Laptops Desktops Monitors & LCDs Graphics Cards Handhelds Phones Software Networks Printers More »
search
advertisement
Click Here
AnchorDesk

John Morris and Josh Taylor
Get Your Couch Ready ... Souped Up PVRs On the Way

John Morris and Josh Taylor
Contributing Editors, AnchorDesk
Thursday, August 24, 2000
TalkBack!Add your opinion
We'd heard most people with personal video recorders (PVRs), such as ReplayTV and TiVo, end up watching more TV than before.

Sure enough, Josh has the PVR bug. Real bad. He even watches Big Brother now.

And just as PVRs start to catch on (sales are expected to grow from an anemic 18,000 units in 1999 to 300,000 units by the end of this year), the manufacturers of both devices are making it easier than ever to worship at the television altar.

Up until now, we've given TiVo the slight edge. But after catching up with both companies in the last couple days, ReplayTV is coming on strong and stands to surpass TiVo's excellent set of features with forthcoming software enhancements.

ReplayTV is the first to put its service on the Web. This October, with the launch of MyReplayTV, you'll be able to control your unit from a Web browser -- be it in your living room, your office or a hotel room. The portal is especially useful for tasks that don't work as well from a remote, such as searching for programming by actors, directors or theme.

Part of the upcoming 3.0 software upgrade (a free download for current customers), MyReplayTV will let you do remotely just about all the things you can do from your couch. Working late? Just log on to MyReplayTV.com and delete those old Real World episodes to make room for the three-hour Survivor finale.

The real power of MyReplayTV? Once you have a browser-based interface, it should be easy to port it to all kinds of devices: cell phones and PDAs with wireless Net access.

The only catch: By default your ReplayTV only connects to a server once a day (between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.). So if you tell it to record something while you're sitting in your office, it won't get transmitted to your box until the following morning. ReplayTV says it will address this initially by letting users select the time of day for updates and eventually allow for multiple updates. But long-term, "always-on" connections (cable, DSL or satellite) will eliminate this obstacle.

Of course MyReplayTV is also a new way for the company to make money. Tell the service to record a Martha Stewart Living gardening segment, and next time you visit MyReplayTV you could find Martha offering to sell you plants, pots and tools -- along with a subscription to her mag. Precisely the kind of future revenue opportunities that have networks biting their tongues every time ReplayTV users hit that 30-second, skip-ahead button (the "ad zapper").

TiVo's a little more vague with its Web strategy, but it has other irons in the fire. Both Sony and Philips are expected to roll out combination DirectTV/TiVo receivers in October -- at prices similar to today's stand-alone receivers.

The unit will run you around $400, plus fees for the TiVo service and Direct TV programming. Currently, TiVo owners have multiple pricing options, including a monthly fee of $9.95 or a lifetime fee of $199; the company has not finalized its pricing options for the combo units.

The most exciting thing about these combo units? They're optimized for DirectTV feeds, thus tripling the storage capacity of DVD-quality video to nearly 30 hours. The new units will have only a single setting, and that setting should mimic the quality of the original DirectTV feed.

Also this fall, TiVo will introduce via free download several new features, including theme-based channels (sound familiar ReplayTV owners?) and the ability to pad recording times for individual programs. So the next time Tiger Woods gets forced into a three-hole playoff, your PVR won't come up short. (ReplayTV will introduce a nearly identical feature).

Both ReplayTV and TiVo like to position these services as "empowering" us, the television-viewing audience. But inevitably, some people are going to complain that these services just make a bad habit worse. Don't worry -- we'll just vote them off the island.

•  Notify me when the Sony DirecTV Receiver with TiVo is available through ZDNet Shopping.

•  Notify me when the Philips DirecTV Receiver with TiVo is available through ZDNet Shopping.

TALKBACK
Are personal video recorders such as ReplayTV and TiVo the coolest gadget to hit living rooms since the remote? Or are they just adding to an unhealthy obsession with TV? Hit Talkback below and let us know.

Previous Story  Next Story 

Special sponsor stores
advertisement
Click Here