Yahoo Meets TiVo
Posted by Harry McCracken | Monday, November 07, 2005 12:23 AM PT
The New York Times
is reporting that Yahoo and TiVo are about to announce a partnership. The collaboration will kick off with a service that lets TiVo owners
program their DVRs from Yahoo's TV listings. Later, there will be services that put Yahoo features (such as weather information and photo sharing) onto TiVo boxes.
There's nothing remotely revolutionary about anything discussed in the Times' article. Apparently, AOL users have been able to do online TiVo programming for awhile now (who knew?), and ReplayTV users have long had the
MyReplay Web-based service, though I've never tried it with my own beloved Replay. But it's intriguing to consider the possibilities here if Yahoo really leverages everything it knows about search to make finding TV programs easier.
TiVo and Replay are such gigantic advances over the VCR that I've never met anyone who owned either product and didn't consider it life-changing. But when it comes to their features for finding stuff, they're still pretty primitive compared to the Web's best search engines. (I'm probably not alone in feeling like I'm only aware of about .01% of the TV shows I might be interested in watching.)
What I really want is the ability to Google my TV. (Er, sorry, Yahoo--let's make that "the ability to use simple keywords to get a list of programming ordered by relevance, based on extremely sophisticated algorithms.") I'm sure that's is coming; at some point, the Google business model--provide unbiased results, plus paid advertising links--will transfer beautifully to TV programming. It's hard to know how soon, but already people are
having fun theorizing about what a Google DVR might do.
Incidentally, the Times article, if I'm understanding it correctly, mentions in passing that DirecTV has chosen to lock owners of its TiVo-based DVRs (who make up two-thirds of all TiVo subscribers) out of Yahoo's programming feature, because it fears competition from the Web. That's both obnoxious and silly, if it's true. But I don't see mention of such a limitation on Yahoo's TiVo page, which says the new service is open to all owners of Series2 devices...
I bought an AverMedia USB tv tuner/video capture device, and I can schedule tv recording through the web at titantv.com
I am not surprised by the "lockout" by DirecTV. I currently own a "Series 2 DirecTiVo." While I love the device, I am still quite unhappy about not having access to things like sharing recorded content between Multiple TiVO's in the same house, using the TiVo to display content from my PC on my TV, or even using a wireless NIC to get programming updates. All of these features are available on stand alone TiVo's (or so I have read, but not experienced). The new TiVoToGo program looks incredible interesting, but one again DirecTV in their infinite wisdom prevents us from being able to use.
What's the point of having DVR/TIVO if one cannot record one program while watching another one. I was thinking about switching from my Charter basic Cable/Expanded Cable to A Dish System but one cannot watch one and record another at the same time. I do a lot of watching and recording another at the same time, all this with just one old TV and an even older VCR.
All these features and I still can't record in HighDef
Tivi to go is seriously over rated. There is so much loss in quality, presumably to keep TIVO out of litigation, that is is unusable.
DirecTV TiVo can record one show while you watch another show at the same time. Not sure who told you otherwise, but they were wrong. I can not speak to the DISH Network offering.
If you want to pay for Comcast Digital Cable they offer a DVR that can record a show while you watch another or record one show and record the one your watching. You can even watch a pre-record show while 2 other shows are recording. Plus, you get things like Video On Demand. That's what I use and I couldn't be happier with it.
If you want to pay for Comcast Digital Cable they offer a DVR that can record a show while you watch another or record one show and record the one your watching. You can even watch a pre-recorded show while 2 other shows are recording. Plus, you get things like Video On Demand. That's what I use and I couldn't be happier with it.
The Comcast DVR feels like the Flintstones compared to a Tivo. The only thing it has going for it is the HD capability, which is huge on my large TV. The usability of the Comcast box is absolutely terrible.
If you think you're missing 99% of the programs you'd like to see, I think you may be disappointed at what you could find with Yahoo. It's still pretty much a vast wastland there and with TiVo's own primitive program search I can find the programs I want to watch.
What about the UK. People here still have TiVo's. They are not as good as the USA versions, but still we love them.
Has anyone considered that Tivo is trying to prevent losing any more market share. The cable companies are coming on strong with their DVRs and now Apple has come into the scene with its 5th generation Ipod that has video capabilities. WIth the new ipod your are able to see recorded media and it on the go. Furthermore your can connect it via a cable to watch on TV at home or at your friends house. To me this is a last attempt by Tivo salvage their anemic subcriber base.
Has anyone considered that Tivo is trying to prevent losing any more market share. The cable companies are coming on strong with their DVRs and now Apple has come into the scene with its 5th generation Ipod that has video capabilities. WIth the new ipod your are able to see recorded media and it on the go. Furthermore your can connect it via a cable to watch on TV at home or at your friends house. To me this is a last attempt by Tivo salvage their anemic subcriber base.
Has anyone considered that Tivo is trying to prevent losing any more market share. The cable companies are coming on strong with their DVRs and now Apple has come into the scene with its 5th generation Ipod that has video capabilities. WIth the new ipod your are able to see recorded media and it on the go. Furthermore your can connect it via a cable to watch on TV at home or at your friends house. To me this is a last attempt by Tivo salvage their anemic subcriber base.
I have had DirecTV for 3 years and You CAN watch one channel while recording another---You can record 2 (two) shows at once as well while watching a previously recorded show
***BTW --- RCA has the coolest receivers (most bells and whistles) I have Hughes and it is just a basic system whereas my uncle has RCA and has SCreen savers and eye pleasing menu effects.
Enjoy!!