Tivo Signs Deal With Comcast

Chappy01 writes "TiVo has inked a long-term deal with Comcast, America's largest cable television operator, to develop a version of the TiVo service that will be offered to Comcast's DVR subscribers. The deal calls for TiVo to adapt its software to work on Comcast's existing DVR platform, and it allows TiVo to extend to Comcast subscribers the advertising it sells in the form of interactive video clips that automatically appear in the TiVo menu." From the article: "The move will increase TiVo's presence in American homes as it faces competition from generic DVRs offered directly by leading cable companies. Comcast Corp. expects to begin marketing the new DVRs, which will carry the TiVo brand, by mid- to late 2006." News also available from MSNBC and the Official Tivo Site.

Good for Tivo, but...

[geoffrobinson]

Comcast is constantly raising fees to the point where I'm dropping things I get from them. But I hope it works out for them.

Will they ship a new remote?

[jncook]

Substantial user interface design and testing went into the Tivo remote control, including many battles over which buttons to leave off (to reduce complexity), a special rubber for good click feel, and the distinctive peanut shape.

I wonder if Comcast will ship new remotes to their DVR customers if they sign up for Tivo.

James

Tivo needed this

[thenefariousone]

While having good tech, brand recognition, and a hacker friendly box - before this Tivo was a company whose days were numbered due to competition and commoditization.

Now they live to fight another day and build up their install base.

Cheers to another successful company using with Open Source Software. ...before they used to say it couldn't be done.

Sounds like a powerful force to contend with.

[FrothyBitter]

I guess this means Comcast isn't going to roll out the Microsoft version they were testing in limited areas. I was interested in the Microsoft version because Comcast's software really blows. I ended up taking my Comcast DVR back because not only did nobody at Comcast know when or if the Microsoft version would ever come out, they'd never even heard of it.

Now I'm using a HTPC solution, Beyond TV, which is barely acceptable. It has all the features a DVR needs, but the features don't all function on a level I would consider professional.

I'm about to go to MythTV, I had that running once a year or so ago, but it took a lot of time and effort to get it working. I understand that's not as big of a problem now, so I'm going to give it another try.

However, a Tivo/Comcast DVR really would be hard to beat. Well aside from the fact that Comcast wants to suck every last dime from my bank account every month. However, the quality of the Comcast DVR was excellent, it just lacked features.

I'll most likely go back to the Comcast DVR when the Tivo versions are out. Other than not being able to archive shows, I can see the Comcast/Tivo solution being unbeatable. My PC solution will be able to pick up the slack by recording any shows I want to archive.

But it seems to be missing a key part

[Psykechan]

No mention of using the TiVo remote in the new software. The remote and the interface are the best things that TiVo has going for them.

Since they are focusing on just the ads and the wishlist features, this could be a big letdown for Comcast users that have heard good things from TiVo users.

Re:TIVO ROCKS

[ePhil_One]

I've personally always enjoyed Tivo.

Going from a Tivo to Comcast's DVR is an exercise in frustration. Suggestions are good, but the responsiveness of a Tivo to Comcast DVR is the difference between a sports car and shouting directions to Grandma while locked in the trunk of her Fairlane. I'd love to switch to Comcast for their HDTV, but refuse to give up my DirecTivo(s).

Re:But it seems to be missing a key part

[maugt]

You like the peanut remote? I hate it. The one that came with the original sony tivos was so much better. The new one has non-logically organized buttons that are difficult to find in the dark, and the channel number buttons are placed in a completely awkward position at that bottom of the remote that makes it very difficult to use in the dark.

And I can never find the power button at night either. I always end up hitting skip-back-5-seconds. Ugh.

Re:Will they ship a new remote?

[garcia]

a special rubber for good click feel, and the distinctive peanut shape.

Besides the obvious juvenile jokes about that sentence taken out of context I really don't see the remote as being all that great when using it with a system that is rather slow.

Great, so the remote has a "click" feel. Does that help me to know that I actually did engage the button when the Guide takes 5+ seconds to refresh (yes, it is much better now that they 7.0+ series update came out but it still sucks)? Or when I click the TiVo button at the top is it supposed to let me know that I can wait up to 10 seconds for the main menu to show up from live TV?

Yeah, the remove is nice and easy to use. It even looks good but it is certainly not making up for the lack of speedy internal hardware.

Good.. Comcast's Scientific Atlanta Box is Awful.

[Mean_Nishka]

I'm a faithful ReplayTV owner, and reluctantly picked up Comcast's HD recorder so I could record HDTV broadcasts. Their SA8000HD is for the birds.. Awful interface, jugheaded features, and a real step down from the ReplayTV's I've been using for the last six years.

Most annoying is that it doesn't 'time shift' properly. If it's recording a show, I have to rewind all the way back to the beginning to watch it.. Even worse is if the recording ends while I'm still in the middle of watching it, it'll stop and force me to fast forward back through everything I already watched!

They've slowly updated the firmware over the last several months, but this thing is DOA.. Just a clunky piece of well intentioned hardware. It is nice to be able to record two simultaneous HD streams, but it's just so poorly implemented..

This is a good move for Comcast as the recorder they gave me really feels like it's still in beta. Good for Tivo too as they need a wider net.

Don't get your hopes up too high...

[Elias Israel]

As someone who has visited the Gerrold/General Instruments/Motorola offices in Hatboro, PA, and who has spoken to a fair number of cable operators, I can tell you this:

The box that this system will be built on, and the services to which it connects will almost certainly not be of the quality that Tivo now provides.

First of all, check out the Wiki entry on this cable box [wikipedia.org], and you'll see it's not that impressive, although it does have a few nice features (HDTV, recording two channels at once, 120GB disk).

Second, remember that cable operators buy these units by the millions, so every extra penny is a big deal.

You wouldn't think twice about a nice feature in your Tivo box, even if it cost an extra $10. To a cable operator, an extra $10 per box is an insane, indefensible amount and they'll cut the feature instead.

Finally, embedded programming on a cable box is worlds cruftier and more limiting than the Linux underpinnings of the current Tivo architecture. It's virtually certain that some features just won't be portable to this new box.

Count me a curmudgeon on this if you like, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Re:Good for Tivo, but...

[ryantate]

Comcast tried to hide their most recent 6 percent fee hike by announcing the day before Thanksgiving [sfgate.com]. Shady.

At that point, I decided to switch to Netflix. Comcast then offered to roll me back to the original rates and then take $10/month off of THAT. I went ahead and canceled anyway and have never looked back.

I watch all my shows on Netflix DVDs now. I get to watch whenever I want and pause whenever I want without having to pay for cable or a DVR. All the HBO shows I used to watch are available, I just can't watch the latest season. Which is no problem because I'm catching up on everything I missed.

It's been a little over three months and Netflix is still working very well. My monthly bill went from $80+ (with HBO but without DVR) to less than $20.

For news I turn to the Web. I even watch Daily Show segments online.

Guess I sound like a Netflix fanatic, but just wanted to point out there are good alternatives to Comcast.

Comcast Buying the Brand

[blueZhift]

I think what we are seeing in the TiVo Comcast deal is Comcast making the very smart move of leveraging the TiVo brand. This is actually pretty good news for both. If things go well, don't be surprised to see Comcast make a play to buy TiVo outright. Yeah, I know many here think Comcast sucks, and maybe they do, but I wouldn't mind seeing what TiVo has built and their name survive, even as part of Comcast. So far I've been pretty happy with TiVo and as a Comcast customer, adding TiVo can only be a good thing!

Re:Let's hope it benefits Tivo.

[Josuah]

TiVo may have been negotiating from a point of strength, not weakness. As evidenced by the number of Comcast customers that were willing to pay TiVo $50 + subscription fees a while back by standing in a line for hours to get a $50 discount on boxes at TiVo headquarters. TiVo made a point of advertising directly to Comcast customers frustrated with Comcast's horrible PVR system.

I would think after this, it would be clear to Comcast that their customers would rather give all their money to TiVo, and Comcast would be better off taking a smaller profit per customer than no profit at all.

Re:Phone line needed?

[dreamt]

I don't think that the speed for transfers for Tivo2Go has to do with the USB1.1 interface speed. Transfers using T2G are much slower than transfering the exact same program from 1 Tivo to another Tivo.

It might have something to do with the fact that in TivoTivo transfers, it is transfering the video in 'native' format. It probalby has to do some encoding (maybe combine audio/video stream) to transfer Tivo->PC.

OT: The fun of Comcast VOD

[British]

Has anyone explored Comcast's Video on Demand? I was amazed to be able to see the classic film "Hardbodies" for free. But it didn't end there: They had almost the full first season of Diff'Rent Strokes avaialble, all free! Saved me the cost of renting the DVD. I was in 80s nostalgia heaven.

"Tube Time" is easily my favorite showcase of shows on Comcast's VOD. I eagerly await for more 80s tv shows in rotation.

DirecTivo features?

[powdered toast dude]

As a "regular" (i.e. non-DirecTiVo) TiVo user, I lament the lack of DirecTiVo features (e.g. record-two-shows-at-once) while enjoying the analog TiVo features (e.g. TiVo2Go). Any word on which features ComcasTiVo(tm) will support?

$0.02,
ptd

did not see this coming...

[deviator]

This is a huge win for TiVo - egg on Hughes' face, maybe?

(the reason I say this: We've been using the DirecTivo for a few months. It's not nearly as good as TiVo's own offering (dog slow, for one thing!) - and lags behind TiVo's own Home Media Options & TiVoToGo features--Hughes refuses to add these features, because they're going to introduce their own proprietary DVR "sometime this summer" that will "have all of this and more." It pisses me off, because the true TiVo boxes are outstanding--and Hughes is watering down TiVo's brand! I had expected TiVo to fade into obscurity, but this means Comcast recognizes that it's better to license this technology from a company who has already poured their heart & soul into developing it rather than trying to do it themselves...)

So if you're debating between DirecTV and Comcast cable, go with Comcast. :)

win/win?

[tverbeek]

This should help existing TiVo subscribers (especially us lifetime-service-buyers) by ensuring TiVo's viability for the coming years, and it should help Comcast subscribers by giving them access to a better DVR. Personally, as long as my stand-alone TiVo retains its current level of hackability, I'm not too concerned about what kind of limits the ComcasTiVo might have.

Re:Phone line needed?

[Rude Turnip]

Quoth the AC: "however for the 1st connection it HAS to be over a phone line,"

Completely untrue. My Series 2 TiVo has never touched a phone line. It has been USB ethernet all the way since I bought the unit in November 2002.

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