Best Buy HDTV TiVo In Testing?

We haven’t heard much out of TiVo and Best Buy since they announced their intentions last spring to deliver an Internet-connected TiVo television:

The new Insignia televisions will provide Best Buy customers with an exceptional, intuitive user experience for accessing online content by utilizing the latest TiVo non-DVR software and advanced television service. TiVo’s easy-to-use platform will give the viewer a one-stop-shop for delivering and searching content right on the television.

Given the reported logs from a networked TiVo game, it seems that the TiVo TV or another non-DVR device may very well be in testing:

tsn = AF0************
version = 14.8.N2-01-3-A90
has-recording-storage = false

The evidence is minimal. However, we regularly accept unfamiliar web browser user agent strings as indications of new products. So, why not? Given the state of most current TiVo Internet apps, I’d prefer this mysterious new notation refer to a DVR extender rather than just another Internet-connected television. Yet my gut tells me it’s the TiVo TV.

Years ago, I’d hoped for non-DVR TiVo products given their brand recognition and how much I enjoyed TiVo’s UI in a DVD player. But, back then, TiVo was concerned such a strategy might dilute their core DVR competency… and they obviously chose to limit focus. Yet at some point TiVo changed their train of thought given the Nero PC software experiment (not good) and their Internet-connected TV initiative.

17 thoughts on “Best Buy HDTV TiVo In Testing?”

  1. “But, back then, TiVo was concerned such a strategy might dilute their core DVR competency… and they obviously chose to limit focus.”

    There are so many possible snarky jokes for this one that I can’t pick between them…

  2. It will be interesting to see if it’s the traditional TiVo SDUI or the new Premier HDUI.

    Also, it wonder if it will give the Insignia TVs access to things such as Netflix and Pandora since they don’t have apps yet.

    Maybe it will give TiVo an excuse to update the clients!

  3. I’d hope they use the new HD UI since it’d give them the capability of running Flash apps, which I get the feeling is going to be a new push from TiVo on their new platforms.

  4. Tivo does need to work on whole home technologies since their competitors (cable company DVRs) are certainly moving in this direction if this years CES demoes are any indication. I’d think more than two tuners are going to be required in the DVR though.

    I’d think MoCA is actually the best technology for almost any Tivo box to use, whether retail or not, personally, and would much prefer to see it baked into all their units. It works perfectly well, and wouldn’t require any new wiring at all. Certainly wireless or Ethernet can still be options, but I’d think MoCA would be a much better default choice.

    They would also have to get their streaming rather than copying thing working since this isn’t going to be viable without premium channels. And I doubt HBO or Showtime are going to be happy not flagging their content as Do Not Copy.

    As you say would work with either a cheap STB or a client built into an Insignia TV. Still think the Insignia client is somewhat stupid given the lousy implementation Tivo has for its internet apps–Amazon, Netflix, Pandora, etc. But hey, maybe they’ve committed to improving them. I’d have to say the ones on my Samsung TV, while still not great, are far better than Tivo’s. And not having an HDUI on an Insignia HDTV is going to be weird.

  5. Glenn, as part of that same exchange, I learned that streaming testing may also be underway. But sounds like it’s only for newer/current hardware, so my older S3 and TiVo HD models would remain mothballed. Hm, not sure I’m willing to invest in another Premiere given it’s been a year and the HDUI is still incomplete.

  6. Well, I can sort of understand if they didn’t deliver some of this to the Tivo HD, but if they honestly don’t support the functionality they can in the POS Tivo Premiere then they’re just a bunch of dicks and don’t deserve our patronage.

  7. I can confirm the existence of a MOCA TiVo extender. It runs the same (new) software as the Premiere, and said new software allows streaming between Premiere boxes only. Additionally, the HD interface is, alas, not complete as of yet. Runs much faster than the previous premiere software though. Very tiny box compared to the THD, and I’d say about half the size of the Premiere.

  8. Does this mean they also plan to offer a MoCA adapter for the Premiere? Since the original Premiere doesn’t support it unless they end up adding it to a revised model.

  9. “Does this mean they also plan to offer a MoCA adapter for the Premiere?”

    Why spend resources supporting beta hardware?

    Assuming there is a gameplan in TiVo systems engineering, then the Premiere is what the name says: the first performance. The Premiere is New Haven. It’s where you try out shows before bringing them to Broadway.

    I’d rather them spend the resources on the Broadway show…

  10. Because I could see them requiring MoCA or wired to support streaming especially if it is implemented in a thin client. MoCA adapters are usually simple devices so it would work just like their Wi-Fi adapter. If you are going to offer one device that has MoCA built in that would work with the Premiere, it would only make sense to sell a MoCA adapter for the Premiere.

    I used MoCA adapters at my mom’s house because her house would have been a pain to run lines and being on FiOS her router is already MoCA enabled. They were plug and play.

  11. TiVo extender thing is interesting (and I’d buy a couple), but getting back to BB’s TV — it’d better have a better version of “apps” than what’s on Premiere otherwise BB would’ve been better off partnering with whomever provides it to Sammy, Vizio, LG, etc.

  12. It’s in testing. It has the TiVo HD interface. It will search for content from many different content sources. It has a really cool remote (UEI). It will control your house. It will monitor your energy use in your house. It has apps – free apps, many many apps..

  13. “It’s in testing. It has the TiVo HD interface. It will search for content from many different content sources. It has a really cool remote (UEI). It will control your house. It will monitor your energy use in your house. It has apps – free apps, many many apps..”

    It mops your floor. It walks your dog. It helps you lose weight.

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