Tivo functionality with cancelled account?

[Bai Shen]

I'm looking at cancelling my cable, which would also mean that I'd probably cancel my tivo service as well.

I still have several shows on the tivo. If I cancel my service, will I still be able to watch them? I know I won't get any more guide data, but what else will happen?

[RoyK]

Yes you will always be able to watch shows that you have already recorded. After a while most of the rest of the functionality will be disabled but you still will be able to watch and pause live tv with the 30 minute buffer.

[spiro improved]

I feel a little guilty about this--but i will give it a shot. I purchased a 200 hour series one tivo back in 2001---I thought i had made a mistake---I did not realize you had to subscribe to tivo, and was going to send it back---but i rigged it up with a vcr timer---and---I have used it all these years without ever subscribing to tivo---a great source of pleasure---interrupted in 2003 by the failure of the hard drive. The South Dakota place put in a 140 hour replacement---and that has been ok. But it failed this week----I took the tivo apart and noticed the hard drive was a different brand than phillips.

What should i do---call somewhere and order a replacement for this old series one phillips---will i be able to plug it in myself? Has tivo devised anything which would prevent me from continuing to program it manually with my vcr timer? (Don't give me any sermons--it has worked perfectly for me except for the hard drive failures.)

[classicsat]

If you get another similar Series 1, it will work like you are using yours now. You could also consider a DVD-Tivo combo from Toshiba or Pioneer, which come with a free level of TiVo service. Really though, I think you just need to get a replacement HDD.

All other Series 2s need a subscription even to do what you want. Don't get one and expect it to record for free, or expect anybody here to help you make it work without subscription.

Another option is non-TiVo HDD based recorders, which there are some.

[ewilts]

With the old Series 1, you have to be careful. If I recall correctly, on the very early S1s, you can scheduled timed recordings without a TiVo subscription. For example, a recording weeknights from 10:00pm to 10:30 to capture the Daily Show. With later releases of the S1, you can't do that. I believe the justification was that with the early units (I've got one of these), there was nothing on the box saying you bought a brick without a subscription. TiVo later added that and doorstopped the unsub'ed the newer S1 units.

To spiro: just replace the hard drive - the instructions for the Series 1 are easily found online.

.../Ed

[Shawn95GT]

I just had my Series 2s come off their 1 year pre-pays and since canceling they are pretty annoying for use with live TV. For pre-recorded stuff you wouldn't know the difference aside from the nag screen that pops the first time you use it every day.

[Bai Shen]

I forgot to mention that these are s2 tivos. And I'm not worried about recording new stuff, as with no cable, I won't be able to. I just want to make sure I'll still be able to watch the remaining shows that I have left.

[gastrof]

As said above, you'll always be able to watch what you've already recorded (unless the machine fails in some way). You don't need to be subscribed to do that.

[gastrof]

I feel a little guilty about this--but i will give it a shot. I purchased a 200 hour series one tivo back in 2001---I thought i had made a mistake---I did not realize you had to subscribe to tivo, and was going to send it back---but i rigged it up with a vcr timer---and---I have used it all these years without ever subscribing to tivo---a great source of pleasure---...)


Ummm...

You "rigged it up with a VCR timer"?

What does that even mean?

VCRs have built-in timers. How could you have one working your TiVo?

Also, except for "TiVo Basic" machines and Series 1s, you can't record on a machine that doesn't have actual TiVo service.

An external timer would do you no good, and if you somehow built it into your TiVo, the machine still wouldn't record.

If yours is a Series 1 machine (unless it's one of the later ones that don't work without service) it'll both record and allow you to program it to record a certain channel at a certain time. No external timer would be needed, let alone one that came from a VCR. :confused:

[scandia101]

I forgot to mention that these are s2 tivos. And I'm not worried about recording new stuff, as with no cable, I won't be able to.

S2's can record OTA for another year unless they are 542 or 649 models.

[aidtopia]

When the Series 1 units were first out, one of the concerns was "What if TiVo (the company) doesn't make it?" I recall reading reassurances that if the company failed (and therefore the service went away), they would provide an unlock code that would make the TiVo as functional as a VCR. This lowered the risk of buying such a new gizmo. I guess TiVo has backed off of that promise. I wish I had noticed that before buying my HD.

[classicsat]

They may still have a "blue pill" policy, where in the event they will shut down the TiVo service, they will send a final update that enables the TiVo recording and possibly networking features for free.

[jlb]

I have an older AT&T branded S2 (one of the first, if not the first series 2s). I disconnected it from the phone/network before cancelling the service on it. It still functions as a manual recording unit. And this is almost a year out now.........