TiVO Tries To Figure Out Where It Fits And doesn't appear to be entirely sure... Tipped by Chris 313 
For a while there, it looked like TiVo was going to change the world with a cute interface and a few beeps and boops. But as cable, phone and satellite operators started doing a better job building their own DVRs (and now networked DVRs), things started getting less certain. To stay relevant, TiVO started signing major DVR distribution deals with companies like Comcast. Unfortunately, TiVO's Comcast deal appears to be stuck in some strange DVR deployment purgatory. Now TiVO is forced to redefine what it is they do, and from this Multichannel News article, it doesn't sound like TiVO CEO Tom Rogers knows what that is: TiVo president and CEO Tom Rogers says he doesn’t run a DVR company. This is odd, since TiVo is synonymous with the digital video recorder — a technology that, in the last decade, has altered the TV-advertising business and fundamentally changed the way millions of people watch TV. It is odd, too, given that about 80% of TiVo’s revenue still comes from sales of the retail DVRs and related subscription fees. According to Rogers, TiVo is not a DVR hardware provider or even a software company, but a "television behavioral company at heart." Unfortunately for TiVO the "television behavioral company," they lost a record number of subscribers last quarter. On the flip side, they do have their recent trail of DVR patent victories and the uncanny ability to design a very pretty GUI....
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 amungusPremium
join:2004-11-26
America Reviews:
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| my neighbor loves his I don't get it.
He'd rather pay the subscription than an up front cost of a Moxi.
Makes no sense to me. Might as well throw ~$10 in a bucket every month and light it on fire.
And yes, Tivo probably loves selling everyone's data to advertisers.
I don't care. Don't think I'll ever get one unless they drop the subscription fees completely. Let me buy a box and be done with it. You deserve no more money from me after the initial sale. Otherwise, guess what, I'll stick with the cable box, and/or build my own PVR!
Guess the other issue is how stupid "cable card" is these days. Somebody needs to come up with a solution to replace this mess. I ought to be able to tune in what I pay for, with whatever device, and record it if I wish. | |
|  |  morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000
 ·Charter
| Re: my neighbor loves his Tivo offers things appealing to the masses and the masses agree that that has value. That why people pay for items and services. Not many people have even heard of Moxi, so why would they take a chance on it?
That being said, Tivo was an innovator, and unless they bring their A game fast they are going to be toast. Series 3 is long in the tooth. | |
| | | | said by amungus:I don't get it. He'd rather pay the subscription than an up front cost of a Moxi. Makes no sense to me. Might as well throw ~$10 in a bucket every month and light it on fire. And yes, Tivo probably loves selling everyone's data to advertisers. I don't care. Don't think I'll ever get one unless they drop the subscription fees completely. Let me buy a box and be done with it. You deserve no more money from me after the initial sale. Otherwise, guess what, I'll stick with the cable box, and/or build my own PVR! Guess the other issue is how stupid "cable card" is these days. Somebody needs to come up with a solution to replace this mess. I ought to be able to tune in what I pay for, with whatever device, and record it if I wish. I have always felt the same way.. Why spent a couple hundred on a DVR and then have to pay a monthly fee???
However, with the ability to plug them into the internet and such I'm starting to see it as reasonable. If TiVO would only allow for a whole house DVR and sell simple setup boxes (players) or allow the current media center jobs (DLink and such) play from their box so we can watch from any TV in the house (like AT&T U-Verse) that would be perfect! (Note: they may and I just don't know it). Maybe add a feature where you can link your TiVO DVR to a PC or home media server and use it's HD for extra capacity.. I could see spending $10 a month on that. | |
| | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his You don't have to pay a monthly fee...you can pay for "lifetime" service on Tivo once, and you never pay them again.... | |
| | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his said by vanheve2:You don't have to pay a monthly fee...you can pay for "lifetime" service on Tivo once, and you never pay them again.... Yes, I know a few people that have had that. Only issue is that you are locked into, after a year or 2 and old, antiquated technology and are not able to enjoy the new features available.
I'm sure it is fine for most, myself - I have this issue where if it can be done I need to be able to do it LOL :-D
Plus, the last time I checked the lifetime subscriptions weren't cheap and you would have to keep the DVR for several years for it to be worth it. | |
| | | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his said by stunod2002:Yes, I know a few people that have had that. Only issue is that you are locked into, after a year or 2 and old, antiquated technology and are not able to enjoy the new features available. I'm sure it is fine for most, myself - I have this issue where if it can be done I need to be able to do it LOL :-D Plus, the last time I checked the lifetime subscriptions weren't cheap and you would have to keep the DVR for several years for it to be worth it. huh.... go figure. Lifetime subscriptions I got on my old Series 1 TiVo's have been on my Series 3 HD TiVo's for a couple of years. That was $199 for lifetime (back in the day). I've enjoyed Netflix and other features for a long time before others offered it. Over the years, software updates have opened up new features. Go figure - I didn't know it would all be antiquated a year or two after I paid for it.  | |
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| | | Reviews:
 ·VOIPo
| said by vanheve2:You don't have to pay a monthly fee...you can pay for "lifetime" service on Tivo once, and you never pay them again.... For the lifetime of that device. Not your lifetime. | |
| | | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his My 75 year old Father loves his tivo, even though he is still hates all technology. His vcrs still blink 12:00. I tried to buy him a lifetime sub to tive and they said they no longer offer this option | |
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| | | | | said by vanheve2:You don't have to pay a monthly fee...you can pay for "lifetime" service on Tivo once, and you never pay them again.... I looked at that years ago. It is tied to the unit you buy. If that unit fails, you are screwed. And the tivo at the time only came with a 90 day warrenty. So, buy the unit and the lifetime service and after 90 days you could need to do it all over again! | |
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| | | | I stand corrected on the single use DVR.. Kinda.. They do allow for shows to be recorded on one and watched on another..
From TiVO.com
Multi-room viewing
Having two or more TiVo DVRs connected to your home network gives you two or more times the viewing freedom. Record a show on one TiVo DVR and watch it on another in the house. Start a movie in the living room and finish it in the bedroom! | |
| | | | | The "whole house DVR" concept was squashed by the CE industry as a violation of copyright. It used to be in ReplayTV's and its one of the reasons SonicBlue/ReplayTV was sued in to oblivion. So Tivo doesn't have it because they were forced not to have it.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the feature as I was a ReplayTV owner. But you can't hang that one around Tivos neck.
Now that the FCC and Cablelabs are "unclenching" a little and allowing innivation again I really hope Tivo builds a new DVR.
I have an S3 and an HD and I am happy to pay the service fee as long as I NEVER have to use the Comcast SARA interface EVER AGAIN. (It's really that bad.) | |
| | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his What are you talking about.. The whole house DVR thing is very much alive, depending on its implementation, I have 2 tivos as well, and I watch shows on both from both. The downside is that the Tivo networking, even wired at 100meg, is horribly slow and streaming frequently result in a pause for buffering. | |
| | | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his Well Tivo doesn't really "stream" shows to other DVR's in your house like ReplyTV used to do. Tivo makes a copy of your show from one DVR to another. So its kind of different.
The only thing on a Tivo that "streams" per se is Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube. | |
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| | | | | Direct tv has a good DVR and they have MRV in open testing.
also the Direct tv HD tvio is comeing in 2010 | |
| | | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his The HD Directivo has been "right around the corner" for about 2 years now. I'll believe it when I see it so that I can finally retire the 2 SD boxes that we still have. | |
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| | Hanko
join:2001-12-28
Eatonville, WA | I bought 3 ReplayTV boxes with lifetime subscriptions 4 years ago. I have them on a network in the house and can access the videos from any of them on any of the others in the house.
I also use DvArchive on my PC's so I can watch/transfer the movies to the PC.
Unfortunately there is not a HD version and probably never will be. | |
| | |  syslockPremium
join:2007-02-03
Ann Arbor, MI | Skipped over Tivo and went right to a home PVR server.
With SageTV I can access all my Live TV, video, audio, pictures,
etc from any TV. Tivo is ancient technology. | |
| | | | | | Re: my neighbor loves his said by syslock:Skipped over Tivo and went right to a home PVR server. With SageTV I can access all my Live TV, video, audio, pictures, etc from any TV. Tivo is ancient technology. Doesn't seem that cheap to me. You need to pay $180 for each set-top box plus $80 for the software, which needs to run on a PC.
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"Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them." -- George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
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| | | | |  Nick_LPremium
join:2003-01-22
Pittsburgh, PA | Re: my neighbor loves his Who said Sage was cheap? It's not cheap but it is excellent! | |
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| Reviews:
·PHONE POWER
| Tivo offers lifetime. $399. Or $299 if you are already a Tivo customer. Or just snag a used one with lifetime off eBay or Craigslist. You can even find new ones on eBay with bundled lifetime.
Me? I got three. Two HDs upgraded to 157 hours of HD each, and an old Series 2 with 180 hours of SD. All lifetime.
[NG]Owner
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It is impossible to create an idiot-proof product. Humanity is simply too adept at churning out better idiots. | |
| | |  aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Re: my neighbor loves his said by NGOwner:Tivo offers lifetime. $399. Or $299 if you are already a Tivo customer. Or just snag a used one with lifetime off eBay or Craigslist. You can even find new ones on eBay with bundled lifetime. Me? I got three. Two HDs upgraded to 157 hours of HD each, and an old Series 2 with 180 hours of SD. All lifetime. [NG]Owner Yes TiVo has more optons, unlike Moxi. With Moxi it's all or nothing. With TiVo you can get lifetime or choose to pay a monthly fee for 1 or two years or month to month. A good option for someone who does not have all the money up front or for someone who might want options in a year or two for other devices.
But the bottom line TiVo gives you more choices by givingi you several subscription options.
I personally have nine tiVos with five of them having Lifetime service and the otehr four are on the monthly and I will not be converting them to Lifetime since I waiting to see what the Bestbuy TiVo will be. And if I like it I can dump my monthly TiVos and get the BestBuy TiVos next year. | |
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| | | I agree with amungus.
And he said it better than I could! | |
| | | | said by amungus:Guess the other issue is how stupid "cable card" is these days. Somebody needs to come up with a solution to replace this mess. I ought to be able to tune in what I pay for, with whatever device, and record it if I wish. I agree with you on all points.
It's just that I had to mention that I couldn't help but read your post in a John C. Dvorak voice. 
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Ditch Adobe's bloated, security-hole ridden Reader and switch to an alternative - I recommend Foxit. | |
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| | I have a Tivo And you will have to pry it from my cold dead hands...
I do not know where they are getting their info on how the cable, phone and satellite operator DVR's are getting better.. but I will respectfully disagree.
When I spent the $800 (yes I am a semi early adopter of the S3 model), it was not without pains.. mostly my wife banning me for months from buying one. Prior to that I had 2 DirecTivo's that I have had since they first came out in the early 2000's.
Move forward a few years, I bought my first HDTV in 2006 or 2007 and the upgrade path for Directv's DVR was expensive, so we switched to FIOS, they installed the DVR.. its was a steaming pile of shit, there is no other way to say it. 5 min of attempting to use it (no freaking page down for crying out loud), my wife almost destroyed either the remote.. or the wall, any more force and I am not sure what would have given first.. I get a call and am ordered to buy the Tivo..
Honestly, when you consider the rental costs over time, the Tivo does work out cheaper then renting a DVR, the downside of course is that if it breaks, you have to pay to fix it.. but I accept that risk. | |
| | | | Re: I have a Tivo said by jvanbrecht:Move forward a few years, I bought my first HDTV in 2006 or 2007 and the upgrade path for Directv's DVR was expensive, so we switched to FIOS, they installed the DVR.. its was a steaming pile of shit, there is no other way to say it. 5 min of attempting to use it (no freaking page down for crying out loud) I've had significant time around cable co DVRs since 2003 - Cox SA, Comcast Moto, and now the FiOS DVR. I just can't see why people hate the Vz DVR so much. It's done everything as good (or better) than the others. and the UI is so much prettier!
-By the way, the fios DVR has always had PAGE UP/DOWN. It's the channel +/- buttn.
I have a relative with Tivo and I think it's the most overhyped CE device out there.
Having said all of that, I'm now the proud owner of 3 tuner MOXI with two mates, and I LOVE it.
It's not without it's shortcomings (for now), but even if development stopped today, the investment will pay for itself in under 2 years (in my book). | |
| | | | | Re: I have a Tivo No, when the very first FIOS DVR came out, it had no page up or page down, however, people were buying the old comcast remote and using that with the FIOS DVR (since both were made by the same company) for page up an down.
As for problems with the Verizon DVR (granted I have not used it for more then a week while I waited for my cable cards to arrive), but the posts around here and other places, the guide data is not reliable (granted thats third party, but it is still Verizons problem), shows that are new are marked as repeats and repeats marked as new. Season passes often missed shows. That is a core functionality of the box, if they cannot get that right, am I to trust them for more advanced features.
It was slow, it was RED!!!, why oh why does verizon have to f with the UI of everything, it was slow... did I mention it was slow...
I could honestly go on... | |
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|  NPGMBR
join:2001-03-28
Arlington, VA | Oh I feel you on Verizon's Home Media DVR. I love my FIOS service but that Motorolla box with Verizon's software running on it stinks. I tried the box for a month after I got FIOS then promptely sent the box back to them after three weeks.
Two years later I take out my TiVos and get the VZ Home Media DVR again thinking I'd save a few bucks because surely they had worked out all the freakin bugs buy now. Sadly I was mistaken and I was now stuck with that crap box for a year. Fortunately, this past October I was released from my Home Media Hell and promptly sent the box back to Verizon, re-installed my old Series 2 and ordered a refurbished TiVo HD at a 100 dollar discount.
I don't have it now but I had a list of 11 bugs that I experienced with Verizon's Home Media DVR. Seems they are not interested in fixing them so I'm not interested in using it. Overall, I'm very satisfied with FIOS - TV, Internet and Phone. | |
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 DaveDudeNo Fear
join:1999-09-01
New Jersey
kudos:1 | No improvements! Tivo, hasnt improved its interface in years, Moxi is the first to make tivo attempt to improve. Tivo doesnt have a clue, on how it can improve itself , into a better more viable product. | |
| | | | Re: No improvements! As a Tivo and Dish owner I still scratch my head at the rave reviews of the Tivo interface. I find it slow and clunky. I actually like Dish's interface better. The Tivo schedule is the pits.
However, the fact I can network my Tivo, then pull content off it and put it on my mobile device or media server is great. It also has the Netflix and YouTube integration. These are the things that keep me.
A cable provider is nuts if they think they'll strip those things off then want an additional $2.95 for a cable branded Tivo DVR. | |
| | | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 Reviews:
·Charter
| Re: No improvements! they actually believe people stay for the vod and other "content" they provide. not surprising they think this--they are also believe consumers love the convenience of having one less bill. who cares about an extra bill?? it's about the product/service and the value. | |
| | | | | | Re: No improvements! Since I have always had Directivo prior to switching to Verizon FIOS, I never really had VOD, so its not a loss to me. I have netflix, and I can stream some of those movies to my tivo.
I will agree though, the interface, while pretty, is very slow. | |
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| | I love my TiVo It's the same argument that comes into play with sat radio also. There is 2 groups, the group who doesn't mind paying for better service and more choice and the other group that thinks that once you buy something it should be free of charge for life and won't spend a dime on anything. I love my TiVo, my friend has gone through 4 DVR's from Comcast so far - they keep deleting all of his programs and going crazy. For the argument of TiVo hasn't improved in years, why fix something that isn't broke? The S3 rushed in a lot of new things, external storage comes to mind - no other commercial DVR has that. | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
| | Stream, Baby, Stream! I recently picked up a second TiVo HD... it's that good. IMO one of the best 3rd party programs that interfaces with Tivo is Stream, Baby, Stream! My entire DVD collection is on a designated media server. Both TiVos can pull content from this PC. Not to mention recorded programs on one box can be viewed on the other. | |
| |  dbmavenThere's no shortagePremium,Mod
join:1999-10-26
Sty in Sky
kudos:2 | Re: Stream, Baby, Stream! The functionality is not unique to TiVO. | |
| | | | said by sharksfan3:I recently picked up a second TiVo HD... it's that good. IMO one of the best 3rd party programs that interfaces with Tivo is Stream, Baby, Stream! My entire DVD collection is on a designated media server. Both TiVos can pull content from this PC. Not to mention recorded programs on one box can be viewed on the other. Wow so waste tons of time and space to make your own "video on demand". Pay tivo $ per month, or their lifetime fee.........I just don't understand the logic. | |
| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: Stream, Baby, Stream! Hmm , the logic is he has a library of content he wants available ?
Can't get all the movies he like with VOD ?
I see the logic.
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"It's always funny until someone gets hurt......and then it's absolutely friggin' hysterical!" | |
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ciucca
join:2004-05-24
Westfield, NJ
2 edits | Tivo is an OLD technology Tivo is not as good as the FIOS DVR. I have both, and if I could add an external HD to the FIOS DVR I would get rid of the TIVO ASAP. The people who support TIVO are fanboys. They cannot admit that TIVO has been left in the dust, and is on its way to the Smithsonian. The management has been arrogant for years and sat on their platform without making GUI and interface improvements. All I can say is goodbye Tivo! I give it 12 to 18 months. | |
| | | | Re: Tivo is an OLD technology So if you still have a Tivo does that make you a fanboy too?
While Tivo may be on its way to the Smithsonian, it will be a while getting there. Not every market has FIOS or the options Tivo currently grants. | |
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2 edits | said by ciucca:Tivo is not as good as the FIOS DVR. I have both, and if I could add an external HD to the FIOS DVR I would get rid of the TIVO ASAP. The people who support TIVO are fanboys. They cannot admit that TIVO has been left in the dust, and is on its way to the Smithsonian. The management has been arrogant for years and sat on their platform without making GUI and interface improvements. All I can say is goodbye Tivo! I give it 12 to 18 months. I have tried the FiOS DVR at a friend's house and I like TiVo better. In fact, TiVo had many features like remote scheduling that FiOS is only now getting.
However, you are right that TiVo is showing its age.
I am moving to Windows 7 Media center which is light years beyond TiVo and believe it or not the interface is better.
By the way, TiVo is losing subscribers because:
People think that the crappy cable/fios DVR is a "tivo" or that it's "good enough." The majority of people care about "good enough" not "best."
Cablecard has been a horror show from day 1.
There is currently no high definition TiVo for satellite users that is based on current satellite technology (MPEG4).
The pricing has discouraged new subscribers and burned old subscribers. Part of the reason I'm leaving is because my series 3 is up in April and I either have to renew month to month or get a lifetime sub, which was not available years ago. If I do I would have dumped over $1000 in a 3 year old box. Bye TiVo. | |
| |  BootesPremium
join:2005-01-28
Scarsdale, NY | I have a TivoHD and a Fios DVR, the Tivo is much better. The Tivo interface makes sense, the Fios DVR is confusing and slow. | |
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| |  ThrowDemsOutIf you can't convince 'em, confuse 'emPremium
join:2002-03-03
Mullica Hill, NJ
kudos:4 | Re: I don't think that CEO Tom Rogers gets it! »TiVO Tries To Figure Out Where It Fits
According to Rogers, TiVo is not a DVR hardware provider or even a software company, but a "television behavioral company at heart." Well then he has 2 choices then as a "television behavioral company":
(1) change to a non-profit and then lobby for rules & laws modifying how people watch TV.
(2) continue to milk their patents; collect the fees; layoff all their workers; and return a nice dividend to their stockholders.
Because it looks like their CEO has no business plan at all. Hey, maybe they just need a new CEO. One who knows where he wants the company to go.
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AVonGaussPremium,MVM
join:2007-11-01
Boynton Beach, FL | The real reason... The real reason TIVO is continuing to struggle and losing ground continually is the availability of content through venues such as OnDemand, Hulu and iTunes. Even though the DVR will continue to live on for a while longer, it's days are numbered. | |
| | | | Re: The real reason... said by AVonGauss:The real reason TIVO is continuing to struggle and losing ground continually is the availability of content through venues such as OnDemand, Hulu and iTunes. Even though the DVR will continue to live on for a while longer, it's days are numbered. That's one reason, but the main reason is that joe sixpack is perfectly happy with his "tivo" from the cable company. | |
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 BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Never did get it A few years ago i was kind of inteested in Tivo then I found out besides the high cost of theeuqipment they expected me to paya monthly subscription. For what I'm not sure. That totally turned me off. I'm old school I guess and I don't seem to remember having to pay any subscription after I bought a VCR. So I don't get it. At least with cable I get the monthly charge with a DVR since you are not paying for the box outright. | |
| | Reviews:
·PHONE POWER
| Re: Never did get it I thought the same way you do until I got my first Tivo. Now I have three.
Regarding cost, as long as you get a lifetime Tivo, the unit will always have a residual value. Check eBay, you'll see. The things really don't break, and if one does, it is almost always the hard drive that goes. If you are reasonably handy with computers, you can replace the HD and be back running within an hour. The lifetime service is tied to the box, not to the HD. So as long as the MioBo doesn't go tits up on you, you can recover from any error you will likely encounter.
Regarding usefulness:
1) Don't underestimate the time savings of eliminating commercials. 30 minute show in 20. 60 minute show in 40. Movies on cable in 2/3rds of the scheduled time.
2) Don't underestimate the truly quantum leap between VCR and Tivo. No VCR tape issues like FF and RW or running out of tape. Select your show and go. The smallest Tivo has 10x the capacity of the largest VHS tape. The biggest stores 1400+ hours.
3) Don't underestimate the beauty of watching an entire season of 24 (or any show) in a week.
4) Don't underestimate the luxury of having a library of shows ready to watch at any time you are ready to watch them. There will always be something on TV for you to see. No more channel surfing.
5) Don't underestimate the awesomeness of your own instant replay for sporting events. Miss the play, rewind and watch it in slow motion. Know the results of the challenge long before the ref announces the verdict you already know!
6) Done underestimate the granularity of searches of guide data. Like an actor/director/producer, record everything that actor/director/producer has made. The boolean search capabilities are to behold.
My Tivo has become indispensible and easily ranks as one of the major gamechanger gadgets in my home. If you watch TV, enjoy watching TV, there is nothing better than Tivo.
[NG]Owner
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It is impossible to create an idiot-proof product. Humanity is simply too adept at churning out better idiots. | |
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n2ubp
join:2007-07-13
Middletown, NY | Tivo, more than a laxative.... re-laxative that is.
TIVO has always been a service provider. The hardware is a means to get you to subscribe to their service, like the stick in a Popsicle. People who like the interface and are not on the unemployment lines will continue to pay the per month charge, but the cable companies charge a lower per month fee, already have a presence in most living rooms, so TIVO is fading quick. Only way out is to offer more for less $$$, but TIVO has not and will never learn that lesson. | |
| | morboComplete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000 Reviews:
·Charter
| Re: Tivo, more than a laxative.... said by n2ubp:re-laxative tthe cable companies charge a lower per month fee that is rarer and rarer. i've seen cable dvr prices at $18 a month and higher. | |
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| | | | Re: A better DVR? Agreed. When I upgraded to HD-everything, I was forced to take DirecTV's boat-anchor of a DVR, the HR20 (which has been supplanted by the HR21, the HR22, the .., which are all worse). I have owned TiVo's and the DirecTiVo since early 2000 (first was a standalone). The HR2* is an absolute piece o' carp! When I found out that DirecTV FINALLY acknowledged that they don't know their elbows from their******* regarding building a DVR and re-signed a deal for TiVo to make their next HD-DVR, I decided to stay with D* a little longer!
So .. anyone who claims that a DVR-is-a-DVR isn't completely telling the truth. Some companies know what they're doing. It is obvious that the content providers DON'T! | |
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| syslockPremium
join:2007-02-03
Ann Arbor, MI | The Comcast Motorola dvr is not that great.
Has many issues with slow remote control response when trying to ff or rw. All the content is locked down so forget about saving something and trying to view it on your portable player later on.
Junk. | |
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 KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK | Tivo's plan seems to be living off it's patents And forcing everyone else to pay them royalties for any type of box or device that allows time shifting/recording/playback, etc | |
| | | If it doesn't SAY TiVo... it's not a TiVo. Brand dilution has to be TiVo's greatest failure. Allowing their name to become a genericized trademark and doing literally nothing to differentiate themselves publicly, people are just happy to get whatever crappy, non-owned, cable-company-controlled device they can get. And... they call it "a tivo".
I had a conversation with my family about how great my TiVo is, and one family member concurred, but then as I started mentioning all the features, they started dithering, saying "our tivo doesn't do that... we have the tivo from Comcast."
TiVo is the best DVR there is, but most customers don't know the difference, and don't even know there is one. TiVo hasn't bothered to tell them there is, either. Dumb, dumb, dumb. | |
| | KearnstdElf WizardPremium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ | Re: If it doesn't SAY TiVo... it's not a TiVo. it is 100% impossible to prevent becoming that kinda trademark. think of Xerox, Band-Aid, Asprin, Q-Tip.
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports | |
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| | What am I missing? There is 1 feature that has not been discussed here. It is a feature that is near and dear to my heart (because the wife loves it, and yells at me that it's gone). And I think it explains why Tivo thinks of itself the way it does.
Suggestions.
No one else does this.
For those not familiar, Tivo will record shows without customer input, based upon viewing habits. These shows will then sit there, until deleted by the system to make room for new stuff, or deleted by the customer. These suggestions are then available for viewing anytime.
My wife LOVES this feature. When DirecTV comes out with their new Hi-def Tivo, we will jump right on board. | |
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See 6 replies to this post | |
| | Got rid of my TiVO I had to get rid of my Tivo. I have Comcast and when they went all digital in October I could not tune any channels in on my TiVO. I could put it behind my cable box but that only allowed me to record what I was watching. Before I could record one thing and watch something else from my cable box. Anyone have a solution for me? | |
| | | | Re: Got rid of my TiVO Ummm a cable card? | |
| | | | | Re: Got rid of my TiVO Just upgraded to HD Tivo, with M Card, works fine. I could live with a DVR with no fees myself, but the wife does not want change. I have to admit the GUI etc. is superb, and we've had Tivo since the first Directivo was released, and back then, that was expensive compared to today. As far as fees, I paid $200 for the box plus $299 for three years service. My last Tivo had a
2yr 10mo useful life and they rolled those two remaining months to the new one. I figure by 2013 , this thing will be a relic too. With FIOS they want $16 a month for DVR , that is $576 for 3yr for an inferior DVR IMO.
Another thing with Tivo, I've honestly never had to deal with any major bugs in the OS at all , and any minor ones get fixed via service updates | |
| | | | | Yes but I have to pay for that (not even sure I can get one from Comcast) where before I could just use my TiVo to record right from the cable itself. I just hooked it up to another input on my TV and away I go. I had paid way back when life time TiVo so I have been free and clear until now. I am guessing if I can get a card that it will be at least $5 or more a month! | |
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| bspz00
join:2008-03-15
Anderson, IN | Do you have multiple inputs on your TV? Just split your cable and run the TiVo to a different input. The coax still carries the "analog signal" - the digital part comes form the Comcast set-top box. At least that is the way it is here... | |
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| | Windows Media Center ..is going to be the 800lb gorilla in the room. It already comes free with Win 7 Pro, records OTA, and cable, streams IP TV, has a Netflix built in, *and* works with media extenders like the 360.
TiVo is going the way of the DoDo. | |
| | | | Re: Windows Media Center Agreed. I am building an HTPC with Windows 7 in a few months and I've tried them all. The Directivo, the cable company box and on and on. Media Center blows them all out of the water.
Hopefully other people will start to see the light and jump on board (there is a lot of buzz around HTPCs with Windows 7 so there is a good chance of them finally taking off). | |
| | drbill28
join:2006-03-25
Pomfret Center, CT | Well, the cable company here has SA HDC8300 DVRs. Personally, I do not care for them. Interface is ugly (the SARA one they use). I have it as part of my deal, so it's in the bedroom.
Moxi was an option. But I opted for a TiVo HD. Partly I knew the features and I had more flexibility. Also multi room is pointless to me as I have two rooms and I don't watch recordings in the bedroom... It's many times better than the SA box. In the end I pay no more than I would for the cable company DVR. I like the fact upgrading the internal HDD is easy in a TiVo. Externals tend to be unreliable in DVR systems.
I payed $200 for the unit and the $12.95 monthly service free plus $2/mth for a cablecard. With the cable company DVR if I were paying full price it would be $10/mth for DVR service and $6.75 for the box. I'd end up paying more per month for the cable company DVR. So some of the cost is offset. If I were paying for yearly service, it would be a little more as well. So it's worth it to me. Until better options come up, this is the best there is for me. | |
| | UnnDunnPremium
join:2005-12-21
Brooklyn, NY Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| said by tmh :
..is going to be the 800lb gorilla in the room. It already comes free with Win 7 Pro, records OTA, and cable, streams IP TV, has a Netflix built in, *and* works with media extenders like the 360.
TiVo is going the way of the DoDo.
Completely agreed. Once Ceton and Hauppauge get their CableCARD OCUR cards out and OEMs begin bundling them, TiVo's days will be numbered. Windows Media Center is an extremely compelling solution. The interface blows TiVo out of the water, and has done for years. | |
| | | | | Re: Windows Media Center said by UnnDunn:said by tmh :
..is going to be the 800lb gorilla in the room. It already comes free with Win 7 Pro, records OTA, and cable, streams IP TV, has a Netflix built in, *and* works with media extenders like the 360.
TiVo is going the way of the DoDo.
Completely agreed. Once Ceton and Hauppauge get their CableCARD OCUR cards out and OEMs begin bundling them, TiVo's days will be numbered. Windows Media Center is an extremely compelling solution. The interface blows TiVo out of the water, and has done for years. To me the biggest draw is the extenders.
One central place for live and recorded TV! | |
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| | | said by tmh :
..is going to be the 800lb gorilla in the room. It already comes free with Win 7 Pro, records OTA, and cable, streams IP TV, has a Netflix built in, *and* works with media extenders like the 360.
TiVo is going the way of the DoDo.
Next year is going to be the year. That's when multistream cablecard tuners for Windows media center make their debut.
6 tuners and the ability to use extenders makes it a no brainer. | |
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| | Tivo's greatest strength... is the fact that the name itself is a Verb. Capitalize on that. Somehow.  | |
|  simlesaPremium
join:2006-04-14
Astoria, NY | Copy protection I was able to get a cheap Tivo HD during the Black Friday sales, and I love the features. I had Time Warner Cable install a multi-stream cablecard, which allows me to record two shows at once. I also enjoy the fact that I can finally stream Netflix instant watch in high definition.
My biggest beef with the service is Time Warner's implementation of copy protection (CCI Byte) on virtually ALL channels. This disables the ability to watch the same program on another networked Tivo, or the ability to copy shows to my PC so I can take it to go on my Netbook.
--Luko | |
| | | Nobody has mentioned the UVerse whole-house DVR Record 4 shows at once, pause in one room and continue in another, schedule recordings from any box or over the internet...
And it costs so little per box that no "owned" device makes financial sense.
Beat that TiVo... | |
| | | | Re: Nobody has mentioned the UVerse whole-house DVR said by cowboyro:Record 4 shows at once, pause in one room and continue in another, schedule recordings from any box or over the internet... And it costs so little per box that no "owned" device makes financial sense. Beat that TiVo... TiVo already beats it since you can only get U-Verse in a few areas. | |
| | aaronwtPremium
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
1 edit | said by cowboyro:Record 4 shows at once, pause in one room and continue in another, schedule recordings from any box or over the internet... And it costs so little per box that no "owned" device makes financial sense. Beat that TiVo... I have no desire to put all my eggs in one basket for recording. If there is a problem with the one device that records/streams then you can't watch or record anything. I like having recoding capabilities with each tiVo I own. I can still transfer any of that HD content to any of my TiVos or to a PC to burn to Blu-ray Disc or for storage on a hard drive.
That is much more versatile. | |
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I don't think that CEO Tom Rogers gets it!
When it comers to TiVO everyone has their hands out looking for money. First there is the purchase price of the hardware and then the single pay or monthly subscription fee, then there is the cable ripoff of about $8.95 per month for a cable card and digital outlet. I consider the digital outlet fee a fraudulent charge since there is no additional equipment associated with the outlet. Customers are tired of getting ripped off. It is too bad that we do not have lawmakers like the ones that created and passed the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. The writers of the bill explained that they were angry when the Cable Ready Television Sets that they had just purchased could only receive a few channels because the cable parasites scrambled all other channels. Unfortunately there is little hope of relief Seventeen Years later, because the lawmakers have become cable industry sock puppets. 
A better DVR?
