Sarah Tew/CNET

Update (Thursday, May 7, 8:12 a.m. PT): TiVo has confirmed that the special offer has officially ended.

TiVo has introduced new pricing for its entry-level Roamio OTA, which is now available for $300 with no ongoing monthly costs.

The Roamio OTA is virtually identical to the standard Roamio but it lacks the CableCard slot and so requires an over-the-air antenna to tune TV channels. The Roamio OTA offers streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon in addition to four tuners and a built-in 500GB drive.

Previously the Roamio OTA was available for $49.95 up front with a $15-per-month charge, but the new price is a much better deal if you plan to keep the product for 18 months or longer. Which presumably you would.

With the new pricing the Roamio OTA is not only the best over-the-air DVR, as we found in our reviewreview , but also the best value. The only other fee-free competitor is the good but ultimately inferior Channel Master DVR+ at $250. It requires you to add your own hard drive, which costs around $50 for a 500GB version.

Representatives from TiVo have confirmed this is a limited-time offer but said an end date has yet to be set. The company was unable to comment on what this new pricing means for existing customers.

(Source: Tivo via Zatz Not Funny)