Tivo without service?

I am thinking of maybe getting a TV that does not have a tuner. Because of that, I've looked a little bit into getting a Tivo unit of some kind to provide me with the required tuner in order to pick up local OTA broadcasts. Because of the purchase price of the new TV (and possible Tivo), I couldn't really afford paying the service fees, at least in the beginning. That being said, is it possible to buy a Tivo unit and not purchase the services? What exactly do the services provide? Would I have the option of purchasing the services down the road?

... I've looked a little bit into getting a Tivo unit of some kind to provide me with the required tuner in order to pick up local OTA broadcasts. Because of the purchase price of the new TV (and possible Tivo), I couldn't really afford paying the service fees, at least in the beginning. That being said, is it possible to buy a Tivo unit and not purchase the services? What exactly do the services provide? Would I have the option of purchasing the services down the road?
The services on the tivo hd includes programming info and the right to use the equipment you paid for. You get a great programming guide that will give you 2 weeks to plan with.

If you buy a new tivo hd you get a 2 week or so grace period to setup an account and pay. If you don't pay the tivo becomes a wonderfully full featured door stop. The tivo needs to be hooked into a standard phone connections or broadband. If not connected to the tivo network it will shut down until an account is setup and paid for.

Tivo service fees run approx. $13/month. There are several different plans, depending on what you choose it can be much less. I paid $400 for a lifetime subscription and I expect the hardware to last 7+ years or about $5/month for 84 months.

To get OTA broadcasts now that the US has gone digital you will need an HD or HD XL. The non HD models have an analog tuner which will need a converter or basic cable setup you could use a predigital tv with.

By the tiime you are done, if you can't afford the tivo with subscription, the tv probably would not be a real bargain. You can still find the cable converter boxes on the web that the gov't coupon subsidized. If coupon eligible it would not provide an HD picture, just a crystal clear standard definition picture when signal is good.

I dropped my cable and deal with only OTA and don't regret it. If I had to choose between a great tv and no tivo or a tivo and a basic tv I would definitely get the tivo first and then get the better tv later.

What the tivo hd service has in addition to the programmiing guide includes access if connected to broadband to youttube, other video podcasts and netflix streaming. The netflix streaming would keep you busy for $9/ month you would never have to watch broadcasts, there isn't enough hours in the day to watch all that netflix offers via streaming.

The best entertainment value today assuming you have broadband access and are not going to holdout for full hd is via netflix streaming and a roku box (approx $120 at amazon and other sources). A $40 converter and a roku you will have plenty to choose from, save money for a year or two then buy the tivo if there is nothing better out.

You will probably get suggestions to look into the dishnetwork over the air DTVpal dvr. These are excellant ota dvrs when they work but are much more basic than the tivo, NO subscription required but programming guide is free but iffy, the programming guide if working at all in your location is officially last time I checke only a week in advance and the timer is basicially a vcr timer, set only for channel, time start and stop with a daily or weekly option. I think you can click on the program if already in the guide and it will automatically record that event and you can set it up to record that time/channel slot in an ongoing schedule. If the broadcast time or channel changes your scheduled timer will not, you have to do that personally.

The DTVpal is also been buggy and has a very short warrantee and no refunds via the dishnetwork website (not a good sign), but sears should start carrying them for about $300 soon. I don't normally buy retailers exteneded warrantees but if buying DTVpal I would budget the extended warrantee in too.

Wow. I thank you so much for the input you've given me. If I understand you correctly, I would only be able to use the basic tuner functions of a Tivo for a couple of weeks (for free), which hurts my cause. I wouldn't need to use the other functions (e.g. dvr, streaming, etc.) for the first couple of months. So that I'm clear, I'll tell you my thought process.

If I end up getting the tuner-less TV, I'll of course have to purchase a tuner in order to get OTA. I'm not going to get cable or sat service for at least 3-4 years, in part, because I'm in graduate school. But also, the way I see it, I'll make up for the price I'd pay for the tv in that 4 year period if I had standard cable (approximately 40-60 a month). So, if I can get by with OTA and the streaming services provided by Tivo (and I've been a loyal Netflix member for a couple of years already) for 4 years, I'll have spent as much on cable services as I would the tv.

Tivo looks to have so many great functions that investing in any other kind of tuner seems like a waste. But, if I can't use the basic tuner functions of Tivo without the service plan, it's going to be harder to pull off all at once. I might end up having to buy the television and let it sit for a couple of months. (Or I'd get the tivo first; but there's a chance the tuner-less television will sell out eventually, for good, so I'd need to get the television first). I really am a lot less interested in any other tuner, mainly because of the bang for the buck aspect.

I have found the DTV Pal DVR works great and it doesn't require any subscription fees, ever.

It looks like the Pal DT DVR doesn't have a tuner, but it's a converter box. I have a converter box, but I don't think that's sufficient to get a signal on a tuner-less tv.

It looks like the Pal DT DVR doesn't have a tuner, but it's a converter box. I have a converter box, but I don't think that's sufficient to get a signal on a tuner-less tv.

Of course it has a tuner (OTA), in fact it has two so you can watch one program while recording another.

After a delay of several months, Dish Network will be releasing the DTVPal DVR in mid-December. The antenna-friendly HD DVR will retail for $250 (after a $50 instant rebate).

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10093628-1.html

http://www.dtvpal.com/

If you're never going to care about cable television, then the DTVPal DVR is a definite consideration. It is a lot less expensive than the TiVo HD and the Moxi HD DVR.

However, know that the DTVPal DVR is deliberately a budget device. It doesn't have any support for digital cable, and doesn't support any of the advanced features of the TiVo HD. You'll need to use a separate device to take advantage of Netflix streaming, for example, because the DTVPal DVR doesn't have support for that sort of thing.

There is a big difference in price between the DTVPal DVR and the TiVo HD -- and for good reason. Each is priced roughly based on what they're worth -- you get what you pay for. However, if you don't need all the extra capabilities of the TiVo HD, no sense in paying for them.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10093628-1.html

http://www.dtvpal.com/

That was December of 2008. They have been on the market for quite some time now. I have several of them and they work great.

Several of what, though? DTVPal's or DTVPal DVRs?

Several of what, though? DTVPal's or DTVPal DVRs?

DTVPal DVR's.

Thanks for the clarification.

Wow. I thank you so much for the input you've given me. If I understand you correctly, I would only be able to use the basic tuner functions of a Tivo for a couple of weeks (for free), which hurts my cause. I wouldn't need to use the other functions (e.g. dvr, streaming, etc.) for the first couple of months. So that I'm clear, I'll tell you my thought process.

If I end up getting the tuner-less TV, I'll of course have to purchase a tuner in order to get OTA. I'm not going to get cable or sat service for at least 3-4 years, in part, because I'm in graduate school. But also, the way I see it, I'll make up for the price I'd pay for the tv in that 4 year period if I had standard cable (approximately 40-60 a month). So, if I can get by with OTA and the streaming services provided by Tivo (and I've been a loyal Netflix member for a couple of years already) for 4 years, I'll have spent as much on cable services as I would the tv.

Tivo looks to have so many great functions that investing in any other kind of tuner seems like a waste. But, if I can't use the basic tuner functions of Tivo without the service plan, it's going to be harder to pull off all at once. I might end up having to buy the television and let it sit for a couple of months. (Or I'd get the tivo first; but there's a chance the tuner-less television will sell out eventually, for good, so I'd need to get the television first). I really am a lot less interested in any other tuner, mainly because of the bang for the buck aspect.

Do yourself a favor. Get a HDTV with a built in tuner (so you can watch OVER THE AIR TV for free), get the TiVo HD when you can afford it, and look forward to having the advantage of recording TWO programs at once while watching a THIRD with the TV tuner.

HDTVs have come down in price so much, that buying a TV with no tuner is pointless.

Unless it's a Pioneer. :-)

Is this what you want?:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/allReviews.do?product_id=10104532