TiVo’s having a bad week… first they prematurely announce their Blockbuster partnership and now they’ve inadvertently disclosed Guru Guides. But don’t take my word for it; go check your TiVo messages for the updated privacy policy notification.
What are Guru Guides, you ask? I have no idea. The obvious guess is some sort of VOD or HME-based informational content. If that’s the case, the bigger question is… who provides it? Does this have any relation to CNET TV?
UPDATE 1: gonzotek over at the TiVo Community Forum speculates Guru Guides may be an adult version of KidZone in which TiVo partner organizations or individuals provide content selections based on area of expertise or personal preference. I think he’s on to something…!
UPDATE 2: Greg noticed noticed a new TiVo support page which describes Expert Picks as a feature that allows you to receive and record recommended viewing programs from another brand, celebrity, entity, or individual that you trust. So which is it TiVo… Guru Guides or Expert Picks?
UPDATE 3: TiVo updated their support page to reflect Guru Guides, rather than Expert Picks. Guess that’s settled!
(Thanks, John!)
My vote is for Guru Guide, that sounds way better then Expert Picks. I figure it has to be one of three things. It’s either a way to showcase the most popular shows by TiVo user or it could be an expanded suggestions function or TiVo could have hired critic to highlight independent films. It should be interesting to see what it turn out to be.
I sort of envision something similar to a celebrity playlist on iTunes, with say a Lance Armstrong recommending his favorite shows. Or maybe TiVo partners with NASCAR and they suggest car programming and races. It would be extremely cool and progressive if TiVo built in some sort of function where you can share Season Passes with your buddies, like a Netflix Friends. But I wonder at what point recommendations become advertising…
The iTunes celeb playlist idea makes sense, although Davis’ idea of showcasing the popular content using the data they’ve always been collecting sounds cool too.