I’ve been a devout TiVo user for years: I’ve owned a TiVo since 2001, currently own two, have purchased TiVos for others, and have recommended them to dozens of folks. Now I’m considering whether there are alternatives for my TiVo. You must understand, this is like me looking for alternatives to the Macintosh. It’s such a heretical idea, I’m thinking of flaming myself.

All this because TiVoToGo is finally available for the Mac.

How can this be a bad thing, you ask. After all, we Mac users have been waiting for years for TiVoToGo. We were promised it for January 2006. Then mid-2006. Then we were told it’s “too expensive” to do for us. So you’d think having it available would make me positively giddy.

But no.

See, after waiting all this time for TiVoToGo, TiVo has decided they won’t be releasing the software as a cheap or free download, but instead will distribute in partnership with the Roxio Toast disc burning software.

Which isn’t cheap.

Or free.

It’s $100.

And, even worse, it means buying Roxio Toast, an application I have absolutely no need to own. After waiting two years for TiVoToGo, this is how we’re rewarded?

Bah.

For now, I’ll continue to use the free TiVo Decode Manaager wrapper around the open source tivodecode. If I find Toast for less $50, I’ll consider it.