TiVo is one of the leading manufactures of digital video recorders on the market today.
In today’s digital era, there are literally hundreds of channels available to the consumer. How many viewers take the time to scour programme guides to see what is being shown on all of the hundreds of channels available every day? Even with only the five basic terrestrial channels it is a time consuming affair to check the full twenty-four hours listed in the programme guides each day.
TiVo means a phone call half way through watching a favourite programme is no longer a nuisance. TiVo lets consumers throw out programme guides and have just one channel that shows all the consumers favourite programmes. TiVo is a revolution in television viewing. It puts you the viewer in control of what he or she watches, and when they watch it. It manages TV for the consumer so that they never have to miss their favourite programme or event.
So how does TiVo work? It replaces VCR’s and stores recorded programmes on a computer hard disc. This means no video tapes- and fast high quality access to all of the users programmes. Each day a free phone call to TiVo headquarters by the box downloads the latest programme guide data giving listings of up to 21 days in advance. TiVo provides a unique user friendly way to allow users to completely manage their viewing experience. Maybe the biggest unique selling proposition of TiVo is how it manages TV with what TiVo calls its ‘Season Pass’. Instead of having to set your video to record programmes each day, you simply tell TiVo which programmes you always like to watch. For example, yell it you like to watch Friends on Channel 4, and whenever that programme is broadcast TiVo will record it. Even if the time for the programme changes from one week to the next, TiVo will realise and still record the programme. Next time you are late home from work or shopping, TiVo will have recorded your favourite programmes for you without you having to lift a finger! Your recorded programmes are ready to watch at any time. You can even start watching a programme whilst it is still recording.
TiVo frees consumers from sticking to the broadcasters schedules. This means big changes in the ways consumers watch TV, watching when they want to, not when the television station broadcasts. Some things will always remain though, the live experience for example. Watching your favourite football team, an Olympic opening ceremony or the finale of Survivor. Although, as you watch a live programme, TiVo is also recording it- automatically saving up to the last thirty minutes of whatever you are watching. If the phone rings, TiVo lets you simply press the pause key and the live programme is paused letting you return to viewing as you wish. TiVo can work with and control a number of set top boxes. It can control Sky, ITV Digital, and cable (both analogue and digital), as well as having a built in analogue terrestrial tuner.
TiVo truly does revolutionise television viewing.
Peter Hawkins 01:49, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
