Sony SVR-2000
In 2000, Sony released their first TiVo box, the Sony SVR-2000. The SVR-2000 was the exact same as the TiVo boxes Philips was making internally, but externally they feature a grey/silver color scheme with a more sleek and modern look. These units came with a 30GB hard drive (or 2 15GB hard drives) from the factory. This TiVo can only be used as a "dumb DVR" or "digital VCR" after TiVo switched guide data providers from Gracenote to Rovi in September 2016. They released an update to Series 2 - 6 TiVos, but Series 1 TiVos did not receive that update.
Hardware
The Sony SVR-2000 use the same internal parts, including the same motherboard, hard drives, power supplies, etc. as the Philips HDR series and Thomson PVR10UK. Specifications:
IBM PowerPC 403GCX running at 54 MHz
16MB of onboard RAM
Models
The Sony SVR-2000 has only one model.
| Model | Released | Hours/HDD Size | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SVR-2000 | 2000 | 30 GB = 30 hours | The front has a more sleek look and is silver compared to the Philips models. The back is unchanged, except the SVR-2000 has a Sony logo on the back. |  |
Trivia
Series 1 TiVos can record from any composite/s-video/coaxial source by tricking the unit into thinking you're using a cable box.
You can still set the clock over the internet by using a Network card such as a TurbotNET. This is pretty important because as these units age, most of the clock batteries are at the end of their life and cannot hold any power, and there's no other way to reset the clock on the Series 1 without doing a service connection.
These TiVos have a few second delay between when the video signal from the cable/satellite box or TV signal is coming in and when it's actually displayed on the TV screen. Try playing a video game like that!
The firmware of the Series 1 TiVos can only recognize up to 2 160GB hard drives, making 344 hours the max possible hours on a unmodified Series 1 TiVo. There are ways around this.
The Sony SVR-2000's remote is interchangeable with the Sony SVR-3000's, but not with the Sony SAT-60's remote.
Remote
The Sony SVR-2000 and Sony SVR-3000 use a proprietary Sony made TiVo remote that has a more Sony-esqe design. Strangely, this remote lacks a "Info" button, meaning extra info on recordings in inaccessible (Sony SVR-3000 only). This remote is not compatible with any other TiVo model, and is also not compatible with the Sony SAT-T60. (click to enlarge)
