They don’t make lifetimes like they used to

Dave Zatz has a picture of what appears to be an upcoming TiVo offer. Apparently you’ll be able to transfer your “product lifetime service” from an old TiVo to a new CableCARD-equipped HD-ready Series 3 for $199.

I had an inkling this was coming, because I currently own lifetime service on a TiVo Series 1 and received a questionnaire from TiVo a few weeks ago that asked a bunch of questions about whether I would be more or less likely to purchase a new TiVo if they would honor that lifetime agreement. (No details on TiVo’s site yet, just a sign-up sheet for e-mail announcements.)

Now, at $800 for the box and $200 for the lifetime service agreement (in lieu of a probable $15 monthly charge, giving it a payback period of  about 14 months) and who-knows-how much for Comcast to rent me a pair of CableCARD devices… Well, let’s just say I’m not feeling a thousand bucks worth of love.

It’ll be interesting to see what the street value of a “product lifetime service” plan on an older TiVo is after this deal becomes official.