# Another lifetime transfer offer



## marlborobell (Jun 21, 2002)

I haven't seen this posted anywhere, but I just got an e-mail from TiVo offering me an S2DT with transfer of lifetime for $299, for people who have had lifetime since 6/15/2003 or earlier. That's kind of appealing given that my S1 is definitely feeling its age. The offer is good until 7/23/2007.

Anyone else had that e-mail? It definitely feels like a worthwhile offer to me, but I wonder if it's a prelude to dropping support for S1s.

And can anyone enlighten me on why that's the cutoff date? Is it just 'you've had lifetime for four years, we want to make sure you pay us some more money'?

Anyway, details at http://www.tivo.com/transfer/

*ETA: *I've just read the fine print of the offer. It says "This offer is not eligible for multi-service discount". Ugh. If that's true I'm not taking it, because my other TiVo is paying $6.95/month and I don't want to see that go up to something ridiculous...


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## pjtait (Feb 12, 2007)

Weren't these boxes free-after-rebate or service commitment a while back? How good a deal is this?


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## natkins (Oct 16, 2004)

I did. And it's very tempting!


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## gangeli (Feb 6, 2002)

eh, i got this offer. currently have a series 2, with upgraded hard drive capacity.

so, lets see, for $300 i get a 2nd tuner. a bit pricey for my taste. $200 and i probably would have done it.

I was actually pretty excited when i saw the email, i thought they were going to offer to let me transfer the lifetime to high def tivo for $300


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## KRKeegan (Jul 20, 2004)

Yeah I got the email too. I was really interested at first, but I didn't previously realize how limited the DT boxes are. 

Can anyone answer a few DT questions for me?

1. Can i hook up two seperate cable boxes to this thing so that I can record any channel?

2. Or am i limited to 1 digital cable box and then just plug the other input directly into the wall and pray that the cable company gives me a few analog channels?


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## gadgetkid (Oct 10, 2002)

marlborobell said:


> This offer is not eligible for multi-service discount.


Can you point me to where you read this fineprint?


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## gadgetkid (Oct 10, 2002)

KRKeegan said:


> Can i hook up two seperate cable boxes to this thing so that I can record any channel?


No. The two sources are either both analog OR one digital and one analog. No OTA either.


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## agh3 (Mar 7, 2002)

From reading the fine print on those models on the main "Buy Tivo" links, it looks like 1 digital tuner, 1 analog connection only..not two digitals.

I have 2 lifetime and 2 S1 and will probably jump on this for at least one of the units..I doubt my S1's have much life left in them....still all original drives and all. (Always meant to upgrade them but never got around to it.)

The end date for the offer is July 23rd and you have to activate them before 8/31

Never having looked at the S2's...what's the catch on them? I still have analog cable here with no boxes..just basic. Comcast is constantly pushing me to upgrade to digital service...I've resisted so far.


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## pendragn (Jan 21, 2001)

I wish they'd run a special where you could buy a lifetime for the HD model.  I don't have any to transfer.

tk


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## MirclMax (Jul 12, 2000)

marlborobell said:


> I
> *ETA: *I've just read the fine print of the offer. It says "This offer is not eligible for multi-service discount". Ugh. If that's true I'm not taking it, because my other TiVo is paying $6.95/month and I don't want to see that go up to something ridiculous...


Where is this fine print located? This makes the offer a whole heck of a lot less tempting. Especially since you can pick up the box for $99 after rebate ... so $200 @ 6.95/month is ~29 months of service .. Now I can see paying the amount in lifetime to assume you're going to go over 29 months of usage (easily) .. but if you have another box on the account that jumps up $6/month .. that could really sour the deal.

-MirclMax


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

I got it as well. I've had my tivo since 1999 (WOW!) and upgraded the hard drive a few years back. It runs great but I wouldnt mind some of the series 2 features. For $300 its not that bad I guess. 

Anyone else have some thoughts?


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

I'd really like an HD tivo over SD. My FIOS TV is so crisp, I'd hate to lose any quality or have to watch HD on a separate (non-tivo) input.


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## minckster (Aug 31, 2006)

Although not obvious, the term "Review all terms" at the bottom of the tivo.com/transfer page is a link to http://www.tivo.com/promo/series2plt_terms.html

#7 says (emphasis added), "TiVo Service 30 day Money Back Guarantee does not apply to this offer. There are NO returns, refunds, or exchanges in connection with this offer except as otherwise permitted pursuant to the dvrs manufacturer warranty. *This offer is not elgible for multi-service discount.*"

It's not clear to me what that means.


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## KRKeegan (Jul 20, 2004)

I would still think your MSD would still apply to your non-lifetime one after you upgrade. I don't think their intention is to sneak that one past you. I would just give them a call confirm it and see if you can get something in writing or at least get the name of the CSR just to CYA.


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

I still think a lifetime tivo is more valuable to some people. I'm concidering taking this offer, Activating it and selling it to someone for more than $300. Then using that money to get the HD Tivo

OH THE DECISIONS TO BE MADE!!!!!


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

My current Series 2 qualifies for the upgrade... hmmm... rather tempting... I have a 230 model right now though, upgraded to a 300GB drive, and the 230 model seems to be a better unit, hardware-wise.

The only benefit I'd get is a second tuner, and I have a Series 3 already. Would probably make better financial sense to buy another single-tuner S2 and use MSD on it (considering the life-span of the analog-only models is starting to look rather short)... I could get an 80-hour DT with 2 years of service for $288.79...


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

> #7 says (emphasis added), "TiVo Service 30 day Money Back Guarantee does not apply to this offer. There are NO returns, refunds, or exchanges in connection with this offer except as otherwise permitted pursuant to the dvrs manufacturer warranty. This offer is not elgible for multi-service discount."


 Well it says the same thing in the MSD agreement


> From TiVo:
> TiVo Package, Annual, Prepaid, and Product Lifetime Subscriptions are not eligible to receive the MULTI-SERVICE DISCOUNT


 What counts is that a TiVo with lifetime service is a qualifying subscription (which it is) - so your other TiVos can get the MSD.

Thanks,


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## Goontoe (Jan 7, 2002)

I've had a Series1 TiVo since 2001 and just last week bought a Series2 and activated it. Does anyone know if I would be eligible to move my lifetime from my Series1 to my new Series2 that I bought last week? It's a shame to think I would miss out on this by just a few days.

-G


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

> considering the life-span of the analog-only models is starting to look rather short


Hey, Do you mean the DT Tivos they are offering in this special seem to have less of a life-span?


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## Thos19 (Dec 31, 2002)

So...if you have a Series 1 with lifetime, is this possibly your final chance to switch from the analog Series 1 to a digital series 2?

Is it for certain that Series 1 units will become doorstops in 2009 when analog TV broadcast transmissions cease, or would I be safe if I have a converter box from Comcast?

Thos.


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## sw10025 (May 16, 2000)

The one digital one analog tuner isn't a problem for me (at least now) nor is the fact that unit doesn't have HD because the landlord won't let me put up a second dish to get high def, so I'm stuck at least until I move. I'm assuming I can use the digital tuner and ignore the analog one and the Tivo won't care, right?

ALL of my Tivos that are in use are on lifetime, is there a limit on the number you can switch over? I think all that language about multi discounts relates to monthly payments, right?


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## GBL (Apr 20, 2000)

fishtank22 said:


> I got it as well. I've had my tivo *since 1999* (WOW!) and upgraded the hard drive a few years back. It runs great but I wouldnt mind some of the series 2 features. For $300 its not that bad I guess.
> 
> Anyone else have some thoughts?


fishtank22, if indeed you had lifetime on your S1 since 1999, you'd be eligible to transfer your lifetime subscription once (e.g. to a S3), no charge involved!

See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5242935&&#post5242935


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## MiakioAmy (Oct 2, 2002)

I have two lifetime S1s, so I may jump on this. Besides the dual tuners, I would love the updates over my network rather than dial-up using my Vonage line (which can be flaky).


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## refried (Dec 22, 2005)

This looks like a good deal for S1 lifetime owners. I shipped mine to my parents at the beginning of the year. I'm going to check with them to see if they want to take advantage of it. They don't have broadband where they are, but I'm sure they'd like the dual tuners. I'll be envious.

I'll stick with my S2 DVDR.


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## susandennis (Dec 10, 2001)

I just taked to TiVo and asked if the liftetime swap from my oooooold Series I Sony to a spiffy new DT will affect the month discounts on my other TiVos. She said no.

So I re-asked... so, after I pay the $300 bucks to buy this one, my total montly TiVo bill will not change? She said "Correct".

So I ordered the new one!


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## BiloxiGeek (Nov 18, 2001)

I just got the email offer. The dual tuner would be a nice feature to have. I gotta think about this one. I have a Sony S1 and a Phillips S1, plus 2 Tivo S2's, all with lifetime service. I use the S2's all the time since they're in different rooms. The Sony is slowly collecting each and every episode of South Park, thanks to big honking hard drives. The Phillips isn't used right now. This is getting more and more tempting when I think about replacing one of the S2's with the new Dual Tuner. 

If I took this offer I guess I could sell off one of the S2's since it'd be fairly redundant.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

I've got a (modded) 80-hour sony Series 1 with lifetime.

So for $300 I get:

An additional analog tuner to use between now and the Digital TV broadcast deadline in 2009 (or whenever my cable co. decides to switch over);

A TiVo that's more likely to have support added for the latest Digital cable boxes when the switchover does come;

And all the S2 bells & whistles (and broadcast flags...  ).

Oh, and since the S1s will still work unsubbed, I can use mine as a 'VCR' even if I don't reactivate it on a monthly plan (I assume they'll reactivate it montly?).


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## dbtom (Feb 14, 2002)

I can't imagine that this deal makes sense. There have frequently been Tivo boxes free after rebate. At $7 for MSD, you'd have about 3.5 years until that would cost you $299 (and you'd have another Tivo!). 

I've had an S1 Tivo since about 1999. I did one transfer and bought another S2 so I have two Series 2s and 1 series 1. I thought for a minute it would be an S3 offer. Then I probably would have done it.


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## TiVo Steve (Nov 8, 2005)

The Dual-Tuner TiVo will become a Single-Tuner TiVo on Feb 17th 2009! :down: 

I think TiVo is dumping these models early...


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

I received the offer, too. I originally activated Lifetime on my Sony S1 back in 02/02, and a year later added our current S2, which I subsequently upgraded with a second drive.

I can't see myself shelling out $300 to replace the S2, but the person I sold the S1 to never did respond to my emails regarding transferring the unit to his account, hence it's still in my name, under my Tivo account. Guess I'll try to find out if he's still using it or whether it's gone to the electronic graveyard - replacing an S1 that I don't even have any more, sounds like a much more attractive proposition!

Anyone know if the TiVo Customer Service reps can verify whether a particular Service Number is still in use, if I can't get in touch with him?


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

TiVo Steve said:


> The Dual-Tuner TiVo will become a Single-Tuner TiVo on Feb 17th 2009! :down:


That is clearly inaccurate. You may only be able to use one tuner NOW or you may be able to use both tuners well past 2009. If you are using it for cable, it is all up to your cable company. AFAIK, that deadline does not necessarily affect when a cable company will cut off analog.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

dbtom said:


> I can't imagine that this deal makes sense. There have frequently been Tivo boxes free after rebate. At $7 for MSD, you'd have about 3.5 years until that would cost you $299 (and you'd have another Tivo!).
> 
> I've had an S1 Tivo since about 1999. I did one transfer and bought another S2 so I have two Series 2s and 1 series 1. I thought for a minute it would be an S3 offer. Then I probably would have done it.


The main benefit I can see is that you move your Lifetime to the new unit, which is likely to last, and be fully supported, for a longer period of time. Otherwise it's pretty much a wash.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

TiVo Steve said:


> The Dual-Tuner TiVo will become a Single-Tuner TiVo on Feb 17th 2009! :down:


How so? the OTA cut-off date doesn't affect the DT one way or the other, since they don't even support antenna input.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Another point to consider... if we take advantage of this offer, does our Lifetime "birthday" remain undisturbed, or does it update to now, thus making us no longer eligible for any possible similar "old-timer" offers that might come down the pike at a later date.

If I took up this offer and subsequently missed out on a chance to transfer to an S3, I'd be pissed.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

rainwater said:


> That is clearly inaccurate. You may only be able to use one tuner NOW or you may be able to use both tuners well past 2009. If you are using it for cable, it is all up to your cable company. AFAIK, that deadline does not necessarily affect when a cable company will cut off analog.


True. However, I would argue that, lacking any specific knowledge about your particular cable co.'s plans, the 2009 cut-off date is a good rule of thumb. I'd lay odds that at least one cable co. times their own switchover to coincide with this, if only to use it as an excuse when analog-tier customers complain about the new mandatory converter boxes ("don't blame us, it's the gub'mint mandate!").


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## Bsteenson (Jul 30, 2000)

I'm going to jump on this. I've got two S1s with lifetime, and one has had a bad modem for years (if I leave it plugged into a phone line no one can call in to our number, so I have to plug it in every 10 days or so to get program info). I keep it running mostly to quality for multi-unit discount on my three other S2s.

Other S1 with lifetime went off to college with daughter, and she's moving into an apartment without landline, so I was either going to have to mod her S1 to do ethernet or get a new S2, and since she's at a different address she'd be paying full price for service. Now she can get a brand new S2 with twice as many tuners and lifetime service.

Am I correct that if your service is basic cable coming out of the wall and not going through a box, you can simply split the cable and use both tuners?


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Bsteenson said:


> Am I correct that if your service is basic cable coming out of the wall and not going through a box, you can simply split the cable and use both tuners?


I don't have a S2 DT, but I'd be surprised if you had to split the cable. I assume one input handles both tuners.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Question:

I bought a used series one off of ebay in January, 2004. I left it unsubbed until about February or March 2005, at whcih point I subbed it for $6.95 / month. One month later, TiVo announced they were getting rid of lifetime, so I quickly upgraded my series one to lifetime at that time.

So does this mean I can't upgrade my series one to a DT lifetime, because I haven't had my series 1 subbed as lifetime long enough?


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## Pvgibbs (Jul 5, 2005)

I think there are a bunch of Sony S1 folks there are in the same boat as me. 

I think these are the choices: 

1- Do nothing, hope a better lifetime transfer option comes up (fingers crossed) before the S1 becomes a doorstop* in 2009

OR

2- Transfer now for $299 to S2 DT -- which becomes a single tuner* in 2009

OR (if you are lucky) 

3- Transfer Lifetime to S3 if you bought before Jan 2000


* IF Comcast does not continue to carry Analog signals in 2009


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Another question. I have analog cable. In 2009, suppose my cable forces me to go digital. I assume I'll be able to get a converter box that will convert the digital signal to analog to go into my TiVo, right? And if I have a DT, couldn't I get two converter boxes, and somehow get my DT TiVo to send IR signals to the 2 boxes, in order that my DT TiVo can record two shows at one on different channels? So it won't become a one tuner TiVO, right?

Edit: I just remembered, that I think DT's require one of the inputs to be analog. That's true, isn't it? 

How would this 2009 deadline really affect this? Won't our DT TiVos continue to work?


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

timckelley said:


> Question:
> 
> I bought a used series one off of ebay in January, 2004. I left it unsubbed until about February or March 2005, at whcih point I subbed it for $6.95 / month. One month later, TiVo announced they were getting rid of lifetime, so I quickly upgraded my series one to lifetime at that time.
> 
> So does this mean I can't upgrade my series one to a DT lifetime, because I haven't had my series 1 subbed as lifetime long enough?


Yes, according to the terms of this offer.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

timckelley said:


> I bought a used series one off of ebay in January, 2004. I left it unsubbed until about February or March 2005, at whcih point I subbed it for $6.95 / month. One month later, TiVo announced they were getting rid of lifetime, so I quickly upgraded my series one to lifetime at that time.
> 
> So does this mean I can't upgrade my series one to a DT lifetime, because I haven't had my series 1 subbed as lifetime long enough?


Considering the offer only applies to "Product Lifetime Service subscriptions activated before June 15, 2003," which is prior to _both_ the dates you mentioned, I'd say the answer is a pretty clear.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

It'd've maybe been a good deal for me had I qualified, because

a) both my TiVOs are lifetime, so it doesn't matter if multi-discounts are not eligible
b) I'd really like to able to transfer shows between TiVos. My other TiVo is a series 2, so if I could have converted the series 1 to a series 2 DT, I could have had multi-room viewing.

Darn. Yes, I could just buy a series 2, but I don't want to pay monthly, so I'm hanging on to my lifetimed series 1.


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## 1003 (Jul 14, 2000)

*Confused*
2 'cable tuners' are only hardware capable of analogue cable, not over the air or digital cable signals. If the local cable source ends analogue, one tuner only could be used with a cable company set top box. The set top box would then be providing the converted analogue signal and tuning the digital stations with the IR shooter. This appears to effectively stamp every dual tuner box with a clear expiration date...

I hope that there will be some sort of option for the dual tuner owners if thier cable system goes 100% digital. As things stand I will continue to keep my Series1 with one time grandfathered transfer and wait for some future offer that better suits my needs...


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

JJ said:


> *Confused*
> 2 'cable tuners' are only hardware capable of analogue cable, not over the air or digital cable signals. If the local cable source ends analogue, one tuner only could be used with a cable company set top box. The set top box would then be providing the converted analogue signal and tuning the digital stations with the IR shooter. This appears to effectively stamp every dual tuner box with a clear expiration date...[/SIZE]


Except there is no clear expiration date. There is no expiration date for analog cable. The cable companies might turn it off, but they might keep it going too.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

MickeS said:


> Except there is no clear expiration date. There is no expiration date for analog cable. The cable companies might turn it off, but they might keep it going too.


Indeed, many cities will likely insist that franchised cable companies continue to make analog available for quite some time.


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## 1003 (Jul 14, 2000)

*Agreed*
that none of us knows the actual expiration date. The fact that there is an expiration date for a major feature gives me some pause.

Cable operators will do what is most profitable without regard to the hardware we may choose to own. If going digital makes more channels available and forces customers to 'upgrade' from basic to digital packages it looks like a clear choice for any CEO who wants a big bonus...


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

marlborobell said:


> for people who have had lifetime since 6/15/2003 or earlier.


That's an interesting date. The lifetime revenue is spread over 4 years.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

I wonder why they care about 6/15/2003 or any other date. While they'd be giving us a lifetime sub, we'd also be forfeiting our old lifetime sub. I don't see how they make any more or less money by making the cutoff 6/15/2003 vs any other date.


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

susandennis said:


> I just taked to TiVo and asked if the liftetime swap from my oooooold Series I Sony to a spiffy new DT will affect the month discounts on my other TiVos. She said no.
> 
> So I re-asked... so, after I pay the $300 bucks to buy this one, my total montly TiVo bill will not change? She said "Correct".
> 
> So I ordered the new one!


Hi folks, I just wanted to confirm that this is absolutely correct. The Terms are a little confusing (and will be revised). Basically they were just trying to say that since this is a Product Lifetime unit, it won't be charged at the MSD rate. Which is, of course, kind of a given, since it's Product Lifetime, not monthly.

It still will qualify OTHER units for the MSD price, just as it does today.

Best regards,
Stephen


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## TiVoStephen (Jun 27, 2000)

I'll check into it, but I believe that if you take advantage of this offer, we really are just transferring a new TiVo Service Number onto your existing Product Lifetime order, so your sales order date won't change.


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## alansh (Jan 3, 2003)

The Series 2 DT has two input streams. One can come from a cable box (via RF, composite cables, or S-video). The other can only come from an analog cable input, without using a cable box.

The Series 2 DT has just a single IR blaster, so it can only control a single cable box. If the cable company cuts off their analog broadcasts, the TiVo can still control the cable box stream.

Although some cable companies might use the over-the-air cutoff date to discontinue their own analog channels, there's nothing to require it. For that matter, they could do it today. AT&T's U-verse and Qwest's Choice TV are 100% digital and have never offered analog channels.


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## KenNashua (May 24, 2001)

All,

Not trying to fearmonger, as I for one always thought cable would keep analog past the 2009 cutoff (the 2009 cutoff is for broadcasters, not cable) because it would be economically cheaper to keep at least some of the basic tier as analog for those 2nd, 3rd, and 4th televisions in the household.

Surprisingly to me, that may not be the case. Analog equipment is actually being end-of-lifed in some cases causing cable to move to all-digital sooner rather than later. Other motivators are for them to be able to reallocate bandwidth to more channels or other services.

I'll point you all to an article that came out a while ago about Comcast/Chicago:

Stupid system won't let me put in the URL to the article, so google "chicago comcast digital" and look for the Multichannel News and Chicaco Tribue articles -- 2nd and 4th link.

I'm in the same boat as I have a Philips S1, but to me, it still seems a better deal to get a near-FAR Series 2 Dual Tuner and just do the $6.95 MSD.


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## StSebastian (Dec 8, 2003)

timckelley said:


> I wonder why they care about 6/15/2003 or any other date. While they'd be giving us a lifetime sub, we'd also be forfeiting our old lifetime sub. I don't see how they make any more or less money by making the cutoff 6/15/2003 vs any other date.


The revenue is accounted for over 4 years (Revenue of Lifetime subscription divided by 48 is recognized each month for accounting purposes). Anyone with a subscription date prior to 6/15/2003 is bundled into the group of users that is no longer being recognized for revenue but costs money for them to service. From the last annual report:


> As of January 31, 2007, we had approximately 165,000 product lifetime subscriptions that had exceeded the four-year period we use to recognize product lifetime subscription revenues and had made contact to the TiVo service within the prior six-month period. This represents approximately 23% of our cumulative lifetime subscriptions as compared to 13% in fiscal year ended January 31, 2005.


So there are 165K potential users they have up there that they can upgrade, and if they can get them to upgrade then they can start recognizing revenue from them for another 3-4 years. If they take the $299 and consider it to be a 3-year subscription plan (and that they gave away the box for free), then it will look like the paying subscribers increased for the next three years while that revenue is recognized each month. That will definitely look good to the market and investors, because they've found a way to at least temporarily monetize these lifetime subscribers again.

That's only part of the fun of accounting and revenue recognition for service providers, with long duration subscription plans, and part of the reason they got rid of them. They can be a royal pain when it comes time to do the accounting, and even worse when the subscription fee paid doesn't cover the amount of time that an account continues to use the service.

On a TiVo note, I have a lifetime Series1 from late 2000, hacked with an Ethernet card and extra drives (twice). I'm looking at doing this because I'd like the Series 2 features and I've started to have some very weird "hiccups" with my Series 1 box (extremely delayed channel changing, slow reaction time, intermittent display issues) and I figure after running for 6.5 years, it's probably starting to have some issues. This gives me an opportunity to start with a new box and I can MSD the original Series 1 if I want to keep it around. I don't feel like it will last 18-24 months, so I'd be better being able to keep my lifetime on a new Series 2 box.


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## MungoJerrie (Mar 30, 2006)

Aren't we getting a little carried away? By February 2009, won't tivo practically be giving away Series 3's? I'm confident that if DT's become obsolete by then, tivo will offer another "upgrade" to keep their customer base as opposed to losing them to say CableCo DVR's.


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## AlanShutko (May 23, 2001)

It looked good to me (Sony S1 here) but the website is saying my Tivo (activated 2001) doesn't count. Wonder what's up with that...


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## dcrunner (Jan 13, 2005)

I think this promotion is another great example of how good Tivo is at alienating their loyal customers. I've got a Series 1 Sony, and I'd jump at this if it applied to an S3.

But, alas....


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

dcrunner said:


> I think this promotion is another great example of how good Tivo is at alienating their loyal customers. I've got a Series 1 Sony, and I'd jump at this if it applied to an S3.
> 
> But, alas....


They did, for many months.


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## Pvgibbs (Jul 5, 2005)

Ditto - "I've got a Series 1 Sony, and I'd jump at this if it applied to an S3."


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

c3 said:


> They did, for many months.


True...of course it was only about $1000 total (200 upgrade fee and 800 for the box). I think most of us would jump at an S3 even if it was more than the 299 in this offer, but 1000 is an awful lot for most of us to pay for a box that's not REQUIRED to watch tv (even if it is a Tivo...).

That said, I'm considering this deal myself...but I have to agree. If this was an S3 (even if it was a little more money), I'd probably be all over it. As it is, I'm going to have to ponder it for a bit...I'm tempted but I have to think about the long-term issues for that kind of money being spent on a S2...


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

It's just an offer, you don't have to take it and I'm sure there will be others.



dcrunner said:


> I think this promotion is another great example of how good Tivo is at alienating their loyal customers. I've got a Series 1 Sony, and I'd jump at this if it applied to an S3.
> 
> But, alas....


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

When there is no promotion, people complain.
When there is promotion, people complain.
When TiVo raises prices, people complain.
When TiVo drops prices, people complain.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

dcrunner said:


> I think this promotion is another great example of how good Tivo is at alienating their loyal customers. I've got a Series 1 Sony, and I'd jump at this if it applied to an S3.
> 
> But, alas....


I've got a Series 1 Philips, and I'd jump at this if it applied to a S3 that supported SDV.

But, alas....


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## davezatz (Apr 18, 2002)

Pvgibbs said:


> 1- Do nothing, hope a better lifetime transfer option comes up (fingers crossed) before the S1 becomes a doorstop* in 2009


The 2009 all-digital requirement is for over-the-air broadcasts only and has nothing to do with your cable company. As it stands, the DT doesn't provide OTA tuning at all.

Here's TiVo's fine print on how the tuners work:



> Record from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once. Does not support recording from two digital cable or satellite channels at once. Supports recording from cable and satellite sources only; does not support recording from over-the-air antenna.


At the very least you should always be able to control a digital cable box irrespective of 2009.


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## Red Pimpernel (Dec 23, 2001)

How can I find out when I subbed my Phillips Series 1?


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

GBL said:


> fishtank22, if indeed you had lifetime on your S1 since 1999, you'd be eligible to transfer your lifetime subscription once (e.g. to a S3), no charge involved!
> 
> See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=5242935&&#post5242935


I just missed that cutoff. My brother got it, but not me. I was like a month short. I forget was my exact date was think it was late 1999 or early 2000. Is there any way to double check that.. Thanks for the heads up.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Pvgibbs said:


> I think there are a bunch of Sony S1 folks there are in the same boat as me.
> 
> I think these are the choices:
> 
> ...


I admittedly skimmed the responses past this one so far.

I'm not sure if you mean an OTA converter.. but for cable -- people have been dealing with such converters for a long time -- they're called cable boxes.

AFAIK, Tivos that control cable boxes can already use 3 digit numbers.. and cable boxes already (???) map HDTV channels to 3 digit numbers, so you don't have to do the "2-1" kind of thing like you do for QAM channels.. riight?

So it seems to me it's no worse than the existing situation. (Don't get me wrong -- I hate the idea of cable boxes. But I don't see how it will get any WORSE than it is now.)


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Opusnbill7 said:


> True...of course it was only about $1000 total (200 upgrade fee and 800 for the box).


Well, that was MSRP.. some got it for MUCH less (that Dell deal).. I paid closer to your estimate overall (Amazon price + transfer fee). But I'd say that getting it for under $900 was easy.. Mine was close to that only because I waited until almost the last minute (and missed out on a $600 deal).


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

I'm curious why no one is mentioning HD TIVOs. I find it VERY frustrating that I can't watch my HD channels through TIVO because the quality degrades so much. I'd much prefer an HD-TIVO upgrade offer even if it was to transfer my Lifetime to a rediculously high priced HD-TIVO box. 

ALSO, Can someone tell my what input connections are available on the back of the offered DT S2 boxes.

Thanks


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## TechDreamer (Jan 27, 2002)

I have a Philips Series 1 Lifetimed on July 20th 2000. The offer website is saying my Tivo does not qualify. What's up with that? Can more people enter there TSN's and see if you are getting that error please?


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

fishtank22 said:


> I'm curious why no one is mentioning HD TIVOs.


Several folks have mentioned the S3.


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

bidger said:


> Several folks have mentioned the S3.


Sorry, Forgot they are the same thing. I'm really torn here. I just moved into a new house, about to get my first HD TV (yes, its been a long time comin) and I really want an HD box. But DAMMMMNNN! They are expensivo!!!


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## dcrunner (Jan 13, 2005)

c3 said:


> They did, for many months.


That wasn't a promotion, that was ransom.


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

It's just an offer. I did not accept the offer because I thought it was too high for me.



dcrunner said:


> That wasn't a promotion, that was ransom.


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

This is a Joke of an offer. Who comes up with these deals???


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## magnus (Nov 12, 2004)

I did not say that it's a sensible offer but it is an offer and no one is forcing anyone to take it.


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## fishtank22 (Jan 4, 2004)

Question, Isn't the 80HR DT Tivo that is offered an analog box? Just S-Video, RF(same as coax?) and RCA connections on the back?

So how would a possible All-Digital deadline in 2009 or somewhere around that date still leave us with 1 usable tuner?


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

fishtank22 said:


> Question, Isn't the 80HR DT Tivo that is offered an analog box? Just S-Video, RF(same as coax?) and RCA connections on the back?
> 
> So how would a possible All-Digital deadline in 2009 or somewhere around that date still leave us with 1 usable tuner?


Using a digital cable box, so not really one usable tuner, but one usable video source.


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## mick66 (Oct 15, 2004)

Red Pimpernel said:


> How can I find out when I subbed my Phillips Series 1?


A. Call Tivo and ask.
B. Check your Tivo.com account. Set one up if you don't have one.


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## mick66 (Oct 15, 2004)

fishtank22 said:


> I just missed that cutoff. My brother got it, but not me. I was like a month short. I forget was my exact date was think it was late 1999 or early 2000. Is there any way to double check that.. Thanks for the heads up.


The cut off date for the free one time transfer of a lifetime account from an S1 is 1/20/00. If you don't know when your lifetime was purchased, see my previous post to find out how to get that information.


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## JPA2825 (May 15, 2000)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> This is a Joke of an offer. Who comes up with these deals???


Perhaps it is a joke for you. For others, their situation may be different.

I think the primary goal of this offer is to thin out the S1 herd. They don't like supporting them (understandably -- see DST glitch) and the more S2 boxes there are, the more revenue they can generate from their add on features (Amazon Unbox, True Home Media, etc.)

Secondarily, they move some S2 DT boxes.

That said, I have an unmodded 40 hr S2 w/ Lifetime and I'm not jumping. It is on a TV the kids watch and sits behind 2 S2 140 hr. units and a Moto 6412 from the Cable Co. for HD recording, so it's not like we need the space or the extra tuner.


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## SMWinnie (Aug 17, 2002)

c3 said:


> When there is no promotion, people complain.
> When there is promotion, people complain.
> When TiVo raises prices, people complain.
> When TiVo drops prices, people complain.


[recursive]I &#$^@&#$&^%ing *hate* it when people complain about how people complain on this forum.[/recursive]


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

Really. Since when is any company above scrutiny? I like the fact that people are questioning the motivations and the parameters of this offer. Shows they're thinking and savvy.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

MickeS said:


> I don't have a S2 DT, but I'd be surprised if you had to split the cable. I assume one input handles both tuners.


I didn't see this answered yet, but you're right - I have one cable coming out of the wall into my DT and it works just fine for both tuners.

Bidger, scrutiny is one thing, but statments like "This deal and the people that thought of it are stupid" just because it isn't a good deal for _them_ is counterproductive and don't contribute towards a rational, thought filled discussion at all.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

Red Pimpernel said:


> How can I find out when I subbed my Phillips Series 1?


Check the Billing History on your account at tivo.com


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Eccles said:


> Check the Billing History on your account at tivo.com


I did, and my billing history is blank. So I looked through my own records to find out when I subbed my series 1.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

BTW, in 2009, suppose my cable goes digital (even though they don't have to). Won't my series 1 still work? Can't series 1 send an IR signal to a digital tuner? And I assume if my cable goes digital, I'll be supplied with a digital tuner.

If my logic is correct, then those of you who say our series 1's will become doorstops, are mistaken.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

timckelley said:


> I did, and my billing history is blank. So I looked through my own records to find out when I subbed my series 1.


Tim:

When you click on the offer, the first step is to fill in your TSN and TiVo lets you know if you are eligible.

Have you considered the value of your existing Lifetime service which TiVo is asking you to forfeit. You bought the box on ebay, why not sell it?

Yes, your series 1 & 2s will be useful for a long time to come.


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## BobCamp1 (May 15, 2002)

timckelley said:


> BTW, in 2009, suppose my cable goes digital (even though they don't have to). Won't my series 1 still work? Can't series 1 send an IR signal to a digital tuner? And I assume of my cable goes digital, I'll be supplied with a digital tuner.
> 
> If my logic is correct, then those of you who say our series 1's will become doorstops, are mistaken.


Your logic is correct. I use mine through a DirecTV receiver, so I don't get ANY analog channels (except for OTA), and it works just fine. The OTA may go away for me, at which point I'll break down and spend the extra $3 / month to get the locals via DirecTV. As long as you get the proper IR/serial codes and guide data, the S1s will work forever.

For me, it's not a good deal unless my S1 happens to break in the next month. Thanks for the offer, though.


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## bidger (Mar 30, 2001)

GoHokies! said:


> Bidger, scrutiny is one thing, but statments like "This deal and the people that thought of it are stupid" just because it isn't a good deal for _them_ is counterproductive and don't contribute towards a rational, thought filled discussion at all.


One bad comment doesn't negate the whole thread.

People want to know, and rightfully so IMO, how long will this *be* a dual tuner? I know the standard response is, "This only applies to OTA", but if the networks all go digital in 2009, what is cable's incentive to keep an analog tier? People generally feel the digital channels in their cable package look better and I know it holds true for my area. If the S3 is the future, then I can't fault people who want some kind of deal for that. I personally wouldn't buy an analog TiVo in this day and age, alleged dual tuners or not.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

bidger said:


> People want to know, and rightfully so IMO, how long will this *be* a dual tuner? I know the standard response is, "This only applies to OTA", but if the networks all go digital in 2009, what is cable's incentive to keep an analog tier?


That is a very good point. The FCC chair made some pro-consumer comments, but they don't necessarily address this specific issue.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=356147


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Thos19 said:


> So...if you have a Series 1 with lifetime, is this possibly your final chance to switch from the analog Series 1 to a digital series 2?
> 
> Is it for certain that Series 1 units will become doorstops in 2009 when analog TV broadcast transmissions cease, or would I be safe if I have a converter box from Comcast?
> 
> Thos.


The DT is no more digital than the Series 1 it, it simply has a second analog tuner and encoder (plus all the goodies that make it a Series 2). The Digital TiVo is the Series 3. You never know, they could offer something when the S3 Lite comes out.

Since you have cable, you are practically unaffected by an analog cable discontinuation of analog, since Series 1s readily work with cable boxes. What is up in the air is support for OTA digital boxes which will be needed to receive OTA broadcasting in 2009. It is unlikey Series 1s will get upgraded to support OTA boxes, if the Series 2s do.

The Feb 2009 date is only for cutoff of analog broadcast, which doesn't affect the DT since it doesn't tune analog OTA to begin with.

However, cable may have other plans for their analog cable, which may render a DT a ST. Don't let that dissuade you from chosing a DT, or upgrading form a Series 1 though, the DT is every other bit a Series 2, plus has built in ethernet.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Yes, if I had a Series 1 with Lifetime activated after January 20, 2000, I would jump on this offer.
Moving from a single tuner Series 2 to this seems less attractive.


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## schwinn (Sep 18, 2004)

classicsat said:


> The DT is no more digital than the Series 1 it, it simply has a second analog tuner and encoder (plus all the goodies that make it a Series 2). The Digital TiVo is the Series 3. You never know, they could offer something when the S3 Lite comes out.


Thank you for clearing this up. So many people make the implication that the DT is somehow capable of tuning a digital cable signal. The fact is that it DOES NOT TUNE DIGITAL. You need a separate STB (set-top box, aka, cable box, digital tuner, whatever) to do this for you, and convert it to RCA/SVideo/Channel3-4 for the DT box. Since this unit can only control one external IR device, that means that you can only control one such STB.

So, for those of us, like myself, who don't have an STB (because they suck so bad) we still have no digital tuner even with the DT box. Sure, I could get an STB to work with the DT, but then I pay the $6/month for that to my cable company. I hate my cable company enough to never want to do that, so I'd rather get an S3 with digital tuners... or the rumored S3Lite when it arrives.

Bottom line, the DT is a dual ANALOG tuner box. There are no digital tuners in there. You want digital, you need to get an STB for added cost... keep that in mind.

Looks like I'll be sticking to my S1 box for a while longer. Sorry, Tivo... if you want more money from me, gimme a reasonably priced digital tuner box, then we'll talk. Here's hoping that the S3Lite is that animal, because I really want my digital cable fix.


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## sbourgeo (Nov 10, 2000)

TechDreamer said:


> I have a Philips Series 1 Lifetimed on July 20th 2000. The offer website is saying my Tivo does not qualify. What's up with that? Can more people enter there TSN's and see if you are getting that error please?


FWIW, my Philips S1 was lifetimed in Oct 2000 and it qualifies. I'm not going to spend $300 on a non-HD box at this point though...


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## JustAllie (Jan 5, 2002)

Eccles said:


> I received the offer, too. I originally activated Lifetime on my Sony S1 back in 02/02, and a year later added our current S2, which I subsequently upgraded with a second drive.
> 
> I can't see myself shelling out $300 to replace the S2, but the person I sold the S1 to never did respond to my emails regarding transferring the unit to his account, hence it's still in my name, under my Tivo account. Guess I'll try to find out if he's still using it or whether it's gone to the electronic graveyard - replacing an S1 that I don't even have any more, sounds like a much more attractive proposition!
> 
> Anyone know if the TiVo Customer Service reps can verify whether a particular Service Number is still in use, if I can't get in touch with him?


A Series 1 TiVo that I sold a few years ago is still on my account because the buyer never transferred it. When I called TiVo to straighten out another issue, they looked up the activity of the Series 1 TiVo for me and said it had called in a few weeks before. So yes, they can check on the activity of a TiVo for you if it's on your account.

If it's not being used anymore, maybe it's not stealing to transfer the lifetime service. It's sort of a gray area I guess. In a sense, you got a high enough price when selling it to convince you to give up the lifetime service, so getting more value out of the lifetime service by transferring feels a little bit iffy to me.

But if the TiVo is still being used and you yank the lifetime service out from under the new owner, that's stealing.


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## yunlin12 (Mar 15, 2003)

TiVo Steve said:


> The Dual-Tuner TiVo will become a Single-Tuner TiVo on Feb 17th 2009! :down:
> 
> I think TiVo is dumping these models early...


It's only the analog OTA that's going away. Analog cable will still be there, and the DT is still a DT.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

But the cable companies could still choose to stop providing the analog cable signal, right? If so, it does become a single tuner. But I guess the point is, as made further back, that no one knows for sure what each cable provider will do.

But I have held off on the various offers for the DT since I did not fully understand what is happening in 2009 (I am not sure I fully do at this point). However, I am sure of this, I think I have enough solid information at this point that there should be no reason not to get a DT (taking S3 or S3-L totally out of the picture).


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

I think the real question, as someone mentioned, is whether jumping on this deal will exclude you from any later, S3 transfer deals. Assuming that the 4-year accounting-cycle explanation for the activation date cutoff is correct, that would imply that any new deals would likely have a similar cutoff. If they reset the Lifetime activation to the date of the transfer, as would seem likely given the accounting motivation, then we'd be stuck with analog units for the next four years...


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

I understand that. Though I do not have a HDTV and don't know when I will be getting one. So the S3 is totally otu fo rme now, and I do not have a lifetimed box.

And I would seriously be considering a ComcasTiVo before the S3, especially given that the "Boston Market" has been rumored as the first big market for roll-out in potentially August.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

JustAllie said:


> If it's not being used anymore, maybe it's not stealing to transfer the lifetime service.
> 
> But if the TiVo is still being used and you yank the lifetime service out from under the new owner, that's stealing.


Oh, I agree. I've found a current email address for the guy I sold it to, and have written him outlining the deal. If the box hasn't been trashed by now, he can take advantage of the offer himself if he wants to.


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## Eccles (Dec 27, 2001)

... and now the Account Maintenance section of TiVo.com is down. Perhaps we've overloaded it by all looking up our service dates!


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## wolflord11 (Jan 17, 2007)

Eccles said:


> ... and now the Account Maintenance section of TiVo.com is down. Perhaps we've overloaded it by all looking up our service dates!


LOL


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Account Maintenance is back up. Just for fun, I plugged in my series 1 service number into the transfer offer to see if it would take it. It did not. It told me I don't qualify, as I expected, since I activated my lifetime too recently.

BTW, I understand about the recognizing revenue from lifetime over a certain number of years, but it's just accounting gimmickry. Common sense and logic tells me that they'd profit just as much from my $299, as from $299 from somebody with an older series 1. A new $299 is a new $299. Actually, maybe they'd profit even more from me, because the older series 1 people are probably closer to having their TiVos kicking the bucket than I am, and so they may go out and get a new subcription on their own anyway, whereas, by disqualifying me, I'm just going to stick with my current lifetime, which will probably work for a long while before my TiVo kicks the bucket.

IOW, their policy tends to make people get more use out of their current TiVos before switching to a new one/starting a new sub/generating more revenue for TiVo.


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## destek (Jan 15, 2001)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> This is a Joke of an offer. Who comes up with these deals???


Wowbagger. Do you have anything to actually contribute? Do you want TIVO to give you free lifetime, a free unit, install it and bring you milk and cookies while going broke?

It's a perfectly fine and valuable offer and makes sense for many people in this community. If it nets TIVO some revenue - GREAT! We WANT them to be around and continue the revolution!

Des


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## BiloxiGeek (Nov 18, 2001)

Well I decided to take the offer. I'm transferring the lifetime from a Phillips S1 that I'm not using anyway and will end up with a nice new S2 DT and all the S2 features on another Tivo. The lifetime subscription I paid on the Phillips has more than paid for itself since I bought that a year, maybe a year and half before their cutoff date.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

timckelley said:


> BTW, I understand about the recognizing revenue from lifetime over a certain number of years, but it's just accounting gimmickry. Common sense and logic tells me that ...
> 
> IOW, there policy tends to make people get more using out of their current TiVos before switching to a new one/starting a new sub/generating more revenue for TiVo.


You are correct, but if you want sense, you don't come sniffing around TiVo, Inc.


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## UrfTheWog (Jan 12, 2002)

I bit on this one. My series 1 with a Turbonet card still works great but I think the offer is a good deal. The numbers make sense. I've had mine for 5-6 years. If I can get 3+ years out of the series 2 then I'm cool with it.

Be interesting to see how long one of the originals will actually last though - I mean the thing is on 24/7.


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## WBragg (Jun 30, 2007)

I just bought an S2DT with the intention of taking advantage of the $150 rebate. The day it arrived 6/29/07, I got the Lifetime Transfer email. From what I've read, it looks like I can move my LifeTime to this unit now if I pass on the rebate. Though it's not clear from any of the material in the offers that the rebate is void if one transfers a Lifetime over to the unit, they make it clear on the Tivo site as a bullet point about transferring service.

I plugged it into my system where my old S1 with TurboNet card lives and for the life of me, I could not get it to register or recognize the network. I plugged the S1 back in and it downloaded fine. I plugged my laptop in with the same cable and I had no problems at all. I have port 80 and 8080 open in my firewall ... I checked.

But now, I just realized something from some of these comments. I opened my Lifetime account in 11/1999. Does this mean I can send this S2DT boat anchor back and get an S3 and transfer my Lifetime to it ... without question?

Does the S3 have the ability to do the rentals from Amazon yet? Does anyone know if Tivo2Go is close for the S3? It's the Tivo2Go and the Amazon rentals that prompted me to buy the S2DT in the first place ... given the rebate that was in effect.

I do have HD cable and use the SA box from BrightHouse with the crappy Passport software on it now. The old S1 is in the kids room where it records all things SpongeBob and Drake&Josh.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Experts here will undoubted answer all your questions. (I'm not an expert.) But one thing I can mention to you, is that I'm pretty sure the lifetime transfer off to S3s has expired. The current offer for lifetime transfer is for S2DT, not S3. But there is the exception of of the S1 grandfather clause, if you activated your S1 lifetime before a certain date. I can't remember what that date is, or if your 11/1999 is before that date. If it is, then yes, you can not only transfer it to an S3, but there will be no fee to do so. Hopefully somebody soon will say what that date is.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

WBragg said:


> I just bought an S2DT with the intention of taking advantage of the $150 rebate. The day it arrived 6/29/07, I got the Lifetime Transfer email. From what I've read, it looks like I can move my LifeTime to this unit now if I pass on the rebate. Though it's not clear from any of the material in the offers that the rebate is void if one transfers a Lifetime over to the unit, they make it clear on the Tivo site as a bullet point about transferring service.


If you want a rebate, you need to do a "new activation" (which is mentioned in the terms), not a transfer, so yes, your thinking is correct.



> But now, I just realized something from some of these comments. I opened my Lifetime account in 11/1999. Does this mean I can send this S2DT boat anchor back and get an S3 and transfer my Lifetime to it ... without question?


Yes. The date is 20 January 2000, so you made it by 2 months.



> Does the S3 have the ability to do the rentals from Amazon yet?
> Does anyone know if Tivo2Go is close for the S3?


Yes and this year.

Keep the S2DT for the kids and record Sponge Bob and the Backyardigans at the same time, and get the rebate and pay $6.95 for it, since your lifetime is a "qualifying unit". Buy an S3 for your TV and transfer the lifetime off of it for free.


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## WBragg (Jun 30, 2007)

> Keep the S2DT for the kids and record Sponge Bob and the Backyardigans at the same time, and get the rebate and pay $6.95 for it, since your lifetime is a "qualifying unit". Buy an S3 for your TV and transfer the lifetime off of it for free.


Well, there's a decent idea. I'll head over to the Tivo site to read up on the Multi-Unit Discounts.

So the Unbox stuff is ready to go on the S3 but just not the Tivo2Go. I went and read on another forum on this board that people are expecting Tivo2Go for the S3 by the end of the year. I wonder if SD material will move from an S2 to an S3 or if Tivo2Go on an S3 will mean S3 to S3 only.

I suppose I have some other things to consider now that I've read more items on this board. In particular, SDV. Apparently I'm served by one of the more aggressive cable providers pursuing SDV. Apparently, one of my HD channels (ESPN2HD) is coming in via SDV. Is there a forum that discusses BrightHouse in the Orlando area that could confirm this.

SDV is kind of a buzz kill for my S3 plans as far as I can tell.


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## EdH (Oct 21, 2000)

I took the deal and am waiting for my new Tivo. 

A couple of questions?

Is there any way to transfer my season passes and/or Now Playings to the new box?

I'm planning on upgrading the new Tivo with a larger hard disk. Does that have any impact on the above question?

Thanks.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

WBragg said:


> Well, there's a decent idea. I'll head over to the Tivo site to read up on the Multi-Unit Discounts.
> 
> So the Unbox stuff is ready to go on the S3 but just not the Tivo2Go. I went and read on another forum on this board that people are expecting Tivo2Go for the S3 by the end of the year. I wonder if SD material will move from an S2 to an S3 or if Tivo2Go on an S3 will mean S3 to S3 only.
> 
> ...


I really can't imagine why S2 -> S3 wouldn't work, but that's been discussed a few times around here, including one recent thread. Tivo announced at CES in January that we'd see MRV for some content this year, so that's where that comes from.

I'd like to think that I've read most of the SDV threads here, and I haven't seen anyone discussing Brighthouse - your best bet (if someone doesn't answer you here) is to pop over to the S3 forum and ask. Actually, there should be a "BrightHouse Cable Card" thread in there somewhere that would discuss it.

Ed, a brief answer to your two questions.
1. No.
2. Maybe. What kind of a box are you upgrading from? I'm not down with the upgrade scene, I do know that the OS and the shows are on two different partitions, I'm not sure if it's possible to get the shows transferred over. An ugly work around would be to transfer all of the shows on your old Tivo to your computer and then transfer them from your computer to your new Tivo.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Anyone complete this transfer yet? Any confirmation on whether or not the Lifetime activation date changes?


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

Ed: No. You can keep the old TiVo though to watch its recordings at your leisure.
Yes, you can upgrade the new TiVo. That won't affect the above answer. You still cannot transfer recordings and settings.


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## bbalfour (Jan 24, 2001)

TechDreamer said:


> I have a Philips Series 1 Lifetimed on July 20th 2000. The offer website is saying my Tivo does not qualify. What's up with that? Can more people enter there TSN's and see if you are getting that error please?


I have the same problem. I have two Philips Series 1 boxes from 2000 and 2001. I can confirm the TSN and dates via the tivo.com website manage my account area.

But when I go to put the tsn in to check that I qualify it tells me no.



Anyone have any ideas on this? TivoStephen?


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## wolflord11 (Jan 17, 2007)

timckelley said:


> Experts here will undoubted answer all your questions. (I'm not an expert.) But one thing I can mention to you, is that I'm pretty sure the lifetime transfer off to S3s has expired. The current offer for lifetime transfer is for S2DT, not S3. *But there is the exception of of the S1 grandfather clause, if you activated your S1 lifetime before a certain date. I can't remember what that date is, or if your 11/1999 is before that date. If it is, then yes, you can not only transfer it to an S3, but there will be no fee to do so*. Hopefully somebody soon will say what that date is.


If you had activated a Series 1 before a certain date, and have lifetime service, did it not state in the contract that you could transfer your Lifetime free of charge to another unit one time.

If that is the case, then you could transfer to a Series 2, 3 or hold off longer for the next Tivo unit to come along.......

This offer is only to transfer to a Series 2DT. The Series 3 offer expired awhile back.


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

can someone draw a flow chart for all the price changes since day one???


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> can someone draw a flow chart for all the price changes since day one???


Yeah, and do it in VISIO. Thanks.


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> can someone draw a flow chart for all the price changes since day one???


yes


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> can someone draw a flow chart for all the price changes since day one???


Why? Who cares what prices were last week, last month or last year?

The current pricing scheme isn't all that complicated and not really relevant to the discussion at hand.


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## EdH (Oct 21, 2000)

GoHokies! said:


> Ed, a brief answer to your two questions.
> 1. No.
> 2. Maybe. What kind of a box are you upgrading from? I'm not down with the upgrade scene, I do know that the OS and the shows are on two different partitions, I'm not sure if it's possible to get the shows transferred over. An ugly work around would be to transfer all of the shows on your old Tivo to your computer and then transfer them from your computer to your new Tivo.


Hi. The old unit is a Series 1 SA by Philips. It has no ability to transfer to a PC (as far as I know).

Thanks,

Ed


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## DocNo (Oct 10, 2001)

EdH said:


> Hi. The old unit is a Series 1 SA by Philips. It has no ability to transfer to a PC (as far as I know).


You need to go visit the underground forum here 

I last used tytools to pull stuff off, but I know there are newer programs out there.

It does require a turbonet card, but they are handy to have.


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## gg1 (Jul 3, 2007)

A few quick Q's before deciding on the offer. I'm still confused about the Series 2 DT functionality.

I have a Philips Series 1 tuner, and my current inputs & outputs are:

Inputs:
RF - DirecTV (NFL Sunday ticket only)
Composite Video/Audio - Digital cable STB

Output 
RF - TV
A/V 1 - Receiver
A/V 2 - DVD Recorder

Right now, I'm pretty much limited to watch whatever is on or is being recorded from the cable STB. From what I am reading, without an additional RF input in the Series 2 Tivos, I will basically have the same input functionality that I have now, since the composite input is being taken up by DirecTV

I hear people talking about splitting the cable line, but how would that work, since the Tivo box only has one RF input.

Sounds like I should stick with Series 1, as the other features of Seties 2 may not be enough to pull the rugger on $300.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

With the dual tuner you'll be able to watch DirecTV or Cable while recording on the other source.

If you only get the Sunday Ticket (I don't know anything about DirecTV, can you get that and no other programming), why not split the cable TV cable and hook that up to the RF input during non-football season and during the week to get the DT functionality?


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## gg1 (Jul 3, 2007)

I'm not sure I follow you. Right now, the IR repeater controls the cable box and the serial cable controls the DirecTV box. 

If I split the output from the satellite box (RF) and the basic cable RF into TiVo's RF input, how will Tivo know whether I'm watching analog cable or DirecTV?


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

Sorry, should have been more clear.

If you only get Sunday Ticket from DirecTV:

Weekday setup: cable box into composite, basic cable into RF
Sunday setup: cable box into composite, DirecTV into RF
You'll have to redo guided setup when you switch between the two, but you'll have a much nicer box to use during the week.

If you get regular DirecTV, you can leave things in the "Sunday setup" from above, then you just hit "Live TV" to switch between the cable box and DirecTV inputs. Regardless of what you're watching, you can be recording on the other channel.


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## gg1 (Jul 3, 2007)

GoHokies! said:


> Sorry, should have been more clear.
> 
> If you only get Sunday Ticket from DirecTV:
> 
> ...


OK, but that's what I was afraid of. That set up is no different than what I have now with Series 1. I can unplug DTV and plug analog cable into the RF feed into my Tivo now. Sounds like fort my set up, there really isn't any advantage in getting Series 2, especially for $300.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

gg1 said:


> Sounds like fort my set up, there really isn't any advantage in getting Series 2, especially for $300.


Have you also factored in the loss of value from either selling the old unit on ebay; or
its continued use enhanced by the potential to also get the DT for $6.95/mo for 3 yrs, at which point there's probably going to be something much better to get, or you can keep paying $6.95 for a while before it offsets the $299 LT fee?


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## gg1 (Jul 3, 2007)

HDTiVo said:


> Have you also factored in the loss of value from either selling the old unit on ebay; or
> its continued use enhanced by the potential to also get the DT for $6.95/mo for 3 yrs, at which point there's probably going to be something much better to get, or you can keep paying $6.95 for a while before it offsets the $299 LT fee?


That's not really a consideration. I'm happy with one TiVo unit. If I were to get a second, it would likely be the new Comcast Tivo boxes that will come soon.

Since I'm not paying anything for my Series 1, and looking that Series 2 won't give me much added functionality, I'll keep waiting.


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## MediaLivingRoom (Dec 10, 2002)

GoHokies! said:


> Why? Who cares what prices were last week, last month or last year?
> 
> The current pricing scheme isn't all that complicated and not really relevant to the discussion at hand.


a few people have 3 to 5 tivo's. some are with different price structures etc... I have bought 15 over the past 7 years.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

MediaLivingRoom said:


> a few people have 3 to 5 tivo's. some are with different price structures etc... I have bought 15 over the past 7 years.


I know, I have 5 running in the house right now. The only issue I have is they all bill on their "anniversary date" so I get a bunch of little Tivo charges throughout the month.

I still don't see where this is relevant to the current discussion.

Sounds like you're right, GG1. The only difference I can see is that you would be able to switch between the cable box and DTV by hitting a button, not moving cables.


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## schwinn (Sep 18, 2004)

FYI, a lot of people are saying that the FCC mandate only affects OTA transmissions. Techincally, this is correct, however, as stated before, it's up to your cable company to maintain analog cable from there on out. I don't trust my cable company with anything (because I hate them so much, though they are my only option) and it looks like I was right to believe this.

Comcast (my cable co) is already switching off analog in certain markets, it seems: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=355492 see post 5 and further on.

So, I have every expectaction that Comcast would do the same to me, here in the Boston suburbs. In other words, this S2DT will most certainly become a single-tuner box "very soon".

In fact, in that thread, it was mentioned that "Comcast won't force all customers to subscribe to digital and get [a set-top box] for at least five years  taking Comcast all-digital." (post #7)... and this statement was made in 2004... so, I expect to be pushed to a crappy STB in at least 2 years, if not sooner.

Again, this makes the S2DT a single tuner box, just like my existing S1... so, once again, I'll stick to my S1 and hope that the S3 Lite (or a better price on the S3) comes with a similar offer. I pray to the Tivo Gods that this happens!


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

Comcast doesn't do anything fast.

Halfway to that 5 year deadline, they're just doing that in the first market, so I wouldn't say it's coming "soon".

But, you're right, all-digital is going to make your S2DT an S2ST (which is still an upgrade from the S1 with TTG, TTCB, MRV, Unbox and the like).


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## BiloxiGeek (Nov 18, 2001)

dcheesi said:


> Anyone complete this transfer yet? Any confirmation on whether or not the Lifetime activation date changes?


Just completed the transfer of lifetime from my old Phillips to the new S2 DT. The activation date un DVR Preferences on My Account still says Aug 17, 2002 for the new service number. The Phillips S1 that I transferred from completely disappeared.

One note: Make sure you either change the name on your DVR Preferences or be able to remember that the name from your old S1 is now on your new S2 DT.


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## dhoward (Mar 15, 2002)

What are you going to do with your old Tivo? Like you I decided to take advantage of this offer and placed my order. Will arrive next week. I was going to give my daughter my old unit (Sony) so she could get it activated under MSD, for $6.95/month, since she already has a lifetime unit under her name. In reading the forums it seems that she would have to take a 3 year commitment to get this rate. Is that true? I don't know why anyone would make that kind of commitment on a 6 year old unit that maybe obsolete soon.


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

Yes, I think you're right it will take a 3 year commitment. I suppose you could leave it unsubbed, as series 1's will still function without a sub.


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## wolflord11 (Jan 17, 2007)

timckelley said:


> Yes, I think you're right it will take a 3 year commitment. I suppose you could leave it unsubbed, as series 1's will still function without a sub.


Yes it would take a 3 Year Commitment to get the $6.95 a Month MSD.

As for the Series 1, it still fuctions as a Manual Recorder without a Sub as long as the Software Version is 1.3 or below. If you have upgraded the Software over that, then you lose the Manual Recording without Sub benefit.


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## schwinn (Sep 18, 2004)

GoHokies! said:


> Comcast doesn't do anything fast.
> 
> Halfway to that 5 year deadline, they're just doing that in the first market, so I wouldn't say it's coming "soon".
> 
> But, you're right, all-digital is going to make your S2DT an S2ST (which is still an upgrade from the S1 with TTG, TTCB, MRV, Unbox and the like).


Normally, I'd agree with you, but when they say it would take "at least" 5 years, and then we see that the first market is already switching (or mostly switched over) I start to worry.

The fact is that the digital systems are in the cable co's interest, as it improves their bandwidth, and can prevent people from stealing cable (at least temporarily) which, to them, is a "big problem". Besides which, with a switch to digital, they can then force most people to lease their cable boxes, thereby adding to more income.

So, it seems to me that they have every interest to make this happen quickly. And when it comes to business, nothing speaks louder than the thought of making more money. Why else do you think they continuously "poo-poo" the CableCard requirement? Because if they can hold out a little longer, they can nail everyone with older TVs by forcing them to a leased digital STB. The average consumer won't know they have other options, so they will simply pay up and make it happen. You can bet that, as is the current practice, they will make CableCard installation a nightmare, and they certainly won't promote this option.

Bottom line, I still think its coming sooner than people think...


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

schwinn said:


> Normally, I'd agree with you, but when they say it would take "at least" 5 years, and then we see that the first market is already switching (or mostly switched over) I start to worry.


Not so fast:
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=125584&site=cdn

Comcast is just starting vendor testing and won't even decide on what hardware they are going to use systemwide for some time.

I also wouldn't say that they are "poo pooing" the Cable card requirement, all of the cable companies certainly expended a lot of time and effort to keep trying to get the requirement postponed.

I agree that cable companies are moving that way, but I'll bet that there is a solution before the problem is that widespread (for sufficiently high values of "widespread ).

This is a little off topic, for this thread so I'll stop, but there is a pretty good SDV thread going on in the S3 forum if you want to join us.


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## BiloxiGeek (Nov 18, 2001)

dhoward said:


> What are you going to do with your old Tivo? Like you I decided to take advantage of this offer and placed my order. Will arrive next week. I was going to give my daughter my old unit (Sony) so she could get it activated under MSD, for $6.95/month, since she already has a lifetime unit under her name. In reading the forums it seems that she would have to take a 3 year commitment to get this rate. Is that true? I don't know why anyone would make that kind of commitment on a 6 year old unit that maybe obsolete soon.


Haven't decided yet. I think I might try to sell it on EBay, it's been upgraded with a TurboNet card and bigger drives. And I think I still have all the original cables for it.


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## drugrep (Mar 16, 2002)

I'm still using my Sony Series 1 with Added Turbonet Card and 120 hours I think it is. I passed on this a few years ago when the Series 2 came out, but I'm going to do it this time.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

drugrep said:


> I'm still using my Sony Series 1 with Added Turbonet Card and 120 hours I think it is. I passed on this a few years ago when the Series 2 came out, but I'm going to do it this time.


What changed your mind?


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

Yeah...this is a tough one. I've got the upgraded storage and turbonet on my S1 also, but I suspect that one or both of the hard drives is starting to die (getting some "stuttering" usually about 10 sec after unpausing, and occasionally during other times of watching). With the additional features such as tivo-to-go, online scheduling, and dual tuners, it's hard to not bite this time.

Would I rather they offered an S3 as an option, or a 180hr as an option for more money, sure...but I still may take it (I'm confident I can upgrade the storage on my own if I want to). 

Tough call, though....if I had an S2, I wouldn't do it, but with an S1, and seeing what *almost* happened with DST on the S1's, I think the writing is on the wall...and this may be the time to "get out". I just wish if that's what Tivo is trying to say, they'd just come out and say "hey, the S1 is out of support...take the upgrade if you want support or no promises other than we'll continue to send you guide data".


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Opusnbill7 said:


> Yeah...this is a tough one. I've got the upgraded storage and turbonet on my S1 also, but I suspect that one or both of the hard drives is starting to die (getting some "stuttering" usually about 10 sec after unpausing, and occasionally during other times of watching). With the additional features such as tivo-to-go, online scheduling, and dual tuners, it's hard to not bite this time.
> 
> Would I rather they offered an S3 as an option, or a 180hr as an option for more money, sure...but I still may take it (I'm confident I can upgrade the storage on my own if I want to).
> 
> Tough call, though....if I had an S2, I wouldn't do it, but with an S1, and seeing what *almost* happened with DST on the S1's, I think the writing is on the wall...and this may be the time to "get out". I just wish if that's what Tivo is trying to say, they'd just come out and say "hey, the S1 is out of support...take the upgrade if you want support or no promises other than we'll continue to send you guide data".


Why not keep the S1 to use as at least a spare, and use its Lifetime to qualify you for $6.95 MSD on any TiVo you want? After 36 or even 40+ months (ie. mid to late 2010) you will have spent less money on sub fees spread out over time and you can go on to something else.


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## Stu_Bee (Jan 15, 2002)

I'm planning on my HDTV being connected to:
- My current S2 LifeTime Tivo
- ComcastTivo HD Motorola DVR

I don't see the Tivo-DT providing any benefit to me.

Seems like this new Tivo offer is an attempt to clear out some of their Tivo-DT inventory channels in a soon to be rapidly shrinking analog market.

PS: Tivo must have sensed this, since they didn't send me the offer anyways


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## 1003 (Jul 14, 2000)

Opusnbill7 said:


> I just wish if that's what Tivo is trying to say, they'd just come out and say "hey, the S1 is out of support...take the upgrade if you want support or no promises other than we'll continue to send you guide data".


*Other than a DST support patch*
and guide data what are we 'lifetime' Series1 owners getting? I personally have incredibly low expectations at this point. I am certain that I will be getting lots more offers but no more upgrades. With the apparent move by many Series1 owners to Series2 and Series3 boxes the future of us holdouts looks very cloudy...


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## drugrep (Mar 16, 2002)

HDTiVo said:


> What changed your mind?


Well a couple of things I guess.

How long will this Series 1 last? It's 7 or 8 years old.

It's kind of cool you can schedule from the web with Series 2.

Dual Tuner

I guess it's just time to retire my old work horse.


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

drugrep said:


> Well a couple of things I guess.
> 
> How long will this Series 1 last? It's 7 or 8 years old.
> 
> ...


That's kind of where I'm leaning toward for almost the same reasons. If nothing else, I can always use the S1 as a "digital VCR" to pause/rewind TV if I transfer to the S2DT. That, and some of the video sharing capabilities the S2 has which would be handy...


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

drugrep said:


> It's kind of cool you can schedule from the web with Series 2.


Looks really cool, but I've got to say I've never used it yet.


drugrep said:


> Dual Tuner.


Only till they go significantly digital. I recently went with FiOS and can now only get the dual tuner function if one of the requested channels in in the 1-49 analog range.

The only real advantage I see with the S2 over the S1 is multi-room viewing and I can't even do that now due to S3 limitations.


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## schwinn (Sep 18, 2004)

GoHokies! said:


> Not so fast:
> http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=125584&site=cdn
> 
> Comcast is just starting vendor testing and won't even decide on what hardware they are going to use systemwide for some time.
> ...


I don't think that this is totally off-topic. I'm not talking about SDV at all, although that's one way to get all-digital. I'm simply saying that they are going to go all-digital "soon", thereby making any analog tuners worthless. Whether it's SDV or just plain non-SDV digital, the effect on the analog tuner is the same... and hence this applies for people making the decision on this S2DT offer.

As for the "poo pooing" of the cable-card requirement, I simply speak to the fact that the cable companies have constantly wanted extentions to this. And now that it's upon them, they have already started blaming it for a price hike they plan for: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...ies-blame-cablecard-for-coming-rate-hike.html This, to me, is "poo pooing" the requirement. Put more clearly, they are against cable-cards since day one, since it can eliminate their cable box leases, which is a cash-cow for them. I know I won't get a cable STB if I can avoid it, and I plan to have a cablecard slot in any new device I buy, to ensure this is possible.

Lastly, you mentioned that Comcast is still "testing"... well, based on the previous links I provided, they are already proliferating through at least one market. I don't know if its SDV or non-SDV in that area, but I don't care... it's digital, so it kills the use of the analog tuner.

I'd love to join you on SDV discussions, but I don't think this digital-specific conversation is very applicable to that thread either... it's more useful here, for people who are considering the S2DT offer... and I am simply giving people my perspective on the matter. However, if you wish to discuss this further on a new thread, I'd be happy to move it there... though I don't see the point - the facts are clear (Comcast is moving one market to all digital already, and other markets will follow "soon"... whatever that means.)


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

Sorry, you are absolutely right, I had SDV on the brain. All digital is in Chicago, we'll have to see where else it spreads.

I don't watch a lot of digital channels, so that isn't all that much of a drawback to me - but I can see where it would be for some people.


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## EdH (Oct 21, 2000)

GoHokies! said:


> All digital is in Chicago.


Question: When they went all digital, what did they do about all the analog tv's out there.

I have 6 tv's in the house and only one cable box.

Would I have to buy/rent 5 more?

At $5/box that would add $25 to my monthly bill. Yikes.

Thanks,

Ed


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

EdH said:


> Question: When they went all digital, what did they do about all the analog tv's out there.
> 
> I have 6 tv's in the house and only one cable box.
> 
> ...


best asked in the Chicago goes all digital thread.


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## GoHokies! (Sep 21, 2005)

ZeoTiVo said:


> best asked in the Chicago goes all digital thread.


It turned into a s$#tstorm and got locked.

The answer is probably in there somewhere though:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=347772


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## ah30k (Jan 9, 2006)

EdH said:


> Question: When they went all digital, what did they do about all the analog tv's out there.
> 
> I have 6 tv's in the house and only one cable box.
> 
> ...


This is similar to the Verizon FiOS situation. I needed to rent a STB for each TV that i want access to more than just 1-49. This essentially renders the second tuner in the DT useless (well not quite useless since it can get 1-49).


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## jeanlin (Mar 16, 2003)

Has anybody transferred from their old box to the new one? I have found out that I need to watch what's on the old one, or transfer it to my computer, but I wondered what other tips you all may have about the transfer process. I am going from a 40 hour to an 80 hour dual tuner box. 
Many thanks, 
Jeanlin


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

JJ said:


> *Other than a DST support patch*
> and guide data what are we 'lifetime' Series1 owners getting? I personally have incredibly low expectations at this point. I am certain that I will be getting lots more offers but no more upgrades. With the apparent move by many Series1 owners to Series2 and Series3 boxes the future of us holdouts looks very cloudy...


I have to counter that with why are you holding out?

You will get a new Tivo, and all the networking features that Series 2s have.


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## AlanShutko (May 23, 2001)

I just ordered mine. My modem on my SVR-2000 finally died, telling me it was time to transfer.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

You are in no rush to watch what is on your old TiVo, all your recordings are still available to view when it is disabled from service.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

ah30k said:


> Looks really cool, but I've got to say I've never used it yet.
> Only till they go significantly digital. I recently went with FiOS and can now only get the dual tuner function if one of the requested channels in in the 1-49 analog range.
> 
> The only real advantage I see with the S2 over the S1 is multi-room viewing and I can't even do that now due to S3 limitations.


Whats the diff then.

You at least get those 49. With a single tuner, you get just the one set.
Plus you get ethernet with the DT.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

jeanlin said:


> Has anybody transferred from their old box to the new one? I have found out that I need to watch what's on the old one, or transfer it to my computer, but I wondered what other tips you all may have about the transfer process. I am going from a 40 hour to an 80 hour dual tuner box.
> Many thanks,
> Jeanlin


after a subscription is removed from a TiVo DVR you can still watch the shows on the TiVo and do trick play on the live TV buffer.

the networking stuff like MRV and TTG will not work so if you want the shows to do other things with then yes, you do need to transfer them to a PC before the sub is gone, but for just watching them you can leave them as is.


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## munchbot (Aug 8, 2003)

I hope I understand all this correct. 

I have a lifetime S2 ATT model 130 that I activated in April of 2002. It also has a 200 hour hard drive, which is always full. 

In order for me to get on this deal, I would have to commit to 3 years 6.95/mo on the old unit, did I understand that correct? 

I am just trying to figure out if I should rather buy a new unit and put that on the discount. My S2 is old, so who knows if it will last another 3 years. Then again, it has been chugging along all this time. I don't really need more than one unit as I only have one digital cable box anyway. 

Not sure what to do, I have a little time to think about it. Knowing my luck, I would do it and get the old unit on a 3 year monthly plan and then it would die on me soon.  


~Anna-Maria


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

munchbot said:


> I hope I understand all this correct.
> 
> I have a lifetime S2 ATT model 130 that I activated in April of 2002. It also has a 200 hour hard drive, which is always full.
> 
> ...


You do not have to continue to subscribe the old box. You can discontinue using it. But since you don't need a second box and your 200GB HD is always full, the DT80 is not going to be for you. Maybe increasing the hard drive size on the old unit is the way to go; since you know how to change HDs, the chances are your ATT box will give you several more years of use without any additional box & sub costs. If something else happens, I think you can get TiVo to repair/replace it for far less than $398 - $150 or less I think.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

drugrep said:


> Well a couple of things I guess.
> 
> How long will this Series 1 last? It's 7 or 8 years old.
> 
> ...


I think your situation has amongst the highest propensity to take the deal. I still like the idea of going $6.95/mo and having both boxes under service over $299 up front and only one box. Its a testament to the power of the Lifetime offer that folks want it that much.


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## schwinn (Sep 18, 2004)

GoHokies! said:


> Sorry, you are absolutely right, I had SDV on the brain. All digital is in Chicago, we'll have to see where else it spreads.
> 
> I don't watch a lot of digital channels, so that isn't all that much of a drawback to me - but I can see where it would be for some people.


Again, it's not a matter of wanting to watch "a lot of digital channels" or not. When a system goes all digital, there will be no analog at all to watch... so broadcast AND cable would be digital, hence making the analog tuners useless. (And, on topic, makeing the S2DT a single-tuner unit, which has to be tied into an STB, just like any other single tuner S1 or S2). That's the point I wanted to make - that the change is coming to cable sooner than people think.



EdH said:


> Question: When they went all digital, what did they do about all the analog tv's out there.
> 
> I have 6 tv's in the house and only one cable box.
> 
> ...


Like ah30k said, you can use STBs to get analog signals to each TV. As you noted, this means more cost, and more crappy STB interfaces to boot. It's clear why the cable companies don't want cable cards, as you can see. Not that CCards will eliminate the cost, but it will help reduce it some. If you ask me, CCards should be free - particularly since they plan on charging everyone for it anyway by raising the rates.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

schwinn said:


> That's the point I wanted to make - that the change is coming to cable sooner than people think.


The FCC certainly encouraged the transition with the omnibus integration ban waiver.

Shell out $398 plus give up the value of your existing box for a DT80? Why not get the true DT TiVo (2 digital/QAM/CC tuners ?) you really will want for many years to come in October(?) when TiVo ships the S3-lite, and subsidize that cost by selling the old box?

There's more to consider than just sucking it up and cavalierly going ahead with this offer.


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## jkalnin (Jan 8, 2003)

I am going to sit back and wait for another S3 transfer offer. Xmas is around the corner (when you have two kids you'd be surprised how quickly July turns into December!), and I can just feel another transfer offer on the horizon.

I was hoping they extend this offer to S3 units, but it appears that is not going to happen just yet.


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

I think I gotta jump on this one. I actually still have a 14 hour series 1 that I won that has lifetime. It is a backup and mainly gets used to record stuff to watch when i work out. My second tivo is a Series 2 single tuner subbed at 6.95 a month.

With this offer I can dump the 14 hour. Transfer the lifetime to this new one and use it as my new primary machine. Switch the older Series 2 to the workout room as the backup, but since it has the ability to transfer programs between tivos it will be far more useful and allow me to resolve conflicts easier.


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

Opusnbill7 said:


> True...of course it was only about $1000 total (200 upgrade fee and 800 for the box). I think most of us would jump at an S3 even if it was more than the 299 in this offer, but 1000 is an awful lot for most of us to pay for a box that's not REQUIRED to watch tv (even if it is a Tivo...).
> 
> That said, I'm considering this deal myself...but I have to agree. If this was an S3 (even if it was a little more money), I'd probably be all over it. As it is, I'm going to have to ponder it for a bit...I'm tempted but I have to think about the long-term issues for that kind of money being spent on a S2...


Well....I decided to do it. With the Tivo-to-go features, as well as the DT, along with some issues that have been building over time with my S1 (probably needs 1/2 new HDs), I decided to bite on the deal. Seems like a pretty decent deal...they're essentially selling it to you at the post-rebate price and charging $200 to transfer the lifetime, if you want to look at it like past deals. Other than the money, I don't see how I can really lose...and I've been going so many years without paying a dime to Tivo with my S1, that even if it is useless in a year, I've still paid less than I would have paid at the cheapest monthly rate. Seems like it's worth a try to me...

Plus, I can still use the S1 as a "digital VCR" even without a subscription for as long as it runs (or as long I as want to keep it running)...


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## timckelley (Oct 15, 2002)

I wonder: what if somebody were to buy a lifetimed used series 1 off of ebay? Could they use that to transfer over? Do they go by the date it was originally lifetimed by the original owner, or do they go by the date the subscription ownership transfers over to the ebay buyer?


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## TexasAg (Apr 2, 2006)

timckelley said:


> I wonder: what if somebody were to buy a lifetimed used series 1 off of ebay? Could they use that to transfer over? Do they go by the date it was originally lifetimed by the original owner, or do they go by the date the subscription ownership transfers over to the ebay buyer?


As long as you transfer the lifetimed S1 to your account, there's no problem. We did it with our S3.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Opusnbill7 said:


> they're essentially selling it to you at the post-rebate price and charging $200 to transfer the lifetime, if you want to look at it like past deals. Other than the money, I don't see how I can really lose...


Are you saying the $299 _includes _ the box?

The money is kind of the point.  Get the most you can for the least money; ie. the best deal for you. 



timckelley said:


> I wonder: what if somebody were to buy a lifetimed used series 1 off of ebay?


Let's see what that costs and see the value of what you are giving up on the old LT box.

There's also the "movie" deal which saves you $15, offers the DT180 too, and gets you a wireless adapter (refurb) to consider against this.


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

HDTiVo said:


> Are you saying the $299 _includes _ the box?
> 
> The money is kind of the point.  Get the most you can for the least money; ie. the best deal for you.


Yeah...that's true. What I meant, though, was that other than spending money on something new, when I haven't had to with my S1 (that is versus not upgrading at all), I don't really think I have much to lose by taking the deal. I knew what I meant...but obviously it didn't make it onto the forum that way... 

Also, yes, the $299 includes the box and ground shipping (I don't know how much it was additional for 1 or 2 day shipping, which were offered, as I'm not in a huge rush for it to arrive...other than the typical "wanting to play with a new toy" syndrome...)


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Opusnbill7 said:


> Also, yes, the $299 includes the box and ground shipping


Its a better deal then, but I still don't like it for most folks. Some of you know ebay far better than I do, but it looks to me like you need to spend $200 and up to get an old S1 even with only 20hrs. So your cost for this is worth at least $499.

I wonder if TiVo will still use 48 months to amortize the $200, or a longer period considering past experience, or shorter considering the digital/HD transition.

I wonder if this shows up in sub #'s as a churn and a Gross Add, or not at all.

Certainly makes you scratch your head about the claim they had to stop offering Lifetime because they lost money on it. Of course, I've already scratched it bald. I guess TiVo just doesn't feel its losing enough money and they want to re-up with the folks they already lost the most on to take another hit.


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

> Originally Posted by *HDTiVo*
> Certainly makes you scratch your head about the claim they had to stop offering Lifetime because they lost money on it. Of course, I've already scratched it bald. I guess TiVo just doesn't feel its losing enough money and they want to re-up with the folks they already lost the most on to take another hit.


I think TiVo is making good money on this Offer they are getting $299 for a DT unit and providing the same service they were before. Sure the DT unit may last longer than the unit it replaces but they may also be trying to clear out DT units before they release a lower cost Series 3 unit. On the consumer side this offer seems pretty good for anyone with an older, smaller hard drive unit or a non-networked Series 1 who has analog cable. It is a non starter for OTA users and seems questionable for satellite or digital cable users.

Thanks,


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

atmuscarella said:


> *I think TiVo is making good money on this Offer * they are getting $299 for a DT unit and providing the same service they were before. Sure the DT unit may last longer than the unit it replaces but they may also be *trying to clear out DT units * before they release a lower cost Series 3 unit. On the consumer side this offer seems pretty good for anyone with an older, smaller hard drive unit or a non-networked Series 1 who has analog cable. It is a non starter for OTA users and seems questionable for satellite or digital cable users.
> 
> Thanks,


TiVo is addressing some corporate needs with this and they will likely come out ahead. (If there is confusion amongst my comments its because some of my comments are made in TiVo's voice and others in my own.)

It does look like they have a lot of inventory.


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## lalouque (Feb 11, 2002)

I have an old lifetime SVR-2000 that I bought from a garage sale for $20 that has a broken modem. I had planned on attempting to fix it, but I do believe I'll just upgrade it now. Not bad.

lal


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## Pvgibbs (Jul 5, 2005)

wow...this turned out to be a very informative thread! 

After all this good info, I think I am going to pass on it and hold out for a future S3 offer. 

My situation: 
S1 - Sony box (DOB: 2001) 
S2 - Toshiba rs-tx20 DVD unit 


I already have a S2 Tivo, so I have a tivo with all those benefits (and I dont need MRV). The only upgrade I could see myself doing is to a HD compatible box. 

Even if Analog Cable goes away (and thats a big IF in the next 2-4 years), my Sony can still work with a STB box -- and provide a better picture than S2s seem to provide. 

Beggers can't be choosers, but if a good S3 Lifetime transfer comes along -- I will jump for it. 

That being said, I cant see Tivo doing ANOTHER lifetime offer any time soon...maybe next summer ?


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## Skyhawk85u (Dec 4, 2003)

I'm totally confused about what to do. I have an original S1 (activated 9/14/2000) with Lifetime, upgraded HD to 80 hours (big back then!) and a network card. It occasionally shows its age but right now has been working just fine (but with 70,000 on the HDs that can't last forever!) I'm in the Boston area with Comcast basic service, no cable box, HD-ready TV that I don't care that much about. Hmm... decisions, decisions...


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## sconi1 (May 30, 2007)

Could this be the answer to the Series 2 DT dilema come 2009?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital-to-analog_converter


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## alansh (Jan 3, 2003)

No. Digital to analog converters exist now -- they're digital cable boxes, and the Series2 DT can control one of them. It cannot control two cable boxes, so without an analog signal to work with its built-in analog tuner, it effectively becomes a single tuner box.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

alansh said:


> No. Digital to analog converters exist now -- they're digital cable boxes, and the Series2 DT can control one of them. It cannot control two cable boxes, so without an analog signal to work with its built-in analog tuner, it effectively becomes a single tuner box.


What you need is basically a "cable" box, (ie. even a 3rd party box with cableCARDs for 2 tuners) which can be controlled via IR (or better USB) and can output to the DT two separate analog signals. And ideally the box meets the two way specs so SDV channels are included, and cable VOD is possible too.


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## cr33p (Jan 2, 2005)

pendragn said:


> I wish they'd run a special where you could buy a lifetime for the HD model.  I don't have any to transfer.
> 
> tk


When I called Tivo yesterday to double check a number for a S1 I purchased on craigslist from someone the CSR told me I could either buy a new S2 DT for 299 and the transfer was free, or I could transfer the lifetime to a new s3 unit for 199 but I would still also have to buy the S3 unit.


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## Kirkinsd (Jul 15, 2007)

wolflord11 said:


> As for the Series 1, it still functions as a Manual Recorder without a Sub as long as the Software Version is 1.3 or below. If you have upgraded the Software over that, then you lose the Manual Recording without Sub benefit.


Is this true? From what my series 1 says, I'm on software version 3. If I cant at least use my old S1 as a dumb VCR I dont think Ill take the deal.

My other consideration is the age of my series 1. I have a S1 with a 2nd hard drive that I installed back in 2001. I know my days (hopefully years) are numbered on these drives. I really want to wait a couple more years before upgrading though. My main reason for considering the lifetime transfer deal is the age of the hard drives. If one of my drives goes bad can I recover from a broken dual drive setup? Or can I slap the backup single drive I made before I upgraded back in 2001 and go through the upgrade process again?

If my series 1 with software v3 cant work without a subscription then Im going to take my chances & keep using the old gal.


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

wolflord11 said:


> As for the Series 1, it still fuctions as a Manual Recorder without a Sub as long as the Software Version is 1.3 or below. If you have upgraded the Software over that, then you lose the Manual Recording without Sub benefit.


No, that is *WRONG*.



Kirkinsd said:


> Is this true? From what my series 1 says, I'm on software version 3. If I cant at least use my old S1 as a dumb VCR I dont think Ill take the deal.


If the *originally* shipped version is 1.x, the unit can be used for manual recording. Most Series1 units fall into that category.


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## crawleyness (Feb 15, 2005)

I've have a S1s (purchased in 2000) with lifetime, and it has a bad modem (last 3 years)..........if I leave it plugged into a phone line no one can call in to our number, so I have to plug it in every 10 days or so to get the program info. It would be nice to no longer have this problem. Having 3 tivo boxes with lifetime service, i don't want to imagine having to pay for a monthly subscription. 

An added bonus will be having the ability to use the wireless adapter with the other Tivo boxes.


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## Opusnbill7 (Sep 12, 2000)

Hey....will an S1 that used to be lifetime but now has no service still update its clock even without service? I know it won't get any guide data, but is there value in keeping it on the network just to keep the clock current...(if that works that way)?


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## atmuscarella (Oct 11, 2005)

> Originally Posted by *Kirkinsd*
> My main reason for considering the lifetime transfer deal is the age of the hard drives. If one of my drives goes bad can I recover from a broken dual drive setup? Or can I slap the backup single drive I made before I upgraded back in 2001 and go through the upgrade process again?


In a 2 drive system if one drive goes you loose everything and have to go through the upgrade process again. Given the size and cost of new drives (400 gigs for under $100) it would likely make more sense to buy 1 new large drive and go back to a single drive system.

Good Luck,


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## mstroh (Oct 30, 2002)

HDTiVo said:


> What you need is basically a "cable" box, (ie. even a 3rd party box with cableCARDs for 2 tuners) which can be controlled via IR (or better USB) and can output to the DT two separate analog signals. And ideally the box meets the two way specs so SDV channels are included, and cable VOD is possible too.


I had a similar thought. Why can't there be a software upgrade to the DT unit that would allow it to control two STBs? You could use the IR blaster on one box and the serial cable on the other box; OR TiVo could come out with some kind of splitter for the IR blaster or serial cable to control both boxes. Either way, I don't see why the DT would be unable to do this with the proper software.


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## creativepart (May 7, 2007)

Just to add my .02 cents -- I did the new transfer offer for 2 Tivos in our house and we're super happy with the abilities of the S2. We went from Philips S1s with 14 hours, that had run non-stop for 7 years (!) to the S2 and wireless G networking.

We love the new features, the TivoToGo, the Amazon Unbox, the home networking and even Movie Tickets and Showtimes for our favorite theaters. 

The S2 does SO MUCH more than the S1. We love 'em so far. I would encourage anyone to do this deal. We've always loved our Tivos... now even more.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

creativepart said:


> Just to add my .02 cents -- I did the new transfer offer for 2 Tivos in our house and we're super happy with the abilities of the S2. We went from Philips S1s with 14 hours, that had run non-stop for 7 years (!) to the S2 and wireless G networking.
> 
> We love the new features, the TivoToGo, the Amazon Unbox, the home networking and even Movie Tickets and Showtimes for our favorite theaters.
> 
> The S2 does SO MUCH more than the S1. We love 'em so far. I would encourage anyone to do this deal. We've always loved our Tivos... now even more.


Astro-turf, anyone?


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## StuffOfInterest (Jul 18, 2007)

Having had a Series 1 Sony since fall of 2000, I decided to take advantage of this offer. After the fight to get the TiVo modem to talk through my Vonage connection, and then having to jery rig an external modem after the built-in died, I've been wanting to get my TiVo on the LAN for a long time.

When the time finally comes to go to HD, in probably another one or two years for me, I'm sure the Series 2 can keep working on my old TV while a series 3 (or later) handles the HD set. If the multi discount applies then having the series 2 around certainly makes sense.

Hopefully I'll see as many years of service from the series 2 as I have from my series 1, almost seven years.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

StuffOfInterest said:


> Having had a Series 1 Sony since fall of 2000, I decided to take advantage of this offer. After the fight to get the TiVo modem to talk through my Vonage connection, and then having to jery rig an external modem after the built-in died, I've been wanting to get my TiVo on the LAN for a long time.
> 
> When the time finally comes to go to HD, in probably another one or two years for me, I'm sure the Series 2 can keep working on my old TV while a series 3 (or later) handles the HD set. If the multi discount applies then having the series 2 around certainly makes sense.
> 
> Hopefully I'll see as many years of service from the series 2 as I have from my series 1, almost seven years.


You are one of the better candidates for this deal. Enjoy!

Why TiVo wants to sell a subsidized box and Lifetime for another $200 is a little puzzling considering what *they* said when they dropped Lifetime altogether. Regrets? Second thoughts?


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## riffer (Feb 23, 2002)

Ok, so I took advantage of this deal a few weeks ago. got my new unit promptly and set it up, then called Tivo and had them transfer my lifetime subscription. That became active within 8 hours.

Everything seems to work great, except i'm missing these features:
o TivoCast
o SwivelSearch
o Amazon Unbox
o Guru Guides

The menu options don't exist. It's like it's running a software revision from last year, yet it has the most current release.

Even odder, when I tried to link my Amazon account and Tivo account on-line a few days ago, Amazon claimed i had no active Tivos in my account! I called Tivo and they said I had a duplicate account in their system, the dupe not having any tivos. So they merged them. after that, I was able to succesfully link my Tivo into my Amazon Unbox account.

But I can't in any way actually download anything to my tivo. Not even with the Tivo ToGo feature. It's totally fubar.

And yes, I've done multiple network connections and restarts. I'm going to call Tivo again today and escalate this issue.i think they royally screwed up my account when they did the lifetime service transfer, >_<


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## wolflord11 (Jan 17, 2007)

riffer said:


> Ok, so I took advantage of this deal a few weeks ago. got my new unit promptly and set it up, then called Tivo and had them transfer my lifetime subscription. That became active within 8 hours.
> 
> Everything seems to work great, except i'm missing these features:
> o TivoCast
> ...


Maybe the "Transfer Offer" does not apply to the features you are missing?


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

HDTiVo said:


> You are one of the better candidates for this deal. Enjoy!
> 
> Why TiVo wants to sell a subsidized box and Lifetime for another $200 is a little puzzling considering what *they* said when they dropped Lifetime altogether. Regrets? Second thoughts?


They're trying to move S2 inventory, ahead of their (rumored) big "S3 Lite" product announcement. They have to support your lifetime account either way, it doesn't really matter which box it's attached to. All they care about is moving those soon-to-be-obsolete boxes...


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

dcheesi said:


> They're trying to move S2 inventory, ahead of their (rumored) big "S3 Lite" product announcement. They have to support your lifetime account either way, it doesn't really matter which box it's attached to. All they care about is moving those soon-to-be-obsolete boxes...


DT will still be a good option ofr many for some time yet. Also recall MRV/TTG is still just on the S2 line


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## dhoward (Mar 15, 2002)

Riffer, I had the same problem as you with Tivocast, Guruguide, etc. I emailed Tivostephen and it was fixed the next day. As far as the Amazon problem I did not have that as an issue.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

HDTiVo said:


> Why TiVo wants to sell a subsidized box and Lifetime for another $200 is a little puzzling considering what *they* said when they dropped Lifetime altogether. Regrets? Second thoughts?


Actually, I think it makes sense from their perspective. There's probably *some* benefit if they can get S1s off of the system (I would suspect a lot of people would be using network connections so they would be getting users off of the dialin lines).

Plus, as someone who personally is definitely in favor of the lifetime pricing model, if they did short term "limited time offer" lifetime 'transfer' options every couple of years, they probably could get me to keep upgrading my hardware -- and spending almost as much as if I were paying monthly. That's because I would be doing the cost/benefit analysis and determine whether it was worth it to me. If I didn't like it, I would just stick with my current lifetime subscription.

With the (now not really rumored, since the article showed up on ArsTechnica) S3 lite, I guess the TONS I spent on my S3 could arguably have been 'wasted'. But I like the peace of mind that I don't have to pay monthly.

If a similar deal comes for the S3 lite, I'll get rid of my OTHER S1. The S2DT deal was mighty mighty tempting, but I didn't bite this time.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

mattack said:


> Actually, I think it makes sense from their perspective. There's probably *some* benefit if they can get S1s off of the system (I would suspect a lot of people would be using network connections so they would be getting users off of the dialin lines).


I think they want those S1 subs to be S2 subs because of all the extra services they're selling for S2, like Unbox (user pays) and TiVoCast (advertisers pay).


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

MickeS said:


> I think they want those S1 subs to be S2 subs because of all the extra services they're selling for S2, like Unbox (user pays) and TiVoCast (advertisers pay).


Reply to all:

The thing is it particularly begs the question. They are taking $99 less for Lifetime and they are incuring another loss on the new hardware. TiVo's benefit on cost of service vs the old unit is what? Maybe $.25, .50?

So the point about additional revenues TiVo can get from an S2 is one of the arguments I had for keeping Lifetime originally. If they'll do Lifetime on these terms they should do it on the (better) old terms. If you believe TiVo's original story, this makes no business sense.


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## 1283 (Sep 8, 2000)

HDTiVo said:


> They are taking $99 less for Lifetime and they are incuring another loss on the new hardware.


TiVo is not selling another lifetime service for $200. TiVo is making this offer to old lifetime units no longer earning monthly revenues. The number of lifetime units does not change. Does $299 cover the cost of S2DT hardware plus shipping, etc.? I hope so.


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## jfh3 (Apr 15, 2004)

HDTiVo said:


> Why TiVo wants to sell a subsidized box and Lifetime for another $200 is a little puzzling considering what *they* said when they dropped Lifetime altogether. Regrets? Second thoughts?


Simple. Look who the offer applies to - only lifetime subs for which they no longer recognize any revenue from (look at the "activated before 6/2003" requirement). Forget the box - get another $199 over 4 years for the same customer without incurring any (or minimal) additional cost.


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

c3 said:


> TiVo is not selling another lifetime service for $200. TiVo is making this offer to old lifetime units no longer earning monthly revenues. The number of lifetime units does not change. Does $299 cover the cost of S2DT hardware plus shipping, etc.? I hope so.


What I have been pointing out is that based on TiVo's view of Lifetime, the relief of the obligation on the old S1 does not compensate for the loss taken on the new unit/service. Thus TiVo is putting itself in a worse position by doing the transfer.



jfh3 said:


> Simple. Look who the offer applies to - only lifetime subs for which they no longer recognize any revenue from (look at the "activated before 6/2003" requirement). Forget the box - get another $199 over 4 years for the same customer without incurring any (or minimal) additional cost.


Now you have pointed to a possible motivation. It is an accounting motivation to make things look better in the short to medium term.

In reality, TiVo may be taking a hit over the life of the transaction.


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

HDTiVo said:


> What I have been pointing out is that based on TiVo's view of Lifetime, the relief of the obligation on the old S1 does not compensate for the loss taken on the new unit/service. Thus TiVo is putting itself in a worse position by doing the transfer.
> 
> Now you have pointed to a possible motivation. It is an accounting motivation to make things look better in the short to medium term.
> 
> In reality, TiVo may be taking a hit over the life of the transaction.


how so? they amortized the old lifetime already. Made all the money they planned on it. The S1 was proving to be made so well that they were not breaking down. All these old dialup customers were hanging on lifetime and not upgrading the box. Do not underestimate the benefit to TiVo of either getting those old S1 to go monthly or else drop off the phone network. Do not underestimate the benefit of having more subs using broadband services.

Also a big miss here is that TiVo is trying to actively reward the initial fanatic crowd of TiVo users. That goes a very long way as well. TiVo does something good to retain its loyal followers and you yet again point to any negative you can find. It really is straining your credibility when your agenda is clearly to find fault in everything.


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## BobCamp1 (May 15, 2002)

Don't forget the S1 DST disaster in the spring. Tivo had problems updating the S1 software. It's clear that they can't and don't want to support it anymore. They are trying to get rid of as many S1 owners as they can, so they can drop support for S1, in order to minimize the class-action lawsuit that would follow. 

Also, we have seen them reducing capacity for the dial-in numbers. The S1s can only officially dial in to get guide data. Tivo can always give a free network adapter to a disgruntled S2 customer who finds himself unable to call in anymore. They cannot do this with an S1 owner.


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## DLL66 (Oct 21, 2002)

My Series 1 after 6 year with lifetime modem stopped working. I went and plunged for the DT. Now I can link to my other lifetime Series 2.


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## tai-pan (Feb 9, 2006)

gangeli said:


> I was actually pretty excited when i saw the email, i thought they were going to offer to let me transfer the lifetime to high def tivo for $300


that I would jump at :up:


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## 1003 (Jul 14, 2000)

*TiVo*
got what they wanted back then. Lifetime service generated a lot of immediate cash for them and countered the ReplayTV service offering. How TiVo chose to capitalize and account for this cash is part of thier business plan. If lifetime was bad for TiVo they should have never offered it. How the accounting process works is not important to me, I just want what I paid for.

TiVo benefitted from the fan base and the reliability of the product. The ability to easily replace the weak link item of the system (hard drive) has kept many units from dying the timely death they expected. Even the secondary weak link (modem) has external and network options to keep it alive longer than anyones expectations.

Rewarding loyal customers who believed in TiVo enough to bet on them by purchasing lifetime seems a sound business decision. We the longtime Series1 owners believed in TiVo but are no longer getting enhancements. The 'expiration date' of the dual tuners usefulness is a concern as my local cable company is racing towards an all digital future as fast as they possibly can.

Very much like telcos with rotary phones, they are unhappy about it but still support the aging/obsolete legacy technology. Allowing your customers to choose thier path is a good thing.

I personally await the day TiVo is so fed up with supporting my Series1 that they upgrade me to a Series3+ to get the original lifetime off the books...


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## Gregor (Feb 18, 2002)

JJ said:


> *TiVo*
> got what they wanted back then. Lifetime service generated a lot of immediate cash for them and countered the ReplayTV service offering. How TiVo chose to capitalize and account for this cash is part of thier business plan. If lifetime was bad for TiVo they should have never offered it. How the accounting process works is not important to me, I just want what I paid for.
> 
> TiVo benefitted from the fan base and the reliability of the product. The ability to easily replace the weak link item of the system (hard drive) has kept many units from dying the timely death they expected. Even the secondary weak link (modem) has external and network options to keep it alive longer than anyones expectations.
> ...


I would venture to guess that will be a very long time.


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## bromanofwar (Jul 21, 2007)

I too have received the offer to upgrade my lifetime tivo and am not sure about the whole thing.

I have Comcast digital, a series 1 with lifetime, and an analog tv. I control my tivo via the IR adapter. 

If I upgrade and get the Series 2 will it work to record my digital (non-HDTV) past the Feb. 17, 2009 date? Or on that date will everything be HDTV?

I'm basically wondering how much time will I have with the Series 2 (if I upgrade to it) until I cannot use it anymore because of future changes.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

bromanofwar said:


> I too have received the offer to upgrade my lifetime tivo and am not sure about the whole thing.
> 
> I have Comcast digital, a series 1 with lifetime, and an analog tv. I control my tivo via the IR adapter.
> 
> ...


To recap the last eight pages of discussion  :

The OTA date is meaningless; the question is when Comcast will drop analog channels from their service. When that happens:

1) The S2 will still be able to control a digital cable box and record from the analog output. However, the S2 can only control one box at a time, so it would effectively become a single-tuner tivo. The S2 is still supported, so it should get updates to support the latest & greatest cable boxes, if necessary.

2) Your existing S1 can _also_ control and record from a cable box. However, it doesn't get software updates anymore, so if Comcast comes out with a new cable box with a non-standard interface, your S1 might not be able to control it.

3) The S2 has all the bells & whistles that TiVo has added: online scheduling, limited ability to play content on other devices (TivoToGo / MRV), etc.

4) The S2 _might_ last longer than your S1, but then again it might not...


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## Donzi (Sep 20, 2006)

cr33p said:


> When I called Tivo yesterday to double check a number for a S1 I purchased on craigslist from someone the CSR told me I could either buy a new S2 DT for 299 and the transfer was free, or I could transfer the lifetime to a new s3 unit for 199 but I would still also have to buy the S3 unit.


Is that true? The part about the S3 is pretty big news if it's true - at least it's news to me. There was a $199 xfer offer at the end of '06 or so that I took advantage of but that one is long expired. If they are still doing the S3 xfers I'd be tempted to get another S3 and transfer my other S1 to it.


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## pacor (Dec 26, 2001)

I have S1 with Lifetime and has been interested in transfering to a S2. In my case I already have two S2 that are not currently active (switched to DTivo), so getting another S2 is not a great deal to me. I would have preferred another option of just paying something around $150 and transfer to a S2. I will think that would be another good option for S1 users, since we can move to a S2 and get the upgrades, but Tivo gets the new subscription revenue, plus the reduce cost (I assume it is cheaper to do daily calls over the internet) and the extra revenue the S2 should bring (again I'm assuming that Amazon unbox, Fandango and all the new advertising on S2 bring extra revenue that the S1 don't).


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## HDTiVo (Nov 27, 2002)

Donzi said:


> Is that true? The part about the S3 is pretty big news if it's true - at least it's news to me. There was a $199 xfer offer at the end of '06 or so that I took advantage of but that one is long expired. If they are still doing the S3 xfers I'd be tempted to get another S3 and transfer my other S1 to it.


People have reported pretty steadily that they can still get TiVo to offer the transfer despite its expiration months ago.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

bromanofwar said:


> I too have received the offer to upgrade my lifetime tivo and am not sure about the whole thing.
> 
> I have Comcast digital, a series 1 with lifetime, and an analog tv. I control my tivo via the IR adapter.
> 
> If I upgrade and get the Series 2 will it work to record my digital (non-HDTV) past the Feb. 17, 2009 date? Or on that date will everything be HDTV?


That date is only for OTA transmissions. You don't directly receive those with cable, so are directly unaffected. Your Series 2 will continue to work, as long as it wants to work.

They likely won't ban analog SD connections between home video equipment, which the Series 2 relies on to work.


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## classicsat (Feb 18, 2004)

dcheesi said:


> T
> 2) Your existing S1 can _also_ control and record from a cable box. However, it doesn't get software updates anymore, so if Comcast comes out with a new cable box with a non-standard interface, your S1 might not be able to control it.


Most cable boxes change channels with 3 or 4 plain digits. The Series 1 will control them. The IR code database is continually updated as needed, and the Series 1 also gets the updates for that.


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## ajs01 (Jul 23, 2007)

This is my first post, so please be patient. I ordered the Series 2 DT to replace
my S1 with lifetime service. I understand that you cannot use 2 satellite inputs because the tivo does not have the capability to control 2 IR blasters. My question is... can you set up one satellite receiver, and use the RF input for another satellite, keeping the 2nd satellite receiver always on the same station, thereby eliminating the need for another IR blaster? Will the 2DT support this?

Thanks for your reply, in advance.
Andy


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## JustAllie (Jan 5, 2002)

ajs01 said:


> This is my first post, so please be patient. I ordered the Series 2 DT to replace
> my S1 with lifetime service. I understand that you cannot use 2 satellite inputs because the tivo does not have the capability to control 2 IR blasters. My question is... can you set up one satellite receiver, and use the RF input for another satellite, keeping the 2nd satellite receiver always on the same station, thereby eliminating the need for another IR blaster? Will the 2DT support this?
> 
> Thanks for your reply, in advance.
> Andy


Hmm, I suppose if you turn off suggestions, the second tuner will not try to change stations, and so the guide data will always be correct even though the TiVo has no control over what channel it is watching.

What channel do you really want on 24/7?


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## ajs01 (Jul 23, 2007)

I mostly watch BBCA, so that's probably where I'd leave it. Would it give me
guide data for that one channel, or would I have to do a manual record?


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## ZeoTiVo (Jan 2, 2004)

ajs01 said:


> I mostly watch BBCA, so that's probably where I'd leave it. Would it give me
> guide data for that one channel, or would I have to do a manual record?


you are best to ask this in the Help forum vs hijacking a thread.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thread_hijacking

you have a very specific scenario that would benefit from the kind of people answering questions in the help forum
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=4


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

classicsat said:


> Most cable boxes change channels with 3 or 4 plain digits. The Series 1 will control them. The IR code database is continually updated as needed, and the Series 1 also gets the updates for that.


It does?


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