TiVo Service Cost Rising

evil_one writes: "Shortly after the article on ReplayTV mods, comes this story about TiVo cost increases." A 30% increase in the cost of TiVo service will probably affect a lot of readers -- and might just make the hassle of a homebrewed PVR a little more attractive. Of course, TiVo service is what makes a TiVo more attractive than a plain recorder anyhow.

Comments

Re:Lifetime Subscriptions limiting people ...

[SealBeater]

however, these are locked to the UNIT itself.


There is a website that will transfer the service from a pre-existing TiVo to a new one. Here is the direct link, they have other services as well, such as removing the nag screens (for people who don't want the service, such as myself), memory upgrades, harddrive upgrades, etc. Well worth bookmarking.

SealBeater

Re:Service?

[jlower]

The service is just the program guide data, downloaded periodically to the TiVo unit.

It's what the TiVo does with the guide data that makes it worthwhile. It lets you set up season passes (shows you want recorded every time they come on), wish lists (shows to keep a watch for), and of course you can view the program data about 99 different ways (by schedule, genre, actor, etc). The software is pretty smart. If a show changes time slot, it'll adjust the recording. If that episode has been recorded in the last 28 days, it'll skip it, and so on.

Although the TiVo runs on Linux, the applications that do all the work are not open source. In addition, the program data is in a proprietary format. You may be able to access and assemble your own guide data but I don't know of any way to get a TiVo to use it.

I'm not crazy about the price increase but will continue to subscribe as it's still easily worth the price. I don't watch much TV but am totally spoiled by TiVo now in that I can watch it whenever I want.

Re:Service?

[Anonymous Coward]

The service fee is related to paying for providing the TiVo dial-up services.

Technically this has five major parts:
- A TiVo provided Internet access dial-up point (which presently is done through UUnet)
- A TiVo provided NTP (Network Time Protocol) server to reset the time on the TiVo
- A web server which provides TiVo software updates
- A web server which provides almost *ALL* the data Zap2It has for the channels you recieve in a format approbate to TiVo (it also provides the TiVolution magazine data)
- A toll-free accessable technical support staff if any of the above does not work correctly

Of the five major items that make up the service, TiVo actually allows four to be used even if TiVo is not presently subscribing. The only piece they with-hold is the Zap2It data despite the fact that they need to still pay to provide the other four major pieces.

Figuring out how to rewrite the CGI scripts used to feed the data to the TiVo and the format of the data is not overly hard. Tridge from the Samba group has done it but has been "kind" enough not to provide details to the public at large. But probably any of the bnetd developers which cloned the Blizzard Battlenet server would also be able to figure out the data structures and protocol of TiVo guide data.

However, the hard part is getting ALL the data. Zap2It does not make everything easily available through their web interface. The TiVo makes use of not only the program names, length and descriptions but also other critical data effects it's functionality. The wish-list feature requires properily formated data of the actors and actresses for each show. The parental controls requires properily formated ratings of each of the shows.

Also, selling the service is a big portion of TiVo's business. Building and selling the hardware is largely Phillips and Sony's cut of the business. The service is the only thing TiVo sells itself to the consumer. Hence, alot of TiVo hackers, like Tridge, tend to avoid discussing attacking this portion of TiVo's business with fear that it will destroy the future of TiVo.

Questions I have however is:
- How much money is being made off TiVo service related advertizing such as the special Lexus menu item which appeared for a while? Why isn't the service advertizing help reduce the cost to subscribing?
- How much of the subscription ends up being payed over to UUnet? Can TiVo provide a discount to those that already have an alternative PPP/Internet dial-up account someplace else (or use TiVo Net through broadband)?

ReplayTV

[gvonk]

ReplayTV doesn't have a subscription cost.

Not that I don't wonder about a company with no continuing revenue stream, but fwiw, there's no cost. (I have a Tivo.)