At this point I thought Tivo was all but dead in the water.  But surprise, today the company announced their Series 4 hardware and with it a new UI called the Premiere.  So what’s new in Tivo Premiere?

Well, for starters they’ve beefed up the processor, which apparently now handles searches at a much faster rate and the new Flash UI moves like butter.  When the units ship next month you’ll have your choice of two skus: a base model with 45 hours of HD storage (320GB) for $300 or a higher end THX certified model with 150 hours of HD storage (terabyte of storage) for $500.  If you were hoping that Tivo would lower their service fees, well, keep wishing; they’ve remained the same.  The new boxes consume less power than their predecessors, which probably won’t be reflected in your home’s monthly electricity bill, but it’s a nice peace of mind.  To cut some costs (on Tivo’s end) they’ve forgone the modem and S-video output, but there is a cable card on the rear of the box, but good luck wrestling one of those away from your local provider (I’ve hard it’s a nightmare to score one).

As for the UI, it’s a bit difficult to say without using the Series 4 box.  Also, I’ve never been a Tivo user so I’m at a loss to what is exactly new in this box.  There is a new Discovery bar at the top of the menu screen, which apparently is some sort of aggregation of online video and TV with tips and suggestions for shows – I assume it’s based on your previously watched program, an Amazon for TV and something Tivo has long been doing.   Zatz seems to think we’ll see advertising pop up in this location as well.

The new search we saw 2 years ago at CES apparently renders and works much more smoothly thanks to the increased horsepower under the hood, which should make finding Youtube and other online content a snap.  Also, suffice to say we should expect some apps to eventually roll out, such as Pandora and Netflix, which seem to be the catch all applications when any integrated device launches these days.

When the Series 4 boxes launch they’ll be a standard remote available, but the flagship box – perhaps available for a separate purchase or separate all together – will be a QWERTY keyboard remote that communicates over Bluetooth.  Early reports peg it as a bit chintzy in feel, but nothing is finalized at this point so hang tight while the brains at Tivo finalize the design.  As for WiFi there’s of course the step up to 802.11n for increased through put and range, but it’s a standalone dongle.  Surprisingly, it will have to be plugged into the wall in addition to the Tivo’s USB port to operate, but according to Zatz there is a built-in Ethernet cord for daisy chaining the adapter to other non-WiFi boxes, such as an Xbox 360.

So, as the title states, is this the Tivo we’ve all been waiting for?  I’ve never been a Tivo fan due to the high monthly cost.  At this point in the game I’ve ditched my cable and subscribe to Internet only.  I use a Mac Mini to watch all my content on Hulu and other sites, and the way I see it I’ll make my money back in 8 months.  Tivo’s new boxes are most certainly a step in the right direction, but unfortunately I think it’s too little too late.

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Later this month marks the release of the Sony PlayTV, a Tivo-esque HDTV recorder that hooks to your PS3 and records television to the PS3’s hard drive.  They’ll be asking $169.95, at least in Australia, and can actually be used to record TV while the Playstation is actually playing games or Blu-ray discs.

Even more interesting, the PSP will work like a remote for the system, similar to how Apple uses the iPod touch or iPhone as a remote on its own stuff.

This has actually been something of a bit of vaporware for the Aussies, who’ve been waiting on this one since the start of 2009, but Sony made a bit of a splash when they put the announcement that this would come out in the second half of 2009 in writing.  Will it actually make it to market?  Time will tell, but not much of it.

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RIM and Tivo announced the availability of the Tivo app for BlackBerry devices. Yeah, you probably perked up and exclaimed, “Wow!” but the app only allows you to view the program guide and schedule shows to be recorded. Sorry to be a downer but like most of you I was expecting to…

To continue reading “Tivo Blackberry App Now Available For Download” head to PhoneDig

Tivo’s suit against Dish Network, the one that won them $103 million in royalties, might do more than fatten their bank account.  It might provide them with the necessary leverage to either sell the company to a Pay TV service provider or establish contracts with DirecTV, TimeWarner cable and others to utilize their DVR technology.  In fact, TimeWaner’s CFO said on a June 11th conference call that TW is in talks with Tivo to provide their DVR boxes to their 13 million subscribers, although Tivo wouldn’t confirm.  Of note, Tivo already has a contract with Comcast, which I believe is the largest cable provider in the US.

Personally, I can’t stand Timewarner’s current DVR offering, a POS Motorola cable box that often freezes, records ‘repeats’ even though the option isn’t selected, and lacks some painfully obvious features that many DVR users have come to expect.  Even if TW does sign with the DVR company, it will be probably more than a year before customers like me see the box in our homes (tear).

Sound off below if you have some thoughts on the whole DVR offering from cable/satellite companies.  Does Tivo rock or suck? Would you pay extra for the service? What do you think of TimeWarner/Comcast?  You know I can’t stand their DVR box.

[via Giz]

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Don’t forget Amazon’s $300 coupon: SAMSTIVO (expires: 5/31)

While Moxi is probably still far from unseating Tivo as the number one DVR company, the companies latest offering is most certainly a refreshing choice in the buy and subscribe world.  For $800 you get the Moxi MR-1500T3 HD Digital Video Recorder, an EPG, no monthly fees, a CableCard slot and 500GB of storage.  And much like Tivo’s HD box you can record up to two programs at once, access files from PC and a few online services.

Unfortunately – this is why the Moxi MR-1500T3 HD Digital Video Recorder will never sell -  Tivo’s EPG guide is far superior, you can access a variety of online video sites including Amazon’s On Demand service as well as Netflix’s streaming service and all at a lower price (Moxi does offer a larger HDD, though).   Do the math: the Tivo HD box is $300 + $400 for a lifetime service = $700.  That makes Tivo $100 cheaper.  Sorry Moxi, you’re great alternative to Tivo via Time Warner (cringing while saying that), but that’s about it.

[Amazon via eHomeupgrade]

Swimming in the deep end with concrete feet and sharks circling is how I envision Blockbuster these days.  Today, in the hopes of staying afloat, they struck a deal with Tivo to offer movies on demand via the DVR company’s set top box.  But will it work?  I seriously doubt it.  Tivo, which already lets Netflix customers stream movies from their database of 12,000 movies and TV shows on their award winning DVR, will also benefit from the deal by obtaining Blockbuster store shelf space in attempt to sell their DVRs to movie renters. (Do you remember the last time you went into a Blockbuster and actually bought, not rented something?)

The Blockbuster Movie On Demand service is compatible with TiVo’s Series 2, Series 3, TiVo HD and TiVo HD XL DVRs.  Rented movies, which will last for 25 hours will cost $4 and purchased movies will cost $20.  10,000 movies are currently on demand and Blockbuster says their On Demand Movies will be available before cable’s Pay Per View service.  Rumors are circulating that Blockbuster is in talks with Apple, but I don’t see that happening.

[CNN]

What is it: Order Domino’s Pizza on your Tivo + paused TV ad functionality

Features: See the progress of your pizza as it is being made, multiple preparation options such as half shrooms, half bacon, etc., charges to your Tivo account.

Availability: Now

Price: Depends on pizza

Tivo just added a search function, but it’s currently only available for their HD boxes. Hit the videos to get all the details and walk through.

Features:

• Record up to 150 hours of HD shows on the 1TB of storage
• THX certified, Tivo patented EPG, and more

Earlier this morning, Tivo released an update that allows select DVR owners to stream Netflix movies and TV shows.  Select because the update is only applicable for those that own a TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL.  You’ll of course need a Netflix subscription of $8.99/month or more, but since it’s the second device to receive Netflix’s 300 HD movies streaming it might be worth signing up. Course, and to be honest, most of the HD movies are complete crap.

[Netflix]

Don’t forget 6ave’s $40 coupon: AFLTVO208 (Expires: 10/30)

Features:

• 180 hour DVD box
• Record 2 HD channels or 2 SD channels at once
• Access your media library on a compatible PC

Buy it: Tivo TCD652160 HD HD Digital Video Recorder – $208

Shameful to say, but I’ve never owned a Tivo. It’s on my Xmas list, for myself, but seeing as I’m entrenched in the Time Warner Moxi mayhem (I have their box and 60 shows setup) it’s hard for me to escape their clutches. Course, I’m digging this leaked Tivo interface so much, I might make the switch. I truly appreciate the PIP effect at the top of the screen.

It’s probably safe to say that this is close to the real thing, or an iteration there of, otherwise Tivo wouldn’t have requested that they pull it from the sources site.

Video after the ‘leap’

Now they just need to hurry up and form a partnership with Time Warner (I can wish, right) so I can ditch my Moxi box.  No offense to Moxi, but Tivo has a superior product.  There isn’t a ton of news to divulge here, but from what I’ve gathered DirecTV users can continue to enjoy the Tivo box and will soon have access to a Tivo HD box specifically designed for DirecTV.

[Ehomeupgrade]

Features:

• 802.11 b/g wireless connectivity for your Tivo via USB
• Enable multiroom viewing and stream photos, music and more

Buy it: TiVo AG0100 Wireless USB Network Adapter – $45

Features:

• 1920×1080 full HD resolution
• 40-inch to 52-inch screen sizes
• Record up to 20 hours of hi def content and two shows at the same time with the built-in dual tuner

Buy it: Buy A Samung 550 Series LCD TV And Pay Just $99 For Tivo HD

Rebate info here

Features:

• Dual tuners let’s you record two shows at once or watch one while you records
• Record up to 80 hours of programming + stream music and media to your home theater with built-in Ethernet ports

Buy it: TiVo TCD649080 Series2 80-Hour Dual-Tuner Digital Video Recorder – $38