TiVo, success or failure?

[Lex]

This concerns me greatly. TiVo, a well established programmable television recorder it seems coming under fire from the entertainment industry now. Stocks down from a 70.00 high to single digits now, due to fears that TiVo will go belly up due to entertainment industry litigation. They are saying TiVo could soon run out of cash. This concerns me for several reasons.

Now, they are saying TiVo is ripe for a Steve Jobs takeover. That even with some changes, if anyone can handle the entertainment industry, it's Jobs. But TiVo could still change, as in someday, when your fast forwarding, and it comes to a commercial, the recorder would stop fast forwarding and revert to play, just so we can watch their ads.

What will Jobs in control mean?

What happens if TiVo does go belly up. Are our recorders basically paperweights without program downloads? Or at best, only time recorders?

[editorial on]
If it comes to that. I think we all should record on the old VCR everything we want to watch, just so I can fast forward commercials. I don't think we can let the entertainment industry win this battle. WE are in control of what we watch, not them- If they think they can control us and manipulate us in this manner, we should all turn our TVs off. We should not allow them to have this much control over us.
[editorial off]


Read the whole article here:

http://www.business2.com/articles/mag/0,1640,48682,00.html?CNN=yes

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Brandon B]

Don't think there is any actual activity on the Apple buying Tivo front, just wishful analysis by the author of teh article. I agree it would probably help the company though.

As to what it would mean for the product, can't imagine it would be anything but good as far as useability and quality. Downsides might be price and if he decieds to tie it to his digital hub idea of the Mac, might leave Windows PCs with a second rate ability to interconnect (even though that would be lame).

I also don't know if the $5 service will compete as easily as the author is concerned it will. IMO most people already don't want to give the cable co any more money, and they almost certainly have a VCR. The ones who will seems to me would appreciate the better control with a Tivo, ESPECIALLY if the cablecos are locking out commercial skipping.

O/T, anyone interested in Macs or just CPU design, ArsTechnica's Hannibal has done Part II of his review of the PPC 970 chip design, how it will comapre to present G4's, and to P4 performace when it rolls out.

http://arstechnica.com/cpu/03q1/ppc970/ppc970-0.html

Upshot is it will trounce the G4 at same Hz. At 2/3 the Hz of a P4, P4 will dominate on integer, FP winner will depend on code, and in vector calcs, the PPC will easily win.

BB

[David Meek]

[rant on]

My TiVo has become one of the "indispensible" items in our household. I, my wife AND my kids love it and live by its capabilities to time-shift, search out programs and SKIP COMMERCIALS. This whole content provider assault on our rights and our abilities to NOT WATCH WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO WATCH has got to be stopped. This is plainly an attack on our constitutional rights to free speech - and it's implicit companion - the right to watch, listen and/or read only what we want. The article's comments about Steve Jobs are a good idea and have a great deal of merit, but that should not be the only options we have to exercise.

It is getting very close to the point where I am ready to say to Hell with the studios, the RIAA and the uber-manipulative corporations. I'll watch (exclusively) purchased DVD's and HD-DVD's and listen to CDs, DVD-As and SACD for music. I do not have to listen to or watch commercials if I don't want to - especially if they are trying to force me to have to do so. This may sound extremist, but taken in concert with the down-res'ing of analog HD signals (which I'll suffer from as my expensive HD-RPTV only has analog inputs), I've about had it.

[/rant on]

P.S. Responses to my comments are welcome, but I can still choose not to read them. :alol:




David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker

[George Bellefontaine]

I still use a vcr for what little off air recording I do. But I hate to see anything like TiVo endagered.




My Homepage!

[Lex]

Well, I was shocked by the apparent tumble of TiVo. I thought everything was blissful. The marriage of the DirecTV receiver and TiVo, price increase on lifetime subscription, (life of recorder, not yours).

I'm like David, I live by my TiVo when watching TV. As an early adopter, I've had plenty of time to realize the benefits of TiVo and now can't live iwthout it. In fact, for time ahead and back scrolling, I may go ahead and pick up another Tivo or two, just in case they do kill it. I may not be able to do season passes, or even see what's on in the directory, but by gosh at least I can still scan through commercials if I have "time ahead", ha.

David, your rant is exactly what more of us are going to have to do. Let the entertainment industry realize, they cannot control us. We will turn the set off, and sit on the back porch listening to old albums if we have to, to avoid their marketing "railroad" machine.

Another concern I have. As they realize more of us spend time watching movies on DVD, that commercialization of those occurs as well, with intermissions brought to you "by", watermarked promotional messages during the films even! Heaven forbid.

Lex




Cable Guy DVD Collection

[Burke Strickland]

I'd really hate to see TIVO go under for whatever reasons (but especially if it is due to litigation from the "entertainment" industry). I can see that it would be a very useful tool in households where there is a lot of TV viewing going on. Probably indispensible if more than one show is on in a given timeslot that people want to see. However, since the Tonight show typically comes on at a time when I can at least watch the opening monlogue, and it really has no worthwhile competition in its timeslot, :>) and if I miss it, my world manages to stay in orbit for at least another day, :>), I've never bought a TIVO myself.

Burke

[Robbie]

This whole content provider assault on our rights and our abilities to NOT WATCH WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO WATCH has got to be stopped. This is plainly an attack on our constitutional rights to free speech -

Not to be a fly in the ointment but although I understand your statement I also see the fallacy in it. How can one expect the constitutin to be upheld for them but not for others. No one's forcing you to watch the commercials, are you tied down in your chair? Also for the privilage of time shifting, recording pausing you pay a fee. Therefore the idea of FREE speech is a moot point. If you don't like it don't pay for it.

In addition there are alternatives. Satellite for instance. Dish has Dish Player which costs nothing and has the same functionality.

And to think, I remember when I felt lucky when we had 4 channels and color.

Good watching

Robbie

...now wait a minute while I step out of the room :twisted: