Units replaced under warranty retain their lifetime status (it's transferred to the new unit--I had to do it once). Units that are repaired by an authorized repair center (which basically just swap your unit with a refurbed one) retain their lifetime status also. My Series 1 TiVo has been working happily for over 6 years.
The monthly fee is for S/W that's integrated with guide data--if you just want guide data, look it up yourself on zap2it and program your VCR. I've tried cable DVRs--IMHO they don't hold a candle to TiVo in UI or features, but no one's holding a gun to your head, buy what you think has value.
Lastly, I have no idea what you're ranting about WRT the "crippled 2nd gen". The Series 2 has USB ports, which virtually all of the new features are based upon. My Series 1 works the same as it did the day I bought it--I have no idea what you think "they 'accidently' broke".
For those that might not know, they were required to release the source by GPL. TiVo is based on Linux (my Series 1 runs on the 2.1.24 kernel.) The source code is primarily just the UI you see on the screen, though. A good portion of the real magic is in a custom ASIC.
However, I would maintain that no one else has been able to "easily copy" TiVo. The bugginess and lack of a friendly UI in competitors is ample evidence of this. TiVo was created by a talented group of folks who invested a lot of effort and did their homework. However, never underestimate a cheaper price coupled with barely adequate functionality that slowly improves but never quite gets there. Heck, that's Microsoft's entire business model!
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Units replaced under warranty retain their lifetime status (it's transferred to the new unit--I had to do it once). Units that are repaired by an authorized repair center (which basically just swap your unit with a refurbed one) retain their lifetime status also. My Series 1 TiVo has been working happily for over 6 years.
The monthly fee is for S/W that's integrated with guide data--if you just want guide data, look it up yourself on zap2it and program your VCR. I've tried cable DVRs--IMHO they don't hold a candle to TiVo in UI or features, but no one's holding a gun to your head, buy what you think has value.
Lastly, I have no idea what you're ranting about WRT the "crippled 2nd gen". The Series 2 has USB ports, which virtually all of the new features are based upon. My Series 1 works the same as it did the day I bought it--I have no idea what you think "they 'accidently' broke".
I'm hoping that was a joke without the smiley.
For those that might not know, they were required to release the source by GPL. TiVo is based on Linux (my Series 1 runs on the 2.1.24 kernel.) The source code is primarily just the UI you see on the screen, though. A good portion of the real magic is in a custom ASIC.
However, I would maintain that no one else has been able to "easily copy" TiVo. The bugginess and lack of a friendly UI in competitors is ample evidence of this. TiVo was created by a talented group of folks who invested a lot of effort and did their homework. However, never underestimate a cheaper price coupled with barely adequate functionality that slowly improves but never quite gets there. Heck, that's Microsoft's entire business model!