I started the TiVo-Ville website back in August 2007 and have done very little with it since the initial launch due to other more pressing projects and commitments.  That should all change in the coming weeks as I plan to devote more time keeping the site up to date with original and syndicated content about what I consider to be the best all around digital video recorder company on the market. 

If you are a TiVo enthiusiast, or are considering joining the TiVo family, I hope you will join us as we make TiVo-Ville a friendly and informative place to come!  Please feel free to comment on our articles, post your ideas or questions in the forum, and browse our offerings. 

If you have been experiencing problems installing TiVoToGo Version 2.5 onto your Windows Vista Machine, we finally found a solution that works.  Use the following steps:

 STEP 1:  If you have have already tried installing TiVoToGo unsuccessfully, you will need to purge Tivo related information from your Windows Registry first (if you haven’t done this, you can go to Step 2).  To purge Tivo from the registry, use RegEdit to find and delete all references to Tivo.  Use the following procedure:

• On the start Menu, Click RUN, enter REGEDIT and hit enter
• If windows requests your permission to continue, Select CONTINUE
• From REGEDIT, click EDIT and then FIND and type TIVO into the “Find What” box (ensure the Keys, Values and Data check boxes are checked).
• Click FIND NEXT
• When a TIVO entry is found, right click on the entry and select delete
• To continue the search, select EDIT and then select FIND NEXT
• Continue this until you have completed the search through the registry (note, there may be 20+ entries to delete, so continue until you have finished). 

STEP 2:  Once you have assured that there are any pre-existing Tivo entries in your Registry from prior installation attempts, complete the following steps in order.

• On the Start menu, click All Programs.
• Click Accessories.
• Right-click Command Prompt and choose RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR from the shortcut menu.
• When the User Account Control dialog appears, click Continue.
• At the command prompt type the following:  regsvr32 vbscript.dll
• Press Enter on your keyboard.
• A message should appear stating “DllRegisterServer in vbscript.dll succeeded.”
• Click OK and try installing the software again.

That is it!  There have been a multitude of users that have reported this fix working to solve their TiVoToGo installations on Windows Vista!

TiVo has recently introduced a more affordable version of their high-definition digital video recorder, named TiVo HD.   The new version retails for $299, which is a big price break from the $799 Series3 TiVo for HD.  The beauty of the new box is that it sports most of the same features of the Series3, but has a smaller 160GB Hard Drive (versus the 250GB drive on the Series3).  

 The new TiVo HD works with any cable set-up and connects to any home network (wired or wireless), to provide access to both broadcast and broadband content.  Through the broadband feature, you can download the latest movies straight from the Internet to your living room.  Like all other TiVos, it can pause, rewind, and slow-motion your favorite shows with razor-sharp HD clarity.   The TiVo HD connects to your cable service via the use of CableCARDs, so you can ditch your existing cable box. 

In true TiVo form, the box employs a mighty list of features.  Perform an intelligent search and find a specific director, actor, player, or team among the world of both broadcast and broadband content, and then set it up to record.  When recording with TiVo HD, you have the option of capturing shows in standard or high definition. Plus, when you play them back, you can easily pause or rewind HD instant replays without ever sacrificing their original razor-sharp HD resolution.  You can download movies directly from the internet over your broadband connection, or view photos or play music that are served up from your network connected PC directly to your TiVo.  You can also schedule your TiVo online…from anywhere….by simply connecting to TiVo.com.  

This is the box I had been waiting for, as I have been a long-time TiVo enthusiast but have been unwilling to drop $800 to enjoy High Definition via the incomparable TiVo interface.  For the past year, I had been relegated to the stock Scientific Atlanta HD DVR that was being provided by the local cable company. 

Quite honestly, after using TiVo for 6+ years, the Scientific Atlanta version was a real disappointment.  While the box provided all the basic functionality of a DVR, the interface was totally lacking the finesse and attention to detail of the TiVo interface.  In fact, I often wondered if the makers of the Scientific Atlanta box had ever tried to use their own box!  Kudos to TiVo for perfecting their interface through years of usability testing.  Simple things…..like a time offset on the fast-forward keys to account for human reaction time.  Simple, yet overlooked by the non-TiVo crowd.  That is why I love TiVo!