gonna make an OFFER you can't refuse?!.....TiVo offering lifetime for $199 to current lifetime subscribers if you buy a

[olnacl]

The UnDoug wrote:
I can't help but think that "lifetime" really won't be all that long the way things are changing in terms of how we get our "content".

It may still be a good deal even if it only is used for 5 years or so, but "lifetime" makes you think like 20 or 30 years, and I can't help but assume Tivo and that method of consuming media content will be history long before then.

Likely true, but I purchased a 3 year subscription when I bought it (lifetime wasn't offered at the time) and when it was time to re-up, LT became available so I jumped on it. Over the long haul, I may be ahead or behind but I've spent a lot more money on things that gave me less pleasure, so I consider it a reasonable cost for what I get.

In comparison to Cable company DVRs (I've used them), I think, give or take, 3 years is the break even point and the TiVo guide system, even with its drawbacks - there have been snafus - is still above anything currently available from Comcast (my provider). Just my opinion.

OTOH, I used ReplayTV for years before TiVo, but having the ability to record in HD had me make the switch to TiVo after going through more than a year with a Comcast SA Explorer.

[Gareth]

A monthly subscription is just throwing money away. With lifetime, should you choose to sell it later, you can recoup most, if not all, of that cost in the sale, assuming you sell when the hardware is still current enough to be usable. i.e. Series3 and HD's are still current, but the lifetime on Series2's and especially Series1's isn't worth as much. But at the point where the lifetime starts to depreciate, you've probably gotten your money's worth out of it. The hardware will always depreciate and is sort of the hidden cost of TiVo.

For example, I lost about $300 on the Series3's I sold that I bought early on (2.5 to 3 years ago), but on the used Series3 I bought about 18 months ago, I sold it for $7.50 less than I paid (ends up about $50 less after eBay/PayPal fees), so only $3 per month, versus the $13 per month on a monthly subscription.