Comment Re:Whiners... (Score 1) 574
Anyways, I used to have a TiVo HD. It cost $13.67/month back then, with a 3 year prepaid plan. Add the $3.99/month* for the CableCard. Now the $105* it cost to install the card (more than I paid for the TiVo HD.) Say the card lasts 3 years, then dies, that's $2.92/month*. When the card dies, you pay another $105* to have them come and replace it, which is exactly what happened to me. So that ends up being roughly $20.58/month* to use a "cheaper" CableCard.
Compare this to Verizon's regular HD DVR. It's $15.99/month*. Then compare it to the Multi-Room DVR, which you can get 6-12 months free, then it's $19.99/month*. This averages out to $13.32-$16.66/month* for the same 3 years, and the whole house can use it as if the DVR were in that room. In the end, the CableCard option costs you more, unfortunately.
I fully expect a reply stating "well, build your own HTPC with CableCard reader." Sure, that's only a few thousand dollars, and then you're STILL paying that CableCard rental fee and install fee of $6.91/month* not including the hardware costs. If you build a $2,000 system, and it lasts 5 years, you're now talking $40.24/month*. Then consider, what portion of the population can actually build their own HTPC? Not a very large percentage, I'd guess less than 0.001%.
The point of this post is that no matter what, you ARE getting screwed by the cable company. The fact that your money may be sent to TiVo, or random hardware manufacturers doesn't mean it's not still costing you something/month. Just a bit of insight from someone who did all this research before deciding to just go with a FiOS Multi-Room DVR after my TiVo HD died and they wouldn't warranty replace it.
* All prices in this post are Verizon FiOS prices. Time Warner Cable was slightly cheaper, with all prices being the same, except the CableCard install was $75 instead of $105.