wierdo
join:2001-02-16
Tulsa, OK | reply to ColorBASIC
Re: Ditch the contract and you may have a deal
Thanks to my previous lifetime service, I pay $6.95 a month.  |
|
wierdo
join:2001-02-16
Tulsa, OK
 ·Future Nine Corpor..
·Teliax VOIP
| reply to apollo80
Using screen scrapers, in violation of the terms of service of the various websites that offer listings. Zap2it is cutting off their XML based service soon.
In addition to the listings, there is the work involved in updating the software, (sometimes) subsidizing the box, bandwidth, running the servers to aggregate the information for TiVoCast and Swivel Search, and whatever other stuff they do that the unit queries their servers for. |
|
sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Morristown, NJ
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to ColorBASIC
said by ColorBASIC  :You need it to order PPV though the box. I'm not sure what else you would need it for. Not even for that. Post-hacking, I got leery of the call and unplugged the line. I was able to order PPV via the website just fine.
I'm just really, really hoping that DTV and Tivo team up again, and that if they do they keep the same monthly fee. $6 I'll do, but not $17.  |
|
matrix3D
join:2006-09-27
Deep River, CT
| reply to NOCMan
Let me quote my original post:
quote:
With WoW, at least I can understand that some, if not most, of the monthly fee is used to pay for bandwidth and server maintenance and upgrades.
I already acknowledged that it costs money to maintain the servers and pay the people that do so. However, I pointed out that what TiVo is saying amounts to: "Pay us $300 for this DVR that SHOULD be able to record and timeshift WITHOUT our advertisements listing service but doesn't unless you pay us a monthly fee so we can make money off of you AND the advertisers." They're sucking through both ends of the straw. |
|
keeska
Premium
join:2007-04-06
Sedona, AZ
| reply to ColorBASIC
quote:
Some people believe that the cable company DVR software interface is so horrible ...
For me the TiVO interface is not that good. I was glad when DirecTV dropped TiVO in its new HD box. On the other hand I agree - the Cable DVR interface is so bad it makes anything else look good. I would have thought the Cable companies would have put more pressure on SA and Motorola to do a better interface. |
|
ColorBASIC
8-bit Fun
Premium
join:2006-12-29
Corona, CA
| reply to Couch Potato
Some people believe that the cable company DVR software interface is so horrible that they're willing to pay more, or pay the same (by prepaying) to get the TiVo's software interface.
--
Macintosh Users Group Serving the Inland Empire |
|
Couch Potato
What?
Premium
join:2004-08-29
Evansville, IN | reply to ColorBASIC
$17/month ?! an HD DVR here costs $13/month to rent from the cable company, why would I pay for the HW then pay a monthly fee also ?! |
|
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| reply to soccerguy
You're right.. however, the point remains that you think the advertiser is getting their ads there for free? No. Therefore, Tivo is gaining revenue from the advertiser.. so how about that $17 fee?? Shouldn't it come down more?
You need a Tivo subscription to use the device that you purchased. (My views are different on the free-for-service boxes) So what's with the 1 year, 2 year, and 3 year pricing levels? This TRULY and CLEARLY is a penalty for not coughing up the money fast enough. Like I said, with out their subscription, you have a door stop.
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..." |
|
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20 | reply to ColorBASIC
For once, we agree. |
|
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| reply to NOCMan
Answer this long age old question.
Why is it you shell out the hundreds of dollars for a "DVR" and when you no longer pay their fee, you have what amounts to a paper weight?
Why can't you still use the box to time shift live TV? Why can't you set manual recordings? Why can't you view your saved programs and why can't you even watch regular TV any more?
We pay subscription fees to cable and satellite.. NOT TV. Tivo has built itself as a service, not hardware.
Where are the people crying out about this rip-off? Because that's what it is.
I purchased hardware that should not require a guide to work, technically. So what say you now?
(and Tivo TV Guide listings should not cost upwards of $19.99 a month... the listing is a relatively small download that is also ad supported. Everyone else charges about $4.95 a month for listings - even cable. Windows MediaCenter has been giving away the guide data for free all along and others can use Zap-2-it for guide data.)
--
"Complaining is the least path of resistance for the self-serving, the lazy, and I’m told it’s a woman’s prerogative..." |
|
wmcbrine
Touched by His Noodly Appendage
join:2002-12-30
Laurel, MD
1 edit | reply to ColorBASIC
said by ColorBASIC :Also that $300 is a sale, normally they charge $300 for 2 years of service which is $12.50/mo. It seems to be a permanent sale... it's been going on since January, at least.
But I agree with most of your points.
Re DirecTV: Most of the ads are also presented on the DirecTV units; and the pricing is a $6 a month "DVR fee" to cover all units (waived if you subscribe to the highest level of service), plus $5 a month for each box beyond the first (though the latter applies to any DirecTV receiver). You also have to pay up front for the box.
--
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 |
|
ColorBASIC
8-bit Fun
Premium
join:2006-12-29
Corona, CA
1 edit | reply to Pz_
You need it to order PPV though the box. I'm not sure what else you would need it for. E* uses theirs to insure that all the boxes in the account are in the same house (dialing out from the same phone number).
--
Macintosh Users Group Serving the Inland Empire |
|
Pz_
join:2001-03-31
Brownsburg, IN
clubs: | reply to ColorBASIC
I had to hook my Tivo up to the phone line once when I first got it. I've never had it back on since. Its been over 3 years now. |
|
ColorBASIC
8-bit Fun
Premium
join:2006-12-29
Corona, CA
| reply to sporkme
DirecTV's deal is completely separate. They don't get the spamming interface or the huge fees. But then you don't get network return (the TiVo dials in) and you don't get the other goodies like the Home Media Option.
And no MPEG4.
--
Macintosh Users Group Serving the Inland Empire |
|
TechieZero
Tools Are Using Me
Premium
join:2002-01-25
Wesley Chapel, FL
| reply to soccerguy
said by soccerguy :No disrespect, but I've owned two TiVo's for years and have never had any problems with advertisements. The only one's I've ever seen require the user to actively click on messages to view them, which I never do. In other words, I never see an advertisement unless I go looking for it on TiVo. Same here. Too much wine and nothing else to snack going on here. |
|
apollo80
join:2002-01-31
Richmond, VA
| reply to NOCMan
said by NOCMan :As for the Tivo, the listings cost money, Don't PC tv tuner card software allow you to download tv listings for free? I don't buy that the company has to charge you for the listings.
Now everything else you mentined, I believe. |
|
sporkme
drop the crantini and move it, sister
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-01
Morristown, NJ
·Optimum Online
| reply to ColorBASIC
bargain? |
said by ColorBASIC :said by Cabal :$8/mo. $17/mo with a 1 year contract AND a $200 cancellation fee (which is nearly a 100% penalty given that $17x12mo is $204). It's only $8.31 if you buy 3 years of service in advance for $300...$300 which not too long ago got you LIFETIME service. Also that $300 is a sale, normally they charge $300 for 2 years of service which is $12.50/mo. I'm just whining like a schoolgirl over their new pricing plans which are lame. I wish they would go back to the $300 lifetime or $13 no contract pricing. Damn. I hope that if they hook up with DTV again my pricing stays the same for the tivo portion of the service. |
|
ColorBASIC
8-bit Fun
Premium
join:2006-12-29
Corona, CA
4 edits | reply to Cabal
$17 |
said by Cabal :$8/mo. $17/mo with a 1 year contract AND a $200 cancellation fee (which is nearly a 100% penalty given that $17x12mo is $204). It's only $8.31 if you buy 3 years of service in advance for $300...$300 which not too long ago got you LIFETIME service. Also that $300 is a sale, normally they charge $300 for 2 years of service which is $12.50/mo.
I'm just whining like a schoolgirl over their new pricing plans which are lame. I wish they would go back to the $300 lifetime or $13 no contract pricing. |
|
Cabal
Premium
join:2007-01-21
Boston, MA | reply to ColorBASIC
$8/mo. |
|
ColorBASIC
8-bit Fun
Premium
join:2006-12-29
Corona, CA
3 edits | reply to soccerguy
Yeah but they mask the spam by calling it an "Important System Message" which until then were reserved for specific TiVo service related matters like billing, line up changes, service update messages etc. You don't know it's them selling you a Sheryl Crow CD until you've selected it. You also can't remove the system notification without selecting then deleting it. In any event trying to sell me something isn't an Important System Message.
For $17/mo + $300 my point is I shouldn't have to put of with a nuisance value of 0.1.
Some people love their TiVo's so much they'll excuse anything TiVo does. $17+HW+banners+spam is not worth it IMO.
--
Macintosh Users Group Serving the Inland Empire |
|
