TiVo Community Forums Archives - Help me get my dad a TiVo

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Help me get my dad a TiVo
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Posted by: brianld

Solicitation for ADVICE only ... not cash! :D :

My dad has had a VCR for years (got one when they were $400+). He is always setting up recordings for random shows that are on at 3am or something silly like that. I know that he would immediately fall in love with the TiVo, and find it to be amazing (like we all know it is :) ), but there are a couple of obstacles to him owning one:

- He has never even heard of TiVo ... he's not really PC-literate (can barely check e-mail), and he lives in BFE after all.

- It would take a lot of convincing to get him to fork out $650 for one. To most of us that's not a huge deal - but to him that's a LARGE purchase.

- I would love to be able to just buy one for him as a gift, but any TiVo will cost significantly more than my wife and I usually budget for our immediate family as far as gifts are concerned (i.e. we usually spend anywhere from $40 - $75 / person). It would be very hard for me to convince my wife to part with that amount of cash.

As always, thanks in advance for the suggestions. The depth/breadth of knowledge in this forum is amazing . . .

Posted by: Rcrew

Well, I've been toying with the idea of parting with one of my DTiVos. The unmodified 35 hour one. It's about 6 months old, and I have all the original packing.

I think on EBay they are still going for about $260. But you will still need a dish and cabling. If you can't, or aren't close enough to do the install, and your dad can't that's going to be another $150 to $200.

I'm not sure what a dish would cost.

Just thinking out loud.

EDIT: Just reviewed Hughes DTiVo sales on EBay, didn't include those that sold with a lifetime subscription. The average price of the last 26 that sold was $265.56.

Some were brand new, some had missing remotes, some had cables, some did not. None included a dish, or dish to DTiVo cables.

Posted by: brianld

Hmmm . . . good thought. I never really thought about a DTivo. I was thinking SA, simply because I've never seen a DTivo, and know nothing about them.

Posted by: Rcrew

Guess I always think in terms of DTiVo.

You didn't mention what your dad does for TV signal now. Cable, Satellite, or antenna?

Posted by: dgh

quote:
Originally posted by brianld
My dad has had a VCR for years (got one when they were $400+).

...

- It would take a lot of convincing to get him to fork out $650 for one. To most of us that's not a huge deal - but to him that's a LARGE purchase.

Well he was convinced to fork over $400+ for something far more primitive. (Maybe you could compute that in inflated dollars for him to make TiVo look even cheaper.)

Perhaps an AT&T TiVo with a plan to start with monthly until he decides if he likes it? (That should only take a few hours :))

Posted by: SquirrelyM

If you live close to a Sony outlet store, you can pick up a refurbished 30-hour unit for $199.

Posted by: gregpr

DTivos are on tivo.com for $99....

Posted by: brianld

Thanks for all the replies to date. Let's assume for sake of this discussion that DTivos are out of the question. My dad isn't very old, but he can be crotchety - he's sorta set in his ways. He gets cable, and he likes his news channels, so he'd really want a Standalone.

Posted by: Lord Nimon

The only way to really convince him is to let him borrow yours for a week. Just set it up, show him how to use it, and pre-program his favorite shows on it.

Posted by: steuert

If you can persuade him to get DTV, then DTiVo is the way to go. As a new subscriber he could get a package for $100-$200. (Also see DTV/Huges/TiVo press announcement today - new DTiVo's on the way.)

If a standalone would be better for him, on the TiVo site you can buy a 30 hr. AT&T unit for about $300, or a 60 hr. TiVo branded unit for $400. TiVo offers a 30 day free trial period on boxes purchased through their store and that might be an advantage if he is really skeptical (or stubborn).

As far as simplicity is concerned, computer literacy is certainly not required to operate a TiVo. In fact, he would probably find it much easier to program and play back than his VCR - not to mention the quantum improvement in convenience and image quality he would enjoy.

Posted by: Knative

quote:
Originally posted by brianld
He gets cable, and he likes his news channels, so he'd really want a Standalone.

What news channels? Or what cable system. They might be available on DirecTV. Didn't get the BFE reference.

Posted by: brianld

quote:
Originally posted by Knative
What news channels? Or what cable system. They might be available on DirecTV. Didn't get the BFE reference.

BFE ... hmmm. I'll let someone else tell you the acronym - hopefully I'm not the only one who uses it. :p

Anyhow, what I meant by the news channels is that he receives some local news channels. I haven't looked into the possibility that he can add them to a DTivo setup.

Posted by: jborho

B (BUM) F (F#$%*ING) E (Egypt)

Really far away, and deep in the woods.....

Posted by: Knative

quote:
Originally posted by brianld
BFE ... hmmm. I'll let someone else tell you the acronym - hopefully I'm not the only one who uses it. :p

Oh, ok then. Slang then. Not for mixed company. Gotta stop thinking so literal sometimes. :D

/time passes/

Man, you really can find anything on Google.

[edit] And you can really find anything here! You'd think a 37 year old would know such things. Gotta get outside more.

Posted by: brianld

quote:
Originally posted by Knative
Man, you really can find anything on Google.

Yep. Just found this: http://www.acronymfinder.com

:cool:

Posted by: Serra

My dad is 70 years old. He has never touched a computer, as far as I know. He loves to watch TV. I got him a Tivo and spent two days hanging around the house while he learned to use it. He loves his Tivo very much.

I don't think it will be hard for your dad to learn Tivo.

Posted by: ellinj

The best way to convert someone is to get it in their hands. I gave one to my parents a while back and they love it. Whenever I tried to explain it to them before they had it they just looked at me with blank confused stares. Said that they wouldn't be able to figure it out. Now that they have it they find it easier to program then the VCR. Especially since they have directtv they don't have to tune the dish seperately to record a program from satallite.

Posted by: nmiller855

As I've posted before, I knew my 75 year old dad (that's never even been close to a computer) would enjoy a TiVo but would never spend the money for one. I happened to have an extra standalone with lifetime service because I upgraded to a combination box. I "loaned" the standalone to my dad and set up a few season passes for him. He's amazed that when he turns on his tv those programs are "just waiting for him to watch them".