TiVo Goes BroadBand With New Services


No surprise that TiVo needs to continue to innovate what its boxes are capable of to keep from losing to satellite/cable-company DVRs. The latest features, or at least the five announced this morning, “will allow consumers to get broadband delivered video right to their TV set and include it as part of a simple and easy viewing experience.” So, for starters the boxes will allow you to set up your own private TV network using your own home movies to share with friends and families via your broadband connection and TiVos. Also, new autotranscode PC software will allow “to easily browse, transfer, and watch a vast amount of Web video, right on their TV sets.” The new software, TiVo Desktop Plus 2.4 will be available to TiVo subscribers for a one-time fee of $24.95, and will be a free upgrade for subscribers who purchased version 2.3.

The other three features include:

Unified Search –TiVo unveiled “unified search,” launching next year, whereby consumers can search across broadcast, cable and broadband content sources through an approach that seamlessly integrates all video for easy access, menuing, searching, recording, and viewing. Consumers want content from many different sources and with unified search they won’t need to visit multiple devices to view that content – it can all be easily accessed in one place from the TiVo “Now Playing” list.

ICM – With broadband video choices, the number of TV options available became overwhelming, and celebrity talent became critical “key words” for viewers finding what they want. TiVo and ICM have teamed up to provide TiVo subscribers with TV show and film recommendations personally selected by some of the most well-known Hollywood actors and directors. These celebrity Guru Guides will offer subscribers the ability to have this content automatically recorded on their TiVo boxes. This demonstrates how TiVo continues to weave itself into the true fabric of the media industry, now providing a means by which entertainment talent can establish a direct relationship with TiVo viewers on their TV sets.

New TiVoCast Service Programming Partners – A fresh group of media companies, including CBS Interactive, Forbes and specialized health content, will deliver broadband programming directly to the television through TiVo’s revolutionary TiVoCast service. Launched earlier this year, the TiVoCast service delivers broadband video directly to the television sets of TiVo subscribers, turning Web video into television by bringing powerful broadband content previously available only on the PC.

I don’t know that any of these things would encourage me to step out and buy a new TiVo box, but it is certainly would be encouragement to keep my subscription paid. Please, by all means, let us know what you think. Does any of this really make you want a TiVo over any other DVR service?

TIVO INTRODUCES NEW SERVICE FEATURE THAT ALLOWS HOME MOVIES TO BE SENT OVER THE INTERNET DIRECTLY TO TELEVISION SETS [press release]
TIVO ALLOWS VIEWERS TO CHOOSE BROADBAND VIDEO DELIVERED TO TV SET [press release]