[Ray_Clum]

http://www.tvinsite.com/multichannelnews/index.asp?layout=story&doc_id=97886&display=breakingNews

Story starts out on DirecTV & Starz SVOD, but towards the end they discuss a new Hughes/TiVo co-designed box. Will initially be sold only to existing customers for $199. No monthly fee if subscribing to Total Choice or better ($4.99 if not). No info if a 2 tuner unit.

 

[spanishannouncetable]

According to TiVoPony (TiVo's official rep at the tivocommunity) -

- $199 is the MSRP, and is available to existing subs as well as new ones.

- The price for the TiVo sub will drop from the current $9.95 to $4.99 a month w/Total Choice OR ->-> FREE <-<- to TC Premier subs, and mirroring at no extra charge is still in effect. Series I & II units will be treated the same
No mention was made of how this affects lifetime TiVo subs who paid $250 for their subscription, or if lifetime will continue to be offered.

- No date was announced for any of this to take effect.

- Features are the same as Series I units : 40 gig/35 hr capacity, dual tuners, DD.

- USB 2.0 ports have been added for future use.

$5 more in my pocket every month. Thanks Directv !

 

[MikeW]

One would think the price of the 721 should drop a little.

 

[Jacob S]

well then the 501 has a new competetor, for just $50 more than a 301 system you can guy a pvr directv system? thats a no brainer if there is no fee and saving $150 over the 501 receiver in which goes bad over and over and over and over.

 

[Guest]

Price of using a 721 to an existing sub - $549 w/no seperate PVR fee =
$549 for 1
$1098 for 2

Price of using a DirecTiVo Series II to an existing sub - $199 + $4.99 monthly fee for 70 months (almost 6 years) =
$548.30 for 1
$747.30 for 2
-OR-
$647 for 2 if you get a $250 lifetime TiVo sub

What was the last piece of consumer electronics you purchased that lasted 6 years ? Does anyone think a 721 will last that long ?

Maybe Charlie should more closely investigate the monthly sub option as a way to bring down hardware prices after all.

 

[Karl Foster]

...I swear this isn't my post under a different name....

 

[Jacob S]

If my 721 does not last me 6 years then it is a HUGE HUGE rip off and I will be very VERY upset, along with the other owners of the unit. You would think that if the ones that first come out such as the dishplayer is still going after a couple three years that the 721 and 501/508 should as well. I would think that a product would improve and last longer with each product that comes out.

If computer hard drives last for years then so should they in a television receiver. I hope at least only the hard drive would be needed replaced if that is what would go bad, and the price would be supercheap or you could get a much much larger hard drive than what came with it by that time in which would be an upgrade anyways so the money would not be a total waste, and by that time, a different much much much better pvr unit would probably be out and much cheaper too for the cost of the upgrade, so maybe it would not be so bad after all.

 

[James_F]

The PVR won't last that long. It might get replaced by Dish because of the new format that they might move to after the merger. Do you leave a computer on for 6 strait years? No, the MTBF on a hard drive is measured in hours, not years...

 

[Jacob S]

They might not replace the unit though because the receiver can be changed to the DirecTv format and they wanted to make sure that they could do that with this receiver before it was released and that is why I think they did not release it until later so that way they did not have all of that expense in replacing such an expensive receiver.

 

[James_F]

You could assume that, but who knows? :shrug: Either way, you'll end up with a new receiver before 6 years, buy choice or by force...