CES Announcemnt: Music Choice Service on Tivo

[gonzotek]

TiVo Signs on Music Choice to Deliver Broadband Video Content for TV
LAS VEGAS, Jan 08, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- TiVo (Nasdaq: TIVO), the creator of and leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that it has signed Music Choice, the country's leader in music-related content, to deliver its wide-ranging catalog of music videos and its original programming via broadband to the television through the TiVoCast service. The service will be available later this year to TiVo(R) subscribers with broadband connected TiVo Series2(TM) and Series3(TM) boxes.

"Now TiVo subscribers will be able to get the music videos they want on their TV, not just what a music video channel happens to program," said Tara Maitra, Vice President/GM of Content Services for TiVo Inc. "Music Choice has the best and widest catalog of music videos along with an extensive collection of original programming, and we expect this service to be extremely popular among the TiVo audience."

"We are very excited to make our content available to TiVo subscribers," said David Del Beccaro, President & CEO of Music Choice. "TiVoCast is a great way for us to extend the reach of our highly-popular music-related content to even more consumers."

Just as the TiVo service makes television content easy to find and navigate, the TiVoCast feature makes it easy to enjoy Web-based video content on the TV. TiVo subscribers can access TiVoCast content through the Find Programs screen on TiVo Central, the main menu of the TiVo service. All of the content on TiVoCast, including Music Choice, is offered at no additional charge as part of the existing TiVo service subscription fee. Music Choice on TiVoCast will be available starting later this year.Yay?

More releases here:
http://investor.tivo.com/releases.cfm

[MikeMar]

There are still music videos?

[gonzotek]

I've watched maybe one music video all year. And that'd be OK GO's treadmill piece. I watched it on youtube, then converted it to mpeg2 and stuck it on my tivo so I could show it to my friends and family....so maybe there's something to be said for the service. If it has access to the old 80s videos when the music video was still something to behold, I'll be using it.

[drew2k]

This sounds a lot like "MTV Overdrive" on MCE computers.

[RoyK]

I'm underwhelmed

[ZeoTiVo]

I regularly record the VH1 top twenty countdown as I have to watch it with FF ability to skip over at least 60% of the songs. But then that is what a top 20 for the whole country should be about. I do edit some down to the individual videos and then link them together to play back all in a row.

So this service could have some great benefit, though the feature I would most look for is the ability to batch play a group of videos adn random play in that is of course a much used playback feature elsewhere. If this is just select a video and play it, then select another one - well that is obviously not a current music playback experience at all.

[minckster]

I'm also underwhelmed. I'd much prefer something with the iTunes Store.

[Bierboy]

I'm also underwhelmed. I'd much prefer something with the iTunes Store.+ me

[MickeS]

I love music videos (still), so this would be used a lot by me. Right now I get my fix online for the most part (can't stand all the commercials on the music video stations!), but I'd drop that right away if TiVo offered it.

[jmoak]

Free videos? Sounds good to me.

I'll take free MusicChoice videos over iTunes' videos for a buck each anyday.

[drew2k]

If it is like MTV Overdirve on MCE machines, you may be able to select a bunch of videos into a single playlist, and then play them in the order added or in shuffle mode. Unfortunately, I've found that the MTV OD playlists usually disappear when you disconnect from the service, so you have to recreate the playlist each time you connect.

This sounds like a cool feature, and I wonder if there would be a web component, allowing you to queue up videos of your choice, put them in the order you want, save the list, and then you can play them back on your TiVo.

[ZeoTiVo]

I'm also underwhelmed. I'd much prefer something with the iTunes Store.
yah, iTunes is in such desperate need of hardware partners ;)

[minckster]

Free videos? Sounds good to me.

I'll take free MusicChoice videos over iTunes' videos for a buck each anyday.Ah! I misread the press release at the top of this thread. I thought we had to pay to subscribe to the Music Choice service (i.e., pay Music Choice for the service, not TiVo for access to the service). I'm slightly more whelmed.

Isn't Music Choice the provider for all of those radio stations on Time Warner Cable of New York City - and, I suppose, other cable systems?

[MickeS]

Isn't Music Choice the provider for all of those radio stations on Time Warner Cable of New York City - and, I suppose, other cable systems?
Yeah, we have them here on Cox and on Comcast. There is a Music Choice in Europe too that does the same thing, I assume they're part of the same company.

[Dan203]

If it is like MTV Overdirve on MCE machines, you may be able to select a bunch of videos into a single playlist, and then play them in the order added or in shuffle mode.

Unlikely. This is part of the TiVoCast service, and thus far the TiVoCast service does nothing more then download the video to your Now Playing list where you have to play them one by one using the same interface as recorded TV. I highly doubt this service will add any extra features to that interface.

Dan

[ZeoTiVo]

Unlikely. This is part of the TiVoCast service, and thus far the TiVoCast service does nothing more then download the video to your Now Playing list where you have to play them one by one using the same interface as recorded TV. I highly doubt this service will add any extra features to that interface.

DanI wonder if it could be streaming though for audio only option. kind of like the 360 app under HME now but with more polished music channels instead of the indie type content under 360.

[Dan203]

I didn't see anything in the release about an audio only option, but if that was offered then it could invoke all the same features available to all other HME apps. Unfortunetly however video is not one of the things capable of being sent via HME.

Dan

[TiVoStephen]

Dan's correct, this will be using the existing TiVoCast interface. Think of this as a new offering alongside The New York Times, CNet, etc. But, the content will be very cool. Music fans should love this.

[Arcady]

Too bad. I was hoping we'd see something that integrates with iTunes. I guess I'll have to hook up yet another box to my TV (Apple's iTV should be revealed tomorrow.)

[MickeS]

Too bad. I was hoping we'd see something that integrates with iTunes. I guess I'll have to hook up yet another box to my TV (Apple's iTV should be revealed tomorrow.)

I can't wait to read about the disappointments when the iTV announcement is made (again). :D

[ZeoTiVo]

Dan's correct, this will be using the existing TiVoCast interface. Think of this as a new offering alongside The New York Times, CNet, etc. But, the content will be very cool. Music fans should love this.
this certainly has the pottential to replace our Saturday morning watching of VH1 top twenty then. Right now Mom and Dad do have our hands on the remote to FFed all the racy and raunchy stuff so we can hear our rock preferences. Being able to download the new videos of our choosing will make video music watching our way again as well.

But not having the ability to batch up the songs and let them play will eliminate this as a background music player which way cuts down the use of the feature.


oh well, time will tell how this will all work adn until then the rest is speculation

[minckster]

Is MusicChoice on TiVo dead?