that_girl said that annual subscription is unacceptable for her.
Well, that's something that has to be reconciled; everybody pays, it's just a matter of when and how much. Moxi buyers don't get to choose; they pay for it all, right now. TiVo buyers get some choice; they can pay for it all right now, or they can pay for it in big chunks, or they can pay monthly
ad infinitum. Even WMC users pay for "free" software by turning themselves into their own tech support department. Personally, I prefer the idea of an appliance with a warranty, which is probably ruling out WMC/Sage/BeyondTV for me.
Creative, but it involves some decisions that more conservative purchasers might not want to engage in.
Actually, I'd much rather have a refurb appliance with a factory warranty than one I bought at the store. In a refurb, either it's been proven to be a functioning unit, or it has already failed and been repaired. You get no such security with new hardware, and if it's going to fail, it's going to fail on
you. Same reason I won't buy a new car; let some other fool take care of the recalls and fix the things that the line workers screwed up, and let him take the depreciation hit, too. I'm mostly with you about buying a subscription card on eBaY, except that it's a plastic card, with a serial number on it, just like any other gift card. As long as you buy that card with a secured funding method, you should be okay...I think...