So, you decided to cut the cable bill and switch to the TiVo Premiere. You now find yourself with plenty of your favorite shows, recorded FREE via an HD antenna, but there are still a few cable programs that you don’t want to miss. Maybe you’re a fan of Psych, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, Justified or some other show that doesn’t air on the local stations found in your area. Don’t worry, with the help of Amazon.com and a few simple steps outlined below, you’ll be on your way to watching all of your favorite shows in no time.
Archive for the ‘TiVo & DVR Tech’ Category
TiVo How To: Amazon Instant Video TV Passes
Sunday, January 29th, 2012The Ultimate DVR Guide for the 2011 Fall TV Lineup
Tuesday, September 6th, 2011
Cooler temperatures have finally arrived and the summer is finally coming to an end, marking one of my favorite times of year. With the blockbuster movie season wrapping up we will soon turn our attention to the “small screen” as the 2011 Fall TV Lineup lands in our living rooms. Are you prepared? Do you know what you will be watching? Better yet, do you know what your DVR will be recording, so you can watch it later.
I’d venture a guess that most everyone who reads this article has at least one DVR in their home. In many cases, it might be more. These devices are absolute genius and have completely altered TV viewing in my house. We can now watch an hour-long program in 40 minutes and a half-hour program in about 20. We can store up several episodes of a show and have our own mini-marathon on Saturday to get caught up. There is only one prerequisite for all of this. We have to actually set the DVR to record the programs that we want to watch later and that can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. What shows are on? When does the season start? What time slot are my shows in now? Are there multiple shows I want to watch airing at the same time?
Dear TiVo – I’m Afraid I Am Going to Lose You
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Dear TiVo,
I love you, but I am afraid I am going to lose you. You’ve grown distant and seem distracted somehow. You’re fading away. Now, I feel I must stage this intervention, before things get out of control and you disappear forever. Please take these comments as they are meant, out of love and dedication. I want to see you succeed, to better yourself, to be something I can love for many years to come.
Sincerely,
a concerned TV fanatic
A FREE Fall TV Guide for the Truly Dedicated Fan
Thursday, September 16th, 2010
Every year, there are a few landmark dates that you plan and prepare for. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, the first day of school, etc. For the true fan of the “small screen” that day is Monday, September 20th. Why, because next Monday marks the beginning of the Fall TV season (with a few exceptions) and if you don’t already have your DVR(s) locked-and-loaded, your time is running out.
Dozens of returning shows might already be programmed into your season pass, series manager or whatever your DVR software calls it, but this year that will not be enough. With over 20 new series scheduled to begin, and many of them looking to be solid introductions for their respective studios, an overhaul of your scheduling lineup is in order.
TV and Technology, Sitting in a Tree
Monday, September 13th, 2010There has been a lot of talk over the last few years of 3D televisions and the merging of TV and the internet. New boxes, like the upcoming Google TV are hyped to bring us the internet on our televisions, but is that what we really want from our TV? For me, the “small screen” is about the programming. Sci-fi, sports, drama, comedy, etc. all delivered to my living room for my viewing pleasure. Having said that, I still like the idea of using technology to enhance my TV experience, just in a slightly different way.
The EW Fall TV Preview.... Pure Gold
I opened the mailbox this morning to find one of my absolute favorite things… the Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly. Yes, this means that the traditional television season is about to begin and EW is the ONLY resource I trust to bring me all of the juicy details on the new and returning shows that start over the next few weeks (amusing, considering my love of technology). I have already read over all the details and studied the nightly schedules, so now it is time to start setting the DVR to record this barrage of broadcasting. This is where the very best tech comes into play.
TiVo Premiere “Accessories” – Hardware, Apps and Programs
Thursday, June 24th, 2010
So you finally made the plunge to a TiVo Premiere (or two). If you haven’t yet, maybe you are just looking for that last bit of information that will push you over the edge and cause you to break out the credit card and order one up. For the last article in our Hello TiVo series (see Related Articles below for previous posts), I bring to you a list of “Accessories” that can make your TiVo ownership a truly rewarding experience (not that it was lacking to begin with). These accessories aren’t what you’re thinking. I’m not trying to sell you expensive gadgets here, but educate you on some low-cost tools that will help you get the most out of your DVR.
Living With the TiVo Premiere – Day-to-Day Digital Living Reviewed
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Anyone who loves gadgets or new electronics has been burned before. You shell out your hard-earned cash for the “latest and greatest” widget and rush home, only to find that it doesn’t perform as promised or hold up for more than 6 months before it stops working. In an age of smart phones, universal remotes, netbooks, HD video cameras, etc. this can be an expensive and frustrating occurrence. Luckily, this digital age also provides us with the internet and the ability to research before we head out to the big-box, retail electronics store. The trick then becomes weeding through the information and determining if the article/site is an advertisement or an honest review of the product in question.
Over the last few weeks, I have written several articles on my switch from DirecTV to a TiVo Premiere setup. Yesterday, I received a series of questions from one of my readers (thanks Dave) and thought that the answers to his questions would make a great article. This way, everyone would benefit from the responses and maybe begin asking some questions of their own. His questions and my responses are outlined below.
(more…)
Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable – Part II
Monday, June 21st, 2010
The TiVo welcome screen finally lit up our HDTV, signaling the dawn of a new era and this experiment that I like to call Hello TiVo.
We’re back for the second segment in a series of articles on ditching cable and moving to a TiVo solution. So far, I’ve authored two articles on the subject and brought you my reasoning, preparation and installation (links below). Now, we pick up with The Reality of switching from the high-cost cable bill to a mix-n-match approach of keeping up with our favorite TV shows, cable series, movies and more.
- Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality
- Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
Our last article ended with the photo story of our TiVo units arriving, getting hooked up and powering on. After 3 weeks with the new TiVo Premiere units, I have some insight for others who might want to take the same plunge.
Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
Thursday, June 17th, 2010I love technology and gadgets. I also love saving money wherever I can. Unfortunately, these two passions rarely meet in the middle. That was, until the TiVo Premiere was released at the end of March 2010.
I had been a customer of DirecTV for almost 10 years, but the rising costs, pitiful DVR hardware, lack of room-to-room sharing and inability to download TV shows or movies on my schedule was getting old. We held on to the last DirecTV/TiVo box released by the company (HR10-250) as long as we could, but it was showing signs of failure. By the middle of May, I had read a number of reviews on the new TiVo hardware (the Premiere and Premiere XL) and heard way too many “no official release date or hardware specifications” announcements from DirecTV on their upcoming release of a new DirecTV/TiVo box. The time had come to take the plunge, so I put on my research hat and looked closely at my options as a TV fanatic.
Our HR10-250 Was Struggling to Hang On
After some serious research, I posted my findings in the article Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality. In short, it seemed that completely canceling DirecTV and going with two Tivo Premiere units, along with OTA (over the air) HD antennas, would provide us with what we needed. The upfront cost would be significant, but the savings would begin in just over a year and $56.42 a month would start going back into my bank account.
(more…)
Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I am a TV junkie. The problem is not that I spend too much time watching television or that I ignore other parts of life because of it. The problem is much worse. I am also a gadget junkie and an HD snob. Yes, I am willing to admit it. If a program is available in HD, I must have it over the standard definition option. If there is a new DVR or device that allows me to watch TV and/or movies on the go, I want it. These three problems mixed together have caused my cable bill to inflate steadily over the last decade and I have grown sick and tired of the bottom line. There has to be a better way and I think I have found it.
