# What does one do with old TiVo series 1 boxes?



## Tanquen (Jun 1, 2002)

Can anyone use them or do they just get dumped with the other obsolete electronics?

I have 2 upgraded TiVo series 1 with all the manuals, boxes, remotes and not a mark on them. Never even used the remotes.


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## P42 (Jan 7, 2003)

If it has Lifetime you might get a few bucks via eBay. Completed listing show a few with prices going from $17 to $76.


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## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

I'm planning to hack mine and use them as music servers.


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## macjeepster (Sep 2, 2007)

My wife uses an old Series 2 as a platform to raise the TV about 4 inches. 
Does it well; uses no electricity.


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## malayphred (Jan 29, 2007)

macjeepster said:


> My wife uses an old Series 2 as a platform to raise the TV about 4 inches.
> Does it well; uses no electricity.


You're killing me


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Heck, the remotes can be useful, though IMHO not as useful as ones with 1/2 switches on them.


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## reubanks (Feb 19, 2006)

macjeepster said:


> My wife uses an old Series 2 as a platform to raise the TV about 4 inches.
> Does it well; uses no electricity.


Me too! Mine's a TCD1400060 with a 500GB and Lifetime. I plug it in every once in a while to get updates and keep my MSD in place.

Randy


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

I have 2 S1's still sitting in the basement since 2007 when we upgraded to 2 S3's and transferred the lifetime service. No real value but I can't force myself to get rid of them either. 

Scott


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## sulli2p (Jan 8, 2004)

We just removed our DTVTiVo Series 1 from daily service in December. It is still sitting in our AV cabinet, as we occasionally hook it up to watch shows that are recorded on it. DTV wants their card back, but as soon as we pull it out, a permanent message is displayed on the screen to put the card back in. So DTV will get their card back when we are done watching all our old shows.

The Series 1 had a high end fan and Seagate HD upgrade in midlife (106 SD hrs), which is why it has lasted so long (13 yrs), and was still prepared to keep going. If I recall, we even switched the fan power from the motherboard, to the second HD cable, using an adapter. 

Not sure what we will do with it when we are really finished, looking to this thread for ideas. Thanks everyone.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

sulli2p said:


> We just removed our DTVTiVo Series 1 from daily service in December. It is still sitting in our AV cabinet, as we occasionally hook it up to watch shows that are recorded on it. DTV wants their card back, but as soon as we pull it out, a permanent message is displayed on the screen to put the card back in. So DTV will get their card back when we are done watching all our old shows.
> 
> The Series 1 had a high end fan and Seagate HD upgrade in midlife (106 SD hrs), which is why it has lasted so long (13 yrs), and was still prepared to keep going. If I recall, we even switched the fan power from the motherboard, to the second HD cable, using an adapter.
> 
> Not sure what we will do with it when we are really finished, looking to this thread for ideas. Thanks everyone.


Any dtv card should work.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

HerronScott said:


> I have 2 S1's still sitting in the basement since 2007 when we upgraded to 2 S3's and transferred the lifetime service. No real value but I can't force myself to get rid of them either.
> 
> Scott


I sold mine overseas. I think to someone in New Zealand.


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## khom (Aug 17, 2002)

They make a good security camera DVR, you can always review the last 30minutes in the buffer, or set it to manually record certain time intervals via a manual Season Pass.


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## tricerabottoms (Feb 9, 2013)

While a S1 could serve as a security DVR, modern security DVRs are very cheap and have many more features. A S1 would lack multi-channel capability, motion detection, PTZ control, email alerts, etc. 

I considered doing this with my own S1 at one time, but it made more sense just to buy the DVR from costco.com.


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## replaytv (Feb 21, 2011)

For the poor jobless, they still can be used as a DVR with a converter box but the TV lineup won't be totally accurate. You have to tell the TiVo that it is using satillite and use a DTV converter box and set it up for Dish box.
That is because there is no TiVo software update for series 1 TiVos for the converter boxes.


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## bkc56 (Apr 29, 2001)

What is this "old" you speak of? Our two Tivo series 1 units (with lifetime) are still in daily use.


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## P42 (Jan 7, 2003)

Doing what? Propping up a TV?


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

P42 said:


> Doing what? Propping up a TV?


Boat anchors


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## TiVoJedi (Mar 1, 2002)

Mine is in production as well hooked up to the old 27" tube TV in my basement in front of the hot tub. As long as Time Warner keeps passing analog basic cable it'll keep running. I fooled with the ATSC converter box (CECB) stuff and then my drive died a couple years ago and I didn't bother to redo it. 

This DVR will be in a museum someday. I watch a lot of Pawn Stars on mine and in 100 years it might be instead a subject on a show like that. LOL

I was curious though... does the TiVo company allot ONE lifetime transfer? Maybe I should get one of them new-fangled TiVos.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

TiVoJedi said:


> I was curious though... does the TiVo company allot ONE lifetime transfer? Maybe I should get one of them new-fangled TiVos.


go read the FAQs. If you got the lifetime BEFORE a certain date (early 2000 IIRC), they allow you one transfer.. That's due to poorly worded legalize IMHO.. They always intended you to require a subscription, IMHO.


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## TiVoJedi (Mar 1, 2002)

mattack said:


> go read the FAQs. If you got the lifetime BEFORE a certain date (early 2000 IIRC), they allow you one transfer.. That's due to poorly worded legalize IMHO.. They always intended you to require a subscription, IMHO.


I didn't activate mine until 10/11/2000 and bought lifetime on 3/8/2002 so I guess I missed that opportunity.


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## brucedl (Jun 19, 2001)

My Series 1 had been sitting unused since about 2011 when my father said it stopped working. I had been getting my Tivo service through satellite, and then through rented cable TiVo boxes, and occasionally thought about transferring that lifetime service, but never did, until now. I had purchased the lifetime on it in 1999! Happy TiVo user here.

Now, what to do with this Series 1, which actually still does boot up??


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## lessd (Jan 23, 2005)

brucedl said:


> My Series 1 had been sitting unused since about 2011 when my father said it stopped working. I had been getting my Tivo service through satellite, and then through rented cable TiVo boxes, and occasionally thought about transferring that lifetime service, but never did, until now. I had purchased the lifetime on it in 1999! Happy TiVo user here.
> 
> Now, what to do with this Series 1, which actually still does boot up??


The shipping cost is more than it is worth, unless you find somebody nearby, then it still not worth the trouble to set it up, Toss it, as you got your money worth from it.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

If you itemize your deductions for tax purposes, donate it to goodwill.


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## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

brucedl said:


> My Series 1 had been sitting unused since about 2011 when my father said it stopped working. I had been getting my Tivo service through satellite, and then through rented cable TiVo boxes, and occasionally thought about transferring that lifetime service, but never did, until now. I had purchased the lifetime on it in 1999! Happy TiVo user here.
> 
> Now, what to do with this Series 1, which actually still does boot up??


So you HAVE transferred the lifetime?


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## gthassell (Apr 22, 2003)

be sure to check the original activation date on any old Series 1, especially the PTV100 model. If the original LIFETIME activation date is prior to January 21, 2000, then it is a special "grandfathered" unit, and the Lifetime service is transferable to any unsubscribed box with no commitment. 

Interesting thing is that when it does get transferred, the S1 appears to have never been activated, and the new box shows the S1's original Lifetime activation date.

As a result, I have a Roamio Pro that several CSR's have referred to as a "time travelling Roamio" because of it's 1999 activation date.


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## HerronScott (Jan 1, 2002)

gthassell said:


> Interesting thing is that when it does get transferred, the S1 appears to have never been activated, and the new box shows the S1's original Lifetime activation date.
> 
> As a result, I have a Roamio Pro that several CSR's have referred to as a "time travelling Roamio" because of it's 1999 activation date.


They did that when they had the $199 Lifetime service transfer offer for the S3 OLED's so one of ours has a 2000 activation date and the second has a 2002 activation date.

Scott


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

open dumpster, insert Tivo, close dumpster.


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## brucedl (Jun 19, 2001)

Wil said:


> So you HAVE transferred the lifetime?


Yes. the Lifetime has been transferred. Best tech purchase ever made.


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## kettledrum (Nov 17, 2003)

b_scott said:


> open dumpster, insert Tivo, close dumpster.


At a minimum you should take this to an electronics recycling place rather than put this in the landfill.

My area has several options for disposing of old electronics for free.

Here is a site that help assist with this. http://www.eiae.org/


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## b_scott (Nov 27, 2006)

kettledrum said:


> At a minimum you should take this to an electronics recycling place rather than put this in the landfill.
> 
> My area has several options for disposing of old electronics for free.
> 
> Here is a site that help assist with this. http://www.eiae.org/


:up:


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

kettledrum said:


> At a minimum you should take this to an electronics recycling place rather than put this in the landfill.
> 
> My area has several options for disposing of old electronics for free.
> 
> Here is a site that help assist with this. http://www.eiae.org/


I think any Best Buy will accept old electronics for recycling.


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