checking compatibility of TVs with TiVo

[lynetter]

First, thank you so much to those who run AltEPG who've kept my TiVo alive. The fact it has been over a year since my last visit to this forum is a sign of how brilliant you are because in all that time my TiVo has just kept working.

I'm here now only because I have a hardware question about TiVo and compatible TV's. I have a perfectly good TV at the moment but it's old and doesn't have an HDMI connection, which is required to use the Chromecast I was given at Christmas. So I'm thinking of upgrading my TV but not unless I know for sure the new set will work with TiVo. I figured I'd need a TV with both SCART (for TiVo) and HDMI (for Chromecast)... but all the TVs seem now to have Freeview baked inside. Eg: the one I am considering is http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-UE28F40 ... eywords=tv

I am guessing if I connected the new TV via SCART using the same cable as went to the old TV then I should be able to keep using the existing Freeview box and TiVo would not know the difference. Does that sound right or do modern TVs introduce TiVo hiccups like modern Freeview boxes? (I remember ages back I had to buy a second hand Freeview box not a new one when I needed to replace mine because of compatibility issues...)

The other thing I was wondering is whether having a TV with inbuilt Freeview as well as the external old Freeview box connected via SCART would mean I could watch something live on the inbuilt Freeview while TiVo did its merry recording on another channel using the old box. Has anyone got something set up like this already? It seems it is possible to connect 2 freeviews to the one aerial if I used something like http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/uhf-tv-signal ... pe-1-jm13p but I wasn't sure if they'd get muddled in changing channels or whether remote codes are unique enough that they're unlikely to interfere.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[healeydave]

You will be fine getting get a TV with Freeview built in and your plan to keep the existing separate Freeview box for TiVo to use is exactly what you need to do!

A question I got a lot was whether you could use a tv's built-in Freeview tuner with TiVo, which of-course you can't because TiVo requires the source to go through it for it to manipulate it.

You are however right, using the built in Freeview to watch a different channel whilst TiVo is recording something from the separate Freeview box is absolute fine, you just switch the tv's source from the TiVo input to the built in tuner, and remember to use the tv remote to change channels and not the TiVo remote

You will need to split the Ariel feed so both the separate Freeview box and the built in Freeview tuner on the tv has a source from the Ariel. The item you linked from Maplin looks suitable. The only issue that might arise, is whether your signal strength from the Ariel is sufficient to be split, but that's a trial and error job.

[cerihp]

You will need to split the Ariel feed so both the separate Freeview box and the built in Freeview tuner on the tv has a source from the Ariel. The item you linked from Maplin looks suitable. The only issue that might arise, is whether your signal strength from the Ariel is sufficient to be split, but that's a trial and error job.

Depending on the freeview box, you may not need an external splitter; some have an RF out connection for onward connection to a VCR or TV, in which case the splitting is already being done for you inside the box and you just need a cable to connect the box to the TV aerial input.

[lynetter]

Thanks very much, really helpful.

A new TV is now winging its way to me