As no one beyond TiVo Inc, and their NDA-ed testers or partners, have spent more than a short while with the TiVo Premiere, there are quite a few outstanding questions of the CableCARD DVR. Is the hard drive still user expandable/replaceable? To what extent has the HME API been expanded to support the new Flash UI? How much faster is re-ordering Season Passes? How has the grid and/or live guides been updated? Etc, etc, etc…
But there are also three very new mysteries. Which I missed by being a little too efficient. As I was preparing my Premiere coverage, I knew exactly what images I wanted based on our demo time together. So those are the ones I specifically asked for. As it turns out, the total HD UI press pack imagery spotlights some real curious and compelling items…
Comcast On Demand? Hm… For a retail Premiere, we know it’s not tru2way. So could this be an IP/Internet version of Comcast’s TV Everywhere initiative for third party set-top boxes? Or does this foreshadow a replacement of Motorola hardware for the Comcast-deployed TiVo initiative. Unfortunately, I suspect it’s just as likely that this is a Photoshop error.
In my original Premiere write-up, I dinged TiVo for lacking the sort of personalized user experience Sezmi is championing. Yet TiVo pioneered this with Kidzone, filed a possibly related outlandish RFID patent, and has made some vague comments leading me to believe it’s on their radar. And, surely, the proof of the pudding is seen above.
Another item many of us have been requesting for some time is the ability to share scheduled recordings, show recommendations, or similar. As it turns out, TiVo may be on the same page given the ‘Friends Recommend’ tile above.
Stay tuned…