Dave Zatz reports: TiVo Confirms Series3 Testing, Hitting Retail “Soon”.
TiVo has notified both the FCC and cable operators that CableCARD compliant HD Series3 units are currently being tested and should be released to retail… soon!
Dave has details from a letter TiVo sent to the FCC. Two tuners, HD capability, no set-top box required? Sounds good. I worry about the price, however. I believe my local cable company wants to charge $5 each for a CableCARD device, and TiVo will want another $13 a month plus the cost of the box. That’s a steep premium over the $10 that the cable company’s PVR costs to rent, and you know their sales staff will try every trick in the book to talk customers out of switching. For digital media fanatics, upgrading to the new TiVo will be a slam-dunk. For anyone else, not so easy.
Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for any word on when we can see and touch and watch recorded TV on CableCARD devices for Windows Vista Media Center computers.