Gemstar-TV Guide gets personal. More user friendly than TiVo?

[morac]

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6438828.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228
http://multichannel.com/article/CA6438864.html
http://people.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=135523

The new version of Gemstar-TV Guide that many cable companies use on their set top boxes will be released early next year.

New feature highlites:
1. Remotely managed DVR recordings (including remote scheduling)
2. Personalized display for each family member
3. "Internet-like" experience (likened to IMDB on your TV) to be able to find shows based on a wide variety of parameter (eg: actor). Sounds similar to Wish Lists, but more advanced.
4. “smart recommendations” feature will provide a TiVo-like flavor (ie: Suggestions).

There's an image of the interface over at DSL Reports (http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18282063).


If this pans out, it sounds like it will give TiVo a good run for it's money since the "cable companies box" will now be a lot more TiVo-like. In fact being able to personalize the display by user sounds very useful and is something TiVo can't currently do so they are more TiVo-like than TiVo.

[TiVo Troll]

Currently TVGOS has one major flaw; in order for it to download data the component using it must be turned off. I doubt that that limitation of TVGOS will change on components already employing it, but cable boxes are a completely different animal which shouldn't have that limitation.

On the plus side, TVGOS is capable of rearranging the channel order according to users' preferences. It also can reassign channel numbers for a given program source, including hi-def channels with their unique format; an especially useful capability for high-def DVR's such as SONY's DHG-HDD250/500 when not utilizing with CableCARDS. Unfortunately TVGOS handicaps itself by listing channels alphabetically by default instead of numerically. Coupled with TVGOS relatively clumsy method of reformatting, most users probably don't bother to customize their line-up.

It remains to be seen if Gemstar's Cable TV Guide will fulfill the potential it undoubtedly has.

(I'm not a big fan of TiVo's EPG GUI; it's text is crammed into the display. It doesn't matter which format, either; 'Live' or 'Grid'. If TiVo would display one or two fewer channels per page with a slightly larger font it'd look better, in either style.)

TVGOS is colorful but also tends to be too 'busy' for the most effective presentation, and its ads (it's a free service) a distraction. At first glance the new cable format will be a significant improvement. (The EPG displays easiest on my eyes are ReplayTV's and the now defunct Starsight's. MS's UTV guide, also used by Dishnet's original DP, is memorable too. Of course, YMMV!)