what is the tivo subscription, and is it a must? If one has to subscribe, then where is the savings over a cable providers rental?
1496501
A TiVo will not operate without the subscription. Savings will depend on your cable provider. My provider charges $14.95 for the box. A $3 DVR fee and a $3 Electronic Guide fee for a total of $21/month for a DVR. TiVo is $14.99 / Month. So I save money and get the TiVo interface. The box from our cable company is 1/10 the experience and usability of our TiVo.
1224460
You are welcome. I switched to HD last year. DirecTV did the installation for free after I paid for the service and receiver. One warning though. The DirecTV brand HD receiver is very slow. Spend the extra money and get the Tivo brand HD receiver.
1671750
Tivo, like any DVR, requires a subscription fee to make it work. You can pay one fee that's good for the lifetime of the unit (not your lifetime), or a yearly fee, or a monthly. I've had Tivos for 10 years and it is SO much better than the DVR available from the cable company - very sophisticated, very easy to use, and in my opinion, very much worth it.
1406748
If you have both a directv dvr and TiVo then yes. Cheaper to have only one or the other . Have you seen new monster TiVo? Expensive but huge dvr capacity!
1639723
I wish the monthly fee were more like $10, but keep in mind Tivo's business model means selling the hardware at a loss and making it back on the subscription. Also, a DVR from a cable company will cost you just as much if not more -- and this is a MUCH better DVR than any cable company model. There are other DVRs that require little or no monthly fee but they are not anything like Tivo in functionality or ease of use.
2130293
Jonathan - In response to your question "I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription.", one reason is probably the current US patent dispute between TiVo and many DVR software/hardware suppliers like Direct TV, AT&T, Microsoft, etc. Back in the 2000-2005 era, HDD DVR's from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Direct TV and others were widely available in stores, and still are overseas. Hopefully we will see more of these manufacturers return to making compatable units for the North American market. Suggest you checkout the following forum devoted to the Magnavox HDD/DVD Recorders: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
66201
Read my Cutting the cable cord guide. I canceled cable over a year ago. It's not for everyone. Live sports nuts wouldn't be able to do it easily, but others should manage fine. Even most new TV shows are accessable the next day for purchase via Amazon's Video On Demand Service. I have 3 new shows I subscribe to via this service at $1.89 an episode. Still far cheaper than the $70 a month I was paying for cable. I could buy a New Roku every month for what cable was costing me. Now I can afford other things. I would suggest trying the Roku and seeing what all is available.
78344
No, you do not need a subscription it uses the free guide provided over the air or through a cable service for the free channel (major networks). However, the free guide is very basic and does not contain complete information like the cable providers guides or TiVo.
1895653
This is in response to lit chick who already has a TiVo with a lifetime subscription and is thinking of getting a dual tuner. I think you would be better off buying from a retailer like Amazon. Stay tuned for the rebate stipulations which are supposed to bring the net price of the box down to $99. If the prepaid fees to qualify for the rebate are $155 (as they were in the past), at $6.95 per month the prepayment will cover your first 22 months of service. Thus, for about the price of the one-year package, you will instead get 22 months of service because of the multi-service discount.
2066806
Jonathan -In response to your question "I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription.", one reason is probably the current US patent dispute between TiVo and many DVR software/hardware suppliers like Direct TV, AT&T;, Microsoft, etc. Back in the 2000-2005 era, HDD DVR's from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Direct TV and others were widely available in stores, and still are overseas. Hopefully we will see more of these manufacturers return to making compatable units for the North American market.Suggest you checkout the following forum devoted to the Magnavox HDD/DVD Recorders:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086 Jonathan -In response to your question "I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription.", one reason is probably the current US patent dispute between TiVo and many DVR software/hardware suppliers like Direct TV, AT&T;, Microsoft, etc. Back in the 2000-2005 era, HDD DVR's from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Direct TV and others were widely available in stores, and still are overseas. Hopefully we will see more of these manufacturers return to making compatable units for the North American market.Suggest you checkout... » Read More Jonathan -In response to your question "I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription.", one reason is probably the current US patent dispute between TiVo and many DVR software/hardware suppliers like Direct TV, AT&T;, Microsoft, etc. Back in the 2000-2005 era, HDD DVR's from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Direct TV and others were widely available in stores, and still are overseas. Hopefully we will see more of these manufacturers return to making compatable units for the North American market.Suggest you checkout the following forum devoted to the Magnavox HDD/DVD Recorders:http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086 « Show Less
1602414
time warner charged me $10 for box plus $15 for dvr service plus 25 cents for remote.Now I pay $2 for cable card, $20 per month for tivo if you sign up for 2 years nothing upfront.So if regular tivo subscription is $12.95, $7 x 24 months is $168. Tivo box will cost you $168 after 2 years. And if you pay $99 and sign up for 1 year tivo box will cost you $183. I think this is not a bad deal.
300756
Yes I had a lifetime subscription to a series 2, so I get emails from them every so often. After years of passing up deals, I happend to open up an email from them with $199 for lifetime suscription so I bought 2 Premire XL DVR's. I'm happy with them and knocked $30 off my cable bill so they will pay themselvs off in less than 2 years.They sent me another deal the next month that was not nearly as good, so if you see a good deal on the lifetime subscription get it!One more thing is they are starting to offer promotions for FREE Tivo's with a 2 year service commitment. Typically this is the same price as you pay for the DVR service from cable so you can have Tivo for the same price if you want it. Yes I had a lifetime subscription to a series 2, so I get emails from them every so often. After years of passing up deals, I happend to open up an email from them with $199 for lifetime suscription so I bought 2 Premire XL DVR's. I'm happy with them and knocked $30 off my cable bill so they will pay themselvs off in less than 2 years.They sent me another deal the next month that was not nearly as good, so if you see a good deal on the lifetime subscription get it!One more thing is they are starting to offer promotions for FREE Tivo's with a 2 year service commitment. Typically... » Read More Yes I had a lifetime subscription to a series 2, so I get emails from them every so often. After years of passing up deals, I happend to open up an email from them with $199 for lifetime suscription so I bought 2 Premire XL DVR's. I'm happy with them and knocked $30 off my cable bill so they will pay themselvs off in less than 2 years.They sent me another deal the next month that was not nearly as good, so if you see a good deal on the lifetime subscription get it!One more thing is they are starting to offer promotions for FREE Tivo's with a 2 year service commitment. Typically this is the same price as you pay for the DVR service from cable so you can have Tivo for the same price if you want it. « Show Less
801915
TIVO has the best user interface of any of them. Now it is even better with One Pass, where it will check netflix, hulu and Amazon, in addition to your TV lineup, and add the shows to your playlist automatically (i.e., it is a trumped up "Season Pass"). I don't like the cable card, I have to have the tuner, and On Demand is a problem with the cable card. But the user interface is so good I choose it over any cable DVR. My friend still uses the cable DVR and I tried it just the other day... it still stinks.
2093099
Depends on the antenna! I brought an "indoor" antenna and the image quality on most stations I think surpasses cable. But there is one, PBS (channel 11 in Chicago) that is not coming in well. Actually unwatchable due to pixilation. This has nothing to do with the Tivo, it's the antenna. So I either need to get a better antenna or switch to cable.
2163372
Hi, I contacted TIVO and asked that question and came to the conclusion that I needed the TIVO device! Works great and have been able to transfer recordings between TIVO's.
1462469
No, you cannot. To use this, you first need cable/Fios/Uverse service. You also need to "rent" a cablecard from your cable provider. You then need to purchase this unit. Then you need to either purchase a lifetime (for this specific unit - not your life) service contract or you will pay monthly service fees (either of those are to Tivo). You will only avoid paying monthly DVR rental/lease fees to your cable provider.
1877400
No. The TiVo and cable box won't interoperate. If you have two or more TiVo's in your house, then they can see each other, and act as a single multi-room DVR.One other consideration for TiVo: you will not be able to access your cable companies' On Demand programming via the TiVo box. I felt that the benefits of the TiVo outweighed the On Demand functionality, but it is still something to consider when deciding to purchase a TiVo.