Ben's Bargains Serving Fresh Deals 24/7

not bad.. thats an avg of $8.31 per month if you get the 3 year prepaid plan for $299, with the hardware included.

i don't get why you have to pay every month to record things on tv...can't they come out with some stupid system that just records without any service?

wasn't there a system like that where you just bought the device and you had no service to pay for?

#2 they do window media

#3 Old ReplayTV was like that- still use it for free

Cable
Dish Network
Direct TV

ALL ARE FREE of service fee's. Although some have a $5 box rental fee depending on the service contract you have. But mine is free.

BeyondTV (and probably others) are free after purchase of software and tuner card.

I chose the ReplayTV over TiVo due to the ease of hackability. Soon the new issue will be HD as the units do not support it. Anyone know if any units do support HD?

Cable has no service fee? What the hell am I paying them $60 a month for?

I want an HD Tivo Series 3 for DirecTv..does anyone know where I can get a good deal on one? I heard you can call the retention department and haggle with them.

A few companies make subscription free PVR's. I have a Panasonic DMRE80HS, which includes a DVD burner, but it lacks some of the amenities Tivo charges you for.

You have to program it like a VCR. You have to program your cable or sat box if you have one. It only records from analog sources.

I bought mine because you can edit the videos you record and burn them to DVD. It's nice to be able to change the title and remove commercials for archiving tv series.

There isn't and will never be a series 3 for DirecTV.

Comcast in my area (Boston) charges another ~$10 per month for their DVR service.

I think that you can use a Tivo to record programs by setting the time without having to pay for service. (similar to ancient VCRs...remember those?)

There is a reason why people pay for Tivo instead of using your providers DVR. This is the same reason why Comcast entered into an agreement with Tivo recently. The reason is the great user interface and features Tivo provides. For example, I can tell my Tivo what to record over the internet. It works great when I am going to be late at work and miss the start of a game or forgot to schedule something else. I don't belive that other DVRs offer that functionality.

1 word, MythTV

Buy a computer.
Install a Hauppage WinTV-PVR-150 card.
Download the free GB-PVR software.
Record television programs for free.
Get married, have kids, grow old & die.
End of transmission.

This will NOT work without buying the service. E you cannot use it like a VCR by choosing the time to record. This is the same with Replay TV. You MUST have the service active to use it.

However, I believe TIVO used to have a lifetime activation, just like Replay. Single life time charge ($249-$299) instead of a fee every month. Much better deal if you kept the unit for 2+ years. I've had my Replays for 4 years so I saved alot over the monthly charge.

i use the sony SONY DHG-HDD500 no fees at all 500gb for 60 hours hd programming and works like tivo by using the tv guide it downloads.

Tivo is the ultimate in DVR. Once you have one you really can't go back to a lesser unit. Those that have never had a Tivo just don't understand. 4 years ago I was one of those people. "Why do I need a Tivo when I've got a VCR?" I used to ask. I still have friends who just don't get it. Tivo liberates you from TV. WHen you want to watch you have programs to watch that it records for you based on your viewing habits. Also, as with any DVR, you're not locked into start times. I can start watching a show at 8:20 that started at 8:00, skip commercials and end up at 9PM at the end of the show. For those that think other units 'work like Tivo', well, like Tivo ain't Tivo. It's just not the same. Tivo is almost a sentinent being. If you had a Tivo you'd understand.

yeah and if you hadda knob you wouldn'ta shared that fancy novel of a post with us

LOVE my TiVos have 2!Gladly pay the monthly service fee. Never have problems with my TiVos (like friends have with Comcast's DVR), so easy to use and many, many bonus features. Waiting for a price drop on the Series 3's - really want HD but don't want to pay $500+ for a box just to have it so I'll wait.