soccerdad007
@shawcable.net
| [TV] Tivo and Shaw HD digital box
Hi there
I am due to be getting the HD digital box from Shaw tomorrow. I already have the Tivo sold in Canada. Any tips for getting the two to work the best. I realise that I won't get HD on the Tivo but any other guidelines
Thanks
Kevin |
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tlhIngan
join:2002-07-08
Richmond, BC
| Should be able to use the S-Video input on the TiVo with the S-Video output on the HD box - at least, if you got the one with standard def outputs too. If not, you can't use the two together.
But otherwise, it should work just fine - at least with the IR blaster. (I have one of my TiVos hooked to one of the old digital boxes, and the others are hooked via analog cable). Just re-run guided setup is easiest, else you'll have to go to the Settings menu and adjust how the channels are changed. Remember to hook up the splitter that came with TiVo so TiVo's analog tuners are still enabled (TiVo will use its tuners for analog channels, and the digital box for the digital ones). Turned out during one of the playoffs, the digital "analog" channels failed, but the analog broadcast was fine...
Hate the shaw boxes. Crappy UI, slow, recordings don't always work, ugh. I'll stick with analog cable...
Even with the IR blaster, I've had a few issues where the TiVo can change the channel, but the digital box bogs down. I had to fake it a few times by telling the TiVo during guided setup that "it changed to a different channel". That way TiVo doesn't try to send the code too fast.
But it should work just fine if it's a motorola box - maybe even the new pace digital ones, too. |
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soccerdad007
@shawcable.net
| reply to soccerdad007
Thanks tlhIngan for your encouraging words.
I still have this feeling that I am going to spend half the day trying to get them to work.
I too have had the issue with my existing sd digital box where the tivo will send it a request to change channel and either it doesn't or I get a channel whose channel number includes one or two of the three digits of the channel that the tivo had asked for - I missed several episodes of "My name is earl" timeshifted from the east and got instead knowledge network shows or the French channel !!! Maybe my sd box was trying to tell me that I should watch more educational programs!!
Roll on tomorrow.. I will let you know how it goes
Kevin |
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soccerdad007
@shawcable.net
| reply to soccerdad007
I have run into a problem. The HD box only has a single regular audio output (if you disregard the digital output and spdif). I wanted to do the following
Split the cable - one goes to the HD box, one goes to the TIVO. This allows the TIVO to record things and not be a slave to the HD box. I wanted an output from the HD Box to go to the TIVO so I could record things (in sd from the hd box)
This is turning into a big mess - help!!!
Kevin |
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peateargriffin
@shawcable.net | Maybe put the $12.95 monthly fee towards renting a HD PVR, then you can record HD as well.  Although the HDD might not be as big, but it might save a lot of headaches. |
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tlhIngan
join:2002-07-08
Richmond, BC
| reply to soccerdad007
I never liked the HD-PVR, it has the same problems with the cable boxes in general - their UI sucks horrendously and doing stuff is unnecessarily complicated. It's TV, geez!
But it depends - are you watching HD output? If so, you might just get away with using HDMI to the TV, and connecting the TiVo via the analog S-Video and analog audio outputs. If you're just using it to tune digital channels, hook the HD box to the TiVo, and the TiVo to the TV, and coax cable to both. The setup poster included with the TiVo will detail the connections you need.
The IR blaster is an issue - unfortunately, Shaw didn't enable the serial port, so you can't use that (I tried it). Like I said, I think the first set of tests (where the TiVo tunes various channels) I let it pass through, but the second set of tests is where I start to lie to it (when the option "The channel changed, but NOT to ##" becomes available). I let the first one pass, the rest fail. This way the TiVo blasts the IR nice and slow.
The easy way to test is to tune to a digital channel via the number pad, then channel up several times. If it works, it'll reliably change the channel. If not, it'll mess up really quick. But once I did this, it works great. Apparently the boxes bog down a bit and they miss button presses... |
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