More Info On the Channel Master TV DVR, Now Even Less Appealing

Channel Master CM7400 front The other day I posted about the Channel Master TV CM-7400 ATSC & clear QAM DVR, and given its features and $400 price tag I concluded that a $600 TiVo Premiere with lifetime was the better deal. Well, now we have more info and I think the TiVo is an even better deal than before. Dave Zatz dug up some information in the Channel Master Knowledge base:

14.) How can a DVR be free? Most DVR’s on the market today require a subscription fee in order for it to be functional.
Last Updated: 09/13/2011

DVR manufacturers and service providers are required to pay fees for the television guide data that is delivered to the box via the internet or a service provider network. This expense is passed on to the consumer as a monthly DVR fee. With Channel Master TV, basic television guide data is transmitted free-of-charge by the broadcaster and our device receives this info and appropriately inserts it into the on-screen guide. While this info is basic and all depends on what the broadcaster decides to send, it is free. This being said, there may be times that some channels will not broadcast program information or it may be limited, but again, there are no fees for this. If you desire additional program information, Channel Master TV will have a Premium Guide upgrade for a fee of $99.99 annually. The Premium Guide offers additional program information including a 7-day viewing and recording window.

So you have a choice – you can take your chances with the free guide data, which in many areas only goes out for maybe 12 hours and is often incomplete and unreliable – or you can pay $99.99 a year for a Premium Guide with richer data that goes out for 7 days. That’s on top of the $399.99 purchase price of the box.

Alternatively you could buy a $99.99 TiVo Premiere, which as I covered in my previous post has more features and functionality, and then take advantage of the $9.99/month antenna-only rate from TiVo. You can use the TiVo for *15* years before you’d pay as much as the CM-7400 over the same period. (400+(100*x) = 100 + (120*x)) Even better, buy the TiVo with lifetime for $600 and after two years you’re saving money over the CM-7400 and getting more for what you spent. And the TiVo’s guide goes out up to 14 days, in my experience 10-14 is normal.

I thought the TiVo was a better deal compared to the CM-7400 with the free data, just on features and usability, but if you’re going to pay for the Premium Guide I think you’d have to be crazy to pick the CM-7400 over the TiVo.

EDIT: Even Channel Master must’ve realized how much their pricing sucked. They’re dropped the data pricing from $99.99/year to $49.99/year. Not that it really changes my opinion. It may stretch out the break even point with TiVo a little, but I’d still recommend TiVo over the CM-7400, hands down.

About MegaZone

MegaZone is the Editor of Gizmo Lovers and the chief contributor. He's been online since 1989 and active in several generations of 'social media' - mailing lists, USENet groups, web forums, and since 2003, blogging.    MegaZone has a presence on several social platforms: Google+ / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / LiveJournal / Web.    You can also follow Gizmo Lovers on other sites: Blog / Google+ / Facebook / Twitter.
This entry was posted in Broadband, Cable, DVR, HDTV, TiVo and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
  • Anonymous

    You could buy a Vulkano unit and a cheap digital converter. No fees, has a free guide that goes out 2 weeks  and is a DVR.

    • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

      You could, but I think that’s kind of a kludgey solution.  I’ve never been much of  fan of Monsoon’s products.  I admit I haven’t seen the latest version of the Vulkano products so maybe they’ve really improved, but in the past they’ve always been a bit disappointing.  Mostly there, but with rough edges and a lack of polish.  The Vulkano Blast requires an external tuner box, has only one input, half the storage (160GB), and is $250.  On the plus side you get place shifting.

      Their website still sucks when it comes to providing product info.  They claim to be a replacement for Roku but don’t provide any list of which services they support other than YouTube.

  • Fred M

    $399 is the list price for the $7400 — By January you will find it discounted to $320.  Remember also that most OTA folks are used to the on-air TV Guides (and have no issues with them). For my money I will stick with Channel Master.

  • daniel11

    You keep saying the Premiere is (only) $99.99 – that’s not exactly correct. The WiFi N adapter that you need for the Premiere is $89.99 (a ridiculous price) making the Premiere $189.98 with a mandatory subscription fee.

    • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

      You don’t *need* the TiVo 802.11n adapter. The TiVo has a built-in Ethernet port which is better anyway. And the TiVo adapter is just an external Ethernet-to-WiFi bridge, and you can use *any* bridge. Even if you want 11n you don’t need to use TiVo’s adapter, use whatever you want, there are cheaper options.

      Also, the TiVo Premiere is currently $69.99 at Amazon and the TiVo 802.11n adapter is $63.00.

      And it still kicks the CM-7400′s butt – which is $399.99 at Amazon.

    • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

      You don’t *need* the TiVo 802.11n adapter. The TiVo has a built-in Ethernet port which is better anyway. And the TiVo adapter is just an external Ethernet-to-WiFi bridge, and you can use *any* bridge. Even if you want 11n you don’t need to use TiVo’s adapter, use whatever you want, there are cheaper options.

      Also, the TiVo Premiere is currently $69.99 at Amazon and the TiVo 802.11n adapter is $63.00.

      And it still kicks the CM-7400′s butt – which is $399.99 at Amazon.

    • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

      You don’t *need* the TiVo 802.11n adapter. The TiVo has a built-in Ethernet port which is better anyway. And the TiVo adapter is just an external Ethernet-to-WiFi bridge, and you can use *any* bridge. Even if you want 11n you don’t need to use TiVo’s adapter, use whatever you want, there are cheaper options.

      Also, the TiVo Premiere is currently $69.99 at Amazon and the TiVo 802.11n adapter is $63.00.

      And it still kicks the CM-7400′s butt – which is $399.99 at Amazon.

      • Daniel11

        Your evaluation is sound. The money just doesn’t add up for the Channel Master UNLESS you really don’t care about having a good program guide and want the only non-subscription option to “stick it to the man”. 

        However, I believe TiVo has ended the $9.95 OTA subscription you mentioned in September (just in time for Christmas). On all sites, TiVo, Best Buy, and Antenna’s Direct, the only subscription offered now is $19.99/mo. 

        Also, is it still true that you must buy direct from TiVo to be eligible for the lifetime subscription? That would be a rude surprise to someone who uses Amazon to save $10 off TiVo’s sale price (now $79.99).

      • Daniel11

        Your evaluation is sound. The money just doesn’t add up for the Channel Master UNLESS you really don’t care about having a good program guide and want the only non-subscription option to “stick it to the man”. 

        However, I believe TiVo has ended the $9.95 OTA subscription you mentioned in September (just in time for Christmas). On all sites, TiVo, Best Buy, and Antenna’s Direct, the only subscription offered now is $19.99/mo. 

        Also, is it still true that you must buy direct from TiVo to be eligible for the lifetime subscription? That would be a rude surprise to someone who uses Amazon to save $10 off TiVo’s sale price (now $79.99).

        • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

          Unfortunately the OTA pricing promotion did end, yes.

          As for lifetime, as far as I know you can buy lifetime on any unit whether purchased directly through TiVo or not.  You select the plan when activating the unit.

          There was a period before TiVo slashed the pricing on the unit across the board that units purchased at the discounted rate from a reseller were not eligible for lifetime.  But now that the new pricing is in place across the board that is no longer the case, as far as I know.

        • http://www.gizmolovers.com/ MegaZone

          Unfortunately the OTA pricing promotion did end, yes.

          As for lifetime, as far as I know you can buy lifetime on any unit whether purchased directly through TiVo or not.  You select the plan when activating the unit.

          There was a period before TiVo slashed the pricing on the unit across the board that units purchased at the discounted rate from a reseller were not eligible for lifetime.  But now that the new pricing is in place across the board that is no longer the case, as far as I know.