Tivo without paying for subscription

[trick6]

Thinking about buying a TIVO series 2 unit.
Can you manually set the unit to record programs if you do not want to subscribe to the service. I know you will be giving up some of the features like season pass, program guides,,etc..

[captain_video]

This is not a topic we discuss here since you are talking about service theft.

[mrblack51]

if you dont subscribe at all, you will lose the ability to record and basically every other interesting feature. the 30 minute buffer and instant replay may work, but thats it.

[Buckeyes1995]

Originally posted by captain_video
This is not a topic we discuss here since you are talking about service theft.

That's a little inappropriate to accuse him of that. He did not imply that at all. He simply asked what he would lose without a subscription. Nowhere did he ask for hacks to allow a free subscription.

Jim

[trick6]

Thanks mrblack51 & buckeyes1995 for your support.
I like the features of using a TIVO to record instead of VHS, never thought about hacking to get free service, just inquirying if I could use it manually to program recordings if I do not subscribe. Read the message next time you decide to answer Captain_video, as accusations like that gets people in trouble.

[Will]

Originally posted by trick6
Read the message next time you decide to answer Captain_video

Rebuke well taken; he made a mistake as maybe many of us have from time to time.

I hope you understand the sensitivity, and why your post (especially with that title) was misunderstood. Hacking and theft are two totally different activities, and the overwhelming majority of us, the former, are permanently pissed about the bad rap we get from guilt by association with the latter.

[captain_video]

Tivo without paying for subscription

My reply was in response to the title of the thread. That in itself implies theft of service. It wasn't meant to be accusatory but rather a heads-up on what is not a permissible topic for discussion in these forums. I make no apology for my post so please do not make it for me. I realize it's purely a matter of semantics so don't take it personally.

I understand that there are those that may have a need to use a Tivo as a standalone DVR without requiring the Tivo service. This topic has been discussed in a more discrete manner in other threads.

Nowhere did he ask for hacks to allow a free subscription.

The title of the thread indicates otherwise, whether it was meant to imply that or not. It is now clear that the original poster did not mean for his query to ask how to steal Tivo service but surely you can see how this could easily be misinterpreted.

[Tux Man]

Originally posted by captain_video
This is not a topic we discuss here since you are talking about service theft.

Oh it gets better lol ;)

Tux Man

[AlphaWolf]

While I am not trying to advocate service theft here, I think that the unit was designed to perform certain functions, and when you bought the unit, it became yours, and the unit should do *anything* that you tell it to. IMO, when you pay for the tivo service, what you pay for is the guide data, which they create, hence they own. But, if you get the guide data from elsewhere, then it's fair game; your tivo is just an appliance like your refrigerator. You don't pay the refrigerator company a monthly fee to keep the motor running, and pay a fee everytime you dispense ice from the automatic icemaker. (although signing a contract to that effect is a whole other issue)

I don't think anybody should be morally obligated to pay fees for any appliances they own. Just imagine if something like DIVX (the fee based DVD player, not the video codec) were the norm, and it was your only choice by means of an oligopoly, and they eventually decided to remove the "lifetime ownership" option; that would be a freaking NIGHTMARE. Then you got things like the xbox, or that old "internet appliance" PC that secure themselves against you in the interest of some fat whales wallet. Hell, it could even be worse than these examples of devices no longer being "owned" by you...Palladium anyone?

Just philosophically speaking, tivo fits in this same category to me. Hell, just look at all of the digital signature mechanisms they have in place in the S2 units just to make sure that the unit doesn't do anything that they don't want it to, effectively removing your freedom in that respect.

[Raymond Day]

They had this for the frist TiVo's. I think 1.0 to 1.3 or something. If you could get a old image then you could do it. I had my TiVo back then and I remember you could do this. I did not find out till getting a Series 2 that you could not do this. I remember I could a long time ago. But just to record any video you have to pay more. Wanted it to record camera's in a store 24/7 but return it because it could not do this with out paying more for something we would not use. I remember calling TiVo and asking how I could set it up to do this. I told her because I remember I could before. She said you can't. That you could when TiVo 1st came out. I said can we downgrade it or buy a old Series 1 with the old software then. She said no. I have one at home with life time sub.

[mrblack51]

Originally posted by Raymond Day
They had this for the frist TiVo's. I think 1.0 to 1.3 or something. If you could get a old image then you could do it. I had my TiVo back then and I remember you could do this. I did not find out till getting a Series 2 that you could not do this. I remember I could a long time ago. But just to record any video you have to pay more. Wanted it to record camera's in a store 24/7 but return it because it could not do this with out paying more for something we would not use. I remember calling TiVo and asking how I could set it up to do this. I told her because I remember I could before. She said you can't. That you could when TiVo 1st came out. I said can we downgrade it or buy a old Series 1 with the old software then. She said no. I have one at home with life time sub.

and if you want to use the scripts here to allow you to use your series 1 unit like that, or your series 2 unit, go for it, thats what they are here for.