Let me start by saying that "idiot" was probably the most abusive thing I've said on these boards. But, it didn't add anything to the discussion, so I apologize for it.
Buying a TiVo and not subscribing doesn't help TiVo one bit, unless you subscribe in the future. Neither do comments like these:
...You are a cheapskate for not subscribing and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
It's this kind of comment that makes TiVo look like a third-rate company or some kind of high-pressure sales cult. Look, they set the price of the system with budgets in mind. They are the ones who added functionality to make sure that the TiVo functioned quite well without a subscription. Functionality I might add, that was not always there. TiVo are full aware that people might buy the hardware without getting a subscription. Sure, they would prefer they did, but not everyone is going to think that the sub is worth £10 a month.
TiVo provides the boxes with a free sample of the subscription service in the hopes that people will see how valuable it is and sign up. If they don't... well too bad. Just because someone doesn't sign up right away doesn't remove them from the list of potential TiVo subscribers either. I'm sure there are owners out there who used their boxes as dumb recorders for months before finally deciding to subscribe.
Blanket statements like, "you have to subscribe", "you're a cheapskate", and "people too cheap to subscribe don't deserve a TiVo" only turn potential TiVo subscribers away from the whole thing, and end up hurting TiVo as a company. (and rightly so) Statements like these are mostly found on the TiVo Community forums, but you get the idea. I can understand people wanting to stand up for the company, but you can't shove subscriptions down peopple's throats or coerce them into paying for them. In my opinion, people who post things like that are only hurting the company's reputation and credibility.
TiVo as a company are not an endangered species and don't need to be coddled by the public. If someone chooses to buy a TiVo machine and not subscribe, they are well within their rights to do so, and shouldn't be attacked for their decision. If I want to buy a video recorder and only use it for changing channels on my TV and never watching videos... that's my right. If I want to buy a video game console (that the company loses money on) and then never buy any games for that console... that's my right.
As for me subscribing but defending non-subscribers, it's simple. For me, the £10 a month is well worth the price. But, it may not be for everybody.