TiVo has announced that it has established a licensing agreement with AT&T's advertising division, AdWorks. The deal will enable TiVo to access data detailing household viewing habits of AT&T's U-Verse television subscribers.
The long-awaited and promised TiVo-enabled HD DVR from DirecTV is finally available nationwide. Previously, the set-top was only available in 10 markets. The box is unique in combining the TiVo interface and peanut remote control with DirecTV's HD content lineup.
TiVo posted a much-requested update for its Premiere-series DVRs mid-week that answered a number of complaints while adding upsides of its own. The 20.2 upgrade speeds up the interface to touch on a common lag problem and brings the Grid and Live Guides into HD for the first time. Those who have more than one TiVo now have the luxury of streaming a show recorded on one TiVo to another on the same network instead of having to transfer it completely.
TiVo has been busy ahead of CES 2012 introducing a new Android app (Free, Android Market), while also overhauling its Premier DVR interface. The new app is compatible with Android 2.1 (or higher) devices as well as 7-inch tablets. Among its features includes turning a user's smartphone into a touchscreen remote, as well as the ability to browse the channel guide without interrupting shows.
TiVo has announced that it has settled a patent dispute with AT&T, as both companies have entered into a licensing agreement. AT&T is said to have agreed to pay TiVo a total of $215 million, split between an initial payment of $51 million and recurring quarterly payments through 2018 totaling $164 million.
The much-delayed arrival of TiVo DVRs at DirecTV is finally slotted for a launch date of December 8, according to the satellite provider's forums. The TiVo HD DVR from DirecTV (THR22-100) The release is limited to just ten major US cities, however, with an expansion still being evaluated.
TiVo is now shipping its Premiere Elite set-top box, which was officially introduced at the start of September. The premium offering has four digital tuners and a built-in 2TB hard drive. Meant for home theater enthusiasts, it's also THX-certified for picture and sound output.
TiVo has made its quad-tuning Premier Elite DVR official. The device is fitted with four tuners allowing for four channels to be recorded simultaneously on its 2TB hard drive. Users have the ability to record up to 300 hours of shows from Netflix, Pandora, Hulu Plus, Blockbuster, Amazon and YouTube.
A leak has exposed what appears to be a training video pitched at the DirecTV sales force in order to get staff re-familiarized with the TiVo box and its functions. This and other details have emerged pointing to a September shipping date for the long delayed set-top-box DirecTV TiVo that promises to bring the best of satellite TV programming and combining it with a subscription service DVR. The only apparent downside for users is that the device will use older hardware, a legacy of its long gestation period, which started back in 2009.
Details of the upcoming TiVo Premiere Elite DVR have leaked. According to documents filed with the FCC, the Premiere Elite will have four tuners and can operate (record or view) up to four shows simultaneously. It is THX-certified and fully compatible with 1080p/1080i video. The Premiere Elite has two terabytes of recording capacity, enough to record 300 hours of HD programming. It supports networking with other TiVo boxes for content sharing and is MoCA compatible.
Best Buy has announced its Insignia-branded Connected TV (cTV). The Insignia cTV is a smart TV that uses the TiVo interface to simplify searching for broadcast programming, internet content, and chumby social media applications. The cTV does not have DVR capability and does not require a paid TiVo subscription. Two models will be available, featuring either a 32-inch or 42-inch 1080p/120Hz LED display.
Insignia's once-vaporware TiVo-integrated TVs have shown up again in a leak on Friday. Now called the cTV, the sets would offer every non-DVR feature of a TiVo, ranging from CinemaNow and Netflix video to Napster and Pandora music. Materials obtained by Zatz Not Funny suggested TiVo would instead be used as a smart TV interface to find Internet content without Insignia, most often known as Best Buy's in-house brand, having to invest in the work.
TiVo customers may soon be able to stream programming between rooms, Zatz Not Funny reports. In the past, subscribers had to transfer a file recorded by a TiVo in one room to the TiVo in another room before it would be watched in that second room. With the new TiVo Premiere set-top, in conjunction with TiVo's latest software, transferring and watching, instead of directly streaming, may be a thing of the past.
TiVo in a recently unearthed FCC filing (below) has already shown that the Premiere Q is coming to regular users. The quad-tuner DVR is only coming to providers like RCN and Suddenlink, but a new model, the Premiere Elite, will hopefully be sold "directly to consumers" instead of pushed through cable subscriptions. It would arrive sometime later in the year.
The latest issue of CEPro's magazine has given away apparent plans by TiVo to expand its mobile apps beyond the iPad version. A full-page ad pitching the Premiere XL to custom installers mentions that TiVo has been developing apps for "the iPhone and Android OS products" alongside the iPad title. What features would change, and whether the Android app would include tablets, has been left open.
TiVo unveiled its first major set-top box updates in some time with its highest end DVR, a new entry box, and an updated iPad app. The Premiere Q is the first quad-tuner set-top box and, as hinted earlier, can tune or record as many as four shows at once, giving a whole home access to DVR. Those who want to use IP-based video can stream three HD feeds at once, either over Ethernet on the local network or the Multimedia over Cable Alliance format.
A premature reveal late Saturday has shown two new TiVo set-top boxes and a major update to the iPad app. The company will lead off with the Premiere Q, a quad-tuner version of the current Premiere devices that would be aimed at multi-room recording. The DVR could record as many as four feeds at once and take as many as three simultaneous IP-based streams in HD, either regular content over Ethernet or using the newer Multimedia over Coax Alliance standard.
Hints this weekend from Best Buy became real Monday with the arrival of Hulu Plus on TiVo. The DVR now has access to much of the multi-studio streaming site's TV shows, including both recent content and archives. The interface is optimized for the larger screen but has "limited advertising."
Marketing materials seen at Best Buy shows that Hulu Plus on TiVo is imminent. The materials also show that TiVo Premiere owners will get 6 months free streaming through the service when it launches. The Hulu Plus service has successfully launched across a several platforms including the Xbox 360, the iPad and Android devices.
Cable TV provider RCN has confirmed plans to allow customers to stream video between TiVo Premier set-top boxes. The company's director of video product and video operations, Jason Nealis, has informed beta testers that the multi-room streaming functionality will arrive in a software update. Other improvements include support for an iPad app, video-on-demand previews, and a revamped UI.
TiVo today chose to permanently alter its Premiere DVR pricing to draw in some viewers. Starting May 19, the company will now permanently sell the core Premiere for $100 on a year-long contract for those willing to pay $20 per month and the Premiere XL plus Premium Remote bundle for $300 on the same rates. Paying $500 now gets a Product Lifetime deal that gives service for free for the life of the hardware, up $100 from before.
Zatznotfunny reports that a possible slip up on DirecTV's website gives some encouragement to DirecTV customers that a TiVo HD-DVR receiver may be available in the not to distant future. Screen shots from the DirecTV site show a TiVo receiver that can be added to a customer's shopping cart as a receiver option. The photo of the unit is marked "FPO" (for positioning only), indicating that the webpage is a placeholder for a future offering. Price is listed as $99.
TiVo scored two coups on Monday with word of major deals with Comcast. Owners of the DVR in most Comcast areas will get access to the cable company's Xfinity On Demand video service directly from a TiVo Premiere box. Search and other features should remain intact.
Dish Network and its parent EchoStar started the month of May by reaching a settlement deal with TiVo. Following the loss of its last appeal in a finding of contempt, Dish and EchoStar said they would pay TiVo a total of $500 million to end all lawsuits and end trade bans on DVRs. About $300 million would be paid up front, while the remaining $200 million would be paid between 2012 and 2017.
EchoStar on Wednesday lost its case in a Federal Court of Appeals to try and overturn a contempt ruling in favor of TiVo. The court upheld a decision that EchoStar's Dish satellite TV DVRs were breaking a permanent ban on violating TiVo patents even after changes were made to the hardware. EchoStar is expected to pay a $300 million fine that it had reversed in May of last year.
TiVo Advisors panel has issued a new survey to members that hints at what the DVR maker is considering releasing. In terms of hardware, the survey makes mention of a four-tuner HD DVR that would have the ability to record up to four shows at once while a fifth is viewed. There is also a hint of a companion set-top that would connect to a TiVo DVR from another room and allow for watching live HD programming or recordings on the DVR.
Large-scale e-mail marketer Epsilon warned this weekend that at least 14 major companies had their e-mail lists compromised through a security hack. TiVo, as well as banks like Capital One, Citi, and JPMorgan Chase, warned that their customers could be targeted by phishing attempts or anything else that relies on knowing an e-mail address. The affected group stressed that they didn't have any other personally identifying data besides names, although rewards programs from Marriott and Ritz-Carleton also exposed point balances.
Nearly a year after Best Buy first announced plans to build Insignia televisions equipped with TiVo software, the retailer may finally be testing upcoming products. A post on the unofficial TiVo Community Forum suggests that a new TiVo device, without DVR storage capabilities, has surfaced in access logs for a third-party game that works with networked TiVo systems.
TiVo's plans to stream Hulu Plus edged closer to reality Wednesday with word from a field tester that it was in live testing. A field trial is giving TiVo Premiere owners a month of free service in return for streaming the Internet TV online. He couldn't say to Engadget when TiVo expected to take Hulu Plus public.
A notice in the TiVo for iPad app has validated hopes that it might come to Series 3 DVRs. A quiet update to the app on Monday (free, App Store) is now producing a pop-up message that tells users that full support is coming for set-top boxes provided by cable providers RCN and Suddenlink as well as "limited support" for the Series 3 and related TiVo HD. The update is "coming soon," it said.
The existing SlingPlayer iPad and iPhone app has now been updated to allow outputting video to an external screen through component cables. The move effectively turns Apple's devices into Slingbox adapters for TVs away from home. Both the SlingPlayer Mobile 2.1 for iPhone (App Store) and SlingPlayer Mobile 1.1 for iPad (App Store) are now available, with either priced at $30.
Microsoft has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, accusing TiVo of patent infringement and calling for a ban on TiVo imports to the US. The filing is focused on Microsoft's patents related to technology used in the company's Mediaroom software, which is utilized in various set-top boxes, such as AT&T's U-verse hardware, that provide DVR functionality.
Cable and telecommunications provider Charter Communications and TiVo kicked off the week with an announcement that they will cooperate on bringing TiVo's interface to Charter's set-tops. The hybrid platform will bring with it IP technologies in addition to the standard cable experience, and include both TiVo's newer HD user interface and TiVo Premiere boxes. Future TiVo platforms will also be used, adding new services and third-party apps.
TiVo today posted its long promised iPad app (free, App Store). The download serves as a complete alternative to the on-screen interface and will both schedule recordings to the DVR as well as browse show info. It can imitate the hardware remote and, while active, won't put the interface on the TV, freeing it up to display the active TV show.
The planned DirecTV TiVo HD receiver that dates back to 2008 and has faced numerous delays may have been shown off to a select few at the CES show last week. The hardware may finally show up in April or May,sources speaking to Fudzilla said. Unofficial rumors also indicate the device will not contain all of TiVo's latest features.
The official TiVo iPad app should be at the App Store by the end of January, the company has announced via Twitter. Although not providing more details on the matter, it also adds that the prospect of Android and iPhone apps is being investigated. The iPad app will require a connection to the same network as a TiVo set-top.
While the Hulu Plus service is available on TiVo Premiere DVRs, it will not come to TiVo devices offered by cable providers, it was revealed on Tuesday. This includes Suddenlink, Cox and RCN, because of licensing fees. Netflix, a streaming service accessible from TiVo DVRs, cannot stream through a box leased by a cable company because its contract prevents it from doing so. A Hulu spokesperson confirmed this is also the case.
Alcatel-Lucent's patent holding group Multimedia Patent Trust on Monday sued Apple, Canon, LG and TiVo for allegedly violating patents on AT&T video codecs. The Southern District of California complaint accused the companies of violating as many as four patents with their hardware and software. Virtually all Apple devices and software are allegedly copying the patents, including its Mac line, Final Cut apps, iLife, QuickTime and most iPads, iPhones and iPods.
Peel's iOS platform is being upgraded to control home entertainment systems, the company has revealed. At the moment, an official app simply serves as an enhanced program guide, recommending programs based on feedback. An update coming this week should ease setup, improve performance and allow faster access to more top picks.
The UK's Virgin Media on Wednesday announced it is bringing out home entertainment service called Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo. Such a partnership was a long time in the making, and users will be able to access on-demand programs, pause and rewind live TV, record programs and access apps. UK buyers will get new hardware, with a set-top box that contains a 1TB hard drive and three tuners.
TiVo this morning unveiled a new iPad remote control app (not yet ready) for its Premiere DVR boxes. The app provides full control over all of the features of the set-top, including a direct replication of TiVo's hardware remote controls if needed, a program guide and interfaces for both Amazon VOD and Netflix. The remote takes a hands-off approach and will keep the interface off of the TV while it's active, keeping the current video on the screen.
TiVo has once again begun offering its Premiere DVR set-top for free with a two-year contract at $20 per month. A one-year contract will require a payment of $100, while those who wish to purchase the Premiere XL with its larger hard drive and premium remote can do so for $300 with a one-year contract, which was the original price for the TiVo Premiere.
TiVo will launch a new Season Pass Manager feature online later on Wednesday. This will let them better manage their season pass subscriptions on multiple TiVo broadband-connected set-top boxes, add new ones or delete old ones. The existing system doesn't let users set up season passes online.
TiVo today won a potentially final victory in its legal action against EchoStar after the US Patent and Trademark Office ruled that its patents were valid. The decision gives TiVo ownership of the "time warp" feature inherent to its DVRs and can't be appealed by EchoStar, which runs the satellite TV provider Dish Network. The USPTO decision could lead a federal appeals court to enforce a ban against Dish DVRs and a $300 million fine that had been overturned in May.
In sync with Roku's plans, TiVo today said it would add Hulu Plus to the TiVo Premiere series. Both the regular and XL versions of the DVR will have the option of using the $10 subscription service. The update should roll out sometime over the "coming months."
The DirectTV TiVo that was set to be delivered before the end of 2010 has now been delayed until 2011. CEO Tom Rogers has indicated that beta testing for the device will continue into next January. TiVo executives have also begun to suggest that TiVo will begin to shift towards service delivery, rather purely on manufacturing hardware.
DirecTV and TiVo appear to be continuing beta testing for their updated DVR hardware, which has been delayed several times since its inception. Customers are still receiving rejection letters for participation in the private beta program, which is reportedly full, according to alleged correspondence posted by Zatz Not Funny.
TiVo on Monday made the Pandora app available on its Internet-connected set-top Premiere DVR set-top boxes. Pandora users can now listen to on-demand radio stations from their main TV. Users can either sign in with an existing account or create a new account through the TiVo interface.
TiVo has continued to expand the pricing options for its range of set-top boxes. Customers can now obtain the TiVo Premiere for $0 up front, as long as the device is tied to a two-year contract priced at $19.95 each month. Paying $99 only requires the subscriber to maintain a single year of $19.95 monthly payments.
Apple, Adobe, Tivo, HP and Xerox are among 23 companies being sued by an Allen, Texas business, Ganas, in a new patent infringement lawsuit. Although four patents in total are said to be at stake, the key one is 7,136,913. This describes "a system for communication over the internet and through a firewall utilizing a single communications protocol," using a simple object access communications protocol, or SOAP.
