Engadget’s received word that TiVo’s Hulu Plus app has entered beta testing. Internet-sourced content such as this is a nice to have, but won’t move many units on its own – taking a back seat to MSO deals and patent litigation. However, a recent survey seems to suggest the sort of compelling features that could indeed increase TiVo retail sales.
As shown above, TiVo wonders how folks might feel about piping live and recorded video to a content to an iPad. Chalk me up as “Very interested.” TiVoToGo could use a healthy dose of modernization and streaming DVR-ed programming from TiVo to iPad within the home, or beyond, would be quite compelling. Additionally, TiVo is contemplating placeshifting live video. Basically, we’re talking about a Slingbox… without a Slingbox – much like the DISH VIP 922. Although, live “TV” could be sourced elsewhere and resold (like the aforementioned Hulu Plus) or bundled into our TiVo service subscription.
I’d say TiVo’s Premiere hardware is capable of such placeshifting feats. Yet streaming recorded content would be a significant engineering undertaking, and if not already begun, I can’t image we’d see this sort of functionality in 2011 on Series 4 hardware.
