I heard that Tivo is going to discontinue the series 3 soon? True? I heard that Tivo is going to discontinue the series 3 soon? Is this true?
1792340
It's possible, because the TivoHD pretty much is a Series 3, missing a few minor features and some hard drive space, but for less than half the price. I can't see many people opting for the S3 over the HD, especially as both models can be officially upgraded for more storage space (and unofficially any Tivo can).The HD does Tivo2Go transfers 40% slower apparently, but still...
1792341
I have never lost signal on either of my cable cards. Other than the initial installation I've never had to call for any kind of service. As far as TiVo dropping it I seriously doubt it. I have to admit that if it were to fail out of warranty it is one of the few pieces of technology in the house I'd have to replace immediately. Mine is used every day for 4 to 10 hours.
1792342
I hope so. This thing sucks with Scientific Atlanta cable cards and the TivoHD is a much better value, much more reliable with cable cards, and only requires one card for dual tuner capability. This S3 needs two and the HD channels always stop working and you are left on hold with the cable company staring at a gray screen.
1792343
Engadget seems to think the same thing: http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/10/23/tivo-hd-vs-series3/See side note at bottom before chart.
2066811
Thanks for your input. I suspect you are correct but I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription. It makes me think that the cable companys may have found a way to defeat recording digitally. Why on earth would so many people pay $200 or more a year for the rather small convenience of not having a TV guide, which still requires that you look things up and program. Heck, the Cable company has a guide itself, just not as conveniently. hopefully someone has direct experience with this.
1706087
Agree 100%. I think Syabas just lost a bunch of potential sales. Considering that Syabas hasn't even been able to confirm Netflix support yet, I'm leaning very strongly towards buying a WDTV Live Plus.
1803808
That's amazing! I was just about to purchase this unit and now it's gone? So we have to wait for half a year to buy the new model? Seems like Sony would rather be making money by selling this model while the new ones are being developed.
1543437
I bought mine from TiVo with lifetime service during a special promotion TiVo had a few months ago. Not sure how Amazon handles it. You could also check with Weaknees.com, an authorized TiVo seller. They might have some specials as well.
918054
You can contact TiVo and they will send you one for the same price as the whole set in store. It's stupid. Buy a non-TiVo adapter and you will be much better off. I picked up a Netgear N600 WNCE3001 and have never had a problem, unlike w/ the overpriced TiVo one.
968925
does anyone know if free lifetime service is available on devices purchased from 3rd party vendors (i.e., not directly from Tivo)?
2130293
Jonathan - In response to your question "I just can't figure why more cable ready DVRs aren't available without a subscription.", one reason is probably the current US patent dispute between TiVo and many DVR software/hardware suppliers like Direct TV, AT&T, Microsoft, etc. Back in the 2000-2005 era, HDD DVR's from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, Direct TV and others were widely available in stores, and still are overseas. Hopefully we will see more of these manufacturers return to making compatable units for the North American market. Suggest you checkout the following forum devoted to the Magnavox HDD/DVD Recorders: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12244086#post12244086
2263296
We still have our TiVo on the phone line, but I can't answer your question other than to say that we have had no problems with using the phone line. TiVo updates and records seamlessly. I do know that eventually we will have to cut the (phone) cord.
738661
I'm not a TW customer, but do have a series 3. You should know this is a 6 or 7 year old model. It takes 2 cable cards vs 1 cable card for the newer units. The cards can be an "M" card or an "S" card. The newer units only use one "M" card. These units can be troublesome to setup if you are not working with an experienced tech.
1817734
Wouldn't work with my TiVo series 3 or premiere, which is why I had bought it. I tried various methods but nothing worked. You need a proprietary hard drive to work with TiVo. Wound up selling it on eBay.
1406748
If you have both a directv dvr and TiVo then yes. Cheaper to have only one or the other . Have you seen new monster TiVo? Expensive but huge dvr capacity!
1305572
Amazon's page still says it's not available, but I just received mine yesterday (from Amazon). So far, so good. Plug it in, restart your TiVo, and 5-10 minutes later you got a gajillion hours of HD recording (okay, I think it's 240 hours, but still). One little bummer, you can't cart the drive from TiVo to TiVo (or computer) to transfer your shows. It says it records some of the show in the internal drive and some on the external, so no complete shows are on the external. No big deal I guess.
1381289
The DVR is junk It lasted about 6 months The tv guide is only good for a few days in advance. If you want a good DVR for your antenna Check on TIVO. When the channel master died I through it away and switched to TIVO and I've been happy ever since.
300758
Yes, but don't hold your breath. About four months after buying my second TiVo (so my wife and I would both have our own for our own TVs) I got a casual email from TiVo offering lifetime service for $99, which I promptly snapped up. Also, they usually offer some hardware discounts on new TiVos after Thanksgiving, for the Christmas season, and these may also offer a discount on lifetime service. This last season the discount was $100, I believe - not nearly as generous as the one I mentioned above.
997964
Many wish we knew; it's more than likely the rumored 1tb expander that "will" be "blessed" by Tivo but who knows when? It's supposed to have a Tivo logo on the box so I'm guessing this will be the one. I've got it in my wish list for the second it's announced.
1166076
I believe this was the most up to date unit, they have been around a while and I wasnt aware that there was a newer version for maybe quite some years? Don't know for sure though, I suspect the price drop (as well as the price drop on the G-system) that has occurred fairly recently is a sign that they may be poised to release some new models? but have searched and found nothing on this subject. This was a nice unit though!