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TiVo Sees Record Customer Losses
Worst quarterly subscriber drop ever
TiVo's deals with cable operators and their recent DVR patent wins haven't done much to keep TiVo customers around. The company just suffered their worst quarter ever, losing 314,000 customers in three months. TiVo's market share (2.76 million) is now less than 8% of the estimated total 38 million US DVR households. TiVo would probably be helped greatly if Comcast would ever get around to their national TiVo deployment, but three years after the deal's announcement, TiVo for most Comcast customers is a nowhere to be found.
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Robert
Premium Member
join:2001-08-25
Miami, FL

Robert

Premium Member

Price

I'm locked in at $6.95/mo., but I have friends paying $16/mo., after spending $299+ for the unit. Instead, they switched to their cable co's DVR at $9-$16/mo., which includes exchanges if the box breaks.

obeythelaw
Premium Member
join:2003-04-16
Warren, NJ

obeythelaw

Premium Member

Re: Price

i think that's just it. The cable co/satellite co., dvr's aren't that bad. they may not have all of the bells and whistles like Tivo but they serve their purpose and are easy to use. I really like my Directv dvr. It works fine.

canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL

canesfan2001

Member

Re: Price

It's not just that, they also can't take advantage of some features (On Demand) and don't work with all formats (Satellite).
I personally would gladly pay a few extra bucks a month for a real Tivo, if it actually worked. Comcast has been "working on" deploying the software on their own DVRs for a while now.
Of course, probably the same department that handles that "usage meter"... »Exclusive Screens Of Comcast's New Bandwidth Meter

Ebolla
join:2005-09-28
Dracut, MA

Ebolla

Member

Re: Price

what do you mean working on, it is available in the NE region and has been for well over 1.5 years. It may not be in all area's but it will be getting there.

canesfan2001
join:2003-02-04
Hialeah, FL

canesfan2001

Member

Re: Price

My point exactly. It's been available for years in one very small area. And has not expanded at all since then.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678 to obeythelaw

Member

to obeythelaw
said by obeythelaw:

i think that's just it. The cable co/satellite co., dvr's aren't that bad. they may not have all of the bells and whistles like Tivo but they serve their purpose and are easy to use. I really like my Directv dvr. It works fine.
The new Direct tv HD TiVo is planed for next year.

andunn
join:2001-09-06
Willard, MO

andunn

Member

Re: Price

I for one will be getting the Directv HD tivo next year.
tired_runner
Premium Member
join:2000-08-25
CT

tired_runner to Joe12345678

Premium Member

to Joe12345678
DirecTV HD DVR provides on-demand via broadband connect at home. IMO that's a nice little addition. I'd be curious to know if it needs a certain amount of downstream bandwidth for HD on-demand to work.

obeythelaw
Premium Member
join:2003-04-16
Warren, NJ

1 recommendation

obeythelaw to Joe12345678

Premium Member

to Joe12345678
said by Joe12345678:

said by obeythelaw:

i think that's just it. The cable co/satellite co., dvr's aren't that bad. they may not have all of the bells and whistles like Tivo but they serve their purpose and are easy to use. I really like my Directv dvr. It works fine.
The new Direct tv HD TiVo is planed for next year.
i didn't realize that Directv will be jumping back onto the Tivo bandwagon. If so, i'll take one.

joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null

1 edit

joako to Joe12345678

Premium Member

to Joe12345678
said by Joe12345678:
said by obeythelaw:

i think that's just it. The cable co/satellite co., dvr's aren't that bad. they may not have all of the bells and whistles like Tivo but they serve their purpose and are easy to use. I really like my Directv dvr. It works fine.
The new Direct tv HD TiVo is planed for next year.
I still see people with the old DirecTivos installed. Heck if I still had directv I would still have mine... hard drive was upgraded, encryption disabled and network card installed so I could extract the video and watch it on my PC. No CableCo DVR can do that.... shit I would love to telnet into my AT&T DVR and get a busybox shell.

bobrk
You kids get offa my lawn
Premium Member
join:2000-02-02
San Jose, CA
·SONIC

bobrk to Joe12345678

Premium Member

to Joe12345678
said by Joe12345678:
said by obeythelaw:

i think that's just it. The cable co/satellite co., dvr's aren't that bad. they may not have all of the bells and whistles like Tivo but they serve their purpose and are easy to use. I really like my Directv dvr. It works fine.
The new Direct tv HD TiVo is planed for next year.
Didn't they say that LAST year?
gabmasterjcc
join:2003-09-08
Fairfax, VA

gabmasterjcc to Robert

Member

to Robert
Why are they paying $16 a month to Tivo? Tivo's most expensive monthly price plan is currently $12.95.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

1 edit

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: Price

said by gabmasterjcc:

Why are they paying $16 a month to Tivo? Tivo's most expensive monthly price plan is currently $12.95.
Either way, that's still an insane price to pay for a piece of hardware you have to buy/purchase yourself.. I think it's ridiculous that you're FORCED to pay a subscription fee to use THEIR guide in the first place.

Why can't a user simply purchase a Tivo and use it like a VCR? Why can't there be an option to simply set a start and stop time.. time shift live TV?

And, in the spirit of trying to force DSL to open their networks.. internet providers to be neutral, etc... why is Tivo allowed to close their guide data subscriptions to their own service? Guide data should be no different.. allow competition to the consumer.. Microsoft gives the guide data away for FREE when you use MediaCenter PCs... many other software based DVRs give you free guide data.. why in the world should Tivo feel they need to charge $12.95 a month for a TV Guide, essentially...? I can pick one up on the stands for $3.00 and that's PRINTED material..

Seriously... Tivo has been getting a cash-cow free-ride for some time now.. maybe it's time to focus the guns on them for their closed system.

I own a Tivo.. and having to BUY data is ridiculous.. my only other choice is to BRICK a $400 purchase unless I cough up the dough..

Had to add something:
Tivo cries that cable operators have, in the past, invalidated their Tivo hardware to some customers with the whole shift digital video.. seems to me that Tivo wants their cake and eat it too.. if Tivo wants an open platform for them, they need to open theirs as well.

I think they're loosing subs becuase they're the same price as cable and satellite (sometimes the providers are cheaper) and the hardware from the operators work seamless with their service.. Maybe Tivo needs to simply get a clue and get with the picture, or go away.

joebarnhart
Paxio evangelist
join:2005-12-15
Santa Clara, CA

joebarnhart

Member

Re: Price

said by fiberguy2:

Seriously... Tivo has been getting a cash-cow free-ride for some time now.. maybe it's time to focus the guns on them for their closed system.
And yet, even after all those ridiculous overcharges and price-gouging, Tivo has never made a profit -- not even one single quarter.

Since they don't make the hardware themselves (contracted out) and make their income on the guide data, I wouldn't look for free or cheap alternatives there...

Maybe Tivo's business model just can't be successful. If so, that's too bad. The DVRs foisted off on cable/satellite users are pure cr@p.

skinnyt
@verizon.net

skinnyt to fiberguy2

Anon

to fiberguy2
why in the world should Tivo feel they need to charge $12.95 a month for a TV Guide, essentially

You can get the guide data for free, the same place that MythTV gets it from. However I know of no way to get the the Tivo to use it. The user forums may have some method to do it, but that's just a SWAG. Additionally, the part that you are really paying for is all the extra data scraping that goes into the guide (actors, genres, "first run only" type features, etc). For me though, the only part that really sucks is that the lifetime service has gotten so expensive. That's the main thing that's keeping me from getting a third Tivo at this point, $400 is just too much compared to what I paid for lifetime subscription for the first two.

TonyG
@itt.com

TonyG to fiberguy2

Anon

to fiberguy2
You *can* use a Tivo like a VCR -- record by time and channel -- without paying for the service. But without the scheduling data, the device loses most of it's value in my opinion.

dddane
join:2002-01-10
Chicago, IL

1 edit

dddane to fiberguy2

Member

to fiberguy2
said by fiberguy2 See ProfileEither way, that's still an insane price to pay for a piece of hardware you have to buy/purchase yourself.. I think it's ridiculous that you're FORCED to pay a subscription fee to use THEIR guide in the first place.

Why can't a user simply purchase a Tivo and use it like a VCR? Why can't there be an option to simply set a start and stop time.. time shift live TV?
..
I think they're loosing subs becuase they're the same price as cable and satellite (sometimes the providers are cheaper) and the hardware from the operators work seamless with their service.. Maybe Tivo needs to simply get a clue and get with the picture, or go away.

:

in short, because it's not the guide you're paying for. they're subsidizing the boxes up front (just as your cable company does...) in order to get your subscription fees. they didn't always operate on the heavy-subscription business model, they switched to this about two years ago when people started fleeing for cheaper alternatives.

if you ask me, the biggest weakness Tivo has right now is they *REQUIRE* you to get a cablecard if you want an HD box. cable companies are making cablecards difficult (though they're legally required to provide/allow them), and cablecards can't do "on demand" .. and satellite subscribers are completely left in the dark--you can't use an HD Tivo with Directv or Dish (unless it's a Dish or Directv issued DVR). that's a death sentence really if there ever was one.

there are other places where tivo *could* make up for the shortcomings of these issues.. they could have super-dooper built in DVD recorders, built-in gaming, web browsers, and the whole 9. but their features are really limited. they do have Netflix streaming, I'll give them that. but they stopped making the Tivos with built-in DVD burners. their only web interface to initiate recordings to your tivo is too asynchronous and clunky. my mythTV 8 years ago could do twice as much as what a Tivo in 2009 can do.

i still buy a few tivos here and there for work, simply because as a business comcast will NOT provide you their own branded DVR. which pretty much forces the hand to needing a Tivo.
flaughs2000
Premium Member
join:2004-02-07
East Freedom, PA

flaughs2000 to Robert

Premium Member

to Robert
I had two Tivo's series 2 and I dumped them both for a vista media center PC I now have HD recording VIA QAM and ATSC and a open platform to do what ever I want on this machine I.E. play bluray and watch internet tv like HULU.
One Tivo was a lifetime and the other 6.95mo I gave the lifetime Tivo away to a family member and canceled the other I was getting tired of the all of the ads and I told the Tivo rep when I canceled that they should be paying me to use the Tivo DVR.
And the icing is that there is no monthly fees for media center.

NOCMan
MadMacHatter
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO

NOCMan

Premium Member

Re: Price

What ad's? I never see any ad's I'm never forced to see any ad's. Why do I keep hearing about ad's when there are not any???

joebarnhart
Paxio evangelist
join:2005-12-15
Santa Clara, CA

joebarnhart to flaughs2000

Member

to flaughs2000
said by flaughs2000:

I had two Tivo's series 2 and I dumped them both for a vista media center PC I now have HD recording VIA QAM and ATSC and a open platform to do what ever I want on this machine I.E. play bluray and watch internet tv like HULU.
Great, so you're now a hostage to microsoft instead of comcast. Not a big step up in my book.
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn to Robert

Member

to Robert
How did you get it for 7$ a month ?

I pay years in advance to get even a small break , they dont want to discount anything for me.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536 to Robert

Premium Member

to Robert
said by Robert:

I'm locked in at $6.95/mo., but I have friends paying $16/mo., after spending $299+ for the unit. Instead, they switched to their cable co's DVR at $9-$16/mo., which includes exchanges if the box breaks.
they really need to do away with the monthly fees crap seeing now theres ads and forced infomercial records.
albundyhere
join:2000-10-26
New York, NY

albundyhere to Robert

Member

to Robert
then i cant imagine why tivo is losing customers! ROFL!

spewak
R.I.P Dadkins
Premium Member
join:2001-08-07
Elk Grove, CA

spewak

Premium Member

SD vs. HD

I have the SD Tivo due to the fact that the Fiber IPTV provider I currently have will not function on an HD Tivo. If it were not so, I would purchase an HD tivo. I payed for the lifetime sub. for my current box. I like it alot.

jchambers28
Premium Member
join:2007-05-12
Peculiar, MO

1 edit

jchambers28

Premium Member

hd tivo

The problem is they only have a HD TiVo box that works with cable thats good for cable customers. But it does not do well for people who are on satellite or other providers. And most people now days want HD so that poses a big problem for TiVo.

Chiyo
Save Me Konata-Chan
Premium Member
join:2003-02-20
Salisbury, NC
·Hotwire Communic..

Chiyo

Premium Member

I just signed up

Hey this is great news for me /sarcasm. I have a a Comcast DVR but I'm paying $17 a month to have it and I've had 2 of them stop working.

I ordered a TivoHD for $249 from Tivo.com hopfully will be in my hands next week.... Now to get Comcast out to the house. I do agree with others though I don't like the fact I'm going to be losing Ondemand programming and that if I want to get satellite the thing is useless for the price they charge I want it to work with everything.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

And when your Tivo breaks after 18 months you're out $249.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

4 edits

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

said by jester121:

And when your Tivo breaks after 18 months you're out $249.
I've owned over twenty Tivos since 2001. I've never had one break.
And if people do have a problem it is typically the hard drive, which every dvr/pc has so they can all have a failure. But I have personally never had a TiVo or it's hard drive fail.

As far as hard drives, I've owned over one hundred fifty hard drives since the early 90's and I've only had two or three that have actually had problems that needed to be replaced under warranty. And those were not made anytime recently.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

Good lord -- so you've paid (presumably) $200+ x 20+ Tivos? What happened to all of them?

The cable co will replace your DVR for free if it breaks, Tivo not so much.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

2 edits

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

said by jester121:

Good lord -- so you've paid (presumably) $200+ x 20+ Tivos? What happened to all of them?

The cable co will replace your DVR for free if it breaks, Tivo not so much.
$200? i wish they only cost $200. the first few I owned were the DirecTV tiVos which were only a few hundred. then I got several of the DirecTV HD TiVos which were $1K each. then the newer S3 models were around $700.
The current, cheap model, the TiVoHd I have six of them and paid around $250 each for them.

I also had a couple of the S2 models that had NTSC tuners. Those are in a closet somewhere and I need to throw them out since they are worthless to me now.

I've either given away or trashed my old units. I always intend to sell them but never get around to it. Like my DirecTV HDTiVos. I was ready to sell them almost 3 years ago, after the S3 models came out. But I never got around to it so they are sitting in my closet.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

Good lord... I guess if I had that much invested in Tivo hardware I'd be trying to talk them up too....

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

2 edits

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

said by jester121:

Good lord... I guess if I had that much invested in TiVo hardware I'd be trying to talk them up too....
I would have no problem leaving TiVo if something compelling came around that could beat what TiVo gives me. I could easily sell my current units, but there is nothing currently that can give me everything TiVo gives me. Moxi is probably the closest thing but still they don't give me what TiVo does.
with TiVo I can transfer any of my FIOS recordings to a PC for either permanent storage of burning to disc.

dddane
join:2002-01-10
Chicago, IL

dddane to aaronwt

Member

to aaronwt
i've had one tivo get a bad hard drive out of the 8 or so i've had here since 2003 or so.

and replacing the hard drive yourself once it has gone bad is not the easiest thing in the world, requires linux based cloning software and a copy of the original disk (which tivo won't provide.., but you can make yourself if you plan and/or buy it online from others for $20 or 30). basically if your drive dies in a tivo, the average lamen would throw it in the landfill.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: I just signed up

said by dddane:

i've had one tivo get a bad hard drive out of the 8 or so i've had here since 2003 or so.

and replacing the hard drive yourself once it has gone bad is not the easiest thing in the world, requires linux based cloning software and a copy of the original disk (which tivo won't provide.., but you can make yourself if you plan and/or buy it online from others for $20 or 30). basically if your drive dies in a tivo, the average lamen would throw it in the landfill.
Actually it is one of the easiest things to do in the world. You use WinMFS, which is a program that runs in Windows. Removing the hard drive takes minutes and WInMFS is extremely easy to use. Epecially for a person that is used to windows programs.

Or there ar eother solutins if you need a new image. $20 and as long as you are able to connect the cables on the drive and a PC and boot from thedisc, you juts follow the easy instructions. They make it very easy since the program is doing all the work. No need to understand anything at all about linux.
vanheve2
join:2005-12-16
Chicago, IL

vanheve2 to jester121

Member

to jester121
Then spend an extra $30 and get a 3 Year Warranty from Squaretrade so you don't need to worry about it.. I've been using Tivo with 3 units (DT and HD) for almost 4 years and never had a problem.
Sterlingo
join:2002-03-24
Shingle Springs, CA

3 edits

Sterlingo to Chiyo

Member

to Chiyo
said by Chiyo:

......though I don't like the fact I'm going to be losing Ondemand programming and that if I want to get satellite the thing is useless for the price they charge I want it to work with everything.
I have a TIVO2 which I use with a Comcast digital cable box and through trial-and-error I am able to make use of my Comcast 'channel 1' On-Demand without much problem. It is a bit awkward in the execution because I need both my TIVO remote along with a Comcast digital cable box (the one equipped for Comcast DVR)remote as well.

Having finally been able to enjoy On-Demand I am not bothered by having to fiddle a bit to lock it in, but I'm sure i will eventually put it into a macro using a programmable remote. I suspect that most TIVO owners who make unsuccessful attempts to access On Demand are repeatedly destabilizing synchrony by continuing to engage in channel-surfing even when they manage to key up an On Demand offering.

dddane
join:2002-01-10
Chicago, IL

dddane

Member

Re: I just signed up

but you have SD, not HD. the HD tivo requires a cablecard, which will not work with any inputted source (such as your digital cable box), only a cablecard.

TheBionic
Funkier than a mohair disco ball.
Premium Member
join:2009-07-06
united state

TheBionic

Premium Member

I love Tivo but...

I have a Tivo Series 2 and a Tivo HD. I love the service but I can see why some people want to switch. I had a very hard time with customer service at our local cable company; issues included their equipment not working, huge billing mistakes, and missed appointments. This spanned months. I wanted to drop them in the worst way and try DirecTV, but we have these two Tivo boxes. I seriously considered dropping Tivo and moving to satellite, but it just seemed like such a waste. And my significant other wouldn't hear of it, she LOVES Tivo and didn't want any other DVR.

bbbc
join:2001-10-02
NorthAmerica

bbbc

Member

Re: I love Tivo but...

said by TheBionic:

I seriously considered dropping Tivo and moving to satellite, but it just seemed like such a waste.
Older TiVo Series2 units (other than dual tuner) work with the satellite.

banditws6
Shrinking Time and Distance
Premium Member
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX

banditws6

Premium Member

It's the software

The best part about TiVo is the software. The cable company DVRs can't match it, although the Motorola boxes come close -- the Scientific Atlanta boxes are so many light years away it's not even funny. I'm in an SA area and eventually I couldn't stand the horrendous Comcast DVR anymore.

I've had two TiVos for several years and they are cornerstones of my media center. I would be extremely upset if I had to go back to a Comcast box.

That said, I am not married to the hardware and if Comcast could get off their butts and get their boxes with TiVo software deployed I'm sure I could settle for that, should it come to it. But being in an SA area I can probably expect that to happen in 2029.

billdacat6
Premium Member
join:2009-05-26
Sicklerville, NJ

billdacat6

Premium Member

Re: It's the software

TiVo Sucks….
If you live in a rich OTA market (Philadelphia)…Consider going with a HTPC (home theater PC) with dual ATSC tuners. Windows Media Center (Vista) runs circles around TiVo…
I am currently on a Fios phone and 10/2 internet package for under $70 bucks. I have all the major networks via an outdoor OTA antenna. I can usually find other programming over the internet, there is always something new in IPTV.
I am completely fed up with paying for TV…200 channels and nothing is on.
BTW: OTA HTDV quality rocks and it’s free.
BosstonesOwn
join:2002-12-15
Wakefield, MA

BosstonesOwn

Member

Re: It's the software

said by billdacat6:

TiVo Sucks….
If you live in a rich OTA market (Philadelphia)…Consider going with a HTPC (home theater PC) with dual ATSC tuners. Windows Media Center (Vista) runs circles around TiVo…
I am currently on a Fios phone and 10/2 internet package for under $70 bucks. I have all the major networks via an outdoor OTA antenna. I can usually find other programming over the internet, there is always something new in IPTV.
I am completely fed up with paying for TV…200 channels and nothing is on.
BTW: OTA HTDV quality rocks and it’s free.
And how do I get such cool content as Hd discovery channel OTA ? Sorry but my tivohd does it all much better then a vista or windows 7 htpc can do and uses less energy and costs less.

Until we see cable card adapters for a pc that can make use of on demand... an htpc makes 0 sense to many.
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus

Premium Member

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...

••••••
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn

Member

TIVO Is No Longer In My House

My TIVO box died. The hard drive failed. To get a new hard drive (with software) was about $100.00. My subscription with TIVO is up in December. To renew would cost me $8.95 a month if I get a three year plan. And my TIVO would not handle HD.

To get a Comcast DVR is only $9.95 a month, a dollar more than TIVO charges. Plus I get the capability to handle HD. So over a three subscription period I will only spend $36.00 more. If I kept the TIVO I would have to pay $100+ to replace the hard drive. My net loss would be $64.00+ over the three year subscription period.

Plus if the Comcast box breaks I simply swap it out. No more repairs.

TIVO is loosing market share because their business model is being superseded by better alternatives. TIVO offers nothing the justifies the extra cost. TIVO needs to wake or they will cease to exist.

Anyone want to buy a dual standard tuner TIVO with a defunct disk drive? I didn't think so.

•••••••••

wmcbrine
join:2002-12-30
Laurel, MD

wmcbrine

Member

Ads

I have to think they'd retain more customers if they made more of an effort to show they were on their customers' side, by not stuffing the box full of ads as they've done over the last year or so.
jasonj75
join:2008-09-07

jasonj75

Member

Need new hardware

I stick with my TiVos because I can easily transfer media files to and from my PC...All the 1080P media tanks are chipping away at that advantage, though they're not quite there - PS3 does a better job at media streaming IMO.

Add to that the growing rate if internet TV adoption TiVo is rapidly becoming outdated (720p doesn't cut it) and irrelevant.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

The cable company DVRs still don't come anywhere close

I have nine TiVo right now and don't plan on using the cable company DVR anytime soon. First hand experience with Comcast and FIOS DVRs shows me that they don't come anywhere close to what TiVo has and the reliability. Plus I have 1TB drives in each of my TiVos and over 25TB of storage that I can transfer my recordings to on my Network for viewing at some point in the future.
raythompsontn
join:2001-01-11
Oliver Springs, TN

raythompsontn

Member

Re: The cable company DVRs still don't come anywhere close

said by aaronwt:

First hand experience with Comcast and FIOS DVRs shows me that they don't come anywhere close to what TiVo has and the reliability.
Wow, my TIVO craps out in less than 3 years. Yep, that is really reliable.

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: The cable company DVRs still don't come anywhere close

said by raythompsontn:

said by aaronwt:

First hand experience with Comcast and FIOS DVRs shows me that they don't come anywhere close to what TiVo has and the reliability.
Wow, my TIVO craps out in less than 3 years. Yep, that is really reliable.
Over twenty TiVos for me and I've never had that happen.
Do you have the TiVo on a UPS? A UPS should be a requirement for a DVR.

Ajax Prime
@nuvox.net

Ajax Prime

Anon

Tivo has priced themselves out of the market

I have used Tivo and I have used Mediacom's DVR in the digital box. I have to say that Tivo is indeed better but the price is a complete joke compared to Mediacom (or any other cable/satellite service). My biggest gripe is the fact that if your Tivo breaks then your out of luck. I don't want to have to buy a second $250 dollar box! If Tivo were to rent boxes out like cable providers do with their decoders then I would actually consider their service.

Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

1 edit

Morac

Member

Re: Tivo has priced themselves out of the market

said by Ajax Prime :

I have used Tivo and I have used Mediacom's DVR in the digital box. I have to say that Tivo is indeed better but the price is a complete joke compared to Mediacom (or any other cable/satellite service). My biggest gripe is the fact that if your Tivo breaks then your out of luck. I don't want to have to buy a second $250 dollar box! If Tivo were to rent boxes out like cable providers do with their decoders then I would actually consider their service.
TiVo has a repair policy where you can send in your broken TiVo and they'll either fix it or send you a refurb unit. It's a lot cheaper than $250, but it's not really advertised.

That said most problems with TiVo can be fixed by the user. Usually the problem is the hard drive goes. Buy a new hard drive and some 3rd party software and you can be back up and running in a few hours.
Sterlingo
join:2002-03-24
Shingle Springs, CA

Sterlingo

Member

Re: Tivo has priced themselves out of the market

I picked up a 500gb made-for-TIVO Seagate hard drive, software pre-loaded, on eBay for $109. When I get around to installing it, that will give us 7 times as much capacity and/or room for better quality recordings.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

1 edit

cypherstream

MVM

No Tivo for me

I'm not paying for a Tivo when they still don't have their act together and have a new HD user interface. Their screens are still pretty much the same from their inception.

I'm also not paying for a Tivo when I can't tap into Comcast's impressive Video on Demand library. With limited tuners, hard drive space, and HD Channels, the VOD library supplements normal TV viewing nicely.

Sorry Tivo... Fix those two things and maybe you'll have a winner.

And that Comcast Tivo? What a joke. We started talking about that in 2005 and now near the end of 2009 it still hasn't made it's way out of the New England Region. What happened to the Chicago test market? What happened to a national Tivo rollout. It's something I would surely try, as I-Guide is pretty bland and featureless.

Vote for your most wanted DVR feature here:
»Comcast On Screen Guide - Community Feature Wishlist

aaronwt
Premium Member
join:2004-11-07
Woodbridge, VA
Asus RT-AX89

1 edit

aaronwt

Premium Member

Re: No Tivo for me

said by cypherstream:

I'm not paying for a Tivo when they still don't have their act together and have a new HD user interface. Their screens are still pretty much the same from their inception.

I'm also not paying for a Tivo when I can't tap into Comcast's impressive Video on Demand library. With limited tuners, hard drive space, and HD Channels, the VOD library supplements normal TV viewing nicely.

Sorry Tivo... Fix those two things and maybe you'll have a winner.

And that Comcast Tivo? What a joke. We started talking about that in 2005 and now near the end of 2009 it still hasn't made it's way out of the New England Region. What happened to the Chicago test market? What happened to a national Tivo rollout. It's something I would surely try, as I-Guide is pretty bland and featureless.

Vote for your most wanted DVR feature here:
»Comcast On Screen Guide - Community Feature Wishlist
yes, having access to your Cable Company VOD offerings with TiVo would be nice. I used to have an HD STB just for VOD when I had comcast and FIOS, but I realized I rarely used it, and when I did the picture was even worse than broadcast. Filled with even more macroblocking.
in the end I dropped the HD STBs since almost anything they offer from VOD I can get by other means . I certainly haven't missed it, but it still would be a nice feature to have it on the TiVo.

Maybe the New TiVo coming out next year from BestBuy will have access to the cable companies VOD.
If it does I will purchase one and replace one of my TiVo HD boxes.

Ioweyou
@comcast.net

Ioweyou

Anon

DirecTV Tivo's

I have had two Hughes 80 hour DirecTV/Tivo's on my satellite dish for 5 years now and they work perfectly. I open them up occassionally like I would my PC and blow the dust and crap out of them. I have no intention of getting HD right now even with prices for TV's as low as they are. I'm gonna wait several more months before I go that route. But mean while my Tivo's work just fine.
TurtleFan
join:2003-05-03
Wyckoff, NJ

TurtleFan

Member

Tivo Fees

I need to buy a lifetime service on my Tivo next. If only because I could have paid it by now with all the monthly fee's. They should have an offer where if you pay your way up to $300 in monthly fee's, you automatically get lifetime. Then they wouldn't loose customers.
bugabuga
join:2004-06-10
Austin, TX

bugabuga

Member

If only

If only Tivo wasn't as greedy and stupid as it was before and did have a contract with all the cable companies, they wouldn't have this problem.

Instead, it's too expensive compared to the regular dvr HD box (purchase + monthly fee + cable card fee) and there's a lot of hassles. Like tuning adapter, no free movies on demand, more and more ads everywhere.

I guess they also stopped developing new versions of software. It's been years and they still haven't fixed some small but annoyingly idiotic UI decisions ("This group is empty now" bugs etc)

Yes, their UI is better than standard scientific atlanta. But not sure average user will think it's worth it, especially as they learned to live with regular dvr box

Rickez
Goinginsane
join:2000-09-02
Three Rivers, MA

Rickez

Member

Windows 7

Windows 7 with a WinTV card, no monthly fee and better options, like skipping through commercials instead of FF. Plus it picks up some HDTV channels in between regular channels (nice) BTW this is on Comcast.

Anyway, maybe Media center is part to blame for this drop in customers.

djrobx
Premium Member
join:2000-05-31
Reno, NV

djrobx

Premium Member

Re: Windows 7

Nah, Media Center has been around for ... well, forever, and even the XP variant made a damn good DVR. MCE is probably one of Microsoft's most undervalued accomplishments.

Given how well it all works, I just can't figure out how MS still hasn't added a discrete On/Off code for MCE IR. That's the only thing that makes it problematic in my HT setup.
Sterlingo
join:2002-03-24
Shingle Springs, CA

Sterlingo

Member

What's so hard about using Comcast On-Demand with TIVO?

I have a TIVO2 which I use with a Comcast digital cable box and through trial-and-error I am able to make use of my Comcast 'channel 1' On-Demand without much problem. It is a bit awkward in the execution because I need both my TIVO remote along with a Comcast digital cable box (the one equipped for Comcast DVR)remote as well.

Having finally been able to enjoy On-Demand I am not bothered by having to fiddle a bit to lock it in, but I'm sure i will eventually put it into a macro using a programmable remote. I suspect that most TIVO owners who make unsuccessful attempts to access On Demand are repeatedly destabilizing synchrony by continuing to engage in channel-surfing even when they manage to key up an On Demand offering.

•••
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

Mr Matt

Member

It's the economy stupid!

The corporatist think that consumers have unlimited financial resources. TiVo's corporate parasites are victims of the economy. The pay forever subscription model sucks. I bought a Panasonic DVR/DVD Recorder for around $250.00 in 1999 or 2000, it still functions as it originally did. Granted it would not record one program while the viewer watched another. Unfortunately the then recently introduced digital cable subscriber terminals, only allowed recording or viewing one program at a time anyway, from the digital tier. When I asked Adelphia for a solution to the problem they recommended renting an additional digital terminal for $6.95 per month and by the way do not forget the additional $6.00 fee for the digital outlet. $12.95 per month forever to record one program while viewing another program was highway robbery.

Morac
Cat god
join:2001-08-30
Riverside, NJ

1 edit

Morac

Member

Numbers are off

Someone over in the TiVo Community Forums pointed out that DirectTV under-reported the number of lost subscribers from the previous quarter by 146,000. So the number of lost subscribers wasn't as bad as the numbers indicate.

The report actually indicates that only 79,000 TiVo owners actually canceled their subscription. The rest were losses from old DirecTiVo subscribers.

See the TiVo 4th quarter financial report for details.
quote:
Subscriptions
-------------
Three Months Ended October 31,
------------------------------
(Subscriptions in thousands) 2009 2008
---- ----

TiVo-Owned Subscription Gross
Additions 34 44

Subscription Net Additions/(Losses):
TiVo-Owned (45) (28)
*MSOs/Broadcasters (269) (135)
---- ----
Total Subscription Net Additions/
(Losses) (314) (163)
Cumulative Subscriptions:
TiVo-Owned 1,537 1,658
MSOs/Broadcasters 1,199 1,802
----- -----
Total Cumulative Subscriptions 2,736 3,460
% of TiVo-Owned Cumulative
Subscriptions paying recurring fees 58% 60%

Included in the 1,537,000 TiVo-Owned subscriptions are approximately
237,000 lifetime subscriptions that have reached the end of the period
TiVo uses to recognize lifetime subscription revenue. These lifetime
subscriptions no longer generate subscription revenue.

* MSOs/Broadcasters Subscription Net Additions/(Losses) in the third quarter ended October 31, 2009 would have been a loss of (123,000) subscriptions, excluding a one time reduction of (146,000) subscriptions associated with a subscription over-reporting error by DIRECTV.

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