Cox is asking a lot of questions about TiVo...

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 06:20 PM

Got an email from Cox (we have broadband and phone service through them, but no TV service - we have DirecTV with multiple DirecTivo units instead).

The email requested that I take an online survey, which for some strange reason (for me anyway) I actually decided to do. Here's one of the questions (this popped up shortly after answering questions about DirecTV being my TV provider) - emphasis added by me:

Quote:

As you may or may not know, Cox offers DVR service. The DVR is built into the Cox digital receiver box and is operated using a Cox digital service remote control. While Cox currently offers its own DVR service, the Cox DVR may soon be powered by TiVo, and include the features that TiVo owners have come to expect. If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?

There were a lot of other TiVo-related questions... how important certain features are, would I be willing to have one of their current DVRs if the price was $3 cheaper than what I'm paying now, etc.

Anyway, I did a quick search here for "cox" and didn't find anything that seemed similar, but if it's a duplicate just ignore!

ChuckyBox · 05-04-2006, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrettStah

Anyway, I did a quick search here for "cox" and didn't find anything that seemed similar, but if it's a duplicate just ignore!

Um, no, it's not a duplicate. Can you post a link to the survey?

Anybody else in the Cox footprint get this email/survey?

Puppy76 · 05-04-2006, 06:32 PM

You're probably not supposed to post stuff from the survey, but great news for us

Good to hear another cable company is considering it. It's a HUUUUUUUUGE deal for me now. I would never consider a non-Tivo cable/satelite box. (Which is why I'd never consider Dish or DirectTV now.)

Given how little Tivo apperently charges to license their software, I'm baffled as to why everyone's not using it. They'd have fewer support calls, happier customers, etc. All for what, a few bucks a month? Out of already completly outragous prices?

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckyBox

Um, no, it's not a duplicate. Can you post a link to the survey?

I don't think it'd do any good... I just tried the same link again, and I get this:

Quote:

Unable to begin survey: This survey has been completed previously. (database verification)

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puppy76

You're probably not supposed to post stuff from the survey, but great news for us

I read everything carefully, including the original email... there was never any request to not mention anything in the survey.

half.italian · 05-04-2006, 06:44 PM

Can you post the dead link and the content of the email?

It'll help a tiny bit to prove it's not just a rumor.

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 06:58 PM

You caught me, half-italian... I registered here in November of 2000, in anticipation of this very day, upon which I would pretend to have received a survey from Cox Cable that mentions TiVo in many of the questions.

I really thought my ruse would have lasted longer, too. There goes the last 5.5 years of my life, and over 4,000 posts for nothing!!! Curse you, half.italian! I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!

half.italian · 05-04-2006, 07:00 PM

I knew that was coming... Sorry. I saw your profile and thought twice. But this is HUGE news.

Test · 05-04-2006, 07:04 PM

hahaha brettstah quietly stalks the tivocommunity waiting to POUNCE...

have to say cool news, wish it was cablevision though...stuck with them...
BUT have to say i was approached by a verizon rep AT my house explaining they are getting into the cable bizz and they'll be testing it in my area end of may, giving the whole sales pitch then brought up stuff about tivo...and I asked if it was just a DVR or actual tivo and he was like uh yea TIVO...

sooooooooo what was your answer to that question? how likely would u be to switch?

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 07:05 PM

OK, I hadn't deleted the email yet... here it is (although this stuff is easily faked

):

Quote:

From - Thu May 04 14:27:48 2006
X-Account-Key: account2
X-UIDL: <200605041927.k44JM6wi021305@surveynetwork.westernwats.com >
X-Mozilla-Status: 0001
X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
Return-Path: <partners@surveynetwork.com>
Received: from fed1rmimpi02.cox.net ([70.169.32.69])
by fed1rmmtai11.cox.net
(InterMail vM.6.01.06.01 201-2131-130-101-20060113) with ESMTP
id <20060504192744.WVQH13327.fed1rmmtai11.cox.net@fed1rmimpi02. cox.net>
for <emailaddressremoved@byme.com>; Thu, 4 May 2006 15:27:44 -0400
Received: from surveynetwork.westernwats.com ([216.20.254.25])
by fed1rmimpi02.cox.net with IMP
id V7Nj1U03y0ZetrL0000000
for emailaddressremoved@byme.com; Thu, 04 May 2006 15:22:46 -0400
Received: from m3159 (m3159.westernwats.com [10.0.50.88])
by surveynetwork.westernwats.com (8.13.1/8.13.1) with ESMTP id k44JM6wi021305
for <emailaddressremoved@byme.com>; Thu, 4 May 2006 13:27:33 -0600
Message-Id: <200605041927.k44JM6wi021305@surveynetwork.westernwats.com >
From: "Cox Communications & Survey Network" <partners@surveynetwork.com>
Subject: SURVEY: Survey about new services
To: emailaddressremoved@byme.com
Reply-To: partners@surveynetwork.com
Date: Thu, 4 May 2006 13:27:40 -0600
X-Priority: 3
X-Library: Indy 9.00.10

On behalf of Cox Communications we invite you to participate in a short online survey about Cox Communications and the services they provide. The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Your participation is appreciated and will not lead to any sales calls or efforts to get you to sign up for any services. We are only interested in your opinions.

Please click on the link below to begin the survey.

http://surveys.surveynetwork.com/wir...p?pin=21442306

To opt-out of future mailings, please click on the following link:
http://surveys.surveynetwork.com/uns...moved@byme.com

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Test

hahaha brettstah quietly stalks the tivocommunity waiting to POUNCE...

have to say cool news, wish it was cablevision though...stuck with them...
BUT have to say i was approached by a verizon rep AT my house explaining they are getting into the cable bizz and they'll be testing it in my area end of may, giving the whole sales pitch then brought up stuff about tivo...and I asked if it was just a DVR or actual tivo and he was like uh yea TIVO...

sooooooooo what was your answer to that question? how likely would u be to switch?

I chose whatever the most positive answer was ("Very likely", I think), because the only annoying thing with my current setup is the signal issues I've had (tree branches, big summer storms, etc.). It's not unbearable, but *if* I could get the same Tivo service more reliably via Cox, I would most likely do that.

One big concern I would have would be the hardware that would be used. Here are the questions:

1) Can I upgrade the recording capacity like I can with my DirecTivos?

2) Can I operate two or more boxes in the same room like I can with my DirecTivos?

half.italian · 05-04-2006, 07:11 PM

True. But a little credence is better than none. Come to think of it though, it's not as big as I thought. Cox was mentioned as the initial distributor of CNET's "On-Demand Experience" Just never thought of it that way. Cool thanks!

Quote:

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2006--CNET, a source of information and inspiration for a world gone digital, and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced "CNET TV," a new video-on-demand (VOD) service that packages a selection of CNET's popular video content for distribution on television and online. CNET TV will launch initially with partners Cox Communications Inc., TiVo Inc., and TVN Entertainment, as well as on CNET in the second half of the year.

TiVo Troll · 05-04-2006, 07:12 PM

Cox's depiction and demo of its current dual tuner HD DVR doesn't go into much detail. It will be interesting to compare TiVo's Series 3 with Cox's box both for pricing and features. Competing cable boxes can provide the most accurate comparisons between different DVR platforms because they compete in the same viewing environment. Providing software for cable and satellite boxes is probably one of the best business models for TiVo.

moyekj · 05-04-2006, 07:29 PM

Cox is currently using DCT64xx series with Passport Echo software currently. Here's more details on it:
http://replayguide.sourceforge.net/d..._Passport.html

Todd · 05-04-2006, 08:09 PM

This is great news if COX decided to license TiVo software. Their current Motorola DVR isn't horrible, but it pales in comparision to TiVo.

Einselen · 05-04-2006, 08:18 PM

Now that I am logged in an it knows what forum I am trying to post a message tolet us try this again.

I have found the survey

http://surveys.surveynetwork.com/wir...1/web/main.php

NOTE: In order to view/complete the survey multiple times your cookies will need to be cleared. Also this is a survey sent out by Cox to conduct Market Reasearch. Please note this when looking at the survey. I am not sure if your survey if completed would be included or not as it does not have an ID number attached to it, but please act like it will.

BlackBetty · 05-04-2006, 08:56 PM

awesome news!

BlackBetty · 05-04-2006, 09:01 PM

BrettStah you're famous...

jfh3 · 05-04-2006, 09:16 PM

Interesting that most of the questions have to deal with how much the user knows about standard Tivo features.

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBetty

BrettStah you're famous...

Wow! I didn't expect this! Can I charge money for autographs yet?

Steve_Martin · 05-04-2006, 11:01 PM

A random, worthless data point. We have Cox for broadband and cable and have not received said survey.

BrettStah · 05-04-2006, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_Martin

A random, worthless data point. We have Cox for broadband and cable and have not received said survey.

Maybe they're only sending it to Cox customers who don't have TV service? Or they only sent it out to a small percentage of customers? Or they're not sending it out to all of their markets? It's a mystery!

Steve_Martin · 05-04-2006, 11:13 PM

Yeah, they probably are after the non-Cox subscriber market.

Einselen · 05-05-2006, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_Martin

A random, worthless data point. We have Cox for broadband and cable and have not received said survey.

They take a sample size in the survey. Could be random, could be demographics, could be any sort of different factors. Fact is not everyone, subscriber or not, will get one.

dswallow · 05-05-2006, 02:34 AM

Relevant questions from the survey:

As you may or may not know, digital video recorders such as TiVO, Replay, Dish Player, or Cox DVR are not like VCRs, but are devices that digitally record television programming onto a hard drive and enable you to pause and rewind live TV, skip commercials, and program it to automatically record your favorite programs. Does your household currently have one of these digital video recorders?

Yes
No
Don't Know

Is your digital video recorder…

A stand-alone digital video recorder from TiVo
A stand-alone digital video recorder from ReplayTV
A TiVo system built into a box for DirecTV satellite service
A DishPlayer system built into a box for Dish Network satellite service
A Cox DVR built into your digital cable box
Other (Please specify)
Don't know

As you may or may not know, Cox offers DVR service. The DVR is built into the Cox digital receiver box and is operated using a Cox digital service remote control. While Cox currently offers its own DVR service, the Cox DVR may soon be powered by TiVo, and include the features that TiVo owners have come to expect. If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?

Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
Don't know

As mentioned, Cox currently offers its own DVR service that is not branded with the TiVo name. This DVR is already built into the Cox digital receiver box and is operated using a Cox digital service remote control. If Cox were to offer you digital cable service with a DVR for a total cost of about $3 per month less than what your satellite service provider charges for DVR service, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable with DVR service?

Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
Don't know

There are a number of features that DVR technology can make possible today and in the future. Please indicate how aware you were - prior to this survey - that this technology existed.

Completely Unaware of Feature / Knew Something About Feature / Fully Aware of This Feature / Don't Know

Ability to automatically record all episodes of your favorite TV programs for an entire season
Ability to pause and rewind live TV
Ability to quickly fast forward through commercials while watching a recorded program
Ability to burn recorded programs to DVD
Ability to remotely schedule TV programs to record via the Internet

There are also a number of features that currently TiVo's proprietary DVR technology makes possible. Please indicate how aware you were - prior to this survey - that this TiVo based DVR technology existed.

Completely Unaware of Feature / Knew Something About Feature / Fully Aware of This Feature / Don't Know

Ability to search for programs to record by title, actor, genre, or keyword
DVR's ability to "learn" types of programs you like and recommend or automatically record similar ones
Ability to automatically record all programs and movies featuring a particular actor
Ability to watch slide shows of your favorite photos on your TV
Ability to "tell" TiVo what you like by voting with an on-screen "thumbs up / thumbs down" button so that these types of shows will be recorded

Thinking about those features that DVR technology can make possible, please use scale from 1 to 10 where "1" means "Not At All Appealing" and "10" means "Very Appealing," to indicate how appealing these features are to you.

Ability to automatically record all episodes of your favorite TV programs for an entire season
Ability to pause and rewind live TV
Ability to quickly fast forward through commercials while watching a recorded program
Ability to burn recorded programs to DVD
Ability to download recorded programs to a computer
Ability to remotely schedule TV programs to record via the Internet
Ability to search for programs to record by title, actor, genre, or keyword
DVR's ability to "learn" types of programs you like and automatically record similar ones
Ability to automatically record all programs and movies featuring a particular actor
Ability to watch slide shows of your favorite photos on your TV
Ability to "tell" DVR what you like by voting with an on-screen "thumbs up / thumbs down" button

peteypete · 05-05-2006, 02:40 AM

As you may or may not know, Cox offers DVR service. The DVR is built into the Cox digital receiver box and is operated using a Cox digital service remote control. While Cox currently offers its own DVR service, the Cox DVR may soon be powered by TiVo, and include the features that TiVo owners have come to expect. If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
Don't know

As mentioned, Cox currently offers its own DVR service that is not branded with the TiVo name. This DVR is already built into the Cox digital receiver box and is operated using a Cox digital service remote control. If Cox were to offer you digital cable service with a DVR for a total cost of about $3 per month less than what your satellite service provider charges for DVR service, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable with DVR service?
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
Don't know

Prior to this survey, were you aware that Cox Communications now offers a digital video recorder service in your area?
Yes
No
Don't know

There are a number of features that DVR technology can make possible today and in the future. Please indicate how aware you were - prior to this survey - that this technology existed.
Completely Unaware of Feature Knew Something About Feature Fully Aware of This Feature Don't Know

Ability to pause and rewind live TV
Ability to quickly fast forward through commercials while watching a recorded program
Ability to burn recorded programs to DVD
Ability to remotely schedule TV programs to record via the Internet
Ability to automatically record all episodes of your favorite TV programs for an entire season

During the survey, please do not use your browser's "Forward" and "Back" buttons. To move through the survey, use the 'Back' and 'Next' buttons at the bottom of each page. At the end of the survey click the 'Done' button to submit your survey.

There are also a number of features that currently TiVo's proprietary DVR technology makes possible. Please indicate how aware you were - prior to this survey - that this TiVo based DVR technology existed.
Completely Unaware of Feature Knew Something About Feature Fully Aware of This Feature Don't Know

DVR's ability to "learn" types of programs you like and recommend or automatically record similar ones
Ability to automatically record all programs and movies featuring a particular actor
Ability to watch slide shows of your favorite photos on your TV
Ability to "tell" TiVo what you like by voting with an on-screen "thumbs up / thumbs down" button so that these types of shows will be recorded
Ability to search for programs to record by title, actor, genre, or keyword

Thinking about those features that DVR technology can make possible, please use scale from 1 to 10 where "1" means "Not At All Appealing" and "10" means "Very Appealing," to indicate how appealing these features are to you.
Not at All Appealing Very Appealing Don't Know
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ability to automatically record all episodes of your favorite TV programs for an entire season
Ability to pause and rewind live TV
Ability to quickly fast forward through commercials while watching a recorded program
Ability to burn recorded programs to DVD
Ability to download recorded programs to a computer
Ability to remotely schedule TV programs to record via the Internet
Ability to search for programs to record by title, actor, genre, or keyword
DVR's ability to "learn" types of programs you like and automatically record similar ones
Ability to automatically record all programs and movies featuring a particular actor
Ability to watch slide shows of your favorite photos on your TV
Ability to "tell" DVR what you like by voting with an on-screen "thumbs up / thumbs down" button

During the survey, please do not use your browser's "Forward" and "Back" buttons. To move through the survey, use the 'Back' and 'Next' buttons at the bottom of each page. At the end of the survey click the 'Done' button to submit your survey.

When you hear the word "TiVo", what does that brand name bring to mind?

When you hear the brand Cox DVR, what does that bring to mind?

These last few questions are for classifications purposes only.

Which of the following statements best describes your level of comfort with new technology products?
I am one of the first people I know to buy a new technology product
I buy a new technology product after a few people I know buy it
I buy a new technology product after most people I know buy it
I am one of the last people to buy a new technology product
I never buy new technology products
Don't know

samo · 05-05-2006, 02:52 AM

Quote:

Does your household currently have one of these digital video recorders?

Yes
No
Don't Know

I wonder how many people would answer "Don't know" to this question.

half.italian · 05-05-2006, 03:39 AM

Alot. Imagine your grandmother.

IJustLikeTivo · 05-05-2006, 09:18 AM

Given Comcast's agreement to work with TiVo, I find this hard to believe. I would think that Comcast would have put some kind of exclusivity in the agreement. Otherwise, they'd have no market advantage. Or am I missing something?

terryfoster · 05-05-2006, 09:25 AM

Can you tell me where you would have the option to choose between Cox and Comcast as your cable provider? I could see this as being an issue if say there was an agreement with D* and then an agreement was made with E* as you have the choice between the two in your home. Since there is generally one cable provider for each home this shouldn't be an issue between Cox and Comcast.