Right on schedule, coinciding with the 2011 CEDIA Expo, TiVo has made the TiVo Premiere Elite official. The 2 terabyte, quad tuning digital cable DVR will hit Magnolia outposts, TiVo.com and custom installers by the end of the year… assuming the FCC grants TiVo an analog tuner waiver (which is highly likely). Once available, the Premiere Elite retails for $500, plus those traditional TiVo service fees – running $20 a month or $500 for a Lifetime. But it’s not clear if multi-unit or Lifetime upgrade discounts will be made available. And, with this many tuners, folks might just consolidate making the point moot.
Then again, TiVo’s PR team had no comment when queried yesterday regarding TiVo-to-TiVo streaming or potential availability of a retail TiVo Preview extender… despite this datasheet bullet:
• Enables a whole home solution by connecting with other TiVo DVRs
All in all the THX-certified TiVo Premiere Elite is coming together as a solid offering, given a lower price than I had anticipated for those four digital tuners and MoCA capabilities. But I’ll be waiting on a completed HDUI, with improved performance, an updated Netflix app, and that aforementioned streaming (to a low fee Preview) before partaking. You?