# Is TiVo really worth it?



## MeasH (Jun 4, 2014)

I was considering purchasing a Roamio Pro TiVo unit with several minis so I could have whole home DVR service. Right now I'm a cable subscriber and I have to pay monthly rates on my set top boxes which included 2 dvrs. What I am obviously wanting is whole home dvr service with the ability to watch and play back any recording on any tv. So I call TiVo up and I'm asking about pricing and I find out even though you purchase the equipment, which is expensive I might add, you still have to pay a monthly subscription on each device you have. I honestly think it's a complete rip off. Any thoughts? Thanks!


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

MeasH said:


> I was considering purchasing a Roamio Pro TiVo unit with several minis so I could have whole home DVR service. Right now I'm a cable subscriber and I have to pay monthly rates on my set top boxes which included 2 dvrs. What I am obviously wanting is whole home dvr service with the ability to watch and play back any recording on any tv. So I call TiVo up and I'm asking about pricing and I find out even though you purchase the equipment, which is expensive I might add, you still have to pay a monthly subscription on each device you have. I honestly think it's a complete rip off. Any thoughts? Thanks!


Well it's a Tivo community with the vast majority of people using Tivo, so I think you'll be getting a lot of "Yes, it's worth it" responses.


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## ADG (Aug 20, 2003)

Obviously everyone on this forum thinks it's worth it or we wouldn't be posting here. The differences between TiVo and most dvr's provided by cable companies are night and day.


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## awsnyde (May 11, 2007)

Read this.

"I'm pretty excited about my new companion, and I'm sure you'll feel the same if you dump your old DVR for a Roamio."


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

sangs said:


> Well it's a Tivo community with the vast majority of people using Tivo, so I think you'll be getting a lot of "Yes, it's worth it" responses.


This. Lack of support for TiVo is why I don't even consider U-Verse TV.



ADG said:


> Obviously everyone on this forum thinks it's worth it or we wouldn't be posting here. The differences between TiVo and most dvr's provided by cable companies are night and day.


There are some well known and fairly prolific naysayers, not to mention the usual trolls.


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Yes, its worth it as there is nothing else out there to replace all its uses.


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## squint (Jun 15, 2008)

If you don't like recurring monthly fees (I don't), get Tivos with lifetime service. The newest Tivos with lifetime are expensive but used Tivos with lifetime can be great deals.


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## chicagobrownblue (May 29, 2008)

MeasH said:


> I was considering purchasing a Roamio Pro TiVo unit with several minis so I could have whole home DVR service.


You might want to consider just a Roamio Plus to save money. If you want more recording capacity, rip out the hard drive and replace it with a bigger drive, some of which are bigger than what is currently available standard for the Pro like the 8 TB drive TiVos from Weakness.com: "TiVo Roamio - Upgraded to 8TB Drive for up to 1280 HD hours"



MeasH said:


> Right now I'm a cable subscriber and I have to pay monthly rates on my set top boxes which included 2 dvrs.


The Roamio Plus/Pro have 6 tuners. If you can get by with just 6 tuners, you can at least ditch one DVR and maybe save money.



MeasH said:


> What I am obviously wanting is whole home dvr service with the ability to watch and play back any recording on any tv. So I call TiVo up and I'm asking about pricing and I find out even though you purchase the equipment, which is expensive I might add


*Money concerns*

1) I paid $100 net for my Roamio basic (4 tuners, 75 HD hours). No one made money on this. This model is currently $169.99 on Amazon. Given the hard drive at competitive retail is close to $100, it has a system board, power supply, cables and a remote, I doubt that TiVo is making money on this; and of course Amazon makes little or no money as a company. But you are looking at the Pro -- an upgraded product on which TiVo probably makes money. So if money is the big concern, go with the basic model and upgrade the hard drive.

2) The world is going to streaming content. The TiVo stream is a one time purchase with no monthly/lifetime fee. You could watch your content on many smart devices instead of TV and save money.

3) TiVo is a premium product. Just like other premium products you have to decide if the product is worth it to you. My wine store sells Puligny Montrachet for $75 and up and Barefoot Chardonnay for $5. I go with the $5 wine.



MeasH said:


> you still have to pay a monthly subscription on each device you have. I honestly think it's a complete rip off. Any thoughts? Thanks!


You can pay for lifetime which is around $400 to $500. I think pricing out lifetime for the products will give you a better picture of your total cost.

TiVo makes its money off the guide data that is provided for the subscription fee. Without it no way to know what channel is playing what program or game. Pretty much useless without it.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Buy one of the discount codes on ebay and use it to buy a Roamio and Minis w/lifetime service. They will pay for themselves in about 2 years by saving the money not renting boxes from your cable company. When done that way, TiVo is completely worth it.

For reference, here are the prices you will pay using the discount codes you can buy on ebay:

http://sellmoretivo.com/


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## aridon (Aug 31, 2006)

Check out the ebay codes. Yes its worth it if you keep the unit over 3 years and in the end you can still sell it for a good bit if you change your mind.


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## eboydog (Mar 24, 2006)

As.stated.already, if you are looking for moral support against TiVo, this won't be the place to find it.

I choose TiVo.because it's a better choice in both price and features.than what my cable company offers, as my cable co has switched to TiVo for their whole home DVR, I'm paying less than what it would cost to have their TiVo service all while my TiVos have more features since my cable company disables many of the traditional TiVo.features. I would rather pay TiVo than to encourage my cable company to continue to not offer consumer options and freedom.

TiVo offers features that are not available in hardly any other product, I enjoy the fact they are an American company with Americans answering their phones. Over all they are very customer orientated while their technical support has room for improvement, I like the fact I supporting a good company which not the feeling I receive after dealing with my cable company.

Yes, the latest and newest equipment can be expensive but just like your car, its an investment that rarely seems to pay for its self in term of money but rather in the satisfaction of being a choice that works for you, some people belive they need the latest model car with leather seats and all options, while others drive a 20 year car that barely runs.... Both takes you from point A to point B, its just a matter of what works the best for YOU!


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## Bytez (Sep 11, 2004)

Keep in mind that Tivo doesn't support VOD. Also, upgrading your hard drive voids warranty. I'd suggest to get a promo code from ebay to save $300 off a Tivo with lifetime service.


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## aristoBrat (Dec 30, 2002)

MeasH said:


> I honestly think it's a complete rip off. Any thoughts? Thanks!


TiVo saves me a ton of money, so no way I think it's a rip off.

$3,600 is how much I would have paid my cable company to "rent" their equipment for a 4-room "whole-home" DVR for five years. That's based on today's prices, which is a joke, as my cable company raises their equipment rental prices every year.

$1,750 is how much I paid TiVo to _own_ a 4-room "whole-home" DVR with Lifetime Service (so there would never have been any monthly subscription fees).

For me, at the 5-year mark, TiVo is literally _1/2 the cost_ of the local cable company's DVR solution.


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## filovirus (Aug 22, 2013)

Yes, it is great, especially the new Roamio line, along with mini's using your ethernet or moca network.


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

MeasH said:


> I was considering purchasing a Roamio Pro TiVo unit with several minis so I could have whole home DVR service. Right now I'm a cable subscriber and I have to pay monthly rates on my set top boxes which included 2 dvrs. What I am obviously wanting is whole home dvr service with the ability to watch and play back any recording on any tv. So I call TiVo up and I'm asking about pricing and I find out even though you purchase the equipment, which is expensive I might add, you still have to pay a monthly subscription on each device you have. I honestly think it's a complete rip off. Any thoughts? Thanks!


If the Cable Co equipment were better, perhaps, but TiVo, while expensive, is better than any other Cable Co boxes today, so the answer is about satisfaction and if having a superior DVR is worth anything to you.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

I have been using TiVo since 2000 and never paid a monthly fee to use TiVo. It has been worth the cost for me but buying lifetime service is part of the reason. Since no other company is offering anything comparable for the same money, I will assume the cost is justified by the equipment and service TiVo provides. If I couldn't afford lifetime service, I would wait until I could to start using TiVo.

Of course many people, usually people that have never used TiVo, think the price is too high and there is nothing wrong with that. I wish the price was lower myself but I sure can't offer any solutions to TiVo to accomplish that goal and make a profit.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

Personally, I can wholeheartedly endorse TiVo over any MSO DVR--in terms of functionality, user friendliness, and overall cost.

However, there CAN be advantages to the MSO option. Firstly, you don't own the equipment but are just renting it from the MSO, who bears responsibility for any repairs or replacement. This is probably a major factor for many neophyte users who just don't want the hassles or don't feel capable of maintaining a DVR. 

Secondly, if the TiVo goes belly up outside of the warranty period you could lose your entire investment in the unit (including the $300 to $500 for "Product Lifetime Service"). While this is a relatively rare occurrence, and there are sometimes remedies that will at least partially offset your loss even in this instance, it is a risk inherent in any scenario of buying vs. renting.

Again, TiVo wins hands down in my opinion, but for certain people it may not be the best choice.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Bytez said:


> Keep in mind that Tivo doesn't support VOD. Also, upgrading your hard drive voids warranty. I'd suggest to get a promo code from ebay to save $300 off a Tivo with lifetime service.


Tivo supports Xfinity on Demand just fine if you're on Comcast. And upgrading your drive doesn't necessary void your warranty, it's a YMMV thing with customer service.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

chiguy50 said:


> Personally, I can wholeheartedly endorse TiVo over any MSO DVR--in terms of functionality, user friendliness, and overall cost.
> 
> However, there CAN be advantages to the MSO option. Firstly, you don't own the equipment but are just renting it from the MSO, who bears responsibility for any repairs or replacement. This is probably a major factor for many neophyte users who just don't want the hassles or don't feel capable of maintaining a DVR.
> 
> ...


I agree with a lot that you just posted as I have a few friends with TiVos and many using the Comcast DVR and I have to make no service calls with the friends using the Comcast DVR but I sure do with the friends using TiVo, so I don't need any more friends using TiVo, too much work for me.


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## mcluvin (Apr 29, 2014)

I really wanted my parents to get Brighthouse DVR service, but they just would not do it. I ponied up $600 for a Roamio so they could record 20 basic channels. Way too much to spend to record 20 freaking channels, but they are familiar with the interface and they can stream to their ipad. Amazingly not a single support call since install. I guess sometimes it just works. If they are happy, I'm happy.


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## Ed_Hunt (Jan 2, 2004)

mcluvin said:


> I really wanted my parents to get Brighthouse DVR service, but they just would not do it. I ponied up $600 for a Roamio so they could record 20 basic channels. Way too much to spend to record 20 freaking channels, but they are familiar with the interface and they can stream to their ipad. Amazingly not a single support call since install. I guess sometimes it just works. If they are happy, I'm happy.


I record fewer channels than that, ota, and I think it was well worth the Cost for the Roamio.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

mcluvin said:


> I really wanted my parents to get Brighthouse DVR service, but they just would not do it. I ponied up $600 for a Roamio so they could record 20 basic channels. Way too much to spend to record 20 freaking channels, but they are familiar with the interface and they can stream to their ipad. Amazingly not a single support call since install. I guess sometimes it just works. If they are happy, I'm happy.


How many tuners on the Brighthouse DVR?


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## jwbelcher (Nov 13, 2007)

lpwcomp said:


> How many tuners on the Brighthouse DVR?


2 - but there's been talk over in the Bright House support forum that suggests a higher count DVR might be in the works.


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## lpwcomp (May 6, 2002)

jwbelcher said:


> 2 - but there's been talk over in the Bright House support forum that suggests a higher count DVR might be in the works.


That's what I figured which made me wonder why he went with a Roamio rather than a 2-tuner Premiere w/lifetime from eBay.


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