Is iTunes compatible with TiVo? Plus Other HD questions

Rent

Hey so I'm at my parents' house and trying to watch my iTunes show purchases on the big screen

My parents have TiVo Desktop Plus version 2.7, I went in to test it out, launched it, went to "Share Music, Movies, and Video" tab, selected "Add Video", went to My Documents > My iTunes > My Videos, selected the folder for the video I wanted to add, it added to the Tab, enabled auto-transferring to my parent's DVR...and it doesn't show up on the Now Playing list on the TiVo

What the hell am I doing wrong?

Also, what do my parents need specifically to start watching their cable TV at higher resolutions (they don't have HD channels, nor want them, but have an HDTV)? Currently they have a standard-def TiVo (so I know they'll need a TiVo HD), but do they need a different cable box (they have an ancient Comcast cable box)? All their connections are composite A/V, btw

vonPoonBurGer

Rent wrote: »

Also, what do my parents need specifically to start watching their cable TV at higher resolutions (they don't have HD channels, nor want them, but have an HDTV)?

If they don't want HD channels, then they're not going to get higher resolution programming. When it comes to TV, "HD" and "high resolution" are pretty much two different ways of saying the same thing. In North America, standard definition channels are broadcast at 720x480, while high definition channels are 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p). If they only want standard definition channels, then they're only going to be able to watch programming in standard definition resolution. If they want to watch shows in "high resolution", then they need to order HD channels from their cable provider, they'll need a cable receiver that does HD, and they'll probably also want a Tivo that does HD (unless a Tivo can also function as a cable receiver, in which case the receiver and the Tivo are the same unit).

Rent

vonPoonBurGer wrote: »

Rent wrote: »

Also, what do my parents need specifically to start watching their cable TV at higher resolutions (they don't have HD channels, nor want them, but have an HDTV)?

If they don't want HD channels, then they're not going to get higher resolution programming. When it comes to TV, "HD" and "high resolution" are pretty much two different ways of saying the same thing. In North America, standard definition channels are broadcast at 720x480, while high definition channels are 1280x720 (720p) or 1920x1080 (1080p). If they only want standard definition channels, then they're only going to be able to watch programming in standard definition resolution. If they want to watch shows in "high resolution", then they need to order HD channels from their cable provider, they'll need a cable receiver that does HD, and they'll probably also want a Tivo that does HD (unless a Tivo can also function as a cable receiver, in which case the receiver and the Tivo are the same unit).

Yeah when I went to Best Buy the guy told me the same thing as what you're telling me. That's a good point about cable receivers- does anyone know whether or not a TiVo can function as a cable receiver?

Also the comcast website is terrible and confusing as fuck to figure out both what my parents are paying for and what cable packages they provide, holy shit

Beazle

The HDTivo can fuction as a cable receiver. They will have to get cablecards from their provider for their Tivo.
Time Warner in Dallas charged $3.95 a month per cable card. HD Tivo can take two single tuner cards or one multituner card. I loved my Tivo but gave it up for U-verse.