Leaving SKY and switching to Tivo - Have I made a mistake ?

"it has no interactive feature."
True. If these are important to you (they aren't to me) then you should wait.

Got this off the VM site:

Red Button functionality will be coming in the future to our TiVo service. You can check our progress in the Customer News area in Help, on your TiVo box.

Even less reason to wait any longer. Especially since I hardly make use of this facility on Sky. I'm moving over to VM.
 
This from a good friend:

[A. N Other] trying to convince us to change to Sky – for 2 main reasons – VM put download limits on which result in too many people trying to download at same time in “off-peak” & thus slow downloads. Also we watch F1 racing & they have the rights to show all races. VM will also offer F1 channel at a cost.

Not too fussed about F1, but the download limits might prove an occasional nuisance. Comments Carl?

Go have a look on the pavement. If there is a little square mini-manhole cover outside every house then yes, your road is cabled.

Not square, but a black upside-down 5" equilateral triangle with 'Cable & Wireless' written across the top. If I can assume that is my access point, then VM must have contracted out the work to another company, right?
 
Not too fussed about F1, but the download limits might prove an occasional nuisance. Comments Carl?
Specifics here.
More here and here.

I have personally never been anywhere near the limits set so have never been "throttled"; but then I watch TV on my TV not my PC don't spend all day downloading 'illegal' stuff :)

Not square, but a black upside-down 5" equilateral triangle with 'Cable & Wireless' written across the top. If I can assume that is my access point, then VM must have contracted out the work to another company, right?
Not sure about that, but as you're all signed-up (as per our PMs) then you're fine.
 
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only had mine since this morning so fuller impressions will have to wait, but initially its...ok I guess.

The best bit is the sound effects which takes me back to series 1 days :)

It seems a bit verbose in the UI - lots of clicks to get anywhere. I'm sure I'll find some nice shortcuts eventually.

And the catch-up is disappointing. My parents have a basic Virgin box - not even HD or a recorder - and their catchup is much quicker and simpler to navigate.
 
Hi, following on from some comments, and having a tivo, for a few weeks, I understand the frustrations coming from a v+ box, with this one, you have to think a bit, its not just a digital recorder, which some might prefer. Tricks like using the clear button for delete, and page up/down is the the channel key, It does become easier the more you use it, a little learning curve, but if you have no patience, and dip in and out, and are used to the simplicity of a v+, like my other half,,,,, then its the devil!!! lol..
 
if you have your tivos networked, and an iphone,, check out peanut plus,, remote,,
 
... using the clear button for delete, and page up/down is the the channel key...
Personally, I never understood why the V+ didn't work like this. Surely it is most logical to have the 'clear' button delete something. (Of course, the V+ didn't have a 'clear' button. So that's another problem with it ;)
 
Personally, I never understood why the V+ didn't work like this. Surely it is most logical to have the 'clear' button delete something. (Of course, the V+ didn't have a 'clear' button. So that's another problem with it ;)

Do you think TiVo should make more of this? Maybe base an ad campaign around it?:confused:
 
I think VM's campaign for Tivo has been brilliant. Far better than the one for the original S1 back in 2000. If thatone had been as good, perhaps the S1 would have sold better than it did.
 
I think VM's campaign for Tivo has been brilliant. Far better than the one for the original S1 back in 2000. If thatone had been as good, perhaps the S1 would have sold better than it did.

Yes, Virgin Media's ad campaign for the S1 back in 2000 was abysmal :thumbsdow


:confused:
 
Your English is very good so I just assumed you were, well, English (or, more properly, British.) If you are not (ie English is not your first language) then I apologise.

If the ad campaign for the S1 Tivo back in 2000 had been as good as the current one (whoever was "in charge" of it; that wasn't the important bit), then perhaps the product would have been more widely known and used by now.
 
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Your English is very good so I just assumed you were, well, English (or, more properly, British.) If you are not (ie English is not your first language) then I apologise.

If the ad campaign for the S1 Tivo back in 2000 had been as good as the current one (whoever was "in charge" of it; that wasn't the important bit), then perhaps the product would have been more widely known and used by now.

What has this to do with Virgin Media? TiVo and Virgin Media are not the one and the same concern and NTL had sod all to do with TiVo back in the year 2000.

Wrong forum carl!
 
Well it has more to do with Tivo than VM specifically, but is relevant to the current topic of this discussion (ie the advertising campaign for Tivo) which, of course. you first mentioned.

If whoever was responsible for advertising the Tivo back in 2000 had produced something as good as this





instead of this pile of crap





then Tivo might have been as successful back then as it is now; with something like 400k units in use.

I really can't see where the problem lies and why you're having so much difficulty following what is a relatively simple discussion thread :confused:
 
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Update:

Having had Tivo since Friday I must say what an absolute joy it is to use. Is it evolution? more like revolution.

It's like all other boxes are using a DOS system and this is the first to have an intelligent GUI. love the way it organises, recommends, records. The way in interfaces, searches, (so many ways) and very intuitive at first, (without dumming down), but has a depth that you uncover the more you use. I could go on. It is a remarkable piece of kit.

P.S. All talk of access and EPG speed are nonsense. It's quick and responsive.

There is nothing in the UK market that comes anywhere near Tivo.:smashin:
 
I have to say that I found the recent 'tivo' advertisements irritating in the extreme. Endless repetitions throughout the evening and our local 'Picture House' cinema would subject you to three adverts in the course of an evening's presentation. There was no escape there. In the end when I'm asked for the hundredth time "but what do you think?" my response was unprintable! Suffice to say where I proposed they should stick their 'tivo' would make sitting down very uncomfortable.
 
Well, that's me got mine installed today. Engineer never turned up till 5.30pm and left at 8.15pm (one tivo install, one hd box upstairs and phone, used old ntl sockets). Does it normally take that long???

Not had much of a chance to try it out. I'm impressed with the Catch Up compared to Sky, and loving BBC iplayer so far though.

Phone line is much clearer than my old BT line. :thumbsup:

Need to play about with it a bit more and read manual properly etc. to make sure I'm getting the most out of it.

Much less cables required than for SKY and BT too so that makes the house look a bit tidier too. :clap:
 
After all the misinformation promulgated by user reviews on the Trusted Reviews site about VM's TiVo service, and my (fortunately temporary) misguided reliance on their 'reviews', I thought it only right that I should set the record straight. So I posted this comment on their reviews:

Initially, I made a decision based on the user reviews here not to migrate over to VM from Sky. But something didn't feel quite right. Then I came across this thread on the avforums:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/virg...sky-switching-tivo-have-i-made-mistake-3.html

So I put all their objections to the 'resident expert user' there (Carl Waring). I'm so glad I did. Carl answered all their objections to my satisfaction, and I'm now moving over to VM from Sky. There is a reason this site is called Trusted Reviews. David Gilbert has it just about right - he knows what he's talking about, and the user reviewers here (Gordon, Sanchez and Trammess) are just plain wrong. The moral? Make sure you are thorough in your research before you dismiss a viable alternative Tv services provider.
 
So I put all their objections to the 'resident expert user' there (Carl Waring).

OMG :eek:

Carl's head is now going to explode :D


Carl is a well meaning TiVo user and not the resident expert here. He's also somewhat biased in terms of his opinion of the TiVo. Many issues raised by many users are legitimate issues and should be taken into consideration as much as carl's opinion. ;)
 
Thx for the heads up Dante, but I put that honorary 'title' inside quotes for a reason. Of course I'm aware he speaks as a lay user/private individual. And yes, of course he's biased. Show me a reviewer who isn't.

But my change of heart about TiVo has already factored in all that bias. Even allowing for Carl's bias, I believe his responses constitute a more than adequate rebuttal of the objections/criticisms raised by Messrs Gordon, Sanchez & Trammess. I have also read other reviews - expert & user, & I'm satisfied that the issues raised in the TR user comments are largely groundless.

As Carl himself said, the ultimate proof lies in trying it out for one's self. If I'm wrong in my assessment of Carl's demolition job on those issues, what's the worst that can happen? I will be disappointed with VM/TiVo, and return to Sky once my min. contractual sentence has been served. I think I can live with that.
 
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Update:

Having had Tivo since Friday I must say what an absolute joy it is to use. Is it evolution? more like revolution.

It's like all other boxes are using a DOS system and this is the first to have an intelligent GUI. love the way it organises, recommends, records. The way in interfaces, searches, (so many ways) and very intuitive at first, (without dumming down), but has a depth that you uncover the more you use. I could go on. It is a remarkable piece of kit.

P.S. All talk of access and EPG speed are nonsense. It's quick and responsive.

There is nothing in the UK market that comes anywhere near Tivo.:smashin:

I love it too, it's amazing but it's worth remembering thy not everyone is having a great time with the product
 
Carl's head is now going to explode :D
Maybe swell a little :p Costas' point is correct though. All I did is point out other people's factual errors.

Carl is a well meaning TiVo user and not the resident expert here.
I am no less an expert than anyone else with ten years experience in using something on a daily basis.

He's also somewhat biased in terms of his opinion of the TiVo.
I really aren't.

Many issues raised by many users are legitimate issues and should be taken into consideration as much as carl's opinion. ;)
Tivo isn't perfect and no-one has said it is; least of all me. However, as mentioned above, all I did for CostasC is point out where people have made either factual errors or stated opinions based on such errors.
 
It is also an error to believe that Carl's TiVo makes him a cup of tea in the morning, warms his slippers before he gets home and sings him a lullaby last thing at night. ;)
 
I really aren't.

Oh yes you are. But I forgive you. BTW, that should be 'am not'. I thought English was your first language?

It is also an error to believe that Carl's TiVo makes him a cup of tea in the morning, warms his slippers before he gets home and sings him a lullaby last thing at night.

Bummer! I'm cancelling.
 
It is also an error to believe that Carl's TiVo makes him a cup of tea in the morning, warms his slippers before he gets home and sings him a lullaby last thing at night. ;)

Is it true that he sleeps with it? :confused:
 

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