On TiVo’s last quarterly conference call, their CEO stated that TiVo would“be highly focused this year on launching a lower-priced, mass appeal High Definition product.” Now Gizmodo has reported on a rumor of a ‘sub-$300′ unit. Personally, I think that’s pretty low. The 180-hour S2DT is $200. *Maybe* they could get an HD box out at $300, but I think an MSRP of $400 is more likely – half the S3′s launch price. At the same time, I would expect the current S3′s MSRP to drop. Perhaps a $600/$400 High-Low split – but we can dream of $500/$300
But it got me thinking – to produce a lower MSRP, they need to lower manufacturing costs. When you buy a Honda Fit you don’t get all the bells and whistles found on a Mercedes S-Class, right? So, I’m curious – what would you trim off of the Series3 to drop its cost? What are you willing to sacrifice, if anything, for a more affordable product? I’ve listed the options I can think of based on my view of the market and the hardware.
