Customer Reviews for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Model: TCD748000
SKU: 9745228
UPC: 851342000858
Record up to 150 hours of high-definition programming with this digital video recorder that allows you to access a large selection of on-demand movies, TV shows, music videos, Web videos and more. Learn more about the TiVo app for iPad®. Learn more about Hulu Plus on TiVo. Smart Set-Top Box Get a world of instant entertainment with this smart set-top box. Connect to the Internet and stream movies, listen to music and access a wide variety of other content on your HDTV. Learn more about smart products. Netflix YouTube Pandora
Average Customer Rating:
3.9
out of 5
(36 Reviews) 36
Rating Snapshot 36 reviews
5 stars
20
4 stars
5
3 stars
4
2 stars
1
1 star
6
81% of customers would recommend this product to a friend
(
29 out of
36)
Customer Reviews for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Review 1 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Good enough, but hardly revolutionary
Customer Rating
3.0
What's great about it: More capacity out of the box, smaller than earlier units, fairly reasonable price, ties in with other Tivo's fairly well
What's not so great: New interface feels inconsistent, still lacks true streaming from other devices, lack of a yearly subscription plan
When Tivo first hit the market, they started (or at the very least, contributed greatly to) the DVR revolution. Many competitors have come and gone and now their greatest competition comes from the devices that Cable and Satellite providers provide their end users (sometimes at little or no cost) and home mediacenter devices. Since the marketplace has changed considerably since the original Tivo debuted, it's only fitting that they update their devices to try and make them competitve with other options in the market. Thus the TiVo Premier was born. Sporting an updated (and much touted) HD interface and more space, the TiVo Premier really could have been a media powerhouse, but it still falls short of other options out there in the world. The box it comes in claims that it's not a DVR but oh so much more, but I find it lacking when compared to other mediacenter options.
I originally became a TiVo user about 3 years ago when the price on the HD TiVo had just come down. At that time, the HD TiVo offered a fairly comprehensive set of features and was a good option versus some of the competitors. But these days the market has evolved to really demand a full mediacenter experience in a single box in order to be competitive (or at least I see this as a huge missed opportunity for them to have become competitive). When you look at things such as Boxee, Apple TV and others, you see one thing that they can all do that the TiVo still falls down on. Stream movies from other devices. That is to say that you don't need to copy the movie to your ATV or Boxee, you can just stream it from your PC or IOS device. The TiVo still requires that you essentially copy the file to it in order to play it (transcoding it into TiVo-viewable format beforehand). Now, they seem to have no issue streaming from Netflix, so why are the mechanics behind streaming from my in-house DLNA sources (and heck, even other TiVo devices) so tough to master? You'd think that if you were refreshing the interface, this would be a no-brainer for bringing it into line with everything else out there.
Speaking of the interface, it's inconsistent. Sure the top page is nice, but once you start navigating, it'll take you straight out into the old menus that those of us with older TiVo's have become familiar with. If you're going to re-do your interface, maybe re-do the entire thing, not just the first couple levels of menus. Don't get me wrong, I actually really like the new parts of the interface, it's just annoying when you go from the new to the old and leads to an overall inconsistent experience.
Then there's the new service plans. They've reduced their pricing, which is great, but now they no longer offer a yearly subscription, instead only offering Monthly and Lifetime. I was pretty much just fine with paying the hundred or so bucks up front. It meant I didn't have to think about paying for TiVo every month and that meant that I didn't really see how much it cost me. Removing the yearly option is sort of crazy in my opinion, now I get to remember that I'm paying more than I should be (compared to the options my cable provider offers) every month.
As far as positive things to say about the new Premier, it's still a good DVR. The new interface *is* pretty nice and except for the occasional times in which it lags a bit, it's nice and snappy. It still does pretty much everything the TiVo has ever done and does it in a somewhat better looking and moderately more intuitive way. You can still record season passes of your favorite shows, it still learns what you like and don't like through a thumbs up/thumbs down system and offers suggestions for things you might like based on those thumbs (one thing I wish TiVo did do was share this knowledge with other TiVo's in the home so I didn't have to start from scratch on rating kids programs and infomercials as thumbs down, but I digress). It still provides a fairly easy to use program schedule (the new program schedule interface is even nicer than the old one). It still streams Netflix and apparently Hulu as well (haven't tried Hulu) as well as YouTube and some periodic web-based content (video podcasts, more or less). It's just that except for a facelift and a moderate speed-up in interface responsiveness, it doesn't offer a whole lot more than what it always has.
I'd say that it's a good buy if you like your existing TiVo or if you need a DVR and don't like the options your cable provider has. But it's just not extraordinary or revolutionary anymore.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Great TIVO w/o a doubt - EXCEPT one problem
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: lfm1960
from Kingsport TN
on 03/16/2012
What's great about it: Can view u-tube videos on it, see your computer photos on it. Overall, so easy to use. I'll always have my TIVO.
What's not so great: Can't think of anything!
What can I say? My first TIVO I"ve had for 5 years and loved it with zero problems. I upgraded to this high defintion TIVO so I can actually now see "high definition" movies on my high definition tv. Plus, this one has 150 hours of programming time where the other one only had 80 hrs. My only problem and I am so furious..... Not about TIVO, but my cable provider..... I had to get a cable card for use with this TIVO, but my cable provider cannot get the cable card to work properly and I cannot view ANY channels over 100. Absolutely ridiculous. I've complained and complained and they can't get it worked out. They said they upgraded their cable system about 6 months ago and they forgot to do a programminmg channge to reflect TIVO customers. So, anyone in my area in Kingsport TN or Tri-Cities TN that has this particular cable provider and has TIVO can only see basic channels. They say they are working on the problem, but not sure when they will fix i. I saved my money to buy this new TIVO and now I have to go to another room that has a standard converter box to see channels over 100. I am so upset. I told cable provider if they can't get it fixed by the time my contact with them ends (ends in June), then I am switching to direct tv or something. I just can't believe it. I accused them of doing his on purpose so people wouldn't use TIVO - instead get them to rent their DVR through the cable provider. So, I'd rank TIVO the best of the bestest!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Wow
Customer Rating
5.0
What's great about it: Price savings over cable DVR
What's not so great: Nothing
I love TiVo. It does all it says and I could not be more pleased. The IPad App is an added bonus that allows programming one's TiVo when away from home.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Exactly What I Expected From Tivo
Customer Rating
4.0
What's great about it: It's a TiVo!
What's not so great: Needs a better processor
Unit works great and having TiVo service helps making identifying and finding the best programming easy.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
3out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
TiVo Premier XL died after 1 1/2 years.
Customer Rating
1.0
What's not so great: Died after 1 1/2 years.
My Tivo Premeir XL hard drive died after 1 1/2 years. Get the extended warranty just to be safe. I've had a TiVo since Series One, and would not recommend this series. Pity, as I like the programming abilities of the software, but it's gotten too unstable. The Premier has rebooted off and on, at least twice a week since I got it. Poor quality.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
+6points
7out of 8found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Awesome and impressive
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: RangerRaul
from NYC NY
on 12/16/2011
What's great about it: Everything!
Nice sleek look - love to record 2 shows at once.....just a terrific and wonderful machine
I would recommend this to a friend!
+1point
2out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Send money so I can buy another one.
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: number528
from Virginia, USA
on 12/15/2011
What's great about it: Interface, wishlists.
What's not so great: I don't have two.
"Had a couple of Tivo boxes for years with DirecTV. They couldn't provide me with HD service so I switched to FioS. The Tivo interface is much better than the Verison and I get more storage! Double win. Saving my pennies so I can afford to replace the other DVR I have from Verizon..."
I would recommend this to a friend!
+5points
5out of 5found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Great Product
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Tiffin Ohio
on 12/08/2011
What's great about it: Love pausing live TV
What's not so great: Kids loosing the remote.
I love our tvio box. I wish I had more time to use it. I find new things every time I use it. I think you should have a button on the front of the box that makes the remote beep so we can find it. I have three kids who are always setting it somewhere that I can't find it. Then when they go to school I have to hunt for it. I love Tivo desktop also. When the kids are busy watching somthing I down load a show to watch on my computer. I think this is a wonderful product and you should keep the updates coming. I look forward to more features.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Tivo Premiere, Rocks !!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Taillade
from Chicago
on 12/08/2011
What's great about it: Everything
What's not so great: Nothing
Tivo is awesome ! And I love my XL DVR. Setting programs to record is a breeze. Searching for programs across the internet, on t.v., Amazon, Hulu, etc is just too easy.
I have a Comcast DVR in the living room, and their is just no comparison.
Tivo, Rocks !
Tivo, Rocks !
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
+1point
1out of 1found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Love this new Tivo!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: sktempe
from Tempe, AZ
on 12/08/2011
What's great about it: It's the best Tivo yet
I've had Tivo since it started and this one is amazing!! Love the new apps, the HD is brilliant, the space is awesome.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Welcome Back Tivo!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: njnick
from Lambertville, NJ
on 10/20/2011
What's great about it: easy to use, great features.
What's not so great: monthly service could be more affordable, but still worth it compared to the alternatives
about 6 years ago we got rid of our old series I Tivo due to incompatibility with our satellite TV service. When we switched back to cable, we just used the HD DVR box that our provider offered for $14.95 a month. Neither the satellite nor cable DVRs came remotely close to how much we loved our old Tivo.
When we saw the Tivo Premiere and it's enhanced features such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and the ability to transfer shows to my MAC/iPad, I knew we had to go back. The functionality of the unit is great, it's very user friendly and the controls are tons better than any other DVR we have seen or used.
We love this unit!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+7points
7out of 7found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
I'm in HD heaven
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: FingerLakesBuyer
from Finger Lakes, NY
on 05/07/2011
What's great about it: Features
What's not so great: Hangs once and a while
Love all the features. Pandora especially. The menus are better organized and the lots of new features. The preview window and dual recording is also excellent. Truly HATE my local Time Warner -- they've severely limited the HD channels via a cable card so you have to get an SDV tuner. And even WORSE they mark all content as proprietary so I can not transfer to my second Tivo.
Update -- Lately it's been hanging once a week at the menus. Not sure what is going on.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Not bad at all!!
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Anonymous
from Grand Island, NY
on 05/05/2011
What's great about it: Easy access to DVR, music stations
What's not so great: Trouble with wireless conection
Loving the Tivo very much. Love the music stations, love the television option (as soon as I get the cablecard for it). Wireless is still giving us trouble though, but we have it hooked up connected non-wirelessly.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
5out of 7found this review helpful.
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Review 14 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Great high Def
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: jami8
from Sacramento
on 05/04/2011
What's great about it: Great High definition and audio, the updated software is best in class
Great High definition and audio, the updated software is best in class
I would recommend this to a friend!
Other Best Buy Products I Recommend
Panasonic 50" Class / Plasma / 1080p / 600Hz / Smart HDTV
(208)+2points
3out of 4found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
nothing better
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: carlilling
on 05/04/2011
There is no satellite or cable box that can come even close to this TiVo THX box.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Nice DVR
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: helinutgman
from Lafayette, LA
on 05/04/2011
What's great about it: Nice interface. Web Control. Netflix streaming.
What's not so great: Slow sometimes. Can't transfer something that is currently being recorded.
I am enjoying the Tivo experience with my 2 premiere boxes. I like to be able to transfer and watch something that is on the other Tivo. One thing that could be improved for that is being able to transfer something that is currently being recorded. Managing things from the web is also nice. The box can be a little slow when it is getting full. That would be my only complaint. So far I like it better than the Cable DVR's that I had. FF and RW work much better too.
The remote works great with Netflix live streaming. So far its the best thing I've used for watching Netflix.
I also go the Tivo slide remote and really like that too. Tivo has great support and puts out a good product.
I would recommend this to a friend!
+3points
3out of 3found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
It is just what I've been looking for!
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Neil49
from Lancaster,PA
on 05/03/2011
What's great about it: Your cable box, good bye monthly bills for renting one, DVR, again good bye monthly bills.
What's not so great: Price.
For the first time someone has put it all together! Your cable box, good bye monthly bills for renting one, DVR, again good bye monthly bills, I have spent over $1910 in the last ten years and still did not own it, and no cable box can connect you to the Net or your own PC. I just love My TiVo!!!!!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+2points
2out of 2found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
About time
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: bcwaller
from Redondo Beach, CA
on 05/03/2011
What's great about it: HD Interface
What's not so great: No Clock
TiVo has finally caught up with HDTV and re-did their interface to take advantage of the higher resolution and wider screen. It's not quite all there yet, but it is a great improvement over the previous interface. I miss the clock and names of shows that are recording from my Series 3 box, but between the new interface, faster networking, and smaller size, this is a winner. If you have a Series 3 you like, keep it. If you don't have one, this is the box to get.
I would recommend this to a friend!
0points
0out of 0found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Premiere XL - Love It
Customer Rating
4.0
Posted by: Datanaut
from Laurel, MD
on 05/03/2011
What's great about it: Ease of Use
What's not so great: Limited to 2 tuners
I moved up from a Series 2 to a Premiere XL and couldn't be happier. Plug it in and it just does all the work.
I would recommend this to a friend!
-50points
5out of 60found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for TiVo® Premiere XL High-Definition Digital Video Recorder
Great DVR and more
Customer Rating
5.0
Posted by: Michael2610
from Long Beach, CA
on 05/03/2011
What's great about it: Easy set up and expanded functionality
I purchased both the Tivo Premiere and the Premiere XL versions after deciding to switch to Fios and drop DirecTV. The boxes work flawlessly with Verizon service and the new HD interface is very well laid out. If you are familiar with Tivo, all the old functionality is there, plus some new exciting changes. Access to Netflix, Amazon on Demand, and others make this a more than just a DVR. THX sound on the XL version is excellent along with an expanded hard drive to store more programming. I have the XL in my living room and the standard Premiere in my bedroom. I have transferred programs between boxes without a hitch. They were easy to set up and have been humming along nicely since they were installed almost a year ago. A great choice if you have struggled with cable company provided DVRs with poorly designed interfaces and limited functionality. Keep up the good work, Tivo!
I would recommend this to a friend!
+6points
6out of 6found this review helpful.
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