Series 3 for $200. It is happening.

[JoJetSki]

Just got off the phone with my buddy who had comcast come out and hook up his cable cards. The installer was an original tivotee who had a series 1 with life time. He said Tivo contacted him and offered him a Series 3 for $200 and a $200 transfer fee for his lifetime subscription. The details are:

1. Tivo had to be an original Tivo made series 1, not the Sony SVR2000 etc.
2. Had to have lifetime and purchased it all early on. Don't know the exact dates.
3. They sent him two boxes. One had the Series 3 and the other was empty. He had to ship back his series 1 as part of the deal.

Personally I have a Sony so I couldn't qualify but MAN I wish I had access to that deal. The cable guy said a few of his buddies had also received the offer.

[mikebridge]

wow, guess i jumped the gun if this is true.

[ah30k]

I don't put much faith in a poster's friend's cable installer's word.

Would be nice, but need some more evidence before I get worked up.

[dt_dc]

Not to give credence to "friend of a friend heard from a guy" type of stuff ... but ...

Sounds like a good way to finally get rid of those (pesky) grandfathered S1s (which would include mine so hopefully it's true ;) ).

[MikeMar]

Well part of this may be the series 1 could have been grandfathered in and a FREE transfer to a box, so if all those #'s are true, then it was a $400 savings.

Maybe he embelished a bit and it was only like $100-$200 savings, which when some people use the 12% best buy coupon isn't all that much

[JoJetSki]

I agree with you, just thought I would post. I can vouch for my friend known him for 9 years.

Don't know the cable guy. Maybe it's comcast's new plan to keep us from buying the Series 3. Since the VOD PPV talk's don't seem to be working.

[MediaLivingRoom]

I'll take that deal!!! Who do I need to Call!!!!

[snathanb]

Just got off the phone with my buddy who had comcast come out and hook up his cable cards. The installer was an original tivotee who had a series 1 with life time. He said Tivo contacted him and offered him a Series 3 for $200 and a $200 transfer fee for his lifetime subscription. The details are:

1. Tivo had to be an original Tivo made series 1, not the Sony SVR2000 etc.
2. Had to have lifetime and purchased it all early on. Don't know the exact dates.
3. They sent him two boxes. One had the Series 3 and the other was empty. He had to ship back his series 1 as part of the deal.

Personally I have a Sony so I couldn't qualify but MAN I wish I had access to that deal. The cable guy said a few of his buddies had also received the offer.

That makes absolutely no sense. They would either be taking a small loss or breaking even and gaining absolutely no additional revenue stream.

[hookbill]

Just got off the phone with my buddy who had comcast come out and hook up his cable cards. The installer was an original tivotee who had a series 1 with life time. He said Tivo contacted him and offered him a Series 3 for $200 and a $200 transfer fee for his lifetime subscription. The details are:

1. Tivo had to be an original Tivo made series 1, not the Sony SVR2000 etc.
2. Had to have lifetime and purchased it all early on. Don't know the exact dates.
3. They sent him two boxes. One had the Series 3 and the other was empty. He had to ship back his series 1 as part of the deal.

Personally I have a Sony so I couldn't qualify but MAN I wish I had access to that deal. The cable guy said a few of his buddies had also received the offer.


Hmmm.....seems very hearsay. I'm skeptical. Maybe if the OP had more the 4 posts too.....

[btwyx]

That makes absolutely no sense. They would either be taking a small loss or breaking even and gaining absolutely no additional revenue stream.It makes some sense to get rid of grandfathered S1s.

[snathanb]

It makes some sense to get rid of grandfathered S1s.

Why? (Just Curious)

[Bodshal]

Why? (Just Curious)
At a guess: Reduces uncertainty.

Plus, it moves more people to the newer platform on which more "things" can be peddled.

Chris.

[JoJetSki]

Hmmm.....seems very hearsay. I'm skeptacle. Maybe if the OP had more the 4 posts too.....

Don't get me wrong you are right to be skeptical. I have no proof, but if someone else gets the deal who has more credibility then I would start believing.

I have been lurking here for years as a guest, but never needed to post cuz my Tivo's all have worked fine.

Maybe I should have not made the title SO strong. Maybe it should have read.

Series 3 for $200...the latest rumor.

[snathanb]

At a guess: Reduces uncertainty.

Plus, it moves more people to the newer platform on which more "things" can be peddled.

Chris.

Well.... selling viewing habits is a revenue stream for TIVO, so if they old S1s didn't support that, then that would make a small degree of sense, but not much.

I could see selling the Tivo at $200 in exchange for securing a new or existing stream of revenue, but it doesn't make much sense to me to do it for a customer who will never have to pay additional service fees on the box.

[S3v3n11]

Well I have an old S1 with a lifetime but I got it in Nov. 2000 so I don't think I will be offered this if it exists.

[btwyx]

Why? (Just Curious)Getting rid of an accounting liability. The future cost of the S1 grandfathered service has to be accounted for as a liability on the balance sheet. Accountants (and I'm not one, so I could be totally wrong), love to get rid of liabilities hanging like that. They might even cost it at $600 which is the discount that the OP was talking about.

Also S1s are more expensive to service as they have to dial in via the modem pool, broadband connections should be cheaper. (Again, just a guess.)

[NetJunkie]

If getting rid of S1s is the point, why not all S1s? I'd love a deal to get rid of my S1 Sony and move to an S3 in the bedroom. Tivo! Make me an offer I can't refuse!

[dcstager]

I've got one of the original Tivos from 1999 with lifetime and it's still working fine. I'd trade it in under these conditions. Thing is the S1 works great with a direct-tv satellite controlled by the serial cable. It has not screwed up a recording for me yet. It has been completely reliable. I have a cachecard with network and large hard disk upgrades. Rock solid machine. Completely hackable and versatile.

The only thing I lack are the Tivo2Go features. I'm not so much interested in getting programming off the Tivo as I am putting it on. Sure wish you could transfer some good XVID/AC3 AVIs over to the series three for playback.

A series 3, Blu-Ray DVD player, and a nice 42" LCD HDTV and I'm set. Send me the offer Tivo people.

[cwoody222]

They sent him an extra, empty box instead of just telling him to use the S3 box?

That alone makes this story a fairy tale.

[atlcrei]

I just got back from Best Buy with my Series 3 (with 10% off)
When I read this thread, I was like.. WHA..?!

But I have an old Sony. Oh well. =\

[snathanb]

Getting rid of an accounting liability. The future cost of the S1 grandfathered service has to be accounted for as a liability on the balance sheet. Accountants (and I'm not one, so I could be totally wrong), love to get rid of liabilities hanging like that. They might even cost it at $600 which is the discount that the OP was talking about.


I actually read their balance sheet the other day (honestly) and I don't recall seeing any liability ascribed to them.

What I did see was that after 4 years, they can no longer recognize revenue from lifetime subscriptions. It was the original assumption that 4 years would be the usable lifetime of a tivo box, so they recognized the lifetime revenue over a 4 year period.

That's why it really surprises me that they allowed the transfer of a lifetime subscription to brand-new boxes. They must really be desperate for the $200 transfer fee.

[Bodshal]

If getting rid of S1s is the point, why not all S1s? I'd love a deal to get rid of my S1 Sony and move to an S3 in the bedroom. Tivo! Make me an offer I can't refuse!
The monthly subbed S1's are revenue. The lifetime'd ones are a cost. As said by btwyx above, doing the service calls over the internet costs less (much less, actually - contention is way lower and it uses the same server hardware with fewer support issues).

But, as for why not all brands of S1, dunno. A guess: possibly something in the agreements with those brands prohibit it.

Chris.
(This post was edited to remove some total bollocks)

[bicker]

If getting rid of S1s is the point, why not all S1s?btwyx's point was not that they're trying to get rid of S1s, but rather that they're trying to get rid of the liabilities associated with S1s. An S1 without grandfather privs and without lifetime service doesn't represent a liability.

[bicker]

I actually read their balance sheet the other day (honestly) and I don't recall seeing any liability ascribed to them.My guess is that they're lumped in with other stuff, on this line:

Other Current Liabilities 57,902 42,017 38,392

[Bodshal]

They sent him an extra, empty box instead of just telling him to use the S3 box?

That alone makes this story a fairy tale.
Well, you need to keep the S3 box in order to be able to return it for warranty service.

And empty boxes fold up small. (Edit: of course, packing material doesn't. Doh!)

But yes, overall, the thing does still smell a bit "too fantastic".

Chris.

[MickeS]

I would take that with a scoop of salt.

[hookbill]

Maybe I should have not made the title SO strong. Maybe it should have read.

Series 3 for $200...the latest rumor.

That would have probably been a better idea. Anyway I give you more credibility now, your post count is much higher. :)


People will have fun with this for a while if not anything else.

[JoJetSki]

They sent him an extra, empty box instead of just telling him to use the S3 box?

That alone makes this story a fairy tale.

Not to get in a pissing contest but I disagree with that. The series one is a different size etc. Plus most companies do not work that way. When I have had to return my xbox and other stuff they just send you a new box with prepaid postage.

[NetJunkie]

btwyx's point was not that they're trying to get rid of S1s, but rather that they're trying to get rid of the liabilities associated with S1s. An S1 without grandfather privs and without lifetime service doesn't represent a liability.

By "why not all" I meant why not Sony boxes too (not all meaning lifetime and monthly)? I figure at some point Tivo will make old S1 owners a deal on an S3. They've been trying to get rid of them for a while. Mine has been going 7 years and I'd be happy to upgrade for a decent price.

[bicker]

Well, there's no sense in quibbling of the details of a fiction anyway, eh? :)

[MickeS]

Well, there's no sense in quibbling of the details of a fiction anyway, eh? :)

You obviously don't read the thread about "Lost".

[bicker]

Lol!

[HDTiVo]

He said Tivo contacted him

They sent him an extra, empty box instead of just telling him to use the S3 box?

That alone makes this story a fairy tale.
There must be a parallel universe TiVo somewhere where they call you, ship multiple boxes to the right address, and take huge losses for no good reason, and Che@p Chicken B@$t@rd$ are early adopters.

:p

[Hank]

Why would Tivo even *want* the retired S1 back? Just transfer the lifetime service and trash the S1 and save on the return shipping and handling, not to mention the cost of shipping the empty box in the first place. I call total BS on the OP FOAF story.

[ADent]

How many of these grandfathered S1 are there left? By thread count it must 40% of the installed base ;).

Maybe they wanted one box for the museum, or to disect, or something.

Or it is just all a Friend of a Friend story.

[eisenb11]

If the parent post is true, I have a feeling that the installer was screwing with his friend.

However, I don't believe this. My gut says the parent may be a troll trying to stir things up.

There are 3 reasons why I don't believe this:

1. My experiences with Tivo RMA is that they will email/send a UPS shipping label. You drop the Tivo in a box, print out their shipping label, then slap it on and send it on its way. I believe Tivo would be more likely to follow this system than suddenly decide to ship a return-addressed box.

2. If I were Tivo, the main reason I would want to get rid of S1 units would be so I wouldn't have to support their software any more. In order to pull this off, though, Tivo would not only have to get rid of the lifetimed S1s, they would also have to get rid of the subbed S1s as well as all the off-brand S1s. So long as any S1s remain in the pool, they must continue to support them.

3. Aside from the reason in (2), it doesn't add up financially. With that deal the S3 + lifetime nets them $400. If BB is truly buying S3s for $500, I'd estimate $400 to be around Tivo's cost per unit. Aside from the reasons in (2), it would make no sense for Tivo to pursue a sale where they would make no profit. Actually, it would net them less than $400 because they also have to pay for shipping to send the S1 back...

Personally, I'm gonna call "BS" on this one... until someone verifies it! :D

[craigslist]

Just got off the phone with my buddy who had comcast come out and hook up his cable cards. The installer was an original tivotee who had a series 1 with life time. He said Tivo contacted him and offered him a Series 3 for $200 and a $200 transfer fee for his lifetime subscription. The details are:

1. Tivo had to be an original Tivo made series 1, not the Sony SVR2000 etc.
2. Had to have lifetime and purchased it all early on. Don't know the exact dates.
3. They sent him two boxes. One had the Series 3 and the other was empty. He had to ship back his series 1 as part of the deal.

Personally I have a Sony so I couldn't qualify but MAN I wish I had access to that deal. The cable guy said a few of his buddies had also received the offer.

well lets all ask tivo jerry about this rumor...........

[bsnelson]

original Tivo made series 1This line seals the deal. I can assure everyone here in TC land that this deal is for real! I guarantee that TiVo, Inc. will happily make this deal for every original Tivo made series 1 unit ever produced. Get those S/N together and give them a call!

(for those whom I'm zooming, there was no such thing as a "TiVo made" series 1 box. They were all made by either Philips, Hughes or Sony.)

Brad

[wmccain]

This purported deal simply values a grandfathered Series1 at its approximate current market value, roughly $600. Lifetime Service gift cards are currently selling for around $650 on eBay, a grandfathered Series1 should be worth about the same.

You have to wonder, since classic economics (supply-and-demand) has set the value of a Lifetime Subscription to be approximately double what TiVo was charging for them before they were discontinued ... would it be worthwhile to TiVo to re-introduce Lifetime Subscriptions at the "going rate" of ~$600?

[2farrell]

Well I got so excited by the original post I called TiVo this morning and asked them why I hadn't been called about this as I have an S1 original with Lifetime.
After about 45 minutes of talking to a rep and then his supervisor, I can confirm the original post is not true (or the person has been mislead).
I will say unless he can confirm with pictures and copies of receipts, don't believe.
The only this TiVo is offering currently is Lifetime transfers to all S1 owners which we already knew about.
So now we can close this thread and get on with the rest of our lives.

[HDTiVo]

Well I got so excited by the original post I called TiVo this morning and asked them why I hadn't been called about this as I have an S1 original with Lifetime.
After about 45 minutes of talking to a rep and then his supervisor, I can confirm the original post is not true (or the person has been mislead).
I will say unless he can confirm with pictures and copies of receipts, don't believe.
The only this TiVo is offering currently is Lifetime transfers to all S1 owners which we already knew about.
So now we can close this thread and get on with the rest of our lives.
Why should we trust you???? :eek:

[bicker]

Why should we trust him? Occum's Razor.

[chain777]

Why should we trust him? Occum's Razor.

Did you mean: Occam's Razor?

[Turtleboy]

What is an original Tivo made Series 1?

And why are people here lying by saying they have one?

[Smiles]

Yeah, what would a TiVo-branded S1 be? Philips and Sony were the original manufacturing partners, IIRC - it wasn't until S2 that they started branding units themselves.

I call shenanigans.

[bicker]

Did you mean: Occam's Razor?Yes. I did. Thanks for the spelling correction.

[classicsat]

IMO it would be cheaper to continue to provide the S1 service rather than recall them, let alone trade them up.

Don't forget than once TiVo or whomever were to receive the old DVR, they'd have to pay to dispose of it also (but that might not be a whole lot).

And yes, there was never any production TiVo branded Series 1s, only Philips and Sony, and in addition Hughes for the DirecTV DVRs.

That is unless the DVR in question was some sort of "pre production" TiVo, which might hold sentimental value for someone at TiVo corporate, so they hunted the service number and registered owner and presented that offer.

[wmccain]

Yeah, what would a TiVo-branded S1 be? Philips and Sony were the original manufacturing partners, IIRC - it wasn't until S2 that they started branding units themselves.You are correct. In fact, the original TiVo units were made (and branded) exclusively by Philips.

[bicker]

Yup I have one of those.

[HDTiVo]

My friend's cable guy just warned him in two months the TiVo Storm Troopers are coming to rip the S1s out of your cold, dead hands.

[mick66]

The details are:

1. Tivo had to be an original Tivo made series 1, not the Sony SVR2000 etc.


No such thing. TiVo didn't make any S1's with their name branded on it. TiVo didn't start making them under their own name until the S2.