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Putting TiVo Premiere in context

TiVo announced its fourth-generation DVR with much fanfare at a March 2 media event in Manhattan--at the top of Rockefeller Center, to be specific. Media invitations to the event included the teaser: "The DVR was just the beginning."

What TiVo delivered was...an incremental update of its existing product. If you look beyond the slick new enclosure, the biggest improvements were an improved interface (using, for the first time, Flash-enhanced HD graphics and the full range of the wide-screen real estate); an enhanced search system (it simultaneously searches TV listings and Web-based video sources); and the addition of Pandora's music service.

The backlash was swift: "It's a big pile of disappointment and missed opportunity," said Matt Burns at CrunchGear. "[G]iven TiVo's inaugural role and leadership in [the] space, not to mention the tens of millions spent annually on R&D, I have to say I'm somewhat underwhelmed," proclaimed tech blogger Dave Zatz.

"It may be too early to say TiVo's dead, but it's not [too] early to see it's bleeding from a self-inflicted foot shot," tweeted Gizmodo's Wilson Rothman (though the Gizmodo coverage was decidedly more upbeat). CNET's Molly Wood (see embedded video) says she'd like to buy one, but she cautions: "I don't know that this is going to save TiVo."

Is the TiVo Premiere really that bad? To be clear, we won't know for sure until we can conduct a hands-on review (the product ships in April). Even the live demos at the TiVo launch event weren't really enough to draw a conclusion: with a DVR, you need to live with it for a few weeks (minimum) to fully experience its ups and downs. Still, we can draw some early conclusions from which features TiVo chose to include--and which the company omitted.

Here's the primary grievance list against the new TiVo:… Read more

EchoStar injunction upheld in victory for TiVo

TiVo scored a major victory in its long-running patent battle against Dish Network parent company EchoStar Thursday, but it's not over yet.

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal District upheld a lower court's ruling that changes EchoStar made to its DVR software were not enough to get around TiVo's patents, meaning that EchoStar failed to comply with an injunction against the sale of those products and was subject to additional penalties. TiVo and EchoStar have been fighting over DVR patents since 2004, and with EchoStar unable to overturn a 2006 court decision … Read more

TiVo unveils Series4 'Premiere' DVRs with enhanced online integration

NEW YORK--TiVo on Tuesday officially announced two new DVRs that offer an updated user interface and enhanced integration and search capabilities for online video. The TiVo Premiere and TiVo Premiere XL models will cost $300 and $500, respectively, when they ship in April; like all previous TiVo models, they'll also require a monthly, yearly, or lifetime service fee as well.

The new Premiere models, details of which had been rumored and leaked in previous weeks, are the first Series4 models from the DVR manufacturer. The fourth-generation products boast an updated interface and feature set.

The highlights: … Read more

Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1165: Kindles for all? The future is cloudy.

The rumor mill has it that Amazon wants to give its Prime subscribers a free Kindle. Like, all of them. We think that fails the sniff test, but we might be hypersensitive because of the ridiculous rumor mill that briefly killed off the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi this week. Oh, and Google's working on fixing Buzz. Thanks, Google. --Molly

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1165

Top Stories

No Show Monday!

Google to make Buzz changes based on userfeedback http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/millions-of-buzz-users-and-improvements.html… Read more

TiVo to unveil new DVR on March 2?

Looks like those of you waiting for the next TiVo won't have to wait much longer. The company sent out a press invite for a March 2 event in New York with the teaser "Inventing the DVR was just warming up."

Anticipation among hard-core TiVo fans over the possible release of Series 4 TiVo has been building for the last few months and it did make our list of the most anticipated tech products of 2010. A bit of info has leaked about a possible next-gen TiVo system, which may or may not be called the Premiere. … Read more

The 404 Podcast 514: Where Justin lost $1,000 in the big game

Wilson might be the only host on The 404 who watched the entire big game Sunday, so we don't spend too much time talking about the actual game and instead stick to the commercials. Ads this year included Google's first Super Bowl ad. Also, HomeAway revitalized the Griswold family from National Lampoon's "Vacation", and Motorola aired a commercial with Megan Fox selling something...we just don't remember what it is.

We also have a story about Comcast changing its name to Xfinity. Starting next week, its cable television, telephone, and Internet services will feature the rebranded name in 11 markets. In what seems like an effort to give a sharper edge to the brand name, the change is taking heavy fire from sites like The Consumerist, which claim that the new Xfinity name has an X-rated/pornographic/stupid/energy drink connotation.

Finally, we run down a list of the 10 most needlessly perverted mainstream games. Follow along as we chat about some of the most revealing games in console history with titles like Dead or Alive, The Sims, and Bayonetta leading the scandal. Oh my. Speaking of which, we hate to be the ones to report it, but Microsoft is no longer offering online support for original Xbox games like Halo 2 and Counterstrike. Bummer!

EPISODE 514 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Microsoft sues TiVo...but not over Linux. Surprise!

Hard as it may be to believe, sometimes Microsoft's patent lawsuits have nothing to do with Linux. Increasingly, however, they all seem to end with the same punchline: "Get a license to our patent portfolio and everything will work out."

When

Microsoft intervened in AT&T's patent infringement suit against Linux-based TiVo; it said it was doing so to uphold its IP interests. While the open-source community fretted that the intervention might signal evil intent against Linux, closer inspection by Groklaw revealed the lawsuit "has absolutely nothing to do with Linux."

Phew!

At … Read more

Microsoft files patent suit against TiVo

Microsoft has accused TiVo of illegally using video purchasing and delivery technology in its digital video recorders, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Microsoft filed suit against the DVR maker on Tuesday for infringing on two Microsoft patents as a way of defending its partner, AT&T, which is currently involved in a legal dispute with TiVo over the same technology. TiVo sued AT&T and Verizon in August over the "time warping" function in both companies' digital video services. AT&T uses Microsoft's video platform for its U-Verse TV IPTV service.

It's … Read more

Cheap hardware loves Linux, hurts Microsoft

Microsoft used to bury the cost of Windows in the $1,000-plus price of a new PC. But as personal computers take different and cheaper forms, Microsoft Windows is starting to look a heck of a lot more expensive...and expendable.

That's the argument ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes makes, and it rings true. Microsoft's earnings have been slipping as the industry resets to Netbooks and other low-cost hardware, which is forcing Microsoft to cut its prices on Windows accordingly.

Microsoft may be "beating" Linux in Netbooks, but it's an ugly, Pyrrhic victory, as Kingsley-Hughes describes:… Read more