Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the spreadsheet with the pretty chart of TiVo subscribers on a quarterly basis or I'd update it. I'm sure Bill will update it when he returns but you can just imagine the chart below because it will look almost exactly the same!
Chart now updated with the July 31, subscriber losses.
While I was a staunch TiVo supporter in the early days and think there might be a business in licensing the software to cable & satellite providers & selling data (and of course, suing for patent infringement), the business model of selling hardware directly has always seemed nutty to us.
Steve Jobs recently said that the reason why Apple TV remains just a "hobby" is because it's hard to sell a set-top box when the cable companies give them or way or rent them at a low monthly fee (my monthly fee for having a DVR from my cable provider is less than the monthly fee for TiVo's program guide and that's on top of the hardware costs for a TiVo).
Isn’t Tivo really a software company that has gotten stuck selling stb’s to get its software in peoples homes?
As an ex-Tivo owner, I can list the two reasons why I am no longer own one. I used to talk up their boxes so much that people thought I worked for Tivo.
1. They eliminated the lifetime subscription option. I wasn’t willing to pay a monthly fee for a box.
2. They don’t allow you to plugin accessories like extra hard drives and tuners to expand your box.
I don’t think the problem had to do with the cost of the STB. Apple’s problem is that Apple TV isn’t very useful. What can you do with it? If they offered DVR software, cablecard support, etc, then I’m sure more people would buy it as well.
TiVo really is pointless these days. Why pay for a device AND pay a monthly fee when you can just pay the same monthly fee to get a DVR from your cable provider? Plus, if your cable provided DVR craps out, you don’t have to buy a new one.
RCN now has TiVo branded boxes that work great. More cable providers should look at their deal. It’s a win-win for everyone.
I used to be with you on Apple TV, but to Steve Jobs’ point is if they make it very useful it will be at a price point that almost nobody will. Of course, hardly anyone buys it now, but still.
how much extra do the TiVo branded boxes cost vs. the non TiVo branded boxes on a monthly basis? were there any one-time fees?
how much extra do the TiVo branded boxes cost vs. the non TiVo branded boxes on a monthly basis? were there any one-time fees?
TiVO actually started the lifetime membership option again. I LOVED my TiVo, I have a lifetime subscription, but I can’t use it anymore since I switch to DirectTV HD. TiVo’s HD box is not compatible.
Twice I have switched to a cable company DVR and twice I kept it a month and went back to TiVo. Cable DVR boxes suck. They are not user friendly and the storage capacity comes no where near how many shows TiVo holds. The monthly fee is a luxury, but one that I am not going to go without anytime soon.
Comcast charges $16 a month for a box. That’s why I don’t have one.
I have Comcast and one of their DVRs with the Tivo software which costs $3 extra per month. In total it’s about $17 per month for the DVR + Tivo. I think it’s well worth it, especially considering, for some reason, the DVR I get is different from Comcast’s regular DVR and has something like 5 times as much space. I don’t know why it’s different, my guess is it’s because it already has the Tivo software on it. The price is more than worth it to me for the extra space alone. I’ve had it for 2 years now.
Of course cable/satellite doesn’t work for OTA folks like me. I love my TiVo HD but it’s my last. There are so many small things that TiVo could have done to keep improving the user experience, but instead built the abomination of an ad-bloated device called the premier which I will never purchase. When this TiVo dies I’m going MythTV.
Are you some sort of obvious pro-TiVo troll? You do realize that (1) lifetime has been back for years and (2) series 3 and up have hard drive expansion?
look Tivo is a good service I got my Tivo/DVD burner in 2005, open box buy at best buy for $200 then $200 rebate for getting lifetime service($300 at the time),had it for 5 years (about $5 a month and its still working in the digital age, took some rigging with the new Comcast boxes)…now for $200 for a XD Tivo Box and $200 for lifetime you could get Tivo Premier…they say $8 a month but then you got to get an extra card from Comcast.
I like Tivo, but Comcast has done a good job of trying to kill them by making HD customers buy a card for Tivo Prenier, and offering a crappy version of their own DVR(it works but its no tivo).
Tivo is hard to explain to a non Tivo user but basicaly, you can find a show any number of ways by title, actor name, etc…I have used other DVR’s and none work as good as Tivo
Lifetime subscription is still listed on their site, and my Tivo-HD has a 100 gig expansion drive attached to it…what are you talking about?
I have FIOS and the FIOS DVR is pretty crappy. The monthly rental for the HD DVR is more than Tivo’s monthly fee (it’s actually the same as Tivo HD + their cablecard rental). So, the only difference is the initial cost of the unit. I might pull the trigger on it.
I suspect that Tivo will have a resurgence as cable operators continue to offer crappy hardware at high costs.
Ah, what are you talking about? They have brought back the lifetime subscription. You can plug in a My DVR Expander from Western Digital to any of the HD TiVo’s that are out there. And they are still saying (I know, I know) that the new DirecTV HD TiVo will be out by the end of the year. The latest TiVo conference call confirmed that Thomson is the hardware manufacturer for the box.
1. They offer it again.
2. My TiVo Premier has an E-SATA port for expanding the hard disk space. It also has a USB port for an additional tuner.
this is a shame because Tivo has the best user friendly dvr out there. It so much more convenient and reliable than cable’s dvr
Which is why they should be licensing their software to everyone. That would be perfect.
(The truth is, I just really don’t want saying “doodoo doodoo doodoo” as a signal that the remote holder needs to start fast forwarding to lose all meaning.)