By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

My mother-in-law, for one, wishes she could look at her pictures on a larger screen than on her PC. Well, Picasa and Photobucket users, at least those with a TiVo connected to broadband, can now view their photos on their TVs.

In a press release, TiVo went on to emphasize that the pictures will be viewable at the highest possible resolution on each TiVo box. What this means is that photos on TiVo Series3 and TiVo HD subscribers will be able to see their pictures in high definition.

As you can see from the image, TiVo users will be able to search in various ways via the TiVo user interface. The service is offered at no additional charge.

“At TiVo we’re focused on the entire entertainment experience, from movies to music, and in this case — memories. By working with these well-respected and popular photo-sharing partners TiVo enables families to share their pictures in new, fun ways. TiVo continues to show our commitment to differentiated product offerings by allowing subscribers to share their memories on the best picture frame in the house — their
television.” Source: Tivo Press Release via PR Newswire

We Say: Differentiated product offerings = TiVo needs to separate itself from the glut of alternative DVRs. Two things I wish they would do:

• start working with DirecTV again. Integrated control boxes whether cable (as their still to roll-out nationally deal with Comcast) or DirecTV are much easier to deal with.
• give their integrated boxes full functionality. Usually these integrated boxes, as with the old DirecTiVo, don’t have all the functionality of their stand-along boxes.

As part of their differentiated offerings, TiVo continues to make deals with partners. Readers will recall that in early October TiVo and RealNetworks’ Rhapsody finally launched their integrated service.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

When I say finally, I mean finally. This integration was announced back in January at CES, and it just now launched today, for those with Series 2 and Series 3 standalone Tivos (we DirecTivo users are still left out in the cold for yet another feature).

Terms are the same as for the normal Rhapsody Unlimited service, $12.99 / month. If you want to be able to take your content with you, you have to sign up for the Rhapsody To Go service, for $2 more a month — and you have to use a PC for that.

Rhapsody and Tivo both had nice things to say about each other in the press release:

“By adding music to our portfolio of broadband offerings, TiVo is the only universal entertainment provider in the living room,” said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. “Since the beginning, TiVo has been focused on the principle of choice and control, giving our users the ability to experience TV on their terms. Together, TiVo and Rhapsody have extended the personal viewing experience on TiVo into music, providing consumers with an incredibly easy way to access their favorite artists from their television set. Our customers can not only navigate through hundreds of TV channels and thousands of movie downloads, they now have access to millions of songs all on their television set.”

“We’re thrilled to bring Rhapsody into the heart of the living room with TiVo,” said Rob Glaser, chairman and CEO, RealNetworks, which in partnership with MTV Networks, owns and operates Rhapsody. “By partnering with TiVo, we can now give consumers easy and unlimited access to Rhapsody’s library of four million songs from the comfort of their sofa. This is another important step as we fulfill our mission of bringing Rhapsody to consumers whenever and wherever they want it.”

We Say: Does this make Tivo’s PVR any more desirable than it is? Nah, in my book it’s already something I would not give up, ever. But it does give Tivo another bullet point to advertise to consumers.

Note that Tivo owners will get a free one-month trial to the Rhapsody service.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

As I previously wrote, there was hope that Tivos could again return to DirecTV, especially with the openness of Liberty Media toward Tivo. Well, this might just be the start of it …

It may be too early to read too much into Wednesday’s announcement, however it seems to make it possible for TiVo set-top boxes to appear again in DirecTV’s lineup.

The update will be available to customers using DirecTV DVRs early next year, and will add several features that stand-alone TiVo users have enjoyed for several months, and in some cases, for four years. This includes online scheduling, the ‘Recently Deleted’ folder, and overlap protection. Source: BetaNews

We Say: As the article states, and as I posited previously, Tivo has had a tough time without DirecTV. It’s a lot easier to commit to a PVR when it’s tied directly to a TV package, rather than stand-alone, as they have found. Sure, they tried to work a deal with Comcast, but those boxes still aren’t in widespread deployment. Since I have a DirecTivo, I am really looking forward to this update … but not until next year?

By Chief Gadgeteer, Gizmos for Geeks

Contributing Writer, RealTechNews.

Here is a quick recap of the gadgets we featured this week at GfG. The biggest item was the announcement of the smaller TiVo HD DVR. Coming in at a more affordable $300, this new HD recorder holds 180 hours of standard def and 20 of HD. In the computer department was the very cool and very light Toshiba Portege R500-S5003. It starts at 1.72lbs. Think about that for a second! Read on for still more gizmos.

More

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Fans did their best to save ‘Jericho’, even sending CBS 25 tons of peanuts. And CBS reversed its decision, though only for 7 episodes. But they do so with a plea: don’t time-shift it!

In considering the network’s potential fall lineup last month, CBS decided that the 7.7 million viewers who tuned in to the season finale — down from an estimated 11.6 million eight months earlier, according to Nielsen Media Research — were not enough to justify its continuation for a second season.

So when outraged fans of the show began contacting CBS en masse, the network’s executives were initially unsure where they were coming from. An estimated 700,000 households — roughly 8 percent of the audience that watched the show live — recorded “Jericho” for later viewing. Source: The New York Times

We Say: I think if you look at the demographic that tends to watch shows like ‘Jericho’, I’d think you would find a high percentage of them time-shifting stuff. And, if I’m not in a Nielsen household, what difference does it make, anyway? Instead of trying to get us watch live, how about learning to adjust for the new trends when determining viewership? I thought that was what the new Nielsen ratings were supposed to do anyway.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Raise your hand if you have a Tivo and love it. Now raise it if you have had a different PVR in the past and would never (if possible) switch away from Tivo. I would be included in both groups myself. But I switched to Tivo when I changed from Dish Network to DirecTV. In the time I have had it, it’s been nearly (it missed recording one program … dunno why … and every other time we thought it screwed up it was a rerun that we didn’t recognize as such …) flawless. Of course, I got my DirecTivo right when it looked like Tivo was going to be gone forever from DirecTV … raising fears for my wife (who loves the DirecTivo) that someday it will break and we will have to use a “lesser” PVR.

But with the still-to-be-completed sale of DirectTV to Liberty Media looming, and with the apparent openness of Liberty Media towards Tivos, we may yet see new DirecTivos.

DirecTV said in August 2005 that it would stop marketing TiVo digital video recorders to its customers, focusing instead on boxes made by NDS, a company that is owned by DirecTV’s largest shareholder News Corp.

But with control of DirecTV expected to pass from News Corp. to Liberty Media later this year, that could be “positive” for TiVo, said its Chief Executive Tom Rogers. Rogers said people he knew at Liberty were fans of TiVo DVRs. Source: Reuters

We Say: Rogers also said that Liberty Media has no interest in creating a competing PVR … I told my wife this news and she immediately smiled.

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

I shuddered when I read this. Honestly. After being spoiled by past PVRs as well as my current Tivo, commercial skipping is a necessity nowadays. We almost never watch anything live, or at least delay it until the point where “ok, we can start watching now; it’s late enough so we can skip all the commercials”.

You may recall I wrote earlier about Philips and their ad-skipping technology. Well, Cox Communications has signed a deal with ESPN and ABC for a video-on-demand (VOD) service. Part of the deal, though, involved making sure people couldn’t skip ads … and while this only affects VOD for now … and it’s only a test … it’s quite possibly a sign of things to come.

The goal with the new program is to increase ad revenue, which broadcasters have been crying foul over since the dawn of PVRs like TiVo. ABC, ESPN and parent company Walt Disney Co. handed Cox the rules to abide by if Cox wanted to have access to hit programs. But Cox isn’t showing any concern, and in fact welcomes the restriction.

Reports say that Cox and Disney are still ironing out the details on what kind of ads will play, for how long and how often during a program. None of the above companies mentioned whether or not users will still be able to switch channels when a commercial pops up. Source: DailyTech

We Say: Yes, yes, same “feature” possibly as the Philips tech … no channel changing during ads. Although that’s still a rumor, right. Hang on to your old PVRs, people, the newer, better ones might just tick you off in the future, if this becomes de rigeur.

By Kyle Reasons

Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Rumors and speculation over the Apple TV have recently made the switch to hacks and mods. As soon as you thought the speculation was over, here I come with yet more!

The Apple TV is an awesome product. You can stream all of your digital content whether it be music, TV shows, movies, pictures or podcasts from your computer to your television set. As cool as it may be, many see this as only the tip of the ice berg. The possibility of having the ability to rent movies over the Apple TV (on iTunes) doesn’t seem that far fetched. The Apple TV is great is at stands but has alot of potential and options for expandability.

One feature that I believe we will see built into the Apple TV in the future is the ability to view YouTube/Google Videos on the Apple TV. There are a few reasons why I think this may happen:

• Apple and Google are buddies

• Google’s CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt is a member of Apples Board of Directors

• “Like Apple, Google is very focused on innovation and we think Eric’s insights and experience will be very valuable in helping to guide Apple in the years ahead.”-Steve Jobs
• “ Apple is one of the companies in the world that I most admire. I’m really looking forward to working with Steve and Apple’s board to help with all of the amazing things Apple is doing.”-Eric Schmidt
• Apple is working with Google on a modified version of Google Maps for the iPhone
• Google.com/mac (they made the Google logo all pretty for Apple, how sweet)

• Apple TV is a great step towards making IPTV mainstream. Apple dominates the podcasting front thanks to iTunes. Apple dominates in the distribution of Television shows online. Saturation of all of this online media is only making Apple stronger and stronger in regards of IPTV. All of these things are baby steps of course, YouTube would be yet another step.

• Not that YouTube isn’t already mainstream, but I can’t see Google complaining about having the ability to bring YouTube off the computer and into the living room.

Whether this is made possible by a hack or made possible by Apple, I think this would be awesome. Who can resist watching somebody get kicked in the nuts from the comfort of their sofa?