# Will Mini Price drop again?



## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

I just recently got a Roamio basic and i was excited to read all the articles about the mini being sold for as low as $85 in some cases with lifetime service. It seems most of these deals have dried up. The best I can see right now is at Frys.com for $119. With Tivo holding steady on the mini with product lifetime service at $150 do you think we will see any of these deals come back either now or for black friday?:up:


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

The $85 Mini lifetime deals were more of an accident. They only occurred during a short period of transition from the old Mini pricing model to the new pricing model, and the retailers didn't catch on to the pricing change right away. 

$119 for a Mini is a really good price. I would not expect to see any lower price than that.


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

That's to bad. Sucks to have missed the boat. I noticed on slick deals they had posted a deal from amazon for $85 slightly earlier last month. Also yoyo.com seemed to be selling them for roughly 100$ the beginning of this month... So sad.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7187140-tivo-mini-no-more-lifetime-fees-get-one-for-84-99-amazon-ymmv?v=1

http://slickdeals.net/f/7240806-tivo-mini-in-stock-at-yo-yo-com-100-79?v=1


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

$119 is not bad at all when you consider that previously it was $85 for the unit and then $150 for the service making it $235 total.

This is how TiVo should have priced them from day one.


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

I still feel that price is to high. Something is only worth what someone will pay for it. When Tivo attempts to charge $150 for it out the door, I doubt many people will be interested. Correct me if I'm wrong but the mini is basically a streaming device that integrates with the mini? Other streaming devices are far less expensive. (Chromecast, FireStick, Roku? I follow your logic but I doubt they will move many units at the $150 price point or even the $120 price point when the general public knows that similar streaming devices sell for $35? I realize I'm being flippant comparing the two devices but at their cores aren't they the same? With the exception of a Remote and MoCa? Thoughts?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

The Mini is an extension of your TiVo. It offers the full TiVo experience in another room. Because it needs to run the full TiVo UI and stream shows in MPEG-2 it has more expensive hardware then a typical streaming only box. 

That being said there are some rumors that TiVo is developing apps for devices like the Roku or FireTV that would allow them to stream shows to another TV. If $120 is too much for you then you might want to hold out for that.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

ldarcangelo said:


> I still feel that price is to high. Something is only worth what someone will pay for it. When Tivo attempts to charge $150 for it out the door, I doubt many people will be interested. Correct me if I'm wrong but the mini is basically a streaming device that integrates with the mini? Other streaming devices are far less expensive. (Chromecast, FireStick, Roku? I follow your logic but I doubt they will move many units at the $150 price point or even the $120 price point when the general public knows that similar streaming devices sell for $35? I realize I'm being flippant comparing the two devices but at their cores aren't they the same? With the exception of a Remote and MoCa? Thoughts?


I bought 2 Minis w/lifetime about a year ago for $236 each. For me, it was a good deal, since I used them to replace 2 TWC cable boxes that were costing me about $12/month each. So if you are using them to replace a cable box that has a rental fee, the Mini is a good deal. If you are just using it as an internet streaming device, there are much better options.


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

That's interesting, I didn't know they ran the full UI. I figured it was a slimmed down version of the HD Tivo menu. I agree also with the comment about not having to pay the cable jerks $10 a month or so for a set top box. I think I'll still hold out until the price goes to $100 as my house is working with MoCa and it would be nice to have something that easily integrates... So no one thinks a black friday deal might happen on these?


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## csell (Apr 16, 2007)

Question - So the price now is anywhere between $120 and $150 but includes lifetime service. But I've read several places where it says "through Jan 6th". Now does that mean after Jan 6th, these prices with the lifetime are no longer included?


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

csell said:


> Question - So the price now is anywhere between $120 and $150 but includes lifetime service. But I've read several places where it says "through Jan 6th". Now does that mean after Jan 6th, these prices with the lifetime are no longer included?


I don't think so, I think Tivo is going to release some sort of new Tivo mini. My hope is this will drive the regular Tivo Mini's price way down. I would imagine the newly Tivoneered mini would have a higher price point and won't include lifetime service.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

csell said:


> Question - So the price now is anywhere between $120 and $150 but includes lifetime service. But I've read several places where it says "through Jan 6th". Now does that mean after Jan 6th, these prices with the lifetime are no longer included?


Possibly, but I doubt it. I really don't think they will go back to service fees for the Mini. They seem to have committed to no Mini service fees. The January 6th date may just be the release date for the "new" Mini, which might be priced higher than the "old" Mini.


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

Any idea what features the new Mini might have / would it be worth the wait?


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

ldarcangelo said:


> Any idea what features the new Mini might have / would it be worth the wait?


The most likely added feature will be the RF Roamio remote rather than the IR Premiere remote.


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

That would be nice. It's an awesome feature of the Roamio. I'd pay $250 per mini if they would start to support DLNA from my NAS. PyTivo Kind of does this but not as good as it could be.


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

I have a discount code that I need to use, so I tried to apply it to a Mini - it wouldn't take. I called customer service and they told me the current Mini was already at a special discounted price and a discount code could not be used.

Whether or not TiVo will call it a service fee - I do expect the Price to go up once the updated TiVo comes out.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

ldarcangelo said:


> That would be nice. It's an awesome feature of the Roamio. I'd pay $250 per mini if they would start to support DLNA from my NAS. PyTivo Kind of does this but not as good as it could be.


Have you seen the Plex app?

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=512505


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## StrynBean (Aug 5, 2004)

If I buy the Mini through Amazon or any other place, does that include the lifetime service?


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

$119 is great. Jump on that. Most people got in for $100 during the switchover. $119 is only $20 more and a good deal below list and far better than all those who bought them for $250 a year ago. 

Doubtful it falls anytime soon since they just dropped the price. But they may release a new Mini this January with updated remote and rf ...

Not sure if the price would go up then or not. But probably wouldn't fall more.


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

StrynBean said:


> If I buy the Mini through Amazon or any other place, does that include the lifetime service?


Yes. All Minis can now be activated with lifetime service for free, at least until January 6.


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## shwru980r (Jun 22, 2008)

ldarcangelo said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong but the mini is basically a streaming device that integrates with the mini? Other streaming devices are far less expensive. (Chromecast, FireStick, Roku? I follow your logic but I doubt they will move many units at the $150 price point or even the $120 price point when the general public knows that similar streaming devices sell for $35?


The mini is essentially a plug and play HD cable box that you own. How much extra would your cable company charge you per month for an extra HD cable box? I think the mini pays for itself in about a year. None of the other devices you mention will access your cable TV programming directly and you also need to pay an additional monthly subscription to a streaming service like netflix to watch anything.


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## scottfll954 (Jul 31, 2012)

I just picked up one at best buy for 114.99...

they matched SAMS CLUB...

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/tivo-mini-dvr-home-dvr/prod13280052.ip?navAction=


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## ldarcangelo (Oct 29, 2014)

Good find... I'll give this a shot and see if it works.


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## wwu123 (May 15, 2008)

Just FYI, Mini's are $109.99 today only at Fry's in-store and online with free shipping:

http://www.frys.com/product/7821639?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


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## dave13077 (Jan 11, 2009)

wwu123 said:


> Just FYI, Mini's are $109.99 today only at Fry's in-store and online with free shipping:
> 
> http://www.frys.com/product/7821639?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG


It appears only available in store now.


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## bcrider (Oct 31, 2000)

Just now seeing the "Lifetime Service fee" included in the $149 price at tivo.com. If I were to buy a TiVo Mini from another store (say Frys, Best Buy, Amazon, etc.) would those include free lifetime service or is this a "buy from tivo.com only" sort of deal?


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## bradleys (Oct 31, 2007)

As long as you activate your Mini before that January 6th change - you can buy the Mini from anywhere.

We do not know what pricing change / hardware change will be made on January 6th, we only know that is the magical date announced well in advance by TiVo that the pricing structure will change. (Hint, the price will not go down )

Fair warning.


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## sangs (Jan 1, 2003)

bcrider said:


> Just now seeing the "Lifetime Service fee" included in the $149 price at tivo.com. If I were to buy a TiVo Mini from another store (say Frys, Best Buy, Amazon, etc.) would those include free lifetime service or is this a "buy from tivo.com only" sort of deal?


Yes. Recently bought three from Best Buy - price matched at $119 from Sam's Club - and lifetime was included.


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## bcrider (Oct 31, 2000)

Wow, Christmas just came early this year, that's great! Also, thanks for the head's up about price matching with Sam's Club!


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## mrizzo80 (Apr 17, 2012)

sangs said:


> Yes. Recently bought three from Best Buy - price matched at $119 from Sam's Club - and lifetime was included.


Did this earlier today at lunch for $114.xx.

Tried to do it yesterday evening, but SamsClub.com search was erroring out the entire time I was at Best Buy.


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## B. Target (May 2, 2000)

scottfll954 said:


> I just picked up one at best buy for 114.99...
> 
> they matched SAMS CLUB...
> 
> http://www.samsclub.com/sams/tivo-mini-dvr-home-dvr/prod13280052.ip?navAction=


Thanks Scott...I just picked up two mini's at Best Buy for the 114.99 price. Great find, thanks for the post.


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## fenwic (Dec 9, 2014)

Has anyone purchased a Mini, on sale, from a non-TiVo source, and activated included lifetime service _recently_?

I ask because folks in the question section on Amazon report that TiVo CSRs are telling them that lifetime service is only included if the Mini is purchased directly from TiVo.

When I asked via Twitter on 11/14/14, they replied:
@TiVoSupport: @fenwic Yes, the Lifetime service is included no matter where it is purchased!


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/533453838846787585
But today, they replied to the same question, with a twist:
@TiVoSupport: @reldnahcire Hey Eric, great question! If a unit is purchased at full price ($149.99) even with other vendors, the service is included.


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/542017807932985345


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## mrizzo80 (Apr 17, 2012)

fenwic said:


> Has anyone purchased a Mini, on sale, from a non-TiVo source, and activated included lifetime service _recently_?
> 
> I ask because folks in the question section on Amazon report that TiVo CSRs are telling them lifetime service is only included if the Mini purchased directly from TiVo.
> 
> ...


Yes. ~10 days ago I had Best Buy price match SamsClub.com for $114.xx. I went to TiVo.com and activated the box with Lifetime Service for $0.00.


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## fenwic (Dec 9, 2014)

mrizzo80 said:


> Yes. ~10 days ago I had Best Buy price match SamsClub.com for $114.xx. I went to TiVo.com and activated the box with Lifetime Service for $0.00.


Oh, excellent, that gives me enough confidence to _not_ cancel my Amazon order. Thanks for the quick reply  And wow, great deal!


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

fenwic said:


> Oh, excellent, that gives me enough confidence to _not_ cancel my Amazon order. Thanks for the quick reply  And wow, great deal!


Just activate it before January 6 and you will get the free lifetime. TiVo's own CSRs are confused about this, so you should ignore them.


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## fenwic (Dec 9, 2014)

tarheelblue32 said:


> Just activate it before January 6 and you will get the free lifetime. TiVo's own CSRs are confused about this, so you should ignore them.


I'm so glad I checked here. I read through this and other threads and didn't see any reports of anyone being denied free/included lifetime service. Such needless confusion out there over this :|

Thanks for the deadline reminder. My order is due to arrive in a week, so that's plenty of time


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

fenwic said:


> Has anyone purchased a Mini, on sale, from a non-TiVo source, and activated included lifetime service recently? I ask because folks in the question section on Amazon report that TiVo CSRs are telling them that lifetime service is only included if the Mini is purchased directly from TiVo. When I asked via Twitter on 11/14/14, they replied: @TiVoSupport: @fenwic Yes, the Lifetime service is included no matter where it is purchased!
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/533453838846787585 But today, they replied to the same question, with a twist: @TiVoSupport: @reldnahcire Hey Eric, great question! If a unit is purchased at full price ($149.99) even with other vendors, the service is included.
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/542017807932985345


They have absolutely no way of knowing how much you paid for your mini from a third party reseller, unless you tell them.

I got in on the original deal (before resellers were told of the new pricing scheme) and got my mini from Amazon for ~$84. I went online and activated the free lifetime service with no issues whatsoever.


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## chiguy50 (Nov 9, 2009)

fenwic said:


> I'm so glad I checked here. I read through this and other threads and didn't see any reports of anyone being denied free/included lifetime service. Such needless confusion out there over this :|
> 
> Thanks for the deadline reminder. My order is due to arrive in a week, so that's plenty of time





HarperVision said:


> They have absolutely no way of knowing how much you paid for your mini from a third party reseller, unless you tell them.
> 
> I got in on the original deal (before resellers were told of the new pricing scheme) and got my mini from Amazon for ~$84. I went online and activated the free lifetime service with no issues whatsoever.


Be on the lookout for more holiday deals on the Mini from retailers.

Yesterday there was a discount code at RadioShack (since expired) resulting in a Mini sale price of *$101.21* plus free shipping. It's not as great a deal as Dave's* ~$84* from Amazon last September (or my *$82.60* including tax at BestBuy) but it's still a bargain considering that PLS is included.


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## trip1eX (Apr 2, 2005)

Who knows. Depends on how many old models they have out there in the wild. 

I can only guess there will some incentives to clearance out the old to make way for the new. But who knows how deep the discounts will run.


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