TiVo in South Africa

[TivoZA]

Hi all, with MyADSL being the advocate for competition that it is I thought it would be a great place to let everyone know that I have created a website (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) detailing the process of getting a TiVo running within South Africa.

Although TiVo Inc does not officially support South Africa, through the use of an emulator running on my site (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) users are now able to get the full feature set that TiVo offers, all at no cost. Such features include a full months worth of guide data (updated weekly), season passes so you never miss an episode of you favorite show, streaming recordings to you PC, XBox or DVD, and most importantly the ability to fast forward through adverts. That is just to name a few of the many benefits that the TiVo provides.

The TiVo works for users of free to air channels (i.e. SABC & e.tv) as well as those who have DSTV. I do not charge for the use of the service, the only cost is for the TiVo unit itself. The process of how to acquire a unit is explained on the site (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) and they can be purchased for as little as R800.

For more about how to get a TiVo working in South Africa, see http://tivoza.nanfo.com

Happy TiVoing ;)

[Roman4604]

Interesting stuff.

Note the Multichoice PVR Decoder is coming in a month or two ... probably a variation on this (http://www.uec.co.za/products/DVR830.htm) hardware.

As you've said, it probably gonna be around the R3000 mark, but it will have dual view/record capability and doesnt need to be wired to the net as EPG info is downloaded via SAT.

[TivoZA]

Interesting stuff.

Note the Multichoice PVR Decoder is coming in a month or two ... probably a variation on this (http://www.uec.co.za/products/DVR830.htm) hardware.

As you've said, it probably gonna be around the R3000 mark, but it will have dual view/record capability and doesnt need to be wired to the net as EPG info is downloaded via SAT.Indeed it is, I am just letting people know that there is now a choice.

Edit: For the discuusion on why the TiVo is significantly better than the multichoice PVR, see http://techies.co.za/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2932

The new Multichoice PVR is an extention on the dual view system which is why it allows recording while watching another channel, a similar effect can be achieved by those with Dual View decoders and a TiVo (you just can't buffer the second channel). It also means that you will be required to pay the additional R50 a month that current Dual View users pay.

While on the topic of the EPG, one of the benefits of the guide I am providing is it has a months worth of guide data compared to DSTV which currently has 1 week. This is great if you are going to be out of town for a while and have some specific programs that you would like to record but then with season passes and the ability to schedule recording over the internet your options are limitless.

[rsachoc]

Wow, this is cool! As roman said, the Multichoice one is coming out, but the hacker spirit in me likes the idea of the Tivo

[rsachoc]

While on the topic of the EPG, one of the benefits of the guide I am providing is it has a months worth of guide data compared to DSTV which currently has 1 week.

How big is the guide (as in download size)?

[TivoZA]

How big is the guide (as in download size)?A full months worth of DSTV guide data is 2MB and is only downloaded once a week. The SABC, e.tv & M-Net guide data is significatly smaller, less then 500K.

If you are using dial-up or would just prefer to be downloading less you can specify a paramter indicating how many days worth of guide data you wish to download.

[Roman4604]

It also means that you will be required to pay the additional R50 a month that current Dual View users pay.and possibly more ... not sure of the costing?

What I have been told is that since the unit does not require the decoders to record, it saves the raw (highly encrypted & compressed) MPEG streams to the disk, you could be watching ch.1 & ch.2 while recording ch.3 and ch.4 all simultaneously.

[TivoZA]

and possibly more ... not sure of the costing?

What I have been told is that since the unit does not require the decoders to record, it saves the raw (highly encrypted & compressed) MPEG streams to the disk, you could be watching ch.1 & ch.2 while recording ch.3 and ch.4 all simultaneously.From what I have read on the multichoice press releases, the multichoice PVR will record one channel while allowing you to watch buffered TV on the other channel but not actually record on the second channel.

Since the technology is just an extention of the existing dual view system I don't see it offering anymore than 2 channel at a time, one for recording and the other for live buffered viewing.

[Roman4604]

the multichoice PVR will record one channel while allowing you to watch buffered TV on the other channel but not actually record on the second channel.Not 100% sure, just what I've been told ... we'll just have to see when it gets released.

[mitchmagi]

The biggest problem with the Tivo setup is what happens when the volunteers stop providing the EPG guide data ?

[TivoZA]

The biggest problem with the Tivo setup is what happens when the volunteers stop providing the EPG guide data ?Well its not in our interest to stop providing the guide data as that would mean no more TiVo for us :( The TivoZA solution also works for those without DSTV and paying R400 a month is not viable for many South Africans, let alone paying R470 if you get the Dual View plus insurance.

Personally, I don't intend on going the multichoice PVR route as I already have a Dual View decoder and the thought of forking out R3000 for yet another decoder is a little upsetting. Besides, from what I have heard about the multichoice decoder you can't stream recordings to the PC, backup to DVD, have caller ID display who is calling on you land line. Exacly what they are planning to do about adverts is going to be intresting, I have heard mixed reports about not being able to fast forward through adverts or alternatively displaying pop-up style ads while you fast forward.

As for generating the guide data, I created some xsl stylesheets which take xmltv guide data and convert it into TiVo slices. I will be releasing these scripts in the comming weeks so for those of you who wishing to create their own slices for whatever reason you will be able to do so. Their is also a lite version of the emulator available that you can run on your PC, the emulator is what provides your TiVo with the compiled guide data.

[Angellus]

@TivoZA - I think getting a Tivo is a great idea but I dont want the hassle of buying formatting setting up etc. Any chance of you guys setting up a "importstore" where you get the Tivo's set them up including everything the customer needs, network card and IR transmitter for DSTV and then I can just get it from you guys and plug it in and start enjoying it?

R3000 for the DSTV PVR is too much so if you guys can get this going you will have at least one customer. :D
BTW where are you based?

Another question. What would be the total cost for getting a Tivo+Networkcard+IR transmitter+anything else I might need?

[TivoZA]

@TivoZA - I think getting a Tivo is a great idea but I dont want the hassle of buying formatting setting up etc. Any chance of you guys setting up a "importstore" where you get the Tivo's set them up including everything the customer needs, network card and IR transmitter for DSTV and then I can just get it from you guys and plug it in and start enjoying it?

R3000 for the DSTV PVR is too much so if you guys can get this going you will have at least one customer. :D Although I am fully behind supporting TiVo in South Africa I am not wanting to turn it into a business. If somebody else wants to offer the above service as has happened in Austrailia, they are more than welcome to do so, they can even post their contact details on the TivoZA wiki.


BTW where are you based?Cape Town


Another question. What would be the total cost for getting a Tivo+Networkcard+IR transmitter+anything else I might need?Well all you need is a standard Tivo, the rest is optional. The cost of the TiVo depends on how much you pay for the eBay auction. If you were to get fully kitted out (i.e. Network Card + Bigger Drive), then costs are as follows:

TiVo Series 1: R800
160GB Drive: R700
Network Card: R370

The IR transmitter should be included with your TiVo but if not then they are available off eBay for $7 including shipping, there is a link to the seller on my site (http://tivoza.nanfo.com).

[Angellus]

Thanks for the info! Will have a look on ebay

[krycor]

been doing it with my pc and tv card for last 3 or more yrs :D

[TivoZA]

been doing it with my pc and tv card for last 3 or more yrs :DYeah, I tried that solution but I found the TV card to be a bit grainy. Suppose a more expensive card would have helped, mine cost R600 though. The PC can also be rather noisy, especially sitting in your lounge plus its a lot of expensive hardware if used as a dedicated device.

[adsl3g]

Yeah, I tried that solution but I found the TV card to be a bit grainy. Suppose a more expensive card would have helped, mine cost R600 though. The PC can also be rather noisy, especially sitting in your lounge plus its a lot of expensive hardware if used as a dedicated device.

The only plus on the TiVO or the new PVR for me would be that you do not have to fumble about with times and such and only need to press one button to record a show via the EPG - but with DSTV the last 4 minutes of the movie (the punchline) will probably be cut off as the EPG is not accurate.

[DjStyles]

Sorry if this seems stupid, but can someone explain how this works & what needs for this.

[TivoZA]

The only plus on the TiVO or the new PVR for me would be that you do not have to fumble about with times and such and only need to press one button to record a show via the EPG - but with DSTV the last 4 minutes of the movie (the punchline) will probably be cut off as the EPG is not accurate.Well the TiVo takes care of that with another brilliant hack called endpadplus. endpadplus allows you to choose how long before and how long after a show you would like your recording to tape. Which is very useful for when shows start slightly early or finish a bit late as is commonly the case with DSTV.

The before and after time can be specified in minutes and if you have two shows running back to back the padding will be truncated to allow the channel to change on time.

The setup of enpadplus is handled during the step, Emulator settings and other tweaks (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/wiki/index.php/Preparing_the_Tivo#Emulator_settings_and_other_twe aks), of the TiVo install procedure.

[TivoZA]

Sorry if this seems stupid, but can someone explain how this works & what needs for this.Can we keep post like this to the TivoZA forum (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/forum/), don't want to fill MyADSL with too much unrelated stuff and keeping it in the TivoZA site makes it easily accesible for other TivoZA users.

Basically the TiVo is a intelligent digital VCR that uses a hard drive to tape onto instead of tapes. This allows it to offer many other significant benefits, for a full explanation of all the benefits it offers and its use in South Africa, see TiVo South Africa (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/wiki/index.php/TiVo_South_Africa). As for what you need that is explained in Install/Setup step Getting a TiVo (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/wiki/index.php/Getting_a_TiVo).

[Vulk]

Hey, quick question, something I've always been curious about. What format does the TiVo store shows in? If you wanted to, could you copy recorded shows off the TiVO's harddrive and watch them on your PC?

[TivoZA]

Hey, quick question, something I've always been curious about. What format does the TiVo store shows in? If you wanted to, could you copy recorded shows off the TiVO's harddrive and watch them on your PC?TiVo stores the files in a modified MPEG2 format. You can stream shows directly off the TiVo and watch them on a computer or alternatively copy the original recording across and then convert it into a usable VOB (Standard DVD MPED2 format) where you can do whatever you would like with it.

[JStrike]

This just complicates my life now :-)
I was all set to buy the DSTV PVR, but this does throw a spanner in the works as the TiVo UI and remote are supposed to be brilliant.
Not sure if I'm comfortable with buying something off eBay though.
Does anybody have any insider info on the DSTV PVR's UI? Screenshots would make my day

tivoZA : Does the TiVO have dual inputs that allows it to record one channel whilest watching another if used in conjuction with a Dual View decoder?

[TivoZA]

This just complicates my life now :-)
I was all set to buy the DSTV PVR, but this does throw a spanner in the works as the TiVo UI and remote are supposed to be brilliant.
Not sure if I'm comfortable with buying something off eBay though.
Does anybody have any insider info on the DSTV PVR's UI? Screenshots would make my day

tivoZA : Does the TiVO have dual inputs that allows it to record one channel whilest watching another if used in conjuction with a Dual View decoder?The Austrlians provide a guide on how to add an extra input source for the TiVo but this still only allows one input source at a time to be viewed or recorded.

I have a DSTV Dual View and run the primary output to the TV and the secondary output through the TiVo then to the TV, this then gives full guide data to the secondary channel.

[cmcbugg]

I've used SKY+ extensively and found that to be an absolute pleasure, the user interface and EPG being extemely easy to use. The regular SKY EPG and the SKY+ EPG have the same look and feel. By all accounts I understand the Tivo user interface is also excellent and easy to use.

On the otherhand the DSTV EPG and general user interface is absolutely shocking by comparison. I wonder if the new DSTV PVR will use the same DSTV EPG in which case I WILL definately avoid it. A PVR with a crappy user interface is the worst thing on earth.

[werner]

according to this post
http://techies.co.za/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2932&start=0
near the bottom of the page, the UI is the same. Some pics can be found there too..

[TivoZA]

according to this post
http://techies.co.za/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2932&start=0
near the bottom of the page, the UI is the same. Some pics can be found there too..Its definitely worth giving the above post a read. The new offering by multichoice looks like its going to be quite a disappointment.

No season passes, same old ugly EPG. The PVR is just the old DSTV Dual View with the ability to record to hard disk and it doesn't even do that nicely.

[telkomsuig]

Just remember this is MIH there is no way the sub will only be R50 more than the normal sub (allready way overpriced). My guess would be another R150 access fee for the "additional admin and support" needed for the PVR.

[TivoZA]

Just remember this is MIH there is no way the sub will only be R50 more than the normal sub (allready way overpriced). My guess would be another R150 access fee for the "additional admin and support" needed for the PVR.Well maybe having the free TiVo as competetion will force them to be a bit more realistic.

[RichardP]

There is more :-)

FreeVO , GeexBox , VDR, ReelBox PVR1100, Dreambox, Relook 400S, TrippleDragon, Sagem/NokiaDBOX2.... all DVB compliant.


Indeed it is, I am just letting people know that there is now a choice.

The new Multichoice PVR is an extention on the dual view system which is why it allows recording while watching another channel, a similar effect can be achieved by those with Dual View decoders and a TiVo (you just can't buffer the second channel). It also means that you will be required to pay the additional R50 a month that current Dual View users pay.

While on the topic of the EPG, one of the benefits of the guide I am providing is it has a months worth of guide data compared to DSTV which currently has 1 week. This is great if you are going to be out of town for a while and have some specific programs that you would like to record but then with season passes and the ability to schedule recording over the internet your options are limitless.

[TivoZA]

There is more :-)

FreeVO , GeexBox , VDR, ReelBox PVR1100, Dreambox, Relook 400S, TrippleDragon, Sagem/NokiaDBOX2.... all DVB compliant.Correct but as far as I am aware none of them are as feature rich as the TiVo, especially not in this country at least (i.e. none of them, besides TiVo support Season Passes). They are all also rather expensive in comparison to the TiVo but its all about choice and the choice is yours to make.

[enx]

season passes are the bomb. you never have to worry about scheduling anything, just wait for the episodes to pile up and then watch to your hearts content :)

[RichardP]

Correct but as far as I am aware none of them are as feature rich as the TiVo, especially not in this country at least (i.e. none of them, besides TiVo support Season Passes). They are all also rather expensive in comparison to the TiVo but its all about choice and the choice is yours to make.

Yes you are right on price ... but all are linux boxes that use the XMLTV guide ;-)

[TivoZA]

Yes you are right on price ... but all are linux boxes that use the XMLTV guide ;-)Yes and the XMLTV guide in South Africa does not contain series numbers or episode numbers. Hence the inability to get a "season pass" for a show.

For my guide data I create series and episode numbers based on a couple of formulas and these identify the show as a series or movie as well as whether or not the show is a repeat broadcast.

[ic]

TivoZA, I have a Tivo box [Thomson model] that I bought in the UK several years back, sadly it packed up on me - I've been too lazy it open it up & find out what went wrong, your advice?

[TivoZA]

TivoZA, I have a Tivo box [Thomson model] that I bought in the UK several years back, sadly it packed up on me - I've been too lazy it open it up & find out what went wrong, your advice?Well it depends on what you mean by it packed up, if it powers on but doesn't do much more than that then it may be as simple as replacing the hard drive.

If it doesn't power on then you probably have a blown power supply unit or a fried motherboard. Eklectic Systems (http://stores.ebay.com/id=52965907&ssPageName=VI:SIB:StoreView) sells replacement power supplies for $6 which may be worth a try, if its the motherboard then you are better off just getting a new unit.

[rsachoc]

IC, let us know what happens with it? I'm interested to hear about other peoples Tivo experiences, maybe I can acquire one for myself.

[telkomsuig]

I was converted....Ordered my tivo yesterday....:-)

[rsachoc]

telkomsuig, where did you get it from, and the more important question, how much?

[telkomsuig]

telkomsuig, where did you get it from, and the more important question, how much?

ebay ... $180 including shipping, ir blaster, network card excluding hd

[TivoZA]

IC, let us know what happens with it? I'm interested to hear about other peoples Tivo experiences, maybe I can acquire one for myself.Just a note about IC's setup, he is running a Thompson model which is the UK TiVo. It should work fine including the ability to receive input via the RF tuner but it is not the the same the Series 1 boxes recommended.

[TivoZA]

ebay ... $180 including shipping, ir blaster, network card excluding hdFirstly welcome, nice to know we will be seeing another new user soon.

I assume you went for one of the "But It Now" units on offer from Eklectic Systems (http://stores.ebay.com/id=52965907&ssPageName=VI:SIB:StoreView). They are very reliable but a little on the steep side price wise.

If you are prepared to go the auction route you can luck in and get them for around $60, plus another $60 for shipping.

[thisgeek]

Are there any other reliable stores selling tivos, other than eklectic?
I see they have one unit (as I understand it) on sale, however I'm thinking of buying at least 2 one shot, preferrable on the same purchase.

[TivoZA]

Are there any other reliable stores selling tivos, other than eklectic?
I see they have one unit (as I understand it) on sale, however I'm thinking of buying at least 2 one shot, preferrable on the same purchase.None that I am aware of. You can contact George at Eklectic and let him know you would like to order two, he will be able organise something for you. Getting 2 from one seller is probably the way to go as it should save on shipping costs.

[thisgeek]

None that I am aware of. You can contact George at Eklectic and let him no you would like to order two, he will be able organise something for you. Getting 2 from one seller is probably the way to go as it should save on shipping costs.

Cool. Thanks.

[locobob]

I'm busy browsing through ebay looking for a tivo, I'm busy setting up misterhouse http://misterhouse.sourceforge.net/ for home automation, and the tivo integrates nicely with misterhouse. So i'll be hooking up shortly :) (as long as customs doesn't hold on to the shipment for too long)

[telkomsuig]

Firstly welcome, nice to know we will be seeing another new user soon.

I assume you went for one of the "But It Now" units on offer from Eklectic Systems (http://stores.ebay.com/id=52965907&ssPageName=VI:SIB:StoreView). They are very reliable but a little on the steep side price wise.

If you are prepared to go the auction route you can luck in and get them for around $60, plus another $60 for shipping.

Correct I prefer dealing with bigger stores on EBay have been burnt before with individuals selling nonsense and taking ages to ship.

[rsachoc]

Are there any other reliable stores selling tivos, other than eklectic?
I see they have one unit (as I understand it) on sale, however I'm thinking of buying at least 2 one shot, preferrable on the same purchase.

Hey thisgeek, if you manage to source a couple or more at a decent price, let me know, we can save on some shipping costs if you want.

[ic]

IC, let us know what happens with it? I'm interested to hear about other peoples Tivo experiences, maybe I can acquire one for myself.IMO it's some corruption on the HDD, AFAIK there's a flavour of Linux loaded on there, I will have to take it apart sometime & do some hacking to get it working again...it was working a while back, the tuner [card] only picked up MNET & ETV, no SABC, and I dont have DSTV so I couldn't say if it would've worked with DSTV, but it was supposed to have infra-red interoperability with a Sky set-top-box, so maybe DSTV is doable...anyways my box is outdated ITO s/w & h/w...

[TivoZA]

IMO it's some corruption on the HDD, AFAIK there's a flavour of Linux loaded on there, I will have to take it apart sometime & do some hacking to get it working again...it was working a while back, the tuner [card] only picked up MNET & ETV, no SABC, and I dont have DSTV so I couldn't say if it would've worked with DSTV, but it was supposed to have infra-red interoperability with a Sky set-top-box, so maybe DSTV is doable...anyways my box is outdated ITO s/w & h/w...Yes, TiVo does run a custom version of Linux hence why its easy to hack :)

If it is the data on drive that is corrupt that will not be a problem, you will be restoring a new image over it anyhow. If the hard drive itself is corrupt then you can just replace it.

The Dutch have details about how to get a UK TiVo tuner working with specific channel frequencies, see here (http://www.nltivo.net/index.php/UKSoftwareAdjustments) for more info. Only make the necessary tuner changes they suggest, the rest of the setup will be as per the TivoZA (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) guides. Your TiVo also has RCA inputs (Red, White & Yellow connectors) which allows any input from any device that has RCA output connectors.

My emulator provides the necessary DSTV infra-red codes, when connecting to the emulator these will be automatically downloaded onto your TiVo.

[ic]

:cool: you're getting me all fired up again about that Tivo box :D now I just need to set aside a weekend for hacking myTivo & a space on a desk to double as an operating table...

[TivoZA]

For those interested, George of Eklectic Systems provides a list of units available off eBay (including his own), its doesn't always have the latest listings but its pretty up to date.

The list is available at: http://www.eksys.com

[TivoZA]

Well for those who don't believe how cheap units really go for, last night a unit sold for $53 on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5825680279&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

[Hark3n]

TivoZA,

The link that you give in you sig doesn't seem to be working. It loads the page and then goes into a cycle of error pages.

What gives.

BTW. I will be converting my (not so) old PC to a PVR when I get my new one, but getting a real TIVO would be great.

[Daveogg]

Well for those who don't believe how cheap units really go for, last night a unit sold for $53 on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5825680279&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

LOL i almost bid on that one last night but as far as i could see shipping was limited to USA.
Is someone here not interested in getting some units shipped in in bulk? Maybe a bit of a market developing!!

[TivoZA]

The link that you give in you sig doesn't seem to be working. It loads the page and then goes into a cycle of error pages.

What gives.It still works when I try and the page has received a couple of hundred hits in the past two days, anybody else experiencing a problem? You can try going to the main page of the site directly, its at: http://tivoza.nanfo.com/wiki/index.php/TivoZA


BTW. I will be converting my (not so) old PC to a PVR when I get my new one, but getting a real TIVO would be great.As I have said before the choice is yours, I am just adding an extra one to the list.

Out of interest why are you wanting to go the PC PVR route. I played around with that option (still have the tuner card sitting in my PC but the drivers aren't even installed anymore) and found quite a few disadvantages. My view may be biased but here is my disappointment list of the PC PVR option:

Price: a dedicated machine (no PC monitor) new will cost approximately R3000 minimum (not a problem if you have an old PC lying around though). The TV tuner card alone can cost as much an an entire TiVo unit so ...
Quality: I spent R600 on a Leadtek card and found the quality to be grainy, even with RCA input
Channel changing: The TV cards (the ones I know of) don't come with the ability to change the channels on your DSTV decoder, they can only change tuned in channels which doesn't work for DSTV
Noise: PC's tend to make quite a bit of noise (this can be overcome but its expensive), not something I want to hear in my living room


The most significant problem was the inability to change DSTV channels, there are options but that costs even more (roughly R500 for the one I looked at).

For those who think setting up a TiVo is complicated, the PC option is even more so as it's not a dedicated solution so lots of fiddling and custom adjustments are required.

Those were my major gripes with the PC PVR option, as I say take them knowing I have a biased view but I did try the PC PVR route first and never found much success. Please do not flame me about this nor turn this topic into a discussion on the PC PVR, if you are interested in going that route have a look at the available options and make up your own mind.

[TivoZA]

LOL i almost bid on that one last night but as far as i could see shipping was limited to USA.
Is someone here not interested in getting some units shipped in in bulk? Maybe a bit of a market developing!!The "Ships to: Worldwide " section in the top lists were they are prepared to ship it too. The "Shipping costs" section at the bottom just lists predetermined pricing to some locations.

If it ships worldwide then you are fine. The eBay search links to my site (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) all lists units that ship to South Africa.

[telkomsuig]

Out of interest why are you wanting to go the PC PVR route. I played around with that option (still have the tuner card sitting in my PC but the drivers aren't even installed anymore) and found quite a few disadvantages. My view may be biased but here is my disappointment list of the PC PVR option:
[LIST]
Price: a dedicated machine (no PC monitor) new will cost approximately R3000 minimum (not a problem if you have an old PC lying around though). The TV tuner card alone can cost as much an an entire TiVo unit so ...
Quality: I spent R600 on a Leadtek card and found the quality to be grainy, even with RCA input
Channel changing: The TV cards (the ones I know of) don't come with the ability to change the channels on your DSTV decoder, they can only change tuned in channels which doesn't work for DSTV
Noise: PC's tend to make quite a bit of noise (this can be overcome but its expensive), not something I want to hear in my living room


I also tried to do the PC tuner route... the quality was bad.... and way to complicated to set up.

I see DSTV officially launched their PVR today R3000 and extra R40 per month.... honeslty think the flexabilty of the TIVO and the fact that I can stream content wirelessly to my neighbor sold me....

http://www.iol.co.za/index.phpset_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20051109103038214C958761

[TivoZA]

I see DSTV officially launched their PVR today R3000 and extra R40 per month.... honeslty think the flexabilty of the TIVO and the fact that I can stream content wirelessly to my neighbor sold me....You link didn't quite work, try: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20051109103038214C958761

Pity the DSTV PVR doesn't come anywhere close to the facilities already offered by the TiVo and all working through the use of my site.

All of the features that make a PVR a PVR are yet to be offered by the Multichoice version, currently all their device does is basic recording to hard drive and not much more. They should have called it a DVR as the PVR stands for Personal Video Recorder which theirs is clearly not. It took them 2 years to add recording features, how long will the extra features take and will that cost R3000 for yet another decoder? They should be able to make them available by software updates but since they have designed a custom OS it may not be that easy.

Yes, more moans from me but I was a little disappointed in their offering. For a full feature comparison of the Multichoice PVR vs the TiVo have a look at the following: http://techies.co.za/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2932

[samsat]

I attended a product information session about the PVR.
You can watch two channels and record a third at the same time.
There is an automatic 2 hour buffer on both channels. Whatever you are watching is buffering allowing for live pause, rewind, slow mo etc. etc.
Allowance is made for if something you have asked to be recorded start early or ends late.
The extended EPG will be stored on the HDD so no delays and both channels have access to it.
Recording time is 80 hours.

There's lot's more but didn't want to go into too much detail here.
Stock should be available from next Monday.

TIVO is great, I have played with it in the USA. Just wanted to let you know some facts about the PVR.

[Daveogg]

The "Ships to: Worldwide " section in the top lists were they are prepared to ship it too. The "Shipping costs" section at the bottom just lists predetermined pricing to some locations.

If it ships worldwide then you are fine. The eBay search links to my site (http://tivoza.nanfo.com) all lists units that ship to South Africa.

Yea I am an absolute ebay N00b!!

[telkomsuig]

Anybody know if there is a good win32 client to use with the tivo?

[TivoZA]

Anybody know if there is a good win32 client to use with the tivo?The TiVo has a web interface for doing most things on, streaming video can be handled by windows media player and most other media player software.

Anything specific you wanting to do?

[zoidberg]

O M GAAAWD im sold...

i was realy excited about the multi-choice PVR when i heard the news, but it kinda sank my ship with the R3000 tag.

i live in Bellville, cape town and want to get a Tivo ASAP :) i never baught anything off ebay before and am a vary cautios internet buyer in general. if anybody also in the CPT area wants to buy one i would really like to buy with you(if thats possible to buy more than one and maybe score a bit in the shipping costs aswell) not to mention that im a PVR noob so i would just apreciate some overall info and what to look out for etc...

thx!

[TivoZA]

i was realy excited about the multi-choice PVR when i heard the news, but it kinda sank my ship with the R3000 tag.Multichoice is going to be releasing a HD (High Definition) DSTV unit in 2007, so for those considering their offerings wait for that as it won't be possible to upgrade from their current PVR and will require another R3000+ purchase.

Till then get a TiVo :)

[zoidberg]

ohh... heres a totaly noob question..

how does your Tivo change the channels on you DSTV decoder?

[werner]

it has a little irwand, which you stick to the front of the decoder...this flashes an ir sequence (preprogrammed by the tivo) and your dstv box responds, as it thinks it has been given an instruction by your dstv remote.

[TivoZA]

ohh... heres a totaly noob question..

how does your Tivo change the channels on you DSTV decoder?The TiVo has a built in IR transmitter which changes the channels, my emulator provides the necessary remote codes needed to change the DSTV, DSTV 2 or VCR channels.

[TivoZA]

For those interested in seeing the TiVo features as well as the DSTV PVR offering, the following video clips make for a worthwhile watch:

DSTV PVR (7.5MB (http://x400.putfile.com/videos/31211574441.mpg))


TiVo Talk... (High quality: 9.4MB (http://www.rapidsatellite.com/media/wma/tivo-1_hi.wmv)) (Low quality: 1.7MB (http://www.rapidsatellite.com/media/wma/tivo-1_lo.wmv))
TiVo Highlights... (High quality: 11.8MB (http://www.rapidsatellite.com/media/wma/tivo-2_hi.wmv)) (Low quality: 2.1MB (http://www.rapidsatellite.com/media/wma/tivo-2_lo.wmv))

[TivoZA]

For those of you thinking the TivoZA setup looked a little difficult, things have just gotten easier.

There is now a pre-modded image containing all of the necessary file changes that were required. You still need to mount the drive, upload the image and set your network settings but that can all be done from the menu, the hard stuff has already been done for you.

The guides have been updated accordingly, enjoy ;)

[wajordaan]

Hi TivoZA,

Do the Philips and Sony units support 220V? Is it possible to download the EPG on your PC and then upload it to the TiVo using the LAN interface? Or does the TiVo automatically download the guide when your PC is online through ICS? How many devices does it support?

[thisgeek]

The TIVO would rather grab the guide directly, either via an add-on network card (you have to use specific models), or via the built in modem.

[mitchmagi]

As great as the Tivo device is, no one has yet addressed the question of what happens when TivoZA decides to no longer offer the Program Guide for download. You will then be sitting with a very large paperweight.

The fact that he is not charging for the service raises serious sustainability issues unfortunately ...

[Farquaon]

Well, Mitchmagi....dont u see the gap in the market that you have proved now? Take advantage of it.

[zoidberg]

yup, already ordered mine... wouldnt mind paying a bit each month to get the tv guide service

[ic]

How to use Your Networked TiVo as a display for CLID info (http://www.xplproject.org.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=30&page=1).

[TivoZA]

Hi TivoZA,

Do the Philips and Sony units support 220V? Is it possible to download the EPG on your PC and then upload it to the TiVo using the LAN interface? Or does the TiVo automatically download the guide when your PC is online through ICS? How many devices does it support?Both the Phillips and the Sony TiVo's support 110V & 220V, so they work fine in South Africa without any need for a voltage converter.

It is possible to download the guide data onto your PC then using a script called LoadGuide (available off the oztivo site) you can upload the guide to your TiVo.

The TiVo by default supports 1 input device but it can be modified to support 2 (again see the oztivo site for instructions).

[TivoZA]

As great as the Tivo device is, no one has yet addressed the question of what happens when TivoZA decides to no longer offer the Program Guide for download. You will then be sitting with a very large paperweight.

The fact that he is not charging for the service raises serious sustainability issues unfortunately ...TiVo outside of the US has always been community based (i.e. OzTivo (http://minnie.tuhs.org/twiki/bin/view), TivoCanada (http://www.tivocanada.com/index-old.php), nlTivo (http://www.nltivo.net), nzTivo (http://www.nztivo.net)), to make it a paid for service would introduce licensing issues and other potential legal complications.

The only benefit of a paid for service over a free service is that it provides someone to shout and scream at when things go wrong. Just because a service is a paid for offering doesn't necessarily guarantee any sort of longevity to it, take a look at 30GB ADSL accounts, 20twenty banking or electricity in the Western Cape, all these are paid for offerings and are no longer available.

The existence of the TiVo community in Canada led to TiVo officially introducing their service in Canada so who knows maybe one day TiVo will officially launch here too. Until that time I shall continue offering my services, now that I have things set up it requires no effort on my part and the guides are automatically generated on an old PC requiring no intervention from me so even if I were to stop using the TiVo (will never happen) there is no reason to stop producing the guides.

Just as a side note even without my guide data the TiVo can still be used to manually record channels as a specified time.

I hope this allays any fears you have.

[ic]

Everywhere outside of the USA and UK.

Tivo in the UK was/is run by Sky Digital [I vaguely remember something about BSkyB] - I was paying them every month so my Tivo box could download programme data at ~02:00.

[TivoZA]

Multichoice has put together a nice list of all the features the TiVo offers that they still need to implement in the PVR, its available at the PVR wish list (http://www.dstv.com/main.aspx?ID=1075&s=5) ;)

The features on the list that the TiVo does not support are as follows:

7, although subtitling & teletext can be made to work
11
14 & 29, although both are supported in the series 2 TiVo's
27, I wanted to provide an online, searchable guide on my website but multichoice refused to let me

[Farquaon]

Would MCE2005 also be able to do what tivo and pvr can do?

[TivoZA]

Would MCE2005 also be able to do what tivo and pvr can do?Well pretty much but at the moment the TiVo is the only one in South Africa that has guide data that allows for season passes.

[AmonRe]

TivoZA, is there any other way of bringing in the tivo devices from overseas besides one having to purchase it through ebay e.g. say u or someone else who can easily access them from overseas and resell them here??

[TivoZA]

TivoZA, is there any other way of bringing in the tivo devices from overseas besides one having to purchase it through ebay e.g. say u or someone else who can easily access them from overseas and resell them here??I'm not planning on selling the units myself but locobob has indicated he may be prepared to bring them in in the new year, as indicated in the thread: Anyone up for the challenge? (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19)

It may be worth mailing locobob or posting to the above thread as the more interest that is shown the higher the likelihood of him offering the service.

If its just the thought of buying through ebay that scares you then you might want to consider getting a unit from Eklectic Systems (http://stores.ebay.com/Eklectic-Systems) with the ebay "Buy it now" option. George of Eklectic Systems is very reliable and very helpful.

[thisgeek]

I can vouch for Eklectic Systems - I just bought 2 identical Tivos through him. His service is fast and efficient. Pity about SA customs taking so damn long - all in all it took just over 2 weeks to get it, which isn't too bad.
Paid for it on the 11th, received it on the 28th.

I know zoidberg also bought one through him, and he received his today.

[AmonRe]

I'm not planning on selling the units myself but locobob has indicated he may be prepared to bring them in in the new year, as indicated in the thread: Anyone up for the challenge? (http://tivoza.nanfo.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19)

It may be worth mailing locobob or posting to the above thread as the more interest that is shown the higher the likelihood of him offering the service.

If its just the thought of buying through ebay that scares you then you might want to consider getting a unit from Eklectic Systems (http://stores.ebay.com/Eklectic-Systems) with the ebay "Buy it now" option. George of Eklectic Systems is very reliable and very helpful.

Thanks will look into the options, and hopefully will have tivo before christmas!!

[thisgeek]

Tivo is awesome, I'm loving it.

[AmonRe]

Is their a posibility of recording one channel and watching another with a dual view decoder?

[Person]

Is their a posibility of recording one channel and watching another with a dual view decoder?
yes

[TivoZA]

Correct and if you don't have a dual view you can still record one channel while watching a previous recording.

[Softbase]

Hi TivoZA,

I'm currenlty using my dreambox to card share mulitchoice africa on c-band. It was more then a mission to set it up. Would card sharing be possible on the TiVo box and if so - would it be easy to setup?

Thanks
SB

[TivoZA]

I'm currenlty using my dreambox to card share mulitchoice africa on c-band. It was more then a mission to set it up. Would card sharing be possible on the TiVo box and if so - would it be easy to setup?The TiVo is not a satellite decoder but rather a stand alone recorder which is able to change channels and record off your existing satellite decoder (or other devices). As such the TiVo does not facilitate card sharing but you'd be able to use the TiVo to record from and change channels on your dreambox.