TiVo Pricing History

[charlie h]

There has been a lot of discussion and speculation about TiVo Series 3 prices, how quickly and how far they will fall.

Well, I decided to look up the history for myself. Using archive<dot>org I was able to find a bunch of old TiVo press releases and view their old 'Buy TiVo' pages.

Here is a list of dates/models/prices that I looked up. This is not a complete history but it provides a sample of the Series 1 and 2 pricing.

Tivo Series 1 Prices:

03/31/1999 14 hr 499
03/31/1999 30 hr 999
09/08/1999 14 hr 499
12/01/1999 14 hr 499
12/01/1999 30 hr 999
03/01/2000 14 hr 399
03/01/2000 30 hr 699
04/05/2000 XX hr 399
05/02/2000 XX hr 299
10/19/2000 20 hr 199 After Rebate (AR)
12/01/2001 20 hr 199 AR

Series 2
10/16/2002 60 hr 299 AR
10/16/2002 80 hr 349 AR
7/28/2003 XX hr 249
11/28/2003 XX hr 199
5/24/2004 40 hr 129

Where you see an 'XX' means that the press release said you could buy a TiVo for 'as low as $$$" but did not mention a recording capacity.

Two interesting Facts:
In about a year the 30 hr price drops $300.
In 18 months the bottom of the line Tivo goes from 14 hr to 20 hr and from $499 to $199 AR

Now, what good would a post on an internet forum be without some opinion???

I believe that the Series 1 pricing history is probably more relevant than the Series 2. This is because the Series 1 pricing starts at $999 and I feel that the Series 1 to 2 upgrade was a small step and the 2 to 3 upgrade is a large step. Although the Series 3 is not the leap that TiVo made from VHS to Series 1.

Also, I think it took TiVo a while to realize that they needed to sell hardware for less (possible for a loss, but I don't think so) and make up the money with subscriptions. I think we saw the huge price drops realized this. Now, I would assume that TiVo already knows they are going to make their money from subs and that the price of the Series 3 hardware will drop once they think they have captured the early adopter market.

I will probably wait to buy my Series 3 until after a good price drop. I currently own 2 TiVos. One has lifetime, but I don't think I will be transferring it to my Series 3. I will probably wait until I can get a Series 3 for $499. At that point I am saving $500 over buying a Series 3 now and transferring my lifetime. It would take almost 7 years of sub fees to pay off the $500 I am saving.

[bpurcell]

Unless they have a HUGE oversupply of S3's, I wouldn't anticipate seeing a 499 price anytime soon.

Here's my guess, if demand stays relatively strong, they will remain at 799 until after Christmas. Starting January, they will institute a rebate of around 150 to 200, making the price 599 - 649.

Now if they see a sharp drop starting early November, you might see a rebate by Thanksgiving, but it depends on the sales.

[HDTiVo]

I feel that the Series 1 to 2 upgrade was a small step and the 2 to 3 upgrade is a large step
At the moment the S2 to S3 upgrade looks like two steps; one forward, one backward. ;)

I think you'll see $499 in some form around March/April.

[headless chicken]

Here's my guess, if demand stays relatively strong, they will remain at 799 until after Christmas.

Is there any way to gauge the online demand of this product? The Amazon.com sales rank of the TCD648250B in the electronics department?

[jdmass]

I stopped into Best Buy last night to have a look at the Series 3. Of course, they were sold out, but I did notice something interesting about current Tivo pricing:

Tivo 80GB S2 Single Tuner: $29.99 (after rebate). This was the price shown on the BB placard
Tivo 80GB S2 Dual Tuner: $59.99 (after rebate)
Tivo 250GB S3 HDTV: 799.99

I hadn't realized that the non-HD Tivo's gotten so cheap. Makes the gap to the S3 even more dramatic!

[headless chicken]

I hadn't realized that the non-HD Tivo's gotten so cheap. Makes the gap to the S3 even more dramatic!

Yeah...and the S3 has even less features!

[eisenb11]

Actually, when those units were initially released they didn't have all those features either.

In time, the S3 feature list will grow.

[Shawn95GT]

May last two 40hr S2s were free or dang near after rebate.

I expected to pay MSRP on release day.

[Stormspace]

Actually, when those units were initially released they didn't have all those features either.

In time, the S3 feature list will grow.

I doubt it. What you will likely see on the S3 will be ad supported features being included, or features that add to the bottom line of the broadcasters and content providers. Some may be hits with users, some not, but one things almost certain MRV and TTG are gone and likely never show back up for a long time, if at all.