Dec 23

TiVo, Sony and others to FCC: ‘gateways’ should replace CableCARD

Posted in: sony, tivo, Today's Chili, verizon
Cable Gateway Diagram
All the comments to the FCC in response to the call for ideas to replace the failed CableCARD idea were due this week so we spent a little time reading a few of them and found some overwhelming trends. Everyone seems to applaud the death of CableCARD and is pushing for an end to the associated mandates as well as those related to 1394. Neither of these two ideas worked out as planned as is evident by the fact that most consumers don’t use them. What’s more interesting though is the recommendations and none were as detailed and thought out as TiVo’s — although we admit we didn’t read them all. The idea TiVo and others are getting behind is what might be known as a gateway, which we envision would look a lot like a cable modem. The key here is that while various gateways would be available depending on the medium your preferred provider used (coax, satellite, fiber), they’d all share a common interface on the consumer side and as you might expect this common interface would be of the IP variety with standard internet protocols like HTTP and SSL on top of it.

Continue reading TiVo, Sony and others to FCC: ‘gateways’ should replace CableCARD

TiVo, Sony and others to FCC: ‘gateways’ should replace CableCARD originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 25

TiVo, Virgin Media Partner for Tivo-Branded HDTVs

Posted in: tivo, Today's Chili

Thumbnail image for tivo logo.JPG

TiVo is kicking off the holiday weekend with a little deal making.

On Tuesday, the company teamed up with Google to allow the search engine giant access to its data as part of Google’s TV Ad program. Now, TiVo is also partnering with Virgin Media Inc. to develop Virgin’s next-generation TV platform.

TiVo will develop a broadband-enabled interface that will power Virgin America’s high-definition set-top boxes. TiVo will be the exclusive software provider for next-generation Virgin TV’s and Virgin Media will be the only distributor of TiVo services and technology in the United Kindgom.

“The superiority of our fiber-optic network combined with TiVo’s capabilities, will allow us to offer consumers the most significantly advanced and compelling TV service available in the UK, and we believe will do to the TV market what Virgin Media has done to the high speed broadband market,” Neil Berkett, CEO of Virgin, said in a statement.

Virgin Media currently expects its first TiVo co-branded product in 2010.

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Nov 24

Google and TiVo partner to analyze viewer data, sell ads, get filthy rich

Posted in: ads, advertising, Google, GoogleTv, Television, tivo, Today's Chili, TV

We’re actually sort of surprised that this hasn’t happened earlier, but TiVo and Google announced a data-sharing partnership today that’ll give the Google TV team access to TiVo’s second-by-second viewing data — anonymized, of course. That means advertisers who buy their TV ads through Google will only have to pay for the ads that customers actually watch — a system the networks obviously aren’t so keen on, but which makes total sense given Google’s pay-per-impression online advertising model. Google’s already processing a billion remote clicks a day as part of a similar deal it’s had with Dish Network since April, so the new TiVo data should just help Mountain View inch its claws even deeper into our everyday lives. Happy future.

Google and TiVo partner to analyze viewer data, sell ads, get filthy rich originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 24

Google to Collect TiVo Ad Data

Posted in: Google, tivo, Today's Chili

google logo.jpgTiVo and Google said Tuesday that the two companies have teamed up to allow Google access to data collected as part of Google’s TV Ad program.

The data collected will only be used with Google’s TV Ads, a specialized program, that as the name suggests supplies ads to TV platforms. To date, Google has served 100 billion ad impressions, and has collected data from several million TV viewers, Google said.

As Google executives indicated at the Streaming Media West conference last week, Google prizes access to data, and the additional information provided by the ad feedback will certainly be of interest to its ad team. The data will be collected anonymously on a second-by-second basis covering digital cable, satellite, over the air, and other media.

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Nov 06

TiVo’s AN0100 802.11n WiFi adapter hits the FCC, stirs up imaginations

Posted in: stream, streaming, tivo, Today's Chili, wifi

TiVo’s Wireless G USB network adapter has been out and about since late 2005, so to say an 802.11n version is past due would be understating things dramatically. At long last, it seems as if high-speed network access is coming to the heralded DVR, with an AN0100 802.11n AP recently splashing down at the FCC. There’s no instruction manual or indication of whether this is the device we’ve been waiting for in order to stream networked media to the TV through one’s TiVo, but why else would the outfit bother with tossing out a new dongle with support for higher throughput? We know, we’re letting ourselves get a bit too optimistic here — but c’mon, can you really blame us?

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TiVo’s AN0100 802.11n WiFi adapter hits the FCC, stirs up imaginations originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 15

HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now

Posted in: app, Apple, AppStore, cellphones, iPhone, tivo, Today's Chili

Just a quick note to all you HAVA Player enthusiasts: the iPhone app that Monsoon announced at CES is finally ready for public consumption. Available from the App Store (of all places), the software lets HAVA owners control it all remotely — including cable, satellite, and DVR. What’s more, you can stream your recorded programming right onto the handset for all those times when you can’t stand to be apart from Jim Cramer (few and far between, we know). Supports iPhone and iPod touch (with OS 2.2.1 or higher) and goes for $9.99. PR after the break.

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HAVA media streamer for iPhone available now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Blockbuster Adds VOD Service to TiVos

Posted in: tivo, Today's Chili

tivo logo.JPGTiVo enhanced its reputation as a platform, not just a DVR, with the addition of video-on-demand services from Blockbuster on Tuesday.

Blockbuster On Demand video-rental services will be available on TiVo
Series2, Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL boxes, allowing users to rent (not own) the titles in Blockbuster’s online catalog. Prices will range from $2.99 for older movies to $3.99 for new releases, according to both companies.

The deal is the culmination of an agreement the two companies struck in March, which will also allow Blockbuster the rights to sell TiVo’s DVRs inside of its own stores.

“By bringing Blockbuster’s content direct to TiVo subscribers, we show
once again that TiVo offers much more choice and convenience for our
customers compared to other DVR offerings,”said Joe Miller, senior vice president of sales and marketing at TiVo, in a statement. “We are very pleased to say
that customers can now walk into a participating Blockbuster store to
purchase TiVo DVRs and that together both companies have succeeded in
bringing even more entertainment direct to the living room.”

TiVo has a similar deal with Amazon, which can stream HD versions of Amazon Video on Demand movies down to the TiVo box for $3.99 to $4.99. Although Blockbuster is making 1,000 titles available to TiVo customers, they’re all in standard-definition for now, a TiVo spokeswoman said in an email. HD titles will be priced at $4.99 when available, she said.

Post updated at 12:19 PM with HD pricing.

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Oct 13

Blockbuster On Demand goes live on TiVo boxes

Posted in: content, dvr, Movies, tivo, Today's Chili

We knew good and well it was coming, and now the deed has been done. As promised, Blockbuster’s On Demand movie rental service has gone live on a bevy of TiVo boxes, enabling Series2, Series3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL DVRs to watch all sorts of releases without needing to purchase another set-top-box or tap into their cable company’s VOD system. We’re told that most rentals will range from $2.99 (for the classics) to $3.99 (for new releases), with the film catalog expected to expand over the coming weeks. HD aficionados will have to wait a tick before seeing any movies available in high-def, but those looking to pick up a new TiVo can now saunter into any Blockbuster retail location in order to claim one. Eager to get in on the action? Fire up your box and hit the “Video On Demand” screen from TiVo Central.

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Blockbuster On Demand goes live on TiVo boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sep 06

TiVo awarded $200m in damages in EchoStar case, consumers not awarded end to the Echostar case

Posted in: lawsuit, legal, patent, tivo, Today's Chili

Okay, so it’s not the cool billion dollars in damages we’d heard TiVo was asking for, but $200 million ain’t chump change if you’re broke, you know? That’s the amount in contempt damages TiVo will get if EchoStar loses its upcoming appeal in the endless time warp patent case, bringing the total amount of money on the table to nearly $400 million. As usual, that means virtually nothing for the average Dish or TiVo customer, but at least the lawyers involved can all buy new Audis for the winter now.

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TiVo awarded $200m in damages in EchoStar case, consumers not awarded end to the Echostar case originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 26

TiVo projects larger than expected losses, still taking the patent fight to AT&T and Verizon

Posted in: att, dvr, lawsuit, patent, tivo, Today's Chili, verizon

We’ll let the analysts make sense of TiVo’s new projection that it will lose $8 to $10 million in the third quarter, larger than Wall Street expectations while projected revenues are lower — we’re too busy adding Verizon and AT&T to the patent battlemap. Today it filed complaints against both for violating three of its DVR-related patents — Nos. 6,233,389 B1 (“Multimedia Time Warping System”), 7,529,465 B2 (“System for Time Shifting Multimedia Content Streams”), and 7,493,015 B1 (“Automatic Playback Overshoot Correction System”) if you must know — seeking damages for past infringement and a permanent injunction. We’d assumed it would wait until settling things with DISH to push forward against other companies, but it looks like we’re not the only ones getting impatient. Beyond the legal slapfight there’s a few nuggets for the bleep bloop faithful, with the Comcast TiVo on-line scheduler beginning to roll out in Boston plus further expansions on the way and the due-in-2010 DirecTV HD TiVo still on track — we’ll need a few seasons of Law & Order queued up before this mess ever gets resolved.

Read – TiVo Swings to Loss, Files Infringement Suits
Read – TiVo Reports Results for the Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2010 Ended July 31, 2009
Read – TiVo Files Complaints for Patent Infringement Against AT&T and Verizon Communications in United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas; Seeking Damages and Injunction

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TiVo projects larger than expected losses, still taking the patent fight to AT&T and Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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