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TiVos for HD OTA in Canada

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359K views 1K replies 137 participants last post by  Jase88 
#1 ·
all of these DVD recorders seem to record in either EDTV or SDTV but not HDTV
To record HDTV you're not going to get much on a single layer DVD (cheapest media). If you're going to use DL you might as well get a BDU subscription, because at current prices if you record a few one hour shows per week, you could almost get a HD PVR from a BDU.

I'm hoping (fingers crossed behind back) that someone will come out with a HDTV PVR with an ATSC tuner - other than the Tivo 3 (which stampeder I think you forgot to mention in the list above). At least one DHCer (Dajad) is using a Tivo 3 as his ATSC tuner/PVR. Unfortunately, and I'm really not trying to troll here, the Tivo 3 IMHO is overpriced for Canadians as we cannot (legally) take advantage of all the functionality the Tivo3 offers. Still a great STB /PVR for those who can afford it.

cheers,
99gecko
 
#57 ·
Yeah me too! They added both WUTV-DT and WNYB-DT to the guide. I phoned twice last week to rattle their cages and had the second guy tell me that its all based on your areacode. Unfortunatley, Tivo's database is in a dire need of an update. He did say that with the channels i'm wanting to add for guide info, their should be no problem for the channel lineup department to handle it. We shall see! I still need guide info for NBC, which for some reason they took away from me, MyTV49, OMNI1 & 2, SUNTV and ION.
 
#59 ·
It might be possible to use this TiVo with an external OTA tuner but you wouldn't be recording HD signals on your TiVo since you would have to use S-video to get the signal into your TiVo. That would require an antenna of some sort - the alternative is to feed the antenna directly into your HDTV assuming that your TV has an ATSC tuner. That would get you HD but then you wouldn't be able to use the TiVo on those channels.
 
#60 ·
Thanks Wayne. I managed to get the OTA HD channels with just a regular antenna. I was hoping to be albe to use my Tivo to record, but can't get it to work. When I used to have Rogers HD cable I could record off the HD channels it just recorded them in HD. I assumed it would also work the same way but can't figure it out. I guess I will have to get an HD Tivo. Does anyone know if a DirectTV HD Tivo would work? They seem to be really cheap on ebay, but I don't know if they work or not.
 
#61 ·
What model TiVo do you have?

The Series 2 DT (TCD649080) does not support antenna at all, as doesn't the rare 542 model.

Older Series 2 Single tuners do support OTA , analog direclty, or digital with most CECB type converter boxes.

The DirecTV HR10-250 can tune digital OTA, but won't get DVR service (you need to subscribe to DirecTV to get that enabled, which of course you cannot get in Canada), and likely no guide data.
 
#63 ·
Officially, the Series 2 DT does not support antenna at all, even with the CECBs; only tthe Series 2s that originally supported antena do.
Note the use of the word "support".

Unofficially, you can make it work if you find a cable or satellite lineup that matches your OTA lineup for the xx.1 stations, and a box that has IR codes that match the codes TiVo has for that boxes for cable or satellite.
 
#65 ·
Listings for OMNI's and SunTV now correct!

Hooray!

I turned on my Tivo today and was shown a message about a line-up change. Looks like the folks at Tivo have finally fixed both of the Toronto OMNI, as well as the SunTV channels. This means I have complete lineup info for all of the DTV channels I receive OTA.

Previously, Tivo listings for CFMT or OMNI 1 came in as remapped to 47-1 (which they weren't) listings for CJMT or OMNI 2, came in as remapped to 69-1 (ditto) and CKXT or SunTV listings came in as mapped to 52-1 (while Sun HD OTA doesn't remap and comes in as 66-1)

Finally, my Tivo won't record 60 minutes of nothing when it tries to record a Suggestion on the OMNI's or SunTV. Finally, I can use Season Passes to shows on these channels!

FYI, I am using the US Zip Code of 14301 to get my listing info.
 
#67 ·
My first post :

I am using a TiVo HD receiver to get OTA channels in Toronto. I am using a Buffalo zip code to get the US listings too. With the above corrections I am getting channel data for all Canadian stations with one exception. City HD at 57-1 has no information, the SD version at 57 does contain the correct listings.

Can anybody help ?
 
#69 · (Edited by Moderator)
Please share your TivoHD experience in South Etobioke

Hello everyone. I intend to buy a condo in South Etobicoke by Humber Bay Park, hopefully facing Lake Ontario, and I want to know your experiences with the Tivo HD box in satifying your entertainment experience.

What I want to do is buy the super Tivo HD box OTA version and ditch the rogers cable to save money over the long term. I want this particular Tivo box because the hard drive is huge for archiving high definition programming.

Any positive experiences with pulling in stations in South Etobicoke by the lake? How many stations will I be able to get? How high do I have to be in a condo to max my station reception capacity?

Thanks
 
#70 ·
I glanced through this thread but didn't see an answer to this question:

Can I use my Canadian address to setup an account with Tivo? Then buy an HD Tivo from the US (since HD models aren't sold in Canada) and activate it on my Canadian account?!
 
#71 ·
I have a TivoHD since Feb 09 on OTA of course.:)
Can I use my Canadian address to setup an account with Tivo?!
Yes

Then buy an HD Tivo from the US (since HD models aren't sold in Canada
You should buy the TivoHD first IMHO. Remember that Tivo will charge you in USD for the sub even with a Canadian Address.

I myself purchased a lifetime sub. I use the Champlain NY zip code to get all of the Montreal, Plattsburgh and Burlington stations guides.

I want to know your experiences with the Tivo HD box in satifying your entertainment experience.

Simple, it's the best consumer electronic equipment I've ever purchased and I had almost all of the gadgets ( DirecTV, CD, DVD, Game console, IPOD, Zune, Sirius/XM and ect) when they came out.

It runs 4 to 6 hours of recording time minimum per day. It's starts at 8:00 PM and end at 1:00 am ( Reno 911 reruns on CW ). 50 % of the time, it's recording two shows at once.

Did you hear sometimes stuff from your friends like; you know you're spending $ 600 USD, is it really worth it, will you get yours money worth?

With my Tivo, I got my money back in the first month, period.

They guides are incredible, the interface is so simple but so complete. It's super stable ( Linux OS ), never add a reboot or froze. The commercial skip feature is addictive. I love the remote. I got the Wi-FI adaptor after.

The tuner sensitivity is pretty good, Microtune tuner, I get from my location 2 PBS affiliates, Fox, CW, ABC ( 60-80 % of the time,the signal is very weak in my area) NBC, CBS, SRC and CBC.

The rest: RTV, Tele-Quebec, V, CTV and TVA are on an other antenna via my Samsung Tuner.

I recommend taking the lifetime sub.

Intravino
 
#72 · (Edited by Moderator)
Extremely happy with my HD TiVo PVR

I have been using a HD TiVo PVR for over three years. In the Toronto area. I purchased a lifetime subscription and have been extremely happy with the performance that this TiVo offers me. I have two regular standard definition TiVos with dual tuners and they're all networked together. I record basic cable channels two through 99 with my standard definition TiVo and I receive my over the air HD channels with complete guide and all TiVo features without any problems whatsoever.

When I want to watch standard definition channels I simply stream from my regular TiVos over to my HD TiVo. I found the system to be the absolute best I was extremely happy that my home theater guy recommended the system to me.

One of my two dual tuner TiVo's is hooked up to a Rogers Digital cable box in order for me to receive standard definition channels above channel 100. The digital box I have is connected to a high-definition digital tuner from Rogers. I am able to record all of Rogers standard definition programs without any issues and without requiring multiple boxes throughout the house. When I want to watch high-definition channels I simply choose the high-definition channel I want to view on my TiVo and using my Harmony remote control I select watch Roger's HD. My television than instantly switches inputs to that of the HD source. If I am not at home to watch the high-definition channel Live TiVo will still record my show in standard definition.

I must say I was extremely skeptical at first with the system that was praposed to me than installed. In the end it was an outstanding choice. I recently ordered from my home theater guy a custom home theater PC that will be able to stream my DVD and blue ray movie collection over to my TiVo and vice a versa. as well as being able to record my shows off the rogers HD Box.

I'm writing this post only because I think that many people would be interested in the type of setup I have and unfortunately I have not been able to find any information on the type of system I have. Instead I was told by many people that TiVo did not work properly in Canada and the HD TiVo was not worth it. I can honestly tell you that it's worth every cent.

And now that I have the system I cannot go back to a regular Rogers cable box. All I can say is that TiVo is the best PVR ever and if you get over the fee issue you can never go back to any type of PVR at any Cost.

It works flawlessly in Canada don't be fooled by what other people are saying. I get guide information from both the US and Canada without any problems whatsoever on my HD TiVo. I can post pics of my system not sure how to post to fourm as it wants a html link to photos.
 
#73 ·
It works flawlessly in Canada don't be fooled by what other people are saying. I get guide information from both the US and Canada without any problems whatsoever on my HD TiVo.
No offense but to say it works flawlessly you would have to be able to put a CableCard in it which you can't do in Canada. IMHO it is kind of crippled if you can't record your cable channels in HD.
 
#74 ·
Since when is a CableCard required for OTA television?

EDIT: Nevermind--the post was moved to the OTA forum, and is somewhat out of context now.
 
#76 ·
Yes this is true that there is no cable card support but I can record over the air HD ch in HD with both Canadian & USA guide data and features. Then I use another TiVo to control a HD pvr and just switch the input on tv to another input. I can't live with the crapy Rogers guide or pvr. The dula tuner pvr tunes to the HD channel and TiVo records it in SD for my portable devices like my iPhone or laptop.
 
#77 ·
I agree that CableCard has nothing to do with OTA recording but part of the featureset of the HD TiVo is the ability to record from cable channels with CableCards. Presumably it costs TiVo to include this functionality. Therefore you are paying for functionality which you cannot use in Canada.

I agree TiVos are great - I have two Series1 TiVos that I used for many years until I replaced them with my HTPC based PVR system for OTA plus cable.
 
#78 ·
The subscription for Tivo is the same for the standard definition Tivo sold in Canada and the HD Tivos. There is no price difference if you are using the HD one or not. So no you are not paying for a functionality that you cannot use in Canada.

I wish more places had the OTA options in Canada as I would ditch the cable company PVR for the Tivo in a heartbeat.
 
#81 ·
My TiVo's rock

Hey all I just recently got my second TiVo HD unit and I’m very happy with both of my units.

I have cable connected to my unit and it works with both analogue and digital as you probably already know. The problem of course is that without a cable card you do not get the guide info for the digital stations. Cable companies here in the republic of Canada do not have to provide us a Cable card the way they do, by law in the United States. In short we the consumers do not have the right to choose which PVR we want to use. If you want Bell, Rogers or Cogeco you have to purchase their receiver. I have two terrible Bell PVRs that don’t do HD in the basement right now collecting dust; both cost more than $600.00. My TiVo HD receiver including the life time subscription cost about the same the difference is OTA is fantastic and free.

Time for a little rant.
When I called up Bell to cancel my phone service they asked why and I told them by switching to V.O.I.P I could cut my bill in half and choose a (416) area code which would eliminate almost all of my long distance call bills because for some reason calling from Milton to Brampton 20 Kilometres away was long distance. The guy had no response.

When I cancelled my Bell Satellite the Girl told me that she would lower my monthly fee from $70.00 dollars a month to $40.00, I told her that I had been a customer for four years and that perhaps If they had just given me the best rate from the start I wouldn’t be cancelling now.

When will these Companies get a clue and realize that perhaps treating your customers fairly and with respect they may keep their customers in the future. Maybe they could offer a customer like myself a Cable Card for my TiVo so In the future when analogue is gone I keep using their services as opposed to cancelling there service. Which is exactly what I plan to do.

These Companies are worse than greedy they’re Stupid, and if they got their way it would be illegal to have an antenna on your roof to begin with.

Every week I notice more Antennas going up around my subdivision and smile knowing that these are people like me unplugging from the Matrix.
 
#82 ·
never had a TiVo, but i'm thinking about getting one...

Hi there,

I completely don't know anything about cable tv hookups and digital cable and all that, but I was serously looking into getting a TiVo simply to be able to record anything i want on TV without having to actually catch a particular show at a particular time. Now, I know that about 2 years ago TiVo came to Canada... I'm currently living in the basement apartment of a house with a Bell satellite with HD.

Now, I know I don't want to go out and purchase a Bell PVR, because they are REALLY expensive and i never liked Bell as a service provider anyway, so when i move into my own house one day, I will NOT be subscribing to Bell's cable service and then my PVR will be useless. However, I WILL be subscribing to some kind of digital cable service, probably Rogers.

My question is, do the Canadian TiVos really NOT record HD channels?? or do they just not record them in HD format?? meaning, they will still record the channel, but not in HD?? sorry if my questions sound a little dumb... i just don't want to buy a TiVo if it's not going to record the channels i wanted in the first place...

say, The Movie Network for instance... will it be able to record those channels??
 
#83 ·
My question is, do the Canadian TiVos really NOT record HD channels?? or do they just not record them in HD format?? meaning, they will still record the channel, but not in HD?? sorry if my questions sound a little dumb... i just don't want to buy a TiVo if it's not going to record the channels i wanted in the first place...

say, The Movie Network for instance... will it be able to record those channels??
I believe that the TiVos that have been sold in Canada are not able to record HD - just Standard Definition (SD). There is also an HD version of the TiVo that is sold in the US. This will work in Canada to record Over The Air (OTA) channels if you can get them. But that is limited to the regular TV networks - you are in Mississauga so if you have line of sight to the south and east you might be able to pick up Buffalo and Toronto stations (i.e. CBC, CTV, CITY, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) but no TMN, TSN, etc.

These HD TiVos have something called a CableCard slot that allows you to record HD cable stations if your cable company gives you a CableCard. US regulations force American cable companies to give their customers CableCards if they ask for them but no cable company in Canada is doing so and the CRTC hasn't forced them to do so.

So that means that you can buy a TiVo but it won't record HD (with a few exceptions). That leaves you with buying (or possibly renting) a PVR box from your cable or satellite company if you want to record HD. But these boxes totally suck compared to a TiVo.

There is one other solution but it is much more expensive and complex and that is using a PC to record all of your TV shows. That will allow you to record all of your HD shows.
 
#84 ·
Wayne is correct. Or, you could find a DTVPal DVR in the US at a Sears. (google it)

Some of us have them here and have had a variety of experiences with the units.

In my own case, it has served us well as a recorder and guide and my experience has been very positive. Others have hoped for more, but it depends on your expectations of the device.

Stu
 
#85 ·
The best solution might be to hodl your nose and buy one of the Bell PVR units. I don't know how much Bell charges for their PVRs but with Rogers you have the rental option and the payback between buying and renting is often less than 2 years. So if you are going to be in your current location for 2 years then maybe you should just buy and hope to resell to someone when you move.
 
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