goodby TiVo..for now

They need to be competitive if they want to stay competitive
Free (albiet crappy) DVRs the cable and sat companies are giving away are being used much more frequently. I don't want to see Tivo go the way of Xerox because they think better is good enough.

 

I can't get over the fact that people paid $650-$800 for the TiVo Series3 HDTV DVR and then have to pay $13/month just to use it.

$13/month for guide data and software updates to fix the buggy software ?

You'd think at that price to buy it the first year of service would be free. After the first year most people would be hooked and wouldn't mind paying $13/month.

 

Your final sentence contradicts the second, Stanley. Why would they be "hooked" if the software is "buggy"?

 

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It says more about Tivo's competition than Tivo, doesn't it?

 

I can't get over the fact that people still don't understand what the TiVo service is.

 

Tivo markets the box, not the software

 

With the prices of the Series 3, Tivo will find it hard to get New Customers, that and they are now aiming solely at Cable Customers, as the only New option sat users have with tivo is the Series 2 DT, and that is not even a true DT for Sat only.

 

And for people who don't understand, would you please explain what do people get for their service fees except for the guide and software updates? I got my first TiVo Sep '99, so I'm not new to TiVo. Could you please point out to me what I been missing for all these years?

 

If you have to ask, you don't get it. Especially if you've participated at TCF for almost 7 1/2 years w/o learning the information.

 

I admit - I don't get whatever you imply I don't get. But if you are so smart and do get whatever I don't get - would you please tell me what do you personally get for your service fees except for the guide and software updates?

 

What you get is TiVo suggestions, season passes, wishlists, and all kinds of other programming that other dvr's don't have. I had Dish dvr for a while, and TiVo blows that away completely! When a show is rescheduled, TiVo finds it and records it at the correct time. If it moves to a new network, it reschedules your programming to the correct channel. Change from satellite to cable? TiVo's programming reschedules all your season passes to the correct new channels. No other dvr does these things. Have an S2? There's TiVo2G0, multi-room viewing, online scheduling, playing your media that's on your computer on your TV, saving your programs to your computer, Tivocast, and a whole host of other functions exclusive to TiVo. That's what you pay for. And they keep adding functions, like the new partnership with Amazon.

Most other dvrs work like glorified VCR's. Your program rescheduled? Too bad. It's going to record the original timeslot no matter what. Someone tell you about a really good program that's on that night? Hope you get home before it starts or you'll miss it. I could go on and on, but I think there's enough here to make the point. The monthly fee not only supports the updated program schedule, but R&D to keep adding new features and to keep updating the software that runs the box, and a whole lot more.

To answer a different post, I'm not sure the comment about TiVo marketing solely to the cable market is fair. As has been discussed many times in other threads, the satellite companies didn't allow TiVo to add satellite compatibility to the HD box. My guess is they want subscribers to have to use their box with it's comparatively limited funtionality and very inferior user interface.

 

All of the features that you mentioned either came pre-loaded on the box you bought or were added with software updates. These were the reasons why you purchased TiVo in a first place. I'm not going to argue about TiVo superiority as to compare to other DVRs (although your statement about Dish DVRs is completely wrong - VIP 622 is arguably most powerful DVR on a market today). My point is that in terms of ongoing service you only get the guide and updates - nothing else. Until recently TiVo gave you an option to purchase software pre-loaded on the box outright (lifetime plan) or to lease it on monthly basis. Either purchase or lease of the software is part of your original purchase deal and it gets you all the TiVo functionality. Service is what you get on day to day basis and it includes the guide and occasional updates to the software.

 

Please keep this discussion going. I'm on the edge ... do I jump from my SA 8300 or buy a S3?

 

Its not $5 to rent it from my cable company I thought it was too until I took a closer look at my cable bill. Thats the amount they charge just to rent the box. If you want DVR functionallity they charge an additional 9.99. So thats $5 + $9.99 + you have to upgrade to their digital tier for an extra $9.99 (which gives me a bunch of channels I don't even want, all I watch are the analog cable channels and the major networks in HD which are free OTA). So all together we're looking at $25 to have the cable companies DVR. They just hide all the fees so it looks like your only paying $5. With TiVo its actually cheaper to go with one of their analog boxes and even the series 3 will even out with the cable company's box over time. Once they work out the kinks I'm definitely going to pick one up.

Oh and I dont think $13 is too much to pay for tivo service. There are cost involved with developing and maintaining a product that need to be covered. This is TiVo's main source of income and they have yet to make a profit so obviously even this price is too low. And still TiVo's service fee is less then the cables companies DVR service fee even if you dont take in to account the fact that you must upgrade to the digital tier.

The only reason the S3 is so expensive right now is because its new technology. I think it will be affordable for the masses soon enough.

 

Unfortunately, mediocrity usually wins over excellence, because people will settle for less, if it means paying less. Macs have always been superior, in design and features, to PCs running Windows, but windows has a 90% market share, because it's cheaper. The same thing is true of Tivo vs cable company DVRs, people will settle for less, if it means paying less; because it meets the basic need - recording TV shows. If Tivo ( and Apple for that matter) want to succeed, they have to learn that marketshare is more important than margin; and that means they need a superior price, as well a a superior product.

 

What software is on the SA 8300s in your area? That makes a huge difference.

 

Yep, you just don't get it. There's nothing wrong with that, but arguing with people who do get it is a futile endeavor.

 

yah, that is all the updates do There has never been NEW features included such as TiVoToGo or MRV/HME or Kid Zone or deleted folders or Yahoo integration or the upcoming ablity to download movies from Amazon etc..
TiVo is motivated to keep adding value while Cable Company DVRs are not on such a fast pace to add new features and certainly not features such as download movies from other sources that would have them before they would be available on PPV or VOD.

Treating "software updates" as if they are a minor difference from other DVR options is just spinning the facts to your argument and not looking to engage in a real debate