I know this is old news ... but it still bugs me. Why do they have to go and do that? I know it must annoy them that there are all of us out there who haven't paid them a dime in 2 or 3 years ... but come on. We shelled out a chunk of change for that right. Its not like they were getting ripped off.
I hate monthly fees. When you start charging monthly fees ... people start thinking about how much something is really worth to them. With that lifetime fee ... you say "ouch" when you first pay for it ... but then there isn't any monthly "man ... I can't believe I'm paying $$$ a month for this." Two years later and its paid for itself.
This seems to be a purely money decision on tivo's part ... which, ok, they are a business. They have to make money. But tivo got to be where they are because of their fanbase preaching for them. Tivo users are fanatical ... and they want everyone to have a tivo. And everyone I have convinced to get a tivo ... bought the lifetime subscription fee.
We gave a tivo to my parents for Christmas -- with the lifetime service -- and it was great to give it to them and be able to say - here you go. Plug it in and have fun. You never have to pay a dime for anything ... just enjoy.
Now ... you give it ... maybe buy a year's subscription and then tell them oh yeah and in a year -- you'll have to pay a fee if you want to keep it.
The only possible positive thing about them dropping the lifetime service option is that those of us who have tivos with lifetimes can make a lot of money on ebay. Of course then we'd have to buy a monthly fee tivo to replace it. Which stinks. So its a win/lose situation. I guess we'll just have to make sure our tivos never die.
I did not know Tivo was planning something. I haven't heard. What's going on?