Industry

Live From DigitalLife

Both TiVo and I are here at the Javits Center in NYC! Bob Poniatowsky, of Tivo Product Marketing, graciously answered some of my intrusive questions – stay tuned for the details. Additionally, Netgear has a new media device on the horizon which I’ll be reporting on. Akimbo, Orb Networks, and some of the Slingbox folks are also here – so we’ll see what else I can dig up.

And yes, I did see TiVo’s VCR coffin. The mortuary music is definitely over the top, though it hasn’t discouraged the decent sized crowd from picking up free boxes.

TiVo

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TiVo Goes To War

DirecTV starts peddling their new DVR this week, but in the long run will it be competition or commission for TiVo? If TiVo is able to prevail in defending their “time warp” patent versus Dish Network, with court proceedings beginning this week, they should be able to work out royalty arrangements with other DVR providers… … Read more

DVR Advertising Gets Rolling

Business Week’s 10/17/05 article “Hey, Advertisers, TiVo Is Your Friend” obviously caught my eye. David Kiley spotlights “ad guru” Rishad Tobaccowala and the inevitability of advertisers finding us in the “new-media” era. I can only hope, as we move forward, that the Comcasts and TiVos of the world will advocate for consumers and strike a … Read more

Multistream CableCARD Status Report

The National Cable and Telecommunications Association (NCTA) has provided a CableCARD status report to the Federal Communications Comission. For the most part the association documents the adoption rate, consumer costs, rate of incidents, and other metrics of current CableCARDs amongst the top cable providers. However, the more interesting news is the status of CableCARD 2.0 … Read more

Dish Network Partners With Nielsen

With the proliferation of satellite TV and DVR services, tracking viewing trends has become more difficult and less precise. To collect more comprehensive data Nielsen announced a partnership with Dish Network today, in addition to their preexisting DirecTV/Tivo trial. Dish says: EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) and its DISH Network satellite TV service today announced … Read more

Rent My DVR, Innovative or Illicit?

Earlier this year Micke Langberg launched Rent my DVR, an online marketplace to buy and sell television programming. By scanning a web listing of television shows, one chooses what they’d like to receive. If a request is filled, the show can be downloaded for about 25 cents through a custom “P2P” application. Conversely, a person … Read more

Verizon Flips FiOS TV Switch

FiOS TV has gone live in Texas with a huge selection of digital channels and VOD at very competitive prices. Verizon plans to expand service into Florida, California, and Virginia later this year. FiOS TV uses Verizon’s fat pipe fiber optics to provide IPTV via a set-top box. Verizon says: FiOS TV subscribers will enjoy … Read more

Verizon FiOS TV Scores ESPN And Disney Channel

Verizon’s FiOS TV has only been approved in a handful of jurisdictions, but that hasn’t stopped them from moving forward with content deals. Today Verizon inked a major agreement with Disney. Verizon definitely needed ESPN to compete with traditional cable providers and satellite TV… And now they can – ssuming they get cleared to provide … Read more