TiVo Signs Up for Internet Video Content

lfescalante writes "TiVo, in an increasingly diversified attempt to offer new content to its subscriber base, today announced a partnership with Internet TV pioneer Brightcove to bring content partner video offerings from this company to Tivo boxes. The first fruits of this relationship should begin appearing within the coming months."

If the average Slashdotter TiVoed the internet...

The average Slashdotter TiVoing the Internet would cause a bandwidth catastrophe. Based on prior viewing, thousands of pron sites would be swamped with TiVo DoS.

Good move

I think we all accept that most of our entertainment will be brought to us over the net in the future rather than through standard broadcast. I doubt that the early offerings are going to get anybody too excited (our choice of commercials? oh goody!), but this will be good for Tivo to get ready for a few years down the road with a nice headstart on the technology. Any techniques and refinements they can develop will help them survive one all the bandwagon jumpers start climbing on board.

And the /.'rs say:

Goodie! Now then, I want all my ad's to be pr0n and vaigra...

How to broadcast vapor?

Brightcove seems to promise a lot of things, but they seem to be more vapor than actual service so far. They have a demo of a nice portal, but they're a new company and seem to have more going on in marketing then actual technology. Combined with Allaire, that makes for buzz, but really, what big-time content do they actually host? They have some announced projects, but not any actual big live content providers that I can tell. Their press releases are all "we're going to do this" rather than "we've done this." Someone like thePlatform [theplatform.com] actually already has the tools and feature set that Brightcove is still working towards, plus big-name customers (Verizon VCast, Ampd, CNBC, Starz, etc).

I dont see time warner allowing this

If ever there's a reason for net neutrality this is it. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Time Warner throttles the bandwidth for TIVOs trying to connect to this.

Oh boy

As a Tivo fanatic and subscriber, all I can say is... *YAWN*

Why do I want to see any of this?

old news

Tivo [rocketboom.com] has had Rocketboom [rocketboom.com] podcasts since December 2005 at least. It was a promising start, and I hoped for more.

TiVo and IP-TV

"Product Watch" was Tivo's announcement from just the other day. This somewhat dull product, an HME based application, enables a Tivo user with a broadband connection to browse through a collection of infomercials and select videos for download.

Now. Of course. Who would use this? Ads? Etc, etc. However all the Tivo pundints missed the bigger point. That being that this is IP/TV. Tivo now sports a box that integrates the TV (rabit ears, cable, or satalite) with IP content.

Product Watch is actually a smart business move, as that enabled Tivo to build the ground work, the back end, call it the infrastructure, for IP/TV with companies paying to place their content.

Now this deal with brightcove will be a no-brainer. Technically not a challenge at all for Tivo, only the usual of two companies hashing out who will be responsible for what and etc.

I think this Product Watch thing is not properly understood at what a big deal it is, and how Tivo will probably be announcing such IP content partnerships like this one again and again over the coming weeks and months.
 

PodCasting

On a somewhat related note, TiVo now supports the automatic download of a number of popular podcasts, or I can add a URL of my choice. As a result, what turned into the occasional viewing of Rocketboom is now a part of my daily routine.

Game show idea for sale

Principals with references (must be willing to sign binding NDAs) only, please.

Not for Directv Tivo owners

Guaranteed.

I't pisses me off how directv treats their TIVO subscriber base. I have the hardware for TIVO series two but DirecTV would rather try and push their substandard PVR than give their directv TIVO subscribers the same features as the standalone version.

Yes..I could hack my DirecTivo to get some of the features, but I should'nt have to do that!

Now they've backed themselves in a corner. People HATE their in house PVR but the company (or whoever sold the idea of making their own in the company) would rather stick their fingers in their ears than listen to their customers.
rant off!

maybe...

this will help TiVO with their so-called "techno-profiling," that wonderful system by which they "select" movies and television shows based on your past viewing. This is a truly poor system: for instance, it doesn't take into account the fact that maybe, just maybe there are more viewers in the house than just one. If they partner with an online service, it may allow some users to enter more than one profile per home: if my daughter wants to watch Lady and the Tramp, but I would prefer the latest Jerry-Frankenheimer-Blows-Stuff-Up-On-Screen movie, it would suggest ... BOTH?! Even better, I might be able to opt out of the crappy system altogether, because I don't want to be tracked any more than my various bankcards, ID numbers, e-mails, etc. already subject me to. Just a thought.

TiVo + Internet video

For the last few remaining humans who still haven't seen the peeing chimpanzee, the "Numa Numa" dance, or "Yatta!."

TiVo + iTMS

TiVo needs to get a deal going with Apple's iTMS and start allowing purchasing of content through a version of the store... download Music, TV Shows, Movies to your TiVo drive... watch full screen just like any other content.

Then they should work together on a PVR software solution for a Mac Mini with an adaptor box that converts signal to the various ports to work with all TVs, basically a TiVo in a Mac, without the subscription required... you can subscribe to TiVo content if you want, or you can download individual shows through iTMS. I guess they could even release a Windows compatible version too... since there's already iTunes.

This would make 'a la carte' TV a reality.

What happened to Netflix?

Didn't Tivo sign an agreement with Netflix to offer Netflix subscribers the option of downloading movies to their Tivos? I still haven't seen anything about that materialize.

Re:DANGER: Management speak

In English this means, Tivo, in an increasingly desperate attempt...

I thought the Tivo death knell sounded off last month, and the month before, and the month before, and the month before...

Re:DANGER: Management speak

I thought the Tivo death knell sounded off last month, and the month before, and the month before, and the month before...

TiVo and Vonage are circling the drain hand in hand. Face it, both companies are bleeding money faster than they can bring it in. TiVo simply can't compete with DVRs built into cable boxes that have multiple tuners in them and can record digital content without recording it off some crappy S-VIDEO interface using a stupid IR blaster to change channels. MAYBE their HDTV/Cablecard version coming out might hold their death off for a few more years, but the only long term option they have is to get in bed with the cable companies like they did with DirecTV and ensure their software (their hardware is essentially worthless commodity PC garbage, their software is the only thing valuable in their business model) is put on every cable DVR box that ships. The DVR software on a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 I tried for a week SUCKED ASS and was a glorified VCR... if they could capitalize on their name and get their shit into the cable DVR boxes that major cable companies rent they may just survive past 2008.