Saturday, 1 November 2008

TiVo Has Until Feb ’09

“But TiVo has repeatedly failed to gain traction in the marketplace even though it has been hard at work creating innovative ad solutions and coming up with ways to help advertisers and networks recoup ad dollars.” – Meghan Keane

I’d flip it around – Tivo has failed to gain traction specifically because it’s been hard at work creating innovative ad solutions.

Rather than focusing on replicating the clutter and distraction of broadcast advertising, TiVo should have been focusing on improving the experience of capturing internet-based video 1. Completely bypassing the confusion of the switch to digital broadcast and making browsing YouTube on your TV as easy as browsing YouTube not on your TV.

Maybe even go so far as offering a box without a TV tuner – internet only.

But they didn’t and like Palm, their lunch was eaten by Apple.

My broadcast TV viewing has dropped precipitously since we purchased the TiVo 3 yrs ago. It’s down to 1 or 2 programs that TiVo rarely captures in any watchable way, and TV via Netflix.

Just yesterday I received an email from TiVo offering me $100 off their HD box – bringing the price down to $200 + service. Will we upgrade when our standard TiVo turns into a doorstop?

Right now, I’d put money on us dropping broadcast TV altogether. It’s not how I see us interacting with video after Feb 2009.

1. TiVo’s Future is in Videoblogs Not in Network Television

Thursday, 11 September 2008

Asks: Should We Buy a HD TiVo?

Our Series2 TiVo is on its last legs. With each passing day, its over-the-air recordings (we’re a no cable household) are more and more unwatchable, while digital over-the-air recordings are getting more stable. But seriously, TV without TiVo is like email without a spam filter.

Back in January, I replaced our DVD player w/ a Mac Mini. Since then, none of TiVo’s non-TV features have been used (music, podcast, etc) – simply because TiVo’s UI was too much of a PITA compared to Front Row & OS X.

The Mini’s secondary job is to play Netflix disks and does so with far fewer curse words1 than the dedicated DVD player it replaced.

In a world where; there’s a computer already plugged into our TV, NBC is back on iTunes, Hulu.com gaining traction, and the Roku box, dropping $200+ on a HD TiVo for over-the-air programming seems questionable.

What would you do?

UPDATE 12 JUNE 2009
The Tivo HD is now on order. Lifetime service.

1. I won’t get into my complaints about iTunes and Front Row here – they deserve their own post. 😉

Saturday, 20 January 2007

Putting the Digital Video ‘in’ Digital Video Recorder

Back in December 2005 I wrote:

“Now, despite the TiVo being a Linux box and hooked up to my network – I can’t easily send video to it. To be clear – I don’t want to get video off it – I want to put video on it. Easily. As easily as setting up a Season Pass.”

This morning, I read this from Mark Cuban:

“Can user generated content be uploaded to cable or satellite companies and then delivered as regular TV to be played back from a settop box or DVR.” – Mark Cuban

It’s nice to see these ideas gaining traction with those more familiar with delivering video than I am.

Sunday, 7 January 2007

Internet-to-TV: How to Beat TiVo

“Sling Media’s entertainment division, told B&C that through SlingCatcher, users will be able to…bring online video content to the TV.”

[via Fimoculous]

The idea of getting any internet-delivered video presented on a television is something I’ve talked about here and here.

ELSEWHERE

“the SlingCatcher is different from other digital media servers because it just relays whatever is on your PC screen to your TV, without file conversions.” – Om Malik

“One way or the other, the line between broadcast/cable TV and internet TV will disappear and quickly.” – Jeff Jarvis

UPDATE
Apple TV just made TiVo obsolete. Sure, it’s tied tightly to iTunes. But I as long as I can avoid the DRM of the iTunes Store, the TiVo can collect dust.

Apple’s up 7.5 points on the announcements.

Wednesday, 13 December 2006

Thursday, 19 October 2006

TiVo Being Funny

I’ve mentioned before how desperate our TiVo is to recommend its paltry selection of over the air broadcast to us. The other day, I saw Jen delete a bunch of Hogan’s Heros from TiVo’s recommendations.

Uh. I kinda wanted to….oh, forget it.

Then tonight, going through the Now Playing, 3 of the Scrubs recordings were in fact – Hogan’s Heros.

Ha.

TiVo really wants us to watch Hogan’s Heros and is masking it as Scrubs. Funny.

Or maybe, like the recent Amazing Race problems – the broadcaster is just screwing with the schedules.

I like the former option better.

Monday, 9 October 2006

Amazing Race Season 10 – Episode 3 & 4

CBS and TiVo have been fighting the past few Sunday nights – CBS has been throwing off the start time of the Amazing Race by 15 to 30 minutes, and TiVo – hasn’t been able to figure it out.

Since we only watch AR via TiVo. We’ve been missing the back half of each AR. Not cool. Completely blowing my enthusiasm for CBS, Amazing Race, and TiVo.

Blah.

Tuesday, 12 September 2006

Tivo HD vs Apple iTV

Jen and I talked about Baby Tivo recently. It’s a paltry 40gig, single-tuner. But, sans-cable, it serves us well.

Today, Apple announced their iTV, shipping sometime next year. Priced at $300, plays HD video, HDMI ports, wifi, Front Row (or something like it), everything you’d expect (maybe a DVD drive?).

Then later today, I received an email from TiVo announcing their HD Tivo Series3. 300 hours, dual tuner, THX-certified, all the TiVo goodness – $800+ monthly service plan.

Uhhhh. Hmmmmm.

I agree with Kottke. It doesn’t add up. Especially since I know some early adopters who were less than thrilled.

TiVo’s great – but only because there’s no alternative worth talking about. Apple just might make this interesting. For a difference of $500 bucks, I’m cool with watching this play out.

Wednesday, 2 August 2006

Tivo Time Travel to Late 80’s Videoblogs

Some how, early last month, Tivo found a Saturday Night Live from 1989 and obediently recorded it.

Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller (does the map behind him remind you of Rocketboom?), Al Franken’s one-man mobile uplink (early video-blogger?). This is the SNL I caught on satellite TV working late as a farmhand.

Low budget effects, talent cracking themselves up, it all felt very videobloggy. Coincidence?

Doubtful.

Lots of jokes about George Bush (Senior) – the jokes are still funny. In sad, cynical, ‘things have gotten worse’ kinda way.

As and added bonus, 10,000 Maniacs – for Jen, I preferred Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians.

Tuesday, 30 May 2006

Videos Tab in TiVo Desktop – Video Blogs Now Playing – Nearly.

There’s an Easter Egg in the version 1.9.3 of the TiVo Desktop software for Mac. Flipping the right switch in the Preference Pane’s preference shows a new ‘Videos’ tab.

Restarting the server and scrolling to the bottom of ‘Now Playing’ shows my MacBook.

I’m very pleased they put my videos in ‘Now Playing’ (even at the bottom), rather than buried within the clumsily labeled ‘Music, Photos, Products, & More’ where they put the rest of my stuff. I’m glad we’re that much closer to the TiVo future I mentioned a while back.

On the downside, the TiVo still only understands MPEG-2 files. Not very popular round the videoblog-o-sphere. So, there’s a conversion step needed (Tivoizer to the rescue). Bah.

Though baby steps are baby steps.