The set-top, which can record 25-35 hours of HD programming, has a suggested retail price of $799. However, TiVo officials said earlier this year that they need to lower the price to generate more interest.
With that in mind, the company is also expected to offer a $200 mail-in rebate on the Series 3 at retail beginning this weekend, according to the TiVo Community Forum. The special 'Father's Day' offer will be good for one month.
TiVo's Series 3 has struggled due to the high price and the fact that cable and satellite operators are leasing high-def recorders without the need to buy one.
"We will be highly focused this year on moving forward with a lower-priced, mass appeal High-Def unit, which will allow us to much better participate in the HD television trend," TiVo CEO Tom Rogers said in March.
Rogers acknowledged that TiVo's HD DVR price has hurt the company's chances of generating more subs from the growing high-def audience.
"The other clear learning at retail is that High-Definition television sets are the most important new consumer electronics item," Rogers told Wall Street analysts in a conference call. "Given the price of our HD unit, we were not able to meaningfully participate in that trend. This also clearly contributed to lower sales volume compared to a year ago, when this trend was nowhere near as significant."
However, even with a $200 rebate, TiVo's Series 3 HD DVR will still cost $599 and it's unclear if HD owners will spend that amount on a set-top.
A TVPredictions.com Readers Poll in March found that 46 percent of respondents would buy the TiVo Series 3 if it were priced at $399.
TiVo officials will undoubtedly closely watch the results of the one-month $200 rebate to see if prices need to be lowered further.
To learn more about the Amazon offer on TiVo, click Amazon.
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Phillip Swann is
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