TiVo giving away Series 3 player - and launch date?
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/DrvjfviCLJhC7w8m12Cgng--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTUyOQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/nZWM8zbbMRQiLWMeeo4yug--~B/aD0zMDA7dz00MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/03/tivoseries3screen.jpg)
While it's not unheard of to hold a contest where the prize doesn't yet exist, it's usually not a good idea to offer a prize that won't be available relatively soon after the contest ends. So, the fact that TiVo has just launched an eleven-week contest in conjunction with American Idol, in which the grand prize is a TiVo Series 3 DVR, has already resulted in a flood of speculation as to when the long-awaited box will finally materialize. The contest rules stipulate that TiVo has up to four months after the end of the contest to fulfill, meaning that the latest the Series 3 will be available will be October. Engadget contributor Dave Zatz speculates that the box will be out the first of September, at a price of $800. Anyone else want to hazard a guess?