I picked up Tivo 2 40 hour recording model that appears to be new in the box and fully functional with all accessories. I paid $ 25.00 for it at a local thrift but I was so interested in the tech and the cheap price I didn’t stop to think think about the fact that I rarely watch TV and only have basic tier cable.
Before I try and dump it on Ebay or give it away is there anything you can do with an older DVR like this? Can I use it to record basic cable (Comcast) without paying some subscription fee? The fold out setup guide seems to indicate it will work with a wireless internet system to play MP3s but you it appears have to get a TIVO wireless USB adapter to plug into the USB port on the back of the TIVO.
It’ll work fine for basic cable. It will not do HD, and it will not do digital cable without a cable box (IMHO it’s too much of a pain to use it with a cable box, so I personally would only use it if you don’t currently have a cable box). However, it’s not going to be terribly useful without the TiVo service. If you’re opposed to paying for the service, you should probably get rid of it.