Several points on Tivos, some of which have already been made at various stages of this long thread. In no way am I saying the other 2 types of sat/PVR combos are bad (well, maybe a couple comments), I am simply commenting on Tivo. Both good and bad on Tivo.
1) DTivos are EOLed. There are few still remaining and they are now expensive. Good luck getting one. Retailers have not "abandoned" Tivo, see #2.
2) DTivo Series 2 are coming. They are supposed to come 3rd quarter, 2002. We are hoping for sometime this year. Yes, it is stupid on the mfgrs' part to stop Series 1 so long before Series 2 is available. Nobody is happy with this.
3) There are repair/swap deals for Tivos from the mfgrs. Above people have mentioned problems with them dying. These are solvable without buying new ones. Read the mfgr's info, people.
4) Best feature of Tivo missing on UTV or Dish 501/721 is the season pass. Combined with Wishlists, this is a very powerful feature.
5) All 3 DTivos (Philips, Sony, Hughes) are the same. The Sony remote is somewhat different, apparently better. But the machine is the same.
6) Only real difference between series 1 DTivos is the early ones had 2 hard drives, the later ones had only 1 drive. Both units had a total of 40GB. This only matters to those looking to upgrade their DTivos with additional hard drive space.
7) Robustness of an OS is a VERY good reason for choosing a product. Note that the UTV has a robust OS, not just the Tivo, so this may not be a good reason for choosing either over the other, but it certainly is compared to the Dish 501.
8) Philips has finished their deal with Tivo. Unclear whether they will be making Series 2 units or not. Doesn't mean Tivo has gone away, just means they will be using other mfgrs for DTivo Series 2.
9) You may be able to get a DTivo now from some online retailers if you are a new subscriber to DirecTV. I'd wait for Series 2 if you are already a subscriber. (like me, I NEED another Tivo and am impatiently waiting)
This message was edited by Spiky on 07/23/02 17:52.14.
