August 30th 2011

Membership fees going up on Sept 1

Despite our best efforts to keep our operating costs as close to zero as possible, a steady decline in membership since mid-2009 has finally pushed us to the point that the Board of Schedules Direct has determined that we must raise our annual membership fee. As of Sept 1, the annual membership fee will be raised to $25, with the 2-month trial membership adjusted accordingly to $6.

Though we don't know the exact cause of the decline, we suspect that it is a combination of the increasing prevalence of TV DRM which is incompatible with open source applications like MythTV, and alternate sources of guide data (most of which are neither legitimate nor legal).

Additionally, we are still waiting to hear back from the IRS about our application for 501c3/charitable tax exempt status, which we chose as a milestone before deciding whether or not we should accept donations, which would offset our operating costs and allow us to expand the kinds of support we offer to the community.

Please remember that your membership fee is not a purchase of guide data. We exist to provide support to the free and open source projects that you use and love, and encourage you to show your support by becoming members, even if you are not actively using the tools and information your SD membership provides.