New Tivo Price Plans - No More Lifetime + Responses to Summary

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That wasn't what I was trying to see happen...

You have a right to your opinions as anyone else...

The griping has just gotten out of hand, imho, and I wasn't directing my comments at you entirely... that post of yours just gave me an opportunity to address something I've been wanting to say for a while now...

 

Wrong. A belief is not based on understanding. You can't tell me what to believe just by making me understand something. Go look it up, you seem to like looking things up in the dicitonary.

When did the fact that you have to sign up for a year to get the $12.95 / month come in..? That's a change.
Everyone who has lifetime and is complaining about this pricing structure is only complaining because of what they feel would have been a good option when the S3 comes out. It makes no difference to them as an ongoing thing in the next few months. If they're offering opinions on whether this was a good idea or not, it's an indication of how ikely they are to re-sign with Tivo for an S3 under the new plans. That could be useful for Tivo to know, but the proof will be if sales of S2s or S3s pick up significantly over the rest of the year. Personally, I dont believe they will... whether you understand my reasoning or not, I really couldn't care less.

I hadn't been to this forum for a long time and now I remember why...

 

Well..maybe my post was a little attitudish.

 

Perhaps we can start a campaign to encourage TiVo to bring back lifetime in time for the Series3... not necessarily the too good of deal $299 lifetime. At 12.95/mo over 48 months that is $621.60, at $19.95/mo over 48 it's $957.60. Pick a number in the
$600-$1000 range and at least offer us the choice of buying lifetime. That choice will appease the masses angered by the move, and for those of us who truly do not want to add yet another monthly bill at least have an option to go lifetime.

We understand the $299 was to good of a deal, but do not let a test group decide the fate of the lifetime. Leave that in the hands of the marketplace.

 

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I don't recall off the top of my head but it was about six months ago I believe.

 

Unfortunately that was not clear for me at the time I made the reply, and unfortunately, I think it makes things worse not better.

Since service is $12.95, can I just pay ~$6.00 a month for 12 months and buy a box without the service?

The way this pricing works out the value of the box is only around $72.00. Considering it is being paid out over time, the actual value is even less than that.

The same business model TiVo has always had is apparently in full effect. Subsidize the cost of the boxes and significantly over-charge on the "Service" fee. The problem is, for me a customers, that the box has tangible value and the service is of very little real value. Guide data and potentially some upgrades to the software.

In essence this changes nothing in the dynamic. The only real new addition is the ability to pay full unsubsidized retail for a box, and pay the over-priced monthly service charge.

I just don't see any more TiVos in my future. It is not just because of this either, it is because a lot of factors. This, however, did not make them any more appealing to me as an option in the future, nor really as a recommendation. I also don't agree with all the people bemoaning the loss of Lifetime service. Lifetime service was always a mistake.

Personally, I shed my evangelical TiVo gear many years ago. It is all about practicality and usefulness for me and there are simply a lot of factors for me there. I think integrated solutions are going to be the peak lifeblood of the pvr, and I think in 10 years PVRs will not even exist as a mass-market product because we will have on-demand access to pretty much anything we want.

I am intrigued by some of the things people are doing rolling their own solutions, and such a project is certainly something I am capable of undertaking.

Finally, I have been following TiVo from the beginning. I appreciate the product and the profound impact it has had on my life. It has been disheartening to see them never realize their potential in all these years. It is almost a cosmic joke in some way. That being said, PVRs will exist with or without TiVo tomorrow, so whatever happens happens. I would like to see them become profitable and realize their potential, but as I mentioned above, other forces are likely to keep a tight window over the entire PVR market, and again, it won't likely be what it is today in 10 years.

 

I know others have said it, but I'll add to it:

You are to be commended for the time you take here to provide TCF with timely information and work tirelessly to dispell FUD. Although I'm disappointed that the lifetime option is going away, rather than being re-priced, it's a credit to Tivo that they didn't just "pull the plug without any advance notice".

P.S. Please make sure the Tivo attornies trademark DMR.

 

Thanks Stephen. Like I said - haven't been here in quite a while and as a 'lifer' it hasn't really applied to me (until the S3s come out anyway...)

 

I wholeheartedly agree with this excellent post. I have been with TiVo since S2 first hit the shelves. But I see TiVo's latest move only as alienating the consumer while there is stiff competition from the real service providers - the cable and dish companies. TiVo has always been plagued by viewpoint that since we're already paying for the channels, we should have a convenient way to store and watch. This goes back all the way to when people were first hooking VCRs up to cable boxes. It is unfortunate that TiVo will become less and less relevant in the arena they helped define. Similiar to how everyone uses a "Xerox" machine, but they're not Xerox machines.

I hope that the series 3 TiVo will eventually be available with a lifetime subscription. If not, I'll just live with whatever Comcast provides (I've heard Moxi isn't all that bad)

 

At this rate, maybe we can get enough extensions to keep Lifetime around forever!

 

i just got lifetime on two boxes but it was 2 factors that did it. when i bought them last year, it was for my mom's who has alzheimer's and i spend 5 months/year here. she hasn't a clue what to do with them when i'm not here, so i thought i'd just cancel service when i'm not here, so pay 100/yr for service on the two.

now with the new policy of a few months ago that i could no longer do that, and now lifetime going away, it pushed me over the edge and i bought. i'll sell one or both of the boxes in a couple of years.

had i known all this last year, i wouldn't have bought the dang things for her place (okay, maybe one and gotten lifetime right away.)

it's tough buying a product and calculating based on one set of rules, then having it all change. yeah yeah, i know - i'm not complaining so much as just frustrated.

then, tivo only gave me 5 months credit (vs the 7 they should have) for not cancelling the box when i requested. well, they seemed to have cancelled it, then reinstated it without being requested. someone else was paying my mom's credit card bill and this only came to light this year. due to circumstances i didn't know, and that's not tivo's fault - but frustrating? you bet!

 

I couldn't disagree more.

The biggest obstacle of most consumers getting a TiVo seems to be accepting the fact they they will have to pay a monthly fee to record TV. Including the service with the purchase of the unit or as a lifetime subscription fee is a way to get over that obstacle. Also offering a monthly fee provides a lower cost of entry for a mass market.

Even so I am ok with TiVo removing the lifetime option on future units although I think the better choice would have been to allow existing subscribers the ability to change to lifetime and new subscribers wouldn't have that choice.
Making changes to the options available to existing subscribers just makes cstomer uncomfortable in considering what might change next.

Still no surprise TiVo makses changes to the agreement though, HME $99 -> $49 -> free, at least that was a move in the right direction!

To make it easier perhaps simply remove lifetime subscription as an option from the S3 box only.

 

I posted this in the stockholm forum but then saw this one and thought it would get answered better here..
Hi, first post and just trying to verify something. I have two tivos. I have had them for a while. One is a series 2, the other is a humax dvd recorder. I called tonight to upgrade them to lifetime. I am currently paying $6.95 for each. (I called to cancel because we have cable DVR and they said they would lower the first $12.95 to $6.96) Anyway, the rep told me if I keep them at the monthly rate they both are transferable to other units (such as series 3) but if I upgraded them to lifetime I could not transfer them to other units. Is this true? He said that My $6.95 pricing for 2 units will never change. So I didn't upgrade. I am not sure if I trust him though. He sounded a little iffy. My mom checked her account with him and her lifetime is not transferable to another unit (I heard some older models had this option?) I am confused as to what to do? I thought about just upgrading the series 2 to lifetime but that would be the one I would want to transfer to the series 3, which the rep said I would not be able to do with lifetime. Also is it true that Humax tivos will be able to upgrade to lifetime for 2 more years??

 

As I understand it, yes. You can transfer the monthly rates, but not the lifetime subs.

As for your question on the Humax DVD units, you can't upgrade after Thursday, but you can purchase lifetime on a new, never activated unit.

 

Basically, I'm thinking of getting a 1-year commitment at which time hopefully, the Tivo3 will be available and I can return the Tivo2 Box and renew with a New Tivo3 box?

 

Gotta love Loopholes! An unexpected twist to the wording of the contracts. So lifetime will somewhat continue with Humax DVD Models. And currently on the TiVo website, you can get a 40-hour Recorder for 249.99+299=548.99, of course after calling TiVo to active since it can't be done normally.

 

Don't you wonder why a 3 year pre-pay couldn't have been $467.64 so Tivo could advertise "get a Tivo box and service for only $12.99 a month"?

Now it's "only $13.03" ...

 

Or $466.20 => Sign up for TiVo service pre-paying the regular price of $12.95 a month for three years in advance and get the recorder free.

 

Ever since the TiVo announcement, I bought another TiVo and lifetimed two TiVos. I wonder how much influx of cash they're getting.

 

Who would you return it to? You own the box. You either you bought it at a store or thru Tivo as a bundle of service + box. See http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=3856659&highlight=610#post3856659 for a table of prices of the bundled service + Tivo. You could also just buy a box, but pay $12.95/mo. The box will have little value if you try to sell it and it has no service.

You'd be best off getting it ASAP, putting on lifetime and turning around selling it. I'd bet you could fetch at least $200 - $250 for it.

The Series 3 Tivo will require a subscription of its own. They haven't announced any prices yet.