Cheap(er) hi-def TiVo coming in August

Thanks to some over-anxious retailers who posted, then took down the product descriptions, the TiVo community forum is buzzing today with news of a cheaper high-definition DVR coming out Real Soon Now. There's even a picture:

Unconfirmed Series3 “Lite” TiVo HD Specifications (TCD652160):

• BCM740x DVR CPU w/ integrated MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoders
• 1x dual MPEG-2 encoder (BCM7041 or possibly an encoder from LSI)
• 2x Samsung S5H1411-based tuners (analog/QAM/8VSB)
• Records two HD channels at once, while watching another recorded show
• 128MB DDR SDRAM
• 160GB SATA HD (there may be an 80GB version too)
• Records up to 20 hours of high definition programming (or 180 hours of standard definition)
• Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
• Sources supported: Digital cable, Analog cable, Digital antenna (ATSC), Analog antenna and broadband content
• $299 MSRP

To help achieve the lower price (compared to the $799 standard TiVo Series 3), TiVo designers opted for a smaller, lower-cost motherboard, a cheaper power supply, and a standard TiVo remote. They appear to have dropped THX certification, and the fancy OLED display on the front of the box as well.

Retailers are expected to have the box for sale in early August, perhaps sooner.