hey guys, i need some info for those of you tech savvy Tivo owners. I am considering buying the toshiba DVD player with the built in 80 gig Tivo series 2. here's where i run into a lil problem. with the convienience and flexibility of cell phonese these days, landlines are an archaic appliance in the modern bachelor pad. too bad tivo doesnt think so.

despite not having a landline, is there a jack on Tivo players that allow me to connect with tivo HQ? Does this lead out jack allow Tivo to determine what is on tv? Or does it send info to "big brother"? I am planning on having broadband in my new place for sure cause that is more essential than AIR!!! lemme know what y'all think. thanks guys.

this might not be much help, or even answer your questions, but...


I have replayTV and it has an ethernet out and a telephone jack out.

It fully integrates into your home network.

I'm not sure how similar TIVO is, but this is a start.

I have the tivo series 2 and it will require a dialup connection to first configure the tivo w/ your information.

After that you can use their USB port to connect to your home network.

The only problem is that the first config took about 45 min ... But after that it was a piece of cake. I ended up taking the Tivo to work and configuring it there... doh!

yeah, some people were saying they managed to get the initial call done through the external serial port on it hooked up to another computer via a ppp connection. I wasn't so successful...well, actually, I got frustrated so I walked next door to my neighbor's house and did it that way.

there are a few web forums that have good information on them. just be warned that the people there aren't as nice as the people here. be sure to search for answers before posting, unless you have a nice THICK asbestos (or nomex) flames suit...

here's a few links:

Tivo Community
DealDatabase Forum
Tivo Techies

hope this helps. I'm a happy owner of a 03 4runner, (1) Sony SAT-T60 DirecTivo, and (2) Hughes SD-DVR40 DirecTivos...oh and an oem nav for that 4r...life can't get much better than this.

Kev

Unless you have your DTivos networked and a CarPC in your 4R. Then you can copy your Tivo shows right to your truck for viewing ... all digitial with no loss in picture or sound quality!