It’s not surprising to see TiVo go upscale–unfortunately, the company has already lost the war for mainstream DVR users with cheap rental boxes from cable companies. Over at ZDNet, Ed Bott recently wrote an interesting post on the fall of the DVR which noted, among other things, that TiVo’s user base has fallen from a high of 4.4 million in 2007 to 2 million today. It makes sense for it to focus its efforts on the most serious DVR fans, but I’m still sad that TiVo–or its original rival, ReplayTV–never became the pervasive gadget that it seemed like it could be a decade ago.

Is TiVo quietly working on anything that’s not a beefier model of its current box but something all-new, and maybe designed for a world in which recording TV is less important than streaming TV? I hope so.

I’m still a happy owner of a TiVo Series 3 (the last generation before the current generation); about 90% of the cable TV I watch is really TiVo’d cable TV. It does the job for me. (I rarely want to watch or record two things at once, let alone four.) I paid for lifetime service for this box and plan to run it into the ground. And if the day comes when I’m in the market for another DVR, I really hope that I’m moved to get another TiVo rather than break down and rent a lowest-common-denominator cable-company DVR.

Then again, by the time I can’t get this TiVo to work, it’s at least conceivable that I’ll have dumped cable altogether…

The new TiVo Advisors survey is far more interesting than most, spelling out a number of “potential products and features.” On the hardware front, two very specific devices are described:

• A companion device for your DVR. It allows a second TV (in another room) to watch live TV (in HD) and also watch the recordings from your DVR.
• A 4-tuner high-definition DVR that allows you to record up to 4 shows at one time (and watch a 5th show that is previously recorded).

If asked to prioritize the two, I’d probably split the difference – as an extender, with live TV capabilities, obviously complements a large capacity 4-tuner TiVo. Of course, we already know a non-DVR TiVo set-top and whole home streaming are in beta testing. But this could be the first time we’ve seen explicit mention of a 4 tuner DVR.

While there was no mention of TiVo actually completing the Premiere’s high definition user interface (HDUI), they do bring up quite a few possible software enhancements (see pic, below right). Two in particular that I’d appreciate:

• From any one DVR in your home, view a single, integrated list of “all” the TV shows and movies that have been recorded on any DVR in the home.
• For channels you receive in HD, automatically hide the standard definition versions from the onscreen program guide.

Again, we know some of this is coming. In fact, the sluggish but visually rich Discovery Bar was originally pitched to me as a sort of browser history and customizeable menu (in addition to featuring advertising and content suggestions):

In fact, power users can adjust the type and frequency of content – including pinning your favorite apps like Netflix.

…which sounds a lot like “customize a list of shortcuts to your favorite tasks”

It’s good to see TiVo thinking about these things. But, it’d be even better if they released them. And to retail customers. The TiVo Premiere has been shipping over a year, yet Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin TiVo is the only one with a complete HDUI. Which kinda puts things in perspective.

(Thanks, tipsters B and S!)

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny)

While we generally shy away from rumor and speculation, TiVo’s been pretty quiet as they approach the one year anniversary of Premiere retail availability. Given our site heritage and interests, the lack of news out of Alviso can be frustrating. So we’ve whipped up a post based purely on hearsay, but one that hopefully gives some indication what TiVo is quietly working on.

Hulu

Access to Hulu Plus from TiVo DVRs was announced way back in September and expected to launch “in the coming months.” Yet we’re wrapping up month six and who knows what Hulu may look like when TiVo’s app ultimately launches. Engadget’s received word that beta testing is underway. While I can’t corroborate with 100% certainty, I’ve seen purported blurry cam video footage of the service and, at least on a cursory basis, the interface looks quite similar to Hulu’s other set-top box offerings (like Roku and PS3). If Hulu Plus is indeed in beta testing, I’d expect the TiVo app would be ready to go live in the very near future. However, in the past Hulu has dictated partner announcements and product releases. So its launch may be held until the news can be bundled. For example, we’re still awaiting Hulu Plus on the Xbox 360.

Streaming

Regulars know I’ve been disappointed in TiVo’s multi-room viewingtechnology. Most whole home solutions stream content room to room, whereas TiVo played it safe early on by merely copying shows on demand – given their own prior hardware limitations and home network concerns. However, we’re collectively at a better place on the technological front while we’re conversely limited by obtuse cable policies designed to prevent piracy (but actually do nothing more than inhibit valid, secure usage). According to this anonymous commentand anonymous private correspondence, TiVo may be currently testing Premiere-to-Premiere streaming. Unfortunately, older hardware won’t benefit from this solution. And while TiVo could artificially draw the line in the sand, TiVo Series3 and HD hardware truly would struggle with real time HD streaming in many network environments.

Extender

Last week, online logs revealed new TiVo hardware without storage capabilities and new product numbers have been identified. Based on the timing and an offhanded remark, I assumed the non-DVR Best Buy TiVo smart TV is nearing launch. And it very well may be. But this anonymous comment and anonymous private correspondence suggest a TiVo extender is currently being tested.

This unit is described as very slim and the flattened TiVo Premiere above is purely a mockup. As an extender, this unit would is not designed to record television content but rather would receive streamed recordings from a TiVo DVR elsewhere in one’s home. Additionally, unlike Moxi’s extender solution, TiVo’s play will reportedly tune live cable television via an M-Card. Of course, TiVo’s Internet apps would also be available. Supposedly the new extender hardware leverages multimedia over coax (MoCA) networking… which makes sense as TiVo joined the Alliance last year. And in various forums, TiVo has more than alluded to a beefed up “multi-room and non-DVR platforms.” But it’s generally been specific to cable partners (Suddenlink, Charter), rather than an outright foreshadowing of new retail products.

For a retail customer such as myself to take advantage of a MoCA-based TiVo extender, I’d either need a MoCA network adapter near my existing Premiere. Or perhaps there’s a Premiere+ under development with integrated MoCA capabilities (and hopefully more tuners). Actually, I assume there must be such a product in the pipeline. But given factors like the still incomplete HDUI and limited advertising, as I’ve been saying for quite awhile now, it appears retail takes a backseat to TiVo’s cable and satellite partners (and even litigation) these days. However, should an extender become available, I’d be down for two. Assuming a small or non-existant monthly service charge.

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

As regulars know, we recently left the cable hegemony behind in favor of Verizon’s FiOS TV…. to overcome switched digital video (SDV) tuning adapter flakiness and a CCI Byte content lockdown that essentially neutered our TiVo ecosystem. And, on the technological front, we couldn’t be happier. (But I may follow up with a less glowing billing and support post, as many of you cautioned.)

We’re a three TV/DVR household, although currently only possess two televisions — one powered by a TiVo Premiere and the other powered by the Verizon FiOS DVR shown above. So the question is, what DVR will power TV #3 when the time comes?

Now that Cox Communication’s CCI Byte “guilty until proven innocent” restriction is behind me, TiVo once again provides multi-room viewing. Although my mothballed TiVo HD and Series 3 may not have the bandwidth to move content wirelessly in real time between DVRs, the way I could Premiere to Premiere. On the FiOS TV front, most of us are still running Interactive Media Guide (IMG) 1.8… which doesn’t utilize a 16:9 UI and multi-room viewing is limited to a DVR hub feeding set-tops. However, testing is underway for version 1.9 and deployment should begin in the near future. And I’m quite interested…

In my mind, the top FiOS TV IMG 1.9 features are the inclusion of a true 16:9 HD interface, support for external storage, and DVR-to-DVR multi-room viewing capabilities. On the storage expansion front, I get the sense that Verizon will offer some sort of officially supported eSATA drives. However, drives won’t need to be purchased through Verizon or even approved. Grab a drive and go. Now original FiOS TV customers may be running older Motorola hardware without eSATA support and it’s my understanding they’ll be able to upgrade their DVRs for free. Whereas folks with newer hardware who happen to want the newest hardware (with larger internal drive and more attractive enclosure) will be subject to a one-time $39 upgrade fee.

The new FiOS TV DVR-to-DVR streaming functionality of 1.9 seems like a no brainer and I was surprised it wasn’t already present. Verizon offers two tiers of DVRs — the hardware is the same, but the price and functionality vary. The typical DVR runs $15/month, while the “Home Media DVR” enables multi-room viewing and relaying content PC-to-DVR for $20/mo. In the new DVR-to-DVR configuration only one unit needs to be at the $20 tier. (Surely there’s a simpler way to sell and explain this functionality?) However, what you end up with sounds very similar to TiVo’s existing MRV service. When what I really want is a unified whole-home playlist. Additionally, let’s move to collaborative scheduling… if one DVR happens to be out of tuners, record my show on another unit. If one DVR is low on drive space, record on one with more available overhead. While this won’t be present in IMG 1.9, I know it’s something Verizon is looking at. And the possibilities make me giddy.

On the iPad front, both TiVo and FiOS TV offer iPad apps. TiVo’s is more powerful and more attractive. But I find myself using Verizon’s more when channel surfing live TV, given the traditional grid guide and “What’s Hot” thumbnails displaying popular shows in my region. (Although it’s not exactly real-time, maybe delayed 10-15 minutes?)

One last note, based on the FiOS TV Twitter feed and unrelated to DVR functionality: the next two HD channels Verizon will offer are Black Entertainment Television (BET) and Fox Soccer Channel (FSC), in that order. Neither do much for me, but I just discovered we receive the Big Ten Network (in HD) and enjoyed a few minutes of Wisconsin/Nebraska wrestling last night (even though it made me feel old and out of shape).

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

TiVo’s iPad app, announced in November, is now available via the the App Store.

I’ve had app on hand for several weeks now, and I quite like it. Whereas TiVo has been lagging the competition in providing this sort of functionality, they may have just leap frogged nearly all contenders in producing both a beautiful and functional television companion. Of course, it’s only a companion for TiVo Premiere owners. But perhaps there are a few more this week given that amazing $65 Woot deal.

The app itself is quite comprehensive. Who needs picture-in-guide when you can manage just about every meaningful element of your TiVo from an iPad without interrupting the television viewing experience. Remote control? Check. Guide? Check. Season Passes, To Do List, Now Playing? Check, check, check. Plus, you know no app is complete these days without the ability to share on Twitter and Facebook. So they’ve checked that off, too. Bonus — portrait and landscape views for any/every screen.

Is TiVo’s iPad companion enough to jump from another DVR solution? For most, probably not. But it’s a significant enhancement for Premiere owners. If I had to nitpick, the interface can be cramped at times and upcoming shows are presented as a variant of TiVo’s “live guide” – yet I’d prefer a traditional grid guide, similar to say the FiOS TV iPad app, as a perennial channel surfer. But overall I’m stoked with TiVo’s progress is this arena. Plus, I expect continued development and additional platforms (Android?) going forward.

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

TiVo, the original personal TV box, is facing new competition from Apple TV, Roku, the Boxee Box, Logitech’s Google-based Revue, and other Johhnie-come-lately gizmos. Most of them cost less than TiVo, and none of them require a monthly fee. And the company is responding with a holiday offer–good through December 31st–that brings the price of a TiVo box from $299.99 down to $99.99, the same amount you’d pay for an Apple TV or Roku’s midrange version. It’s calling this an “instant savings” of $200. And there’s even an option to pay nothing up-front at all.

Except…it’s nowhere as simple as that. Actually, figuring out how much TiVo costs, and which version to buy, just got more confusing.

The company is now offering three purchase options for its standard Premiere box:

• $299.99 for the box and $12.95 a month, with a one-year minimum;
• $99.99 for the box and $19.99 a month, with a one-year minimum;
• $0 for the box and $19.99 a month, with a two-year minimum.

With any of the options, you’re locking into the monthly fee–either $12.95 or $19.99–for as long as you use the box.

So which deal is the best buy? That’s a surprisingly difficult question to answer. If you use the TiVo for two years, the free-box option is your cheapest choice (at a total of $479.76) and the $299.99 option is the costliest (at a total of $610.79). But if you use the TiVo for four years, the free box ends up costing you a total of $1059.51 and the $299.99 one costs only $921.59.

You could also choose to pay $99.99 for the box plus $19.99 a month–the deal which TiVo is promoting as the exciting limited-time holiday special. But this only makes sense if you use the TiVo for more than one year but less than two years. And if you don’t love the thing so much that you want to use it for at least two years, it doesn’t make sense to buy it in the first place. Spend your $99 on an Apple TV or a Roku instead, and skip the monthly fees.

(If you fail to complete your contract, you’ll pay an early-termination fee–I’m not even going to try to do the math on that.)

Then there’s the option to pay $299.99 for the box and a flat rate of $399 for service for the life of the box. A TiVo representative told me that this offer is no longer available to new buyers, and it’s no longer prominent on TiVo’s site, but it’s still mentioned here, on a page that was updated yesterday. If it is still a possibility, it’s the smartest economic decision as long as you use the TiVo for at least two years and seven months.

TiVo’s explanation of the pricing plans talks about the device being yours to keep with no obligation once you’ve completed the contract, but the box turns into a doorstop the moment you stop paying the monthly fee. And while all this sounds a bit like the hoops you’ll jump through when you buy a cell phone, there’s one difference: Cell-phone companies generally don’t charge you more for service when you get the phone for cheap. With TiVo, the “instant savings” aren’t really long-term savings–you start paying them back the moment you use the service, in the form of a 55 percent higher monthly service charge than if you’d paid a higher price for the hardware.

TiVo has a history of changing its pricing structure every so often: Here’s a 2006 USA Today story about an earlier move to multiple options with varying hardware and service costs.

I’ve been a happy TiVo owner for years. I recommend TiVo frequently. In some ways it’s better than the new, more Internet-centric competition, and I want to see it do well. But the confusing structure of its pricing options and the questionable value of the $99.99 deal makes me unhappy. Adding complexity to the buying process won’t help TiVo keep up with the times; it might even scare consumers off, or lead them to make purchase decisions they’ll later regret.

Suggestion for TiVo: How about adding “Your total cost” details for the various options to make buying a little less baffling–and refraining from using the phrase “instant savings,” since it’s just plain misleading?

An IBM data center in North Carolina

How is IBM funneling its vast resources into research around future products and services? At a press and analyst day last week in New York City, the company talked up projects around replacing today’s flash-based SSDs (solid state drives) with new PCM (phase change memory) technology and dropping DVRs (digital video recorders) in favor of video storage clouds.

IBM is about to start field tests with cable TV companies around new cloud-based video storage services for consumers, said Steve Canepa, general manager for IBM’s Global Media & Entertainment Industry Division.

Meanwhile, for businesses, Big Blue is eyeing the release in another four years of new storage servers based on PCM, according to other speakers at the press event on Thursday in midtown Manhattan.

PCM gadgets from consumer electronics  makers will probably start showing up a year or two from now, predicted Alan Ganek, CTO and VP of Strategy and Technology in the IBM Software Group. IBM’s upcoming PCM storage servers will be “revolutionary,” contended Rod Adkins, senior VP of IBM’s Systems and Technology Group.

Canepa says that video storage clouds will benefit users and cable providers alike by eliminating the need for providers to dispatch trucks to people’s houses to fix or replace broken DVR set top boxes. Cable networks will be able to store people’s recorded TV shows, along with personal videos and copies of movies purchased on DVD.

“Send in your home video, and serve it up to the network,” he elaborated.

Yet while some companies might like to move consumers’ videos into the cloud, cable and satellite TV providers have also been prepping new features, such as remote scheduling, and “whole home DVR” to improve existing DVR technology.

Ganek told me IBM is now working with chip makers on adapting PCM for use in servers, as a substitute for the contemporary flash storage techniques now supporting SSDs.

Windows 7 contains new “optimizations” for running well on flash-based SSDs, and prices on SSDs have been falling.

Yet flash SSD faces capacity and scaleability limits, and its performance can be “erratic,” Ganek said.

Combining characteristics of RAM with NOR and NAND flash memory, PCM is much more scaleable and reliable, for dependable use across large systems like storage servers, according to the IBM CTO. Like NOR and NAND flash, PCM is nonvolatile. Therefore, it doesn’t need a constant power supply in order to hold on to data.

In addition, others have noted that unlike those two flash technologies, PCM doesn’t rely on floating gate memory structures, which store electrons. Floating gate memory structures can be hard to scale because if the memory cell is made to shrink, the number of electrons also shrinks.

Similarly to NOR and NAND, PCM also boasts fast random access times. Moreover, write performance is considered by some to be much higher for PCM than for NOR and NAND flash.

Part of the reason for the faster write speeds is that PCM is “bit alterable,” meaning that it doesn’t entail a time-consuming separate erase step for changing stored information from one to zero — or from zero to one, for that matter.

The TiVo Slide uses Bluetooth to talk to all recent Tivos (the Premiere, HD, and Series 3), which means you don’t need to worry about pointing it at the DVR or whether there’s any furniture, pets, or children in the way; it comes with a USB Bluetooth adapter, which presumably helps to explain the pricetag. (The Slide costs almost a third as much as a Tivo Premiere itself–it would be nice if TiVo offered a Tivo-plus-Slide bundle at at least a modest discount.)

For as long as people have been entering alphanumeric text on TVs–which would be since home video games got high-score features, I guess–they’ve mostly been doing it via arrow keys and cumbersome on-screen keyboards. TiVo’s standard text-entry system isn’t bad, relatively speaking, but I’m always in favor of physical plastic QWERTY keys when available…

After several months of private testing, followed by an open beta, DirecTV has formally introduced their whole-home DVR service. As a fan of the ‘hub and spoke’ digital distribution model, the MoCA-based solution looks quiet compelling. Of course, DirecTV subscribers would need at least one HD DVR. But each additional room (up to 15!) can be outfitted with a less pricey HD receiver to schedule or view recordings from the primary DVR. Free would be nice, but you really can’t go wrong a low $3 monthly surcharge.

Thanks, Jon!

(This post republished from Zatz Not Funny.)

Snapstream’s 50-tuner DVR demo.

HP: the future is memristors.

I’m no longer a PC?

Best Buy to get Nook?

Windows 7 SP1 has leaked.

AT&T: We’re ready for iPad.

Edit Go0gle Docs on iPad.

Gmail’s spam filter: too aggressive?

_______________________

Like 5Words? Subscribe via RSS.