Since launch the TiVo Premiere has been model number TCD746320 and sports a 320GB drive which yields up to 45 hours of HD recording. The TiVo Premiere XL, with 1TB and 150 hours, is model number TCD748000. And the Premiere Elite is TCD758250, with 2TB or 300 hours of HD.
But what’s this on Amazon? A TCD746500? Yep, it is listed as a TiVo Premiere with 500GB, or 75 hours of HD recording. And it shows as “Usually Ships in 2 to 5 weeks”, so it may be about to launch. The price is $149.99, which slots in between the current 320GB model’s $99.99 MSRP and the Premiere XL’s $299.99. So perhaps this will be a new family member and not a replacement/upgrade of the current Premiere? Maybe, but I doubt it.
Personally, if this is really coming to market, I expect it to replace the 320GB model. There isn’t enough differentiation between 320GB and 500GB to keep both models in production. And the branding on the Amazon page is simply ‘TiVo Premiere’, just like today’s 320GB model. Having two units with the same branding with only the drive being different would seem to be too confusing for consumers.
I’ll note that in my post last week on TiVo’s pitch to cable operators I linked to TiVo’s one-sheet on the TiVo Premiere as offered to MSOs, and it has a 500GB drive. Perhaps they’re seeking to simplify their supply chain by just producing one 500GB model for both retail and MSOs? It could also be 320GB drives are getting harder to source, it has been a while since the Premiere first launched.
Based on the specs given this is a revised Premiere, and not based on the Premiere Elite – it still lists antenna support. But it could have other internal revisions, past models of TiVo have had minor board re-spins during their lifespans. Note that the images on the Amazon listing aren’t anything to go by. The front photos of the unit are a TiVo Premiere, the box is clearly from the 320GB model as it states “45 Hours”, and the rear image is of a Premiere XL prototype/beta unit – the “TCD7F8″ serial is a giveaway. (Pre-production TiVo units replace a digit with a letter.)
I’ve emailed TiVo to see if they have anything official to say about this 500GB TiVo Premiere. But I suspect Amazon jumped the gun in listing this. I did look for other sites and found some that also listed this – but on further investigation they all tied back to Amazon in some way.
Spotted via FaceBook.
