Series3 - Limited Functionality

Well, I can atleast help you with why tivo2go and network transfers to another box are not active on a s3.

This is becuase in order to be certified by cablelabs for use with cablecards, those features had to go or the box would not be approved. This is becuase they look at those features as a risk of piracy of high definition or digital video.

I beleave tivo is workign with cablelabs trying to come up with somekind of solution that will alow them to restore these features, but there is no garntee that this will happen or when.

 

Swivel search and Unbox both came after January.

If the lack of MRV and TTG bothers you so much, why did you spend so much money? You did do some research and know these things befor you bought, right?

Tivo is working on a solution, but it isn't the kind of thing that you do overnight.

The S3 also has a killer feature that the S2 doesn't, HD. Again, if you don't think it's worth the same money, you shouldn't have bought.

If you are interested in moving on, I'd gladly take one of these crippled boxes with to features off of your hands.

 

ive got to ask why you went out and bought one. i came here and my decision was easy, the tivo does not offer what im looking for so i didnt buy one.

 

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I bought my first unit and didn't know that the S3 had no MRV or TiVoToGo function or that the Esata port was disabled. Who releases a newer model, the flagship of their current offerings, with less features? - I felt like I was ripped off, but, I also felt that I could return it - after reading some more, I realized that TiVo was working on it, I then decided to keep my S3.

I have since bought another S3. I too would like these items added in - I have been waiting for over 8 months. I have faith that these items will be addressed soon. I understand that you're frustrated... "TiVo is working on it" does sounds hollow after all this time.

But, I am very happy with my purchases. If I had to do it again I would.

Esata is here... check, sort of.
MRV... still waiting
TiVoToGo... still waiting

Based on everything I've read at the Cable Labs site and reading what the CEO of TiVo has said - we'll be getting some form of MRV and TiVoToGo before the end of the year. Exactly what "Some form" means is anyones guess.

Maybe he'll give us all portable DVD burners and long cables to hook up our TiVo's in other rooms.

That is why I bought my second S3. Now if it doesn't happen then my 2nd S3 was a mistake that I knew about before I purchased it... Since getting the S3 my need for MRV has dropped dramatically, all of my other TiVo's are single tuners,

I still use the other TiVo's to record stuff for MRV and TiVoToGo so this really hasn't affected me all that much, I would just like to remove the S2 from my HD TV set if this gets turned on.

I believe.

 

I understand what you are driving at.

S3 owners pay the same subscription rates as S2 owners, even though the subscription brings access to features unavailable on the S3 (eg, MRV and TTG). You could say that the S3 makes up for that disparity by offering HD and HD Photos, but then, that's why the hardware costs more, not the service subscription.

With this in mind, it would make sense for Tivo to offer the S3 at a discounted service rate, since the service is "incomplete" in comparison with an S2.

I'm not saying that would have been a bad or illogical choice for Tivo to make -- but nor will I say that "simple greed" drove them to reject it. I think they opted to offer the S3 at the same subscription rate because they have planned from the get-go to give S3 subscribers the same features -- again, namely MRV and TTG. Perhaps it has taken longer than they expected. But suppose they went with the alternative and did the S3 discount? What happens when they come out with MRV and TTG for the S3? Do they raise S3 subscription rates? Only for new subscribers? No matter what choice they make, they end up with an unhappy set of subscribers. So I suspect they went with the simplest choice: offer the same rate for all Tivo service, despite service disparities. That way they can rely on first-adopters to make an informed decision AND promise those folks eventual TTG and MRV as a reward for their patience.

I'm not Tom Rogers, but that seems to be the smartest business move they could make, with the least amount of multi-tiered-service-plan confusion.

 

How in the world, if you did ANY research at all before purchasing, could you NOT know those features were not enabled? From the beginning, it was very clear from TiVo and on this site those features were not enabled. I'm just sayin'....

 

No, I hear you. I've got more money then brains.

Anyway, I own 6 other lifetime TiVo's besides the two S3's - I saw the shinny transfer option for $299 and jumped before looking. I did no leg work on what was or was not offered on the new S3 - I thought that the S3 would have the same or more features - I was mistaken.

I didn't return it, I liked what I saw (HD TV) more then what I was missing. I do not regret buying my S3's. I have faith that TiVo will enable these features and more. I know that a lot of other people purchased these S3's think that the features that they know and love would be included with this premier product.

If you didn't return it within the 30 day return period, stop whining about it. You know what you got and you kept it. I won't return or sell either of my S3's.

 

TiVo only offers the one rate card which applies to all standalone TiVos.
It would be too complex for them, I suppose, to granularize their service based on features they can offer on each box.

 

If they followed your logic, they would charge extra for the HD support. I think we are better off with the "one price" model.

Al

 

HD support? What are they supporting? That's all hardware. It is a reduced feature set.

In the OP's defense, Tivo was vague when they said they were working on it and hoped to have it in a future update. A year (or more) is quite a bit of time for a software update (one they admitted fault for - at least with regards to being responsible for analog way back in January).

Speculation and excuses are nice, but they don't change the end result.

 

well to be fair, their commercial implies that the S3 does everything the S2 does. Its VERY misleading. But i agree, for 800 bucks, id do a little research.

 

A year or more?

The S3 wasn't even released until September, the calander on my wall says it's still July and we've had software updates in the interim. You even cited January, which is when they first said that it was being worked on. 5 months ago, less than 1/2 a year.

I'm not sure what more info you want them to release - they've never released their production/update schedule, there really isn't that much more to know.

While the hardware is different, the cost to support it and write software for it is the same. Why would you pay any less for it? (not to mention that people complain that the pricing scheme it too complicated as it is).

 

Ok, so as long as the hardware had the chips but there was no software for the chips to function, that would be OK with you?

Al

 

To be fair, they said it was in the works when the s3 was released. They admitted fault finally in January stating that analog content was not CableLabs fault, but theirs and that they were working on it, not just starting to work on it. And January was 7 months ago last time I checked.

September is a month and a 1/2 away. Of course, they released towards the end of the month, so it's really about 2 months away from the year anniversary. If they release it in their winter update (which this year was , well, in this year rather than last) it will be well over a year. Time flies doesn't it?

 

I have some sympathy with the OP's position.

I bought the S3 fully understanding the limitations. I did however expect those limitations would be resolved within a reasonable timeframe, say six months, either through agreements on the existing implementation or via the development of a new implemtation that is agreeable.

 

Well, seeing as how I'm paying for software and software support, no. Hardware is covered under your warranty. Tivo service is for software, channel listings, and to not turn off my software. A reduced price for reduced feature set seems like a fair idea. Bilking the cost into hardware and (less functional) software seems a bit greedy, don't you think?

Edit: While I like this idea, do I think it's feasible? Heck no. But I think it's a valid point.

 

Wrong again. The announcement in mid-January was 6 month ago. The announcement was also not an admission of fault in any way. They were waiting on Cable Labs when they released, sometime between September and January Cable Labs made their decision and started to impliment it.

Regardless of the quibbleing over a month here or there, my only point was to bring a little big of reality to your post, reading them knowing nothing about the situation makes it sound far worse than it actually is.

 

Guys, I went out and bought a new house, and it doesn't have a fenced in backyard, wood floors or vaulted ceilings.

Don't you think this is completely ridiculous? The builder keeps telling me that I can add these things later, but he hasn't added anything! And here I am paying my mortgage every month, and my house isn't getting any new features.

My OLD house had all of these things! It's a joke that my new house is lacking so many of the features of my old house. In fact, I think I should be paying a discounted mortgage because my new house lacks so many of the features my old house had!

And all these people in the neighborhood association keep telling me that it's because those options weren't available on the model homes in the development, well, I say that is GETTING OLD. It's time for a new excuse, fellas.

I want to file a class action lawsuit against the builder. WHO IS WITH ME?!?

 

Well, then why should I pay the same service fee for my old Series 1? It is severely lacking in features when compared to the S3 or S2 (no Unbox, no Swivel Search, in fact, it is still running version 3.x of the OS), but it still costs me the same per month (actually it is "free" for this year with my lifetime transfer to the S3, but technically they are charging me $6.95/month for it and I'll get charged the $6.95/month once my year is up) as an S3 or S2.

NOTE: I'm just making the point that the pricing structure is confusing enough without trying to introduce a la carte pricing for individual features or lack thereof.