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TiVo Response to 2.0.1 Upgrade Issues
Keeper writes: "Richard Bullwinkle wrote an
official response to issues raised in the TiVo Upgrade Isn't article. The gist of it is that the changes made were only supposed to affect new units, not units upgraded from 1.3. Revision 2.5 of the software (due out in September) will reenable all of the functionality found in unsubscribed 1.3 units."
The new boxes have the phrase "TiVo Service Required" plastered all over the box. The old box said something along the lines that the box was still functional without the service.
That's how this whole mess started. They didn't want to remove the functionality of the old boxes, but did from new boxes. Just so happens that they missed some things in testing because they wern't paying a whole lot of attention to it in the first place.
However, I noticed that all source code was removed from the page of the developer. Does anyone know why the source was pulled? A mirror of the file ExtractStream-0.1.tgz is available at http://www.stampede.org/~skibum/tivo/ I't be a great pity if such an amazing hack were to be lost forever or for development to stop. What I want to know is, was the author threatened by TiVo or some other party? I'm not sure if they'd have any legal ground but it seems very unfair to threaten this man legally for his great hack.
My cellphone does work without a service - It's a clock, and I can play Space Invaders on it. My 6 year old's cell phone works without a service too - it lights up, and he can play at making calls with it.
If the limited functionality without a service is all that you need, then why buy the service ?
If a contract offers a particular set of functions without buying the service, then it's a clear breach of that contract to withdraw those service later. AFAIK, the TiVo contract stated that these services might not be available on later boxes, but that they were available on boxes of that generation.
Your "stupidity explains most perceived malice" comment is probably true here, but that doesn't excuse TiVo's behaviour, nor does it remove the loss suffered by existing TiVo owners.
What's the financial status of TiVo ? I'm not implying anything by this, other than caution, but this sort of low-rent money-grabbing trick has been the action of last-resort by an awful lot of cash-strapped dot-coms lately.
No, Tivo thinks that anyone calling up to their SUBSCRIBER line should be a subscriber. To make sure things run smooth they want all their subscribers to be at the SAME software level. You call up as a subscriber the system sees that you are on a different level which could cause problems with the next release so they upgrade you. It's not their fault that you called in as a subscriber instead of just:
1) Setting the date manually using the serial port on back
or
2) Used the "test call" option from the menu to just sync your time
with either option Tivo would not have touched the software, in fact with #1, you never ever had to call Tivo to begin with, ever.
If you aren't a subscriber you SHOULDN'T BE CALLING IN AS A SUBSCRIBER.
C'mon guys, why do you HAVE to have a conspiracy EVERYWHERE? Are you really that paranoid? It's not like this is the first software release in the history of computing that bugs or unintended side effects, is it?
Tivos are nearly useless without the service anyway. There are less than 200,000 total sold. There's a small handful of people not using them with the service. They have ALWAYS said that they were going to eliminate the functionality of new units without the service, just as your cell phone won't work without a service, or your beeper. This isn't a change. So they started adding those things into 2.01 that would make the newer units more reliant on the service and nobody noticed that they would also affect the un-subscribed. Inadequate testing? Perhaps. Malicious intent? Not when they are doing now exactly what they told us they would do all along. Six months ago we were told that "new machines that ship with 2.01 will be more limited in what they can do without the service, but those machines that shipped with 1.3 will keep the abilities they have now" and guess what? That's exactly what they are doing. It's not hidden, it's not a conspiracy, they TOLD us what the plan was. They have a few bugs in the new software that make it less usable for those without the service, but they are going to fix those. Show me any significant program without bugs. We've been running Sendmail on the net for 20 years, is it bug free yet? Is it even security hole free yet? How about BIND? Apache? Linux? FreeBSD? Any of them 100% free of bugs?
Of course not. And now that we make consumer electronics with computers, we are likely to see similar bugs throughout their existence as well.
It got worse though. It decided to move away from its seat under the telly, and sit in MY chair. I only have the one. I have to sit under the telly. I can't even see the thing from there.
It gets worrse. I've recently been getting suspicious that my Tivo is making arrangements with my landlord to buy the buolding I live in. I think its trying to evict me.
I hope this serves as a warning to all potential TiVO buyers - Make sure you remain in control.
Is more than just the hardware. It's the service. I love having a TiVo. Without TiVo service, it's just a VCR with a few refinements. With TiVo service, well, those not subscribed to TiVo service are missing out on a great deal of functionality.
But you don't want to pay for information that is free over the internet? It's not free in the first place. Most sites offering TV listings want some personal information and you have to deal with advertising. You pay for the listings in your paper when you buy the paper. The listings in the paper contain advertisments. For what, $10 a month TiVo delivers full listings to your TiVo unit, no adds, all sorted according to the TV service in your area.
When it's just one area, it's still alot of information. How many shows does just one TV station run in a week? Well, there are 336 30 minute time slots in a 7 day period. With 10 brodcast channels that's 3360 30 minutes time slots. With cable, well...that's a hell of a lot of information, and it all has to be localized, put into a format so that your TiVo canuse it, delivered via dialup...
It's a service. If you want it to be free, go set it up yourself. When you're finished, you see if you want to offer it for free.
If you're using a TiVo without a subscription, relize that your are not TiVo's primiary consern because you are not generating any revenue for them. TiVo already profited from your unit before your bought it. TiVo is being rather generous letting you upgrade at no cost, IMHO.
I'm going to go back in my box and will think within the limits of my box: MS Sucks Linux Good I read too much Slashdot.