HD TiVo Now Only $219 at Costco

[SpiritualPoet]

I noticed the price has plumeted on HD TiVo machines at Costco in Texas. The in-store price: $219.00 (not a net price/no rebate required). Sweet. (The old price was $259.00). Note: The Costco Web price is quite a bit higher than the in-store price at $279.99.

[TheGreenHornet]

I saw the same price of $219 at the local Costco in Montgomeryville, PA. I was going to post the price when I got home. While I was posting - I thought that must not be right. The price is too low. Maybe I saw $279???

I am glad I am not seeing things! In fact, I was thinking at that price maybe I should get the HD to replace my old S2 that is OTA and will need a converter box for the digital conversion. I am waiting like many for the software upgrade with the converter codes.

I wonder if the nice folks at Tivo would allow me to upgrade an HD Tivo bought at Costco from my OTA S2. I would strongly consider it if I just move the lifetime from the S2 to the HD and not pay any more subscription fees.

The S2 will then be inactive and put on E-Bay. Someone with cable could easily sign up for a new subscription. It is a win for all of us. Tivo sells an HD unit and a new subscription on the S2 and I get a new HD to go with my S3. :)

[mattack]

No, you can't "move" the lifetime... It's always been tied to a particular box.

(Tivo has offered "transfer" options, but they were $200(*). Supposedly there was one free transfer from S1->S2, but at the time, the S2 didn't offer any functions I thought were worth the new hardware cost.)

Plus, Tivo *wouldn't* likely get a new subscription on the S2, since the person would be able to get a completely new S2 for very little money.

(*) I'm ignoring the pre-mid-2000 grandfathered exception, due to what some people was confusing wording.

[RonDawg]

I posted a few weeks back that I saw that same price in a few LA-area Costco stores. I was in the Azusa store a few days ago and saw one left at the $219 price.

[jtlytle]

great post. Thank you. here is some of my thought.1670 series go away!

[tarpon]

Can someone give me some more details about this TIVO -- I have cable and OTA HD.

Model number?

Does it do QAM?

I am cheap, I have a many year old Sony without subscription that I just use as a DVR, no guide. Can you do the same with this? TIVO?

My current Sony TIVO SDTV unit is getting long in the tooth and I was planning an upgrade to the Phillips 3576, but maybe this is better, any thoughts?

[RonDawg]

The model is simply called the "TiVoHD", the model number is TCD652160.

It tunes clear QAM but you won't get any guide data for it, limiting its usefulness with such channels.

No TiVo other than the Series 1, and a small number of early Series 2's (based upon user reports), will record without a subscription other than the 1/2 hour live buffer. If you want to record, you need a subscription.

As far as the Philips, if this is a DVD recorder you are best asking that question at a DVD recorder forum such as the one on AVSForum.com.

[tarpon]

Thanks, I really don't have much use for the DVD recorder, it's just there. I really just use it for time shifting -- Hence my inquiry about TIVO, they really do just what I need.

The fact that the TIVOHD doesn't work without subscription, that's a deal killer. Why would they do that -- Essentially the unit is useless without subscription, I guess that is the plan. Sigh, seems everything and everybody is trying to sell service instead of products.

Appreciate the information, I guess I will stick with the TIVO Series 1 until closer to digital switch-over and see if there are better deals. Unless the Sony goes totally kaput. Sams Club has the Phillips 3576 for $248, but what is stopping me is it's SD only.

Seems like most TV and for that matter most movies aren't really worth the wasted time.

[classicsat]

TiVo's business is the service, the hardware being the means to sell the service. That is why there is little free functionality on most Series 2/3 TiVos, and all TiVo branded hardware.

I should correct Rondawg a little.
Officially, most of the Series 1s, and the Toshiba and Pioneer branded units off some degree of free functionalitly or another. Unofficially, some unsubbed Series 2 units may exhibit operation behavior not unlike that of an unsubbed Series 1s, if they are disconnected before service is terminated.

[eric_n_dfw]

The Southlake, TX store has been out of them for months, but yesterday afternoon they happened to have one on the shelf with a "LAST ONE" price tag on it so I snapped it up. It was a few dollars more at $225 (regularly $275 or so) but cheap enough for me - especially with Costco's liberal return policy. (in case I have too much troubles with Time Warner's cable cards and/or eventual SDV)

[rmeredith@pa.ne]

I was at the Fredericksburg, VA Costco Saturday. They had 2 pallets of TiVo HDs for $219/ea.

[tarpon]

My series 1 Sony TIVO offers record mode, as if it were a basic VCR, time or repeating with day choice. It is essentially like a regular vcr with a good base program. I think it cost me $200 a few years ago.

I could understand TIVO disabling unsubscribed box use when they gave the units away, but when you pay $2-300 for the box and then must subscribe to make it work at all, that seems a little much. My guess is the DVR units like the Phillips 3576 will take over the market, especially with the newer EPG available. Hey it's their market, they can do what they want.

I still may buy TIVO and subscribe ... just depends on what extras you can get. First though, going to look at what Comcast DVR has to offer and the costs.

[dolcevita]

I was at the Fredericksburg, VA Costco Saturday. They had 2 pallets of TiVo HDs for $219/ea.

Darn, I have been wanting to buy another one, but my local Costco has been out for months.

If anyone can let me know the product #, I can ask them to search inventory next time I am there.

[jjberger2134]

First though, going to look at what Comcast DVR has to offer and the costs.

Comcast DVR and a TiVo are really two totally different DVR's. It really is like comparing apples and oranges. There are so many features that are unique to TiVo, that Comcast can't touch. However, unless you get a deal from Comcast the monthly fee is "roughly" the same. That leaves the only real price difference between the "free" comcast hardware and the $200-$250 TiVoHD.

Search these forums (so not to hijack this thread) about the differences between the Comcast DVR and the TiVoHD.

[mattack]

The fact that the TIVOHD doesn't work without subscription, that's a deal killer. Why would they do that -- Essentially the unit is useless without subscription, I guess that is the plan. Sigh, seems everything and everybody is trying to sell service instead of products.

You can buy lifetime service again (for a while this wasn't possible), so you can just consider it a more expensive purchase, then no more fees. (I see that they're now *advertizing* that lifetime subscriptions are back.)

I use a non-Tivo hard drive/DVD recorder _along_ with my Tivos, but definitely think that Tivo is well worth it (for lifetime subscriptions -- if I had to pay every month, I would look more into doing it all 'manually', but I definitely DO appreciate what auto-recording wishlists can find me, for example).