01-25-2008, 03:46 PM
It's pretty much impossible to get around paying Tivo a monthly fee for a Tivo box. You can buy used (or new through Feb 2) with lifetime or you can buy used with Tivo basic, but you'll either pay monthly or pay upfront.
A lifetime Tivo subscription stays with the box. Tivo sometimes offers transfers (with a fee) to new hardware, but don't count on it. If you are thinking about going to HD within a few years, you probably don't want to invest in a Series 1 or 2 with lifetime. The SD quality of analog Tivo on HD is disappointing. Tivo now sells TivoHD and Series 3, both of which or HD.
A HTPC may be the way to go if you are a tinkerer and you don't want to pay monthly and you don't expect turnkey results.
A lifetime Tivo subscription stays with the box. Tivo sometimes offers transfers (with a fee) to new hardware, but don't count on it. If you are thinking about going to HD within a few years, you probably don't want to invest in a Series 1 or 2 with lifetime. The SD quality of analog Tivo on HD is disappointing. Tivo now sells TivoHD and Series 3, both of which or HD.
A HTPC may be the way to go if you are a tinkerer and you don't want to pay monthly and you don't expect turnkey results.