DavidLewis

Is it worth the money?

BigGT3Fan

Get yourself a TiVo, does everything Sky+ does and loads more for less money (well, one off investment as opposed to monthly rental forever).

Best piece of consumer electronics I've ever bought, and it really changes the way you watch TV...

DavidBrown

I've had Sky+ for months now, it rules. Being fully integrated with Sky really helps.

You can watch one channel while recording another, or even live pause one, while recording another, effectively recording 2 channels simultaneously.

The Sky+ units have optical digital outs should you have an amp that'll take it.

DavidLewis

So is Sky + basically TiVo technology but linked into the Sky menu system?

TopBanana

Sky+ records a the datastream perfectly so the quality is 'as-live' over and over. It's also tied to the programme guide. I have it - very impressed

gregh

Sky+ enables full dolby digital surround sound on Sky, Tivo doesn't.

End of comparison in my book, but £10 a month subs has put me off getting one.

greg

Neil Smalley

With Sky+ you can't alter the picture quality of the programs. With Tivo you can specify basic(Long play quality). Medium(VHS SP) and Best(Broadcast). That way you can get more recording space out of programs.

For a full comparison see here http://www.garysargent.co.uk/tivo/TIVOvsSKY.htm

BigGT3Fan

Yes Sky+ records in full 5.1, which is probably important if you are recording films or live music which warrant DVD quality, personally I would buy the DVD in those cases.

I have an excellent hifi (Naim) through which I pipe my TV/TiVo sound output and have no complaints. What TiVo does over Sky?, Well, it really changes the way you watch live TV, and it's down to the excellent TiVo software.

Tivo is a one off investment, with Sky+ you're tied in forever, as far as I understand. But at the end of the day both are excellent systems.

TiVo, for me, is different as, as I said, it changes the way you watch TV. You enter your season passes for the stuff you watch regularly, also it learns about what you like.

As a result, you NEVER watch live TV. You are always watching stuff that TiVo has recorded based on your requests, and the suggestions it has made based on things you've watched in the past. This negates the argument about watching one thing, and recording another. If you are trying to do that on TiVo, you're missing the point!

You will never watch another advert.

Here's an example:

The missus and I have come in tonight (fri) and sat down to watch some TV (sad, I know, we should be down the pub, but whatever )

There are four episodes of 24 on the Tivo outstanding that we haven't watched (I set a season pass to record it after a mate told me it was excellent, and being repeated on BBC choice), so we will watch some of those. Also on the TiVo is tonights East Enders (for the missus, I hasten to add), which she can watch in 23 mins, instead of 30. Not so good on the Beeb, just shortens programmes, but commercial TV is a godsend. Haven't watched a single advert since I bought the TiVo.

There are also 12 programmes on the TiVo that it has recorded based on evolved understanding of what I like, and two films it has recorded based on wishlists I set up about the types of films I like.

For more info, check out

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...?s=&forumid=14

For loads of good (but perhaps slightly biased advice)




Alex


[Edited by BigGT3Fan - 8/16/2002 10:40:41 PM]