DVR's

[summerfun]

Originally posted by jcwillia
What I want (which I know I can't have but indulge me) is to buy the $150 TiVo or ReplayTV box with just the hardware/software package and WITHOUT the monthly fee.  

The reason you won't find a $150 box without the subscription is because they cost more than that to build. TIVO is loosing money on every box they sell, but they make the money back on the subscription.

Just like free cell phones when you sign up for the service. The cost is subsidized by the service.

You can buy stand alone DVR without the subscription as mentioned by several people above, but not for $150. You also would not get the menu guide, which is the biggest part of the value IMO.

There is NO free lunch.......

[jcwillia]

I am not so sure about that cost of building.   What a re we talking about? A 40 gig HD? OK, that's $50 at most.  The processing power required for an SDTV box is roughly 500 MHz.  Not that these chips are even made any more but the cost of the MB and chip should be less than $50.  Connections, wiring, etc - maybe 10 - 20.  The big unknown is software, but I would be happy with VCR programming technology, which is 0 because VCR's are dumb.

All of this added up doesn't even get me to without sub price of 150.

Let's take this from a diff angle.  Hard drive tech is really cool, but taken to extremes, it will eliminate a lot of the freedoms we take for granted today.  For example,  what if we had to buy a sub to watch our favorite movies or listen to our favorite music instead of buying them from Best Buy?  Or worse yet, what if we had to pay on a per use basis?  I think subs are a very dangerous trend in the world of technology, one that I hope the marketplace never supports too fully.  Software, movies, music, games - yikes.

[jkane]

First of all, TiVo is SO MUCH MORE than a TV Guide!  I could spend hours, and hours, and hours, and hours and ... talking about all the really cool ways to use a TiVO.  But that's another thread.  

Since you have computer knowledge, the cheapest thing to do is build your own.  Dozens of software packages exist covering every OS vendor out there to make a PC into a DVR.  

The easiest method is to spend the money and let someone else build it for you at what they think you should pay them, not what you want to pay them.  

Or, go back to your original option.  "shut up"     (No malice intended.)

[borghe]

Originally posted by jcwillia
I am not so sure about that cost of building.   What a re we talking about? A 40 gig HD? OK, that's $50 at most.  The processing power required for an SDTV box is roughly 500 MHz.  Not that these chips are even made any more but the cost of the MB and chip should be less than $50.  Connections, wiring, etc - maybe 10 - 20.  The big unknown is software, but I would be happy with VCR programming technology, which is 0 because VCR's are dumb.

All of this added up doesn't even get me to without sub price of 150.

Let's take this from a diff angle.  Hard drive tech is really cool, but taken to extremes, it will eliminate a lot of the freedoms we take for granted today.  For example,  what if we had to buy a sub to watch our favorite movies or listen to our favorite music instead of buying them from Best Buy?  Or worse yet, what if we had to pay on a per use basis?  I think subs are a very dangerous trend in the world of technology, one that I hope the marketplace never supports too fully.  Software, movies, music, games - yikes.

First of all, remember that with any hardware you are talking about a minimum build cost.. a 1.3Ghz Athlon still costs $36 even though you can get a much faster AthlonXP 1800 for only $10 more. Also remember that they generally can't and don't shop around for hardware on each production build. These things are put together with parts under single or multi-year purchasing contracts. Also remember that these aren't off the shelf PCs. They are proprietary PowerPC and MIPS based computers with NTSC, satellite, and/or ATSC tuner cards in them. If they are DirecTivos they also have CAM interfaces.

Finally the software.. In the 3 years that I have had my tivo I have gone through 4 major software revisions. If you have a standalone Series two you have gone through 6 major software revisions. The software development isn't a one time cost, it is an ongoing and continuous thing.

and the service.. you have to understand what Tivo is. It isn't just a TV guide. I can look up shows based on keywords in the title, keywords in the description, a comprehensive catalog of principle actors in the show or movie (re: more than just the stars), directors for the movies, any combination thereof.. I can have it autorecord any show it finds that meets any of these criteria I tell it to. It knows if this is the first time a show is playing, and if not what the first date was the show aired (kind of cool to check out the original air date of some older shows from the 60's and 70's on TVLand)... The list goes on..

Don't get me wrong, I understand perfectly well what you're saying.. you don't want any of that.. and I can certainly respect that... but the fact of the matter is that the hardware to do eactly what you want, with no monthly cost, already exists.. you can do it yourself...  and you don't even need the best BC to do it with.. but I guarantee you it will still cost you well above $150.. probably even above $300...

[gparris]

Why all the fuss with creating your own DVR?  

Quote from jcwillia: "the only 2 cable channels I watch - ESPN and TLC -"
Then why not just get another VCR (SVHS) and forget the whole thing.

You also mentioned you had a HD box? WHY?

If that is all you watch along with some sports, why bother at all?
There are enough taverns in your area (bay view) maybe watching there would be even less expensive in the long run.

You get what you pay for:
As summerfun said: There is NO free lunch!

 I agree.

IF you are taken back by cable services, maybe you are go buy a JVC SVHS VCR ($99 at Crutchfield) and hook up an antenna and be done with it.

 If cable or sat DVRs' pricing bothers you, one might think phone service, cell phone service, etc.,  bothers you , too.
Heck, why not start building your own power station so you don't get a fee for that, either.:guitar:

Just my opinion...but it seems nothing will make you happy for long, no solution.:bang:  You seem to have a nice setup. Pay for it and be happy with it.

[Paul S.]

Originally posted by gparris

Heck, why not start building your own power station so you don't get a fee for that, either.:guitar:

F' that, I'm building a gas station.