Tivo Times

Tivo has changed the world more than any other tech gadget in the past 7 years. That’s right, even the iPod can’t match the revolutionary power of the Tivo. Before TV, we had to flip through pages of TV schedules and find out when our favorite shows and movies would be on, and then spend a lot of time programming a VCR to tape them. And after all that, we’d forget to put a tape in or somebody would hit a button on the remote that would mess the whole thing up.

Tivo allowed us to see the programs we like, when we have the free time to watch them, without the hassle. I know many people who heard about Tivo for the first time and immediately went out and bought one, along with a lifetime subscription so they wouldn’t be bothered by the monthly fee.

Of course, looking back years later, I wonder how long Tivo expected most of us to live. Perhaps they thought they’d be down the tubes by now, because they have been less than generous in making sure their lifetime subscribers get a full lifetime of service.

With the introduction of the $800 Tivo Series3, the digital video recorder is able to save your favorite popular shows in high definition for the first time. Of course, with most things Tivo-related, there’s a catch: DRM. That’s digital rights management, and it means you are not able to use the digital files the Tivo saves in ways that Tivo (and the media companies that make the TV programs) doesn’t want you to. You can watch them on your TV, but you might not be able to port them to your mobile device.

In addition to the DRM problem, lifetime Tivoers are upset that their lifetime subscription applies only to their old device, not to the new service with a new device. That means if they buy a Series3, they’ll need to pay more to transfer their lifetime service. That means an extra $199 on top of the $800 price. Of course, that’s probably better than the alternative of paying $19 a month. Anyone who is not already a lifetimer cannot buy into the program, as it is not open to new customers.

And thus my initial rant is over. I promise to be shorter in the future. I just had to lay down my Tivo platform before getting on with the business of bringing you the freshest news.