TiVo lifetime service is back, old-timers included

After teasing us with on-again, off-again lifetime service offers, the popular TiVo plan is back, apparently for good—and not just for new customers.

The folks at TiVo recently tipped me off that its lifetime subscription plan—nixed back in 2006, but occasionally returning for the odd special offer—is now back in the standard slate of prepaid subscription plans.

For $399, you can get lifetime TiVo service for a new TiVo DVR (the mandatory service includes updates to the electronic programming guide). And if you're an existing TiVo user, the price for lifetime service on a new box drops to $299. You still can't add lifetime service to your oldd TiVo DVR.

TiVo initially killed off its lifetime service plan in 2006; since then, it's cropped up in limited-time specials and offers, most recently as a "Blue Moon" special. In some cases, the lifetime service offers were only for new subscribers.

So, is $399 (or $299) a good deal for lifetime TiVo service? Well, that depends on how long you plan on keeping your new TiVo, given that the lifetime plan is attached to the box you're buying.

If you think a TiVo HD will last you five years, then $399 doesn't sound like such a bad deal, given that a year of prepaid service is $129 and five years of $13/month service will cost you $780.

But if (like me) you're an inveterate early adopter and you just know you'll want to replace your TiVo once a new one arrives, the no-strings $13-a-month plan might be a better bet. Then again... the lifetime service is transferable, so you can take that into account when you're selling your old TiVo on eBay.

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