What you get for your subscription
From being a TiVo series 1 user and looking at things logically and forgetting the free offer at the moment...
The TiVo subscription 'fee' will give you:
Intelligent Recording (this is the part that if you are not home and have forgot to put East Enders in a series link, the system will record it for you - because it realises that you NORMALLY watch it)
Better Search functions. I used to have a set of keywords that I kept in the system, if the keywords matched any program at any point in the future, TiVo would record it. For example "William Shattner" and "Police" would record anything that had William in it and if the program synopsis mentioned police it would record it (I wanted to watch an old 80's series he was in - but cant remember the name)
Thumbs Up / Down. When watching a program you can give it at Thumbs Up or a Thumbs Down. TiVo would then learn and understand what you like and dont like and give you suggestions of things you may like or dislike and record some things automatically if it thinks you will like them.
I like Ally McBeal (no accounting for taste) and it suggested i watch Eli Stone. Same concept and style of program. So I was glad it suggested it.
TiVo is not just about the TV Guide. Everyone who has some form of digital TV has an EPG. TiVo is much more.
Yes, I am one of those who got the ticket, but no golden 'mote :-(
Thumbs up... Because I cant do the Badoop Badoop Badoop sound effect!