The adapter itself is solidly constructed. The base is brushed silver metal with enough heft and a non-skid rubber backing to stay put. The design is clever in elevating the antenna for increased reception. That antenna portion of the adapter is dark grey plastic with a TiVo logo and looks nice next to my TiVo units and furniture. Lastly, the adapter is bundled with a light grey USB cable, as it doesn’t hang directly off the back of the unit. At fifty bucks, the price is comparable to most wireless adapters. I can’t image TiVo is making any money off this thing given the smart design, solid construction, and next generation wireless chip. For the moment, TiVo’s online store is the only place to purchase one.
My advice… if you already have adapters meeting your needs, there’s no reason to upgrade. Those of us who frequently use TTG will queue up transfers overnight or while at work — so the bump in speed isn’t such a big deal. Additionally, any adapter is sufficient to pull in guide data and networking features such as Yahoo!
There are a few reasons to consider purchasing the custom adapter. It�s priced competitively, so if your unit isn’t currently networked and you’re planning on going wireless I suggest picking one up. If your multi-room viewing (MRV) transfers aren’t happening in real-time you might want to buy a couple. Lastly, if you’re using TTG to transfer shows from your home to office and want a boost, grab one.
Since I love you guys so much, I’m raffling off the TiVo adapter I used for testing. Leave a reasonably intelligent comment on any TWO stories posted 1/1/06 – 1/15/06. Be sure to include something like ‘enter me‘ in your comments, so I know you’re interested. Only US mailing addresses please.