Boing Boing’s Cory Doctorow and I exchanged a few emails regarding Tivo’s ability to honor Macrovision copy protection as a service update in light of Tivo’s new early termination fee. Unfortunately, something was lost in translation and I wanted to set the record straight: Hi Cory, I definitely think the new $150 termination fee is … Read more
PC Magazine (10/04/05 issue) reviewed five DVR software packages as alternatives to Microsofts Windows Media Center Edition (MCE). All were deemed good values and worthy competitors of Tivo… assuming you have an extra computer with decent specs. Meedio Pro earned an Editors’ Choice award and was followed closely by Snapstream’s BeyondTV bundle. Bill Howard preferred … Read more
The positive buzz surrounding Tivo is leading to some strange marketing synergies. The recent iRiver PMC deal makes sense as an option for watching Tivo To Go, but the JCPenny Dockers promotion is way out in left field. Dockers says: Buy $100 of Dockers Men’s Qualifying Apparel and/or Accessories Between September 25th and September 28th, … Read more
First Macrovision DRM, now this… Tivo has gone the route of most cell phone providers with their updated service agreement. They’ll sell you hardware at a loss, but guarantee themselves service revenue to recoup those expenses. If you cancel service within a year of activating your unit, you’ll be penalized $150. No caveat for multi-Tivo … Read more
And I thought this month couldn’t get any worse for Tivo… First they’re hammered with bad press due to Macrovision DRM. That was followed by Metron, the company handling Tivo’s phone and web orders, folding last Friday. Little did we know Tivo had a television and web advertising campaign beginning this week. Sadly, Tivo is … Read more
In a strange turn of events, Tivo is no longer accepting orders for DVR units via phone or web. Unconfirmed posts suggest the company they outsource sales duties to has folded. Upon calling 1-877-BUY-TIVO a recording informed me, We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please visit our website. However, potential web customers are being directed … Read more
A year after announcing a partnership with Netflix, Tivo quietly updated their online account management tool this week allowing us to Enable Video Downloads. Tivo says: Use this setting to enable a DVR to download TV shows, movies, and other video content from the TiVo service over your broadband Internet connection. Specific program offerings will … Read more