Bear Stearns is out with a new report today suggesting DirecTV (DTV) may warm to the idea of renewing ties with TiVo under Liberty Media’s ownership, leaving Murdoch’s NDS venture behind. Or perhaps choosing to upsell a TiVo solution.
We believe the new DTV management may be more amenable to renewing a relationship with TiVo. The TiVo HD-DVR offers several advantages over the NDS DVRs, including better user interface, wireless access can provide quasi-VOD service, ad revs would be incremental, and TiVo’s HD-DVR is already cheaper than NDS’ HD-DVR.
Though there haven’t been any recent DirecTV TiVo hardware introductions, the two companies are currently collaborating to support existing DirecTiVo customers. And while both camps have a reciprocal do-not-sue clause in effect, DTV’s recent acquisition of ReplayTV‘s intellectual property muddies the issue – and could give them leverage in negotiating terms. We shall see…
I am mostly Tivo-less now because I have HD DirecTV and I want an HD DVR. It was a sad day when I brought home the DTV HD DVR and replaced my Series 2. This would be great news. Otherwise, I am going to Cable just so I can use the HD Tivo.
Or, Tivo could put out an HD DVR with HDMI input!
The HDMI spec/certification doesn’t currently permit recording. However, with some of these new chips that can encode HD-like quality in real-time a component-in HD DVR could be a nice way to bypass SDV and CableCARDs or record an HD satellite feed. There’d probably be a small drop in video quality, but the trade for that functionality could be worthwhile.
I left DirecTV because I love TiVo more than I hate Comcast. I would GLADLY switch back to DirecTV if they had a full featured TiVo HD solution integrated into the DTV tuner.
“ThereÂ’d probably be a small drop in video quality, but the trade for that functionality could be worthwhile.”
Who wants a single tuner DVR?
I see DirecTV looking seriously at TiVo on their existing HR20/1s as an “upgrade” if Comcast is able to successfully do so on their system. (And much of the legwork has been done already in making the TiVo-OCAP app platform independent)
Just as an aside, when I see the acronym “DTV” I immediately think “digital television”, not “DirectTV”. In the future you might want to make sure to disambiguate the two.
The first time I played with the DirectvTivo dual tuner receiver, I wanted it so badly. But free analog cable came with my apartment, so I chugged along with a Series 1 Tivo for many years. When the Series 2 DT was released, I quickly jumped on that and was very happy.
I recently moved and upgraded to an HD TV. I thought long and hard about DirecTV but I was so unimpressed by the NDS receivers, that I went with Dish. Albeit more clunky and less intuitive, the VIP722 does some amazing things that not even a TivoHD or Series 3 can do. Namely the multiroom viewing and the 3 tuners.
Now if DirecTV relicenses Tivo, I’m going to have to seriously reconsider my satellite provider.
Michael, good point. I’ve tweaked the post and I’ll be more specific/careful next time.
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Hey Eric,
The TiVoHD and S3 can do multiroom viewing now. Regarding the 3 tuner thing, with MRV and a pair of TiVo units, that’s 4 tuners.
Oh sure, now they hint at it while I’m up for a job with a cable company (which brings heavily discounted service). I guess I could go with both…
If it makes you feel any better Big John, when we move next month I’m going to keep Comcast for the TiVo units and try to get Dish in my office.
Having spent a decent amount of time with the Dish DVR recently, I agree with Eric that it’s a very usable solution. I dig the built-in powerline networking and ability to add USB drives (more common than eSATA) – including those travel units with no power supply. (Though there is an activation fee…)
20TIL6, if only MRV were faster… I’ve redone my network a few different ways and I still can’t get real-time HD transfers. I’m hoping for a better network environment once we move, though.
Wow Dave, how old is that pic? I actually still have an SX66 I sling with once in a while. It does have a nice big screen..
I use MRV between my Tivo HDs quite a bit. It’s more recording ABC and NBC on one box and recording CBS and FOX on the other and then every couple days transferring stuff around based on where I want to watch it.