# TiVo Premiere + Service for $19.99 for 2 years...



## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

Looks like TiVo has a new promo. You can get the Premiere for $19.99 for 2 years which includes the service and 6 months of free Netflix.

http://www.tivo.com/promo/gettivo/



> # Sign up for a new 2-year monthly subscription commitment to the TiVo service at $19.99 per month plus tax, and get a TiVo Premiere box for no upfront cost.
> # If you cancel the TiVo service before your commitment ends, an early termination fee will apply equal to the full retail value of the TiVo Premiere box equal to $299.99 minus the difference between the service bundle plan's monthly fee and $12.95 for each month of your subscription that you fulfilled, except as permitted by the 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.
> # After your 2-year commitment ends, you will automatically continue to receive the TiVo service at the same rate on a month-to-month basis. Pricing is guaranteed not to increase for the life of the DVR (not the subscriber), as long as the initial subscription remains active. Price guarantee is not transferrable to any other subscriber or DVR.
> # Money Back Guarantee applies only to initial activations if canceled within 30 days and the TiVo box is returned for a full refund.
> ...


Zatz Not Funny post and thoughts


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

_*After your 2-year commitment ends, you will automatically continue to receive the TiVo service at the same rate on a month-to-month basis.*_

Does this mean you get to continue paying $19.99 a month? That doesn't seem like a deal to me.


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## samo (Oct 7, 1999)

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". TiVo tried $20 /month "rental" model at least twice already and failed. What makes them think that it will work now?


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## bschuler2007 (Feb 25, 2007)

This Tivo offer is the current RCN bundle deal, ADD TIVO TO ANY BUNDLE FOR $19.99, but available to anyone. What makes Tivo think it will work this time? The fact that since RCN HD Tuner boxes rent for $17.99 a month, getting a Tivo for $19.99 is a no brainer.. thus they are renting like hot cakes.
Tivo is just hoping to get some of those rentals from other cable cos. probably.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Resist said:


> _*After your 2-year commitment ends, you will automatically continue to receive the TiVo service at the same rate on a month-to-month basis.*_
> 
> Does this mean you get to continue paying $19.99 a month? That doesn't seem like a deal to me.


It's no different than any other subscription. When the subscription term ends, they automatically roll over to the same term and rate unless you change to another plan.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

samo said:


> Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". TiVo tried $20 /month "rental" model at least twice already and failed. What makes them think that it will work now?


When they offered it before you had to rent the cable box so it made it even more expensive. I don't see bad thing necessarily by them offering it again if people use it. It isn't like it is the only option.

Now we don't know how the box is marked so if after 2 years you decide to sell it who knows what will happen. Since they mention no MSD, I wonder if you can only get the $19.99 on these units and can't change the plan even after the 2 years.

I don't think it is a horrible deal depending on what happens after 2 years. You are getting the Premiere for $168 if you were already planning on getting a monthly plan. Of course after 2 years that price goes up and the deal gets worse since it sounds like you keep paying the $19.99.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Not too bad.

But I think you can find a Premiere for $200 fairly easily and then get a 3 yr sub for $300. 

You'd be out $500 vs $480 for 2 years with the no up front cost $20/month plan and still have another year subscription.

Of course you might as well step up to the $600 lifetime. 

I guess I'm assuming anybody can get a Premiere for $200. Maybe that ain't the case.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

So what does it cost TiVo to have this payment option? I am guessing next to nothing - so why not try it - what do they really have to lose? 

As far as the deal goes - if you don't own a TiVo now and are not interested in lifetime service it really isn't that bad of a deal, compared to buying a TiVo and paying $13/mo. As an example if you pay $270 for the Premiere & $13/mo for service and compare that to $20/mo after 3 years the cost is the same and you didn't have to put any money down. After 3 years buying the Premiere up front becomes cheaper. Also nothing says you couldn't cancel the $20/mo service after 2 years and pick up some other service plan at that time. 

Thanks,


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

The way it looks to me... if you stick with only 2 years then you're getting service for about $7.53 a month.


$19.99 * 24 = $479.76
$479.76 - $299 (cost of a premiere box) = $180.76 
$180.76 / 24 = $7.53


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

innocentfreak said:


> When they offered it before you had to rent the cable box so it made it even more expensive.


Good point - that didn't occur to me earlier. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Although I still contend multiple plans could confuse and dissuade potential TiVo newcomers.

Also, the $99 deal and 1 year commitment (@ $19.95/mo) doesn't appear to be on the site today. I swear I saw it yesterday, unless I somehow confused it with the XL. Hm. I was on a different computer at the time, and can check when I get back in a few days since I took a screengrab.


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## kato (Jan 3, 2002)

magnus said:


> The way it looks to me... if you stick with only 2 years then you're getting service for about $7.53 a month.
> 
> $19.99 * 24 = $479.76
> $479.76 - $299 (cost of a premiere box) = $180.76
> $180.76 / 24 = $7.53


You can't subtract the cost of the box, because at no point do you own it. At most you could subtract the depreciation on the box, probably $100. (also roughly the difference between a new and refurb unit)

$19.99 * 24 = $479.76
$479.76 - $100 (2-year depreciation of a premiere box) = $379.76 
$379.76 / 24 = $15.82.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

scandia101 said:


> It's no different than any other subscription. When the subscription term ends, they automatically roll over to the same term and rate unless you change to another plan.


Yes but the subscription for a Tivo is only $12.95 a month. So having to pay $19.99 a month with this deal doesn't seem like a deal to me.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

Oh, so it's just a lease then? They will ask for it back after the 2 years? I've never done anything other than lifetime. So, I'm not sure what all the terms are for it.

Edit: I just checked the terms and looks like you get to keep the box. So, my original logic seems valid.



TIVO said:


> http://www.tivo.com/promo/gettivo/
> After your 2-year commitment ends, you are under no obligation to continue your TiVo service and you may keep the TiVo Premiere Box.





kato said:


> You can't subtract the cost of the box, because at no point do you own it. At most you could subtract the depreciation on the box, probably $100. (also roughly the difference between a new and refurb unit)
> 
> $19.99 * 24 = $479.76
> $479.76 - $100 (2-year depreciation of a premiere box) = $379.76
> $379.76 / 24 = $15.82.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

davezatz said:


> Good point - that didn't occur to me earlier. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Although I still contend multiple plans could confuse and dissuade potential TiVo newcomers.
> 
> Also, the $99 deal and 1 year commitment (@ $19.95/mo) doesn't appear to be on the site today. I swear I saw it yesterday, unless I somehow confused it with the XL. Hm. I was on a different computer at the time, and can check when I get back in a few days since I took a screengrab.


I almost wonder if this is a special marketing deal. Unless I am missing it I don't even see it listed on their page. I only found the direct link on slickdeals. I didn't see the $99 + 1 year offer.


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## jfortexas (Sep 12, 2010)

I just ordered. My Tivo has shipped, but Im seeing a problem here.

I checked billing and this is what I see...

Your current plan is:
Monthly service
1 yr commitment Plan rate 
$0 down + $19.99/mo for Premiere + service $32.07..

Now there seems to be a mistake, they are going to charge me $32.07 a month?

The ad said includes box and service for $19.99.

Even if its $19.99/month + $12.95/month service = 32.94 it doesn't add up.

So im not sure whats going on, I am going to have to wait until box arrives and then call TIVO.


Secondly, there seems to be two deals for the $19.99/month, one that comes with 6 months free netflix, and one that does not. The link the op gave comes with 6 months free netflix and the tivo.com ad on the front page does not.


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

This rental plan is not for the affluent (that seem to be 100% of this forum--some on this forum have *three* Series 3? Please, you're rich) who can play the number crunching games; this is an option for the masses and families who don't have wads of cash in their pockets, but who would love to have a TiVo, but simply can't justify the upfront cost for the family budget or simply don't have the kind of cash to pay for a TiVo box up front lying around the house.

For them, it is a great deal. at $20 per month the family can get a good DVR that is far superior to the cable co. DVR or enjoy local OTA with all the TiVo features. It makes TiVo affordable for the masses. After all, why don't we all pay for our homes and cars in cash, up front? We could save a ton of $$ by avoiding interest charges. Oh, that's right. Very few of us can have $30,000 or $600,000 sitting in our accounts just taking up room for the millions more in our bank accounts. In the long-run it is cheaper to buy the TiVo up front, but if you can afford that, then this deal is NOT for you.


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## Chris Gerhard (Apr 27, 2002)

No, it isn't a great deal for a family with financial difficulty, no TiVo is the only option for that family. If you pay around $500 up front and get a Premiere plus lifetime which will be worth something in 2 years, that is so much better than this deal for everybody. Nobody should accept this deal in my opinion. If someone only has the $20 month, set it aside and buy a TiVo in 2 years after the balance accumulates but don't give the $20 a month to TiVo, in 2 years, you have nothing but an obligation to continue to pay if that is choice.



Series3Sub said:


> This rental plan is not for the affluent (that seem to be 100% of this forum--some on this forum have *three* Series 3? Please, you're rich) who can play the number crunching games; this is an option for the masses and families who don't have wads of cash in their pockets, but who would love to have a TiVo, but simply can't justify the upfront cost for the family budget or simply don't have the kind of cash to pay for a TiVo box up front lying around the house.
> 
> For them, it is a great deal. at $20 per month the family can get a good DVR that is far superior to the cable co. DVR or enjoy local OTA with all the TiVo features. It makes TiVo affordable for the masses. After all, why don't we all pay for our homes and cars in cash, up front? We could save a ton of $$ by avoiding interest charges. Oh, that's right. Very few of us can have $30,000 or $600,000 sitting in our accounts just taking up room for the millions more in our bank accounts. In the long-run it is cheaper to buy the TiVo up front, but if you can afford that, then this deal is NOT for you.


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## belunos (Sep 19, 2002)

Chris Gerhard said:


> No, it isn't a great deal for a family with financial difficulty, no TiVo is the only option for that family. If you pay around $500 up front and get a Premiere plus lifetime which will be worth something in 2 years, that is so much better than this deal for everybody. Nobody should accept this deal in my opinion. If someone only has the $20 month, set it aside and buy a TiVo in 2 years after the balance accumulates but don't give the $20 a month to TiVo, in 2 years, you have nothing but an obligation to continue to pay if that is choice.


I can pay $20 per month and forget about it, I can't just toss out $500 up front that easily. This plus the cable cost is still right around what I was paying for D* per month. It's $480 spread out over two years for the box and service fer Christs sake. It may not be the very bestest deal out, but it's not like I'm getting an interest only mortgage


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

I agree. It's not a terrible deal... it's just a different deal.



belunos said:


> I can pay $20 per month and forget about it, I can't just toss out $500 up front that easily. This plus the cable cost is still right around what I was paying for D* per month. It's $480 spread out over two years for the box and service fer Christs sake. It may not be the very bestest deal out, but it's not like I'm getting an interest only mortgage


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

belunos said:


> I can't just toss out $500 up front that easily.


There is a novel concept called saving. It's the philosophy where you continue to earn money and hold it, until you have enough to buy what you want.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I think this is a good deal and a good way to compete with cable company DVRs. TiVo has tried this before but never with a box that could do HD via CableCARD. As long as the cable company doesn't charge some absurd price for the card or some sort of "outlet fee" then it should compete pretty well. In my area you can count one CableCARD as the "box" included with the digital cable fee, and there are no outlet fees. So here it would only be a couple dollars more per month compared to the cable DVR. I know other areas have different rates and policies when it comes to CableCARDs so your mileage may vary.

Dan


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

$20/month plus $4/month for cablecard with FIOS compared to $16/month for their DVR.

That's $8 month more or nearly $200 more after 2 years, but after 2 years you own a DVR that might be worth $100-$150. 

Not bad.

No On-Demand though and you're responsible for the hardware.


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## i70x7 (Oct 25, 2005)

With Comcast, the first m-card is free, so you are paying 19.99 a month versus 15.99 a month for the comcast model. At the end of term you have paid roughly $120 for the box, which is a pretty good deal.


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## bud8man (Feb 13, 2004)

$133.93

Tivo Premiere High Definition HD DVR (THX Certified, 45 Hours of HD Recording) $133.93 , Sep. 13 6 PM 
Electronics Expo has the new generation Tivo Premiere High Definition HD DVR for $133.93 after Coupon Code: LABORDAYWEEKEND (Exp Soon). Around $13 Shipping. Tax in most.

After the jump, search for item # TVOTCD746320:

http://www.electronics-expo.com/


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Direct link. Have to add to cart and apply coupon code to see net price after 40% off coupon. Great deal, probably won't last long.


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## speedy2 (Aug 19, 2002)

Just ordered one. I got it for 146.92 including shipping.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Chris Gerhard said:


> No, it isn't a great deal for a family with financial difficulty, no TiVo is the only option for that family. If you pay around $500 up front and get a Premiere plus lifetime which will be worth something in 2 years, that is so much better than this deal for everybody. Nobody should accept this deal in my opinion. If someone only has the $20 month, set it aside and buy a TiVo in 2 years after the balance accumulates but don't give the $20 a month to TiVo, in 2 years, you have nothing but an obligation to continue to pay if that is choice.


TiVo may have to radically change their hardware based on FCC rulings in the next 6-12 months so I think they are bailing out with this deal. It's a great deal on the face of it and puts a TiVo in your home for little cost, but I feel the premiere will essentially be dead in two years so a premiere won't have much value. If the deal is still available and they develop a streaming solution that works with S2's and THD's I'll bite, otherwise I'm waiting.


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## jrtroo (Feb 4, 2008)

Stormspace said:


> TiVo may have to radically change their hardware based on FCC rulings in the next 6-12 months


Please elaborate.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

jrtroo said:


> Please elaborate.


The first thing that comes to mind.

Then there is http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=444979&highlight=Cable+Card+FCC


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## Arcady (Oct 14, 2004)

I received my TiVo Premiere under this offer today. The TiVo works fine, but the coupon for the free 6 months Netflix tells me to go to a page to redeem it, and the page is blank. Anyone else have a problem redeeming the Netflix code?


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Stormspace said:


> TiVo may have to radically change their hardware based on FCC rulings in the next 6-12 months so I think they are bailing out with this deal.


Nonsense. The FCC plans to introduce new rules for CableCARD by the end of the year that they hope will make CableCARD more viable in the interim. The proposed AllVid rules won't be final until the end of 2012 at the earliest. Even after that, it's likely that CableCARD boxes will be around for a while during the transition.

TiVo isn't going to blow out their Premiere inventory based on FCC rules that may never come to pass. The reason for the deals is more likely simply that TiVo has gotten their manufacturing costs down to the point where they can offer such deals and still come out ahead after the subscription commitment.


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## chris_s (Aug 7, 2010)

Resist said:


> There is a novel concept called saving. It's the philosophy where you continue to earn money and hold it, until you have enough to buy what you want.


That's nice ideology but why tie-up your own money when you can use someone else's money for free? This is like buying on a credit card that never charges interest.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

trip1eX said:


> Not too bad.
> 
> But I think you can find a Premiere for $200 fairly easily and then get a 3 yr sub for $300.
> 
> ...


you are assuming amnyone can pony up 500 to 600 dolalrs upfront costs. That is not the case and upfront cost is a significant barrier for TiVo.
However many folks are not looking for 20$ a month added expense right now either and that is a tough sell if you have no real idea what a TiVo will do for you.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

ZeoTiVo said:


> you are assuming amnyone can pony up 500 to 600 dolalrs upfront costs. That is not the case and upfront cost is a significant barrier for TiVo.
> However many folks are not looking for 20$ a month added expense right now either and that is a tough sell if you have no real idea what a TiVo will do for you.


Good points.


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

Stormspace said:


> TiVo may have to radically change their hardware based on FCC rulings in the next 6-12 months so I think they are bailing out with this deal.


The FCC proposals _sound_ nice (and radically different). But that's all. As there's little evidence they have the teeth or legal capabilities to mandate the changes. I can't imagine anything dramatic happening in the near term, these things take years. By then, our TiVos will be pulling all their content from Hulu.com anyway and Comcast will be in Chapter 11. Or something like that.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The AllVid proposal sounds fantastic! It's something that should have been done YEARS ago. If I could get a little box that would allow my TiVo's to work with Dish or DirecTV I probably would have ditched cable, except for internet, a long time ago. Not because of price, but because the DSS guys offer a LOT more channels in HD.

I think having something like this will put the cable and DSS providers in more direct competition which will result in more choices, and better prices, for all of us. Plus if some internet based company wanted to start offering some sort of TV over the internet type system all they would have to do is design a box that works with the specification and give it to you. All your other equipment would already be ready to use it.

Dan


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## m.s (Mar 8, 2007)

24 months x $19.99 != $19.99. The thread title is just plain wrong.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

The thread title is fine, you're just reading it wrong.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

davezatz said:


> The FCC proposals _sound_ nice (and radically different). But that's all. As there's little evidence they have the teeth or legal capabilities to mandate the changes. I can't imagine anything dramatic happening in the near term, these things take years. By then, our TiVos will be pulling all their content from Hulu.com anyway and Comcast will be in Chapter 11. Or something like that.


I disagree. I think the FCC will make a decision in the next 6-12 months, however it will likely not impact TiVo for another two years. When it does S3's, THD's, and Premiere's will have to be replaced to take advantage of the new spec.


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## slowbiscuit (Sep 19, 2006)

Why would they need to be replaced? The new spec will probably be some combo of DLNA and DTCP/IP, which is all software. Tivos have the hardware they need to work with Allvid today (100mbit Ethernet and HDMI/HDCP) so it should just be a code upgrade.

Now whether they'd actually do that for the S3s/HDs is an open question, but for the Premieres it should be done.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

If the spec doesn't actually come to be for another 2-3 years then I'm betting TiVo will ignore all the old units, including the Premiere, and just release something new so that we all have to upgrade.

Dan


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Dan203 said:


> If the spec doesn't actually come to be for another 2-3 years then I'm betting TiVo will ignore all the old units, including the Premiere, and just release something new so that we all have to upgrade.
> 
> Dan


Is there an echo in the forum?


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> If the spec doesn't actually come to be for another 2-3 years then I'm betting TiVo will ignore all the old units, including the Premiere, and just release something new so that we all have to upgrade.
> 
> Dan


Yup. Just like they did with the Series 2 after the OTA digital transition.


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## StuBeck (Sep 17, 2010)

I talked to Tivo about the $100 box with 1 year at $20 and they said that after 1 year you would still be paying the $20 a month fee, but could cancel the account and reactivate it at a normal price. Does anyone know how long that period between canceling and reactivating would be?


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## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

Arcady said:


> I received my TiVo Premiere under this offer today. The TiVo works fine, but the coupon for the free 6 months Netflix tells me to go to a page to redeem it, and the page is blank. Anyone else have a problem redeeming the Netflix code?


Same here. It's just a blank page. Were you able to get it resolved?


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## drevilkep (Aug 4, 2010)

steve614 said:


> Yup. Just like they did with the Series 2 after the OTA digital transition.


I'm not sure if this is a joke, but you do realize that Series 2 boxes are pretty much worthless at this point, right? Save for the dwindling number of cable companies still providing analog service, there isn't a signal you can record with a Series 2. TiVo didn't force you to upgrade your Series 2, the lack of analog programming caused that. And why should they support something that isn't (or very soon won't be) able to record anymore?


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## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

Resist said:


> There is a novel concept called saving. It's the philosophy where you continue to earn money and hold it, until you have enough to buy what you want.


As I'm certain you save all your pennies to purchase your car cash-in-full, and paid for your home only after having saved enough to NOT require a mortgage.

Oh, OK, more realistically you certainly paid for your refrigerator, stove, et al, only after having saved all the money and paid for it all in cash, as well as any home improvement--no loans, right?

What would the family whose refrigerator suddenly dies do? Are they to take the next several months, or years, to save up enough to get one that works well, or should they take the "suckers" route and get it financed with interest payments, but at affordable monthly installments that allows the family to not have food spoil.

Clueless affluent attitude and blind to real-life for the masses.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

Those items you mentioned aren't necessarily luxury items like a TiVo is. Just sayin'


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## Larry in TN (Jun 21, 2002)

drevilkep said:


> I'm not sure if this is a joke, but you do realize that Series 2 boxes are pretty much worthless at this point, right?


I have a S2 that is working very well with the new Comcast digital tuning adapter that they're giving out free in preparation for transitioning almost all changels to digital in another week, or so. In fact, the number of channels that it will be able to tune will increase dramatically when they flip the switch at the end of the month. I was worried that it would become useless but that doesn't look to be the case.



Series3Sub said:


> As I'm certain you save all your pennies to purchase your car cash-in-full, and paid for your home only after having saved enough to NOT require a mortgage.


This is a bit off topic, but... I'm 45 years old and have never taken out a loan other than a mortgage. All cars, appliances, etc. have been purchased for cash. No balances on credit cards, either. I've owned two homes; the first was paid off in just over five years, the second in seven years. All it takes is some planning and patience. Without debt, it's very easy to save for big purchases.



> What would the family whose refrigerator suddenly dies do?


Plan ahead. Without debt payments to make, it's easy to have an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses. Of course, they're really not unexpected, are they? Cars need maintenance, air conditioners break in the middle of August, kids generate medical bills, etc. The only surprise is you don't know which expense will hit next and when it will incur.

In your refrigerator example, without any savings, buy the best used refrigerator that you can for cash then start saving to upgrade it. In a few months you can buy a better used, or even new, one.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

steve614 said:


> Yup. Just like they did with the Series 2 after the OTA digital transition.


You can still use a series 2 with a cable box or a DTA OTA box. You have to upgrade to record in HD.


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

shwru980r said:


> You can still use a series 2 with a cable box or a DTA OTA box. You have to upgrade to record in HD.


I know many people that still use their Series 2 with the DAT (as Comcast gives out two for free and with that E-Bay *220627222273* $15 DTA cable works great) box in the exercise room, for the kids that don't care about HD yet, etc.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

shwru980r said:


> You can still use a series 2 with a cable box or a DTA OTA box. You have to upgrade to record in HD.


Of course. I still use one myself.
I was referring more to TiVo's support for the Series 2 models, which is pretty much non-existent now.


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## drevilkep (Aug 4, 2010)

steve614 said:


> Of course. I still use one myself.
> I was referring more to TiVo's support for the Series 2 models, which is pretty much non-existent now.


How long, exactly, should TiVo continue to support a dead/dying technology? Do you expect Dell or Apple to keep offering support for 10 year old computers? Or Microsoft for DOS and Windows 3.1? When it's clear that technology has moved on, I think it's fine for a company to drop support so they can focus on what's next. If the people who paid for their boxes can continue to eek some life out of them, great. But I wouldn't expect updates for something that is clearly end-of-life.


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

I'm not complaining. I was merely making a statement.


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## Grakthis (Oct 4, 2006)

The PVoA of this deal is closer to 451, not 480. Assuming you have an investment account. Otherwise, if you're sitting on a MM or savings account, it's more like 472.

Might be pedantic, but worth considering.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

drevilkep said:


> How long, exactly, should TiVo continue to support a dead/dying technology? Do you expect Dell or Apple to keep offering support for 10 year old computers? Or Microsoft for DOS and Windows 3.1? When it's clear that technology has moved on, I think it's fine for a company to drop support so they can focus on what's next. If the people who paid for their boxes can continue to eek some life out of them, great. But I wouldn't expect updates for something that is clearly end-of-life.


TiVo should support their older boxes for as long as they want to take peoples money to do so. If they don't want to support them stop taking the money and refund money to anyone who paid to have them supported for the physical life of the unit.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

atmuscarella said:


> TiVo should support their older boxes for as long as they want to take peoples money to do so. If they don't want to support them stop taking the money and refund money to anyone who paid to have them supported for the physical life of the unit.


I have to agree with this. As long as TiVo is taking the subscription money from customers they need to support the products used with those subs. Sure an argument can be made that PLT users got the value out of their LT sub years ago, but the fault there lies with TiVo for selling it. You sell a LT service, you have to hold up your end of the deal.


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## orangeboy (Apr 19, 2004)

drevilkep said:


> How long, exactly, should TiVo continue to support a dead/dying technology? Do you expect Dell or Apple to keep offering support for 10 year old computers? Or Microsoft for DOS and Windows 3.1? When it's clear that technology has moved on, I think it's fine for a company to drop support so they can focus on what's next. If the people who paid for their boxes can continue to eek some life out of them, great. But I wouldn't expect updates for something that is clearly end-of-life.


IBM has a VERY aggressive policy concerning support for old releases of their mainframe operating systems. They release a new OS every year (z/OS 1.12 becomes/became available this month, z/OS 1.9 goes out of support on 9/30). If you're less than current-2, you pay dearly for IBM's help. This allows the engineers to focus on new and improved features, unhindered by dealing with something that was fixed in a more current release. I think they're doing it right.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

orangeboy said:


> IBM has a VERY aggressive policy concerning support for old releases of their mainframe operating systems. They release a new OS every year (z/OS 1.12 becomes/became available this month, z/OS 1.9 goes out of support on 9/30). If you're less than current-2, you pay dearly for IBM's help. This allows the engineers to focus on new and improved features, unhindered by dealing with something that was fixed in a more current release. I think they're doing it right.


IBM also has a rigid backwards compatibility policy that won't break mission critical functions and features with each upgrade. Not so for many PC software publishers today, especially from companies like Apple that will abandon a complete line of products or features in the name of advancement.


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## FishersMike (Sep 20, 2010)

Okay $19.99 at 24 months means you are paying $480.00 over the two year commitment. Now assuming you would be eligible for the multi unit discount and would normally pay $9.99 a month for the service if you bought the unit outright, you would be paying $240.00 in just service anyways.

So essentially the unit is costing you $240.00. Now I just purchased a unit with cash from TiVo to get the 30 percent upgrade discount and paid $235.34 for it, which included $15.40 in tax (in Indiana) - it would be higher in other states.

So you are basically paying $5.00 more total over two years, so 20 cents a month to be able to get a unit without paying up front. 

Definitely not a bad deal, even for people who have the cash. I actually purchased this deal to upgrade a second unit in my home as I ran the numbers and it made sense. Am I missing anything?


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

FishersMike said:


> Okay $19.99 at 24 months means you are paying $480.00 over the two year commitment. Now assuming you would be eligible for the multi unit discount and would normally pay $9.99 a month for the service if you bought the unit outright, you would be paying $240.00 in just service anyways.
> 
> So essentially the unit is costing you $240.00. Now I just purchased a unit with cash from TiVo to get the 30 percent upgrade discount and paid $235.34 for it, which included $15.40 in tax (in Indiana) - it would be higher in other states.
> 
> ...


I do not think you are missing anything and I think it is actually a very good deal for someones first TiVo. The key is changing the service deal after the 2 years is up.

Of course I still think the best deal is lifetime. Which is only $470 for those of us who already have a lifetime unit.

Thanks,


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## FishersMike (Sep 20, 2010)

atmuscarella said:


> I do not think you are missing anything and I think it is actually a very good deal for someones first TiVo. The key is changing the service deal after the 2 years is up.
> 
> Of course I still think the best deal is lifetime. Which is only $470 for those of us who already have a lifetime unit.
> 
> Thanks,


I have been with TiVo since first generation and through the years have thought about going with Lifetime. The only reason I never have is I rather have new technology every few years, and would likely not keep it long enough to justify the price. Like in this case, I am going to sell my two Tivo HD Series 3 units to some friends and have a little cash left over after buying two of the TiVoSlide remotes


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

And I think it can. I just told my Son and his wife about it and I think that they will order one. They get to get Tivo (they had an S2 a few years back and still miss it) for no money down and about $22/mo including cablecard fee. This is only $5 more than their 20 hour POS box from the cableco (box fee plus DVR fee)EDIT- I guess it is only about $3 more if you deduct the $54 credit for the Netflix (they are already Netflix customers). They can also move their Roku box I bought them to the bedroom and free up a piece of equipment in their family room.

In their case I doubt they would have ever spent the $200 or so upfront to get a Tivo.


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

If my math is correct, this is not too shabby a deal for anyone. As I see it, I am currently paying $8.25 per month for the boxes on my account (annual service) other than my lifetime S3 box. That is $198 over the two years plus I can routinely buy Premieres on Ebay for $175-$199. That brings my cost if I purchased a box for, say $199 to $397 for the two years. 

I am already a Netflix subscriber, so the value of the $54 credit added in brings my total outlay today for the two year deal down from $480 to $426. That means it costs me about $29 more over the two years which basically is less than 5% interest with nothing out of my pocket up front. It still may not make sense for all of us ( I will likely do something with lifetime this time around) but it sure is not a bad deal if it comes this close on someone with the MSD annual sub.


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## FishersMike (Sep 20, 2010)

Agreed. In my calculations above I forgot to add the Netflix credit, as I am an existing customer. The unit I just purchased online for cash did not mention the 6 months free of Netflix, even the order confirmation email did not mention that in the contents.

But the one I bought with the payments over 24 months did show the 6 month free promotion on my order form.

It is a great deal.


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## Larry in TN (Jun 21, 2002)

FishersMike said:


> The only reason I never have is I rather have new technology every few years, and would likely not keep it long enough to justify the price. Like in this case, I am going to sell my two Tivo HD Series 3 units


I think that you'd still come out ahead with lifetime as you'd recover a large portion of the cost of the lifetime service when you resell. Your cost for service would be the amount of the original lifetime cost that you don't recover.


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## piapiabee (Sep 25, 2010)

I've been crunching numbers on this for two days and I finally went with the $99.99 up front, $19.99/month for one year offer. I'm a first time TiVo buyer and that one-year time period will be a nice cushion to save up for lifetime service. I also confirmed with TiVo that you can switch to any plan when the contract is up.

And it is utterly bizarre that they only show some of the offers on my work computer, yet all of them at home.



jfortexas said:


> I just ordered. My Tivo has shipped, but Im seeing a problem here.
> 
> I checked billing and this is what I see...
> 
> ...


The $32.07 is the sales tax on the full price of the TiVo. (I see you are not in CA. Tax on mine was $49.24!) They really ought to have html e-mails.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

For anyone interested in the offer mentioned in the original post with the free 6 months of Netflix (or $53 credit if you are already with Netflix) it ends today 9/25: http://www.tivo.com/promo/gettivo/


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

FishersMike said:


> So you are basically paying $5.00 more total over two years, so 20 cents a month to be able to get a unit without paying up front.


Exactly, and this is an incredible deal for someone with a Tivo already, as well as someone without. Truly, it is more advantageous for someone without, but it's still not a bad deal for someone with a Tivo.

I picked up mine this way last week. I had the money, but I figured this was an easier way to do things, let that money go for something more important and do a "rental" (lease?) on the Tivo. This'll be my 3rd, I just need to drop the sub on the S2 when it's up next month.


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## gamerguy-n-TX (Dec 18, 2009)

I see the banner ad is still accessible on this site and the offer now expires on *10/31/10*.


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## Enrique (May 15, 2006)

Is this new?



> For a TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter, add $2.49 to your monthly fee
> For a TiVo Wireless N Network Adapter, add $3.75 to your monthly fee
> If you cancel the TiVo service before your commitment ends, an early termination fee will apply equal to an amount the lesser of (a) the amount of monthly subscription fees remaining on your 2-year monthly subscription commitment or (b) the full retail value of the TiVo Premiere box equal to $299.99 and wireless adapter, (retail value of the TiVo Wireless G Network Adapter is $59.99 and the TiVo Wireless N Network Adapter is $89.99) if applicable, minus the difference between the service bundle plan's monthly fee and $12.95 for each month of your subscription that you fulfilled, except as permitted by the 30 day Money Back Guarantee.


 Are they giving you a Network Adapter with this new bundle? or if not then why the $2.49 and up add on?


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## tibruk (Nov 28, 2003)

I pulled the trigger on this deal last week. I would not have upgraded without this kind of deal. Saw the same deal in a banner add on my local newspapers web site. Didn't notice an expiration date on it.

Side note about installation. Comcast showed up Sunday morning. The guy had multiple cards and the first one worked, it only took three hits to work. Relatively painless. I was worried cause of all the horrible stories on here.

Tib


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

Enrique said:


> Are they giving you a Network Adapter with this new bundle? or if not then why the $2.49 and up add on?


I don't even see that as far as 'addons', would have been something I might have considered when I purchased it, though.


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## PuttsMoBilesiCit (Sep 28, 2010)

So could I get this and use this as a upgrade for my S2?

It would only be for standard definition.


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

PuttsMoBilesiCit said:


> So could I get this and use this as a upgrade for my S2?
> 
> It would only be for standard definition.


You can upgrade the hardware, but you're still stuck with whatever contract is left on the S2. I wish it would have been possible to do this, but I can understand their reasoning for not.

Once the contract on the S2 is up, just call and cancel.


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## PuttsMoBilesiCit (Sep 28, 2010)

twhiting9275 said:


> You can upgrade the hardware, but you're still stuck with whatever contract is left on the S2. I wish it would have been possible to do this, but I can understand their reasoning for not.
> 
> Once the contract on the S2 is up, just call and cancel.


I bought the S2 off craigslist a week ago. So I'm not even sure how much longer I will be able to use this system and record. I might get a HD tv for the basement. I'm just wondering though, is it really $20 a month or is it more like a user in this thread stated?


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

PuttsMoBilesiCit said:


> I bought the S2 off craigslist a week ago. So I'm not even sure how much longer I will be able to use this system and record. I might get a HD tv for the basement. I'm just wondering though, is it really $20 a month or is it more like a user in this thread stated?


If you bought it off of craigslist, you might (might) have a lifetime sub, so you'll be fine to keep it and put it in the bedroom, etc.

As far as the cost:
This is really just $20/month, no hidden anything. I just double checked my account, and it's listed as $20/month


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## PuttsMoBilesiCit (Sep 28, 2010)

twhiting9275 said:


> If you bought it off of craigslist, you might (might) have a lifetime sub, so you'll be fine to keep it and put it in the bedroom, etc.
> 
> As far as the cost:
> This is really just $20/month, no hidden anything. I just double checked my account, and it's listed as $20/month


How would I know if it was a lifetime sub?

I can tell you this.

TiVo Account Status: 3: Account in Good Standing
TiVo Service Level: C: 102610


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## steve614 (May 1, 2006)

Not a lifetime.

No way to tell when the subscription is ending unless the TiVo Service Level is a date code. *10*/*26*/20*10*, but that's just a guess.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

Notice something interesting today. If I goto www.tivo.com in either Firefox or IE (7), I get a start screen with the notice showing TiVo now has Pandora. If I goto www.tivo.com in Google Chrome I get a different screen - the one showing the $0 down $19.99/mo offers without the Netflix deal.

When using Firefox or IE I can not find the $0 down $19.99/mo offers from any links on the TiVo pages.

When using Firefox, IE, or Chrome I can not find any direct links to the $0 down $19.99/mo offer with the free 6 months of Netflix.

If I search the Tivo site for "19.99 per month" all 3 browsers get the same results one link to the $19.99/mo offer with the free 6 months of Netflix page we have links to in this thread.

Just found all of the above kind of funny - the computer is running Win XP so I also check my laptop that is running Peppermint and got the same results with Firefox and Chrome. Chrome and Firefox are the latest version on both computers. I did clear cache and cookies in all browsers several times.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks,


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## PuttsMoBilesiCit (Sep 28, 2010)

atmuscarella said:


> Notice something interesting today. If I goto www.tivo.com in either Firefox or IE (7), I get a start screen with the notice showing TiVo now has Pandora. If I goto www.tivo.com in Google Chrome I get a different screen - the one showing the $0 down $19.99/mo offers without the Netflix deal.
> 
> When using Firefox or IE I can not find the $0 down $19.99/mo offers from any links on the TiVo pages.
> 
> ...


Very interesting... I would think they would be nice and offer it to everyone.


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## twhiting9275 (Nov 17, 2006)

Go Chrome!
I just noticed that as well, it's odd! Maybe someone forgot to modify the Chrome 'landing page'?


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## oftenoily (Oct 1, 2010)

I tried to get in on this deal..well this promo..ordered online..Tivo charged my card 4 times but never generated
a sales conformation. This happened once before about 3 yrs ago,,I ordered a tivo box online for 119.00 and Tivo maxed my card out with a bunch, a whole bunch of 119.00 pending charges. The weren't sympathetic at all either,,I called for help but they just wanted to over look my complaint and sell me another box. It took about a week for the pending to drop off that time I guess its going to be the same with this new 4 pending chargers of 21.76 Tivo reps told me that its my banks fault..odd..The card worked for cable, amazon, my cell phone and even my Tivo bill. I guess my card works for any sale but a Tivo sale
So now I am stuck with going over to a Moxi..too bad cause I really wanted the Premiere I am just too afraid that continued attempts to place the order will cause more and more pending charges that never lead to a sales conformation


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

Moxi doesn't have a $19.99 per month plan. You have to pay $599.


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## skylukewalker (Nov 5, 2010)

If you pay 15$ for a comcast dvr then paying 4 dollars more a month for a much larger hard drive and tivo service is well worth it. the only downfall is loosing comcast premium channel on demand service, but I guess I can overcome that defeciency by just recording any movie I want to. we will see. 

comcast does have a whole house dvr about to be released, 19.99/mo it is at the bottom of my bill... but I don't know much about it yet. supposedly we can see recordings from one box on a secondary non dvr box. and it has a bigger hard drive.... which is my major reason to go to tivo...

any ways. 4 dollars more a month. for 2 years then 2 dollars less after that. (supposing I can cancel the 19.99 and go to the normal 12.95 price... who knows comcast may have increased the charges by then, for that matter maybe tivo will too.


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## yuki-nagato (Nov 2, 2010)

Arcady said:


> I received my TiVo Premiere under this offer today. The TiVo works fine, but the coupon for the free 6 months Netflix tells me to go to a page to redeem it, and the page is blank. Anyone else have a problem redeeming the Netflix code?


Contact Netflix about it, they give tivo the redeption code


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## TerpBE (Jan 23, 2003)

skylukewalker said:


> If you pay 15$ for a comcast dvr then paying 4 dollars more a month for a much larger hard drive and tivo service is well worth it.


You also have to account for the extra few bucks per month for the cablecard (depending on how they bill you for them)


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