[VaughnA]

First Post here. I've got a roamio OTA that I"m guessing I've had for 6+ years. I'm tired of paying 129.00 a year so I'm thinking about just getting a new Tivo OTA unit and getting the lifetime guide. I could get it for my Roamio but who knows how long it will last. But it looks like the Edge only has 2 tuners which seems like a big downgrade. I've seen refurbished bolts on amazon for about $300.00 but not sure if they are legit or a safe bet if something goes wrong.

Any opinions on the best way to go with this for an OTA DVR?

 

[dbpaddler]

Ebay... Plenty of roamio or bolt OTA units with lifetime for much cheaper than getting an edge OTA from channelmaster. There's even the bolt versions that will do both.

Or its your chance to get out and seek other solutions. I went to Channels DVR with a mini pc server, HD Homerun quatro network tuner and Tivo Stream 4k's for the interface. Actually made money selling off my bolt and mini's and buying the tuner and mini pc. Still have my roamio pro to sell as well.

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[DeltaOne]

First Post here. I've got a roamio OTA that I"m guessing I've had for 6+ years. I'm tired of paying 129.00 a year so I'm thinking about just getting a new Tivo OTA unit and getting the lifetime guide. I could get it for my Roamio but who knows how long it will last. But it looks like the Edge only has 2 tuners which seems like a big downgrade. I've seen refurbished bolts on amazon for about $300.00 but not sure if they are legit or a safe bet if something goes wrong. Any opinions on the best way to go with this for an OTA DVR?

Call TiVo and tell them you're a long time customer and want the reduced rate for monthly service. About 12 or 14 months ago I called and they reduced it from $14.99/month to $9.99/month. You've got enough time in that you may qualify for the $6.99/month rate. I should call too...I may qualify for the $6.99/month rate now.

I don't remember the specifics...but after a certain time period one "qualifies" for $9.99, then after more time one may be able to get $6.99/month.

Personally I won't spend any more money on TiVo hardware. I've been running an Xfinity X1 alongside my TiVo for about nine months and it's okay. The TiVo and X1 are more alike than different.

 

[d_anders]

Call TiVo and tell them you're a long time customer and want the reduced rate for monthly service. About 12 or 14 months ago I called and they reduced it from $14.99/month to $9.99/month. You've got enough time in that you may qualify for the $6.99/month rate. I should call too...I may qualify for the $6.99/month rate now.

I don't remember the specifics...but after a certain time period one "qualifies" for $9.99, then after more time one may be able to get $6.99/month.

Personally I won't spend any more money on TiVo hardware. I've been running an Xfinity X1 alongside my TiVo for about nine months and it's okay. The TiVo and X1 are more alike than different.

Six years owning an OTA Tivo and paying for the annual sub?

Ouch, that's like saying I got my living furniture 6 years ago and instead of paying in full, or using a credit card to finance the purchase you've been renting the furniture and have paid for more than three times over.

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[DeltaOne]

Six years owning an OTA Tivo and paying for the annual sub? Ouch, that's like saying I got my living furniture 6 years ago and instead of paying in full, or using a credit card to finance the purchase you've been renting the furniture and have paid for more than three times over.

I know the math, I know how to use a calculator. There's many of us here that felt the lifetime cost was just too much. Different strokes...

 

[mattack]

you should have paid lifetime from day one.. why not just get lifetime on your existing one?

 

[tommage1]

I know the math, I know how to use a calculator. There's many of us here that felt the lifetime cost was just too much. Different strokes...

Yeah, back in the Roamio OTA days lifetime was same as the OTA/Cable version I think, $550. Starting with Bolt OTA they went to the 6.99 a month or $250? for lifetime. If I was you I'd buy a lifetime Roamio OTA used. Roamios are solid (in my experience, I have a few) and you can get used for probably $200 or less. Lot of advantages (IMO) to Roamio over Bolt/Edge, 3.5" drive as compared to 2.5, much easier to upgrade (cannot swap drives around with Bolt/Edge without losing everything in most cases). Roamio can use TE3 or TE4. Might give up some speed (with apps, not much difference for recordings) and no 4K but how much 4K content is there really, next to none or none for recordings, some for apps I guess but not enough for ME personally to give up a Roamio for a Bolt/Edge.

And actually you could get lifetime Roamio OTA/cable version for not much more, under $250, maybe closer to $200 if patient.

 

[tommage1]

Personally I won't spend any more money on TiVo hardware. I've been running an Xfinity X1 alongside my TiVo for about nine months and it's okay. The TiVo and X1 are more alike than different.

Probably so, if you are running TE4 on the Tivo. When they came out with TE4 my first thought was "hey, this is like a cable co DVR". Which was a big turnoff for me, the classic TE3 interface is what I LIKED about Tivo, way better than cable co DVR. To me, TE4 is about the same as cable co DVR.

 

[DeltaOne]

you should have paid lifetime from day one.. why not just get lifetime on your existing one?

When I purchased the Roamio I didn't see it as an investment. It's an appliance. I have investments, they've done quite well over the years. So well that I've been comfortably retired for six years, my wife retired ten years ago.

I knew how the math would work out. I could have easily purchased lifetime. I just didn't want to send $500 to a company when I didn't know how long I would be a customer.

And I don't want lifetime on my existing Roamio. About nine months ago, when all of us began wondering about the future of TiVo, I got an X1 to run alongside the TiVo. The X1 is fine. It relieved all my fears. It's more like the TiVo than different.

The only reason I have the TiVo today is that it supplies TV to my kitchen, bedroom and family room. At $10/month it's cheaper than the $30/month I would have to pay Xfinity for three set top boxes. The TiVo service costs me $0.33 cents a day. I can afford that.

The Roamio and X1 are both connected to my living room set. We have not switched to the Roamio input since the day the X1 was installed.

 

[DeltaOne]

Yeah, back in the Roamio OTA days lifetime was same as the OTA/Cable version I think, $550.

Yeah. I didn't know how long I would be a TiVo customer. So why send them $500?

As I just posted, I don't see the TiVo as an investment. It's an appliance.

 

[DeltaOne]

Probably so, if you are running TE4 on the Tivo. When they came out with TE4 my first thought was "hey, this is like a cable co DVR". Which was a big turnoff for me, the classic TE3 interface is what I LIKED about Tivo, way better than cable co DVR. To me, TE4 is about the same as cable co DVR.

I liked TE3. And I like TE4. They're very much alike, other than the colors. I don't care about the colors. TE4 is fine.

 

[mattyro7878]

I have never paid for lifetime other than the $99 for my old Premiere. The cost is too high. I know the rental is more but why do you think everyone has a car payment rather than buying up front? its too costly. PLus if you get an unreliable unit you are out lots of money or fighting daily on the phone to try and be treated right.

 

[mattack]

Yeah. I didn't know how long I would be a TiVo customer. So why send them $500?

As I just posted, I don't see the TiVo as an investment. It's an appliance.

But even with an appliance, you BUY a refrigerator, you don't rent it.

Don't get me wrong, I actually admit that maybe if Tivo was getting more recurring revenue from us, maybe there would be more bugs fixed and more features there (but I STILL think Tivo is far better than the competitors... or rather, there's no viable competition IMO). heck, I'd pay a one time fee for certain bugs to be fixed or features to be added, but I realize it doesn't work that way.. (having TS downloads be glitch free, and a way to use stream baby or similar but ALSO still have the ability to use QuickMode, which I use A LOT.. and I wished the higher speed quick mode was a real feature not a backdoor remote code someone leaked)

 

[DeltaOne]

But even with an appliance, you BUY a refrigerator, you don't rent it.

In my view I did buy my Roamio. I'm paying monthly for the guide data.

 

[VaughnA]

OP here, I'm not an idiot for going yearly. Yeah I didn't know if I'd stay, and I don't think they had lifetime when I started with Tivo. And then by the time they did I had an old player that may or may not last. Getting lifetime on something that will break next year wasn't a good idea. And as others have also said, technology is changing rapidly, even now lifetime may not be the best idea if 2 years from now everything is streaming. I tried a amazon Fire TV Recast a couple of months ago and if the compression wasn't so bad I'd probably be gone from Tivo now. By going with the lifetime I was limiting my options for the future.

 

[tenthplanet]

For a lot of working people more than 100 dollars is too much up front money. Life is expensive these days. Tivo is an appliance that records TV, handy device but not a neccessity, especially in these times.

 

[VaughnA]

Ended up ordering a bolt off of eBay with the service. Good timing, my old Tivo is starting to act up, when we go to replay any recordings it gives the spinning ball of death.

 

[shwru980r]

Ended up ordering a bolt off of eBay with the service. Good timing, my old Tivo is starting to act up, when we go to replay any recordings it gives the spinning ball of death.

Probably the hard drive going bad. You could have just replaced the hard drive for significantly less money.

 

[slowbiscuit]

Yeah and he replaced the most reliable box with one of the least.

 

[VaughnA]

Yeah and he replaced the most reliable box with one of the least.

I love how people only chime in to say something negative.