# New TiVo Ideas



## psycho401 (Jan 27, 2012)

First off I love TiVO. Been a tivo user for an extremely long long time. With Google TV coming out, if Google TV somehow gets DVR features TiVo is done. This is sad because TiVo is great. TiVo is failing in a couple areas. I have a couple ideas to make TiVo better. 

1) TiVo needs to come up with a way to keep people buying the new product!  Same as the phone companies keep you in the new phone. More incentives on 2 year contracts, price of 19.95 for two years gets you a low price. They are doing this but need to focus more on pushing the issue.

2) advertising.. now i hate advertising but they are necessary for tivo to continue to exist... before playing any recorded content... before streaming any online content a Ad plays... this would help revenue with tivo. TiVo should make up for this, meaning some angry customers on ads, by

3)Allowing more access to the system itself. Meaning helping the Dev Community a lot more. App market, something to help keep people buying TiVo's. Spending more money, you download an apps for 2.99 and 50cents goes to TiVo... something needs to happen.

4) Allow streaming to PC's, handhelds, etc... Do it like Google does Google Music... Only so many devices can be connected to the same account to stream... such as 8 like Google is currently doing.

5) Having on board storage for the host OS and all added/recorded content is on the HD. Much like how your cellphone works. Android is on the internal storage and all other is on external. I know not all content is stored on external on phones but TiVo could make this happen. It would speed up the system completely and when a HD goes out.. pull it out of the removable slot in the back and pop in a new drive and be good to go. This would also allow TiVo to cut the size of the drives they ship to reduce upfront cost and if you want more space you go out yourself and buy a new drive. This would also allow for easy transfer to new device. Take your content with you when TiVo sells you a new device.

6) Ability to license the software. Just like windows/OSX does it. License your UI so that people can build custom boxes and license this out. You can still charge for the monthly guide service. You can charge something like 4.99 for licensed OS to connect so that people who front their own hardware feel its an ok price to pay.

TiVo has a lot to think about. Google is gonna roll into the scene and I hope TiVo starts rolling something out to grab more users. They cannot rule TiVo OS with an iron fist. The moment Google TV gets DVR function and I will prob. switch. People keep in mind... I am sure some guy will jump on here and complain about, " Heah I am not paying extra money" Remember all business's are in it to make money and continue to stay in business. If they make it free they will fail. Also if you do not spice up your OS TiVo with more features and functions, Google is gonna sweep in and run the market


----------



## unitron (Apr 28, 2006)

psycho401 said:


> First off I love TiVO. Been a tivo user for an extremely long long time. With Google TV coming out, if Google TV somehow gets DVR features TiVo is done. This is sad because TiVo is great. TiVo is failing in a couple areas. I have a couple ideas to make TiVo better.
> 
> 1) TiVo needs to come up with a way to keep people buying the new product! Same as the phone companies keep you in the new phone. More incentives on 2 year contracts, price of 19.95 for two years gets you a low price. ...


Through tonight (again), if you commit to 2 years at $19.95 per month, you can get a Premiere for $0. Can't get much cheaper on the hardware than that.

Of course the TiVo hardware was always the razor handle and the subscription the blades (although King Gillette never offered a one-time payment lifetime blade subscription)


----------



## hillyard (Nov 1, 2011)

2) advertising.. now i hate advertising but they are necessary for tivo to continue to exist... before playing any recorded content... before streaming any online content a Ad plays... this would help revenue with tivo. TiVo should make up for this, meaning some angry customers on ads, by

If this happened I would drop TIVO so fast not only do I pay for the hardware, I also pay for the service and delivery of content.
This would force people to hack their boxes and or pirate the content


----------



## Series3Sub (Mar 14, 2010)

The problem with the $19.99 monthly subscription is the huge hit on the monthly TV budget on an already expensive cable bill. Or, perhaps worse, cord cutters don't like the idea of paying $20 per month (or about $35 per month for a 2nd Premiere) for "FREE" TV. We have had quite a few post on this huge fee to watch "FREE" TV, and I agree.

The irony is that as much as TiVo wants everyone to upgrade to a Premiere, the old Series 3 platform seems to be the most economical and even reasonable monthly rates available. The S3 platform is extremely stable now and without the Premiere sluggishness, even AFTER the latest firmware update. Using my S3's is such a fast and snappy experience and they work well and do the job well. It is the Premiere that always tries my patience and I would NOT pay $20 a month for it (I have the special OTA only rate of $9.99 per month). While the new UI enhancements are really good, IMHO, it is NOT worth the sluggishness and now annoying Discovery Bar I have come to HATE after initially thinking it interesting along with some lingering issues with Premiere to be worth $20 per month.

IMHO, my advice to cord cutters or anyone interesting in TiVo at all is to get an S3 platform in good condition on Ebay, for example, and either pay the lower monthly rate (some are paying the $6.50 per month rate) or even a box with Lifetime and get a much more enjoyable experience with a DVR that has all the same important TiVo features (sorry, but for OTT, Roku, Boxee Box, etc. for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Blockbuster, Amazon, etc. much better than the TiVo experience with its many reported frustrations and limitations like NO Amazon Premiere account streaming) with a faster UI experience on a tried and true platform.

I don't think it worth the extra $$ per month to have the TV channel picture in the Discovery Bar, have transfers between 2 Premieres (almost $40.00 per month for the privilege) proceed at faster speeds, or have the content stream from one Premiere to the another Premiere (still with the Premiere cost of about $36 per month), nor the HD UI which is still a HUGE disappointment for the rest of the menus other than the TiVo Central with Discovery Bar. Perhaps worth it to others, but not for most, I would think.

Back to main point of ideas for TiVo, specifically PRICING: TiVo knew that BOTH the upfront purchase price of the box AND the monthly fee were both things that turned people away from TiVo as opposed to people getting a DVR for no up-front cost from the cable company. They most likely could address either one of the other, but not both. I believe their research indicated that people found the very high upfront retail purchase price to be the biggest obstacle to getting a TiVo, but the monthly fee, while not desirable, was affordable and tolerable to most potential subscribers. So, TiVo went the route of heavily subsidizing the retail price of the Premiere to a sweet spot price point of $99 retail, but with a higher monthly fee to recoup their costs. It's hard to blame TiVo, but they have no other streams of revenue from the consumer like the cable cos do to recoup FREEBIE DVR's. It is just sad that if someone wants to cut the cord and use a TiVo Premiere, it will cost them a minimum of $20 per month to record "FREE" TV. That just jolts a lot of people.

Long live the S3, HD, and HDXL! .


----------

