[laxthxdude]

Kind of hit me when TechTV went over their top products for christmas. #1 item was the Tivo.

The cool part of Tivo is that you select your shows, it looks up when they are on, and records them. At your next sit down, it plays them back. No tapes or programming needed. You can also pause live television, however I don't know how usefull this feature is. If I am planning on watching something on TV, I make a point to be able to watch the entire thing, not leave half way through it.

The biggest problem with Tivo is 2 items.

The first is the fact it requires a subscription to their service for the programming lineup (life time is like $300?). To go with this, it also requires a phone line, connect expense if long distance and it takes hours at times to sync the programming, if the unit hasn't connected for a while.

The other downfall is related back to the problems of the PDA- input. No one wants to sits and schedule recording from a remote on the TV screen. Its just a pain.

How does Apple fix this? Its almost too simple!

First, Apple comes out with iTV. Its "intellegent" television. It comes with MPEG4 encoding (enter quicktime 6) for digital TV quality, a large HD for storage, 802.11 wireless RENDEVOUS based connection back to your Mac for program listing updates. However, the listing updates are link into a new channel in Sherlock. Simple drop and drag interface, few check boxes. Choose what you want and it records it. Manage whats storage on the unit. All communicate wirelessly. No configuration with Rendevous. No wires. Subcribtions are free for TV listings.

Tivo sells for around $200. Apple should be able to put something together in the $300-$400 range. Mac only at first, then PC compatible later on like the iPod.

Thoughts?

[laxthxdude]

And of course lets not forget the "extras" they would add:

from ITunes, play your music list to the box, wirelessly, with the visualization going on the screen.

from iPhoto, play your albums back on it for a live picture frame...

[laxthxdude]

Heck with QT 6 and wireless, now you could also stream the clips back to your desktop if you just want to watch a show in the corner of your screen while you surf (love the widescreen!). Save the QT6 clicks and burn them off to DVD with iDVD...

[Scotttheking]

Originally posted by laxthxdude:
You can also pause live television, however I don't know how usefull this feature is. If I am planning on watching something on TV, I make a point to be able to watch the entire thing, not leave half way through it.

Very. Phone rings? Just pause the Tivo, answer it, then go back to watching.
Bathroom? Get up and go, resume when you come back. Etc.
That's my most used feature on the Tivo.
It isn't a pause and come back in an hour, it's a pause and come back in 5 or 10 mins pause.

The biggest problem with Tivo is 2 items.

The first is the fact it requires a subscription to their service for the programming lineup (life time is like $300?). To go with this, it also requires a phone line, connect expense if long distance and it takes hours at times to sync the programming, if the unit hasn't connected for a while.

It doesn't require one, you only need it to get TV guide data. You can still record manually and have the pause.

The other downfall is related back to the problems of the PDA- input. No one wants to sits and schedule recording from a remote on the TV screen. Its just a pain.

No, actually it's quiet easy to use. The remote is very well designed, as is the interface. I find it to be quite simple and easy to use. It's quite easy to find a TV show by search, or by channel, or category.

How does Apple fix this? Its almost too simple!

First, Apple comes out with iTV. Its "intellegent" television. It comes with MPEG4 encoding (enter quicktime 6) for digital TV quality, a large HD for storage, 802.11 wireless RENDEVOUS based connection back to your Mac for program listing updates. However, the listing updates are link into a new channel in Sherlock. Simple drop and drag interface, few check boxes. Choose what you want and it records it. Manage whats storage on the unit. All communicate wirelessly. No configuration with Rendevous. No wires. Subcribtions are free for TV listings.

Tivo sells for around $200. Apple should be able to put something together in the $300-$400 range. Mac only at first, then PC compatible later on like the iPod.

Thoughts?

Well, first, it requires a wireless link to the TV, which some of us doing have (I have wireless, but the TV is probably 75 feet away, and through about 40 feet of dirt).
Second, the Tivo is a self contained unit, and very well designed. Sherlock is horrible compared to Tivo's interface.

Who is going to manage the TV listings? Tivo does that, and that's why you pay for it. Apple is not going to devote employees to keeping track of every local service listing. Tivo does. The subscription covers this.

Sorry, but apple charges way more for anything. So if Tivo does it for $400, you know it's going to be at least $600 for apple.

The only feature I find compelling is exporting the mpeg to the computer, but I don't know that that is worth the money.

My 3 cents.


This is a peripheral (idea), moving it to peripherals.

[-Q-]

Sorry, but apple charges way more for anything. So if Tivo does it for $400, you know it's going to be at least $600 for apple.

The only feature I find compelling is exporting the mpeg to the computer, but I don't know that that is worth the money.

Apple would definitely overcharge for this. And it wouldn't be as hackable as the TiVo probably.

And the ReplayTV allows you to download video to a computer (or a fellow ReplayTV user). However, they're currently being sued by the RIAA and the MPAA b/c of this feature. The nice thing about the Replay is the built-in ethernet port. Get a wireless brige and it's easily hooked to your wireless network.

You can find free listings using the same service that El Gato's EyeTV uses (can't remember the name at the moment) so you can eliminate the subscription fee.

I just don't know that I see the benefits of what Apple could bring to the market, other than Rendezvous...

[Superchicken]

Apple would more likely pay Tivo for using their Database.
hehe it'd be halarious for an apple iTop to be set up to a Gateway plasma TV haha
but anyway...

Yeah I think the airport wirelessthing doesn't make as much sense with making that the only option. What would be more helpful would be airport or ethernet. Not to mention offering a firewire port for high speed transfer.

I think it would be nice to see an appleesc interface on one of those... and if I had the cash for it that'd be awsome... it'd also work well with .mac and they could have an easier time getting people to sign up if they offered linking up with their Tivo clone on it or something.

I dono I'm just rambling.

[michaelb]

Well, if you subscribe to the "Steve Jobs is Apple" theory, it ain't going to happen.

Reportedly, Jobs has contempt for TV. He's said it's where you go to switch off your brain.

And, allegedly, he doesn't let his children watch much TV believing it will stifle their creativity.

I can't see this as a project Mr Jobs would throw his support behind.