TiVo finally launched its High Definition-capable unit. Designed by TiVo for DirecTV, it sports a 250 GB Hard drive and four tuners for $999. But neat new products aside, TiVo faces some daunting challenges. It has not made inroads with cable companies, many of whom have commissioned cheap TiVo knock-offs from companies like Scientific Atlanta. Many owner of these off-brand DVRs don’t even know that they aren’t TiVos, and, having never used the real thing, don’t know the difference.
The article says that anylists predict there’ll be DVRs in half of American homes by 2009. With all these DVRs, I can only wonder what advertisers are gonna do. I mean, does anybody even see the commercials anymore? (I’m asking because I don’t have cable and rarely watch TV anymore). I can only imagine TV’s answer to the pop-up ad, like you’re trying to watch TV and you can’t because there’s an ad banner in the way. Or how about ads on the TV when it’s not even turned on? Hmmmm.
Personally, I think the idea of cable TV should go away. Instead, we should just be able to pick from a menu/list of shows and pay as we go. This would hopefully get rid of the senario where you have 5,000 channels and there’s nothing you want to watch.
One thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of these TV shows are coming out on DVD, so you really don’t need TV for much anymore anyway
I know Tivo use Linux inside but I would to know if it respects the GPL license of any free programs included on it.
the cable companies want to have a say over how they let the consumer use their Content.
with tivo, a tivo is a tivo is a tivo.
and to make it worse, Tivo is locked out of the market because they can not get the cable companies to disclose their Digital cable interfaces to them, making it impossible for them to make a box for consumers to buy.
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) is what the digital cable boxes use(some hdtv tuners can use this) but I think the cable companies encrypt the signal.
/not too sure
TiVo has released all of its kernel modifications in compliance with the GPL:
http://www.tivo.com/linux/linux.asp
As for the TiVo application that runs of top of their customized version of Linux, it does not need to be released, just like any other commercial app that runs on Linux.
Every time I watch an American program, there are probably five commercial breaks (Fadeout’s/fadein’s) for each break here. And after each break they repeat everything they have said before the break.. I understand why TiVo’s are popular “over there”…
What shows do you watch that repeat everything?
I don’t see any.
Yep…at LEAST every ten miutes on most channels. sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes 15…
The commercials have really gotton out of hand. About 1/3 of a 30min television show are commercials.
Now I just get my shows off bittorrent.
what is the torrent site?
I think the worst show was the one with Bob.. The Bachelor 2, or something.. (Ungkaren 2) After every break they had a little summary of what had happend before the break..
That might be ok if you watch the commercials, but if you have a TiVo, or watch the program in Norway (without commercials), it’s quite annoying..
I live about 20 miles from the US canadian border, but for some reason, I can not pick up all the CBC channels. they have all the content I want for free there…the sopranos, Deadwood etc.
Well I don’t watch reality shows. Ack. I guess (bad)taste is something that goes beyond borders.
My grandmother watches The Apprentice. Ick.
Commercials take up 6-9 minutes for 30 min. shows. I have vr5 episode one here, it’s 45 minutes so about 7.5 mins per half hour.
Does anyone know if shows in the UK start at anytime, like 10:15, 12:19?
Most channels start programs at 30 minute intervals like 10:00, 10:30, 11:00.
in the USA that is…
I use http://suprnova.org
http://search.suprnova.org/
I found Time Trax… 90s sci-fi… mmm
that strangely 19th century style hologram chick was cool 🙂
Yes, Scientific Atlanta was playing catch-up, but they are ahead of their only competitor (Motorola) by almost 2 years. Not only do they have SD and HDTV capabilities built in, but a home server (one big DVR box, feeding VOD type video from its harddrive to up to 4 satellite, non-DVR boxes).
Also, a new model is coming out that will have a DVD recorder for archival purposes.
I read an article last year that it is projected that Scientific Atlanta will have more deployed DVR units by 2005 than TiVo.
With the SA box, you don’t have to pay for the IPG/DVR subscription. It’s up to the Cable MSO’s what the extra tier is going to be.
Oh yes, both SA and Motorola have their own Encryption. DirecTV does as well. I think Motorola uses the NDS encryption like DirecTV. Not entirely sure.
SA uses its own, proprietary conditional access system, but some models (primarily the ones for Cablevision in New York) can use NDS, and some international models can use Nagra.
Yes, QAM is used for inband transmission and QPSK for out of band.
shows in the UK may well start at xx:x5. take monday’s schedule on BBC1: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/listings/index.shtml?service_id=4223&da…
22-minute shows occupy a 25 minute timeslot – uninterrupted viewing from start to finish, then three minutes of adverts.
sattelite/cable channels are more prone to putting adverts where they don’t belong (e.g. during short shows like The Simpsons)
I have a PVR from Dish Network. I have never used a Tivo, but this thing defiantly is a cheap knockoff. I can see how a Mac/PC type of market could develop. Some would be willing to pay for the better usability of the Tivo, while the vast majority will put up with the general crappiness of the knockoffs to save money.
In my case, there is no monthy fee. That saves about $120 / yr.
22-minute shows occupy a 25 minute timeslot – uninterrupted viewing from start to finish, then three minutes of adverts.
But its also worth noting that the BBC channels on UK television only show adverts for shows on their channels, and never commercial products. This is not the case of the other terrestrial channels however that like to put commerical advertisements on at 15 minute intervals (for shorter shows) or 30-40 minutes for longer shows, like films or TV dramas.
…the convergence of computer and audio/video means that the so called “information”(audio/video media such as movies and music, etc…) will gradually begin to be controlled by the companies that make the equipment, and even scarier, the companies that make the software. Imagine things like paying 1 cent for downloading every 10 .jps, for instance… and being tied into paying for TV because broadcast stations will go out of business, due to ppl TiVo’ing their TV and not seeing/using advertising. No more AM/FM/TV in the near future. ALL media access will be for pay. Thanks fileswappers and your bootlegger forbears… due to human nature, the industries feel they are justified in creating drm, dmca, palladium, and all other technologies of control… I only hope that Open Source can somehow overcome…
Are the competitors using Linux, win, or a custom OS?
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while the vast majority will put up with the general crappiness of the knockoffs to save money.
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And a lot of ppl will put up with general windows crappiness rather than explore OS/2 or Linux. The majority marketshare usually just indicates the highest level of mediocrity.
what is the torrent site?
Mostly http://www.suprnova.org and http://www.animesuki.com