Tivo Revisited.....

brettw22

Ok...I did a quick search and didn't find anything specifically with this question....

Is there such thing as a Tivo (or Replay TV) type device that does not require there to be a telephone connection? I know there has to be A connection, but why couldn't these things run off of a cable modem connection to do all the updates that are needed for the programming?

I'm part of what is probably still a relatively small percentage of the population that has no home phone and only has a cell phone. With households becoming more and more digitally inclined, it seems odd that they would only make this type of device so limited option-wise......

So basically, do I have to buy a phone line just so I could have a Tivo?

brettw22

OK, answering my own question now......but thought it might help someone else too.....

You can run the device through a network, but for the initial setup, you have to connect via phone line (at a friends if you don't have a phone line) for 4-8 hours to download all indexing..... That can be described HERE.

I just recently bought a 160 GB hard drive and was wondering if those that have a TIVO are aware (or have done) an upgrade to the size of the hard drive to make it a better unit?

faster100

FWIW... yes you can upgrade them, its not a simple drop in though, you have to get the "drivers" and install them on the new drive... you can also use broadband, their is a tivo forum much like this one that explains all this and more... they make a kit where you can upgrade the internal modem to ethernet.. My modem went out on my tivo, and i did the external modem fix myself.. you program a us robotics external "old" modem and change some settings in the tivo dialing, and bam it dials for all updates with the external.. although the broadband kit actually installs inside... This Tivo forum i speak of has a section to buy parts and kits to upgrade your tivo, their is so much info on that site.... \\\\\\\ heres the site http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/

goingganzo

if you can format the harddrive with lenix you can just add it as a seccond harddrive.

faster100

well that gets alittle more complicated...