TiVo Series 2 Hardware Refresh

Several shopping sites have just posted listings for the mysterious new Series 2 devices (TCD649080,TCD649180) that feature dual tuner capabilities, Ethernet, and an 80HR or 180HR recording capacity at a list price of $249 and $349 respectively. No word on ship dates, however it seems the NTSC OTA tuner will be phased out well before next year’s deadline. This box doesn’t have HD or CableCARD, but should tide us over for a few months. Based on the pricing, looks like my $800 S3 estimate could be pretty close…

Amazon says:

• Record shows from two basic cable channels, or one basic cable and one digital cable channel, at once.
• Up to 180 hours recording capacity
• Includes Ethernet and USB ports, so connecting to your home network is a snap
• Only TiVo offers exclusive features like WishList searches, Season Pass recordings, TiVoToGo transfers, plus new online services like music, photos, and more!

The world’s first, best, and easiest-to-use digital video recorder just got better. Now, record two shows at once! Only the TiVo service gives you the freedom to watch your favorite shows any time, anywhere.

UPDATE: Looks like TiVo has been busy contacting online retailers, as most listings have been removed. I think it’s safe to say we won’t be seeing these units prior to the 4/15 Lifetime subscription cut-off. Supposedly TiVo was not prepared to release information on these units, in this manner, at this time. How many folks will return recent purchases or decide not to buy current hardware due to this non-announcement blunder?

Merchant listings:
Amazon, Buy.com, Chumbo, Merchant America, beeGool, FadFusion