“You can’t spell TiVo without iTV. Does that mean a deal between the digital video recorder maker and Apple is inevitable? Some in the blogosphere seem to think so,” Tim Beyers writes for The Motley Fool.
Beyers writes, “On Tuesday, Matt Haughey of PVRblog.com reported a ‘wild rumor’ that claims Apple will license one or more TiVo patents for its soon-to-be-released iTV technology and rename iTV ‘Mac Media Capsule.'”
“So is there anything to this theory? Yes. Apple and TiVo are kindred spirits in that both appeal to the well-to-do technophile. Both also have a stake in how programming is delivered to you,” Beyers writes.
Beyers writes, “But that doesn’t mean it will happen. For now, Apple and TiVo are separate entities with common interests and uncommon enemies. If there’s a deal to be had it may simply be because TiVo has more than 100 patents and because Apple management has both the cash and the brainpower to avoid a needless court battle. Sexy? No. Exciting? Hardly. Probable? More so than any of the other conspiracy theories I’ve heard.”
Full article here.
Related articles:
Apple + TiVo = Mac Media Capsule? – December 06, 2006
Analyst: Apple to release ‘AppleVision’ set-top box ‘TiVo killer’ – June 30, 2006
TiVo updates TiVoDesktop for Mac – February 15, 2006
Intel’s Yonah demo shows TiVo-like features buoying rumors of Apple Mac mini digital hub with DVR – December 14, 2005
So there you have it.
It didn’t seem likely that a TiVo-like function WOULDN’T be incorporated into iTV
Hmmm….well what do I know expect that I like my EyeTV (!) hard and software and if it was up to my Apple would just buy Elgato…. okay it’s not the same as TiVo but nevertheless it would be a cool thing to do: a lot of exciting products that work.
MacB, Netherlands.
I’ve owned Replay for many years and still prefer it to TiVo for one simple reason. Replay has a 30-second jump button. Commercials tend to come in 30-second increments so simply clicking on the jump button the requisite number of times allows us to get by commercials in a flash.
Another use for the 30-second jump button is to reduce an NFL game to about 10 or 12 minutes. The time between the downing of a ball and the resumption of the next play is perfectly matched to this button. Way more cool than TiVO, IMHO.
This article brings rumormongering to a new low. It’s so low that we passed a snake’s underbelly a mile ago and recently waved to Bill Clinton on our way down.
No facts here, it’s just a story about guessing if a recorder will be part of iTV or not. Well duh, anyone can do that and already have. Nothing new here let’s move along.
When we reach the Bush administration we’ll know we’ve hit rock bottom
@ BustingHisSkullTheIdiot-
Sorry, but apart from getting a blowjob from someone who wanted to give him one (ooh, in the “sanctity” of the oval office), Clinton doesn’t hold a candle to lying, thieving, cowardly, George the Chimp (TM).
I wonder who else boinked in the Oval Office?
BUY TiVO BEFORE MICROSOFT DOES!!
“BUY TiVO BEFORE MICROSOFT DOES!!”
Anything Microsoft touches gets the government involved due to anti-competition. Don’t think Microsoft will buy TiVO anytime soon.
Chance of the name being ‘Mac Media Capsule’ = 1 in 1 billion
to mike:
Tivo has a 30-second skip button as well. It’s not turned on by default any longer, but is very easy to enable. Do a quick search of Google for “Tivo 30 second skip”, and you will find the answer. Just a few presses of the remote button.
At any rate, I still hate my Tivo. I switched from Dish Network’s DVR to Tivo because everyone said “It’s like the Apple of DVR’s”. HA! In the last two months, I have missed more recordings in my Season Pass” than I ever missed in two years of having the Dish DVR. I have missed the last three episodes of Top Chef, as well as two episodes of Desperate Housewives. There were no conflicts to prevent it. It just DOESN’T work.
If they mean capsule as in pod…
Apple Media Pod?
Without the lack of any leaks to-date, ntwork deals may be out another 6-12 months from now, but either way, here is where iTV will take hold.
1. Upon launch: Direct Connect to iTunes in the “internet cloud.” Apple knows and has on-tap what have purchased, so whether iTV connects to the computer or not, all that content, and of course, all that new content direct from iTunes, will be available through iTV. Think iTunes “sharing” and there you go.
2. Down the road: Network TV directly available via iTV for $2.99 a month or $3.99 a month per network (HD vs stnd def). Bandwidth requirements will more than likely need to be in the 10 mpbs range, especially for HD. Al-carte TV is what Apple is about to put on the table and create massive waves with Cable and Dish companies. To be able to order a news, sports and special interest channel or two for $9.XX = $15.XX HD a month, where can I sign up please? Call it “iTunes Direct”
(How does this all work? See details below)
BTW: How does commercial-free sound? Only a limited amount of ad space may apply for this purchase-a-network model.
3. Upon Launch: TiVo-like abilities for iTV, but with a limited storage time and ability – enough to allow for live replay for that bad NBA call you want to see again, or to record a show you won’t be able to view that evening. iTV will deliver 90% of what DVR’s product, but will not give certain users the ability to cook off seven years of Seinfeld. If you want that, buy them from iTunes.
Details on per-Network-purchase:
iTunes Direct current issue is home bandwidth, but that is rapidly changing. By March of 2005 only 30% of American’s had broadband connections. By March 2006, that number rose to 42%.
Apple’s ability to tap FiOS by Verizon is a huge player in getting this technology to work.
1. In many cases, iTV will regulate your interent connection… Much like one can control multiple interent download speeds or priorities, iTV will do the same to save TV viewing quality. When iTV knows iTunes Direct is engaged iTV is the pipe watchdog. When iTunes Direct is not engaged, the interent pipe for the house is unregulated.
For those having 10 mpbs or higher connection speeds, they are likely to never notice iTV acting as a traffic cop. However, for those having 5 mpbs speeds, when renting an HD movie via iTunes Direct, or any other number of HD content, count on the interent speed to become heavily regulated.
While only 20% of all American’s will be able to truly use all the features and abilities iTV will deliver today, within two years, that is expected to double.
But without the rumors of iTunes Direct and al acarte network selection, it may be a year off before Apple feels truly high-speed interent is ready to deliver this service.
Whenever Apple chooses to launch iTunes Direct, it will stand Cable and Dish networks on their heads. While Cable companies and Verizon are likely to get millions of users upgrading their high-speed interent packages to the next level, at the same time their TV package groups will be screaming “save us!”
George the Chimp? Are you by any chance referring to Our President, the leader of the Free World? Shocking, simply shocking!
You can’t spell Snapple without Apple.
A deal is imminent.
Question: How can you make the release of an amazing Apple product feel disappointing?
Answer: By trying to guess what features it will or will not have and be upset when your wildest dreams don’t come true.
Question: How can you make the release of an amazing Apple product feel disappointing?
Answer: By trying to guess what features it will or will not have and be upset when your wildest dreams don’t come true.
Question: How can you make the release of an amazing Apple product feel disappointing?
Answer: By trying to guess what features it will or will not have and be upset when your wildest dreams don’t come true.
This aint going to happen. The future of TV is IP. It is the one universal means of reaching anyone on the planet. Not trying to wire your iTV to whatever Satellite, cable, digital terestrial, analogue box and then trying to have a working EPG to go with it in whichever country you’re in. The whole reason for Tivo’s software is to learn what you like and record it whislt it is being broadcast. With VOD Tivo’s a dead duck.
Apple could become the world’s largest broadcaster, think on.
Nice going, BustingHisSkullTheIdiot. You waved a red flag in front of macsaplenty and Always Right — kiss any rational discussion of this topic goodbye as the comments sdection of this page turns into a technogeek version of one of those obnoxious roundtable shows on the news channels.
You…motley fool, you!
I love my ReplayTV, I wouldn’t switch to Tivo, even if Apple bought it, cause the Replay TV is better and because of several things taht I found out before I bought my replayTV.
1) In Great Britain, a TV show paid Tivo to have every single Tivo in the country to record that show, and the owners couldn’t delete it, they had to wait 4 days until it deleted itself.
2) ReplayTV went to court to fight for the right not to give up user information to the TV studios, Tivo already gave the information. The really scary part is they wanted to be able to identify users that were sending shows to other people (a feature of ReplayTV that I am not interested in) to get them for copyright enfringement.
3) ReplayTV didn’t bow down to the TV studios when they said you can’t skip commercials. Nope, ReplayTV by default is set to skip commercials. Ok, so sometimes it doesn’t do that great of job of it, but they stuck by their guns to give people freedom.
Those are the reasons and the fact it works great, has great features, and basically the only time it screws up is when the power goes out. Or sicne the HD is old, there are a couple bad sectors, but other then that its great.
You can’t spell this without iTV either
http://www.intellivisionlives.com/
Random-at least he did it with a little humor.
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This is not going to happen. Apple is in the business of selling content via the iTunes Store. A DVR in the iTV lets users get the TV shows they want to watch for free instead of buying it from iTunes. Apple isn’t stupid.
<b>THANK YOU for the TiVo 30 second skip tip!<b> I had no idea this could be done!
……woops, forgot my / in the tag, anyway THANK YOU was supposed to be in BOLD
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