Monthly or Lifetime? (1 Viewer)

[Citizen87645]

I'm looking into a ReplayTV and am looking for suggestions on whether to pay monthly or go for the lifetime. Is there an immediate advantage to paying the lifetime?

 

[Ken Chan]

No, the advantage comes in the months after you pay for lifetime: not having to pay every month! You have to decide whether you will use it for at least two years or whatever (do the math) and whether the company will still be around.

I've never met any regular TV watcher that has a ReplayTV or TiVo that doesn't love it. And since SonicBlue filed Chapter 11 and the ReplayTV assets got sold to a seemingly more stable holding company, its long-term prospects seem a little better, not worse.

When I bought my first ReplayTV, the lifetime subscription was built-in, with no monthly option. Had it for about a year and half now. I just bought a refurb in anticipation of recording conflicts in the upcoming TV season, and again the lifetime was built-in. But I had to choose, I would have probably opted for lifetime anyway. As long as you're not spending the rent money....

//Ken

 

[Citizen87645]

My local CostCo had a couple 5060 units for 180.00 but I deliberated too long and now they are gone. However I found a similar deal on Amazon: 230.00 + free shipping and a 50.00 rebate.

 

[DaveKngrn]

Im not sure if anyone can comment on what I read in a brochure I picked up at BestBuy for the Tivo's, but a footnote on the Lifetime plan mentions that they use lifetime to refer to the lifetime of the unit you buy, not your lifetime. It basically reads that if your Tivo dies 2 years down the road, you will need to purchase a new lifetime subscription, which sounds like crap to me. I would imagine that they tie it to the serial number of the tivo, so if you had a broken one repaired it would still be under the lifetime use, just seemed like something to add to your conversation.

 

[Stephen Tu]

It basically reads that if your Tivo dies 2 years down the road, you will need to purchase a new lifetime subscription, which sounds like crap to me

This doesn't happen. For Tivo, if you send a broken Tivo in to the authorized repair facility (even out of warranty), and they replace it since it's beyond repair, they will transfer the lifetime service to the unit. It's only if you buy a new unit on your own that lifetime wouldn't transfer.

Lifetime is a better deal for both Tivo & Replay; even if you don't use it past the break-even point you are likely to be able to sell it to someone and recover a fairly large proportion of the lifetime fee.