Would you buy a TiVo today?

In a heartbeat!
I have a Roamio basic that's used for OTA, and I also use the internet apps. I basically got it completely free, so it works well for me. I used to have Dish Network and a few years back if your referred enough people, you got a FREE Sony Ps/4. I was able to do that, then sold the Ps/4 for $400, and bought the lifetime Tivo. Win/win!

 

No single answer to that question. It all depends on your situation. It’s still the best way to capture and consume traditional TV content but if you don’t watch much of that kind of content or the extra cost of TiVo is a burden, it doesn’t make sense.

Personally, I just upgraded from a Premiere to a Roamio Pro and couldn’t be happier with it. I gave my Premiere to my niece (family of 5) and they almost never use it as they are happy with streaming options. Neither of us are right or wrong.

 

If a Roamio OTA with lifetime for under $400, absolutely. Possibly also if buying the same for cable use and then modding the box with a cablecard adapter (either from another unit or as a new addition)--easy enough to try and do (there is a long and helpful thread here on this topic).

Otherwise: think on waiting until a possible sale, such as this November--last mid-November, TiVo had a so-called "White sale" with some nice deals.

P.S. Good for you with the HD boxes--one never knows (and I think it likely, personally). Make sure they're connecting to the TiVo mothership periodically, as you probably are.

 

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I only bought mine 6 months ago so absolutely.

 

I had a Premiere that finally gave up the ghost, bought a Bolt when they were on sale at Amazon. So yes I would today, in five years who knows, maybe we'll have decent cloud dvrs at the point MAYBE..

 

I bought a Bolt+ 5 months ago. Of course it was the offer to transfer a lifetime subscription from a TiVoHD to a Bolt that prompted me to do it, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

I my Bolt+ died today and I had no further recourse than to buy a replacement I wouldn't hesitate to do it. (I love my TiVo.) The only thing I would think twice about it whether to get All-In pricing or go yearly.

 

Question about the all in. I've heard after you own it a year you can get a discount on all in. Is this true even if you have a second hand used tivo?

 

Well said

 

More like 2-3 years.

Scott

 

Well I have put my 2 cents in threads like this before and my answer has always been if my TiVos all died today, I would be ordering a new one before the day was over. I am watching allot less TV now than I used to, so maybe I might wait a day or 2 before ordering a new TiVo. Like others have said not sure I would pay for all in at it's current every day price for new Bolts. Just for info I have fully functional Series 3, TiVo HD, Premiere, base Roamio, & Bolt TiVos all with lifetime all only used for OTA. I mostly only use the Bolt, both to record & view shows, do some recording with the Roamio, and have stuff stored on the others.

 

If my Roamio Plus died today, I'd be looking to buy a used Roamio Plus or Pro on ebay this afternoon. I'm not about to give up SkipMode or QuickMode so long as they are available options.

 

I would not buy another All In Tivo. Resale is piddly these days and tech changes too fast. You're unlikely to make up your "investment" through resale, and by the break even point you might already be ready for something else. If anything, I'd do month to month on a Bolt and keep my eyes open for new things.

 

Seems to me that, in order to answer the question of whether to buy a new TiVo, you have to figure out the scope of your other options and what those cost and then compare that against TiVo. And of course, it's not just about cost, it's also about how much you like something and whether the value justifies the price.

Are you on cable and planning to stay with that provider? What do you think of their own DVR? (The X1 DVR from Comcast and Cox is well regarded; Charter DVRs, not so much.) Are you missing out on on-demand video from your cable company if you use TiVo? Does that matter to you? Are you open to switching to satellite or to one of the new streaming cable services like PS Vue, DirecTV Now, or Hulu with Live TV? Do you just use your TiVo for OTA, or would you be interested in doing that? There are an increasing number of options now and deciding among them brings up questions not just about TiVo but about how you want to watch TV in general and how much you'll pay.

Among folks who post on this site, I'm sure the great majority would buy another TiVo because they're likely long-time TiVo users who like the TiVo UI and feature set (which has improved in the past couple years with SkipMode, better apps on the Bolt, etc). It's also true that the number of cable subscribers using retail TiVos in the US continues to dwindle, so some decide against staying with TiVo when in a situation like yours.

If you're worried about buying new TiVo equipment and lifetime service because you think the company's future is uncertain, I wouldn't worry about that. They'll be around long enough to get your money's worth. There are a few caveats I'd make though: if your cable provider is Comcast, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them switch their TV service to all-IP in the next few years, making it incompatible with your TiVo. (It's certainly also possible that won't happen until later, e.g. 2023, but you should be aware of the risk.) Also, if you own or will soon own a 4K/UHD TV and would like to receive 4K programming from your cable company, there's a good chance (especially if you're on Comcast or Verizon FiOS) that they won't provide 4K in a format that is accessible by a TiVo.

 

I have been a TIVO user for many years now. First as a Direct TV user then as a Roamio Plus user on Verizon Fios. That Fios box now sits in the closet because I cut the Cord and needed an OTA box so I bought a refurbished Roamio Basic. I love TIVO for its DVR but its OTT Apps are mostly not as good as whats available on FireTv or ROKU and other then OTA that is what I a watch mostly now.
If TIVO had actually followed through and made the BOLT a true cord cutter friendly one box for all solution I would say absolutely I would purchase a replacement if I needed one. That said I do not think TIVO is in my long term future anymore. I will continue to use what I have till it no longer works but have to re evaluate my needs and look at other solutions when the time comes to replace it.

 

For me the answer would be no. Too many questions about the direction of TiVo going forward, and I have been a TiVo customer for most of the last 15 years. There is a sea-change taking place right now in the way people consume entertainment, and I'm afraid TiVo is going to be swept away into history because of it. I am evaluating what the alternatives are now.

 

Except: a current Roamio OTA with lifetime, where the subscription fee is "paid off" in a couple of years or less (assuming that half the price of the box is for the box, the other half for the subscription)?

 

And in my opinion, the alternatives suck.

 

Like others, I wouldn't buy another Bolt, I'd go with a Roamio with all in and use the new Apple TV 4k for streaming (or my tvs nuilt in android tv apps), thsi box is terrible for apps

 

These concerns have been around since shortly after I joined TCF almost a decade ago.

The Bolt is cheap. You're complaining about the high cost of All-in. Do monthly prepaid annually instead, which also addresses your concerns about Tivo's viability. I did that on my $100 Roamio Basic until the kind folks on TCF pointed out a $99 lifetime upgrade. To Tivo's credit, they did not bill the $99 until my prepaid annual was up.

Yes. But I have a small windfall from 2014 that I haven't spend yet. I'm moving and will probably buy a 4K TV with HDR, then I need to decide about getting a Bolt. And Black Friday is just around the corner.