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RSSRecently, my cable operator, Comcast, has been contacting its triple-play subscribers in my community to inform them that they have until Oct. 1st to switch to their digital phone service or choose another telephony provider. A friend of mine, Stephanie Bellofatto, called up to speak with a sales representative to find out about the new offering, which she understood included all of the movie channels and sports packages along with a DVR. The conversation went something like this:
"I don't need your DVR, I already have a TiVo," she said.
"Our DVR is the same as TiVo but it comes free with our service," the sales rep adamantly replied.
"Oh, really, well I have a lifetime membership with TiVo. Can you log on from any computer and schedule something to record?" she retorted.
"No."
"Can the DVR you offer be networked to my computer?"
"No."
"Can I transfer shows between TVs?"
"No."
"Can you store whatever you record on the DVR to your computer?"
"No."
"Can you convert anything that you have recorded to play on your iPod video?"
"No."
"Can you burn anything you have recorded on your DVR onto a DVD?"
"No."
"Then I would have to say your DVR is nothing like a TiVo. All yours does is record."
"I guess you're right, it's not the same."
1 person recommends this article.
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A TiVo Series 2 machine (most of the boxes in service), can't do much of anything while you watch something off the hard drive. You can't check the program guide or set it to record without stopping what you're watching, something the cable company DVR or even a cheap vcr can do.
When your TiVo breaks after the warranty expires (and oh, it will break), you're responsible for paying to fix it (or out the window goes your "lifetime" subscription). When the cable company DVR breaks, you generally just get a new (usually better) one for free or a nominal cost.
A lot of the nifty things the TiVo can do (things most people don't care about) come at an extra cost on top of your monthly fee (for the vast majority that choose to pay by month), and that fee is already higher than most cable companies charge for a DVR.
Tivo has fixed some of its shortfalls in its newer DVRs, but they are losing subscribers at a pretty consistent rate. How long can this go on before they have to drastically change the business model?
PS - I won my Tivo 8 years ago and also have a free lifetime membership...there's NO REASON why I would switch.
Best,
Jocelyn Brandeis www.jblhcommunications.com
I'd love remote access to content stored on my set top from either my pc in the office or my laptop while out and about - there is nothing 'technicially' preventing the cable companies offering this.
In addition Time Warner indicated they were going to offer multi-room dvr's any day now......two years later I still haven't seen it here in New York.
Cheers, Dean Collins www.Cognation.net