Dave Burke - Should I invest in TIVO?

Should I invest in TIVO?

I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to invest in TIVO. I'm a huge fan of TIVO the verb as well as TIVO the company, but here I am, the not-so-proud owner of a Scientific Atlanta DVR player from Adelphia. And I gotta say that we are quite happy with it.

It makes great sense for content providers like Adelphia to provide their own version of TIVO, and makes the future of TIVO less bright than it would assume to be.

But according to a September Business 2.0 mag article entitled Saving TIVO and other sources, TIVO has A Plan. They know a commodity hardware business model will kill them, so they are moving into licensing their recently purchased Strangeberry software to converge entertainment for the entire home by recognizing the format of incoming content and, among other functions like cataloging and access, route the content to the appropriate devices.

So I'm ready to login to my online brokerage account and make a purchase when I turn on my TV and Adelphia all of the sudden is providing extensive On Demand services. They still provide the smart digital program guide menu as before, but in addition is a Free On Demand library, an extensive Current and Popular Movies Pay On Demand, and HBO, Starz, Cinemax, etc On Demand.

So for HBO On Demand, for instance, as a subscriber to HBO, I can watch any of the last 6 Soprano episodes, or last week's Enthusaism. Instantly. Or I can finally get around to watching the 6-part Angels in America Series. Very, very cool, Adelphia!

Interestingly, I go to Adelphia's website to read more about their new cool On Demand services, and there's not a single bit of information on it. And its border-line paradigm shift stuff here! Oh well, I'd rather HAVE the services and not get information about them, than to have information about the services but not the services themselves.

Back to TIVO. Yeah, maybe convergence and routing and smart cataloging and access to more extensive libraries (like the entire internet!) is where the money is?

Oh heck, this is so academic! I don't have the money to invest and I'm on the computer so much that I rarely watch TV anymore.

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Posted on 10/8/2004 9:43:00 AM by Dave Burke
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2.  To go along with the non-time dependant theme:  I love Seinfeld and always want two episodes available for me to watch.  I search for Seinfeld in the show listings and it shows me the different networks that have it.  I pick the network (Fox for me) and it will record them and keep two episodes available for me.  When it's time for the 3rd episode to record it will automatically delete the older of the previous and record the new one.  It will also not re-record any episode that's been recorded within the past 28 days...so it keeps two fresh shows for me.  There's still a lot of customization there also.  Example for new shows, I can tell it to only record new episodes (say Malcome in the Middle) because it's a new season I don't want to see any reruns.
3.  If you've got kids (I've got 4 under the age of 7) - you can always have a few of their favorite shows on so they're there when you let them watch TV - also lets you keep track of what kind of stuff your kids are watching.  It also has a parental controls that won't let it record or view shows based on the rating limits you set without entering a secret code.
4.  If you are into shows or movies based on the type of movie it is or you have favorite actors/directors.  There is an item called a wishlist that's like google for TV.  Enter in some keywords, specify if they should show up in the title or in the title and description and that's it.  If a show/movie comes on that matches that criteria it will record it for you..no matter what time it comes on.  There's lots of customizations on that too - down to show categories (drama/action) and show types (reality/game show/sitcom) those are just examples since the lists are very extensive.  Example:  I like John Cusack and when I was younger there was a movie on HBO called "Hot Pursuit".  I entered that as a title wishlist and 3 months later it showed up in my now playing list.  It came on TBS or something late at night and TiVo got it for me.
5.  Let's say you're watching a show/movie and you see a commercial for something that's coming on another day/time.  Stop you current show and go into TiVo and tell it to record that show for you.  Now, you don't have to remember to be in front of the TV and later, when you have time, it will be there for you to watch...and if it stinks you've not wasted your time - you just delete it.  That happens to me a lot with shows on the History channel.
6.  Let's say you happen to be watching live TV and you run across a show/movie that's on and already started.  You can click a few buttons and TiVo will tell you the next time that it's coming on and you and have it record it for you.

All of this comes down to getting your money's worth out of your cable/sat bill and your time.  I no longer watch TV based on the network's time schedule - I watch it on my schedule.  When I'm have time and I'm ready to watch some TV I know there will be something on that I want to watch.

Again, sorry for the length.

Here's a good community for TiVo'rs http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/">http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/
Here's an article I've book marked that kind of describes the real-world use of TiVo.  www.rakemag.com/.../detail.asp">www.rakemag.com/.../detail.asp

10/8/2004 6:08:00 PM Permalink

I have a TiVo, and I'm pretty happy with it. If you are seriously considering getting one, shoot me an e-mail : aghareza at gmail dot com, and I'l give you the pros and cons.

Ali Aghareza |

10/11/2004 9:27:00 PM Permalink

If you pay for TV service (cable or sat) then you are not getting your $$'s worth unless you've got a TiVo.

I've had it now for 2 1/2 years and I can honestly tell you I will not pay for TV service unless I've got a TiVo.  What I mean is I went 8 years without cable or sat TV because I felt like I was wasting my $$ for paying for shows I either don't want  to watch or am to darn busy to sit in front of the TV when something is on to watch it.

Since having a TiVo I don't watch live TV anymore (except for sports).  As busy as I am I take the time to tell TiVo what I like, dislike, and specific shows I want to see or movies I want it to record if and when they ever come on (wishlist - kind of like google but for TiVo).

Then when I've got time, on my schedule, I sit down and see what's on my "now playing list" and watch something that I like instead of flipping channels.

You can send me an e-mail "erikdlane at hotmail dot com" if you've want more info.  Sorr to fill up your blog.

Erik |

10/11/2004 10:45:00 PM Permalink

Erik,  Sorry for filling up my blog????  Get outta here!  Thanks for your thoughts!

The issue is not do I want to USE TiVo, although I still wrestle with that question.  The issue is whether it is smart to buy their stock.  But in considering purchasing TiVo, my questions are 1) is TiVo a superior experience than Adelphia's DVR and new On Demand offerings which I am pretty darn happy with? 2) is there any economic justification for going with a TiVo?  3)  What does TiVo offer that Adelphia does not?   Not much now until their Strangeberry software development comes to fruition, as I see it.

Like you, Erik, I watch very little TV so its not a significant issue for me, but its an interesting intellectual dilemma.

Dave Burke |

10/12/2004 4:13:00 PM Permalink

Ahh, sorry I got off of the subject of investing in TiVo the company.  I'm not sure what functionality Adelphia's DVR has but most non- TiVo DVR's (DishNetwork, and Cable Company Brands) are just digital VCR's with the added functionality of controlling live TV.

Here are my main points with TiVo that justify the cost of 3 DVD rentals a month.  It's nomrally $12/month but with DirecTV it's only $5 unless you've got the high-end package then it's included.

1.  TiVo doesn't rely on a time to record a show.  It relies on the show name and station.  So if there is a special episode of Survivor on Tuesday instead of at its regular Thursday slot...TiVo will record it and you didn't even know it was on until you sat down.  You don't have to remember when something is "on" since TiVo takes care of it.  You worry about when you can watch it.
2.  To go along with the non-time dependant theme:  I love Seinfeld and always want two episodes available for me to watch.  I search for Seinfeld in the show listings and it shows me the different networks that have it.  I pick the network (Fox for me) and it will record them and keep two episodes available for me.  When it's time for the 3rd episode to record it will automatically delete the older of the previous and record the new one.  It will also not re-record any episode that's been recorded within the past 28 days...so it keeps two fresh shows for me.  There's still a lot of customization there also.  Example for new shows, I can tell it to only record new episodes (say Malcome in the Middle) because it's a new season I don't want to see any reruns.
3.  If you've got kids (I've got 4 under the age of 7) - you can always have a few of their favorite shows on so they're there when you let them watch TV - also lets you keep track of what kind of stuff your kids are watching.  It also has a parental controls that won't let it record or view shows based on the rating limits you set without entering a secret code.
4.  If you are into shows or movies based on the type of movie it is or you have favorite actors/directors.  There is an item called a wishlist that's like google for TV.  Enter in some keywords, specify if they should show up in the title or in the title and description and that's it.  If a show/movie comes on that matches that criteria it will record it for you..no matter what time it comes on.  There's lots of customizations on that too - down to show categories (drama/action) and show types (reality/game show/sitcom) those are just examples since the lists are very extensive.  Example:  I like John Cusack and when I was younger there was a movie on HBO called "Hot Pursuit".  I entered that as a title wishlist and 3 months later it showed up in my now playing list.  It came on TBS or something late at night and TiVo got it for me.
5.  Let's say you're watching a show/movie and you see a commercial for something that's coming on another day/time.  Stop you current show and go into TiVo and tell it to record that show for you.  Now, you don't have to remember to be in front of the TV and later, when you have time, it will be there for you to watch...and if it stinks you've not wasted your time - you just delete it.  That happens to me a lot with shows on the History channel.
6.  Let's say you happen to be watching live TV and you run across a show/movie that's on and already started.  You can click a few buttons and TiVo will tell you the next time that it's coming on and you and have it record it for you.

All of this comes down to getting your money's worth out of your cable/sat bill and your time.  I no longer watch TV based on the network's time schedule - I watch it on my schedule.  When I'm have time and I'm ready to watch some TV I know there will be something on that I want to watch.

Again, sorry for the length.

Here's a good community for TiVo'rs http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/">http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/
Here's an article I've book marked that kind of describes the real-world use of TiVo.  www.rakemag.com/.../detail.asp">www.rakemag.com/.../detail.asp

Dave Burke : Freelance .NET Web Developer specializing in Online Communities

Should I invest in TIVO?

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