New Life for Dead TiVo

[jtrumonp]

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[BTUx9]

If you're talking about a standalone tivo, that would qualify as theft of service, and can't be discussed here (nor most other places, for that matter... these communities like tivos and want to see the company thrive... stealing service is counter to that spirit)

[Lannister80]

I'm sure this has been argued 1000 times before, but how is modifying a piece of computer hardware you have legally purchased and own a "theft of service"?

I also want TiVo to continue to thrive as a company, but what jtrumonp is talking about is repurposing his TiVo to do something else, not a theft of service. He is not suggesting that he wants to continue to use his TiVo in a normal fashion without paying for it. Unless TiVo (the company) has the legal authority to take back a TiVo unit after its subscription has lapsed (which it doesn't, since you own the unit), then anything you do with your TiVo unit after the subscription has lapsed is no business of TiVo's. at all. period. If no service is being provided (software updates, TV schedule info), then there is no "theft of service".

If I were to remove a working hard drive from a broken, out-of-warranty TiVo (lets say motherboard died), and insert/use said hard drive in another computer in my house, does that qualify as theft of service? Or is it the software that runs on the TiVo that make it an issue? If I replace the BootROM chip with a 3rd party one, what does TiVo have to do with this "x86-based computer that happens to have a really slow processor and a video capture card"?

Sure, hacking the TiVo is a DMCA violation (what isn't these days...), but that's a totally different thing that "theft of service".

[BTUx9]

This is a forum that has certain rules, and one of them is not talking about theft of service, and according to those same "powers that be", modifying an S2SA to work without subscription falls into that category

If we were talking about it privately, it'd be a different story, but we aren't.

as you said, this has been hashed to death on numerous occasions, so let's just drop it

[SullyND]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it is likely that you can fix your TiVo simply by replacing the hard-drive. It will still be a TiVo, and you'll have to pay the subscription to use it, but it would be less work than what you're envisioning (provided what you are asking to do is even possible, which it isn't really)

[BTUx9]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned it is likely that you can fix your TiVo simply by replacing the hard-drive. It will still be a TiVo, and you'll have to pay the subscription to use it, but it would be less work than what you're envisioning (provided what you are asking to do is even possible, which it isn't really)
He already knows a new hard drive is necessary and mentioned instantcake... it's a reasonable assumption that he knows he could return the machine to "working" status