dvrs

TiVo's been on a roll with keeping its promises lately (though I probably just jinxed it by saying that). First, it updated large sections of the HD interface in January, and then it actually started rolling out Comcast Xfinity On Demand support, and now comes a software update with shiny new apps for Netflix and YouTube.

Well, new to TiVo users anyway; they're very similar to the apps you'll find on other streaming-media devices.

Each one takes several seconds to launch and connect. However, they're no worse than the previous versions, and you get much more … Read more

TiVo's iPad app has been around since late last year, and despite a few holes in the experience, it's a great companion for controlling your TiVo Premiere. Today, TiVo rolled out the iPhone/iPod Touch version of the app, which is essentially the iPad app reworked for a smaller screen. Perhaps what's more important is that both the iPhone and iPad apps now work with TiVo HD/Series 3 boxes, too, though all features aren't supported. … Read more

The case of the energy-hogging set-top boxes and DVRs highlights the challenges of changing existing industry and consumer practices to boost energy efficiency.

The New York Times yesterday ran an in-depth look at the issues surrounding set-top boxes and DVRs, which have become the biggest energy consumer in many homes. The National Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, published an analysis two weeks ago which found that set-top boxes consume more energy than the TVs they're connected to, and more than EnergyStar refrigerators. Because they're on all the time, they cost consumers $2 billion a year when … Read more

If you have a TiVo Premiere or you're an iPad owner thinking about getting a TiVo, the TiVo App for iPad might be enough to get you to buy the one you don't have.

The app, which is now available for download, essentially puts the entire TiVo Premiere interface on the iPad's screen. That means you can do everything--browse the program guide, schedule and manage recordings, and search for content across broadcast and broadband services--without interrupting what's onscreen.

Overall, the functionality of the app is impressive, mostly because it's snappier than the Premiere's interface. … Read more

If you have a TiVo Premiere or you're an iPad owner thinking about getting a TiVo, the TiVo Premiere App for iPad might be enough to get you to buy the one you don't have.

The app, which will be available for free "in the coming weeks," essentially puts the entire TiVo Premiere interface on the iPad's screen. That means you can do everything--browse the program guide, schedule and manage recordings, and search for content across broadcast and broadband services--all without interrupting what's on screen.

Also, as you can see in the screenshot above, … Read more

You'd need 326 TiVo Premiere boxes to match what the SnapStream DVR can do with just one coax plug.

This SnapStream DVR is basically just a tech demo for now--but it's one hell of a tech demo. Loaded with 50 analog tuners, it can pull and record 50 channels, simultaneously, from your cable feed onto 136TB of storage. That means it's capable of saving 115,200 hours of searchable, recorded TV (or 13 years worth of content to watch).

Put differently, you could record 50 channels in your cable package for 96 days straight.

The system--which SnapStream … Read more

The marriage of TV and the Internet continues with a new Nielsen report finding more people surfing the Web and watching TV at the same time.

During the fourth quarter of 2009, almost 60 percent of Americans spent up to 3.5 hours each month going online and watching TV together, according to Nielsen's latest "Three Screen Report" released Tuesday. Looking at the latest trends in TV viewing, online activity, and mobile phone usage, the report found that that 60 percent of the audience spent 35 percent more time simultaneously Web surfing and TV watching than they … Read more

TiVo scored a major victory in its long-running patent battle against Dish Network parent company EchoStar Thursday, but it's not over yet.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal District upheld a lower court's ruling that changes EchoStar made to its DVR software were not enough to get around TiVo's patents, meaning that EchoStar failed to comply with an injunction against the sale of those products and was subject to additional penalties. TiVo and EchoStar have been fighting over DVR patents since 2004, and with EchoStar unable to overturn a 2006 court decision … Read more

The news that Best Buy and TiVo are teaming up to share technology and hopefully pump up each other's sales has led some to conclude that new HDTVs with digital video recording capability are in the offing.

That's highly unlikely.

TiVo, the inventor of the DVR market that has trouble making any profit on it, and Best Buy, the giant of electronics retail, announced Thursday a new partnership. Best Buy will push TiVo DVRs in its stores, and TiVo will create a special set-top box that Best Buy can sell specifically to push its own advertising at TiVo … Read more