During yesterday's speech to investors, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers admitted that the $799 price tag on the Series3 HD TiVo probably hurt sales.Rogers says the company plans to offer a lower-priced high definition unit soon. That ambiguous statement could mean lowering the price on the Series3 or offering a stripped down version of the box.
While some resellers have offered Series3 TiVo for under $600, that's still a lot of money to shell out when you can pick up an HD PVR for just a few bucks a month from your cable or satellite provider. TiVo's been tackling this issue on two fronts:
- By throwing features (like TiVoCast, Amazon Unbox, and web video) onto its boxes, providing features that you can't get on generic PVRs.
- By partnering with cable providers like Comcast and Cox to bundle TiVo software with cable company set-top-boxes.
The TV Squad Podcast: Vik Sahay of Chuck, Oprah talk, brutal timeslots, and more!
TV Squad Ten: Top Ten ESPN shows from worst to first
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-08-2007 @ 10:59AM
Samuel McConnell said...
If Cox boxes get equipped with TiVo software, I will finally throw down and buy a 42" LCD. 'till then, I'm sticking with SD and my SD TiVo.
Reply
3-08-2007 @ 1:09PM
Ian said...
It's TIVO's high monthly Fees which is the real killer IMHO.
Reply
3-08-2007 @ 2:09PM
Mark said...
Ditto, Ian.
I currently have two dual-tuner Series 2 TiVos. I loved them to death, and I was seriously considering a Series 3 for HD. With the recent hikes in service fees without locking into long-term contracts, paired with the increasing amount of advertising forced upon TiVo menus, I really couldn't justify it anymore.
I ended up building a new Windows Vista PC specifically for use as a Media Center, with no monthly fees, four tuners (2 ATSC, 2 NTSC), choice of storage size and a lot of the same features as TiVo (plus a few TiVo doesn't offer). Amazon Unbox already works with it, as does Vongo. I've had it for about a week, and use an Xbox 360 as a Media Center extender for easier integration with my home theater. Works absolutely perfectly for me. Now I can't wait for my 1-year agreements with TiVo to expire in March.
I love TiVo but the rising fees and incessant advertising was getting ridiculous.
Reply
3-08-2007 @ 3:13PM
BC said...
I've never understood the economics of TiVo's hardware. It's essentially a headless computer, and there are plenty of those available for several hundred dollars which usually includes the damn Windows license, one of the most expensive parts, as well as some parts TiVo doesn't have, like an optical drive. By this point, ATSC and QAM tuners shouldn't be much more expensive than standard def tuners, and smaller-screen HDTVs sell for a lot less than $799. I'm curious to see how much HD tuners, which will soon be required, drive up the cost of DVD recorders and non-TiVO hard disk recorders, but the sum of the parts involved seems to add up to siginificantly less than the whole, even given that TiVo wants to maintain an premium image as well as make up for past losses.
Reply