Tivo suffers as DirecTV bolts

[Delbert]

Originally posted by: Shaorinor

Originally posted by: tm37
[
I LOVE my tivo and I just have a 40GB drive in it. I have considered upgrading but now I will wait.

Just buy a bigger hard drive and do it yourself. Believe there's a web site detailing how to do it.

Several sites I'm sure, but I have always used this one.

 

[KarenMarie]

i just got my DTV Tivo about a week and a half ago. they gave it to me for the $50.new customer price even though I have been without a contract for almost 5yrs... they did not even require me to commit to another years contract so I guess I shouldnt complain ... but still... It would suck if I had to trash it now to upgrade.

 

[lazarus000]

Originally posted by: mudboy
Good God. People have been forecasting TiVO's death for 5 years now and they're still around. And, if by chance TiVO does happen to go under, it's not like the hardware will just stop working, and it's not like there wouldn't be other (probably public domain or open source) listing options that will be available.

Pete

huh ... wouldn't that be exactly what happens

 

[Staples]

I don't really understand how TIVO does not make money.

If the guide costs them so much money, then they can offer free digital VCR units that do not have guides. I never use my guide.

 

[rahvin]

If Tivo goes under the system will be modified to be free almost overnight. Basing the system on linux basically ensured that people will modify the system to be free and keep working if TIVO dies. You can find the information right now to do this if you look hard but out of respect for TIVO most web sites censor the information right now.

Second, Tivo gets less than $1 per account (not per Tivo) from directTV, the revenues are minimal and probably barely cover the expenses. The comcast deal will essentially be the same thing, it's doubtfull that such things will keep them alive. On the other hand if they can get a cablecard Tivo out that records the stream directly they will have a much better chance at success.

 

[CQuinn]

HERE IS A SERIOUS QUESTION:
If Direct TV phases out the TIVO entirely down the line how does that effect customers who bought a lifetime Tivo sub?

To my knowledge, none of the DirecTivos come with a lifetime subscription option. The amount you pay on a DTV unit
is based on the DirecTV package you are using. If you have a premier package, the cost of the subscription is included.

DirecTV will not be able to simply phase out their Tivo-branded units, there are several factors that work against them.

1. It is still going to be a few months before the NDS units that they will be promoting are ready for distribution.

2. DTV still has a contractual agreement (thru 2007 AFAIK) to provide service for the DirecTivo units during the transistion.

3. No one has done a feature comparison between the NDS units and the DTivo to tell which is the better consumer device.

4. Odds are that you will not be able to hack the NDS units, which means some of the functionality that DTivo hobbyists have
gotten used to will not be available.

If someone bought a 40 hour unit, and upgraded it into a 120 hour (or greater) unit, they are not going to be happy with the
idea of getting it replaced with a 40 hour unit.

 

[rahvin]

DTV won't deactivate the TIVO boxes, hell there are numerous people still using the UltimateTV boxes microsoft made for DTV and those were discontinued years ago. They don't phase out working equipment.

 

[llars]

Doing a pricematch with Dishnet maks this even hotter!