# System Message 16/5/11 - Your TiVo service is about to end



## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

Just for the benefit of people who currently don't have a TiVo but like to keep up with all things tivo:



> Subject: Your TiVo service is about to end.
> From: The TiVo Team
> Date: Mon 16th May 2011
> Expire: Mon 23rd May 2011
> ...


Thinking ahead, I think the one on 31/5 is REALLY going to piff us off going by the continuing theme in these messages  Unless TiVo get free reign (i.e. outside of VM's marketing machine) to post a 'nice' message.


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

Countdown...

Countdown To End Of UK Tivo Service

Automan.


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

Interesting choice of words :


> *TiVo *is about to switch off your current service.


Not "*We*" ?!

If there was ever any doubt that these messages originate from VM's marketing dept...


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## nlyndhurst (May 17, 2011)

spitfires said:


> Just for the benefit of people who currently don't have a TiVo but like to keep up with all things tivo:
> 
> Thinking ahead, I think the one on 31/5 is REALLY going to piff us off going by the continuing theme in these messages  Unless TiVo get free reign (i.e. outside of VM's marketing machine) to post a 'nice' message.


I am really annoyed by the messages I get from Tivo on this. I can't get Virgin as not in a cable area so nothing I can do except to move to Sky Plus which I didn't want to do. How hard is it really for Tivo to continue our service when I have been loyal for years?! Oh and they say it will finish soon but I have had no letters or notice of exactly when "soon" is. Rubbish - has put me off Tivo!


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

nlyndhurst said:


> Oh and they say it will finish soon but I have had no letters or notice of exactly when "soon" is.


"Soon" is *June 1st*, you should have had this system message to your tivo a while ago:


```
Date: Mon 14 Feb 2011
Subject: Free Service Continues until 1 June 2011

On 1 June 2011, TiVo will be discontinuing the service for Series1 TiVo
Recorders in the UK. Your current service will continue to be provided until
that time at no charge. For further information, go to [url]tivo.com/UKSeries1[/url].
```
Unfortunately many ignored that one up until now - not knowing that a "Series 1 TiVo" is our Thomson PVR10UK.
(Yes I've had quite a few via phone and email who thought "Series 1" didn't apply to them... )


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## Trinitron (Jan 20, 2003)

> How hard is it really for Tivo to continue our service when I have been loyal for years?!


You are not alone. The reasons for and against have been discussed a lot in the past few months. You will find them in the earlier pages of this forum. (Welcome, by the way!)


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## VirginMediaPhil (Nov 27, 2009)

spitfires said:


> Interesting choice of words :
> Not "*We*" ?!
> 
> If there was ever any doubt that these messages originate from VM's marketing dept...


A business never uses "We" in formal messages, always the company name, as "we" could mean anything about the company.


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

Not really 'formal' though is it - they're trying to be all pally and chatty like we is mates or summat


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

nlyndhurst said:


> I am really annoyed by the messages I get from Tivo on this. I can't get Virgin as not in a cable area so nothing I can do except to move to Sky Plus which I didn't want to do. How hard is it really for Tivo to continue our service when I have been loyal for years?! Oh and they say it will finish soon but I have had no letters or notice of exactly when "soon" is. Rubbish - has put me off Tivo!


I am surprised that no one has mentioned in response to your first ever post in this forum after all these years of Tivo use that you will be able to continue to use your UK Tivo S1 machine after 1st June courtesy of the AltEPG project being put together by a few of the most technically able members of this webs discussion forum.

See www.tivoland.com/page4/index.html for more information on this.

I agree that it is still totally disgusting that Tivo have decided to renege on their previous commitments to provide Lifetime Service to the UK S1 Tivo units at the apparent behest of Virgin Media just so that they can say they have a UK exclusive on Tivo.:down::down::down:


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## PhilG (Jan 15, 2002)

Has anyone else noticed that the guide data now does seem to extend past June 1st - so perhaps May 31st will be the last "dialout" date but we may still get an extra couple of weeks guide data after that?


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

..or on 1st June guide data continues for networked users (a method never officially supported anyway),
and the dialup number turns off.

Well you never know !


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

PhilG said:


> Has anyone else noticed that the guide data now does seem to extend past June 1st - so perhaps May 31st will be the last "dialout" date but we may still get an extra couple of weeks guide data after that?


A subject already recently discussed by myself in posts #524 and #528 in the main 1st June thread at www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=464818&page=11

As of my completed dial up to Tivo and related guide data update tonight at 8pm my Tivo now has "Programme" Guide Data To" "Thursday 7 June 2011" according to my System Information screen and the final available programs in the EPG to record are at 12am on 8th June eg NCIS on Sky Channel 148 - CBS Action. However as the last main BBC and ITV channel download will probably be on the evening of 28th May (new guide data becomes available from Tribune about 8pm every day UK time or midday California time and I long ago modified my dial up script to run at 8pm every day) then those channels may well run out of data on June 12th.

However don't forget that all of the messages we have been receiving so far have been written by Virgin marketing people wanting to sell as many new Virgin Tivos as possible. There may yet be an 11th hour U-Turn by Tivo UK and/or Tivo Inc before we reach June 2nd. Especially in view of all the talk of many people here now having found their Lifetime Subscription letters and considering taking legal action against Tivo for discontinuing their Lifetime Service.


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## VirginMediaPhil (Nov 27, 2009)

spitfires said:


> Not really 'formal' though is it - they're trying to be all pally and chatty like we is mates or summat


You can tell from the message they most definitely aren't.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

VirginMediaPhil said:


> You can tell from the message they most definitely aren't.


Indeed.

The message from Virgin to those Tivo S1 owners in non Virgin Media land is effectively "now just stick your head on that block sir so we can cut it off nice and quickly. We promise that it won't hurt a bit if you let us get on with it sharpish"!


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

> Subject: Your TiVo service is about to end.
> From: The Virgin Media Team
> Date: Mon 16th May 2011
> Expire: Mon 23rd May 2011
> ...


.


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

Pete77 said:


> The message from Virgin


Is this another unfounded assumption of yours.

I have always seen it as Tivo telling us what they are doing about supplying EPG and at the same time letting us know what other options are available.

Not unlike when a store or other facility shuts down and all that is left is a note in the window saying what your options are. EG THE NEAREST ****** CAN BE FOUND AT *******


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

RichardJH said:


> I have always seen it as Tivo telling us what they are doing about supplying EPG and at the same time letting us know what other options are available.


If a Tivo or Sky person had written the end of service message I would expect there to be some kind of apology that there was no form of replacement service in non Virgin Media areas along with a message of thanks for your custom over the last 10 or so years.

If however the message was written by the Virgin marketing department I would not expect there to be any form of acknowledgement that there was an alternative means of receiving television other than through a Virgin Cable box.

I believe that the message was entirely written by a marketing person at Virgin who then gave it to Sky or Tivo to send out on their behalf.


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## RichardJH (Oct 7, 2002)

With the number of IF's and I BELIEVE'S in your reply should we all conclude that you have no evidence of Virgin sending out the messages


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## spitfires (Dec 19, 2006)

True but its style *is* more typical of Virgin's marketing dept than of Tivo's. IMO.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

spitfires said:


> True but its style *is* more typical of Virgin's marketing dept than of Tivo's. IMO.


Although we often disagree I am pleased to see that we agree on something.

In my opinion only a Virgin marketing person would have the bare faced cheek to send out a message cheerily telling us to upgrade to the new Virgin service or else get cut off with no mention that for the majority of us (given that many Virgin Tivo customers have already upgraded and stopped using their old S1s) in fact have no official alternative other than to turn our Tivos in to a glorified manual video recorder after 1st June.

The purpose of the message we were sent was purely to sell us a new Virgin Tivo and not to say "so long and thanks for all the fish" (for those who have read or watched The Hithchikers Guide To The Galaxy). I would still hope for and indeed expect a more polite and apologetic System Message from Tivo itself around the time of the final EPG download.


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## Trinitron (Jan 20, 2003)

I've heard that TiVo are going to visit every S1 user in a non-Virgin area to personally apologise for cutting off the service on June 1st. Or was that April 1st? Dream on...


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

They could send all lifetimers a tivoguy soft toy










though I suspect many outside VM areas would stick pins in it!


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

I hope he will each be receiving an official Tivo dartboard with a picture of Joshua Danovitz on it!


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

Has anyone posted on the USA Area of this forum about the termination of our lifetime Tivo service?

I wonder what that customer base thinks of such treatment?

Automan.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Automan said:


> Has anyone posted on the USA Area of this forum about the termination of our lifetime Tivo service?
> 
> I wonder what that customer base thinks of such treatment?


Spitfires started a thread in the US Coffee House section in February and got some interest from US members plus a UK journalist who said he might want to cover the story.

I have been considering reactivating that thread for the last few days given that cutting us off is no longer merely putative but now imminent.

The thread in the US Coffee House section can be found at:-

www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=464842

This is the journalist concerned:-

http://journalisted.com/peter-young


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Pete77 said:


> I have been considering reactivating that thread for the last few days given that cutting us off is no longer merely putative but now imminent.


You've been thinking before posting? I guess there's a first time for everything.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

TCM2007 said:


> You've been thinking before posting? I guess there's a first time for everything.


Yes I think before posting if its going to be a meaningful discussion with people who might actually listen.

However obviously my interactions with you and Trinitron aren't in that category at present and are just pointless tit for tat point scoring. Such posts don't require any deep or considered thought.

I also don't think you give your own posts in this forum on non technical matters any significant thought either (I will grant you your cleverness and expertise on the murky world of TCL) because your typical response to most of my posts can be so easily forecast in advance.

You seem to think business ought to be able to do just what it likes as only companies with decent products will succeed in the long run rather than believing (as I do) that branding and control of distribution are often far more important than the quality of the product to its commercial success. Tivo (even in its homeland of the USA where it seems to be fading fast in the PVR marketplace) is a classic case of how a decent product did not succeed because it did not have the necessary commercial clout or funding or access to the right distribution channels.


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