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I use to be a TiVo user until I decided to get rid of cable a few years ago. Recently my fiance has been pushing to get cable back as well as TiVo because streaming the few shows we care to watch off the Internet has actually turned into a worse experience than it was two years ago (thanks Viacom).

The point is, I'm in a position where this new TiVo box is very interesting to me, yet the more I look at it the more I'm reminded of what a screw-job TiVo is. You pay for the crappy box hardware that feels completely underpowered only to then pay an unreasonable amount of money just to get guide data, something that is free on other services.

I was also shocked when I watched an actual video of the new TiVo box to see that IT'S STILL SLOW. I don't know what kind of developers they have at TiVo, but they have to be doing something really special to get the kind of hardware that's available for set top boxes these days to perform that badly. And if it's that slow now, I can't imagine how bad it'll get once they start tacking on extra crap that no one cares about like they did with their previous versions of TiVo software.

Anyway, I might still end up getting one (lol) just because I'm not sure the other option is that much better (building a windows media center machine). I really wish Internet streaming would be more reliable.

I think this also comes down to the fact that it is yet another set-top box to add to the system...

I was really hoping they would integrate some home media uses maybe incorporating DLNA and/or different internet video portals. It just felt more evolutionary than revolutionary, which doesn't bode well for a company that's already dieing at the hands of its competition.

I agree. The items added just sound like extra fluff and not the crazy upgrade the announcement made it out to be.

"DVR was just a warm up..." ? That made the announcement sound like it was going to be an entirely new device with DVR as an added bonus. Not so much.

Where is my combo Boxee/Tivo device? Where is my built-in tuning adapter for SDV? Where is my true2way? Where is my playable content from the LAN/iTunes? Where is the extreme change?

I don't necessarily see what all of the fuss is about tivo in general. I mean with PS3 and a HTPC, you can pretty much accomplish the same things. I can stream all of media from my PC to the PS3, I can download content, I can even build an inexpensive DVR and have 1.5TB of space to save HD programming. All of that is accomplished and all I really spent was $200 on a used PS3 and like $150 for computer hardward and software.

It just seems to me that it's a weak effort. Here are the major problems as I see them:
- Still just terrible capacity for the price you're paying and the cheap cost of disk drives today.
- Still only two tuners.
- Still need a tuning adapter for SDV.
- Still no tru2way.
- Service price is still steep.
- An extra $90 for a wireless adapter? C'mon... Smacks of money-grabbing.

But maybe I'm just bitter that they're leaving the Series 3 owners out in the cold and not giving us the software update. Bah.

I am definitely a bit underwhelmed/disappointed in the announcement. After 6 years with my Sony branded Series 2 and another 4 with a second Series 2, I moved to the whole house DVR option through Verizon Fios when I recently upgraded to an HDTV. I miss the TiVo functionality, especially the ability to transfer shows to my iPod for commuting but a new OS and some more storage (though still not enough in my opinion) probably won't be enough for me to justify the hardware expenditure. Why isn't the wireless integrated? Also, the QWERTY remote should be standard. I won't be pre-ordering but TiVo's siren song may drag me back eventually.

I'm going to order one. I already have 2 Tivo HDs and 1 Series 2 Tivos. I think I can get ~$250 for my Series 2 on eBay. So my incremental cost for the new Tivo is only $250 ($299 for the box + $199 for the service).

I'd like to do media center, but I've had enough issues with Cable Cards that I don't trust it to be worry free. I'm pretty disappointed by the lack of new features in the Tivo Premiere. I don't see anything significantly new that it can do so far. However, it looks really slick and I'm a sucker for slick.

What size drive you have in that Series 2? Was it bought with a Lifetime Service Agreement? If not, goo luck on getting that much. I've got a Series 2 myself, only w/o the Lifetime agreement (Never expected it to last as long as it did, I suppose) and have been thinking of doing some type of upgrade so I can stream my Netflix subscription.

I have lifetime on the series 2 with 180 hour capacity. I don't remember how big the HD is in there. I've been tracking some auctions on eBay and I may not get as much as I thought. Oh well.

I just bought the Premiere XL anyway. I guess I wanted a new toy. I can't get satellite where I am so really the only option is OTA only or a really bad Scientific Atlanta box. As much as I love the idea of Media Center, the idea of the Cablevision techs troubleshooting cable card on Windows is enough to give anyone nightmares.

With DirecTV, I can access all of my shows from any TV in the house instantly (no copying from box to box.) I can start watching a recorded show in my living room and pick up where I left off in my bedroom as I drift off to sleep. I can also download movies on demand and watch them anywhere in the house. Sure it's PPV, but it's also 1080p and the price works out cheaper than what I would pay TiVo for their monthly service.

How does this make any sense?

I have had my tivo series 1 for more than 10 years, I think the premier is awesome and yes chalk me up for the big one.

I really want one but I'm scared of what TWC will charge me for a cablecard... I would prefer this device to the craptastic DVR's they offer and I really want a DVR... I just hate the cost of the service.. I wish they would drop it to the price it costs me to lease the cablebox from my cable company right now......

I found a lot of great info about getting TiVo on TWC.

Regular HD cablebox = $6 a month.

M-Card (multiple tuner cablecard) = $3 a month.

TiVo monthly subscription = $13 a month.

TWC DVR subscription = $15.99 a month.

TiVo one year cost = $129 ($10.75 a month)

So the TiVo service will ultimately cost less than the craptastic cable company version. It still costs twice what just the cablebox costs but I can't stand missing shows anymore. I'm looking forward to unboxing my shiny new TiVo Premiere sometime this week!!