When TiVo cancelled its presentation on Friday at CES, no
one really made too much about it, least of all TiVo.
However, the move has raised a few eyebrows across the
PVR industry, and questions are being asked about TiVo's dominance in the PVR marketplace, especially given the reported
losses in November and the failure to provide a definitive launch date for their much-vaunted Series 3 unit.
One of the big focus points of CES 2006 was the way in which television, movies and other video content is consumed
and distributed -- something TiVo helped establish -- and the market is moving so quickly that a successor could be
hiding in the shadows waiting to grab the eager market with both hands and shoot for the moon.
As Matthew Fordahl of Forbes says,
"the competition is heating up" and if TiVo isn't careful, it could be left behind as the PVR takes center
stage in 2006.
The Engadget guys headed over to catch the TiVo
presentation at CES today, but it was cancelled
in favor of a brief talk and a show/tell around their various product stations, although there doesn't seem to be
anything suspicious in the move.
The TiVo staff were happy to chat about the announcements made in recent
months and demonstrated TiVo and Yahoo integration, the PSP and iPod integration, and the new Wireless G USB network
adapter.
According to the guys, PSP and iPod integration services for TiVoToGo are expected to be fully
launched by mid-2006, but Mac support for TiVo Desktop software probably won't appear until "mid-2006."
No, it's not a Christmas cracker joke; it's a
genuine question answered by the Washington Post's Digital Duo of Steve and Angela.
I've only ever tried a
demo model of a TiVo (about three years ago), so I'm not terribly familiar with how they work (I'm a Sky Plus man),
but I understand that TiVo is more than just a device that records the shows you like; it also records the shows it
thinks you might like.
Next up for Digital Duo: how to hook yourself up with an inexpensive and
easy-to-use DVR.
About a year ago, Forbes.com launched a weekly feature
called The Executive Toy Box, where they canvas of some of America’s most innovative companies and ask the execs
what gadgets they like best, and why.
The only proviso was that they are not allowed to endorse one of their
own products.
TiVo made the final five, along with the iPod and Blackberry -- but more importantly, TiVo is
the only non-portable device on the list, which indicates the strength and popularity of the brand.
Would
any of the items on the Forbes list make your top five?
"What's on your box?" will be one of
the big questions for 2006, referring, of course, to the recorded shows or movies on your TiVo or other PVR-type
device.
But what about celebrities? What do they TiVo when they're not actually making the shows that the
rest of us record?
Well, apparently Carson Kressley from Queer Eye says he's into James Bond
movies, and Heather Graham stocks up on Arrested Development and Desperate Housewives.
John O'Hurley is still catching up on the episodes of Seinfeld he starred in, while Eva Longoria likes a bit
of Oprah and Chad Michael Hill watches Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In my opinion, people are largely divided up into three main groups: people who need to get a hold
of the latest technology as soon as it arrives on the market (or before, in some cases), people who can wait just a
little bit longer, and people who are so far behind the curve that they make evolution seem like a 2-minute wait for a
microwaved dinner.
I fall between the first and second category; I'm always aware of new technology, but I
usually can't afford to adopt early. Often, it pays to hold out, especially in the current economic climate -- which is
exactly what Alex L. Goldfayn of the Chicago Tribune is talking about in his recent article "It
pays to wait when shopping for gadgets."
The main thrust of Alex's article is the continual downward
trend in the cost of new technology; if manufacturers want your business, they will reduce the price to obtain it, and
companies like TiVo, Apple and Sharp are all paying attention, reducing their prices accordingly (or offering rebates, in TiVo's case).
So, if you're desperate to get a hold of some groovy new PVR-style gadget this Christmas, it might just pay to
hang off until the January sales.
Ad-skipping technology, found in products like TiVo and other PVRs, is being challenged by networks through more aggressive product placements on television. However, the move is being met with a fight, as script writers are starting to demand more pay in exchange for plugging commercial products in their shows.
According to the Writers Guild of America, the use of product placements has increased 84 percent in the last year -- largely due to the increase in popularity of PVRs -- a leap that has now sparked a call for tighter regulations on "stealth advertising".
There can be fewer better testimonials for the power of a device like a TiVo than the experience of a child who was born into a post-PVR world.
Jason Fry of the Wall Street Journal has two televisions in his home -- a "stupid" television that only displays shows at certain times, and a "smart" television that displays shows whenever you want to see them -- at least that's how his son Joshua sees the difference between the ordinary television, and the one with a TiVo attached.
Jason's interpretation of his son's experiences are worth a read, especially his predictions about how Joshua might consume ads in future (Jason reckons Joshua will still watch ads -- just not ads like the ones we're used to).
I'm not sure if this is a good deal or not, but JustDeals.com is selling refurbished Series 1 TiVo units without hard drives for $52.95. Shipping is free. I suppose it's a good deal for the tinkering TiVo hobbyist with an extra hard drive sitting around. And if you want to do some hacking, this might be your opportunity. I know these older TiVo units sell on eBay, but I can't make a price comparison because I haven't checked them out lately.
Naturally, Steve Jobs is "thrilled" (he's hardly going to be unhappy, is he?) -- since Apple is proposing a minimum of $1.99 per show (including archived content from long, long ago), but Thomas believes TV downloads from Apple will not fly in the long run.
I think there's some truth to his argument, especially the part about the initial buzz dying down and the growth subsiding.
I'll be watching out for updates to Thomas' site over the coming months, when he attempts to demonstrate just how much of a "Trojan horse" for selling iPods that iTunes video downloads could prove to be.
As reported in USA Today and on the official TiVo website, movie-ticketing
service Fandango are partnering with TiVo, Yahoo and programming service Live365 to offer interactive TV versions of their services to TiVo customers with a home network.
The new services will include:
Instant credit card movie ticket purchasing, and a future ticket service lined directly to movie trailers.
Access to Yahoo's Photos service.
Local weather forecasts and traffic reports
Radio access via Live365 and streamed podcasts
Access to simple games, including a "Scrabble-like word game."
About four years ago, TiVo launched in the U.K., but us Brits were simply unprepared for a subscription-based PVR,
and the product never really took off over here in the same way it did in the States.
In fact, according to recent reports, TiVo
has only 16,000 users in the U.K. -- a figure that continues to dwindle every month, largely due to the recent impact of Sky+ on the British PVR market.
However, TiVo still feels that expansion in Europe remains a priority, and announced today that it will launch a TiVo service in
Taiwan over the next few months -- only its second venture into the market outside
the U.S.
I'm sure many readers see it as part of our job here at PVR Wire to give out tips and advice on the best products and services to buy, but it can be difficult to get the balance right between purchasing a stand-alone HDD/DVD recorder, or a full-blown PVR subscription service.
With numerous companies offering a variety of digital video services, CIN Weekly decided to take a closer look at two popular brands: TiVo and Time Warner Cable.
If anything, the "bottom line" remarks are a good guide to go on if you find yourself stuck between the two.
TiVo already has a service called TiVoToGo, and it's already possible to transfer video to portable devices such as an iPod or PSP, so what's new with the update announced earlier this week?
When TiVo cancelled its presentation on Friday at CES, no
one really made too much about it, least of all TiVo. 
The Engadget guys headed over to catch the TiVo
presentation at CES today, 
No, it's not a Christmas cracker joke; it's a
genuine question answered by the Washington Post's Digital Duo of Steve and Angela.
About a year ago, Forbes.com launched a weekly feature
called The Executive Toy Box, where they canvas of some of America’s most innovative companies and ask the execs
what gadgets they like best, and why.
"What's on your box?" will be one of
the big questions for 2006, referring, of course, to the recorded shows or movies on your TiVo or other PVR-type
device.
In my opinion, people are largely divided up into three main groups: people who need to get a hold
of the latest technology as soon as it arrives on the market (or before, in some cases), people who can wait just a
little bit longer, and people who are so far behind the curve that they make evolution seem like a 2-minute wait for a
microwaved dinner. 
The word is, 
There can be fewer better testimonials for the power of a device like a TiVo than the experience of a child who was born into a post-PVR world. 
Thomas Hawk
More information is emerging about 
About four years ago, TiVo launched in the U.K., but us Brits were simply unprepared for a subscription-based PVR,
and the product never really took off over here in the same way it did in the States. 
TiVo already has a service called TiVoToGo, and it's already possible to transfer video to portable devices such as an iPod or PSP, so what's new with the 
