All PVR

Our household had HDTV for several years now. I am talking about on-the-wall kind, not just small high-resolution LCDs. And I am not even one of those folks who would consider buying $10k plasma, ever. So I feel like mainstream in that regard.

So, is there HDTV signal yet? Better still, is there HDTV Tivo yet?

The fact is, I have to agree with PC Magazine article on this, Series3 is totally overpriced. It’s not so much that the technology in there isn’t expensive, I know it is. But Tivo always had in their business model the monthly fees as part of the long-term revenue!

And with rollout of Tivo on Comcast HD DVRs fast approaching, why would you ever consider such a pricey Series3 as an option?

Oh, and don’t forget that DishNetwork is giving away their superior HD-DVR for free and DirecTV charges a fraction of Series3 cost for theirs.

Tivo, HD DVR

Ok, it is Confession time for me…

Until now, I only saw Tivo’s at friends place and such. Our own household had the DishNetwork DVR, which we have been enjoying for many years.
However, my recent dispute with DishNetwork’s unfair pricing practices for existing customers versus new customers ended our relationship.
So, we switched to local Cable, and our household seemed to enter dark depressing times. Not so much because of any troubles with the Cable, but because of lack of DVR!!! While I do have a computer based DVR, I wasn’t happy with the recording quality (of all things).
And so we got a Tivo, which I was busy installing and configuring throughout last week.
More on Tivo later, but what was really interesting for me is how much entire household was impacted by the loss of DVR.
I really thought we could get away without it for a few months, while I figure out our new entertainment strategy, but everyone seemed to become depressed. My daughter gently kept asking things like - ‘How do I pause this?’, or ‘Where is the rewind button?’, and I kept trying to explain that we don’t have DVR any more…
But now we are a Tivo home, and I must say, transition has been hard. I guess I had high expectations, seeing how Tivo is supposedly easy to use. But since we were all so used to DishNetwork’s PVR, it wasn’t easy at all.
It seems to me that Tivo doesn’t try to be your home PVR at all, but instead wants to take over TV viewing habits altogether. I haven’t decided if it’s good or bad, it’s just different, for now.

Meanwhile, in order not to bore you to death, here are some exciting news from BBC archives. It looks like BBC is planning to have their entire archives online, for viewing, and searchable, I presume. I say this is another excellent step in the right direction for personalized TV.

dishnetwork, tivo, bbc archives

I really think everyone should visit Tivo’s Top 25 Season Passes page once a month or so.

Why? To trust the “mob smarts” to help you figure out what are the best shows out there that you should be spending your precious time on.

If you have a Tivo, you can conveniently click through from Top 25 list and get Season Pass for your self, or choose to record one upcoming episode, to give the show a try, without commitment.

tivo

Is this a new tradition we are starting? Maybe, we’ll see how many sales show up out there!

For starters, if you don’t yet own a DVR, make sure to grab free (refurbished) Series2 Tivo. You will need to commit to 1 year $12.95 per month payments, and I understand that you can’t get a Multi-device discount with this one (for those that already got Tivo and want a second/third/tenth one).

Or, maybe you want to lower your monthly bill, with Tivo or another provider? Here’s is some real-world advice that just may (or may not) work.

And here is another post, about how to extract better deal from your TV provider company. But, what I find most interesting, is the low low prices being paid in Canada, and with HD-DVR too?! How come lowest HDTV package here in the US is usually above $50 and often $70 or more, before premium channels?!?!

Already have Tivo? Did you try Amazon Unbox yet, with their limited time sign-up bonus?

tivo, deals

So your Tivo is overflowing with best shows on TV. You are really trying to watch them all, but who has time these days?

If your Tivo is connected to your home network, here are some of the options:

1. Download and install Tivo Desktop.
2. Use Tivo Desktop software to transfer the shows from Tivo to your computer.

Now you can watch the shows on your home PC even if they are gone from Tivo.
But why stop here? What if you want to watch your shows on the go?

Well, you can always decide to pay some money to good folks at Tivo and get their Tivo Desktop Plus, it will transcode the software into many popular formats.

Or, here are some other ideas:
- I already posted about iPodifier
- What about other portable players? Here is an excellent Primer I came across, covers many options and lots of them using free Open Source tools.

From the portfolio of ideas, I especially like MediaCoder, the open source swiss-army knife of formats conversion. Check out this video overview of best Open Source tools, featuring MediaCoder. The slick presenter is Tom Merit, from C|Net, who’s one of the hosts on the excellent Buzz out Loud podcast, which I enjoy daily.

I am still tinkering with those myself and once I decide on which approach I like best, I promise to come back to this subject.

tivo, tivoToGo, mediacoder

Today lets continue our descent into the World of Media Extenders. With ever growing collection of Digital Media, don’t you wish that you could watch those Tivo shows that recorded yesterday, while your kids are watching their favorite recordings from the day before in the other room?
Well, Media Extenders make it possible, so why not have one with every TV? Most of them operate wirelessly today, by integrating with your home network, so setup is mostly painless.
Something very important to consider, however, is the formats that are supported. Some of them are designed to only extend audio (MP3, WMA, etc.), which is excellent for that old stereo system or speakers, sitting around the house, but not for TV.
The Video ones sport a higher price tag and you have to pay attention to which video formats are supported to figure out which is best for you. I personally prefer Divx encoded videos and we will do a whole separate post to discuss various codecs (and especially to explain this confusing word).
Of course, the good old Tivo is a Media Extender as well, but I find that often Extender scenarios are vice-versa, that is, from Tivo to elsewhere in the household.
Xbox 360 is an excellent HD extender and complete solution for downloading shows directly from the Internet as well, but is one of the most expensive in the category. We enjoy it a lot, though, both as an extender and as a gaming platform.
Here is a an overview of some Media Extenders to get you started. Post in the comments your thoughts or requests for reviews of specific ones.

xbox360, media extenders, tivo

Apparently this offer expires April 30, so get to it! Right now this Amazon/Tivo campaign will give you $15 dollars to buy whatever your heart desires in Movie and TV Show downloads, delivered straight to your Registered Tivo box.

Of course if you did sign up, tell us all about it in comments! I didn’t have a chance to try it myself, but from what I hear, it’s the best thing since sliced bread! If you have your Tivo hooked up to the Internet, I believe that this is one of the easiest ways to get mainstream media downloads straight to your TV. If not, stay tuned for our other ideas.

No Tivo? How about Vongo then?

According to Cnet, and other sources, Daylight Savings Time is changing this year which threatens to affect lots of gadget owners that rely on calendars and accurate times.

Daylight savings will begin three weeks earlier this year, and last one week longer. So consumers may start to worry if their devices don’t record programs correctly.

Fortunately, Tivo said it has updated their software to recognize the new DST. However, if you don’t have Tivo, you may want to check with your local cable provider and ask them if DST is correct on your box. Or if you have a stand-alone box, check your manufacturer’s website.

Last week, I signed up for Tivo Guru Guides, which gives you recommendations from “gurus” like TV Guide, Vogue and Sports Illustrated. They also offer package recommendations like the one currently being promoted about, the Valentine’s Day Guru Guide.

Tivo says this Guru Guide records some of the “world’s most romantic movies”. It’s all very heavy marketing, but I’m a sucker for marketing pitches.

So I signed up for it.

I’ve never tried Guru Guides before, so I’m excited at the content. But what I didn’t like was that I had to give up my privacy. When signing up for the Valentine’s Guru Guide, Tivo presented me with some privacy policy agreement (which I didn’t read). Nevertheless, I agreed to all of it in order to be part of their Guru Guide.

This privacy thing was interesting so I found an entire page that Tivo has dedicated to their privacy policies. Here’s a list of all of them:

Policies

Website Privacy Policy

Website Terms and Conditions (PDF)

TiVo Privacy Policy (Updated May 2006)

White Paper Submitted to the Federal Trade Commission, May 3, 2001 (PDF format)

TiVo Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy

TiVo Inc. Trademark Requirements

Service Agreements:

TiVo Service Payment Plan Terms and Conditions

TiVo Service Agreement For all Series1, Series2 and Series3 digital recorders.

TiVo Multi-Service Discount Agreement For multiple service subscriptions.

TiVo Basic and TiVo Plus Service Agreement For Pioneer and Toshiba DVD products with TiVo service

Terms and Conditions of the TiVo RewardsTM program (As Updated October 12, 2004)

Terms and conditions for TiVo Service Gift Cards

Er, Tivo must have lots of lawyers. Why so many privacy policies and terms and conditions? Having it all in one page really brings out the sheer quantity.

Anyway, I’ll report back tomorrow on the Valentine’s Day Guru Guide suggestions and tell you how it works.

Tivo, DVR, PVR, privacy, digital video recorder, personal video recorder

The partnership between Tivo and Comcast has important implications for Tivo. If successful, it can show that Tivo software can be used in third party hardware.

This can open up a new revenue stream for Tivo and keep it from becoming extinct.

DVR functionality is definitely becoming mainstream and turning into a commodity. Already, many set-top box manufacturers are including basic DVR functions, like pause, rewind and fast forwarding. So the big way that Tivo can differentiate itself is through its branded extras, like “Season Pass”, “Guru Guides” and “Wishlist”. As well as its user interface, with the sounds, graphics and little TV logo.

Much like Apple, Tivo knows how to leverage its marketing and design in order to create a successful product. Tivo also knows what users like and what features are important. Other DVR manufacturers are just playing catch-up when it comes to extra features.

Tivo also wins by integrating the DVR with cable functions, like pay per view ordering and on-demand Comcast content. Integrating the cable box with the DVR will be so common in a few years, that stand-alone DVRs will become a thing of the past.

And that’s why I believe that many Comcast users will switch to Tivo-enabled boxes in droves. Pay a little extra per month, get rid of Comcast’s DVR and get Tivo instead.

If Tivo succeeds with the Comcast partnership, then it point to this success in trying to convince other satellite and cable partners–like AT&T, Dish Networks or maybe even DirecTV–that they can integrate their software into other DVRs.

Already, Tivo is branching out from selling Tivo boxes and subscriptions into other lines of business including:

* Advertising
* DVR Ratings
* DVR Software Integration

Tivo must continue to expand, find more business opportunities and innovate. Otherwise, any other company can come along and topple Tivo from the top.

Tivo, DVR, PVR, digital video recorder, Comcast

In the market for a basic Tivo? I just found out that Radio Shack is giving away an 80-hour Tivo Series 2 box for free!

One warning, however. It’s available in-store only, not online. (But here’s the link anyway.) (Amazon also has the same deal, apparently.)

One more warning. It’s not a dual-tuner. But this is a great as a spare Tivo for the bedroom or den. And don’t forget that you can upgrade the hard drive, if you’re handy with a screwdriver and don’t mind voiding your warranty.

Bonus: If you’re looking for a dual-tuner, Tivo.com has an 80-hour Series 2 dual tuner for $69.99.

Bonus #2: If you’re waiting for the price of Tivo Series 3 DVRs to drop, read this.

Yes, it’s true. Tivo knows when you skip ads.

Tivo knows when you’ve been bad or good. So be good for goodness sake.

A story on SFGate talks about Tivo’s new DVR ratings service called StopWatch that was announced last week. In it, a Tivo representative says this:

“I promise with my hand on a Bible that your data is not being archived and sold,” said Todd Juenger, TiVo’s vice president and general manager of audience research and measurement.”

Um, well at least not individually. Tivo is definitely capturing information from a sample of 20,000 users for its ratings service, however. And I think that’s OK.

But really, your medical records are probably being used in research without your knowledge. Again, it’s used in aggregate form. But medical researchers often use medical records to retroactively look at how care was performed, for example. Aggregate data is OK for most things, so why not for Tivo?

A few years ago, Tivo announced that the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction was the most watched moment, with the most rewinds, during the Superbowl. So Tivo definitely knows what’s going on.

But privacy advocates worry if Tivo can sell individual data. Or release it to the government if they ask for it. After all, Google was cooperating with the U.S. government last year to hand over its search data.

Juenger says in the article:

“If we were subpoenaed by the Justice Department, we would be literally incapable of saying what an individual user was watching,” Juenger said. “It would be impossible.”

But Tivo says that advertisers want more detailed data and they are looking into using a sample of subscribers where personal data will be part of the data.

Hmm. Tivo is swearing it is keeping individual privacy a secret. Should we keep them at their word?

DVR, PVR, Tivo, advertising, Super Bowl, Nielsen, TV ratings, StopWatch, digital video recorder

Rumors of Tivo lowering the price of its Series 3 HD DVRs are running rampant. Well, if rampant you mean just one site so far. But it’s Gizmodo, a big blogging site.

According to rumors, heard by someone speaking to a Tivo customer service rep, Tivo will be lowering the price their Series 3 significantly by the end of 1st quarter 2007.

Currently you have to shell out $800 to get a new Series 3 from Tivo. Although, apparently Amazon has been selling some for $659 or so lately.

The source of the rumor seems very iffy, so I wouldn’t say this is the truth.

But really, if Tivo is looking to really start selling more Series 3 boxes, it must lower its price.

It’s just a matter of time.

According to Alan Graham, of ZDNet’s Web 2.0 blog, Apple wants to kill off Tivo. Already, research firm Frost & Sullivan said recently that Tivo would cease to exist in its current form by 2010.

But the blogosphere is full of criticism for Apple TV. Only the really dedicated Apple fan-boys believe that Apple TV is something really special. Many see it as just another media extender.

Despite all this, Graham believes that Apple TV is poised to knock off Tivo and even become better(!) than Tivo.

Most interestingly he analyzes the cost of using Apple TV and iTunes vs. using cable and Tivo and says that he can save $645 by using Apple TV. He compares the two choices using actual prices for cable service, Tivo costs and Apple TV/iTunes price of content.

Point #1. It’s a Flawed Analysis.

Graham’s analysis is flawed because he doesn’t take into consideration the need for ALL costs to use the Apple TV–it’s not a stand alone device since it requires a computer and Internet connection to work.

So he should add the price of computer (PC or Mac) and Internet access, as well as the price of Apple TV and the actual content. Tivo, on the other hand, is a true stand-alone box and using it with a computer only enhances the experience and gives you access to more of your media.

Point #2. Apple TV Timeshifts?

Graham calls Apple TV a Time Shifting device.

“The point of this device is to replace live television, not enhance it. Just like a DVR, the Apple TV time-shifts content, at least 24 hours from the moment it was originally broadcast. Same function, different approach.”

Um, not really. It’s not the same function at all.

Apple TV only time shifts content that resides on your computer hard drive or downloaded through iTunes. It does not time shift live TV. This is closer to “video-on-demand”. Calling Apple TV a “time-shifting device” is like saying that a DVD does timeshifting because you can pause and rewind your movie.

Also, iTunes offers TV shows but only after they aired over 24 hours ago. That’s a long time to wait, and frankly, that’s not time shifting. That’s time limiting. Don’t put a restriction on when I can watch something.

Point 3: Using iTunes to Download TV Shows Doesn’t Compare to Cable.

Lastly, Graham makes an apples to orange comparison between iTunes/Apple TV and the price of cable for one year. How can you fairly compare the choice you receive with cable compared to the limited amount of TV content in iTunes?

Perhaps a future version of Apple TV can get past all of these issues. But for now, Apple TV has a lot of catching up to do.

Tivo, digital video recorder, DVR, PVR, Apple, Apple TV, iTunes

Why not take your video from your TV to the computer, says Mark Cuban in his blog.

Cuban is the owner of the HDNet channel which only has HD programming, and recently hired Dan Rather for a news show. He argues that using your DVR as a computer is the best way to go since the DVR already sorts, saves and shows TV programming.

He says DVR users should be able to subscribe to Internet content, like YouTube or Google videos, and have them delivered directly to the DVRs, so that people can watch content in high quality using their TVs.

But one DVR already does that. Currently Tivo has TivoCast, which delivers Internet content like Heavy, Cnet video, Rocketboom and New York Times video. It’s nice content, but my main complaint is: Not Enough Content! But there are two things wrong with TivoCast.

1. TivoCast content is not updated very often. Sometimes I notice that there hasn’t been new content in a few days. That’s way too long in Internet time. I’ve seen the same New York Times and Cnet videos on TiVoCast for the last few weeks.

2. Limited TivoCast content. There are limited choices for content. Other than Heavy, Cnet, RocketBoom and New York Times, I don’t subscribe to anything else. I need the freedom to pick my own content from the Internet. For example why not be able to watch YouTube videos? Heck, why not let me surf the Internet or check my e-mail?

I guess I’ll have build my own DVR if I want these added Internet features.

Tivo, DVR, PVR, digital video recorder, Mark Cuban, Tivocast