For those interested, a Directv/TiVo receiver was unveiled at CES. It will be due in stores around mid-year. This unit will have all the features of TiVo (pause live tv, instant replay, etc) but will also have a Directv receiver built in with Dolby Digital 5.1 output. You will be able to record satellite programs with NO loss of picture quality.

Any idea of proposed MSRP and is Directv subsidizing, or not, the TiVo fee?

Price is slated to be $499. It will be a 30 hour unit. Compare this to last year's 30 hour TiVo which cost/costs $899 alone. Subscriptions to both services should remain the same...TiVo-$10/mo or $199/lifetime, Directv-$5/mo for the extra receiver. More info at www.tivo.com.
Also, Sony anounced their own TiVo...$399 for a 30 hour unit due in April.

This unit does not contain an MPEG-2 encoder, so it will ONLY record the DirecTV datastream to disk, not any other analog source you may want to record.

So how much do you think the lack of mpeg encoder affects the price? I guess where I'm going is will we see stand-alone 30-hour TiVo's at that price point (less than $899) anytime soon, or does the lack of the encoder bring down the price so dramatically that they can offer their top of the line so cheaply.

Since I'm not sure if I can get by with only DSS yet (no UPN on locals, still need cable), I'm looking at the TiVo as a standalone and don't want to pay $900 now only to have the same thing at half the price in 3 months ;)

Thanks --Mike

If you want to record cable as well, go with the Sony model due out in April...30 hours with mpeg encoder at $399.

That $399 sony that you mention, where do you know about this from? it's a stand-alone Sony-branded Tivo unit for $400 with a 30-hour capacity? If that is for real, then why is philips still selling theirs for $1000? Something just doesn't sound right here...too good to be true. ;)

Why is Philips still selling theirs for $1000? Because they can. Currently the Tivo and Replay are your only options.

As you see around mid-year, when the Sony comes out, Philips is bringing out a new model at the lower price point.

I've been holding out buying the Sony AC-3 Rcvr ($250 at Tweeter's) because I want the next generation with built in TiVo/Replay. However, is it more wise to buy them seperately? I prefer Sony products and can access a Sony store fairly quickly. Anybody know which units are the best? Sony Sat Receiver w/ AC-3 and Sony?? TiVo or Replay products. Who's putting out these services? Does'nt DirecTV have this capablity and can add it to upgrade subscription services?

Here is a clip from the speach given by Fujio Nishida of Sony at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. 1/5/00. Full speach can be read at the link below.

"Take for example, our latest DIRECTV receiver that comes with a Dolby digital five point one output. Its multi satellite tuner supports both current and local programming options. And to make all of this as seamless as possible, it includes a comprehensive fully integrated on-screen menu. DIRECTV satellite programming and interactive WebTV represent just two of the many new types of digital services that are available today.

However, consumers also need new ways to record and store this content. And this is where Sony’s relationship with TiVO comes in. Today Sony is introducing our new SVR-2000 digital network recorder that features TiVO technology and service. It includes a thirty-gigabyte hard drive that can record up to thirty hours of programming.

For archiving purposes, the SVR-2000 also offers a "one touch" dubbing feature that works with any Sony VCR. And it incorporates Sony’s MPEG-2 encoder for the highest quality digital video possible. The SVR-2000 comes in Wega silver and will be available this spring at a suggested selling price of only $399."

[Link: sel.sony.com]