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HOWEVER, IT WILL NOT PLAY THE NEWEST RELEASES (2007 AND ON) OF SONY DVD RELEASESAS. IT CANNOT READ THE DISK THROUGH THE NEW ANTI-PIRATE TECHNOLOGY SONY IS USING (I HAVE SPOKE TO TOSHIBA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY ARE NOT MAKING AN UPDATE). BASIC TIVO IS GREAT WITH NO FEE. I HAVE OWNED THIS SINCE 2003 WHEN IT CAME OUT. NO PROBLEMS WHAT SO EVER AND WOULD BUY IT AGAIN. FACTOR IN BUYING ANOTHER OR KEEPING YOUR CURRENT DVD PLAYER AROUND TO PLAY DVD'S AS THE OTHER COMPANIES ARE PROBUBALLY GOING TO UP THEIR ANTI-PIRATING SOFTWARE SOON TOO.
support), and the clock kept on drifting off so that in 2 months time it was so inaccurate you missed half a 30min sitcom recording (needed to repeat hard reset until it "caught' the right time). once this trick didn't work i returned it for repair, with the refurbished replacement unit not even booting up. i sent that one back too, and just now got a message from toshiba that the unit i sent needs to be replaced as well, and offered me a credit.I'm genuinely embarrassed at the time i've spent on this. I've had so many problems with this model that it's embarassing. it was incredibly difficult getting it to use a USB adapter (even according to cust. the ONLY reason i'm spending time writing this is that i'm on hold.to get my refund.
TiVo reduces the frustration and increases both the pleasure and the usefulness of television. Now, I wouldn't have a TV without it. However, my advice is to skip the DVD player/TiVo combination and buy the Toshiba TiVo/DVD burner combination (Toshiba RS-TX60 DVD Recorder with 160 GB TiVo Series2 Digital Video Recorder), which enables one to burn the keepers (at 24X) without the mare's nest of cables that crisscross my video room.This unit works flawlessly except for a time lag when shifting from TiVo/live broadcast to DVD, which is quite long --- too long for my taste. As is my general experience with Toshiba products, this is a quality item. As an early adopter, this product introduced TiVo into my home. I hope that this defect is removed in the newer model. It is constructed to outlast the warranty, which is an important consideration in the increasingly disposable world of consumer electronics. As soon as someone scorns my advice and buys my used SD-H400, I'll report my thoughts on the burner model.jt
I had never had TiVo before so I figured for that price - "what the hell." That said, since then I've added another Series2 TiVo to my home and just love TiVo.The Good:- I've seen other reviews of this product that criticize the remote, but I really like it. Mine was slightly too shallow and I needed to get the drill out for "modifications" in order to make it fit.- This is one of the few TiVo models that has "Basic TiVo" built-in. Plain-jane USB wireless adapters won't work - buy one of the recommended models. Once set up, you can stream music from your PC and view your digital pictures through the TiVo, two excellent features. It is fairly large, but the layout of the nav and select buttons is very intuitive. Admittedly, Basic TiVo is an extremely hobbled version of the full TiVo service, but if you don't want to spend the money each month, this can be a nice feature.
If you want to watch a DVD, you can't have a VCR inline or the Macrovision copy protection is triggered, brightening and darkening the screen to deter taping of DVD's. The days of scheduling time home for your own "must see TV" are over - watch it when you have time, skip the filler and commercials.- Wireless TiVo (Home Media Option) is excellent - I had NO PROBLEMS getting this set up on my wireless network (unlike some other reviewers). - My unit has worked flawlessly since I got it - no freezes, crashes or other problems.The Bad:- I'm really irritated by the DVD copy protection setup on this unit. Problem is, there's a good chance you might want to tape some shows from your TiVo, which means you need to jury-rig a setup to work around this nasty little problem.
It's kind of moronic, which is typical of the Movie industry.- Switching from TiVo mode to DVD mode takes too long. - It's a fairly large unit, depthwise, and you may want to measure your cabinets before purchase. Let me start this review by saying that I ran across this item at a QVC Outlet store and it was EXTREMELY inexpensive - about $70. One key is to follow TiVo's recommendation for wireless adapters TO THE LETTER.
That said, there are about 20 buttons that I never use.- TiVo in general, rules. Not so much specific to this product, but I, like numerous others before me, agree that "TiVo will change your life". In addition, it gives you time to get used to the TiVo and its main functions before setting up the full service.All in all, I'm very, very satisfied with the product and service.
We thought TIVO was just glorified VCR recording, but we were wrong. No problems with it yet, and we have had it for over 3 months. This Tivo unit rocks. It is great. It changed the way we watch TV.The set-up is easy, and the phone support has been great.A VERY good deal, INHO.
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