program descriptions not transferred to the 8000's recorded program list"
Current Status - Fixed.
"No indication of disk space used or remaining space available"
Current Status: Current design of the box does not allow for this feature.
"If a program selected for recording at all instances is entered, it will
only record that program on the channel originally entered. You must make
individual program entries for each channel the program appears on."
Current Status: No change
"Video Artifacting Present on Recorded Programs"
Current Status: This is reported to be a signal level issue. Call your
local cable company for assistance.
"Sluggish response to user commands"
Current Status: Unchanged... the box requires patience as it remains sluggish to respond to key pressed commands. It may be a memory issue or
demand on the box's CPU. No fix known as of now.
NEW ISSUES WITH CURRENT SOFTWARE AND OTHER REFLECTIONS
The software update issued has helped address and correct most of the box's most s
Here is the best review of the SA 8000 on the web...
.35 cent per month fee for the remote control). Time Warner
Sci Atlanta Explorer 8000: Not Ready for Primetime
Cable companies have been concerned for sometime about the growing level of
competition they face from small satellite dish providers DirecTV and DISH.
These national competitors have begun incorporating personal digital video
recording technology into some of their receivers, allowing customers to
digitally record, pause, and review programming. Some cable subscribers
have clamored for this type of feature as well and have invested in Tivo and
Replay units to accomplish this.
Now, cable operators are primed to respond to customer requests with the
introduction of digital video recorder cable boxes like the newly released
Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000. Equipped with a hard drive and all the
technology necessary to receive digital and on demand programming, the
Explorer 8000 attempts to deliver a one-box solution to existing cable
subscribers contemplating a switch to satellite or investing in a standalone
Tivo or Replay unit.
Larger than most cable boxes, the Explorer barely squeezes into equipment
stacks, and like some of its predecessors, it's best placed atop other
equipment, because it generates considerable heat.
The 8000 series can be custom configured by cable operators with different
size hard drives. Time Warner of Rochester, NY (one of Time Warner's test
markets) deployed Explorer 8000's with the Maxtor 4D080H4, a value line 80
gig 5400rpm hard drive, capable of storing from 30-40 hours of programming,
depending on whether the recorded channel was on an analog or digital tier.
The unit makes almost no noise.
The 8000 integrates the digital video recorder with the critically-panned
Scientific Atlanta standard interactive program guide (the one that starts
with programming lists two hours in the future) and assigns a pseudo-channel
on the digital tier for viewers to view and access their recorded
programming. Users can also manually configure recording times for the
unit.
The box is targeted to customers who want the convenience of digital video
recording without upfront equipment costs. The box is provided on a
month-by-month rental basis. In the Rochester test market, the rate is
$9.95 per month in addition to the standard monthly $5.60 digital equipment
fee (and a
points out that competitors like Tivo make you purchase the equipment and
still pay a fee of up to $9.95 per month for the program guide (which is
also a way for these companies to recoup added costs).
Among the major benefits of the Explorer 8000 is its graceful integration
with digital cable service. Recording most cable programming that requires
a cable box with external equipment (a VCR or DVR) requires consumers to
jump through hoops in setting up the equipment to interact properly and keep
their fingers crossed. Since the Explorer 8000 is a one box solution, no
extra steps are required to configure the box.
Also, the Explorer 8000 contains two tuners capable of recording two cable
channels at the same time, which is unique in the field of current
generation recorders. It incorporates a software-based picture-in-picture
feature so that users can review programming on two channels even if their
television did not come with this feature (or P-in-P became irrelevent with
the addition of a cable box that outputted all programming on a single
channel).
Programming the Explorer 8000 is generally done by accessing the standard
Scientific Atlanta-provided program guide. Users can scan for programming
for up to seven days in advance by channel, program theme, date, time or
title. Simply highlight the desired program, hit a key and the 8000 will
bring up a menu asking if you want to record this program once or each time
it airs and how long you
1) Do not tell anyone you are pregnant until 12-15 weeks. Miscarriages are quite common and you will feel horrible if it doesn't work out.
2) Do not tell your friends/family the sex or the name of the baby until he/she is born. If you tell everyone these details upfront, there is much less suprise and interest when the sepcial day finally comes. I have had 2 sets of friends who were told the wrong sex (it is never exact unless you have genetic testing) and boy were they red faced (and stuck with the wrong clothing and no name).
3) Buy a PVR or a TiVo if you ever want to watch TV again. PVR's are a new parents best friends.
Powerschool was offering this functionality long before it was assimilated by Apple in 2001, and at $6-$10 per student per year, Apple is not helping anyone, there are selling software.
I am not sure if you have tried it but for me it works works as advertised.
I pay 26.77 including taxes (a stunning 48% discount from my RBOC) for local service, caller ID, voice mail, call forwarding, etc, and 500 long distance minutes. The sound quality is comparable, with only spoardic latency problems. The company I have lets you manage/listen to your voicemail via the web, forward your calls if the network is unavailable, get real time online billing, and offers virtual numbers (extra fees) that allow unlimited local incoming calls from any area code they offer service. If I need 911 I have three cells phone usually within reach. BTW, not everyone in the US even has 911 service.
I have kissed my POTS goodbye and couldn't be happier.
Try it, you might be suprised and you will save significant $$$s.
Did you know that those iBooks were bought with a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?