ExtremeTech: "TiVo Competitor Leapfrogs Competition"

[Kent Pribbernow]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1583483,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532' target='_blank'>http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,1583483,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532</a><br /><br /></div>"On Monday, Digeo announced a cheaper Moxi Mate, an additional set-top which will allow cable operators to deploy the Moxi services to other devices around the home, without the need to ship an extra box. In addition, Digeo plans to announce that in late 2004 the company will also add expansion devices that will serve as additional storage, adding the ability to play back DVDs. A redesigned X-Stream chipset will also allow the company's next generation of set-tops to be built more cheaply, plus include greatly enhanced multimedia capabilities."<br /><br /> Tivo has become a name ingrained on the minds of consumers, and is used generically to describe PVR. Like Band-Aid and Kleenex, Tivo is now a brand identity used to describe a product category. However, with great new hardware like Moxi Mate, Tivo won't have this market to itself, that's for sure. <br /><br />Off-topic: Believe it or not, I still don't own one of these PVR set top boxes. I don't watch enough television to really take much interest.

[Kevin & Beth Remhof]

I'm glad to see Moxi finally coming out with a device (even though it is not targetted for direct end-user sales). I have a Time Warner DVR and love it. It's sad that Tivo is going to die but the concept it going to live on. It's one of those times that I wish a patent would come to the rescue.

If Tivo had the right patents on their technology, they might be able to get licensing deals instead of other companies just copying them. Then, all DVR/PVRs would have Tivo built-in. Just a thought.

[Neil Enns]

Off-topic: Believe it or not, I still don't own one of these PVR set top boxes. I don't watch enough television to really take much interest.

Heh. Don't feel too bad. Jason still doesn't own one either :lol:

Neil

[Suhit Gupta]

Off-topic: Believe it or not, I still don't own one of these PVR set top boxes. I don't watch enough television to really take much interest.

Heh. Don't feel too bad. Jason still doesn't own one either :lol:
Of course then you hear about the completely opposite end where users own many DVRs.

Suhit

[Suhit Gupta]

BTW, on a side note, how does the FCC (or whoever finds this information out) take DVRs into account when coming up with ratings for a program. Earlier it was easy because one could tell right away how many people are wtching a program because you could tell if a cable box is tuned to a particular channel. But do they take into account that DVRs can now record multiple channels?

Suhit

[Kevin & Beth Remhof]

BTW, on a side note, how does the FCC (or whoever finds this information out) take DVRs into account when coming up with ratings for a program. Earlier it was easy because one could tell right away how many people are wtching a program because you could tell if a cable box is tuned to a particular channel. But do they take into account that DVRs can now record multiple channels?

Suhit

Tivo sells their user data kind of like the Nielson ratings. I'm not sure about other DVR manufacturers though. I don't think that the FCC itself gets too involved. The head, Michael Powell, is a huge fan of Tivo. So is his father, Colin Powell. With names like that behind the technology, I get a warm feeling inside.

[Suhit Gupta]

But the point is - how do they take multiple possible recordings into account? Is one customer now treated as multiple customers? So is each DVR box counted as a customer? But then some DVR boxes are able to record more than one channel at any given time. I just wanted to get more details.

Suhit