TiVo Series2 40 Hour DVR TCD540040 Digital Video Recorder

There is a reason they call it the Tivo Revolution

By Andrew  Apr 29, 2006

Pros: You will never watch TV the same again

Cons: 12.95 per month for service

You wouldn't think that fast-forwarding, rewinding, and pausing live TV would be anything fasinating until you try it for your self. With TIVO, there is always something to watch as well. You just create Season Pass Managers that record every episode of your favorite series and you can watch it on your own time. The team at TIVO are constantly adding new features like Streaming Music from Live356.com; Yahoo! Photos, Weather, and Traffic, and you can now buy movie tickets from your TIVO. Provided that you provide the TIVO with an Internet connection. If you get TIVO, it will change the way you watch television forever.

Tivo Customer Service is the WORST IN THE WORLD

By Amy  Mar 25, 2006 | 4 out of 4 found this TiVo Series2 40 Hour DVR TCD540040 review helpful

Pros: NA

Cons: Terrible business strategy

I can not begin to tell you about the horrible experiences I have had with Tivo. What blows my mind the most is the customer service (or lack there of) offered by the company. BE WARNED, if you do not have a land line phone in your home, and try to hook up this device in a friend's house... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE BEEN HOOKED UP THE LINE LONG ENOUGH FOR THE RANDOM PINGING PROCESS TO UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE, otherwise the 5.3 software WILL NOT WORK WITH A WIRED OR WIRLESS ADAPTER. The company offers NO GUARANTEE that your software that the Tivo you pick up off the shelf at the store today will have the latest software, and when you are hooked to the phone line, it is a random pinging process that can take up to 4 days for the Tivo to download the new software. Tivo offered me no help. I asked them to exchange the brand new unit I purchased a month ago for a new one with the new software and they refused. They offered me nothing. I used up all my favors and could not ask someone to use their phone line again for up to 4 days to get the proper software to make this thing work. On top of all that, I have been billed for Tivo service for the last 4 months with no refund!! Please do not buy this product until you have read everything and know what you are getting into. It's more trouble than its worth. Buy Comcast DVR and be done with it.

TiVo -- The greatest invention since the wheel

By Shawna  Jan 30, 2006 | 2 out of 2 found this TiVo Series2 40 Hour DVR TCD540040 review helpful

Pros: Watch what you want to watch, whenever you want to watch it

Cons: Is getting increasingly expensive to purchase

TiVo is the greatest thing to happen to television.

No longer will you have to choose between scheduling your life around TV or missing your favorite show. Tell the TiVo the shows you want to see, and it will save them for you until you're ready.

Rate shows, and TiVo will record shows it thinks you will like whenever it's bored.

Use wishlists to record shows and/or movies by genre, actor, director, or keyword.

TiVo's priority ranking will automatically resolve conflicts according to what you would do, without you actually having to program it.

The only drawback is that buying TiVo plus lifetime service is becoming increasinly expensive. However, the options and services are increasing, so it's worth it.

Couch potatoes, rejoice!

By JoeLaz  Dec 7, 2005 | 3 out of 3 found this TiVo Series2 40 Hour DVR TCD540040 review helpful

Pros: Simple to use, never miss your favorite shows

Cons: Need a land line phone for setup

Tivo ranks right up there with the iPod as one of my favorite products. It's changed the way I view TV. Rarely do I watch live shows anymore. Instead, my trusty Tivo records the shows I like I watch them on my own schedule. It's a great product.

My only complaint is that setup is not so easy for those of us who dropped their land line in favor of cell phone only. The Series II model works with a wireless home network, but in the initial install, you need to download some software over a phone line. Since I don't have a phone line in my apartment any more, I needed to lug the Tivo to a friend's place to borrow their phone for an hour or so. Odd that Tivo doesn't just pre-install that software and save me the effort. Otherwise, this is a fantastic device.

One last bit of advice... search the internet for a hack that allows you to fast forward 30 seconds using your Tivo remote. It's a great feature, but one that doesn't come with the standard setup.

By anggyl  Nov 29, 2005

TV will never be the same

By Simon Davison  Nov 16, 2005 | 2 out of 4 found this TiVo Series2 40 Hour DVR TCD540040 review helpful

Pros: It's your best friend

Cons: Music player locks up

I love my TiVo. This thing is great! With TiVo to go, I can back up TV shows onto DVD and watch them without worrying about loosing them due to lack of space.

I can listen to music stored on my PC, but I have noticed that this tends to lock up from time to time. I can browse the photos on my PC without any major delays.

By jay  Nov 9, 2005

By Ernestine  Oct 14, 2005

By g  Oct 13, 2005