Broken Remote - Is this a good time to upgrade

sean33 · 03-08-2012, 01:38 AM

I think my remote hit the ground one too many times so now a few select buttons won't work. I took apart the remote and cleaned with alcohol but no luck.

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to the Premiere but I'm not sure if I should or not. I'm not on a lifetime, so I am paying $12 a month but I have upgraded the HDD. Looks like I can get service for $14 but I am leaning towards lifetime because I've kept my HD box for 4 years.

Should I just cough up the cash for a remote, or is now a good time to just make the plunge into Premiere? I can't decide.

ThAbtO · 03-08-2012, 04:58 AM

If you replace you old Tivo with a Premiere, you could be paying $19.99 for the subscription, if you buy a $99 Premiere (no lifetime). But on a $299 Premiere, you can get lifetime for $499.99.

It would be cheaper to get a replacement remote for about $20 or so, on the cheapest model.

mr.unnatural · 03-08-2012, 06:57 AM

You can buy Tivo remotes on ebay for less than $10 shipped.

Joe01880 · 03-08-2012, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.unnatural

You can buy Tivo remotes on ebay for less than $10 shipped.

I have a lot of components in my H/T system. I find a Harmony One does a nice job of working eveything seemlessly.

jrtroo · 03-08-2012, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThAbtO

If you replace you old Tivo with a Premiere, you could be paying $19.99 for the subscription, if you buy a $99 Premiere (no lifetime). But on a $299 Premiere, you can get lifetime for $499.99.

It would be cheaper to get a replacement remote for about $20 or so, on the cheapest model.

I don't think this is accurate for an existing customer. The OP can get a $99 premiere with lifetime for $399.

Plus, when they try to cancel the old one, they will likely get a $99 lifetime offer for that. Bonus, and great for selling or putting on a slightly used TV.

If they keep the old one in the same room, they can use the one remote for both.

mr.unnatural · 03-08-2012, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe01880

I have a lot of components in my H/T system. I find a Harmony One does a nice job of working eveything seemlessly.

It's what I use as well.

The Tivo remote is fine for controlling a Tivo and maybe a TV. It's neither practical or flexible enough for use with more than one or two components. Most Tivo remotes I've ever owned have never been taken out of the plastic bag.

unitron · 03-08-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean33

I think my remote hit the ground one too many times so now a few select buttons won't work. I took apart the remote and cleaned with alcohol but no luck.

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to the Premiere but I'm not sure if I should or not. I'm not on a lifetime, so I am paying $12 a month but I have upgraded the HDD. Looks like I can get service for $14 but I am leaning towards lifetime because I've kept my HD box for 4 years.

Should I just cough up the cash for a remote, or is now a good time to just make the plunge into Premiere? I can't decide.

If you have a TCD652160 or TCD658000 you may be able to call TiVo and threaten to cancel and get lifetime on it for $99, there's a whole thread about this around here somewhere.

That will considerably increase its resale value.

Or you can keep it as a backup machine and to qualify you for the Multi-Set Discount on subscriptions on any other TiVos you acquire.

lpwcomp · 03-09-2012, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrtroo

... If they keep the old one in the same room, they can use the one remote for both.

Trying to use the remote that comes with the TP to control two TiVos in the same room would be a major PITA. No 1-2 switch.

jrtroo · 03-09-2012, 10:55 AM

I don't do this. From the descriptions I have read it takes extra steps, but would not be in the "major PITA" category. It is button pushing, yes?

lpwcomp · 03-09-2012, 11:07 AM

Cover up the front of the remote, hold down pause and TiVo buttons until the LED comes on, then hit the number button corresponding to the remote code to which the TiVo you want to control is set. Which, IMHO, constitutes a major PITA.

mr.unnatural · 03-09-2012, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpwcomp

Cover up the front of the remote, hold down pause and TiVo buttons until the LED comes on, then hit the number button corresponding to the remote code to which the TiVo you want to control is set. Which, IMHO, constitutes a major PITA.

Or you could simply program two Tivo remotes to control each Tivo individually. The best approach is to use a universal/programmable remote that you can teach the codes for each Tivo. You have to assign a specific code to each Tivo when using multiple Tivos in the same room because the default code witll override any other codeset and control all Tivos simultaneously.

lpwcomp · 03-09-2012, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.unnatural

Or you could simply program two Tivo remotes to control each Tivo individually.

Uh, yeah. But that would require having two working remotes. If you look at the title of the thread and the initial post, the OP's existing remote is broken.

mr.unnatural · 03-09-2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lpwcomp

Uh, yeah. But that would require having two working remotes. If you look at the title of the thread and the initial post, the OP's existing remote is broken.

Yeah, but I was responding to your post, not his.

I've already posted a solution for the OP with regards to finding a replacement remote. Your post dealt with using multiple Tivos in the same room using a single remote.

lpwcomp · 03-09-2012, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.unnatural

Yeah, but I was responding to your post, not his.

I've already posted a solution for the OP with regards to finding a replacement remote. Your post dealt with using multiple Tivos in the same room using a single remote.

And I was responding to a post addressing the OP's idea (in the initial post) of upgrading to a Premiere. jrtroo suggested he could keep both TiVos, have them in the same room, and use the new remote to control both TiVos.

unitron · 03-09-2012, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean33

I think my remote hit the ground one too many times so now a few select buttons won't work. I took apart the remote and cleaned with alcohol but no luck.

I've been toying with the idea of upgrading to the Premiere but I'm not sure if I should or not. I'm not on a lifetime, so I am paying $12 a month but I have upgraded the HDD. Looks like I can get service for $14 but I am leaning towards lifetime because I've kept my HD box for 4 years.

Should I just cough up the cash for a remote, or is now a good time to just make the plunge into Premiere? I can't decide.

If some buttons quit due to impact rather than use, get a bight light and a magnifying glass and inspect all the soldered joints.

wmcbrine · 03-11-2012, 06:53 PM

It's as good a time to upgrade as any, but a broken remote is not a good reason, nor even a convincing excuse.

ThAbtO · 03-11-2012, 08:50 PM

Use the Remote, Luke!

unitron · 03-11-2012, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmcbrine

It's as good a time to upgrade as any, but a broken remote is not a good reason, nor even a convincing excuse.

Hush, he's almost got his significant other talked into it.