http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/ Engadget Comments for TiVo quietly removes Series3 from its webstore http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 9:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
You're also 100% wrong on the 2-way cable card, that's not how they work. Cablecards are decoders not NICs. There is a box coming out that does this so the Tivo will be just as capable as a cable co, junk DVR.

I would have gotten a DVR from Time Warner but I CAN DO BASIC MATH. At $8/month for the box and $10/month for the "service" of having a DVR, it's well more expensive than a Tivo even if you buy the box. Americans are hilarious, they're so focused on "today" that they can't see themselves using something in 2 years so they go with the impulse of saying ok to the cable co DVR (which always sucks on any provider).]]>Jul 30th 2008 10:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
I've got Comcast, and I'd *love* to have TiVos. The Comcast DVR is utterly worthless crap.

However, the Comcast DVR was $9.95 a month when I first started renting it, and the price has crept up to $14.95 (ugh).

According to TiVo's own site, the HD DVR is $299, plus $12.95 a month if you buy monthly. At current rates, it would take *12.5 years* to cover the difference. Yes, Comcast's rates will go up, but why wouldn't TiVo's monthly go up as well?

One would assume their "cheapest" plan is the $399 'lifetime of product' plan. On top of a $299 HD DVR, that's $698 up front for a DVR. At current Comcast rates, that's almost 4 *years* to pay off the TiVo, and ignoring how much money you sunk into the TiVo up front.

Note that the lifetime TiVo plan is only good for as long as you have that box. Seems to me you'd be lucky if nothing better comes along in 3-4 years, while you're stuck paying off your TiVo investment.

Americans bad at math, indeed. Thanks for the demonstration.

Again, I'd love to have a TiVo, but their monthly service is so damn expensive that it's hardly any more money to get an entire DVR from the cable company.]]>Jul 30th 2008 11:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
You can pay comcast for basic service that is technically a DVR, or you can pony up a few extra bucks a month for good/usable service with a Tivo. There usually is a price premium on the item/service of higher quality.

I used a comcast DVR for a few months and it was a challenge to use, whereas using a Tivo has been a pleasure (Tivo HD with a M cablecard).

Hopefully comcast rolls out that DVR with Tivo software sooner than later so people can have a good DVR on the cheap.]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
Even though I love my TiVo, it's guys like you with your fuzzy math that cloud the issue of how much the TiVo costs to own vs. a cable company DVR.

In addition to the 3 year contract on my TiVo for service ($299) and the TiVo hardware ($299) I also have to pay charges for my cable cards and 2nd outlet fees for HD programming (which I wouldn't pay with the cable company DVR) of an additional $16 per month.

Monthly cost of the TiVo for 3 years - $32.
Monthly cost of CC DVR for 3 years - $16.

If you want to sell people on TiVo then tell them about the product benefits, not cost savings. Better yet, convince TiVo to reduce subscription charges to a more palatable $5-$10 per month with a 2nd unit fee of $2.
]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 9:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
The problem is that if you have digital cable/satellite, the only way for it to interface with the tivo is though IR, which works, but is definitely not ideal. Still, it's a much better box, function wise, than the box that Rogers and Bell ship (though, I hear the newer Bell PVRs are pretty good too).
If you use it in a straight cable hookup (in a secondary room, for example) it works perfectly, but then you don't get your digital/HD channels.

Now, if they brought downloadable movies to Canada, I'd be happier.]]>Jul 30th 2008 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 9:50AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 9:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
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I had Tivo DVR with DirecTV, them Moto's DVR with Comcast which SUCKED, now Verizon's DVR with FiOS which is just ok. Everything is so much harder than it needs to be on a non-Tivo interface.]]>Jul 30th 2008 10:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 11:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 11:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 12:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 10:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
More than anything it's a name change - "HD" is a hot name that sells, "Series3" doesn't mean anything to anyone unfamiliar with TiVo.]]>Jul 30th 2008 11:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
go buy stuff on the wootoff now... www.woot.com]]>Jul 30th 2008 10:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
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As for why they're canning it, I'd guess they just weren't selling enough because they're so expensive. They're very high quality so it probably wasn't in their best interest to keep making them when they're not flying off the shelves.]]>Jul 30th 2008 10:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 11:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
Anyone made a jump like that than can comment on how they liked it? Or anyone know any good sited to check out for that sort of thing?

Thanks.]]>Jul 30th 2008 11:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 12:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 12:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 12:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
The verizon FIOS DVR has a totally poopoo interface, and is just not as nice as the tivo.

But the real dealmaker is that the tivo is the only dvr that my technophobe spouse likes, and that pretty much decides it for me.]]>Jul 30th 2008 11:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
The verizon FIOS DVR has a totally poopoo interface, and is just not as nice as the tivo.

But the real dealmaker is that the tivo is the only dvr that my technophobe spouse likes, and that pretty much decides it for me.]]>Jul 30th 2008 11:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
I tried the basic cable w/ AppleTV deal (Basic meaning local channels only). I'm a single guy living in an apartment and I don't think I watch all that much TV. It would seem that this setup would be ideal for someone like me.

After buying the AppleTV I figured there would be a few months of building up an 'inventory' of stuff to watch on TV. After about 9 months of it I finally decided, "This is stupid - I end up spending as much on iTunes/AppleTV each month as I do just having cable TV. I may as well just get a TiVo HD and be done with it."

While you may think you may not watch much, you'll end up heading to your computer to order a movie or TV series just to have something to watch now and then. By the time you're done doing that you're back at Cable TV prices.

I'd say you could pull if off if you and your family were incredibly diciplined but, more likely than not, you'll soon realize that you watch a lot of 'worthless' TV just to pass the time now.

If I had kids (like little ones) I'd definitely get an AppleTV for Disney/family movies that they could just play over and over again. You don't end up with them mucking up the discs with sandy-peanut butter covered hands (worst case scenerio :)) and they can play them all they want at will.]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
When NetFlix offered the all you can eat streaming of video with the $8.99 plan, I cancelled all of my cable channels except basic, HD, and HBO. The cable company offered me one year of ShowTime for free, so I have that in the mix. NetFlix's catalog isn't fantastic for new release buffs, but it's got similar content to your typical HBO/Cinemax/ShowTime/TMC offerings during the month. I use the vmcNetFlix plugin for XBox 360 to get the NetFlix stuff onto the big screen and it looks great, works well. Throw in a couple of DVD's per week and for $8.99 you're getting a larger selection of movies and TV shows for less than the $60 per month or so that all the movie and variety and digital tiers were costing me on TWC.

Throw in the Series 3 TiVo and I'm never at a lack of something to watch when the mood strikes me, for a lot less money than cable had been costing me.]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
Might be more trouble than it's worth, but I figure I'll give it a shot. If it's too much hassle, it's not like I can't just sign up for cable again :)]]>Jul 30th 2008 1:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
I knew I waited too long to upgrade from my Series 2...

BTW -- The Comcast Moto DVR box SUCKS!]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/
Damn, was planning on switching to FIOS when it comes 'round here, but not at the cost of giving up my Series 3.]]>Jul 30th 2008 12:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/30/tivo-quietly-removes-series3-from-its-webstore/Jul 30th 2008 1:12PM