TiVo offers the option of paying a one time fee of $150 or something like that instead of monthly fees. I would have come out way ahead doing it that way but wasn't confident enough the company would still be around.

I don't know any details of the lawsuits. I know that at the time I got my TiVo the ability to skip commercials with the press of a button was something they were ambivalent about. They made the boxes with that capability built in, and info was readily available on the web about how to set it up, but TiVo wouldn't come right out and tell you directly in the user's guide. I think that's because they didn't want to antagonize the networks and advertisers. They know every last thing you do with the TiVo (you don't think that hot phone connection is just to download the latest channel listings, do you?) and sell data on which commercials are watched, which aren't, which are partially watched, etc.

>I have heard good things about TiVo's service but I can not feel to bad for them. My beef with them has always been the monthly fee. The other thing is the lawsuits over 30 seconds skip technology patent. That seems absurd to me.
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>I know comcast is no better but at least they give you the equipment to use. Because I hate monthly fees I have gone the Windows Media Center route. Works great for standard signal except in MCE there is no good way to record any HD except over the air. I think the real problem is the strict DRM that go with HD which is making it possible for cable providers to hold a monopoly of this sort of service.