WeaKnees Blog

OK folks, this is really it. After April 15, 2006, TiVo won’t sell lifetime subscriptions for their standalone DVRs. (The only exception is the Humax DVD combo TiVo DVRs – those will still be able to get lifetime.)

It’s truly a great deal – TiVo even claims that the reason they are discontinuing it is that it provides too much value for too little money.

Here are some of the advantages of acting now:

• $299 lifetime value stays with the unit – even if you sell the box
• $299 equates to 23 months of service – after that, your service is essentially free!
• Never pay another monthly TiVo service fee
• Monthly service prices could even increase (they have before)
• We will email your TiVo Service Number to ensure that you can purchase the Lifetime Service before April 15th – we also email instructions on how to get Lifetime

We’re making it even better with two coupon codes through April 15, 2006:

TIVO25 will take $25 off the 90 or 190 hour TiVo DVRs

TIVO50 will take $50 off the 290 hour and larger TiVo DVRs

In my post of just minutes ago, I referenced TiVo Desktop for Macintosh (inasmuch as it isn’t compatible with Intel-based Macs). Well, I went back to get a screenshot of the page, and, amazingly, there’s no Mac version there at all now.

Does this mean a Universal Binary is forthcoming? We can only hope it means that and not the end of support for the Mac . . . I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Here’s the link – TiVo Desktop – if you want to keep checking for an update.

UPDATE: It’s back now – not sure what happened there.

Yet another extension to the end date of lifetime subscriptions! Our TiVo standalone units are still able to get lifetime TiVo service until 4/15/06. You can’t subscribe the units online to get the lifetime service, you have to call TiVo and do it by phone, but you can do it until 4/15/06. Important note here: this doesn’t work for any units purchased bundled with service (which is pretty much the only way you can purchase them directly from TiVo at this point).

A couple of other details: lifetime will continue to be available for Humax units. Apparently, as part of the terms of the agreement between TiVo and Humax, TiVo has to continue to offer lifetime service for these units – again, by phone only.

Next: lifetime hasn’t been an option for the DirecTV TiVo combo units for several years. If you were one of the lucky ones to get it, you’ve got a nice deal because DirecTV now considers that to be a lifetime DVR service on your account, which covers all of the DVRs on your account (which normally costs $6/month at this point).