The DVR has to be the greatest invention of the last 20 years. Sorry cell phones, but this is the device that allows you to watch TV on your time and in private. It's even made awards and reality shows watchable, thanks to handy recording and fast-forwarding functions. Some DVRs can even be programmed remotely by, you guessed it - cell phones!
Well kids, you can thank the granddaddy of all DVRs: TiVo. It was one of the first DVRs, and certainly one of the early standouts in the field. Now, it could be one of the cheapest -- at least for a limited time, and by some slightly convoluted math.
The company just announced a holiday promotion that knocks the TiVo Premiere down to $99.99 - $200 below the regular price. But (the catch), that price requires a one-year commitment to TiVo service, at the higher-than-normal price of $19.99 per month (TiVo's regular subscription cost is $12.95/month). Unfortunately, you can't snag the cheap hardware price and sign up for lifetime service for the box or sign up for the lower monthly service without paying full retail price for the box.
Even with the monthly fees, though, you'll still save $200 on the box. Sweet! But with $70 extra for the mandatory year's worth of TiVo service. Confused yet? Yeah, so are we. Don't try going to the TiVo site for clarity as their Payment Plans page has more roman numerals than an episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. If you're locked into that $19.99/month rate (and by all appearances, it seems that you are), then the discounted up-front cost quickly loses its luster and you will end up paying much more in the long run.
If you're still interested (and frankly, you should be, because the TiVo is a pretty advanced piece of technology), the TiVo Premiere can hold up to 45 hours of high-def programming. It also has a new HD user interface and on-demand entertainment from content providers such as Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, Pandora, Rhapsody, Picasa, and much more.
If you need something larger, the TiVo Premiere XL can hold a whopping 150 hours of HD. It's also THX-certified, and comes with a special TiVo backlit remote. The company has also announced a newly reduced price of $299 for the TiVo Premiere XL. But it also comes with that pesky one-year commitment at the higher monthly service charge ($19.99/month) which offsets that initial savings.
TiVo began shipping the TiVo Premiere and TiVo Premiere XL back in March. Right now, there's no word on how long TiVo's pricing promotion will last. But considering the higher monthly fees, we're not optimistic that this is TiVo's path back to DVR domination.
Hey, TiVo, how about selling the unit for $499 including a lifetime subscription to the TiVo service? That might generate some interest.
Sometimes simpler is better.
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