HD Programming Required for HD TiVo?

[rh26]

On the surface this looks like a stupid question; as a new customer if I buy an HD TiVo does DirecTV *require* me to add the HD Programming package to my account?

I don't have an HDTV (yet), but am seriously considering moving from E* and my old DVR 501. I could get an SD TiVo for next to nothing but I'd like to buy an HDTV sometime in the next year so it seems smart to go ahead and take the plunge on the HD TiVo. Additionally I would get some immediate benefits 1) save $3/month by not subscribing to locals since digital OTA in Atlanta is supposed to be reliable, 2) bigger disk, and 3) locals quality (HD down-converted to 480i output to S-video) substantially improved from (very compressed) SD LIL feeds. But since I don't have a "real" HDTV I don't want to pay for the additional programming in the HD package (at $11 per month).

Forcing HD Programming subscription would be a deal breaker for me...

 

[Enforcer]

I asked the exact question to a CSR at Directv and it does not require you to have the HD package to have the HD Tivo. That however may change if they decide to give out promotions on "lowered" prices on the HD Tivo unit.

 

[JosephB]

Dish Network requires you to have HD on their HD boxes if you lease them or get them with some kind of deal. That's the only restriction I've ever heard of. Never heard about any kind of restriction from DirecTV. Of course if you get some kind of retention deal or some special promo comes out, they might stick you with a comittment.