[TimCarney67]

Both TiVo and DirecTV had booths this year at CEDIA. When I went to the TiVo booth, I told them how much I love my new Series 3 (on cable) but what I really wanted was a Series 3 for DirecTV to receive the 70 HD channels DirecTV claims they will be launching this year. The TiVo guys said a lot of other installers at the show were telling them the same thing.

Then I ran across one of the engineers from DirecTV whom I had seen last year. I told him, I wished DirecTV would apologize for dumping TiVo in favor of their DVR boxes since DirecTV's GUI SUCKS and ask TiVo to make a new box for DirecTV for the new HD. He essentially responded that TiVo does not make a MPEG-4 device but if TiVo did make a MPEG-4 device then DirecTV would support. (Really? I kind of doubt it but man would that be cool.)

Tim

 

[d_anders]

Both TiVo and DirecTV had booths this year at CEDIA. When I went to the TiVo booth, I told them how much I love my new Series 3 (on cable) but what I really wanted was a Series 3 for DirecTV to receive the 70 HD channels DirecTV claims they will be launching this year. The TiVo guys said a lot of other installers at the show were telling them the same thing.

Then I ran across one of the engineers from DirecTV whom I had seen last year. I told him, I wished DirecTV would apologize for dumping TiVo in favor of their DVR boxes since DirecTV's GUI SUCKS and ask TiVo to make a new box for DirecTV for the new HD. He essentially responded that TiVo does not make a MPEG-4 device but if TiVo did make a MPEG-4 device then DirecTV would support. (Really? I kind of doubt it but man would that be cool.)

Certainly would be cool, but as I understand it, the TiVoHD has the chipset to handle MPEG4...I could be wrong. But more imporantly, DirecTV utilizes a proprietary digital feed and has to license and bring the technology partner in for them to utilize the technology. It's been a full decision by DirecTV not to utilize TiVo in their newest DVRs.

The engineer either doesn't know the full history of the relationship, or simply passing the buck and just saying it's a technical issue....

Anyway, it certainly hasn't been due to technical issues why DirecTV doesn't use the TiVo interface. TiVo wanted to keep that business, but it was largely due to DirecTV Sr. Mgmt and Mr. Murdoch and wanting to keep that $1 a month royalty payment per sub w/a DirecTivo that was going to TiVo. DirecTV had full control on much of the TiVo technology was being used on their boxes, just as Comcast will on their upcoming boxes.

 

[CharlesH]

I thought that with the recent change in ownership of DirectTV, that the partnership with TiVo was back on again, and a new software update was in the works for the DirecTiVo.

 

[bdraw]

That's hilarious, if they'd said that to me, I'd start laughing and walk around looking for someone with a clue.

Seriously, everyone knows that DirecTV corp decided not to continue the relationship; and then for this PR person to blame it on technology is just ridiculous.

 

[ZeoTiVo]

I thought that with the recent change in ownership of DirectTV, that the partnership with TiVo was back on again, and a new software update was in the works for the DirecTiVo.

the rumors seem to be swirling that way but nothing concrete has been said by anyone yet

 

[d_anders]

I thought that with the recent change in ownership of DirectTV, that the partnership with TiVo was back on again, and a new software update was in the works for the DirecTiVo.

Partially true. There seems to be an update to the existing base, but nothing has been announced about a whole new line of DVRs with TiVo. If there was something to report, TiVo would have made it known to the investor community.

Your right to note that the possiblity of something new is certainly reasonable, given the change in ownership...time will tell.

 

[CheezWiz]

I had read that the new owners of DirecTV were also stock holders in Tivo...
Hard to find but:
"Liberty Media will also inherit Liberty Digital's stakes in the many dot-com and ITV companies in which Liberty Digital made investments over the past two years, including TiVo, ACTV and Open TV."
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DIZ/is_43_13/ai_79572726

"TiVo Hints of New DIRECTV Deal"
http://www.tvpredictions.com/tivo060507.htm

So it would seem to me that if LM is a Tivo stock holder, then it would only be natural to dump the NewsCorp crap for Tivo stuff...

 

[Hexerott]

Even if Tivo and DirecTv kissed and made up it would probably be years before the hardware would hit the market.

 

[jblake]

I think the statement by the DirecTV rep was just misinformation. It would take an agreement between Tivo and Directv to build a new mpeg4 box. Just because the Tivo HD has an mpeg 4 chip doesn't mean it has the correct mpeg4 chip to decode directv's flavor. Plus, you can't build a DirecTV box without licensing the conditional access stuff from DirecTV. I would believe the engineer from DirecTV was simply basing his statement on the fact that if you have a pre-existing Tivo Directv will still support you.

 

[classicsat]

IMO, the chip is enough. The software could be tweaked for DirecTV's MPEG4.

The real issue is building DirecTV tuners and their CA system.

 

[jblake]

IMO, the chip is enough. The software could be tweaked for DirecTV's MPEG4.

The real issue is building DirecTV tuners and their CA system.

Well, with all due respect you're not an engineer with either Tivo or DirecTV. DirecTV doesn't use the same flavor of MPEG4 that Tivo is necessarily. Sure, you could tweak the software but it's not as simple as just putting DirecTV compatible software on a TivoHD or Series 3. You have to dump the QAM tuners and put in two DirecTV tuners, and you also have to put in the DirecTV conditional access hardware (smart cards). They are both secret and patented, so you can't just put them in without having an agreement with DirecTV.

 

[classicsat]

Is that not what I said?

 

[ZeoTiVo]

Is that not what I said?

that is what I read

 

[lew]

IMO, the chip is enough. The software could be tweaked for DirecTV's MPEG4.

The real issue is building DirecTV tuners and their CA system.

Tivo already has units that have DirecTV tuners and CA.

The real (only) issue is coming to an agreement with DTV.