It’s that time of year when people start stressing about Christmas gifts. I don’t think you can go wrong with the gift of a DVR. One of the originators of that product type is TiVo. Can you believe I’ve never tried a real TiVo? I started out with the ReplayTV and then went with the DirecTV DVR which works, but annoys me half the time. If you’re thinking about buying or giving a TiVo, you’ll find $50-$100 savings deals after the jump.
Give the gift of TiVo:
· TiVo HD: Why have high definition TV if you can’t record in high definition? Try the award winning TiVo service in HD this year.
(Was $299.99 now available during the Holidays for $249.99)
· TiVo HDXL– Know a true TV lover? This DVR saves up to 150 hours of HDTV, provides access to more than 60,000 on-demand titles.
(Was $599.99 now available during the Holidays for $499.99)
· TiVo Gift Cards– Need an idea for a stocking stuffer? Give someone free TiVo service! Choose your price range with amounts from $50-$400.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a total Tivo addict, moved up to HD this year & still loving mine! Of course, I scored one from Craigslist for $100 and promptly threw a big old hard drive in it to give me 160 hours of HD recording. Find a reputable Ebay seller or a place like Weaknees that has pre-formatted drives and it’s a breeze. Do it before you even start recording so you don’t have to worry about losing anything or transferring shows.
@FubarGuy how much does the TiVo service cost per month these days?
It’s 12.95 /month cheaper by 1,2,3 year plans, they also brought back the lifetime sub at $399. The lifetime is for lifetime of the DVR, not your lifetime, btw.
I so miss my TiVo, ditched it to go HD on Cable. Now regretting it. I am tempted to go back. May do it when I ditch cable for FiOptics.
First, Julie, I really, really enjoy your site. Second, I had TIVO from day one but I switched to my cable company’s DVR. TIVO is far, far superior. The only pain is having to have your phone line hooked up to it. Where I live there was no local number so it was calling a local long distance number to update which added about 10 dollars month to my phone bill. Still, I may go back since the DVR firmware is terrible. Enjoy the holidays.
I switched to the cable company’s DVR, and its just awful. Barely usable, fast forwarding or rewind always ‘freezes’ during certain commercials ( I swear, someone’s paying the cable company to make the DVR stop during some commercials! ) and the UI is unacceptably ugly. My girlfriend and I fondly remember Tivo, and it’s only about $5.00 more a month than renting the cable box – We’re going to switch to TIVO when FIOS gets here.
I keep having minor problems with my DirecTV DVR. Intermittent pixelation and weird sound issues.
@Bryan: Yep, nailed it. I have an older standard def unit that’s cheaper monthly, but I’m going to drop it soon. The only benefit it had was a built-in DVD burner and I rarely use it enough to justify the extra cost.
@steven: All the models since the Series 2 can get programming info via a wireless connection, with a broadband connection.
I should just go apply for a job as a Tivo evangelist eh?
@Julie
I think you are out of luck with DirectTV, TiVo will not work for it. They used to have a TiVo version they sold (Referred to as DirectTiVo).
Issue with cable and TiVo now is the use of SDV on cable systems that require a switch between cable signal and TiVo to access all channels. You also lose on demand services, but I could live with that.
Even better I just bought a Tivo HD from Amazon.com (directly) for $229.
Just signed-up for Comcast and had to move away from my Series-1 Sony Tivo (non-HD) and the Comcast DVR is one of the worst devices I’ve ever used. Tivo really is about 10000 times better.
Plus, for $10/month to rent the Comcast DVR I’m happy to pay $229 and give the $10/month to Tivo.
Okay boys and girls, here’s the full scoop. I have 5! TiVos on my account; all are connected wirelessly, 4 are HD and all but one are on the lifetime plan. They’ve been used with everything from a local cable company, to Comcast, to Fios (current) – and the only issue I’ve ever had is with cable installers who don’t understand cable cards. I have no idea what Bryan is talking about as far as having to use a switch… I’ve never dealt with anything of the sort. The only thing you ‘lose’ using a TiVo instead of a cable box is the on-demand option – but with Amazon, Nexflix, Disney and other download options for your TiVo, plus music service options like Rhapsody and Live365, plus YouTube, etc – trust me, you won’t even miss it. And TiVo is sooooo much easier to use. Just make sure to stress that you need TWO cable cards when you contact your cable service, otherwise you won’t be able to use the dual channel feature. And be prepared to talk the installer through the process yourself – TiVo’s website has a great guide you can use for the step-by-step.
Happy TiVo-ing!
I don’t have TIVO. I guess I don’t know what I’m missing.