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Railroader · Nov 21, 2005, 05:07 AM

TiVo plans on offering the ability to transfer shows from their DVR to the iPod Video. I think this is AWESOME!!!

Now I'll have to buy a Mac with USB 2.0 and wait until the next revision of the iPod Video to come out. The battery life is too short for me right now to consider buying a new iPod. 2 hours is not long enough.

Why pay $2 for Lost when you can transfer it to your iPod from Tivo for free*?

Dish Network has their device, but I am not a fan of Dish Network's program line ups and their service. I am certain this action on TiVo's part is to offset what Dish offers.

Article:

TiVo to Expand Portable Features-It is expected to allow users to transfer TV programs to iPods and PlayStations. The service could be available early next year.

By Julie Tamaki, Times Staff Writer

TiVo Inc. today is expected to announce a service that allows its digital video recorders to save programs to iPods and PlayStation Portables, further untethering television from time and place.

The new offering builds on TiVo's existing TiVo to Go feature, which enables some subscribers to transfer shows to a laptop or PC via a home network. TiVo executives said the company was responding to a proliferation of portable devices.

It's also fighting back against generic digital video recorders offered by cable and satellite companies. Although TiVo is recognized as the brand name for recorders that allow users to pause and rewind live television, most of the devices in use are not made by TiVo.

At the same time, studios and networks are making more of their programming available online, potentially undercutting TiVo's ability to let users accumulate digital libraries of their favorite shows. For instance, ABC hits such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" can be downloaded from Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Stores, and America Online plans to make a catalog of Time Warner Inc. shows available.

Owners of devices compatible with Microsoft Portable Media Center already can download TiVo programming from their computers.

But the ability to transfer shows between a TiVo and Apple's market-leading iPod or Sony Corp.'s popular PSP "may help cement the idea that a TiVo is better than a generic DVR," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with NPD Group. "Their route to success is to differentiate themselves from generic DVRs."

Crucial to TiVo's success, analysts said, will be how easy it is to transfer shows to portable devices.

TiVo subscribers will need to purchase special software to tap the features, said Jim Denney, TiVo's vice president of product marketing. The TiVo box would need to be connected to a home network and the program would first have to be transferred to a PC.

The company plans to test the features before making them available to its 1.3 million stand-alone subscribers as early as the first quarter of next year.

Denney said TiVo subscribers also will be able to automatically arrange for programs to be transferred from a computer to one of the hand-held devices, easing the way for programs recorded the night before to be downloaded to iPods or PSPs. He estimated that it would take about two hours for an hourlong show to make its way from a TiVo set-top box to a PSP or video iPod.

Restricted content includes video-on-demand and pay-per-view, Denney added. TiVo also plans to make files traceable to discourage "people from distributing the content beyond their personal use."

A Sony representative could not be reached for comment. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

Rob Enderle, a principal analyst with Enderle Group in San Jose, said the new features could make the portable devices more attractive to content-hungry consumers.

"With these devices, content is king," Enderle said. "The more content you can get on them the more valuable they are."

*Well, minus the Tivo service fee.

pjmurphy · Nov 21, 2005, 08:07 AM

I love where all of this is going!! More content sources = happy 5G iPod owner!!

chabig · Nov 21, 2005, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by Railroader

...Now I'll have to buy a Mac with USB 2.0...

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to buy a PC with USB 2.0... TiVo seems uninteresting in supporting Mac owners.

Chris

ghporter · Nov 21, 2005, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by chabig

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to buy a PC with USB 2.0... TiVo seems uninteresting in supporting Mac owners.

Chris

At least that means less expense. Just about all PCs come with USB 2.0, so a cheap Dell would do the trick...

Railroader · Nov 21, 2005, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by chabig

Unfortunately, you'll probably have to buy a PC with USB 2.0... TiVo seems uninteresting in supporting Mac owners.

Chris

Hmm... good justification for buying a $300 cheap PC.

Actually, I read on another article somewhere that TiVo was working on a version that would work on Apple's computers. I'll have to do some searching and post that too.

Stogieman · Nov 21, 2005, 01:26 PM

Yeah right. Just like they're working on a Mac version of Tivo2Go.

I'll believe it when I see it.

chabig · Nov 21, 2005, 11:19 PM

I love my TiVo. A $300 PC wouldn't be out of the question...

Railroader · Nov 22, 2005, 06:44 AM

Originally Posted by Stogieman

Yeah right. Just like they're working on a Mac version of Tivo2Go.

I'll believe it when I see it.

You're right. I did a LOT of searching today and couldn't find the article. Looks like it's strictly a windows thing.

Railroader · Nov 22, 2005, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by chabig

I love my TiVo. A $300 PC wouldn't be out of the question...

I'll have to get it approved by the finance committe chairperson myself. SWMBO.

TiDual · Nov 22, 2005, 07:01 AM

Why doesn't apple just buy TiVo, and kiss their content problems good-bye. (Not suggested they bring TiVo into Apple, just "wholey own" it).

JohnM15141 · Nov 23, 2005, 02:13 PM

I have Tivotogo. I transfer shows across my Airport Network to my PC at night because it takes awhile. Then I format them for my video iPod on the PC. Then I transfer them to my Mac across 1GB Ethernet. Then install it using iTunes on my Mac. Several steps but it works.

I can also play my iTunes and iPhoto content directly from my Mac on to my TV using Mac Tivo Desktop software.

icruise · Nov 23, 2005, 02:32 PM

I read somewhere that a Mac version is planned for mid 2006, although you have to take that with a grain of salt.

Big Mac · Nov 23, 2005, 02:38 PM

TiVO's anti-Mac stance and mandatory monthly fee turned me off.

Brien · Nov 23, 2005, 03:31 PM

Originally Posted by JohnM15141

I have Tivotogo. I transfer shows across my Airport Network to my PC at night because it takes awhile. Then I format them for my video iPod on the PC. Then I transfer them to my Mac across 1GB Ethernet. Then install it using iTunes on my Mac. Several steps but it works.

I can also play my iTunes and iPhoto content directly from my Mac on to my TV using Mac Tivo Desktop software.

That would kick ass.

As for the PC issue, IntelMacs + WINE.

driven · Nov 25, 2005, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by JohnM15141

I have Tivotogo. I transfer shows across my Airport Network to my PC at night because it takes awhile. Then I format them for my video iPod on the PC. Then I transfer them to my Mac across 1GB Ethernet. Then install it using iTunes on my Mac. Several steps but it works.

I can also play my iTunes and iPhoto content directly from my Mac on to my TV using Mac Tivo Desktop software.

How the heck do you strip that stupid Windows-only DRM off of it so you can play it on the mac or the video iPod? (At this point I'd be happy to play my shows on my Powerbook when I travel).

(If you feel more comfortable please PM me the answer).

Thanks in advance.

Stogieman · Dec 2, 2005, 12:15 AM

I received the latest Tivo newsletter today. Check this out:

"TiVo announces intention to support iPod!
Did you hear? TiVo announced the intention to support the new Apple® iPod and Sony PSP as early as the first quarter of 2006! You'll be able to use the TiVoToGo™ feature to transfer TiVo® recordings on your networked TiVo® box to your PC and sync to your video iPod automatically.

We'll kick off a beta program for this new feature enhancement in the coming weeks. Visit tivo.com/togo for updates or keep reading this newsletter and I'll keep you posted. And if you're at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, stop by for a demo.

(Confidential to my Mac buddies: I know, I know. But this announcement, while still PC-specific, bodes very well. Hang in there—we are targeting mid-2006 for Mac support for TivoToGo™!)"

It's about damn time!

driven · Dec 2, 2005, 12:32 AM

Hoo ha. I'll believe it when I see it though. I really want to play Tivo movies on my PowerBook.

Stogieman · Dec 29, 2006, 04:28 AM

Sorry to bump this very old thread but I just wanted to point out that Wired awarded Tivo with the #2 spot for the 2006 Vaporware Awards. #1 of course is still held by Duke Nukem Forever.

2. TiVoToGo for Mac

Got a show on your TiVo you want to watch on your computer or a mobile device? Great! Just fire up TiVoToGo and take Grey's Anatomy with you on your commute. Oh, you're a Mac user? Nevermind.

This software update -- which would enable Mac users to easily transfer recordings from the set-top box to a laptop, an iPod or a DVD -- was promised by mid-2006, but it still has yet to materialize. Windows users have no problems, but Mac users are stuck using third-party workarounds.

As reader David Randall points out, "For years, TiVo said it was 'working on it,' but new features have come and gone and still nothing."

TiVo made our list last year (No. 10) for its failure to produce an HD set-top box and TiVoToGo for Mac. The high-def boxes arrived this year, but Mac users are still waiting for their own version of the content-transfer suite.

Another honorable TiVo mention from reader Dave B.: "TiVo as Comcast's DVR software. It was announced to happen about a year and a half ago, and that it would be replacing Comcast's existing, far from good DVR. Then ... nothing."

driven · Dec 29, 2006, 09:54 AM

I said that I'd believe it when I see it ... yet it's still nowhere to be seen.

The top of the vaporware list. Wow ... there's an honor I wish we could do without.

MikeD · Dec 30, 2006, 01:24 PM

I agree! Now that the iPod is popular, everyone wants to support it to make a buck, but not the mac platform itself!

driven · Dec 30, 2006, 02:45 PM

Well ... everyone is buzzing about the recent growth of the Mac platform so perhaps things will change. Who knows!?!

I'd certainly like to see things change. (At least on the consumer side).