TiVo makeover
March 4, 2010
TiVo has overhauled its core hardware product with a new user interface designed specifically for widescreen HDTV sets, better search capability across a mix of linear, recorded and broadband content, and direct integration of Flash software.
The new $300 “TiVo Premiere” will begin shipping next month. The Premiere box provides access to premium cable programming using CableCard conditional access, but does not support satellite services; TiVo is expected to deploy a new DVR with DirecTV later this year.
The goal behind the broadband-enabled Premiere, says TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, is to create one box and one interface that lets viewers watch broadcast or cable programming, on-demand movies and Web video, as well as listen to music.
“It’s one box for all those purposes, and it’s all usable off of one remote,” says Rogers.
While broadband-enabled TiVo boxes have provided access to online content for several years, the goal with the Premiere interface is to make the content easier to find from the home screen.