Finances & Money

Get Tivo for free!

How can you get Tivo for free? Well, don’t buy it. Wait! Before you leave, hear me out!

Aww, too late. Well I’ll talk anyway just in case you come back.

I know Tivo is an amazing and wonderful invention. You can watch live TV without commercials, sort of, and blah blah blah. I’ve almost got sucked into getting Tivo numerous times, but every time I price it out it doesn’t make sense and here’s why:

Simple. Use a VCR.

You can get VCRs practically for free now (try Craigslist), and tapes come in bundles of 2000 for like 2 cents. Is it really that difficult to just set the timer for a show? I know, I know, Tivo gives a single click interface for these shows, and it’s all digital, but here’s a short price breakdown (ignore cable costs for the plans):

Tivo:
$70 for the 80 hour Series 2 box with subscription
$300 up-front for 3 years (discounted rate) or $200 per year for 1 year deal
Total: $270-$370 up front and possibly $200 per year if you only did the 1 year deal.

VCR:
$25 for used VCR. $50 for new
No yearly fee
Total: $25-50

C’mon people. Stop making me want Tivo, with all its fanciness and features. Let me stay happy saving money and staying old-school. Come to the dark side of TV viewing and dump your Tivo!