TiVo “GameSkip” Spotlights Super Bowl Commercials

While we often ignore or outright bypass commercial interruption, TiVo recognizes the Super Bowl is different and has flipped the script by inverting its ad-skipping technology: Everyone knows that this Sunday’s commercials are some of the best, highest quality commercials of the year. So, we’re going to tag the game backwards, with the commercials and the … Read more

Amazon Gets Its New Smartphone Strategy Right

After the debacle that was the Fire Phone, Amazon is back in the smartphone business with what appears to be a winning strategy. Instead of developing their own devices, at significant expense, Amazon is partnering with manufacturers to replicate their Kindle and Fire tablet ad-serving, subsidized-hardware approach in addition to pre-loading the companies commerce and consumption apps. So they … Read more

TiVo Preps “Next Gen” Interface

While perusing the merger-related deluge of regulatory filings for notable nuggets, we learn that TiVo is developing a “Next Gen UI” (in addition to reinforcing another consumer product is coming, which we’ll discuss next). For color, Virgin Media indicates they “will be updating the existing TiVo set-top box to make its menus slicker and more picture-based.” Vertical lists of text are inefficient in many … Read more

Advertising Is Roku’s Biggest Business

We generally think of Roku in terms of streaming boxes and sticks. Yet, the company pitches themselves as a software platform and the reason hardware remains so affordable, for both consumers and television licensees, is because the company makes the bulk of its revenue elsewhere. From a Business Insider interview of Roku CEO Anthony Wood: I don’t think people understand … Read more

TiVo is Dead. Long Live TiVo!

Patent Trollvi rises…

Yes, the leaks were true. Rovi intends to purchase TiVo.

While TiVo creates amazing products and has successfully deployed their solution to numerous cable operators around the world, beyond patent litigation and licensing, they haven’t found much financial success. Basically, the writing was on the wall.

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Second Gen Amazon Dash Button Brings Bluetooth

Amazon has passed what looks to be a second generation Dash button thru the FCC — based on filing approach, device profile, and model number. But, given the very limited information, the only obvious enhancement is Bluetooth LE joining the existing 802.11 WiFi variants, potentially allowing smartphone or home automation interaction beyond what’s currently available in merely … Read more

TiVo Proves Commercials Are Good For Business (as they reduce advertising)

TiVo’s always had a bit of a marketing problem. Yet it’s not exactly clear if it’s because their value proposition is difficult to communicate (possibly) or their efforts are misguided (definitely) or a bit of both (likely). But it’s deliciously ironic that they’ve announced they’re dialing back their advertising spend … the very same month their research unit indicates a … Read more

Hack Thyself

Like Chipotle and Honda before them… “Jessica Jones” took over Netflix’s Twitter account today. I can’t remember which guy I was with at midnight. Jack, Jim or Johnny. -JJ #whiskeyandchill — Netflix US (@netflix) January 1, 2016 Why the crap does National Hangover Day happen on a day when everything’s closed? -JJ — Netflix US (@netflix) … Read more