Tivo Inc. announces end of official EPG service June 2011

[mkie64]

Hi all, We have had our Tivo since 1999 paid £600 with lifetime. Totally change the way we watch tv. Most of itv Ch4 programmes are recorded so we can skip through adverts. Cant believe their stopping EPG is there likely to be a cure or is it time to but to buy Freeview+ or join Sky?
Cheers
Mike

[philg]

If the wonderful work going on here bears fruit there WILL be a cure

Phil G

[TivoPal]

Hi all, I Just thought I'd introduce myself and also update anyone with news on the 'supposed' Virgin deal. One assumes it would be good to compensate us for our loss of service…

Having spent 2 hrs on the phone, being bounced around many Virgin call centres, I find myself feeling let down by Tivo and Virgin both. Tivo cancels my lifetime service, yet neither I nor my hardware have expired. To boot, I am annoyed that Tivo stealthy removes all customer service as the announcement is made that, as of June 1st, our beloved T1s become obsolete.

When trying to contact a UK Tivo customer service rep at Tivo or BskyB (the Tivo customer relations office in the UK was run from an office in Skys HQ) both redirect us to Virginmedia, who tell me they have no special deals for existing Tivo customers. Instead, we get £50 off for being an existing XL-TV customer and that’s all. This means we get no special treatment, no apology and no incentive to buy Tivo again. Rounding up the figures, we still pay £150 for the box (which includes the £50 XL discount), £45 for installation (this is the only figure that they are willing to wave with enough moaning to the Tivo call centre) and finally £3 a month added to our bill for the Tivo program data. I know £3 is not going to break the bank, but this is the figure that riles me the most. I paid for a lifetime sub to Tivo. In the U.S. they can transfer the Lifetime subs to a new Tivo box, yet here in the UK, we are not given the opportunity to transfer to the Virgin 4th gen supported by Virgin.

Tivo has been a big part of my entertainment for 10 years. I’ve been impressed with the service and without it I cannot face returning to a life of advertisement, with, what ironically seems, the occasional break for actual content. The ratios for ads to content seem nearing the 50/50 mark and, as I pay for my TV service each month, my money would be better spent with LoveFilm or other such service, that provides TV series, Films and online content ad free for a cheaper monthly cost.

In short, we are expected to be a passive audience who will happily PAY AGAIN for Tivo. I was thrilled to see a group of people who are fighting to keep our T1s up and running. What a fantastic project and I welcome it’s successful implementation.

NB: I cannot offer much in the way of skills. My trade is in Editorial Publishing/Designing. In the past I have only moded my Tivo to take a larger hard drive. Perhaps suited as a candidate for beta testing an installation with instructions. If asked, I would happily pitch in to design and proof the instructions and make a proper PDF to instruct on the install process. This could then be downloaded with the necessary install software.

Thanks for listening, Paul.