TiVo Premiere XL

September 27th, 2010

It’s sad that I even own this being that I rarely even watch TV. Maybe that’s more of a reason to get one? Maybe the few minutes I do have during dinner could be watching something worthwhile? I’m a fan of a few shows, The Boondocks, Louie, Scrappers, Dual Survival, etc. and I’m tired of downloading them illegally. Why not have someone/something else do it for me?

Enter TiVo. I’ve been playing around with the TiVo Premiere XL for about two weeks now and seriously enjoy it. I’ve never dealt with any kind of DVR before so all the expected initial reactions occurred. I know, I’m late, but again, I don’t watch TV. Now, with all that aside, I think TiVo is good but it still just feels like a stepping stone towards a much more accessible cloud service. This TiVo box offers 6 months free Netflix and Blockbuster-on-demand as well as Amazon video. Why am I still getting cable through coaxial cable that needs to be converted and decoded? Why isn’t Verizon FIOS TV available to me?

I have Time Warner Cable. The TiVo box replaces the Time Warner issued Samsung box. The OS on the Samsung box is horrible and extremely slow. The TiVo OS is much better in some areas but lacks in others. It has an awesome program guide and moves pretty quickly. Forcing everything to output at 1080p is better here than with the old Samsung box. I can’t quite tell who has the better compression but I guess that’s good thing.

Netflix streaming is cool, I guess. I used to use them years ago but that was before obscure titles were easily downloaded. Netflix streaming has it’s limitations as far as video and audio output. I’d like 1080p Netflix with DTS-HD audio. In addition to that, the TiVo actually comes with a bunch of apps and things including Pandora, Rhapsody, Picasa, etc. I feel like every set-top-box I own has these same apps. TiVo scheduling from the web or phone is dope. Using your phone as a remote is cool too. Instant video transfers to your computer and phone makes pirating pretty easy. Setting up rules e.g. “Record all Penelope Cruz, horror movies from 1997-2001″ is useful as well. You can even put your own videos on TiVo if you wanted. Overall this box is well worth it for people who watch lots of TV.

Now, the price isn’t too bad either. Zero down, $19.99 a month including 6 months of free Netflix. Besides having to get a CableCARD from Time Warner, setting this up was smooth and I can easily recommend this box.

Entry Filed under: Non Hip-Hop,Technology