Well, can't you have it shipped directly form the US? I was thinking to do the same thing (Tivo is not distributed in Italy either)

Like the empeg, the power of TiVo is not the hardware -- it's the software.

A TiVo in Italy or France without the TiVo programming services would be no more useful than a VCR, because the TiVo are customized for each installation. What makes TiVo special is that you don't program it to record "...Tuesday, December 4, from 8:00 pm til 9:00pm." You tell it to record "Nova" on PBS, and it does it, no matter what day or time. And then it is smart enough to know that if you like "Nova", you'll probably like "Scientific American Frontiers" hosted by Alan Alda, and it will record that as well, without any input from you.

In order to work this magic, your TiVo has to know all about all the TV stations in your area (or cable connections, whatever), which ones you receive, and when they air their programming. The only way it knows this information is by communicating with "TiVo Central" or whatever it is called -- a vast database residing in the U.S., accessible to your TiVo by means of a built-in modem and a $9.95 monthly fee.

If TiVo Central can't provide you with this information (and it cannot do so in Europe) then the TiVo player is really nothing more than a VCR on steroids.

tanstaafl.