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What is TIVO ?
TIVO (pronounced tee-voh) is a very
well known DVR (digital video recorder) product that is also
commonly known as a “personal video recorder” or PVR. In simple
terms, it can be defined as an equipment that allows the viewer
to record a particular television program for later viewing.
This is actually a gadget that has the facility to capture live
television program and store it in an internal hard disc for
future screening. This process is also termed as “time
shifting”. The operation of TIVO is somewhat similar to the
common VCR. However, unlike the latter, it uses non detachable
hard disc storage and much chic software to record the programs
that the viewer requests for and the others on the same line
that he might be interested in. Moreover, it also gives the
viewer the facility to “pause” or “rewind” a “live” show to
repeat a series that was viewed sometime back.
This is because the TIVO device continuously records the
television signal that is being received by the viewer. Hence
the viewer gets this opportunity to “rewind” a “live” TV program
or even “pause” it within a gap of 30 minutes.
A TIVO user can specifically request for recording some programs
based on their time, titles and even mentioning the names of
directors and actors. TIVO then selects the shows, based on the
catalog of all the programs that are accessible to the requestor
and the satellite service used in that area, and records them.
The shows recorded by this device can be stored until the
internal memory is full, after which it deletes the old programs
and makes space for the new. Apart from this, the other TIVO
features are:
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Seasons
pass: This is a feature in which the TIVO is given an
instruction to record a particular show in a specific channel
for the whole season along with the choice of taking footage of
“First Run only”, “First run and repeats” and “all episodes”.
28 day rule: In this feature
the TIVO keeps an account of all the programs that it stores and
ensures that the same series is not recorded in the next 28
days.
WishList: This is the third
feature of the DVR and is of five types- Actor, Director,
Keyword, Title and Category. Of these five, the first four can
be further categorized into specific details. For example, a
WishList for “Chan, Jackie & Movies/Action Adventure” can be
generated for a Jackie Chan action movie. TIVO users can also
use the AWRL or the Auto Record Wish List for automatic
recording. This is similar to the operating system of the
Seasons Pass but unlike it not confined to a particular channel.
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TIVO
suggestions
This feature pioneered by TIVO has the ability to record certain
shows that are based on the viewing habits of the entire family.
The programs that are aired can be voted by the TIVO users
–“thumbs up” or positively and “thumbs down” or adversely. These
viewer ratings are accumulated to form a recommendation chart
for all the unrated TV shows. This chart is then used to
recommend shows to the users with similar tastes.
The other advantage of a TIVO over the standard recorders like
the VCR is the fact that its users can watch one pre recorded
show while another recording is in progress. In addition to
this, the TIVO Series2 can be readily linked to any home network
thus providing its viewers an option - not only of planning
their recordings on the TIVO website but also transferring the
footage from a computer and playing music. In fact accessing
yahoo photos, tracking the weather and traffic, and listening to
Live365 music are the other choices that can be availed by the
user.
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TIVO has now ventured into the
broadband market. There was a trial period of a few months
before this attempt was finally made. With the help from CNet,
it had started technology reviews and on the 7th of June, 2006
made an announcement of the TIVO cast – the broadband download
facility which presently uses the services of the NBA, WNBA,
Union on Demand, CNet, Heavy.com, Rocketboom , The New York
Times, H2O: HipHop on Demand, Danger Rangers, Here and iVillage.
Very recently it has joined hands with BrightCove and has made
an announcement to provide an additional broadband service.
In 2000 TIVO was first launched in the UK creating a very select
market. However, in the year 2002, Thompson, the sole makers of
the TIVO model in the United Kingdom stopped their production
and Sky+ took over. Today this service is still being provided
to the existing clients though the prices have gone sky high –
the price of a second-hand equipment with a lifetime
subscription costs more than the original market price of 400
pounds! Apart from the United Kingdom, today TIVO services are
also accessible in the United States, Canada and Taiwan. |
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In an effort to discover new fields
for revenue generation, in March 2005 TIVO started using
“pop-up” advertisements – a concept that allows the TIVO
clientele to get a static image ad as they use the fast forward
option to skip commercials of the TIVO sponsors. However, this
idea of the introduction of additional commercials drew a lot of
disparagement from its lifetime subscribers. Many argued that
their reason for investment in the expensive TIVO equipment was
to watch commercial free programs.
It is important for all the present and the would be TIVO users
to know about the The Green Screen of Death or GsoD (kindly note
that it has nothing to do with the Blue Screen of Death). Also
known as the Green Screen of Intensive Care , this is an error
message that is produced by the TIVO devices. This message
appears when the TIVO tries to organise the information that is
stored in the internal hard disc.
The error message appears in the following way on the screen of
the viewer:
A severe error has occurred !
Please leave the Receiver plugged in and connected to the phone
line for the
next three hours while the Receiver attempts to repair itself.
DO NOT UNPLUG OR RESTART THE RECEIVER.
If after three hours Receiver does not start, please contact the
customer care.
However, in spite of all the facilities and features, TIVO usage
is not widespread. Though it has its own set of loyal users, its
market share is only 30 to 40% in the total DVR market of almost
12 million. Ignorance about this hi-fi system and its benefits
can be attributed as one of the factors. Many viewers still
prefer an old fashioned but familiar VCR to that of a TIVO. Cost
and affordability are the other factors of its unpopularity.
Today there are many Cable TV operators who offer a much cheaper
DVR, though there is a huge difference in the picture quality
but this low cost equipment and it’s cheap subscription is
giving TIVO a run for its money.
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Article Contributed By: Sukanya
Banerjee
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