Thinking of buying a Tivo series 2 off Ebay w/ lifetime service. Can you use one without owning a cable box?

Question

I don't have a cable box from my cable company and curious if you can hook up a tivo without one. Are there many red flags to look for buying a used Tivo off Ebay with a lifetime service. I know to look for strong feedback and make sure they don't owe any bills.

Answer 1

Without a cable box, the Tivo will only pick up the standard cable channels. That means anything which a cable box is needed for (HBO, Cinemax, some specialty cable channels usually over channel 99 etc.) cannot be recorded. Some Tivos will record 2 channels, some just one. Make sure there is a return policy if anything seems funny and pay by credit card or Paypal so you can get your money back.