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TiVo Basic
Keith Russell writes "TiVo has announced a new TiVo Basic service. ( Press release here, CNet story here) The Basic service only offers a 3-day program grid, and doesn't include title searches, season passes, or wish lists. There's no subscription fees for Basic, however, and it can be upgraded to a full-on Series 2 unit by the usual payment options ($12.95/mo. or $299 lifetime). The first product to include it is a Toshiba DVD player with an 80 GB hard drive and progressive-scan output of both DVD and Tivo content."
from your wireless network? If so, I'll take it.
Syntax error: loose != lose, affect != effect, then!=than
I just want Tivo to be available in Canada damnit! Anyone know why the service hasn't been rolled out up here?
Considering that it is in the works to get Tivo declared illegal (you know, fast-forwarding those ads is STEALING!)~
...speaking of buying time, really what do you think the shelf-life of Tivo is at this point? By the time the cable companies/dish folks get into the game, along with the pending legalities, will Tivo even survive? I hope so.
Funny, I don't remember anyone buying my time from me...
"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
If I didn't already have my lifetime subscription -- and frankly, I'm watching too much TV with my existing 30-hour series 1 box -- I'd probably be happy with the 3-day limits.
It's certainly a lot less data. The only real loss is the ability to look ahead two weeks to see what episodes are running and picking up specific ones. I'd assume that all the subscriptions still work.
Vacation time could be a pain, because I wouldn't be able to prioritize over the full time I'm gone.
The primary things I use the two-week lookahead are for things such as 24, Monk and Dead Zone that run new(ish) eps on multiple networks: I don't subscribe 24 on both Fox and FX, so if I miss an ep on Fox, I scan for it on FX.
Hopefully, this will bring in more sales for TiVo.
Design for Use, not Construction!
As a DirecTiVo owner I love this.
It's an excellent way for TiVo to addict the masses to the glory that is the full TiVo. They probably should give people the ability to have maybe 2 or 3 season passes, but still, the concept is great.
The subscription requirement has always turned me off from getting Tivo. Why would I pay for a program guide and title searching when i have this inlcuded in my satellite/digicable service already. Basic sounds like a good idea for people who just want the hardware.
Moderation Totals: Flamebait=2, Troll=1, Redundant=1, Insightful=6, Overrated=1, Underrated=1, Total=12. (not mine)
I've got three TiVo's myself, and I have just convinced my mother to go get one. To be quite honest, this scares me, because it could be a sign to things to come. But, with today's economy, people would rather be cheap than functional, so I'm guessing that they're going to come out with this, then try to keep afloat. Sure, Oprah et al. have given TiVo good coverage, however, I really don't want to admit that this may mean that my favorite home appliance could be going to the dust.
I just hope there's enough of the hacking community out there to support my addiction should TiVo ever fall in the dumps.
I disable sigs...do you?
I find it a little weird that the first such bundle is a DVD/Tivo box. Presumably it won't include the ability to make disk copies of DVDs! Without this feature, what the point of buying these two devices together?
The subscription is both the greatest feature and the worst shortcoming of the Tivo. The ability to easily specify what you want to watch, and even have the Tivo find similar shows for you, is beautiful beyond words. On the other hand, there's something to be said for the simplicity of the VCR.
The problem is that so many shows start early and/or end late. Often by just a few seconds, but enough to be irritating. Tivo lets you tweak this, but only at the risk of causing overlap. And when it detects overlap, the Tivo just refuses to record one show or the other -- even if both shows are on the same channel! It ought to be possible for the Tivo to act more like a VCR in this respect, but so far it hasn't happened.
The sooner the medium dies the better. It's crap. It's total and utter bullshit, designed to provide the minimum that'll leave us staring at the box so they can spring adverts on us.
I am not a robot. I have no desire to be programmed. The TV execs are welcome to provide me with an ad-free subscription or otherwise viewer-supported service (and no, $80/mo for HBO - which is what it is here after you pay for cable etc, isn't worth the money) providing a full range of quality programs, but until then they can go screw themselves. And TiVo, bless it, is little more than sand on the vomit that is modern TV. It may help remove the ads, but it doesn't make the programs any better.
Good god, sorry, did I post that? Sorry, I'm tired and cranky right now. That's what Javascript, shell scripts, and SQL do to you.
Thank goodness for DVD, and the evil minions of the RIAA, the latter of whom provide me with songs and symphonies and operas and ballets and all sorts of other forms of intelligent entertainment I'd not have a hope in hell of getting otherwise. Between Amazon and the new Apple iTunes store, and, for its faults, Fox on Sundays at about 8pm, I can do without having that box on 24/7, sucking the will to think from me.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
From HDD to DVD-R Yeah! This has been when TiVo hackers have been trying to get accomplished for years.
I subscribe to Time Warner digital cable... Looks like their PVR will do season passes, along with the regular PVR stuff (pause live TV, record on a schedule).
More info here.
And if it's only $5 per month and I don't have to buy any hardware up front, how is Tivo going to stay in business?
If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get away immediately. Seek shelter and cover head.
Wait a minute! Doesn't a stripped-down Tivo only cost the cost of the hardware too? Because if I read the article correctly, the basic service is free. And MythTV has the same function then, as you mentioned.
So, MythTV = cost of hardware. Tivo = Cost of hardware. But Tivo means I go to Best Buy, use my Best Buy card and plug it in. MythTV means that I piece together a PC, install MythTV, get it working and then plug it in. So I'm still way ahead with Tivo.
-BrentInteresting that the recorded video output is progressive, aside from the DVD output. Thats a great feature if the deinterlacing is done well. Deinterlacers in consumer RPTVs are notoriously AWFUL.
I've been looking for a good intro TiVo solution and I also need a DVD player for my Home Entertainment center. The only catch is that I'd like to be able to access the Hard Drive (in this case 80 GB) from my computer. That way I can manipulate video on my computer (burn, etc...) and I can use the 80 GB for a backup device.
Is this possible on this device? If not is there another device that is capable of doing this?
Where the Music Matters
Too funny.
I used to live in an appartment, and on a regular basis I would get one of those cable company sales person knocking on my door asking if I wanted cable. Invariably I would say: "yes, how much would it cost me to CBC + the learning channel + TV5 + discovery +...", and invariably they would x$ per month with package Z.
At this point I answer that I don't want any package, because I don't want any of my money to go to talk shows, reality shows, etc... The answer would always be, sorry we can't do that, until one day some sales guy told me they couldn't because of the CRTC.
I didn't believe him, so I checked into it, and it is true !! I pay taxes in order to pay people who decide what I am allowed to watch !!
At least when my parents were deciding what I could watch or not, I didn't have to pay them !!
Is this leading up to HDTV Tivo?
/sig
As far as I'm aware, all DVD players can do both PAL and NTSC.
Does this mean that this new device will be PAL capable too ?
If so, this would be the perfect thing for us poor Aussies who don't have a Tivo. Sounds like it would probably work without a subscription too. I'm assuming I can set it to record channel 7 at 8.30 every monday, like I can a normal VCR ?
Yippee ! I'm getting a Tivo......
TiVo's been advertising heavily in selected demographics. Mostly sports...
I've never thought their advertising did the service justice, but I heard from a TiVo marketing person two years ago that they cut back sharply on TV ads when Microsoft started hawking the Ultimate TV.
It turned out that the UTV commercials would get people to come to Circuit City, where they found they'd have to ditch their cable or satellite and get Dish Network to get to sue the UTV. When they got turned off on that idea, the salesperson would show them TiVo, which works equally well with satellite, cable, digital cable, or rabbit ears.
Every dollar Microsoft put into TV spots helped TiVo more than Microsoft. That's one of the reasons you don't see Ultimate TV advertised anymore. (Well, that and it sucked and is basically mothballed now).
TiVo does it right. Established companies are still partnering to make new hardware. You can't say that about webTV, U-TV, or ReplayTV.
Kevin Fox
Personally, I think it's an excellent idea. Sure, some of us geeks may still enjoy rolling our own, especially if we already have TV tuners or whatever, but for the majority of the population, it's good for Tivo to offer an entry level solution to start getting people used to the idea of a PVR.
"The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
This amounts to a nice little recording app for the DVD player(s) it's bundled with. It has little to do with TiVO other than that the company's smart enough to put its name on it to maybe get a lower-cost entry point for people to buy into its larger service. Seems shrewd, and I bet it didn't cost them much for the "branding" it gives them.
I'd definitely think of this as a deciding feature if I was in the market for a new DVD player. It'd set that model a notch up from the others at Best Buy, no doubt at all.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
How is this basic service much different from a PVR that you can build yourself? It's different in that you don't have to be a geek to have a PVR. Yes, slashdotters can build their own out of a couple of tin cans and some legos, but if Tivo wants real market penetration with the upcoming offerings from the Cable companies they are going to need to get these boxes in as many homes as possible. Bundling the Tivo with a DVD player and offering a free basic service will accomplish that very well..and believe me (a current Tivo user) once someone gets a taste of what Tivo can offer, they will be hooked and will opt for the monthly "premium" subscription or buy a lifetime subscription.
I have a TV tuner and could build one my self, but I would prefer a set top box, that can power itself on to record, that I don't have to run wires to the PC for, that's a NICE unit. If I build on it looks "home built"....too bad they arn't selling any TiVos this way, they are only selling the service to DVD makers who can build it into DVD players. I guess when it comes out I might be looking at a new DVD player :)