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nightflier
06-17-2005, 12:38 PM
Does anyone know if I can use a TiVo HD recorder without paying for cable or TiVo fees?

If all I'm interested in is OTA HDTV programming that I can get with any HDTV antenna, would a TiVo branded-unit still work?

(This is sort of related to my other post about external HDTV boxes, but this a not exactly the same question)

EdwardGein
06-17-2005, 01:02 PM
Nada (:






Does anyone know if I can use a TiVo HD recorder without paying for cable or TiVo fees?

If all I'm interested in is OTA HDTV programming that I can get with any HDTV antenna, would a TiVo branded-unit still work?

(This is sort of related to my other post about external HDTV boxes, but this a not exactly the same question) :( :( :(

Groundbeef
06-17-2005, 04:33 PM
You would be able to set up Manual Recordings, but TiVO would have no idea what you are recording. The Tivo Subscription allows you unit to D/L programming guides from HQ. Without paying, TiVO will still work, but will have no idea what is on or when. Basically you will have a very expensive VCR unit. A HD Tivo Unit runs about $699, why are you complaining about $12.95/month anyway?

nightflier
06-17-2005, 04:45 PM
...why are you complaining about $12.95/month anyway?

It's a matter of principle. If I can download TVGuide for free, why should I pay for Tivo? $12.95 may not seem like a lot but over the life of a PVR, that adds up.

I already own a PVR but can't record HD programming with it (only S-Video), so I thought I might be able to buy a second hand TiVo unit to record HD programming.

EdwardGein
06-17-2005, 05:31 PM
"Once you give up integrity, the rest is easy"- JR Ewing

In this case phuk principle. As the man says, why make life complicated for a lousy $12.95 a month. I basically rent my HD DVR from Time Warner as it economically makes no sense to buy it outright. For that, I think I'm paying less than $10 a month & in fact I'm renting 2 of them for $20. Don't win the battle and lose the war.

shokhead
06-18-2005, 04:11 AM
You would be able to set up Manual Recordings, but TiVO would have no idea what you are recording. The Tivo Subscription allows you unit to D/L programming guides from HQ. Without paying, TiVO will still work, but will have no idea what is on or when. Basically you will have a very expensive VCR unit. A HD Tivo Unit runs about $699, why are you complaining about $12.95/month anyway?

Kinda like the guys on the cycling forums. They have a 3-4000 bike and cant get over paying 6 bucks for a bottle of chain lube that will last 6 months.

nightflier
06-20-2005, 11:04 AM
"Once you give up integrity, the rest is easy"- JR Ewing

In this case phuk principle. As the man says, why make life complicated for a lousy $12.95 a month. I basically rent my HD DVR from Time Warner as it economically makes no sense to buy it outright. For that, I think I'm paying less than $10 a month & in fact I'm renting 2 of them for $20. Don't win the battle and lose the war.

I hear what you're saying, and I don't really care to argue over $12.95 a month. It's just that if you add up all the things that we subscribe to from magazines to software subscriptions, it does add up. If a typical family subscribes to ~$200 on optional entertainment services per month, imagine what that comes out to over the course of a lifetime... compounded anually... well you know where I'm going with this.

And you have to admit that this model makes us perpetual consumers. For example, I considered signing up for NetFlix at one time too, but what if I have a a particularly busy month at work (quite comon for me)? I still have to pay for movies I'm not watching. Likewise, if I don't need TiVo for a month, I still have to pay for it. This makes me pay for things I am not using or needing.

Another problem that I've noticed in my friends who subscribe to these services is the smorgasborg effect: if you're paying for it, then you should be consuming it. So they request movies (some that they never watch), just to feel like they are getting something out of it. One friend of mine has premium cable, TiVo, Blockbuster, Columbia DVD, newspaper delivery, a number of magazines, 24hr. fatness membership, a golf club membership and a bunch of other museum, club, and other memberships. He and his wife just had a baby and they haven't watched the tube in weeks, when the papers are not piled on the porch they are going straight into the trash, and I doubt he's left the house since the baby was born. I asked him why he didn't cancel any of these services, and he said that he didn't want to miss anything!

Personally, I choose to avoid memberships like the plague. If I consider that by being a perpetual consumer I am also socializing my children with these same ideals, you can see that we are heading down a dangerous spiral here. I work in computers, so I've seen the trend grow with software licensing, and from my observations, this has only led to more anxiety and expense on the part of the consumer (i.e. you & me). Sure, it may be the current trend or wave, but I will do what I can to steer clear of it in my personal life. To add my own quotes:

All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke

You may think your actions are meaningless and that they won't help, but that is no excuse, you must still act. -- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Or my personal favorite:

The hottest seats in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crises, choose to do nothing. -- Dante Alighieri

:cool:

EdwardGein
06-20-2005, 01:20 PM
Hey, I basically agree and emphasize with you, don't get me wrong. But unfortunately the way reality is set up for us folks who aren't rich, is the Man can screw with us any time he wants & we've got no choice or we'll be even worse off. It's a bottomless pit. Do you think anyone will ever hand any of us middle class people money for nothing or try to make our lives easier. Hell no!

That's why I'm laughing with people who burn their own CD's, use places like Grokster (I don't only because the software on most of these places puts adware/spyware on your computer- good luck getting it off), etc.

This might make you feel better if you aren't aware of it. There's a free program on the web (thanks NAbsentia for letting me know about this) called DVD Shrink. This program enables you, if you have a DVD burner on your computer or an external burner with USB connections, to make a backup DVD on 98% of the physical DVD's that are available in 5.1 sound no less.

Eric Z
06-20-2005, 01:33 PM
Well said, Nightflier! I also have friends who subscribe to so much, they can'teven find time to play 9 holes on the weekend. Some people don't realize how far the extra $40-$50/month will take them in retirement- I feel too many people live in the now! The $10/month isn't much, but I agree regarding how frequently you will be using it. I also thought about the Blockbuster/Netflix deal- say goodbye to late fees? Bullcrap! Too many parents spend too much time indoors these days- that's why so many kids are fat!

EdwardGein
06-20-2005, 02:29 PM
If you have a DVD burner, DVD Shrink, can get cheap DVD+RW's off 40 cents each, you can watch about 9 movies a week on Netflix on the minimum 3 DVD's at a time plan.

MomurdA
06-20-2005, 02:55 PM
I think dvrs are only $6/month, at least in orlando from brighthouse

EdwardGein
06-20-2005, 03:00 PM
I think dvrs are only $6/month, at least in orlando from brighthouse

HD DVR's or DVR's? Its about $10 a month here in LA from Time Warner Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD DVR which rules because you get 5.1 sound and can copy to a VCR or DVD recorder and make an external copy (the earloer 8000 model wasn't programmed to do that).