TiVo's biggest difficulty is convincing people who have never seen a TiVo what it does and why it is so amazing. We've got people telling us all the time things like "I can't believe I ever lived without it." TiVo probably figures that the biggest hurdle is NOT the subscription fee... it is marketing the service and getting people to understand how absolutely INCREDIBLE TiVo is.
Fortunately, the prices of TiVos are dropping rapidly...
we're selling TiVos now for probably 1/2 of what we started selling them for over a year ago. And the cost of
upgrades and of super/upgraded TiVos is dropping just as fast, given the cost of storage.
You can now get an upgraded, 306-hour TiVo for $799...which crushes the cost of ReplayTV... and a basic, 91-hour TiVo is under $400. A fantastic deal.
Of course, if you can find a $40 TiVo at your local Target like VikesFox, you're loving life...but the inexpensive Standalone TiVos are pretty tough to come by unless you buy them over the Internet.
And as for your questions....
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1) What kind of service is available without subscription? >>
You can basically use the TiVo as a monstrous VCR without a subscription. Not recommended. All of the advantages (for the most part) come with a subscription.
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2) What kind of service is available with subscription? >>
Everything! TiVo knows what is on TV when. You can tell it what to record, when...at the touch of a button. It knows when show times change. It knows when a special "Friends" is coming on...and it'll tape it for you if you have told it, in advance, to tape all "Friends" shows (for example). It will tape reruns or only first runs, depending on what you tell it. It will tape all John Wayne movies if you tell it to. It will tape all Sesame Streets for your kids, if you want it to. It will change the channels and tape automatically. You can pause, rewind, slow-mo programs, including live TV. It knows where you left off in the middle of a program....for EVERY program on the TiVo. You can start watching from the beginning of a taped program, even if it is still taping (see if you can do THAT with a VCR). And on and on and on and on.... don't let me do TiVo's marketing...take a look at their site!
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3) Is TiVo usable without subscription or it's just a fancy VCR? >>
See above.
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4) What about PC-based competition (like Creative Digital VCR)? Are they any good? They don't require subscription... >>
I'm biased...but do you have a computer in every room that you have a TV? Do you want to use your computer to control your TV, or a simple remote? For a ton of reasons, TiVo is far superior. There have been many articles written comparing the snapstream type programs with TiVo, Replay, etc. They don't hold a candle to TiVo... but again, I'm biased.
Simply put: BUY! You won't regret it! TiVo will change your life... NEVER another commercial!