Okay,

I'm hooked on my Tivo. I have a second TV down stairs that I would like to get a Tivo for. The thing is I don't use that TV a lot so I can't justify paying the monthly service fee. I just want to have the option of manually recording something and pause live TV. Thats it. Tivo basic service seems perfect but it seems only to be available with some DVD recorder/Tivo units. What options (if any) do I have?

If I remember correctly you HAVE to activate the Tivo service or the Tivo will not function after something like 30 days? Am I remebering that right?

I was also looking into a Replay unit but that to seems to require activation.

Any thoughts?

Tivo basic is a new thing, so maybe it will start becoming more common? I assume you're on cable TV?

I've never paid a subscription on my Tivo - either monthly or the lifetime sub. All you lose is the channel info. The clock works, I can pause TV and I can record manually by inputing the time/channel etc. Its worked fine for a year now.

Yes, I have cable and at some point they should introduce DVR, but who knows when. I called to ask. They had no idea.

Really? Is it a series 2 Tivo? That's encouraging.

Ah... good point. I forgot the UK stopped making them and we have series 1 Tivos.

TiVos that shipped with v1.x on them are grandfathered and allow mildly annoying operation without service (it bugs you about getting service once in a while) because they were not advertised as requiring it. Later ones do nothing but buffer live TV unless you have service.