The new TiVo Mini replaces your second DVR, but it won’t completely do away with additional subscription costs.
TiVo Mini solves one of the great problems of DVRs they’re awesome for a single TV and less awesome when you want to watch TV in another room. That has always meant buying a second DVR and incurring an additional subscription. TiVo Mini replaces that second DVR with a smaller box that gives you all the functionality of the Premiere 4.
But here’s the rub: The Mini only works with the TiVo Premiere 4. The Mini requires the use of one of the four tuners in the Premiere to work. It also requires a wired connection to your home network. If you want to watch live TV from your TiVo, you’re going to need more bandwidth than Wi-Fi can muster. No one enjoys buffering during Breaking Bad.
Although TiVo Mini will reduce the $13-a-month subscription cost of a second TiVo, it still will set you back six bucks a month with a 12-month commitment if you purchase the TiVo Mini for $100. Fork over $250 up front and you get a lifetime subscription with your TiVo Mini. You can weigh the cost benefits of going monthly or paying up front. Still, the little box is cheaper than a second TiVo and works with your old non-HDTV thanks to component or composite video outputs. Of course, if you’re the type with enough dough for a house full of HDTVs, TiVo Mini has HDMI output for that second HDTV.
Read also:
TiVo Mini review (Engadget)
TiVo Mini Puts Multi-Room DVR and Apps in $ 99 Box (PC Magazine)
For A Crazy $ 5.99 A Month, The $ 99 TiVo Mini Will Pull Recordings From A TiVo … (TechCrunch)
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