Why Should I Stay With TiVo?

[Emacee]

I am getting an HDTV receiver. At this point, I can't see why I should stay with TiVo.
I've had a TiVo for almost seven years (this is my second).

They want $800 bucks for the box (which is what it was when I first looked at TiVo).
The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year
The unit doesn't support satellite.

So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?

[Redux]

I am getting an HDTV receiver. At this point, I can't see why I should stay with TiVo.
I've had a TiVo for almost seven years (this is my second).

They want $800 bucks for the box (which is what it was when I first looked at TiVo).
The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year
The unit doesn't support satellite.

So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?If you want to go with DirecTV (hoping for some kind of future now, post-Murdoch) there's the HR10-250. Still gives you Tivo. Menus/navigation is slow, no folders (you don't want any OS past 3.1.5f, you have to read about that). But a pretty nice solution if you can live with DirecTV as it is at the moment and hope for better down the road.

FIOS is well-worth looking into if available to you. Please post your experiences if you go that way.

Dish. Well, hopefully you have some acquaintences willing to invite you over to play with it for awhile. Try it out. I wanted _very_ badly to go with Dish when I soured on DirecTV (eight DirecTivo boxes in the house and a DirecTV customer for about 8-9 years), I spent many hours with the Dish experience; all I needed was something in the ballpark of tolerable. No dice.

So I spent the fracking $800 for the SA Tivo. It's OK; if I were starving I'd buy food first, but it's OK. I still have many months (possibly years) of catch-up on my timeshifting, so a few of my old DirecTivos are still cranking away, sans subscription, as playback-only units. I'm not sure I could live with the Tivo SA 3, as is, without other resources. If the S2 capabilities aren't added back relatively soon, I'll probably sell the thing.

Tell us about your FIOS experience if you go that way.

[classicX]

I am getting an HDTV receiver. At this point, I can't see why I should stay with TiVo.
I've had a TiVo for almost seven years (this is my second).

They want $800 bucks for the box (which is what it was when I first looked at TiVo).
The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year
The unit doesn't support satellite.

So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?

I have a problem with the word "should." It's as if 1) you're positing that staying with Tivo is something you should do, but don't necessarily want to, and 2) it sounds like you're asking someone to "prove" to you that Tivo is better.

No one here is going to tell you that you should stay with Tivo; no one is going to tell you that spending $800 is a good idea, because no one here knows your situation better than you.

There are other options available to you; if you are so inclined, then choose one. I don't understand what you are looking for with this thread.

[HDTiVo]

I am getting an HDTV receiver. At this point, I can't see why I should stay with TiVo.
I've had a TiVo for almost seven years (this is my second).

They want $800 bucks for the box (which is what it was when I first looked at TiVo).
The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year
The unit doesn't support satellite.

So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?
Without a LT transfer available, I don't see the value, and I'm on the fence about LT transfer.

You may have particular circumstances that weigh in favor of an S3, like letting scale to 1080i for your TV if the TV is lousy. Its complex to decide with the current pricing/terms.

[GoHokies!]

The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year

What are you paying now? With a 3 year comittment you can pay $12.95 for one box or $6.95 for it if you keep one of your other Tivos.

So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?

FIOS will support cablecards, so that's an option if you want the S3 and don't want cable.

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=315826

That's the FIOS CableCard thread if you want to read about people's experiences.

[ellisharon]

I've had Tivo since the first week it came out; I have had it now for almost 7 years. Definitely what you would call a loyal fan but I was just as outraged as you are when I heard about the S3. No MRV, $800 and they want me to pay again for my lifetime service! Tivo has lost its mind!

My husband is an HD fanatic and 2 years ago he made me put my 2nd Tivo in the guest bedroom and rented the HD DVR from Bright House and then from Verizon for our living room. So when the Tivo S3 came out and I refused to buy it, I knew it was just a matter of time until my husband made me scrap Tivo S2 (In the bedroom) for another HD DVR. Knowing this I prepared myself by only using the DVR in the living room for the next couple of days (Before that I had refused to use the DVR). And I have to say, I absolutely hated it! I know people bitch about the cost and the lack of features but when I used the cable companies DVR it just reminded me of all the things I love about Tivo and how there is so much more to it then MRV and Tivo 2 Go.

I know this may not answer your question and it's a little long winded of a response but my advice to you is to go try the cable companies DVR and see if you like it. For me when faced with the decision of scraping Tivo for a DVR or paying the $800, It didn't seem like such a hard decision.

I bought the S3 and I love it! My husband didn't realize how much he missed Tivo and hated the DVR until we bought it. He now wants to buy another one and ban all other DVRs from our house. If you do decide to get a S3 they now sell them for $650.

[jmoak]

Aren't you in a better position than me to answer that question?

;)

[FlippedBit]

Ask yourself this question: When you are on your death bed, are you going to wish you hadn't spent all of that money on an S3? If so, don't get it. Otherwise, get it.

[Adam1115]

They want $800 bucks for the box (which is what it was when I first looked at TiVo).
The monthly fee is more than double what I'm paying (and that's with a three year
The unit doesn't support satellite.
[/list]
So why shouldn't I go with a DirecTV, Dish or FIOS box? How does TiVo justify their high cost?

1) No, "they" want $799 for the box. And, sure, I suppose you can pay full MSRP direct to Tivo if your too lazy to shop around and pay more like $650-$680 shipped...

2) Double? For 3 years prepaid, it works out to $8.31 a month. For 3 years non prepaid its $12.95/mo. Are you paying $4.15 a month? Or $6.48/mo? DirecTV is $5.99 a month, Dish is that for EACH DVR. Yes TiVo is more, but they also don't lock you into a 2 year programming commitment for $45/mo to recoup it!! I like the idea of being month to month forever and owning my own equipment.

3) No, it doesn't. DirecTV discontinued the unit that supported satellite and decided to end their relationship with TiVo. Bad idea, in my opinion, but that's not TiVo's fault... they WANTED to support satellite..

[rodalpho]

The price for the base box will come down. It has to, or tivo is basically throwing in the towel. As for the cellphone-like pricing plans... yeah, they really suck. You can swallow them if the box is free or very inexpensive, but I couldn't imagine buying a $700 box and being locked in to a prepaid 3 year commitment to pay what I'm paying now month to month. The MRV commitment plan is particularly egregious. Hopefully the people will speak and tivo will position their contracts towards encouraging a one year commitment instead of three. I guess we'll see.