Our Christmas present to each other this year was a "full monty" TIVO package:- TIVO box, 1 TB add on hard drive, wireless connect for our home network and an extra remote to save on those minor domestic disputes over territory rights.

Ordered it last week, just before Christmas, turned up this arvo, Tuesday 29/12, pretty slick in itself given this is NZ (should be the subject of a docco in it's own right - the Great NZ Christmas Shutdown, till February!).

4 boxes/ packages, cardboard everywhere and bits and bobs ditto but exceedingly easy to assemble, no hassle whatsoever, has to be one of the best thought out packages I've ever seen.

Stripped out the existing VCR and FreeView boxes (relocated elsewhere), cleaned up (where does all this dust come from?) slotted all the bits in, cabled up and we were away.

Does exactly what it says on the box - follow the bouncing ball and you'll get there - tho' do allow a full hour, what with the telly setup, the on - line activation in the middle and then even more telly setup after (be warned, the only question they don't ask is your inside leg measurement, but I'm sure it's a minor fault which will be corrected in later releases).

If you're running a home wireless network (the system is only relevant to Telecom Broadband customers, so if you ain't one - forget it) you will need to know your wireless SSIP (er.?) and Password, so dig 'em out beforehand.

I have to say I've never seen a slicker implementation of what is, essentially, a networked plug in computer system, bloody amazing to watch, quite frankly.

So, what do you get for your money:

Freeview Terrestrial HD (if you can't recieve this now in your location, don't bother, this box doesn't fix it).

Wired or wireless link to you broadband pc network/ connection (PC only friends, sorry, seems Mac ain't currently gonna cut it).

Broadband link to all sorts of downloadable TV goodies via the Telecom broadband service which costs zilch but is probably worth about as much. The bonus is that anything downloaded DOES NOT add to your download count so it doesn't impinge on your download limit.

A "pay per view" service, which we will give a wide swerve.

The ability to record two HD channels whilst viewing a third program off the Tivo box.

With the 1 TB add on hard drive, the ability to record about 250 hours of HD content from any HD channel (2 at a time).

As it only arrived this arvo I'm not in a position to give a "in depth" review, the on line manuals are pretty substantial and the programming abilities are ditto so are going to take quite a bit of sorting - you can in "some" instances teach the remote to operate "some" of the telly facilities, similarly with A/V recievers. More experimenting required.

For anyone considering diving into NZ HD TV reception, check it out.

Any questions, just ask.


CS

Having had to deal with it through the absence of "the Boss" whilst she holidays away, I have to say: What a dogs dinner of an interface!

I cannot condem it strongly enough. It looks like it was thought through by a 10 year old and simply does not believe you could possibly want to contradict it.

To be told by the upstart that "somebody in the household deleted this selection" is about as impertinent a response as I'm prepared to accept from any damn machine, and it's got plenty of them.

Add to that the inability to actually find out what "it" thinks it's doing in the future (response: "Shan't!, so there") and the other major bugbears - oh, did I mention it re - boots every time you hit the down chanel button on the remote?

No?

Very remiss of me.

Bottom line?

The missus thinks it's great.

I think it's a heap of cr*p.

Quite frankly, they ought to take the programmers out and have a "who's to be shot next" party.

Unbelievable, considering NZ is one of the last places on the planet to roll these out.

I can only commiserate with those who bought earlier models, they must have gone through hell.

Oh, and if you previousy had a Freeview HD box, don't get rid of it, you'd be suprised by how many occasions "the Tivo" is recording on both tuners (whether you've told it to or not, little darling) and you'll need the Freeview box to watch what YOU want to watch.

Oh, and it's so arrogant it doesn't even have a HF aerial "pass through" connection, what a mess.

So, basically, as the missus is away and it simply will not obey my comands, I watch what I can on the Freeview box and "the Tivo" records what it bloody well thinks "Joe Average" would watch, or the missus has "somehow" got it to accept it must record according to her wishes.

I hate that damn box.

Damn good thing it ain't a dog, it'd be in the pound as of last week.


CS