That sounds like the tivo home media option. Am I missing something?

Too bad that engadget link doesn't work .. not sure if it's tivo or something else there.

-David

I will have got my money's worth out of my lifetime sub by that time (and also be retired).

Me too (well, not the retired part). I bought my TiVo box 3.5 years ago and got the lifetime (ha!) subscription for $249. I for one really hope that TiVo's telephone download service hangs on by a thread for as long as possible. I am hopelessly addicted to DVR but refuse to upgrade my 13-y.o. TV, get a cable box, or pay for digital cable. The set-up I have now works great for my purposes and I cannot fathom the thought of the additional outlay for all that hardware and yet more monthly fees.

It's funny how I was a very early adopter on TiVo but will have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the digital, plasma age.

But a footnote about a great product.

Now, I love my Tivo, it has a great interface, easy to use, intuitive, and a great concept all together.

I believe their major flaw is the "expensive" subscription. Why do they charge so much a month?

All the data for T.V. shows already exists, all they had to do is to create a network for distributing the data, and if their new products connect to the internet, the cost of having a phone center to handle this becomes irrelevant.

They should drop their monthly fees considerably, as I am sure some of their initial expenses should have been covered by now. They have a great product with a great following, it's their fees that seem to be the deal breaker for most.

You guys may well be right about the demise of TiVo. However

1 - I love my TiVO because of its hackability. I am able to grab shows from LINUX off my TiVO onto my Laptop when I travel. I put weather maps on my TiVO that I can access onscreen any time. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what can be done with any of these devices - including the HD Tivo.

2 - After using my friend's HD DVR - and I don't know what it was but she is in Raleigh/Durham - that thing was a PIG next to my tivo. Yes it was cheap HD and I am jealous for that, but the functionality was no where near Tivo. Are these things hackable?

Um, I think I've seen this before. It was called UltimateTV. HDTV doesn't appeal to me for cost reasons, so my UltimateTV provides superior utility to TiVo. Way better interface and features!

Now I know why Microsoft stopped producing UltimateTV. They just wanted to get into something bigger and, presumably, better.

Just hope the box is still alive and the technology (software version) is still relevant and satisfying then.

That was really the main driver of my comment. DISH is already much cheaper, and you can DVR off a basic PC. TIVO is probably being smart in keeping price high and collecting as much as they can before someone else comes in and undercuts and shakes them down.

The leftovers of UltimateTV are already in a box. Comcast in the Seattle are distributes a Motorola 6412 with Microsoft Foundation edition TV.