New TV config decissions

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by DreadPirateRoberts

I don't do HD yet, but isn't an HD antenna just a UHF antenna?

More or less. It's gotta be a digital UHF antenna, and there are 2 different digital signals (SD and HD). It's not quite like the color/b&w standard where there's one signal with the b&w info biggybacked on the color. But yes, for the most part any digital UHF antenna can receive both SD and HD digital signals.

There's no way we're giving up the TiVo for Time Warner's piece of crap. It's more expensive and orders of magnitude worse functionally. Plus we've paid for 3 years of TiVo service up front so we're (willingly and happily) locked in. We'll most likely live with standard digital cable through this TiVo until such a time as we feel like paying for an upgraded HD TiVo + HD programming, which at this point is not within our affordability.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

There's no way we're giving up the TiVo for Time Warner's piece of crap. It's more expensive and orders of magnitude worse functionally.

TW's DVR is not more expensive for service or equipment - not by a longshot.

However, I cannot argue with its absolutely sucky functionality. I got it so that I could have an HD DVR. But it only has 20 hours worth of HD capability. And, yeah, it sucks. But we kept our Series Two TiVo (240 Hours capacity, Lifetime Service) and have a separate feed (SD) going into it. But once you have HD, it is hard to go back to SD.

The DirecTV (which probably isn't as good as TiVo either) has 50 hours capacity on HD. The HD TiVo only has 32 Hours of HD recording capacity (I really don't care that it is THX certified - nothing broadcast is, so why do I care if the DVR is?!?), and it costs an arm and a leg ($800 straight from TiVo, I have seen as low as $650, but I have heard lower).

But the way I looked at it, I HAD to have an HD DVR - it was simply an issue of taking the least painful route. I would have preferred to have had the DirecTV option, but there were other mitigating issues (there was a long and painful thread on the subject).

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

TW's DVR is not more expensive for service or equipment - not by a longshot.

Yes, it was. I did the math and that's why we ended up with the TiVo. It was helped by the discount we got by getting 3 years of service upfront, but it ended up costing us ~$5/month less to go with TiVo and get rid of the Time Warner box. No brainer.

So, any advice on s-video vs. component? Is there a significant enough difference to justify 2 extra cables? Is there any reason a standard RCA cable wouldn't be good enough to carry component signals?

[mousepod]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

So, any advice on s-video vs. component? Is there a significant enough difference to justify 2 extra cables? Is there any reason a standard RCA cable wouldn't be good enough to carry component signals?

For SD - go with S-video.

For HD - go with HDMI (but not from Best Buy) or DVI (which is basically HDMI without audio).

If you want to go the component route, see my first reply.

[Alex]

It'll be crap unless you buy $70/foot cables at Magnolia Hi-Fi. So make sure you do that.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by mousepod

If you want to go the component route, see my first reply.

Oops, missed that in your first post. I've since done some research on my own. I can get decent component cables for ~$20 which isn't bad, but with no component option for the TiVo and already having s-video for the DVD, I don't see much justification for it. Unless I find out that the TiVo does have s-video out, it looks like I can get away with the same cabling that's in place now. Which is good because I didn't relish the prospect of bunny-proofing a bunch of new cables.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Yes, it was. I did the math and that's why we ended up with the TiVo. It was helped by the discount we got by getting 3 years of service upfront, but it ended up costing us ~$5/month less to go with TiVo and get rid of the Time Warner box. No brainer.

I took it from a different route. When we were getting the HD service, the DVR was only $5 per month additional. TW still sucks, but for us, it was the only real option.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

I took it from a different route. When we were getting the HD service, the DVR was only $5 per month additional. TW still sucks, but for us, it was the only real option.

Oh, we also got rid of one of our cable boxes. We weren't watching any of the digital channel anyway so it was pointless. We still have one cable box because they won't let us just pay for digital service and not rent a box, but it's sitting in a closet. I suppose it's good to have around in case they move a channel we actually watch onto digital at any point. But we were paying $25/month for one DVR and one non-dvr box. By getting rid of the TW DVR ($15/month) and getting TiVo (box+3 years of service worked out to $10/month), we saved $5/month.