Perhaps another benefit of the TiVo 20.3.8 software update is a framework to tabulate in-show tenor by repurposing those iconic TiVo thumbs up/down remote buttons (versus their original purpose to rate programming as a means of generating suggestions). Classified as an “experiment” by “TiVo Labs”, select customers have been recruited to test this new functionality:
If you’re interested in helping out, here’s what to do:
- Watch The Voice episode “Live Final Performances,” airing Monday, 12/16 at 8 PM/7 Central.
- As you watch the episode, please use the Thumbs Up and Thumbs Down buttons on your TiVo remote throughout the episode to rate the contestants’ performances.
- Really loving it? Press Thumbs Up! Totally hate it? Press Thumbs Down!
- You can use the Thumbs buttons as many times as you want throughout the episode.
- You can use the Thumbs buttons more than once on the same performance.
- Feel free to fast-forward, pause, and rewind as usual.
You don’t have to watch the episode live as it airs, but if possible, please try to watch the episode on Monday night. Sound interesting? Just watch and click — that’s all you have to do. There’s no online survey, just “vote with your remote.”
While TiVo’s collected this sort of behavioral data before, they’ve attempted to ascribe viewer opinion based on a more passive model of monitoring “most watched moments” – as demonstrated recently via the Sound of Music. Whereas this new approach gives viewers an interactive method of evaluating content. And opens up a myriad of partnering opportunities… once the functionality is expanded to provide visual feedback on-screen. Way better than those obnoxious pause menu ads – no?
My wife was stoked to learn about this, although I don’t know that it’ll work for all subscribers and boxes given the limited invite. But she intends to give it a go anyway when The Voice airs on Monday and hopes the experiment is repeated on Wednesday for X Factor‘s final performances. But, unless the data makes its way into a TiVo press release, she won’t be privy to the results. This time.
I received an email about this expierment from tivo with a link to record the show but my link doesnt work! ,anyway i’ll keep trying until the monday, I will have my wife trying this out because she loves to watch that show. I probably dont need the link because my wife already has a season pass to the voice .