UK Contacts

[jonphil]

With the debate about asking Tivo to ship Aus / NZ boxes to the UK I was just wondering who gets to see e-mails sent to Tivo UK.
Please tell me that Tivo read them and Sky don't handle the e-mails as well so they can trash them and convince Tivo there is no interest in the UK.

Is there anyway to set-up an online petition which can be forwarded to Tivo US?

[Pete77]

There is no email address on the www.tivo.co.uk website. Only the 0870 number for Sky run Tivo UK customer services. ;)

As there are no UK Tivo employees left the only way to make any headway is to visit www.tivo.com and check out the key personnel of Tivo on that website.

However non facing senior Tivo US staff seem to have a strict rule of always ignoring emails from mere customers (or at least from the UK based ones) in my experience. :down: :down: :down:

[jonphil]

There is no email address on the www.tivo.co.uk website. Only the 0870 number for Sky run Tivo UK customer services. ;)

As there are no UK Tivo employees left the only way to make any headway is to visit www.tivo.com and check out the key personnel of Tivo on that website.

However non facing senior Tivo US staff seem to have a strict rule of always ignoring emails from mere customers (or at least from the UK based ones) in my experience. :down: :down: :down:

Hence the reason for a mass petition which may get more notice than a single e-mail ;)

[iankb]

I think that TiVo Inc are well aware of the continuing interest from existing TiVo users in the UK. The problem seem to be in convincing a volume manufacturer to develop one, given TiVo's price model and the relatively-small and competitive market. I doubt that Thomson would wish to repeat the experience.

I think that a few hundred signatures is not going to impress anyone. Only a well-reasoned argument for gaining a significant proportion of the viewing population is going to have an effect, and then only if it is directed to a potential manufacturer, and not to TiVo.

I think that what is needed is for somebody to create a unique and effective marketing proposal, and to somehow present that to a manufacturer. However, I assume that TiVo have already tried that and failed.

[blindlemon]

Does Richard Branson have a TiVo? Maybe TiVo should give him one...? ;)

[Pete77]

I think that what is needed is for somebody to create a unique and effective marketing proposal, and to somehow present that to a manufacturer. However, I assume that TiVo have already tried that and failed.
Or Virgin could agree to underwrite the development costs and just the box manufacturer to make Tivo compatible boxes at a set price.

In fact Virgin already have the boxes and all they need is to agree to license the cable box software to use on them from Tivo.

That doesn't involve any box manufacturers taking any commercial risk at all. Instead only Virgin takes the commercial risk of the Tivo software licensing costs and whether it actually increases subscriber numbers compared to what would otherwise have happened just carrying on using its current dumb PVR software on the same Scientific Atlanta V+ box.

[Pete77]

Does Richard Branson have a TiVo? Maybe TiVo should give him one...? ;)
Some of the Virgin board have names that make them sound American (Ernie Cormer for instance).

Do they telecommute to London or are they US expats? If so they may have more familiarity with Tivo than we realise.

[jonphil]

Humax maybe a good manufacturer to approach? I'm shocked that in the States Sony make Tivo boxes or did yet they are not showing any interest in the UK market.
If Virgin do make a deal I would hope that you could still get standalone boxes as I can't get Cable in my area.

[blindlemon]

Some of the Virgin board have names that make them sound American (Ernie Cormer for instance).Isn't Google great (http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?docid=JEVS-5MZDX4) :)

[iankb]

Humax maybe a good manufacturer to approach?If I remember correctly, they stated some time ago that they had been approached, but decided not to go with TiVo. At least, I think that it was Humax.

[TCM2007]

It was. The licensing of TiVo software to consumer electronics manufacturers seems to be a line of attack which TiVo has abandoned, at least in the US and it seems in Australia now too.

The choice in the US is between "own brand" TiVos from TiVo themselves, or ones which come from your cale or satellite company.

This leaves Virgin Media, or at long shot Setanta or Top Up TV as the only real possibilities, as I can't see TiVo directly entering any foreign market.

[Pete77]

If Virgin do make a deal I would hope that you could still get standalone boxes as I can't get Cable in my area.

Virgin have plans to become available everywhere using BT's ADSL broadband network and IPTV.

[Pete77]

Isn't Google great (http://www.frost.com/prod/servlet/market-insight-top.pag?docid=JEVS-5MZDX4) :)

I knew Ernie Cormier had to be a yank without Googling but his name makes him sound more old and wrinkly (its the Ernie part) and I didn't imagine him with a beard.

[Pete77]

This leaves Virgin Media, or at long shot Setanta or Top Up TV as the only real possibilities, as I can't see TiVo directly entering any foreign market.

Yes the TopUpTv angle is interesting because as things stand their product really has very little going for it for most consumers.

But if they developed it further to be a direct competitor of BT Vision (by also having an IPTV broadband interface too) but with Tivo software running the box it could suddenly become a real market leader.

I wonder if any of the people at TopUpTv are capable of realising that though.

[ozsat]

For a while, NTL were marketing TiVo - but not for long.

[Pete77]

For a while, NTL were marketing TiVo - but not for long.

And of course OnDigital never went in to any kind of marketing alliance with Tivo, even though the product would work with it, including the subscription channels.

That could have made all the difference to both the future of OnDigital and Tivo's future marketing presence in the UK.

[PhilG]

You actually do have to wonder with the proliferation of digtal TV offerings whether there really IS a need for a PVR that does NOT have built in tuners (or too many of them anyway - a Freeview one might be more than a little useful)

Anyway, the marketing blurb would be something like "Why tie your PVR to a single digital TV supplier when with Tivos unique hardware configuration you are free to Tivo with any satellite, cable or set-top-box that you like. Gain the benefits of Tivo together with the flexibility of YOUR chosen digital television platform"

or something :)

[mikerr]

A modern tivo wouldn't need to be the same as a series 1 (thompson) tivo,
with an anlogue tuner and mpeg encoder.

Costs would be reduced by just having twin freeview tuners, and no mpeg encoder.

But as before, the V+ option seems most attractive to all partes: VM get somethig to beat sky+ with, and there's no hardware outlay or engineer visits required - the software is just upgraded over-the-air.