TiVo HD showing out of stock on TiVo.com
By Richard Lawler 
posted February 3rd 2010 10:26PM
posted February 3rd 2010 10:26PM
posted February 3rd 2010 10:26PM
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I Love my TiVo, I hope they really get their act together and save their business. They really should take a number from the cell phone companies and make a budget TiVo for free or very cheap with a 2 year TiVo contract, they are competing with the Cable company DVRs now, they can't afford to keep selling their boxes for the prices they do. (They also need to open up the esata port on the back to work with any esata drive, not just their authorized one). In my area, excluding the cost of the Tivo, the Tivo service + the CableCard rental, is actually quite a bit less than the DVR service from Cox + Equipment rental. (About $5 a month less, for an experience that is about 100 times better).
Well, they're already losing money on the hardware when it's all said and done and require a 1 yr contract, so I'm not sure how much cheaper they could be expected to get. But it's true, they're not doing a good enough job making the case for themselves as a leader and alternative to the crappy rental DVR.
@vgsmike
Well for one I sure hope prices have dropped since the TiVo HD was first released, if it still is nonprofitable for them then that is probably the purpose of this redesign, I can't imagine that the hardware required to run the current TiVo software is truly $250+. The other option they have is a monthly payment option, in which they could offer a 2 year commitment at $20 a month, and after the 2 years the TiVo would be theirs. Thats only roughly higher than Cox offers in my area (17.50 for Rental and DVR service). But really more than anything, TiVo needs to rebrand themselves, start an advertising campaign telling people that TiVo is back, (Television advertising campaign) showing off the features that make a TiVo unique, that make it worth getting over their cable company DVR. Maybe even change their slogan to "My TiVo Loves Me" from "My TiVo Gets Me".
@shorties
Yep. They did try a "free" box with increased monthly cost a few years ago for a while, but apparently it didn't work out.
I think that people are willing to pay for what they want. Specifically what I mean is that I've always thought they could learn a few things from Apple (ipod, iphone) or Nintendo (Wii). They've been smothered into obscurity by the "me too" boxes. So they should do something that disrupts the DVR market and makes people take notice of them again. People should know and need the Tivo brand by name. The things they're doing like VOD nowadays are merely the cost of entry. They should do something unexpected and truly desirable. What that is, I don't know, but as long as the cable boxes remain "good enough", it's just a slow countdown towards more obscurity while they continue to hope they get their software in cable boxes through partnerships and litigation.
@vgsmike
The one feature I have felt like they need to add is the ability to stream your media. They should sign a deal with Sling Media to integrate the sling technology into the XL version of TiVo. If I could have one box that could stream my TV to any computer/iPhone/Smartphone, that would be a huge advantage over cable DVRs.
@shorties: I sort of doubt Sling would be interested in doing a deal with TiVo, what with them now being owned by EchoStar, and EchoStar getting the pants sued off them by TiVo. Just a guess.
@demon
Possibly as part of a settlement?
Costco should have plenty.
I heard they were sold out a short time ago on-line which tends to say "we have something new on the way" IMO. I have 2 HDTivos and 2 Series 2 Tivos. 3 have lifetime subscriptions and I don't intend on upgrading since it would cost prohibitive.
Maybe they are just phasing out the 20-hours-of-HD model in favor of the XL (150 hours). I have about a hundred season passes, and they are almost all HD by now. Without my 1 Gig extension drive, I wouldn't even have enough for two days worth of recordings.