TiVo Has Sold Its Last DVR. These People Refuse to Let Go.

The world has passed the device by, but fans plan to use it until the bitter end

ANN-MARIE ALCÁNTARA Amy Suggars bought her first TiVo about 14 years ago and has been attached to the video-recording device ever since.

But this month brought a double blow: First, TiVo announced it would no longer sell its physical DVR products. A few days later, her device died.

“I hung on as long as I could, but I would’ve hung on longer if TiVo hadn’t taken the decision out of my hands,” said Suggars, a 65year-old biology professor and owner of a pet sitting business in Delaware, Ohio.

Like Netflix’s DVD-rental business, TiVo helped revolutionize how viewers watched cable television when it launched in 1999. People could record shows, customize their program guide to see only the channels they cared for and skip commercials— much to the disdain of advertisers and network TV. The device—and its “badoop” remote-control sound—wedged its way into pop culture, with references to TiVo on episodes of

shows like “Sex and the City” (Miranda’s TiVo was her perfect boyfriend), “The Simpsons” (Marge tells the TiVo remote it changed her life) and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Larry asks his wife about its installation while she’s on a turbulent flight).

In the recent reboot of “The Naked Gun,” Liam Neeson’s character loses his cool after he discovers Pamela Anderson’s character con-nected his TiVo to the inter --net, wiping saved episodes of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” from the device.

TiVo even became a verb— people remarked that they’d “TiVo” a show whether it was recorded on a TiVo or not.

Cordcutting took a toll on the beloved devices, with fewer customers needing a way to record live cable programming. A boom in streaming services also meant that consumers could fast-forward and rewind TV shows or tap in to libraries of content on demand.

On Oct. 1, TiVo stopped selling its physical DVR products, including hardware and accessories. The company said its “remaining inventory is now depleted” but said that customers will continue to receive support for its products.

“We are very proud of the TiVo DVR legacy,” said a company spokesman.

That legacy includes decadeslong fans who still own and use the devices and are in no way ready to let their Ti-Vos go.

Scott Moore, a 64-year-old network engineer at a bank, has been a loyal TiVo user for 22 years. He plans to use his device until the bitter end and isn’t sure what he’ll do when his current devices stop working.

He hasn’t watched live television in about a decade, using his TiVo to fast forward through commercials or speed past analysts’ banter during sports games.

Moore currently has two TiVos in his home, as well as an Apple TV and a smart television for streaming shows. When he and his family moved to Denver in 2022, they were able to set up his TiVos. But he knows he won’t be able to do so again if either of the devices go out of service.

While he enjoys Apple TV, he doesn’t like the commercials. And if he has to sit through commercials to watch “Survivor” on cable, he’ll move on.

“I understand that people are moving away from it,” he said. “But I still like my TiVo.”

Devotees say TiVo gave them a catalog of shows they owned and could access indefinitely, while streaming only offers libraries of content as long as a subscriber is paying. Plus, on lower-cost ad-backed streaming plans, commercials are inescapable.

Douglas Brent, a lawyer in Louisville, Ky., has two TiVos at home, one 13 years old and the other 12. Like many customers, he paid for a lifetime subscription, a fee that has more than paid for itself now that he’s owned the devices for over a decade.

“It’s really the best consumer product ever except maybe Roku,” said Brent.

“When it goes away, I won’t hold a grudge,” he said.

The company behind TiVo has changed hands multiple times, eventually evolving to focus on its operating system and smart TVs, video service for cars and an advertising platform.

For some fans, it’s unclear how long their TiVo services will keep working.

Pat Kalellis bought a new TiVo device for his home at the end of September after his old one died.

The 55-year-old attorney paid $25 for the device and an additional $250 for a lifetime subscription to the service. As someone who’s owned five TiVo devices and with monthly plans ranging from $15 to $20, it was an easy decision.

Kalellis will stick with his two TiVos until the very end, though he’s “quite disappointed” that he bought a new device a few days before TiVo stopped selling them.

“What’s going to happen with lifetime service? If it dies and they pull the plug. What’s the alternative?”