Video on demand coming to TiVo DVRs

Tivo put out a press release today stating that they've teamed up with SeaChange to provide a method cable company VOD content on existing Series 3 (S3/HD/XL) TiVos.

I'm guessing that this will be available via the TiVo's VOD application.

I don't know anything about SeaChange, but it appears they provide the VOD content to cable providers. Since the TiVo knows what cable provider it's using (via the guide data), I assume it would be trivial to only show VOD programs for that provider.

I'm hoping that content that is free on cable VOD is also free on the TiVo.

 

I did a search and it looks like Verizion FIOS uses SeaChange, or at least they did at one point. Wouldn't that be great if I could dump by FIOS DVR and get a 2nd Tivo!

 

Trying to envision how they could do it with existing Tivo hardware. I would guess it has to be implemented much like the Tivo/Amazon model is now unless they are planning on leveraging a Tuner Adapter type device to enable 2-way communications with headend.

If they follow the Amazon type model I don't think HD VOD with mpeg2 encoding would be feasible given huge file sizes. However now we know that mpeg4 (H.264) encodings can be pushed natively to Tivos that would make HD VOD (and HD Amazon) viable.

 

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It could be an HME with a wormhole to live TV with a channel selection. Or perhaps the IM link could trigger a recording on the VOD channel and the HME would wormhole to the Now playing list. That way no external box would be required. Whether or not HMEs have the ability to make the jumps now or whether it would need to be added to a future release is left up to the reader as homework.

 

Insert drool here. Or a basset hound (same thing).

 

I see no indication that this excludes the series 2 DVRs. Why do you say it is only for S3?

 

Probably from this sentence:
"As the only universal cable box that can operate on any cable headend, TiVo HD DVR set tops combined with SeaChange VOD capabilities provide a cost effective way for operators to further differentiate their service with the award winning TiVo Service. "

 

This is fantastic news!! No need for tru2way if they can make this work.

The press release does appear to rule out series 2:
"The integrated experience will be available to participating cable operators on select TiVo branded high-definition cable set-top boxes later this year."

 

Yes read that and it implies to me that a multi stream card will be needed which leave out the Series 3.

 

Nice! And everyone thought it was going to take Tru2Way before this happened.

moyekj, I assume it's just an HME app doing Internet-based streaming. This is how Fios VOD works already. As for other cable companies, it sounds like TiVo will be going to the source -- the cable companies' provider -- rather than using QAM-based VOD. But I could be wrong.

Actually, it shouldn't be that hard to do QAM-based VOD as well, in the manner CuriousMark outlines. I think the ordering is basically network-based already, although given that the cable companies insisted on creating the absurd Tuning Adapters rather than allowing the TiVos directly onto their internal network, they'd probably do the same for VOD.

I see a snag, though: "By teaming with SeaChange we are enabling cable operators without OCAP/tru2way deployment plans to increase the breadth and depth of their offering by quickly deploying TiVo set-top boxes ..." This sounds like it won't be offered to existing TiVos! Unless this is some weird business-speak use of "deploying" that doesn't correspond to standard English.

 

I would assume this means this functionality will be in new boxes, not current ones.

 

Could well be. That would definitely mean that the source streams would have to be mpeg4 though whereas the VOD streams provided to cable company are mpeg2 transport streams, so a lot of additional encoding work and storage needed if the IP-based VOD is intended to mirror the QAM-based VOD program availability.

Guess that would also mean that the cable companies would be willing to increase or ignore the internet data caps in some cases where they are set too low (Cox for example sets a 10-15GB/month cap in many markets though it doesn't currently enforce that anyway). Opens a can of worms if they were to go a step further and give bandwidth preference to their own IP-VOD data.

 

I don't follow your logic. What implies mcard?

 

ahh, missed that. Darn!

 

The S4?

Internal modem like a cable box for two way comms?

 

rainwater, I'm not sure where you got your 2nd quote. The press release says this:

"The integrated experience will be available to participating cable operators on select TiVo branded high-definition cable set-top boxes later this year."

This is a little more open ended than your quote. It could mean new boxes, or it could mean existing series 3 boxes. They do specifically mention "Tivo HD" a few times, but it's still unclear if they mean the existing Tivo HD product or some future Tivo HD model. Here are those quotes:

"...today announced that they have joined forces to integrate cable VOD services into the TiVo HD DVR experience."

"...TiVo HD DVR set tops combined with SeaChange VOD capabilities provide a cost effective way for operators to..."

Who know what this really means. The information given is vague, perhaps intentionally. We'll have to wait and see.

 

cool news. Looks like TiVo found a nice way around the cable operators to just get the feature done.

the other thing I read into this - looks like Tru2Way is not gaining the traction TiVo would like. It seems that History can be drawn on for how the cable companies were dragged kicking and screaming into simply providing separable security.