Tivo discontinued?

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rjh

57 posts

Master Geek

#103263 2-Jun-2012 12:48

Both retailers no longer show Tivo in their online listings, though some stock remains in some stores at the sale price.

Bond & Bond are saying that the current model is discontinued, and that a new model release is due shortly (weeks).

Can anybody here say definitively what the new model will be, and whether there is any advantage in waiting for it, or grabbing one of the remaining current Tivos?

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#634591 2-Jun-2012 13:19

Most likey one of these

https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do

loceff13

1065 posts

Uber Geek

#634597 2-Jun-2012 13:31

It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

rjh

57 posts

Master Geek

#634604 2-Jun-2012 13:46

loceff13: It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

You mean this one?

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tivo-xl-1tb-digital-personal-video-recorder.html

It is pig-ugly and very expensive, even before converting to NZD. The non-australasian versions at https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do actually look quite good, I don't understand the need to stuff them up so badly, just for us.

mattwnz

20163 posts

Uber Geek

#634605 2-Jun-2012 13:49

I think the new model will cost a lot more, but it would be nice if it was sold at the same price. There is the risk of waiting and missing out on a cheap tivo and paying a lot more fore the big one.

Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#634606 2-Jun-2012 13:54

I would be betting it will be the Tivo XL Aussie has. Virtually the same as our 320gb but with the 1Tb hard drive. You can bet it wont be anywhere near the same price. I would guess around $600 or more.
I have bought 2 Tivos when they were $199.
At present only using one and that will stay as it is. The other one I will upgrade to 1tb internal storage. Did a lot of searching and printed a lot off and now will upgrade shortly.

Some people reckon they look ugly but i actually like the look of them. Guess I am weird that way

HTPC Intel Pentium G3258 cpu, Gigabyte H97n-wifi motherboard, , 8GB DDR3 ram, onboard graphics. Hauppuage HVR 5500 tuner, Silverstone LC16M case, Windows 10 pro 64 bit using Nextpvr and Kodi

mattwnz

20163 posts

Uber Geek

#634611 2-Jun-2012 14:03

Gilco2: I would be betting it will be the Tivo XL Aussie has. Virtually the same as our 320gb but with the 1Tb hard drive.? You can bet it wont be anywhere near the same price.? I would guess around $600 or more.
? I have bought 2 Tivos when they were $199.
At present only using one and that will stay as it is.? The other one I will upgrade to 1tb internal storage.? Did a lot of searching and printed a lot off and now will upgrade shortly.

Some people reckon they look ugly but i actually like the look of them.? Guess I am weird that way

I think they look 100 times better than many of the cheap boxes you can get, and they have a very good build quality. They are quite big, but no bigger than a VCR. They won't want to price the new ones too high, otherwise people will buy something else.

loceff13

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#634618 2-Jun-2012 14:11

rjh:
loceff13: It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

You mean this one?

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tivo-xl-1tb-digital-personal-video-recorder.html

It is pig-ugly and very expensive, even before converting to NZD. The non-australasian versions at https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do actually look quite good, I don't understand the need to stuff them up so badly, just for us.

Yes that one, the 320(current stock) looks exactly the same. I don't know why ours are ugly, I guess a combination of old stock (2009/2010 produced) and not carrier specific (ie not launched under a big brand like sky/telstraclear) aswell as our broadcast mediums and quality (ie theres no need for the latest tivo model with 4 tuners, 2Tb drive. )

As for new pricing, I'm interested to see what they ask for it aswell. They will be pricing themselves out of the market at 600+ (and there's no way the unit costs that, maybe $40 higher than the 320GB).

If you want something that looks nicer you either go for the likes of sky digital or other high end DVR's ($550+) or get a separate DVR and maybe a DVD HDD recorder

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Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

mattwnz

20163 posts

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#634655 2-Jun-2012 15:19

loceff13:
rjh:
loceff13: It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

You mean this one?

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tivo-xl-1tb-digital-personal-video-recorder.html

It is pig-ugly and very expensive, even before converting to NZD.? The non-australasian versions at?https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do actually look quite good, I don't understand the need to stuff them up so badly, just for us.

Yes that one, the 320(current stock) looks exactly the same. I don't know why ours are ugly, I guess a combination of old stock (2009/2010 produced) and not carrier specific (ie not launched under a big brand like sky/telstraclear) aswell as our broadcast mediums and quality (ie theres no need for the latest tivo model with 4 tuners, 2Tb drive. )

As for new pricing, I'm interested to see what they ask for it aswell. They will be pricing themselves out of the market at 600+ (and there's no way the unit costs that, maybe $40 higher than the 320GB).

If you want something that looks nicer you either go for the likes of sky digital or other high end DVR's ($550+) or get a separate DVR and maybe a DVD HDD recorder

Does it actually matter what it 'looks' like. IMHO the other boxes are more ugly.

rjh

57 posts

Master Geek

#634913 3-Jun-2012 09:56

mattwnz:
loceff13:
rjh:
loceff13: It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

You mean this one?

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tivo-xl-1tb-digital-personal-video-recorder.html

It is pig-ugly and very expensive, even before converting to NZD.? The non-australasian versions at?https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do actually look quite good, I don't understand the need to stuff them up so badly, just for us.

Yes that one, the 320(current stock) looks exactly the same. I don't know why ours are ugly, I guess a combination of old stock (2009/2010 produced) and not carrier specific (ie not launched under a big brand like sky/telstraclear) aswell as our broadcast mediums and quality (ie theres no need for the latest tivo model with 4 tuners, 2Tb drive. )

As for new pricing, I'm interested to see what they ask for it aswell. They will be pricing themselves out of the market at 600+ (and there's no way the unit costs that, maybe $40 higher than the 320GB).

Well, they have a history of pricing themselves of the market, they pretty much did this when the Tivo was first introduced to NZ. Not sure if this was outright greed, or just a misjudgement of the value that others would find in their wonderful product.

loceff13:If you want something that looks nicer you either go for the likes of sky digital or other high end DVR's ($550+) or get a separate DVR and maybe a DVD HDD recorder

Does it actually matter what it 'looks' like. IMHO the other boxes are more ugly.

Yes, it does matter. It costs no extra to produce a good design over a large number of units, and is often cheaper. Expecting me to pay top dollar for something that looks like no care has been taken over its appearance is insulting. This equipment is often placed in a highly visible position in the home environment. There is no reason why it shouldn't look good.

wallop

367 posts

Ultimate Geek

#635569 4-Jun-2012 18:00

You think you are paying top dollar for the Tivo? When they first came out you would have been, now they are a bargin.

loceff13

1065 posts

Uber Geek

#635668 4-Jun-2012 21:15

rjh:

Yes, it does matter. It costs no extra to produce a good design over a large number of units, and is often cheaper. Expecting me to pay top dollar for something that looks like no care has been taken over its appearance is insulting. This equipment is often placed in a highly visible position in the home environment. There is no reason why it shouldn't look good.

Then pay the price premium for less bulky hardware/nicer looking hardware, vote with your wallet. ie MagicTV for $550+

mattwnz

20163 posts

Uber Geek

#635672 4-Jun-2012 21:34

rjh:
mattwnz:
loceff13:
rjh:
loceff13: It will be the 1TB model Australia got late last year, afaik they both have exactly the same features and the same company (Hybrid) has distributor rights for Aus/NZ for Tivo.

If you can get the 320GB Tivo for $199 new it's a steal, even better if you can haggle a good price for an extended warranty on the unit (ie $30 for 3 years) if you are worried about the failure rates.

You mean this one?

http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tivo-xl-1tb-digital-personal-video-recorder.html

It is pig-ugly and very expensive, even before converting to NZD.? The non-australasian versions at?https://www3.tivo.com/store/home.do actually look quite good, I don't understand the need to stuff them up so badly, just for us.

Yes that one, the 320(current stock) looks exactly the same. I don't know why ours are ugly, I guess a combination of old stock (2009/2010 produced) and not carrier specific (ie not launched under a big brand like sky/telstraclear) aswell as our broadcast mediums and quality (ie theres no need for the latest tivo model with 4 tuners, 2Tb drive. )

As for new pricing, I'm interested to see what they ask for it aswell. They will be pricing themselves out of the market at 600+ (and there's no way the unit costs that, maybe $40 higher than the 320GB).

Well, they have a history of pricing themselves of the market, they pretty much did this when the Tivo was first introduced to NZ. Not sure if this was outright greed, or just a misjudgement of the value that others would find in their wonderful product.

loceff13:If you want something that looks nicer you either go for the likes of sky digital or other high end DVR's ($550+) or get a separate DVR and maybe a DVD HDD recorder

Does it actually matter what it 'looks' like. IMHO the other boxes are more ugly.

Yes, it does matter. It costs no extra to produce a good design over a large number of units, and is often cheaper. Expecting me to pay top dollar for something that looks like no care has been taken over its appearance is insulting. This equipment is often placed in a highly visible position in the home environment. There is no reason why it shouldn't look good.

I am a designer, and I don't think it is ugly at all, it is a minimalist black box with a metal rectangle around the lights. It is not beautiful, but it is not ugly either, it is just boring looking. It is largish but no bigger than a vcr. Design is very subjective so what some people may like, others may dislike. Also it has a very good build quality compared to many out there, especially the cheap boxes you can buy off trademe, some of those are butt ugly looking things. These tivos are only around $200, so what are you expecting, you can't have it all. Possibly you are looking for reasons not to buy one? If you really care about looks, then buy another PVR, but you will be paying at least double the tivo price..

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#635686 4-Jun-2012 21:57

Saying the size is 'fine' as it's no bigger than a VCR is a little odd...
VCR's were deemed obsolete by most people around half a decade ago. Which, oddly enough, was when some of the Tivo's still being sold today were manufactured.
There is no way a box of those proportions would find its way into my rack.
Cheap, yes.
Good looking, no.
Well made, well not by the reliability issues we're hearing on this site...

It's cheap, it's a brick - but if you roll the dice you may well get one that lasts the distance.
Otherwise, take it back, site CGA and get it repaired / replaced as the law deems fit.

nate

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#635689 4-Jun-2012 22:01

wallop: You think you are paying top dollar for the Tivo? When they first came out you would have been, now they are a bargin.

I'm watching a few on TradeMe, most are going for around the $150 mark.

mattwnz

20163 posts

Uber Geek

#635709 4-Jun-2012 22:42

Dunnersfella: Saying the size is 'fine' as it's no bigger than a VCR is a little odd...
VCR's were deemed obsolete by most people around half a decade ago. Which, oddly enough, was when some of the Tivo's still being sold today were manufactured.
There is no way a box of those proportions would find its way into my rack.
Cheap, yes.
Good looking, no.
Well made, well not by the reliability issues we're hearing on this site...

It's cheap, it's a brick - but if you roll the dice you may well get one that lasts the distance.
Otherwise, take it back, site CGA and get it repaired / replaced as the law deems fit.

You can still buy VCRs, and combo vcr,dvds were very popular only 5 years ago. People do still have tapes they may want to watch. When I said they are the same size, it meant that they will fit into standard TV cabinets that are still dimensioned to fit VCRs (perhaps the manufacturers of these cabinets are a bit behind the times though. The majority of people will have them hidden away anyway, so noone usually sees them. The only thing I see is the lights on mine. But for people who have them on display perhaps a tivo isn't the right device

I have had quite a number of DOA tivos that I have setup up for friends. But once they are going they seem to be reliable, and haven' had any issues. Certainly they look to be more reliable than some PVRs that are discussed here.

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