Each of these recommended accessories requires some hardware and/or skills that you might not have.  Each has been highlighted, along with links to the application/program or the web site where you can get more information.

Accessory 1: An HDTV Antenna

Hardware Requirement: The antenna
Skill Level: If you can turn a screwdriver, you can do this

Covered already in the article Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable, the HDTV antenna is a must-have accessory for anyone looking to get the most out of their TiVo (Premiere or HD).  You might have cable service, but an HDTV antenna will pull down super high quality broadcasts for FREE!  Whether you decide to lower your bills by ditching cable or simply want a backup (in case that cable service acts up), the HD antenna will not cost you too much and will provide years of service without any monthly fees.

Did you know that the picture quality of FREE over-the-air (OTA) HD signals is unmatched by cable or satellite providers?  ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX… Depending on your area you might get 10 HD channels or 60.  For more information on what channels you can receive and what type of HD antenna would be best suited for your area, visit http://antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx.  You only need to enter your zip code to find out more.  No registration or purchase is necessary to use this site.

Accessory 2: TiVo iPad and iPhone Apps (updated 7-21-2011)

Hardware Requirement: iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad
Skill Level: Easy
Link 1 (iPad): Click Here to Get App via iTunes
Link 2 (iPhone/iPod touch): Click Here to Get App via iTunes

The TiVo Premiere and Premiere XL both come with a standard “peanut” remote and, while the XL’s remote has lighted keys, neither has a QWERTY keyboard.  Since you’ll be searching for shows, movies and actor names in the TiVo interface, a better input method is a must.  One option is the TiVo Slide Remote, available from TiVo.com for $59 (as of 7-22-2011), but iOS users can save the money by downloading the official TiVo app for their device.

The official TiVo app, which is FREE by the way, turns your iPad or iPhone into “command central for your TiVo DVR.”  You’ll be able to search, browse, discover and share the show you’re watching quickly and easily.  Other features allow you to view guides, schedule and manage recordings and even get recommendations.

The iPhone TiVo App from iTunes

Accessory 3: pyTiVo

Hardware Requirement: PC or Mac (running Windows, Linux, OS X, Ubuntu, Solaris or Linksys NSLU2)
Skill Level: Difficult
Link: Click Here for More Info from SourceForge.net

Do you have home movies or other digital recordings stored on your PC and would like to view them on your TV.  Your TiVo Premiere (or other compatible TiVo) can play videos from your PC with the help of pyTiVo.  pyTiVo installs on your computer and creates a link to your TiVo.  From there on out, simply drag and drop any video files you choose and start watching them in minutes.  The program is FREE!

Setup of pyTiVo will take some time and some familiarity with computers.  The instructions provided via sourceforge.net are detailed enough to walk just about anyone through the process.

Play Files from Your PC on Your TiVo

Accessory 4: CAT6 or CAT5 Cabling

Hardware Requirement: Router
Skill Level: Medium to Difficult

It may seem like a step back from the world of wireless adapters and communicating without cables, but there is no speed like the screaming data connection you can get from good ol’ CAT6 or CAt5 cabling.  TiVo does not come with built-in wireles, so you would need to shell out $40 or more for a G or N network adapter.  You might be able to save even more if you go with “non-branded” wireless adapters, but you’ll need multiple if you want to transfer information between multiple units.  There is just no comparison between the $80+ dollars you’ll spend on adapters and the enhanced data speeds of $30 worth of cabling.

With services like Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand and Blockbuster just a click away, you don’t want to sacrifice anything.  Netflix is pure streaming entertainment and the slightest hiccup in your wireless network will cause you some serious frustration.  So, if you can stomach wires run throughout the house or are willing to climb up in the attic and run wires through the walls, you can save money and build an entertainment network in your house.  I ran the wires and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Related Articles in the Hello TiVo Series

• Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable – Part II
• Living With the TiVo Premiere – Day-to-Day Digital Living Reviewed

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.

Before We Start

Full Disclosure: I was not paid to write any of this about TiVo, DirecTV, Amazon, Blockbuster, YouTube or the shows/movies in question.  I am simply writing about my personal experience and have not been compensated (in any way) by any of the companies listed.  On this site (JumpstartMyPC.com) I do have advertising from several companies, including Google Ads, Amazon and TiVo.  The Amazon and TiVo advertisements are pay-per-click programs that I signed up for to help with the cost of running the site, but in no way influenced my comments or suggestions within this or any other article posted within the JumpstartMyPC blog.

Q&A

Question 1: You must comment on how the Premiere combines (or doesn’t) OTA recordings with available streams. In other words, is there a single Now Playing list that shows you everything you could watch? (Like you had with DirecTivo.) Or do you have a Now Playing list that shows the things Tivo has grabbed from the antenna, but some OTHER kind of list to show you what episodes are available on Amazon iTunes or whatever. And if it’s two (or more) different lists, isn’t that a pain?

• There is one list of recorded programs under the “My Shows” area.  Any OTA recordings and Amazon Video on Demand downloads that I have purchases appear there.
• Netflix movies and TV shows must be accessed from the Netflix menu (separate area).
• I have not tested the Blockbuster feature personally, so I cannot speak to where those recordings show.
• It’s really not a pain at all.  It would be nice to have the two lists combined, but I am sure there is a reason for the separation and it doesn’t cause me any frustration.

Question 2: What about searching (“Wish Lists”)? Can you set up an actor (say) wish list and have all the available Amazon or Netflix streams featuring that actor show up? Or would you see only the shows in the online schedule for your OTA stations that happened to have that actor? If the latter, isn’t that a bit of a loss of function?

I wasn’t sure about this one, so I set up a test.  As it turns out, with groups enabled (folder view), actor wish-list recordings do show up under the actor/actress name instead of the program name.  Within the folder, the program name does appear.  These programs (Lucy Liu example below) are from the OTA signal only.  Any Netflix or Amazon programs would have to be found via a manual search.

Actor Wish-List Recordings Example

Question 3: Does the new Tivo still voluntarily record “suggestions” and are they only from the antenna? Or can it snag “suggestions” from other sources?

Suggestions are still part of the TiVo experience, but seem to be from the cable/OTA source only.  I honestly don’t look in the TiVo suggestions area very often.  What I do like about the new interface is that the suggestions are in their own folder and not mixed with the other programs.  If that was a part of the older versions of the software, I don’t remember.  On my HR10-250 (DirecTV/TiVo DVR) I turned that off long ago.

Question 4: You mention Youtube, but what about other internet streaming sites, esp. Vimeo and Mevio (which are typically of higher quality than Youtube). Can you use Hulu for broadcast episodes?

There are currently no other options for these types of internet streaming sites.  You can choose to pull down video podcasts from a predetermined list of options, but that is the only option other than YouTube.

Question 5: What kind of data connection do you have that can handle 1080p streams from Netflix, which are of higher quality than DirecTv’s MPEG4 streams? Can you watch such a stream live, or do you have to let it buffer-up ahead to avoid stuttering?

Using a high-speed internet connection from Comcast, D-Link 802.11n router and CAT6 cabling, I am getting some super-fast feeds to my TiVo Premiere units.  Without fail, I get the maximum number of bars and HD icon in the “quality bar” area.  With the ability to fast-forward and rewind (via lower resolution images) and locate Watch Instantly movies and television shows via the TiVo Seach feature, the Premiere experience far surpasses the experience of watching Netflix via an XBOX 360 or PS3 (I have tried both).

I have only experienced the “stuttering” a few times while watching Netflix programming via the TiVo Premiere.  Honestly, out of the hundred hours (give or take a few) of TV shows and movies that we have watched, I think we may have experienced this less than 5 times and even then, it was only for a second or two.

Netflix Streaming in Full HD

Additional Info

Dave (our reader who submitted the questions) asked some fantastic, specific questions but did not hit on a few topics that seem to grace every other review of the TiVo Premiere DVR.  I thought I would take a quick moment to comment on my experience with these “issues.”

Issue 1: The new interface is slow

Yes, there are times when I click a button and have to wait for a few seconds before the unit responds.  Is this frustrating?  Maybe to some people, but I am willing to wait a few seconds here and there.  From what I have read, the hardware within the Premiere unit is not being utilized fully yet.  Maybe these speed issues will become a thing of the past as new updates are released.  The thing that matters to me is the viewing of my programs.  I have not had any problems there.  They play back perfectly and the fast-forward, rewind and 30-second skip functionality is as smooth as silk.

Issue 2: The New/Old Experience

Many have criticized TiVo for mixing their new menu system with the old menu system.  For example, if you select the menu option to view the programs recorded on another TiVo unit, there is a pause and then you are taken to a screen that looks like it was from a TiVo Series II or HD.  The words are still there.  The options are still fully functional.  I can still see my programs and choose to copy them over to the unit I am on.  In other words, there is no loss in functionality, just some cosmetic issues with the flow of the menus.  Personally, I don’t think it is a big deal.  Sure, it would have been nice if all of the menu options were in the new interface, but how long would we have waited for this hardware to be released.  I am not complaining.

Issue 3: Room-to-Room Copy vs Streaming

Want to view a program in your bedroom but it was recorded in the living room.  You can do that if you own 2 Premiere units.  Some have complained that this is done via a copy of the original program and not a stream of the content from the other device.  Personally, I don’t think it is a big problem.  It might be if you had a slow connection between the two units and your router, but I opted for CAT6 cabling between all of my devices.  For me, I click once to begin the copy and once more to begin watching the show (as it copies).  That is as good as streaming to me.  You might just want to avoid the wireless option if this is something that might bother you.

Related Articles

• Cancel Your Cable/Satellite and Save Money While Adding Functionality
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable – Part II

Right Now

Currently, I am a DirecTV prisoner.  What started as a comparable bill to local cable service has turned into a monster and I now pay over $100 a month for cable.  With taxes, my last bill was $105 and here is what I got for my money:

• 2 HD DVR Receivers
  • HR10-250 – TiVo bought 5 years ago – In the living room and NOT capable of recording HD stations since DirecTV decided to shut down my last 10 stations last month
  • HR21-200 – In the bedroom – capable of recording HD, only it is not a TiVo.
• HBO
• Pay Per View – movies are available for $4.99 – $5.99, but only at scheduled times

I have investigated upgrading the HD DVR in the living room to a newer model, but that would extend my contract another 2 years and require that I pay for the new box.  On top of that, I have to pay a lease fee for the box and a new fee to share information between the two.  Yes, you read it correctly, even if I go out and find another HR21-200 for $99, I will pay a monthly lease fee to DirecTV for the box, which they technically still own.  Failure to return the box at the end of my contract will result in major fees (several hundred dollars each).

The Change – Idea 1

My first thought was to cancel my DirecTV service and simply purchase season passes to the shows that we watch.  Season Passes are available from iTunes and Amazon.com for fairly reasonable rates.  On average, a TV show will cost you about $40 a year (HD quality) and then you own the download.  My first thought was “how many shows do we really watch?”  As it turns out, we have about 35 shows that we enjoy.  That includes the programs that my wife watches that I really don’t care for.

Unfortunately, there are some major drawbacks to this idea, starting with the fact that 35 shows would cost over $1,400 a year.  Since the idea is to lower the monthly bill, this just won’t work.  Apple has been investigating the idea of selling monthly subscription fees for all of the major stations (estimated around $30/month), but so far we have heard no announcements that this will happen any time soon.

There Has to be a Better Way

After some brainstorming and research, I figured out the answer.  Before you read any further, know that I have not officially made the switch yet. I am looking for the possible problems with this solution and would love input from anyone who has attempted a similar idea.

The idea is simple: Dump DirecTV and switch to 2 TiVo Premiere units.  Since TiVo announced it’s new Premiere model (Series 4), I have been itching to try it out and see how it works. Luckily for me, that meant I also researched it from all possible angles.  Here is why switching will add functionality to our current entertainment setup (cable) and save us money.

Functionality

• FREE Local HD – TiVo Premiere units have ATSC tuners that allow the DVR to record up to two channels at once from digital over-the-air broadcasts in full HD.  That means I only need an antenna (which I already have) to get FREE HD broadcasts from the local stations (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW).
• Downloads/Streaming- TiVo Premiere units connect to Amazon.com and Netflix (along with premium providers) and allows me to purchase TV Shows and movies, including season passes.
• Sharing – TiVo Premiere units can share programming between one another, so I can watch any show I want from either the living room or bedroom.
• Transfers – Many shows and movies can be shared to my PC and/or mobile device, so I can take my shows with me on my iPod Touch or PSP.
• Energy Savings – The newest TiVo units are Energy Star Compliant, which should cut down on the electricity bill each year.
• Expandable - External hard drives can be added for more recording space.

Savings

The math is simple and the first year will be slightly higher than my current setup, but every year after that will mean MAJOR savings for our household budget.

Year 1: Purchase 1 – TiVo Premiere XL ($499), 1 – TiVo Premiere ($299), 2 – Yearly Subscriptions ($129 + $99) and the remaining shows that are not broadcast over local HD stations ($295)
Cost: $499 + $299 + $129 + $99 + $295 = $1321

Year 2 and All Years After: 2 – Yearly Subscriptions ($129 + $99) and remaining shows ($295)
Cost: $129 + $99 + $295 = $523

Compare that to the cost of my current DirecTV “service” ($1200 a year) and the savings happen within the first 15 months.  From there on out, I will be saving $56.42 per month on my cable bill.  If I wanted to increase my savings, I could purchase lifetime subscriptions for both units and never pay a monthly or yearly service fee again.  The only problem with that is the out-of-pocket costs that I would be hit with today.

See what happened when I took the plunge and made the switch:

• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable
• Buh-Bye DirecTV, Hello TiVo – How I Ditched Cable – Part II

Related Articles:

• Finding a Cable Alternative – Dumping DirecTV for TiVo (posted on KilltheCableBill.com)