I love TiVo.

The actual, original TiVo — not make believe kind that Comcast puts out.

Problem is, I haven’t used a proper TiVo in more than six years. We’ve been forced to use Comcast’s inferior DVR, because we haven’t really had a choice.

Which is at the core of TiVo’s problems: TiVo hasn’t given consumers the option to use it. When the choice is a free DVR from a cable or satellite company, or a $300 or $500 model from TiVo, there is no choice to make. People will go with the free device every time, even if it’s not as good as the pay device, because the two options perform the same basic functionality.

The devastating detail here is that TiVo is one of the very few companies in technology history that once had consumer evangelists. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, anyone who used a TiVo was head-over-heals in love with it. Remember? TiVo people told anyone who would listen how their TiVo has changed their lives.

The TiVo was once trendy, sexy, life-changing, and a must-have. Now, the TiVo is dying. On the verge of total extinction, really.

To avoid becoming a consumer electronics tragedy — to avoid becoming Palm — TiVo must take the following steps, and fast:

1. TiVo boxes should be free after rebate, with a service commitment. TiVo simply cannot compete with the free DVRs being offered by cable and satellite companies if it costs $300 or $500. It used be possible to buy standard definition TiVos for less than $200. For some reason, the prices have shot upwards recently. This is the wrong direction! TiVo must get free, fast.
2. Service must cost exactly what cable DVR service costs. My high definition Comcast DVR service costs $10 per month.  TiVo service runs $13 monthly. That $3 makes a difference when consumers are making their DVR decision.
3. TiVo needs to unravel itself from Comcast. I originally reported on the TiVo-Comcast partnership in 2008. I was thrilled that I would soon have TiVo service through Comcast. That Comcast would be able to update my DVR remotely, and I could pay extra for TiVo (I would; a lot of people would). It is now the second half of 2010, and TiVo-through-Comcast is still not available in my area (I just checked).The problem with distribution through Comcast is that it’s probably a pipe dream. I have no insights on the thinking of Comcast executives, but distributing TiVo puts Comcast in the position of competing with its own DVR box. Why in the world would Comcast do that? It’s bad business. If I were Comcast, I would not be in a hurry to push TiVo out to my customers. It’s clearly a better experience than the Comcast DVR box. And it negatively impacts the current Comcast model of distributing DVRs for free. They’re not as sexy as TiVo, but they work. The model works. Because of this, TiVo must untangle itself of Comcast as quickly as possible. Comcast is slowing TiVo down, and the “partnership” is muddies the waters for consumers.
4. Get happy TiVo customers front-and-center. There are still some out there. Hit the airwaves with TiVo enthusiasts. Do what Microsoft has done successfully recently: show how happy people can be when they use your product.
5. Start talking to people again. Do this immediately. When a consumer electronics company ceases communication, customers move on very quickly. Palm is the poster child for the results of cutting of communications. Talk to people. Teach them how great it feels to use TiVo. Better yet, remind them.

Taken together, TiVo’s problems are marketing problems. Like most consumer electronics, the product is excellent. World-beating, for TiVo. But the company’s marketing has been nearly non-existant over the past several years. If TiVo implements these five steps, it will once again become an option in the DVR game.