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$16.95 a month...LOL!!!!

Don't be a carrot - anyone who has TiVo will tell you that the monthly fee is well worth it. It does what it's supposed to do, and it does it well.

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Clearly, neither #1 or #3 appreciate the excellent but premium user experience afforded by TiVo.

Also, committing to a three year contract lowers the monthly rate dramatically by more than half to $8.31 ($299 for three years).

Apparently an issue of pearls before swine...

Hey #2 and #3, have you ever used a Dish Network VIP-622 or 722? Blows away what TIVO currently has to offer. I got mine free and I have no monthly costs because I subscribe to the right package. Otherwise, it's only $5.98 a month for a Dish DVR fee. So, unless you don't pay for programming which do you think is the better deal? Tivo, as a company is struggling and losing many of their lawsuits. They will be swallowed up by a satellite or cable company and torn apart soon enough.

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#5, Examples? Not sure what you mean. TiVo is great. The only Lawsuit I could find was the EchoStar one they won. If all you want is a DVR with a little capacity then youare fine with the shitty Dish DVR (ok so they do the job) but TiVo has a number of features that others don't. TiVoCast, Tivotogo, MP3 Streaming, and more. The dish DVR is just a DVR, or does it do more? I can throw a 500 gig hard drive in my TiVo and have a 600 hour TiVo, can you? I can watch Divx on mine with TiVo.net, Can you?

Tivo is one of few companies that listen to what people want for features. Developers are watching the forums finding ways to better their product, IE TiVo to go and external hard drives. TiVo also knows that people "hack" their TiVo's, but lets them.

Saying TiVo is a glorified VCR is like saying that a surround sound system is just a glorified stereo. It is, but it is so much more! I think it funny people that bitch about the $17 a month (like people at my work) don't complain about paying $4 a day for a cup of coffee or $60 a week for gas in their SUV.

Oh, TiVo is not doing great as a company, but their stock has been steady since 2001, which is pretty common. They are not struggling far as I can tell, but then again, maybe you work for TiVo and have inside info? Can you site your source? Would be great.

*Off soap box*
Sorry, Gotta love my TiVo

I drive a hybrid.

#8, OK...I had a TIVO once. It was good then, but DISH (IMO) cannot be beat. DO NOT COMMENT IF YOU HAVE NEVER USED A Dish VIP-622 DVR. Good capacity, most TIVO "like" options and doesn't cost me a dime each month. TIVO is slow, does not have the same playback quality as Dish DVRs, overpriced (for a well equipped TIVO and their monthly cost is just stupid. Sure, you can pay up front to bring down your month cost per se, but to pay them up front is REALLY stupid.

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TiVo is well worth it IMO. The DISH DVR is better than most DVRs from cable companies, but there are SO many features that it simply doesn't offer (online scheduling, mobile phone access and scheduling, tivo-2-go transfers to laptop, video sharing with friends, music sharing, fantasy football, pause-and-play in a different room) that I would not be able to give up.

Lastly, I actually lowered my cable bill by using a Tivo Series 3 (not the series 2 model above, so don't buy this item based on this comment). Cable cards are much cheaper ($1.50/month)to rent than cable boxes, and I was able to ditch the "HD package" fee while still getting all HD content. My bill went down by 15% AFTER the TiVo service fee.

The EchoStar case is being appealed. But if TiVo wins the decision, all DVR manufacturers will have to pay royalties to TiVo so your cable bills might be going up soon.

#10, I have only had a little experience with the Dish DVR, it is fine for most people, but I have not compared quality side by side so I can not say on that. If you had TiVo once, I am sure they upgraded things since then. I have heard that the Series 1 was slow, but the Series 2 is great, for my needs. Note: don't have an HD TV yet, but will get a TiVoHD when I get one. I, sadly, did not jump on the lifetime subscription for TiVO when I had the chance, but that was my fault. Be aware, that you stated that you were in a pacakage deal, and people say "I don't want to pay for TiVo monthly", well in most cases DVR is not free, for Comcast I know is it like $10 a month more ($5 for box $5 for DVR) in my area. I know the both Dish and Direct TV is the same, so if you want the service you usually have to pay for it. If you pay up front, they will allow you to transfer it to a new TiVo if you decide to upgrade, so really not all that bad.

#11, please be aware that TiVo only raises the price to new customers, I have had TiVo for over 2 years and have paid the same since it started. I can transfer that to a new TiVo and pay the same there too, so not sure how I am getting Nickel and Dimed to death if they don't charge me for new services???

It is not really fair to compare the quality of an HD DRV to a non HD tivo, but then again the TiVo HD is new and still way to spendy, but that will come down. Then there is other issues with that since it is new, so..

In the end, I like TiVo for my reasons, you like yours for your reasons.

BTW, what is the deal with Dish needing 2 dishes for the signal? Not sure what that is all about.

You can drive across country in a Ford Taurus or a Lexus 420. Either one will get you there.

If you can't tell the difference, then for you there isn't any.

Oh, and the software on the Dish 722 is adequate. ADEQUATE. If Charlie wasn't such a jerk with his head up his ass, he would have forestalled the TiVo suit by licensing and implementing the technology and as a result jumping WAY out in front of DTV. But he's an egomaniacal ****, and it cost him.

As for picture quality, the MPEG decoders in the TiVo Series 3 make the ones in the DISH receivers look like the crap they are.

I have one dish for my Dish Network service. I have the "everything pak" / HD. Some people do need 2 dishes to get proper line-of-sight to the all available Dish Network satellites.

further proof that bacon is a moron...

my Tivo thinks bacon is g'a'y

Just ungraded my old TIVO Series2 single-tuner with a new Series2 dual-tuner from "Big Lots". $69 no rebates, no new activation fees. Just transfered my old subscription. Nice deal, if you live anywhere near a "Big Lots" store.

I have a DishDVR VIP-622, two DirecTiVo's and three standalone TiVo's. So this is coming from someone who knows, intimately.

My oldest TiVo is a Series1 from 1999 and even it is faster, more intuitive, and much more upgradeable than the VIP-622 from Dish.

Hands down, There is no comparison. TiVo spanks everybody else's bass when it comes to interface and functionality.

I've only got the DishDVR since it's (A) Free and (B) High Def. TiVo's HD DVR doesn't do satellite and Charter can bl*w me.

The only lawsuit TiVo has been involved in - TiVo won. Dish has been infringing on their patents for years. There is a strong possibility Dish will have to pull / heavily revise their DVR's as a result - though I believe there is an appeal pending.

Oh, and for those who think a "media PC" is the same thing as a TiVo? You have no idea, you poor poor child.