So what the heck is a TiVo?

Since learning that COX has charged us $2,600 for DVR boxes over the past 4 years I've been on a mission to get rid of our DVR box.  After looking into the various options I've decided to try out a TiVo.  The TiVo box replaces the Cable/DVR box we are renting, but not only is it cheaper than our current COX DVR box, it also has a ton more features.  And if you're like me and have a personal gripe against COX then it's definitely worth the switch.

Here's a matrix I found on the TiVo website that compares the features of TiVo to your standard cable DVR box, Google TV, and Apple TV.

There were a couple different TiVo options, but we settled on the $99 factory-renewed TiVo with the $12.99 monthly service.  Click here for details.  All I had to do was call 877-289-8486 and I talked to a very nice english-speaking salesperson who walked me through the process, answered all my questions, and within 10 minutes I had a TiVo box on its way (free shipping too!).  Of course, before I pulled the trigger I put together a quick spreadsheet comparing all the costs.  This assumes that we will pay for the TiVo monthly service for the first year and then buy the lifetime subscription for $399 in the second year (you can't get the clearanced TiVo box and do the lifetime subscription at the same time -dang).  The TiVo will save us almost $300 in the first 5 years and more than $1,000 over 10 years.  Not a ton of money, but when you consider the extra perks of TiVo and the possibility of getting rid of cable altogether, I think it's definitely worth it.

One of the big perks I just discovered about TiVo is that it works great for receiving free HDTV signals over the air.  Just like TV in the "old days" where you could certain channels were free, you can now watch these channels in high definition for free.  Who doesn't love free?  I'm going to give it a try so I ordered this digital antenna off amazon.com for $25.48.  You plug the antenna into your TiVo box and then you can record all those free HD channels to your hearts content.  A lot of the shows we currently watch we should be able to get over the air broadcast... American Idol, Lie to Me, The Office, etc.  The crazy thing is that the quality is actually supposed to be better than cable. (Click here for a more complete sampling of shows available for free and click here for step by step instructions on how a TiVo and digital antenna work together. 

And you know how I mentioned the sports problem?  Get this, just a few days ago Apple signed a deal where you can subscribe to all the live basketball games and baseball games for $100 each. Read the article here.  I see an iTV in our future :)

Between an iTV, Tivo, Netflix, and a digital antenna, I'm hoping to "cut the cord" and ditch cable entirely.  I'll keep you guys posted.