RE: Re: ShowShifter vs. TiVo

["Nikola Kasic" <nikola@xxxxxxx>]

Digiguide subscription was £5/year, when I paid it few months ago. TiVo's is £120/year which is not comparable really.

What annoyes me the most with TiVo is that most of the people do some hack on it to be able to use it the way it suits them like HDD upgrade, network connection, using it on analogue port of ADSL line etc. In all those cases you are breaking the warranty and TiVo doesn't want to support it, so you are basically in the same level like with any PC solution where you rely on support from friends, forums, usergroups etc.

Then, with TiVo, if you cannot fix it, or make it work, you lose your £200 subscription (if you went to that option, but most people ultimately will because it's cheaper). Also, you lose your box because you cannot use it for anything else (maybe recover HDD).

With PC, if ShowShifter doesn't work the way you like, you still have your PC, you can sell it to anyone or use it for other things, and you lose £5 for digiguide subscription, which you can still use on your PC without SS, like most people do, so you don't lose anything.

So >from limited and any diversion is not supported.

 

TiVo, I would like it to work would be with network support and to last, let's say 5 years.

That would cost me (List Price) £299 + £200 subscription + £60 TurboNet = £560

 

If I go from scratch with ShowShifter = £35, Digiguide = £5/year x 5 years = £25, together makes £60.

Therefore there are still £500 to build PC that will be small, silent and run these two pieces of software.

Via motherboard costs about £100, has network, sound, TV out etc., case, HDD and the rest can be found for the rest.

Therefore, there should be no problem building such system on Windows platform. Support should also be no problem, if you just say that you support it only if users don't install anything aside.

I think that it would be equally reliable in that case. Problem with PC's crashing  due to software problems is because people install all sorts of programs on PC. If you install just 2 programs and they work fine first day, it's very likely that they will work very long.

In production environment at work, I have PCs that run their software for years without restart, but nobody installs anything on them except virus updates, time sync and similar things.

It seems that it's just a matter of time when Microsoft will come up with something like TiVo. X-box has basically the same concept, PC with pre-determined harware configuration.

Cheers,

Nik

-----Original Message-----
From: andy_powell_is [mailto:ukha@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 24 May 2002 14:47
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxxSubject: [ukha_d] Re: ShowShifter vs. TiVo

Nik,

I'm using WinTV PVR and a Matrox G450 Dual head - output to the TV
via the dual head from SS is poo - from most other mpg sources it's
fine (as with DVD) ... I absolutely HATE the fact that you have to
mute the incomming sound to play something back... it's pointless and
could quite easily have been sorted out in the SS software... I
haven't looked at SS for a while but I don't think that a great deal
has changed...

How much is a digiguide subscription?

Ultimately my goal would be to have nothing in the rooms in the house
except for speakers and TVs - and have a central AV room which
contained all the music servers, VCRs, TIVOs, CD /Tape decks, DVD
Changers and individual amps etc (node 0 :O) ) all controlled via IR
in each room and available to be controlled via a PC
<PLUG>HomeAutomator</PLUG>, rack mounted of course :D If I can do
that (and move all the kit out of the living room then I could
possible pursuade SWMBO to let me have a humongous TV


Andy

--- In ukha_d@y..., "Nikola Kasic" <nikola@k...> wrote:
> Andy,
> I suppose that picture quality depends on your video card as well,
so maybe
> it's not only software to blame.
> I have TV tuner card Hauppauge WinTV go and allegedly Hauppauge is
one of
> the best brands in that, but I'm not happy with the picture quality
on PC.
> Therefore, I don't even try to pass such image to TV. Once I get
that fixed
> the way I like, I'll try watching it back on TV.
> Nik
>   -----Original Message-----
>   From: andy_powell_is [mailto:ukha@b...]
>   Sent: 24 May 2002 13:48
>   To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx>   Subject: [ukha_d] Re: ShowShifter vs. TiVo
>
>
>   --- In ukha_d@y..., "Mark McCall" <mark@a...> wrote:
>   > but againg I would like to know about picture quality? Mark?
>   >
>   > TiVo is superior again.
>   >
>   > >  So, I'm just waiting for you TiVo lovers to give me
reasons :-)
>   >
>   > Look, it's up to you mate.  If I didn't give you enough reasons
in
>   my last
>   > post then stick to SS. I was once like you too :P
>   > You won't know until you get it.
>   >
>   > M.
>
>   I'd agree with Mark, personally I'd like Showshifter to be
renamed to
>   Sh*tstabber .. it's kak (picture quality, interface, stupid audio
>   switching crap).. If I could get Tivo here in NL I'd be down the
>   shops right now getting one... unfortunately they only seem to
think
>   that the US and UK exist - even though Philips are Dutch ...I
>   wonder... has anyone got a Philips Tivo? does it say made in
Holland
>   on the bottom? Would be a Pronto all over again!
>
>   Andy
>
>
>   For more information: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk
>   Post message: ukha_d@xxxxxxx>   Subscribe:  ukha_d-subscribe@xxxxxxx>   Unsubscribe:  ukha_d-unsubscribe@xxxxxxx>   List owner:  ukha_d-owner@xxxxxxx>
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