# Sticky  Series 4 Premiere DVRs can no longer be activated



## krkaufman

Seems a recent change worth highlighting...

Per TiVo's >published policy< and at least >one user experience<, inactive Premiere (Series 4) DVRs can no longer be activated:

*TiVo Service Plans and Policies: Essentials
*
Important: Series1-*Series4 DVRs are no longer eligible for new service plans.* If you cancel an existing service plan on these DVRs, you will not be able to reactivate them. Series2, Series3/HD and Series4 DVRs with Product Lifetime Service will continue to receive service for the life of the DVR.








So I'm guessing the only loophole would be buying a Premiere w/ Lifetime service and getting it transferred to your account. _(__And maybe piggy-backing on the remainder of a existing service subscription as part of a transfer?_ _edit: Per TiVo policy, any monthly/annual service subscription must be cancelled by the device owner prior to ownership transfer, so any recipient would necessarily be trying to start a new service subscription ... for which Premieres are ineligible.)

- - -_
edit: Further, as of Nov. 2021, *Premieres are no longer available for "Live" support*, regardless of service plan status. See:

Premiere (Series 4) and Older Devices End of Live Technical Support (tivo.com)​
edits: 31Dec2020: Updated to reflect subscription cancellation req'd prior to ownership transfer.; 6Jan2022: added EOS note (h/t: lhvetinari & DLA)


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## krkaufman

...


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## kb7oeb

I don't understand their logic in turning down subscriptions for hardware they still have to support anyway.


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## WVZR1

kb7oeb said:


> I don't understand their logic in turning down subscriptions for hardware they still have to support anyway.


*Have to* or thus far have supported with certainly issues from Premiere users. Activate it for yearly now then yes they're committed, not offered there ain't no more issues. Will they continue to 'transfer ownership' is maybe the more relevant question to be asked!


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## krkaufman

WVZR1 said:


> Will they continue to 'transfer ownership' is maybe the more relevant question to be asked!


No change indicated on that front: "Series4 DVRs with Product Lifetime Service will continue to receive service for the life of the DVR."

I remain more curious as to whether transferring a Premiere on a current monthly/annual subscription is a workaround for those looking to sell/buy a Premiere and transfer ownership.

Transferring a TiVo Device to a New Owner


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## WVZR1

krkaufman said:


> No change indicated on that front: "Series4 DVRs with Product Lifetime Service will continue to receive service for the life of the DVR."


'indicated' is maybe relevant! Minds change day to day sometimes in a few minutes. Reactivation of 'no longer in service' of Premiere is maybe a good example of 'changing minds'!
A next move could be limiting support/operation of devices that don't have current OS updates or haven't called home for XXXXXX days etc.


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## krkaufman

WVZR1 said:


> 'indicated' is maybe relevant! Minds change day to day sometimes in a few minutes. Reactivation of 'no longer in service' of Premiere is maybe a good example of 'changing minds'!


Sure, but no change, at present, unlike for new service activations.

Speaking of which, the "Transferring..." page indicates monthly/annual subscriptions must be cancelled prior to transferring ownership of a box, so looks like no loophole for non-Lifetime boxes. Oof.


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## mattyro7878

Hey. Is it me or does the picture on my premiere look better than my Roamio? Maybe the inputs on my tv are not quite similar but the old gal sure looks good!!


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## austinsstuff

Terms and Conditions on the Activation page still lists plans for the Premiere, despite it no longer being supported


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## drew8804

Ive tried to see if Tivo (website) would let me activate service on a some Premieres of seen on sale online (with no lifetime service). No Go.


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## Series3Sub

mattyro7878 said:


> Hey. Is it me or does the picture on my premiere look better than my Roamio? Maybe the inputs on my tv are not quite similar but the old gal sure looks good!!


There was a thread about the Roamio S5 TiVo's not having as crisp or "good" a PQ as S3 TiVo's, and now you report S4's also look better to you. Anyway, that post had a number of people who reported the same older TiVo's PQ superior to Roamio S5, and there was even a technical explanation regarding why that seemed to be the case.

For me, the S3 TiVo's I have seemed to be a bit better PQ than the Roamios I have--and LOVE. I though it was just something that was not real, but then others mentioned something the same, and then I really did see a difference. However, I love my S5's no less, but the difference is noticeable--HOWEVER, when I am viewing the S5, I just don't notice the difference or it is not something that disturbs me nor do I find it ruining my enjoyment of the content. But, sometimes the S3 PQ may POP out at me as the Roamio does not. The PQ difference is something I can live with, but we do believe it is a REAL PQ difference in favor of S3, and in your case in favor of the S4 compared to S5 Roamio.


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## DocChaos

Looking at two premiere units with lifetime. So there is no way to transfer them to my account anymore? Been out of the loop for too long. Thanks for any info and help.


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## ggieseke

DocChaos said:


> Looking at two premiere units with lifetime. So there is no way to transfer them to my account anymore? Been out of the loop for too long. Thanks for any info and help.


You can still transfer lifetime units. The official method is to have the seller contact TiVo customer support and tell them they're selling the unit(s). They will get a reference number which you can use to transfer them to your account after the purchase.

If that's not possible you can usually set up the new units with your zip code and then talk CS into transferring them to your account anyway.


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## Soapm

krkaufman said:


> So I'm guessing the only loophole would be buying a Premiere w/ Lifetime service and getting it transferred to your account. _(__And maybe piggy-backing on the remainder of a existing service subscription as part of a transfer?_ _edit: Per TiVo policy, any monthly/annual service subscription must be cancelled by the device owner prior to ownership transfer, so any recipient would necessarily be trying to start a new service subscription ... for which Premieres are ineligible.)
> 
> _
> edits: 31Dec2020: Updated to reflect subscription cancellation req'd prior to ownership transfer.


So you can no longer transfer lifetime service? That was the real value in the sale.


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## krkaufman

Soapm said:


> So you can no longer transfer lifetime service?


The post opening highlights that as a likely loophole &#8230; and confirmed later.

edit: &#8230; and explicitly stated in the post immediately prior:


ggieseke said:


> You can still transfer lifetime units. The official method is to have the seller contact TiVo customer support and tell them they're selling the unit(s). They will get a reference number which you can use to transfer them to your account after the purchase.
> 
> If that's not possible you can usually set up the new units with your zip code and then talk CS into transferring them to your account anyway.


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## krkaufman

Seems worth noting, "live" (phone/human) support for Premieres is no longer available, regardless of active service plan:


lhvetinari said:


> &#8230; they also marked the Premieres as "end of live support" - so phone support won't help you &#8230;
> 
> Premiere (Series 4) and Older Devices End of Live Technical Support (tivo.com)


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## CopRock

krkaufman said:


> Seems worth noting, "live" (phone/human) support for Premieres is no longer available, regardless of active service plan:


So does that mean that if you need to transfer a lifetime XL to your account it can’t be done at all, or if you’re selling one on eBay you can’t even get a reference number , or can it all be done online w/o humans?


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## krkaufman

CopRock said:


> So does that mean that if you need to transfer a lifetime XL to your account it can’t be done at all, or if you’re selling one on eBay you can’t even get a reference number , or can it all be done online w/o humans?


No, lifetime service transfer is still possible.


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## CopRock

krkaufman said:


> No, lifetime service transfer is still possible.


But only with help ( reference number) from original owner, right?
Example: if you buy one on EBay or Craigslist but the seller no longer can get into their TiVo account for any of a multitude of reasons then you can’t transfer it to your account but still have a lifetime and just can’t control it thru the app…


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## krkaufman

CopRock said:


> But only with help ( reference number) from original owner, right?
> Example: if you buy one on EBay or Craigslist but the seller no longer can get into their TiVo account for any of a multitude of reasons then you can’t transfer it to your account but still have a lifetime and just can’t control it thru the app…


People have had different experiences, from what I’ve read. Some have been able to get TiVo to transfer the box after it’s been running on the home network for a while.


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## krkaufman

krkaufman said:


> People have had different experiences, from what I’ve read. Some have been able to get TiVo to transfer the box after it’s been running on the home network for a while.


Example 1:
​

tvmaster2 said:


> Tell them the truth - "sorry, I don't know who the previous owner is, I bought it from a religious charity thrift store. Would you like a copy of the receipt?" That's what I've said for all three, primarily because it's true. Realistically in this scenario, the zip codes are going to be close to the one on your account, and that probably legitimizes the transfer for them.


​Ex 2:


gthassell said:


> In the past, once the unit has been connected and running for (depending the CSR) 3 to 7 days, with guided setup run for YOUR zip code (hopefully different from the original owner's), TiVo will accept that as the fact that you are actually in possession of the unit and, as long as it has not been reported as stolen, they should transfer it to your account.




see also:Thrift store XL … though I don’t know what happened to the original, quoted post.


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## Davi8r

I have a Premiere. It's been inactive for several years. When I bought it, 10 years ago, I put an all-in plan on it. ~5 years ago Tivo had a promotion that allowed me to transfer my all-in plan to a new unit. So the old unit's been gathering dust. Just for giggles, I logged in to my Tivo account and there's my original Premiere, under the inactive tab. When I displayed it, there's a link "Device Options -> Activate" After reading this thread, what happens if I click Activate and select a service plan?


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## krkaufman

Davi8r said:


> I have a Premiere. It's been inactive for several years. When I bought it, 10 years ago, I put an all-in plan on it. ~5 years ago Tivo had a promotion that allowed me to transfer my all-in plan to a new unit. So the old unit's been gathering dust. Just for giggles, I logged in to my Tivo account and there's my original Premiere, under the inactive tab. When I displayed it, there's a link "Device Options -> Activate" After reading this thread, what happens if I click Activate and select a service plan?


You tell us! (My guess is that you’d hit a dialog saying that the box can’t be activated, due to reasons.)


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## jon doe

krkaufman said:


> You tell us! (My guess is that you’d hit a dialog saying that the box can’t be activated, due to reasons.)


So the expired Premiere without lifetime that I bought for $5 at Goodwill today is not even worth that?? 
Besides a doorstop can this be used for anything?


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## krkaufman

jon doe said:


> So the expired Premiere without lifetime that I bought for $5 at Goodwill today is not even worth that??
> Besides a doorstop can this be used for anything?


Parts to keep a like model with service still functioning?


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## jon doe

krkaufman said:


> Parts to keep a like model with service still functioning?


That's a bloody shame. I was hoping to at least be able to use the OTA tuner and trick play features, but when I reset the zip code to get local channels it fails - even though it goes through all the steps, takes about 10 minutes but apparently fail on the last step, and goes back to reset channels menu. No reason for tivo to do this - cold blooded murder IMO, planned obsolescence, through away society, no rights to repair -- just so companies make more sales.


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## vaquero

jon doe said:


> That's a bloody shame. I was hoping to at least be able to use the OTA tuner and trick play features, but when I reset the zip code to get local channels it fails - even though it goes through all the steps, takes about 10 minutes but apparently fail on the last step, and goes back to reset channels menu. No reason for tivo to do this - cold blooded murder IMO, planned obsolescence, through away society, no rights to repair -- just so companies make more sales.


If you run across an old XT personal computer running DOS, IBM doesn't support them any longer either.


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## jon doe

vaquero said:


> If you run across an old XT personal computer running DOS, IBM doesn't support them any longer either.





vaquero said:


> If you run across an old XT personal computer running DOS, IBM doesn't support them any longer either.





vaquero said:


> If you run across an old XT personal computer running DOS, IBM doesn't support them any longer either.


Did IBM brick their computers deliberately? Hardly, since they are still being used for word processing, vintage gaming, etc, etc, etc.


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## Lancep50

I went to TiVo.com to verify a unit was Lifetime (it wasn’t) but was surprised it offered options to activate service all the way up to credit card info. Has something changed on TiVo’s position regarding Premiere service?


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## SianG

I'm just happy my Premiere has outlasted my willingness to be a Comcast customer.


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## James MacKaye

My Premiere suddenly stopped connecting to the TIVO service and now I can't even record by time, let alone have it auto-record my programs. It's now nothing more than a TV tuner. It could not connect to the service even after restarting both my modem and TIVO. Twice.
Submitted a ticket and was told it is not any longer supported so I'm stuck having to buy a new one for $350.
But wait, it gets better.
Support says I can cancel my $15/mo subscription and replace it with a $7 monthly subscription.
But their seller (Channel Master) claims "This model does NOT require additional fees. An all-in subscription to TiVo service is included with this model (service for the life of the device including ownership transfer)"
And don't even get me started on how difficult it is to find out how to contact support! I finally had to resort to Google to find that e-mail address.

TIVO has jumped ahead of Southwest Airlines as a deceptive, poorly run company that is in the business of making money for it's investors instead of providing a service for it's customers.


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## KDeFlane

My Premiere once stopped recording/connecting -- it turned out that my credit card expiration date had been reached and I simply needed to update that info. I was in a panic because there was no warning and no notice. Easily fixed, instantly working again.


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