First off, let me say that I’ve got a ReplayTV and I love it. I love it even more after seeing this news: TiVo 7.2 OS adds content protection, blocks transfers, and auto-deletes some shows.

I can’t imagine how pissed I would be if this happened to me. You buy a TiVo, thinking that it can record all your TV shows and it works great for a couple of months, until out of the blue, your old shows start disappearing and some shows can only be kept for a week or so. Also, the ability to take shows on the go with TiVo mobile stops working. It’s hard to imagine that a company can just “delete” certain features that were appealing and helped sell the product. What’s next? Will TiVo disable the ability to fast-forward past commercials or not let you get out of the current program until you have watched all the credits scroll by? Maybe even in-show popups! Maybe I should start coding a TiVo popup blocker…I could get rich!!

The new update to TiVo software isn’t what I consider the worst part, though. What comes next is absolutely ridiculous. Let’s say you decided you aren’t going to take this new DRM junk OS that TiVo just pushed out to you. You decide to cancel service and sell the TiVo to your cousin and go get yourself a ReplayTV..heck, maybe even just get a DVR from Comcast…it’s cheaper, after all. You call TiVo and tell them you are angry with the new changes and want to cancel service. Then they tell you that you have to give them $150 to cancel the service because you haven’t used it for 12 months yet!! Apparently, they are enforcing an unsigned contract that you apparently agree to when purchasing a TiVo! Unbelievable? It’s true: TiVo Customers Face $150 Cancellation Fee. Granted, this $150 fee is only for users who were unfortunate enough to sign up after September 6th, but I find this absolutely appalling that they would even think of such a thing. I guess they thought they were selling cell phones and forgot what a TiVo actually does.

Up until the last month or so, people used to ask me if they should get a TiVo or ReplayTV, I would always respond with “Well, they pretty much do the same thing, you should go check them out and decide which one you like better.” Now my standard response will be “Well, I would go with the ReplayTV unless you like having your shows automatically removed and enjoy throwing away your money.”