[vox] [ot] Tivo series 2 discounts

[Mark K. Kim]

Howdy.

I got a message on my Tivo.  They're having Tivo discounts:

   Tivo series 2 40 hour - $199, free shipping
   Tivo series 2 80 hour - $299, free shipping

As I recall, I got my 80 hour Tivo for $400 - $50 rebate so this seems
like a good deal.  Let me know if anyone's interested.  Discounts apply
only to people who know people who has Tivo so I think I need to give you
my Tivo ID or something when you purchase online.

Oh yeah, subscription is $299 for lifetime.  So it's actually $498 and
$598, respectively, if you get the subscription also.  Here's what happens
if you don't subscribe:

   - You can't set the clock.  The clock drifts,
     so the shows you record will start to cut off
     the endings (or the beginning, depending
     on which way it drifts.)

     If you reboot the Tivo, though, the clock
     resyncs with the hardware clock which fixes
     the drift a bit, but the hardware clock
     won't stay accurate forever.

   - You can still record new shows, but only
     by show time/channel, not by show names
     (obviously.)

     Also, you have to disconnect your phone connection
     to the Tivo.  Initially you can make
     a few connections for free, but it won't
     give you free connections forever.
     Once it detects you're eating off of them
     for free, they'll disable the recording
     feature altogether.

   - You can't change the way Tivo receives
     the TV signal.  So if you want to switch
     from a cable box input to RF input, they
     make you call into the Tivo service to
     do that.  And when you do, they'll
     detect that your account isn't active,
     and will lock out your ability to record
     shows.

   - If you do an instant record (record a show
     you're watching at that time,) Tivo
     assumes it's a 30-minute show and record
     for 30 minutes from the point you pressed
     the record button.  That's not right assumption
     for most shows.  So if you want to record
     the whole show, you'll need to setup a
     manual recording from the menu.

I think those are the only consequences of not getting a tivo
subscription.  Just so you know everything before you decide to get a
Tivo.  Let me know if you're still interested!

-Mark


-- 
Mark K. Kim
http://www.cbreak.org/
PGP key available upon request.