amungusPremium
join:2004-11-26
America Reviews:
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| Thank you DRM Even though I'm not a huge Tivo fan, I think they have a right to compete.
HD DRM, CableCard, Sat. company issues makes competing fairly way too difficult.
I'd buy a Tivo if:
-it could record HD from any source, even if I had to use an IR blaster
-didn't have a monthly "guide" fee
-"just worked"
While the fee is borderline extortion, needing to have a cable card just to tune digital/HD channels is not their fault.
I blame the entrenched DRM mentality of everyone in their way.
Good ol' analog was simple. You hooked the Tivo up, and you could record whatever wasn't scrambled.
Digitized Restrictions Mangling makes what was once simple, a convoluted and uncertain process for most people.
Bring out a real standard that works and maybe we'll see some better results from the likes of Tivo, and even HTPC solutions.
Until then, I'm still renting a Moto box that's been out since '02-'03 or so... |
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 Jmartz
join:2000-07-20
Tenafly, NJ | said by amungus:-didn't have a monthly "guide" fee There is no guide fee. You are paying for the Tivo service. |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | reply to amungus
And Torrent/News/1 click download TV works on ANY device, ANY time, and you get to SKIP commercial, not just be forced by Big Media into fast forwarding through them. And why should I PAY for Tivo subscription only to have the Tivo pummel me with ads?
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_TV#Legal_Battle
Tivo gave into the man and removed the skip feature.
»missions.ritchietribe.net/node/90 |
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1 edit | reply to Jmartz
said by Jmartz:said by amungus:-didn't have a monthly "guide" fee There is no guide fee. You are paying for the Tivo service. Since I paid about $600 for the hardware a few years ago, and TiVo brings little innovation these days, I'd say that paying for the guide data is pretty much an accurate description of the TiVo service.
I used to love TiVo a lot, but my next DVR is going to be a Windows MCE PC. No monthly fees (apart from cable) and it is much more versatile. |
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| reply to patcat88
Regarding the skip feature on the Tivo: are you referring to something other than the 30 second skip that is user programmable like on my Tivo HD? You can program the remote to do the 30 second commercial skip. Just google "tivo commercial skip". The reason I ask is that I purchased both of my Tivo's approx. 18 months ago and the article you link to is 3.5 years old. |
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amungusPremium
join:2004-11-26
America Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| reply to fifty nine
Never owned one myself, though I've known people who do have them...
I don't know what the monthly/lifetime fee really gets you, I thought it was guide service basically... minor updates perhaps, sure...
Either way, that model is what I totally dislike.
Sell me the box, go away. Give your firmware updates to users for free if it enhances or fixes something...
Guide info should at least be built in to the cable/sat. bill (if not free), and surely couldn't cost more than a $1/subscriber. That's still a TON of money being made if it was a buck a subscriber...
I think people understand these things and just don't see why Tivo is worth getting over the "rental" box.
Hmm...
Buy + monthly fee or just rent. Similar functionality, plus ease of HD and dual tuners, plus free replacement if it dies... Pretty easy to see why more people choose to just rent from their cable company...
Again, if they'd just sell the box, DRM issues aside (which will hopefully settle someday...), I'd really consider buying a Tivo. |
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Reviews:
 ·Comcast
| I think the reason more people rent is easy.
Cable co's have been going "all digital" for awhile now , and most users who had old tivos got caught in it and were not going to buy another tivo for $250 only hard core folks would.
Plus cable co's made digital converters available for next to nothing in most markets. Also now add to the equation that consumers don't know they really have a choice , they assume they must have the cable companies box to work.
It's a dirty game these companies play via backdoor politics.
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"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!" |
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