A few months ago, I was bemoaning the lack of PVR choices for me being in Canada. I managed to snag a ReplayTV off eBay and get it to kind of work, but it was a dodgy solution at best. What I really want is a Tivo, but they don't work up here in Canada. About two months ago I started using Snapstream's Beyond TV3, and it works quite well indeed. I thought I had things mostly sorted out - it was just a matter of getting a box hooked up to my TV upstairs so I could access the media while sitting on my couch.
Things have become a bit more complicated now - last week I bought a new computer with Windows Media Center 2004 on it, and yesterday I discovered that my local cable company (Shaw) has released a digital cable box/PVR combo unit. Now I have to make up my mind between three different PVR solutions...and to think a few months ago I had no solution at all! :roll:
Nice situation to be in, eh! It took long enough, after all.
So, why did you get WMC 2004 and not hold out a little for 2005? Which one did you get? I'm starting my hunt, and I'm hoping to get one that looks more like a peice of stereo equipment than a PC.
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
Nuff said.. I have an MCE 2005 machine, TIVO is still better
I would buy a Tivo in a second, IF they sold them in Canada. :evil:
The ONLY way to get TIVO in Canada is to buy US Satillite service with this feature on the reciever. Got no problem pay for the service (so I wouldn't be STEALING the product), but it's technically still illegal to do so, as the broadcasters based here have paid for the rights to broadcast here.. Still.. I am thinking this is the way I may end up going. Easy enough to get a US address to.. Plus you can get a TIVO satillite setup for under a couple hundred C$'s (even with exchange) VS the $800 solution from Shaw..
The ONLY way to get TIVO in Canada is to buy US Satillite service with this feature on the reciever. Got no problem pay for the service (so I wouldn't be STEALING the product), but it's technically still illegal to do so, as the broadcasters based here have paid for the rights to broadcast here.
I thought about going that route, but I've read news stories about RCMP cracking down on people with grey-market dishes...so I figured I'd pass. Beyond TV3 works really well and has Canadian cable listings.
Actually, I think there is another option, if you feel like getting under the hood a bit. Check out http://www.tivocanada.com/ for complete instructions - basically it involves setting up a way to network into a Tivo and feed it program information taken from the web. Complicated, but something I've considered on and off in moments of geekiness.
[...] last week I bought a new computer with Windows Media Center 2004 on it, and yesterday I discovered that my local cable company (Shaw) has released a digital cable box/PVR combo unit. Now I have to make up my mind between three different PVR solutions...and to think a few months ago I had no solution at all! :roll:
Three choices shouldn't overwhelm a true geek. :-D How many choices did you have when buying your new computer? I would think that decision would be a lot more confusing.
Of course, I'm in the U.S., and we have even more choices -- Replay (I have two), Tivo, Dish's PVR and I've recently seen ads for a Charter PVR. This doesn't count the options for computer-based recording and dead PVRs like Microsoft's Ultimate TV.
I don't think I'd go for one that I had to lease, though. I tend to let my shows stay for a week (or more) on my Replays, which could cause a problem if I cancelled my cable service because I moved or switched to a dish. I wouldn't want to lose all of the shows on the PVR when I had to return it.
People who use PVRs mainly for live TV wouldn't have to worry about that, of course, but people who use them for time-shifting would.
I don't think I'd go for one that I had to lease, though. I tend to let my shows stay for a week (or more) on my Replays, which could cause a problem if I cancelled my cable service because I moved or switched to a dish. I wouldn't want to lose all of the shows on the PVR when I had to return it.
People who use PVRs mainly for live TV wouldn't have to worry about that, of course, but people who use them for time-shifting would.
Steve
Very good point. Never thought of that. However, I never really considered leasing one anyway. I'm really liking the look of WMC2005 and these media extenders.
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
I have thought about it as well. The problem is that I really want a device that does three things:
1. Capture shows from the cable/satellite. I have shaw and am thinking about the PVR, but it doesn't do HDTV, so I don't know...
2. Burn my favourite programs to DVD so that I can watch them in the future
3. Be able to convert my video (non DV unfortunately) to create home movies and then burn them to DVD.
PVR solves 1 but usually not 2. 3 most likely requires me to do something with my PC and that leads me to wonder if a PC based pvr isn't better....
Too Many PVR Choices?
Linear Mode
