Tivo? Worth it?

[hpkeeper]

Hey, I was thinking about getting into Tivo, however I don't like the money making factor baked into it, a monthly cost for a hard drive to record what I miss? or am currently watching? is there a one time fee that you can pay for like life time access?

just curious.


~HpKeEpEr~

 

[andylawcc]

not sure about the details you asked.
But I was once a DirecTV CSR, and those who had a Tivo (or DVR) swears by it.

 

[hpkeeper]

like $13 a month of TV goodness? is it worth that much?

 

[SLCentral]

I lvoe TiVo, best thing I've ever bought probably. I play monthly, but you can get a $300 lifetime, though it only lasts the lifetime of the UNIT.

Oh, and I also have a Comcast HD DVR for a different TV, and while HD recording and dual tuners is nice, if you don't need them, Tivo's interface is 100x better.

 

[tami]

i had this question up as my away message a few weeks ago, and 6 people said yes, while one person said no.

edit: you might want to make a poll with options yes, no, and don't know or something like that.

 

[Rage187]

absolutely

 

[hpkeeper]

SLCentral, how long is the average life of the unit? not that I'd expect you to know that... but is it long enough to justify not paying monthly?

 

[Alkesh]

GREATEST INVENTION EVER!

 

[sswingle]

I am wanting a DVR/Tivo device, and have decided to build an HTPC for no monthly fees.
Another great benefit is once they are on a PC, I can do what I want with the files, and not have then trapped inside my cable companies DVR box.

 

[nageov3t]

I don't know how I'd live without my Tivo. lol. I almost never watch live TV anymore. it's great to never have to wonder when a television show is on or anything.

that said... if I were buying a brandnew pvr today, I'd build my own rig and get Windows MCE w/ 2 or 3 hauppauge 150's, especially with the supposedly upcoming xbox 360 integration.

 

[arod]

Originally posted by: SLCentral
I lvoe TiVo, best thing I've ever bought probably. I play monthly, but you can get a $300 lifetime, though it only lasts the lifetime of the UNIT.

Oh, and I also have a Comcast HD DVR for a different TV, and while HD recording and dual tuners is nice, if you don't need them, Tivo's interface is 100x better.

Not for me I actually prefer my cable hd-dvr to any tivo (hdtivo included). Features dont meant a thing if the box runs slow as molasses. And my cable dvr (moto 6412 with pioneer software runs circles around tivo speed wise). Tivo honsely isnt that good anymore, most cable dvr's have caught up in terms of features and cable/sat boxes have dual tuner which is far more important than any software these days.

 

[PatboyX]

ive never met anyone with tivo who didnt love it.
i have to say, having XM radio makes me want tivo...because i can record, fast forward, pause and whatnot. makes me annoyed at my tv.

 

[hpkeeper]

so most cable companies offer a Tivo-like substitute? do they tend to be cheaper or anything? What are the benefits other than "speed"?

 

[Xylitol]

Cost a lot I think
I get free cable for no reason (it just came up)
So... yea...
I dont think that being able to rewind/watch your shows again is worth it...

 

[SLCentral]

Originally posted by: hpkeeper
SLCentral, how long is the average life of the unit? not that I'd expect you to know that... but is it long enough to justify not paying monthly?

Not sure, I've had my TiVo for two years with no problems.

 

[arod]

Originally posted by: hpkeeper
so most cable companies offer a Tivo-like substitute? do they tend to be cheaper or anything? What are the benefits other than "speed"?

My cable dvr costs 15 bucks/month to rent the box and dvr service fee ($5 for the dvr service). Considering i rent a HD dvr for 10 bucks a month I dont find it bad at all.

It does have a few limitations (it doesnt have quite as many search options but once you setup your series recordings how often do you really use the search). And its other lacking feature is only having a 120 gig hard drive (which is not enough when you are recording HD, about 12 hours) but that should change once they get sata working.... they will allow you to eventually add external sata drives for extra storage and once that happens my cable dvr will be about perfect.

 

[tami]

where's the poll?

 

[JBT]

I've got a Tivo, its pretty sweet. I don't watch too much TV anyways but the Wife does. She absolutly loves it.

 

[Ausm]

I built my own it was alot cheaper...


Ausm

 

[illusion88]

I end up watching more TV now that I have Tivo then I did before. Because now, something good is always on. I have it record my favorite shows, so whenever I want to watch some TV, there they are! But then i'm watching more TV.

 

[MrBond]

Originally posted by: Ausm
I built my own it was alot cheaper...

In another recent Tivo thread, I crunched the numbers on building your own PVR - can you really do it for less than $350 buying EVERYTHING (the cost of a Tivo plus lifetime service is $350). Plus you end up with a less elegant solution in my opnion. The Tivo interface is great.

The lifetime subscription is worth it. The new Tivo's last at least two years, more than likely even longer (the first generation Phillips units had quality issues). If it breaks out of warranty, Tivo will fix it/transfer your lifetime subscription to another box (depending on how bad it's broken), but they'll charge you for it (repair costs aren't too bad).

In short, buy a Tivo. They're dirt cheap right now and once you get it trained with what shows you like, it's awesome. For example, my Tivo recorded "Quantum Leap" for me the other day - I had no idea it was still on.

 

[Rufio]

i love tivo

mine crapped out and i bought a new one. got a killer deal off it $100 after rebate (humax drt400)!

i put in a 300gb hd and now i got 348 hrs of recording power!

if you want i can tell you wehre to go to get one..but u should use me for your tivo referral!!

 

[jdub1107]

It's worth it. Once you get it, you'll rarely ever watch live tv anymore. And when you do watch live shows, you'll wish you can fast forward through the commercials.

 

[CFster]

Best thing since sliced bread.

 

[cKGunslinger]

I love my Tivo. I did the DIY route and got it working, but now I gladly pay $13/month for Tivo elegance.