500GB TiVO BOLT DVR for $155 (subscription required)

If you like the TiVO service and don’t object to paying for it on a monthly or annual basis, the new condition 500GB TiVO BOLT DVR is currently on sale for $155 with free shipping at Amazon by Amazon actual. You can use this with a cable subscription or an over-the-air antenna, but you still have to pay TiVO a monthly or prepaid subscription. It averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 369 customer reviews.

If you use antennas only, and you are a cordcutter (no cable subscription), and you hate the idea of paying TiVO a monthly subscription, they have a different product, the TiVo Roamio OTA DVR goes for $370. Think of it as prepaying the TiVO service for the lifetime of the device. It also integrates some of popular online streaming services.

On the other hand, if you are the second paragraph, but hate paying that much for a device, and don’t watch a lot of TV, you can get single-tuner chinese OTA DVRs for around $30. These have primitive user interfaces, and remind of VCR programming usability, but the price is right. I have tried and reviewed one of these devices if you want to get a feel for them, here’s my unboxing (text/pictures only) and my review summary of the Mediasonic HW-150PVR.