Got TiVo? No? Get it cheap!

[Jeff Wilder]

Dunno who among y'all might be interested, but TiVo is having a double-rebate right now that makes their $299-retail 80-hour box come to only $99.

IMO, seriously, TiVo is incredible. And if you decide to get it, please remember to list me as your reference and let me know. They give good bonuses for referrals.

http://www.tivo.com/save200

I paid $250 for my TiVo and think it was worth every cent … seeing it for $99 turns me into a serious TiVo-angelist. Other than that, I have no connection to the company.

 

[der_kluge]

Wow, that is pretty sweet. Speaking of rebates, I just got my Tivo rebate in the mail today. They took their sweet time. I sent it off in early January.

 

[Rel]

I don't really need one since I've got a DVD recorder with hard drive. But I wanted to mention that among the very best thread titles I've ever seen on any forum was one that said:

"My TiVo thinks I like Mexican Porn."

If you ever want to get a lot of views on your thread, I recommend that title.

 

[Brain]

I wonder if they are offering good prices because of their new advertising ploys

 

[IronWolf]

I wonder if they are offering good prices because of their new advertising ploys

I have yet to see one but when I do it will annoy be a lot. I already read the Slashdot article and I agree with several of the opinions there - either I pay a fee for the service or I watch the ads, but no both. Until then I am loving the TiVo we have...

 

[Jeff Wilder]

I wonder if they are offering good prices because of their new advertising ploys

I haven't seen any such ads, and if I do, I will bitch. Loudly.

I find it much more likely that they're clearing inventory to make room for the newer models: HD-ready models and DVD-burner models. In anyevent, an 80-hour box for $99 tempts me to get another one ... and I have absolutely no need for another one. That's how much I dig my TiVo.

 

[Umbran]

either I pay a fee for the service or I watch the ads, but no both.

It isn't that simple. You pay a fee for the TiVo serivce, but that doesn't go to the shows. Meanwhile, the shows are produced with the expectation of selling advertising. If TiVo users aren't pulling their weight in advertising, they're effectively making the shows less profitable.

For really top rated whows, this may not be a big deal. But for genre shows that are expensive to produce and don't get great ratings, griping about ads can be like shooting yoruself in the foot. Perhaps you'd prefer the ads got embedded into the programs themselves, so that you couldn't effectively skiop past them?

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Perhaps you'd prefer the ads got embedded into the programs themselves, so that you couldn't effectively skiop past them?

This is inevitable. The advertising paradigm for television is changing, and accelerating. Product placement is going to be the only way to keep "free" TV on the air.

I personally don't have a problem with it, done appropriately. It's much more jarring to me to see a character drinking a "Bouncy Cola" than it would be to see her drinking a "Coca-Cola."

As one example I noticed recently, "Alias" apparently has a contract with Ford. During one car chase, the bad guys hopped in a Mustang and tore out of the parking garage. Without missing a beat, Sydney yells, "The Bronco!" and they're in hot pursuit. Not at all jarring, at least to me. The only reason I noticed is that I think the new Mustang is very, very pretty.

 

[MaxKaladin]

I'd pay for commercial free content too, but I don't hold much hope of that ever happening. Just look at how they're doing DVDs. You pay for them, but they still want to try to make you sit through all kinds of advertising and other nonsense like that before you can get to the menu or watch the content you paid for.

 

[reveal]

I really don't see what the big deal is about the ads. I fast forward through commercials and a part of my screen (a quarter as I understand it) will have an ad while I'm fast forwarding. Big deal. I'll ignore it like I currently ignore commercials when watching "regular" tv.