TiVo’s KidZone Road Show hit DC yesterday… An intimate group of about three dozen people, half of whom seemed affiliated with one presenter or another, witnessed two new KidZone announcements. First, Parents’ Choice Foundation has signed on as the fourth provider of children’s programming recommendations. Second, KidZone will identify congress-mandated Educational and Informational (E/I) television programming for recording.

At the moment I’m thinking this will be a three-part story. The first two portions will cover the people and the product in photos. I’ll offer my opinion of KidZone and describe how the technology works with the third entry.

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TiVo’s KidZone Road Show hit DC today… An intimate group of about three dozen people, half of whom seemed affiliated with one presenter or another, witnessed two new KidZone announcements. First, Parents’ Choice Foundation has signed on as the fourth provider of children’s programming recommendations. Second, KidZone will identify congress-mandated Educational and Informational (E/I) television programming for recording.

At the moment I’m thinking this will be a three-part story. The first two portions will cover the people and the product in photos. I’ll offer my opinion of KidZone and describe how the technology works with the third entry.

Tom Rogers, CEO
TiVo, Inc.
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There’s still quite a bit of confusion regarding TiVo’s new pricing, so here’s a brief summary…

Lifetime Service
New and existing TiVo units are eligible for Lifetime Service at $299 if activated by April 15. Lifetime Service will not be offered for sale after 4/15. Lifetime gift cards will be honored when redeemed as will Series 1 (purchased before 01/2000) Lifetime transfers.

Purchasing Option 1: Buy Hardware and Monthly Service Separately
Do what we’ve always done. Buy the hardware (Best Buy, Costco, etc) upfront and pay $12.95 (or $6.95) a month for service.

Purchasing Option 2: Buy Hardware and Prepay Service Separately
Buy the hardware (Best Buy, Costco, etc) upfront and prepay 1 ($155), 2 ($299), or 3 ($399) years of service.

Purchasing Option 3: Subscribe to Bundled Hardware and Service
Commit to 1 ($19.95/month), 2 ($18.95/mo), or 3 ($16.95/mo) years of service and an 80 hour TiVo is included. After the service commitment expires, you can call in and request your rate be adjusted to the prevailing monthly rate.

Purchasing Option 4: Prepay Bundled Hardware and Service
Prepay for 1 ($224), 2 ($369), or 3 ($469) years of service and an 80 hour TiVo is included. Another option is to prepay $405.39 for a DVD-burning TiVo model with 1 year of service. After the service commitment expires, you can call in and request your rate be adjusted to the prevailing monthly rate.

Caveats
First, these are the prices and rates today. I expect they will fluctuate over time as costs rise and TiVo tweaks this new model. Second, the current $150 rebate may or may not come back. Third, the multi-unit service discount has not gone away though eligibility varies. Fourth, subscribers must call in after their commitment expires in order to get the (presumably) lower monthly rate. Fifth, new service that isn’t prepaid or bundled is subject to a one-year commitment. Sixth, new Humax DVD-burning TiVo units can be activated with Lifetime Service indefinitely. Seventh, in all cases you own the TiVo unit.

Related Links
Summary of new pricing
Lifetime Service clarification
TiVo Package pricing

TiVo is running an American Idol contest over the next 11 weeks — each week you vote who’s going home. That’s all well and good… but the real interesting news is that in 11 weeks they’ll be giving away a Series 3. Though TiVo officially has up to four months beyond the sweepstakes to deliver.

So speaking of worshipping that false idol, we now have a little more info to base our speculation on. I’ll go first… Series 3 HD will be available 9/1 @ $800 a pop. What’s your guess?

Update: This is now a contest! Predict the Series 3 release date and cost to win a TiVo-branded wireless adapter. Details are in the comments.

Grand Prize: 1 Special Limited Edition TiVo Series3 HD Digital Media Recorder w/Product Lifetime Service
Average Retail Value: $1,500.00

Selected entrants will receive the the weekly prize by mail within thirty (30) days of the Weekly Sweepstakes end date and the Grand Prize by mail within four (4) months of the end of the Sweepstakes Period (exact timing subject to change based upon availability of Grand Prize, which is scheduled to be released for public sale in the second half of 2006).

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The big news out of today’s conference call is the implementation of the long rumored pricing structure modifications. As expected, TiVo has dropped the upfront hardware fee and is charging for service only. Additionally, resellers such as new partner Radio Shack can handle service orders. The caveats? Monthly fees have gone up and Lifetime service has been mothballed.

So here’s the deal… an 80 hour TiVo will be bundled with these payment plans starting next week:

• The price for a TiVo box and a one-year service commitment is $19.95 a
  month or $224 prepaid
• The price for a TiVo box and a two-year service commitment is $18.95 a
  month or $369 prepaid
• The price for a TiVo box and a three-year service commitment is $16.95 a
  month or $469 prepaid

It’s still early and I’m sure more information will trickle out over the next week or so as TiVo documents this transition. My initial questions…

• What is the monthly cost to reactivate a box or to activate a used box?
• Do multi-unit discounts apply to new boxes?
• Will the 80 hour TiVo unit be the only model available at this time?
• If other models are available, what costs and service plans do they have?
• Will the hardware warranty be extended to cover the service agreement or will there be an insurance option?

I did think the current pricing model and rebate runaround needed to be tweaked, but this is not what I had expected or would have suggested. I’ll let the announcement soak in and get some questions answered before passing judgment. Then again, I’m not the one who will be passing final judgment anyway — the market will decide.

TiVo’s 7.2.2 software rollout has begun. If you want first dibs, register here. Features include undelete, an improved Suggestions engine, and updated network drivers including support for the Linksys USB200M v2. Since there’s still no support for WPA, my USB200M is on order.

TiVo has announced a partnership with Verizon to add cellphone scheduling capabilities early this summer. TiVo Mobile consists of a custom Java app, distinct from their recently refreshed animated web scheduling. Pricing hasn’t been announced and partnerships with other carriers haven’t been ruled out. One article suggested the service could cost up to $5/mo and that Verizon has a 60 day exclusive, after which point it can be shopped around.

This probably isn’t a service I’d utilize (especially since I’m with Sprint), but it’s good for some positive attention. Interestingly, the announcement does not mention Yahoo… renewing speculation on the nature of their partnership.

TiVo says: TiVo, the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR), and Verizon Wireless, owner of the nation’s most reliable network, announced today an agreement that will allow Verizon Wireless to debut TiVo Mobile, a new downloadable application that lets TiVo® service subscribers schedule recordings on their TiVo device directly from their Get It Now equipped Verizon Wireless handset.

“This arrangement will allow the growing base of TiVo subscribers to integrate control of their TV life with the most widespread piece of consumer electronics, the wireless phone,” said Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo.

TiVo Mobile is a new innovation that will allow TiVo subscribers to schedule DVR recordings and access related entertainment information from the convenience of their mobile handsets. Viewers will be able to schedule recordings on the go via the same user interface that makes TiVo the best-in-class DVR experience.

Starting in summer 2006, in an exclusive arrangement with Verizon Wireless, users will be able to download the application from the Verizon Wireless Get It Now suite of services onto applicable handsets. Verizon Wireless and TiVo will also collaborate on a joint marketing campaign to promote availability of the new TiVo Mobile feature.

“TiVo Mobile will add yet another unique benefit to the Verizon Wireless Get It Now service by allowing our subscribers to be the first mobile users anywhere to schedule television recordings on TiVo using their mobile handset,” said John Stratton, Verizon Wireless chief marketing officer. “As a powerful consumer entertainment brand, TiVo has the ability to help us attract consumers who value the leading multimedia capabilities Verizon Wireless offers.”