Audio Video News

Here's a chance for TiVo Salvation: a 40% off sale.

At one-product-per-day retailer Woot.com, refurbished Tivo HDs are selling for $179.99 (MSRP for the unit is $299) with three months service included. For HDTV owners pained daily by their kludge-like cable company digital video recorders, its a deal nearly too sweet to pass up. But how many will go for the impulse buy?

Woot.com's sales last only 24 hours and expire either when products sell out, or at midnight central time - whichever comes first.

The TiVo HD features two HD tuners, the famous Tivo 30-second commercial skip feature, online scheduling, home networking capabilities, access to Amazon Unbox movies, Tivo-to-PC video transfers, and relief from the bugs, freeze-ups and imperfect navigation screens that plague cable-branded DVRs.

Cable subscribers who buy Tivo HD units get to return their DVRs to the cable company (and save approximately $10 per month on the rental), but will have to fork over a few bucks per month to rent CableCards from that company. In addition, they'll have to pay about $13 each month to Tivo after the initial free three months.

But can you put a price on good technology design? Its a quality of life issue. -Rachel Rosmarin

Woot