Does anyone know if there will be a new model of TIVO coming out any time soon? They've got a $100 rebate going until the end of September, which would be a great deal, but I don't want to buy one now if a new model with new features and more storage capacity is coming within the next few months. Any info would be helpful.

Thanks,
Chad

There is a 20hr($299) and a 60hr($699) coming out in the next month or so.

If you want, you can buy a 14hr one from Circuit City for $299, and get 2 $100 rebates. There is a $100 from Circuit City, and a $100 from TiVo making the end price $99.

think about what you want th e tivo for, there are many options,the matrox marvel, or the dazzle digital video creator II---the dazzle I personally have and a 40 GB hard drive, I can record at 720x480 (higher resolution) in mpeg II or DVD highest resolution, and it takes about 6 gig on my hard drive, it comes with dvd/cdr authoring software too, and a soft dvd player. the tivo units do hot have the resolution of this and dont allow you to edit media, then put back to S-VHS VCR. there are many options, although some more costly, 278 for dazzle DVC II on-line, and 200 for hard drive. and I have a 600MHz computer, this route takes a LOT of processing power ( I choose to disable entire startup menu under msconfig using selective startup, to use my computer to record/playback in this high resolution. (you can record at progressively lower resolutions, and I think you could get about 100 hours on hard drive in lower resolution if you wanted to , but I use mine for timeshifting. good luck, feel free to email me if you have any questions

Thanks for the info Jeff, but I'm just looking for the basic record-watch-erase functionality of a VCR, but with the ease of use and benefits that TiVo has.

Brian, of the two new TiVo's coming out soon, do you know of any new features they will have, besides a different storage capacity?

If there aren't going to be any new 'gotta-have' features, then $99 for a 14hr TiVo is pretty hard to pass up.

Besides, if I decide 14 hours isn't enough, I can just add my own hard drive for under $100. (For anyone who hasn't seen how to do this, go look at [Link: geocities.com] for detailed instructions.

Thanks,
Chad

A big bug in TIVO

If you're a big sports fan this may interest you. When setting a sports program for recording on a TIVO, the unit will record unly until the originally scheduled program was intended. Many sports broadcasts run over the alotted time and sometimes are continued on another channel. TIVO does not recognize this and you will loose the end of the broadcast. This is a major flaw. Until they can get instant programming updates, this will continue to happen. The same is with digital cable and other automated vcr recording devices. I just set the recording and channel independently for a longer time and if there's a run over I'll still get it. If there is a channel change, no joy...

-J

I don't want to start a TiVo vs. ReplayTV flame war here, but have you also considered ReplayTV as an option?

When comparing prices, remember that the service charges are built into the purchase price with Replay, whereas they are extra with TiVo.

Whichever version you decide on, I would strongly suggest getting one ASAP, it will change the way you watch TV. I have had ReplayTV since December and couldn't live without it. Just imagine never having to watch another commercial. You can get through one hour shows in about 45 minutes, reclaiming that wasted time for other useful purposes [like watching more TV :) ]

There's a bunch of rebates being offered on Replay at the moment, which if used in conjuntion with the Power Buys over at Mercata.com, can bring the price for the 30 unit from $599 down to as low as $225 (I just got a second one for this price). For details on how to do this, visit [Link: hifi-remote.com]

Rob.

No new features yet. Both new units will come with version 1.3 of the software. A version 2.0 is coming out soon, but any unit you buy, including the 14hr, will download the new version and have all the same features.

As for the TiVo vs. Replay discussion, yes the Replay includes lifetime service. But, the TiVo is cheaper. Comparing both, a 30hr TiVo is $399 + $200 for the lifetime service agreement = $599. A 30hr Replay is $599. Basically it comes down to which one you like better. Run down to a local Best Buy or Circuit City and check them both out.

There is a problem with sport programs running over and not being recorded, but both machines have the same issue. The problem stems from the fact that the Guide info says a game is only 3 hrs, when it might run over into 3.5 hrs. There is currently no automatic way to fix this. All you can do is manually set a recording time for games you really want to see.

What pushed me towards TiVo over the Replay was the fact that the TiVo has been hacked, and a second hard drive can be added in with little effort. I upgraded my 14hr TiVo to 91hrs in less than 30 minutes.

Where can you find info on the hack for Tivo?

Eric:

[Link: tivofaq.com]

Go for it..NOW..the TiVo is one of the best things we ever had. It works flawlessly, it is very easy to integrate into a complex home theater system...and my wife loves it!

Seriously, it really is a great product....

Thanks for all the info everybody. I got a great deal on a 30 hour TiVo at mercata.com. They had a powerbuy going on that dropped the price down to $350, and since I was a first time customer, I got a 20% discount on it, bringing the price down to about $280. They don't charge tax, so with shipping it was a total of about $290. Then factor in the $100 TiVo rebate and I got a $400 TiVo for $190. The internet is a wonderful thing.

Best Buy has this unit for $399, but what caught my eye were 2 rebates, one for History Channel and one for Tivo, both for $100.00.

So, if I buy a unit from Mercata for $280, I should still be able to use both rebates, right? This would bring the price down to $90.00.

Stupid BB site. I think the other rebate (History channel) is some rebate for something else that they have listed under the Tivo product. It has the Tivo product sku number listed as part of this rebate, but I cannot seem to get any other info on this rebate. I may have to go in and talk to someone, but it appears that you have to buy a boxed set of maybe Tivo with some video or something. Not sure what. BB's site sucks. If only Daniel would maintain their site for them! ;)

So, lemme see - Circuit City, the History Channel, and TiVo all have $100 rebates. Now if I buy the 14-hour TiVo for $299, they're effectively paying me $1 to pick it up from the store, right? ;) Still have to pay $21 tax, though. :(

BTW, I just checked the "PowerBuy" price for the 30-hour TiVo at mercata.com, and it's currently $392.54, so the quoted $350 price is not a constant.

Circuit City has a rebate? Cool, the plot thickens...