Never enough time…

• TiVo VP podcast: DVR meets broadband. (iMedia)
• NBC Nightly News rebroadcast on web. (MSNBC)
• Windows Media Player 11 Beta released. (Microsoft)
• How TiVo is cashing in on the interactive age. (Thomas Hawk)
• Samsung intros plasmas with built-in DVR. (HD Beat)
• Elgato EyeTV software updated. (MacNN)

Never enough time…

• Time Warner Cable to test “Start Over” service in Greensboro. (News Record)
• Discovery Channel content arrives on iTunes. (Apple Insider)
• Movielink and CinemaNow suck. (Thomas Hawk)
• Pioneer Inno XM2GO video review. (PC Mag)
• Netflix adds Blu-ray option. (Hacking Netflix)

Let me start by saying I’ve been anxiously awaiting the MacBook — small form factor, dual bootable, reasonable price point! But having spent about 30 minutes exploring it, I may have to pass.

I want to love the MacBook and it suits my purposes perfectly, but the keyboard just isn’t working for me. I realize I didn’t give it a lot of time to grow on me, as an Apple Store clerk insisted it would (How does he know that?). I was also typing at a less than ideal level standing at the Genius Bar. On the other hand, I type hours a day (on various devices, in various positions) and am a graduate of the Thinkpad School of Keyboards. My main complaint is what I want to call a lack of travel followed by a lack of bounce. The stroke just feels too short and too firm — it’s somewhat jarring. The other problem I have is the unfamiliar feel of the keyboard; the keys aren’t very concave and I’m a little too cognizant of the edges or space between them. For comparison, I like the feel of the MacBook Pro keyboard.

Several folks wanted me to report back on the new glossy screen - I can tell you it’s similar to what many PC laptops offer these days. There is more glare/reflection, but the extra contrast is nice and offsets it. (The reflection in the photo is the overhead lights in the Apple Store, my cell phone doesn’t have a flash.) Design-wise, that recessed keyboard allows the closed laptop to have a very sleek form and subtle magnetic closure. The black finish is nice and tasteful, though I was originally afraid it was going to be too glossy.

So what’s the verdict? I want to love it, but I’m not sure I will gamble $1200 on getting used to the keyboard. I see several more visits to the Apple Store in my future…
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As I originally reported, TiVo and Blockbuster has had a partnership in the works. TiVo inadvertently revealed the deal first, and Blockbuster just returned the favor… They’ve prematurely published the TiVo Blockbuster promotion web page. Oops! Additionally, TiVo.com has launched their page and reactivated the Blockbuster bundle shopping cart links (here, here, and here).

This doesn’t appear to be anything more than a cross marketing arrangement. In fact, individuals can cancel the Blockbuster movie rental portion of the subscription and drop down to a TiVo-only $19.95/mo service. I expect we’ll see a formal press release in the next day or so.

For a limited time, sign up to receive a 1 (one) year TiVo® Package Subscription (including an 80 hour TiVo Series2™ DVR) and a 1 (one) year subscription to BLOCKBUSTER Online, with up to 3 movies out at a time. Offer valid for new BLOCKBUSTER Online customers only; limit one offer per household. You must have internet access and provide a valid e-mail address and a valid credit card, check card, or checking account to participate in the TiVo-BLOCKBUSTER Combined Subscription. A minimum 1-year TiVo-BLOCKBUSTER Combined Subscription commitment is required. If during the 12 month term of your TiVo-BLOCKBUSTER Combined Subscription, you cancel your BLOCKBUSTER Online subscription portion of the TiVo-BLOCKBUSTER Combined Sbuscription, you will automatically revert to the $19.95 per month one-year TiVo Package Subscription. If you cancel your BLOCKBUSTER Online membership, BLOCKBUSTER Online rentals must be returned no later than ten (10) days past your cancellation date to avoid additional charges. Membership in the BLOCKBUSTER Online subscription service is subject to the Terms of the BLOCKBUSTER Online service.

While you are a subscriber, you will receive four free rental coupons each month delivered to your email address. Each coupon is good for a free movie rental at any participating BLOCKBUSTER® store location in the U.S. These coupons are only valid in-store and are not redeemable online. Separate in-store membership required. In-store membership rules apply to in-store rentals.

In an article written either before or without knowledge of TiVo’s new commercials-on-demand service, Business Week breaks down Neilsen data on DVR usage. Among the 5% of homes that recorded the 4/16 episode of American Idol, about 80% skipped ads during later playback. While Business Week estimates only about 3% of all commercials are being bypassed (DVR and DVR-less homes), advertisers seek to only pay for “live viewing” exposure and worry that 20% - 40% of homes will have DVR functionality by the end of next year.

Business Week says: Nielsen now has the numbers to provide a meaningful picture of what’s going on out there. And it’s sure to make network brass squirm. Based on BusinessWeek’s analysis of the Nielsen numbers, when American Idol judge Simon Cowell eviscerated crooner Ace Young on Apr. 18, some 1 million homes caught the action an hour or more later on their digital video-recorders (DVRs). Of those viewers, perhaps 800,000 fast-forwarded past the commercials. With fewer than 3% of ads being zapped, the TV advertising model is far from dead. But with the Age of the DVR upon us, it’s in serious need of corrective surgery. “The two sides have to talk now, because [the DVR] threatens both networks and advertisers if they don’t.”

TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator and leader in advertising solutions and television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced an upfront, multi-million dollar advertising agreement with Interpublic Media, which oversees the media services operations of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), including Initiative, MAGNA Global, Universal McCann and a number of leading specialist media agencies.

“TiVo is pleased to have Interpublic Media as the first major advertising holding company to sign an upfront deal. This agreement further validates our commitment to the advertising industry and presents an opportunity for all of Interpublic’s clients to leverage TiVo’s DVR advertising to reach an attractive demographic,” said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of TiVo. “TiVo offers an interactive advertising solution that enables the consumer to pause television and engage in a branded advertising experience, without missing even a second of the TV show a viewer is watching. We are excited to expand our long-standing relationship with Interpublic and look forward to capitalizing on their intellectual capital, experience and relationships in the future.”

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