Comments on: TiVo Needs Cable… Or Do They?

By: Derik

Derik — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:26:27 +0000

I got one clear sign that Comcast’s TiVo software rollout was coming this month. That sign was a letter in my mailbox yesterday informing that they’d be jacking the dvr monthly fee $3 because of “all the money they’re investing” in new technology. I ordered FiOS last week and now I don’t feel one bit guilty about it. FiOS was cheaper prior to that letter (and I get more), now they’ve just widened the gap.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:36:09 +0000

I also think it depends on the market you’re in.

Some markets have decent STBs and DVRs.

My market uses the most horrible I have ever experienced. It’s a TW (previously Adelphia) Scientific Atlanta running the crap-tastic Passport software.

If I had Moxi or some other software on a different box, maybe I could live with it.

But there’s no way in hell I’m paying TW $100+ for digital cable and HD to be crippled by such a horrible piece of hardware/software like they offer here.

Hell, Time Warner hasn’t even put their logo on the VOD screens yet so where Adelphia once was it’s just blank. It’s the ugliest thing ever!

By: Big John

Big John — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:22:34 +0000

“cable isn�t the only game in town�”

(getting ready to celebrate Tivo getting it’s embassy set up in DirecTV-land again)

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:59:21 +0000

There’s been a few… some more featured than others. The best (and I use that word loosely) of the rest in recent years are the two Sony models (CableCARD) and LG’s Microsoft DVR (all have been discontinued).

Your point is a good one though, which is why I think an educational advertising campaign by some of these guys could pay off… An independent TiVo will offer a better TiVo experience (never mind VOD and SDV for the moment). In fact, I think that’s what is pushing Digeo’s Moxi into retail — they’ve created many cool features that their cable partners won’t deploy or is slow to deploy. I hope Digeo, TiVo, and the CEA partner to get the word out.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:42:38 +0000

I don’t get the assumption that people prefer to rent, not buy, their set top boxes.

Since when have they had a choice?

Other than TiVo (and ReplayTV) which, before CableCARDs, did not REPLACE their cable box… what STBs could a person buy at retail?

By: Dave Zatz

Dave Zatz — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:52:54 +0000

Peter, Missy – For those in the know that’s usually true, but TiVo’s stand-alone subscriber numbers have been pretty stagnant for some time now. I’m not sure how successful that recent massive advertising campaign was (My TiVo Gets Me). They may have been better off saving the millions ($$$) for the launch of this new HD unit while also running a CableCARD educational campaign with the CEA. Maybe they still can.

By: Peter G.

Peter G. — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:40:58 +0000

Once you have TIVO, nothing else will do.

By: Chris Thompson

Chris Thompson — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:40:32 +0000

I’d love to have one of the new HD TiVos in my house, but with Time Warner switching to SDV in the next few months, who knows which channels I’ll actually be able to receive. It’s changes like that that will keep TiVo a niche player in the market as long as they’re a third-party. Hopefully deals like Comcast and Cox will let them transition to being a successful software provider.