TiVo Goes Portable

TiVo is on the Go. TiVoToGo, which allows TiVo owners to transfer recordings to their desktop or laptop PC to view or burn to DVD, is finally available.

The service, which was announced at last year's Consumer Electronics Show, requires a Series 2 TiVo set up with the home networking function. The price of transferring content from the DVR to a PC will be included in the monthly service fee TiVo users pay; burning content to DVDs will require the purchase of software from Sonic, which will be available in mid-January.

TiVo says it has it is working to prevent users from illegally distributing content they may transfer to their PC. All users will be assigned a media access code and password, which will restrict playback of shows to users who have the access code.

"TiVo has taken deliberate steps to protect the content that originates on our digital video recorder and is transferred to the PC via our TiVoToGo feature. We view creating tools to subvert that protection as a violation of the TiVo license agreement and strongly discourage such activity. Distribution and/or use of such tools to transfer copyrighted works outside of your home may constitute an infringement of the rights of copyright holders and/or a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and could result in legal action," the company's Web site says. It also says that certain programs that are protected with certain copy controls cannot be transferred to a PC.

I've been a TiVo owner for more than two years. While I love the device and the control it gives me over my TV, I have felt limited by the fact that I couldn't watch my shows anywhere than my living room. Now I'll be able to free up some space on my TiVo and take my shows on the road. I can't wait to give TiVoToGo a try.