Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 150
So far so good
3/30/2017 at 1:32 PM
We had Tivo installed a few weeks ago and it replaced our Prism system. It took about 3 hours for the installer to get everything working and it is a fairly major project, especially if you have Westman Internet and phone as well as TV. There is a bunch of downloading and updating that takes place during the install process which takes time.
The menus are really good. The DVR function is very detailed although I like to set my recordings to start early and end late. With TIVO you have a 5 minute window total, so that means 2 minutes early, 3 minutes late, or some combination of the two. Once you've set it up, it is very effective at going out and finding the shows you want. You can even search for a show which is not currently in season or available, and set it up to record once it starts up. For example, I was able to set up Better Call Saul without it even being available on the guide.
The remote that comes with the system is terrible. The Netflix and On Demand buttons are glitchy (I was told this is a software issue on the Tivo device that may be remedied in the future). The remote does not play nice with other components such as your Receiver. It will handle a TV and Tivo just fine, but I couldn't get it to work with my Yamaha receiver. It would control volume on an older Pioneer receiver but not turn it on and off.
The good news is that the Tivo boxes use both IR and RF so you can easily pair a Logitech Harmony remote which is what I have done. In my view, if you have anything more than just a TV and TiVo box, save yourself the hassle and buy even the basic Harmony remote. It's worth it.
The installer tried to tell me that he thought the picture was better. I haven't noticed any difference, but that may also depend on the TV you are using. Right now the resolution is fixed at the headend to 720p. It can do 1080p but hasn't been configured yet and besides, all the shows are broadcast in 720p.
The menu is faster than the old Prism and so far I have not had to restart the system like I frequently had to do with the old Prism system.
One of the changes is that the Tivo no longer serves as your Internet router and WiFi access point. Rather, they install a separate HitRon modem/router that does that job. I much prefer it over the Prism router because it is more "powerful" and flexible. You can set a lot more parameters than with the old Prism router which was dumbed down in my view. However, I have been finding some issues where once a week the DHCP stops, so new devices connect but don't get an IP address. I'm waiting for a convenient time to call Westman about this as it may just be that I have a glitchy modem or it needs a firmware update. Otherwise, I had my internet back up and running better than ever within a few hours of configuring my firewall and services.
If you have Westman Home Phone, they put in a separate EMT as the Tivo doesn't do phone, unlike the Prism. It works the same - after all a phone is a phone.
The on demand is provided by a third party service called Vu-IT. It has much the same selection and you can download an app and pair your Android/Apple phone or tablet with it permitting you to view on-demand shows and your recordings through your device. I have set it up but haven't experimented with it much yet. I did have some issues figuring out how to set it up because there is very little documentation. Just know that the email address and password are your Westman issued email and password (which I never use except to access my account information). My only concern is that most of the TV shows are in SD not HD so I would like to see more HD content. Movies are available in both SD and HD.
Overall I am pleased with the switch. The Netflix option is very convenient. The new menus take some getting used to but provide the same services. I was also able to setup Plex which is handy since I run a Plex server.
We had one issue on install where the MOCA wasn't working with two of the remote boxes. Fortunately, I have wired network and they connected to it without any problem.
I would recommend it as an upgrade over the Prism for sure. It's too early to really compare reliability but so far so good.