TiVo Wants You To Know Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

While the official TiVo blog generally engages in trivial (and bizarre) marketing, they’ve taken to WordPress this week to cover something far more significant in CableCARD. And, while cable companies like Time Warner and Charter will soon (12/15) be able to provide set-tops without integrated CableCARDs, TiVo reassures us that these companies remain on the hook to provide CableCARD support for third party solutions… like TiVo. Further, TiVo and Comcast have agreed to something vaguely communicated which the DVR pioneer believes further ensures solid ongoing Xfinity support.

Of course, many ZNF readers probably share my skepticism that “support” equates “good” or “sufficient” support with minimal roadblocks. Plus, for TiVo, the clock is ticking with their patent protection and licensing payments sunsetting in 2018. Which is why they’re looking to the next thing in a digital CableCARD replacement (as we’ve collectively been discussing since 2005) hoping to empower the TiVo UI in a way that tru2way and the NCTA-backed DLNA CVP-2 might not.

Furthermore, the legislation that repealed the integration ban requires the FCC to form a technical advisory committee by mid-January 2015 to identify and recommend a software-based downloadable security system to promote the competitive availability of retail devices to receive cable programming. On December 4, 2014, the FCC released a public notice seeking nominations for the Downloadable Security Technical Advisory Committee (DSTAC). The DSTAC must file a report with the FCC by September 4, 2015 to detail its findings and recommendations. TiVo has submitted a nomination and hopes to participate in this process.