ITV

Tag: Tom Rogers

  • Tivo’s new service allows net delivery of films to TV sets

    Tivo’s new service allows net delivery of films to TV sets

    MUMBAI: Tivo which works in the area of creating television services for digital video recorders (DVR) in the US has announced that it will debut a break-through new service early next year which will provide friends and families scattered across the US with an easy way to share their home videos, by sending them directly to the television.

    Rather than burning and mailing DVDs, or viewing videos uploaded on a computer, friends and family will now be able to set-up their own private channel to send home videos directly to a Tivo subscriber’s TV set.

    Tivo has partnered with One True Media an online service that helps people easily turn their video and photos into online video stories, to create an end-to-end solution for the person who took the home movies and to whomever he or she would like to show them.

    After uploading their home movies to One True Media, consumers will be able to edit their videos online and will receive a personal TiVo channel code which they can then distribute to other Tivo subscribers. With a few clicks of the Tivo remote, and the personal Tivo channel code, friends and family will be able to get a Season Pass recording that will deliver to their TiVo all the current and future home movies from the video creator. Videos will be displayed in the Tivo subscriber’s Now Playing List — the same location all of their favorite television programming is stored within Tivo.

    Tivo president, CEO Tom Rogers says, “TiVo is not only the best way to watch television, but it is also the best way to get television programming of all types. TiVo is committed to ensuring that its subscribers can enjoy their favorite video content no matter what the source. With the introduction of home movies, TiVo is once again delivering new service features that expand the universe of choices available to our subscribers.

    “Video that stars the important people and events in a subscriber’s life should be viewable on TV. It is not TV until it is on the TV and that is one reason we say ’It’s not a TiVo unless it’s a TiVo.’”

    To share home movies or slide shows privately the video creator gives his personal Tivo channel code to friends and family. Only people with the unique personal code assigned to the subscriber’s channel can see the published channel. Thus, creators can share their videos with friends and family, while assuring that their most treasured memories are not publicly available to anyone.

    One True Media CEO Mark Moore says, “One True Media makes it easy to tell the most important stories of our lives and share them with friends and family. We are excited to work with TiVo to enable consumers to now create their own personal TV channels and enjoy their videos on the big screen in their living room.

    “Tivo revolutionised the way we watch TV, putting consumers in charge of what they want to watch and when. Now, our two companies are taking that empowerment to the next level.”

  • Tivo comes out with HD DVR

    Tivo comes out with HD DVR

    MUMBAI: Tivo which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs) in the US has launched the high end TiVo Series3 High Definition (HD) Digital Media Recorder.

    This the first stand-alone Tivo product that is HD compatible. The company says that the Tivo Series3 HD box is the world’s first THX -certified, digital video recorder.

    Tivo CEO and president Tom Rogers, says, “Tivo continues to be the best way to watch television and we are very proud to extend the TiVo experience into the world of high definition with the release of the TiVo Series3 HD box.”

    The Tivo Series3 HD box allows the consumer to experience Tivo’s service features, such as Season Pass recordings and WishList searches, in sharp, vivid high-definition images. Extensive video analysis and performance testing by THX ensures content will always playback at the maximum quality and resolution. The advanced chipset in the TiVo Series3 HD box also lays the groundwork for support for more advanced download features in the future.

    Dual tuners allow subscribers to record two different shows in HD at the same time, while watching a third pre-recorded show. With the high quality OLED front-panel display, the TiVo Series3 HD box will show what is recording, even when the television is off. The product enables the user to record up to 32 hours of HD programming, or up to 300 hours of recording capacity in standard definition. The TiVo Series3 HD box also features a new, sleek, backlit remote control.

    The product TiVo says is designed to fit seamlessly into the most discerning home theater systems. It is compatible with digital cable, analogue cable and is the first TiVo to support over-the-air digital HD (ATSC). Later this year, it will also support the newly released TivoCast service feature which allows users to access content directly through their broadband connection, introducing the next revolution of Internet and cable delivery. Future software releases can even enable advanced MPEG-4 based download features.

    With a built-in Ethernet jack and USB ports, the product also provides advanced connectivity and easy networking, making it simple to access an additional suite of exclusive TiVo features.

    Tivo adds that its subscribers have anticipated the day they can use its services in high definition. The product the company states gives customers the best way to experience HDTV in visual and audio performance, an easy, intuitive way to find and record HD programming and a broad set of multimedia and networking capabilities.

    Features of the product include :

    TiVo Online Scheduling: The user can schedule last-minute recordings from the office or on the road from anywhere one can access the Internet.

    WishList Searches: One can find programmes by actor, director, keyword or topic. The Tivo service works to find and record all the programs related to that topic — like an advanced search engine for your television.

    Season Pass Recordings: This allows one to automatically record every episode, even if the network schedule changes. It can even skip repeat episodes.

    TiVo KidZone: The comes later this year to the Series3 HD box. Tivo gives parents the power to easily create a customized area for their children, with only the programs they have pre-approved.

    Broadband connected TiVo Series3 subscribers will have access to a variety of multimedia services, networking options and entertainment choices.

  • Brightcove to deliver broadband content to TiVo subscribers

    Brightcove to deliver broadband content to TiVo subscribers

    MUMBAI: TiVo Inc., the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR), and the Internet TV service provider Brightcove has inked a deal, which will enable broadband video published through Brightcove to be distributed directly to TiVo subscriber set top boxes.

    Under terms of the agreement, the two companies work together over the coming months to add additional partners for the distribution of their broadband video content to TiVo subscribers.

    The partnership will provide a method for almost any publisher of broadband video using Brightcove’s Internet TV services to distribute content to TiVo subscribers. It also opens the possibility of monetizing the distribution through advertising, subscription plans, or pay-per-view. Initially, all content will be offered for free to TiVo subscribers and may carry advertising within the content, informs an official release.

    TiVo president and CEO Tom Rogers said, “TiVo has revolutionized television viewing and Brightcove is bringing about major changes in consumer viewing of broadband-delivered video.”

    Rogers adds, “Through this new partnership, the process of delivering Internet based video to TiVo users will be significantly facilitated.”

    “TiVo has been a powerful factor increasing consumer choice and control over television viewing experiences.TiVo subscribers will gain access to the largest, most powerful content platform ever offered — the Internet. If it’s on Brightcove, you’ll be able to watch it on your TV using your TiVo box, ” said Brightcove founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire.

    Broadband video content from Brightcove will be made available to any TiVo Series2 DVR connected to the Internet. The TiVo subscribers will be able to discover this content directly in the TiVo Central content management area on the TiVo box.

  • TiVo’s ‘TiVo KidZone’ to replace parents as TV viewing supervisor

    TiVo’s ‘TiVo KidZone’ to replace parents as TV viewing supervisor

    MUMBAI: The creator of television services for digital video recorders, TiVo has unveiled TiVo KidZone. It is a new service enhancement that for the first time gives parents the ability to ensure that quality children’s programming is always on when their children turn on their television sets.

    The launch of TiVo KidZone comes at a time when there is a remarkable surge in children’s daytime television viewing over the summer, which is also a time when TV viewing is even more unsupervised by parents and is a source of their growing concern, states an official release.

    TiVo KidZone is based on TiVo’s easy-to-use interface and provides all parents the freedom and flexibility to easily find and select the television programming they deem most appropriate for their families while also making it simple to easily block any programs and channels they do not want their children to view. Announced in March 2006, TiVo KidZone allows subscribers to:

    — Choose from entire menus of shows recommended by a variety of leading non-profit organizations focused on children and media including Common Sense Media, Parents’ Choice Foundation and the Parents Television Council and set automatic recordings based on those recommended menus — from their homes or using the internet.

    — Easily add or subtract specific programs or channels to further customize what is available for children.

    — Lock out all other live or recorded programming or channels that are not specified for TiVo KidZone from access by children, while making all channels and recordings available when a parent wants to watch television (after entering a four digit code, as with an ATM).

    “TiVo KidZone answers the many concerns of parents revealed in this survey, by empowering them with a breakthrough new service and by also giving children a continuous array of engaging, high-quality programming to choose from whenever they turn on their television sets,” says TiVo president & CEO Tom Rogers. “TiVo KidZone is offering families a personalized TV area where parents’ own judgments and the recommendations of widely respected national family media review organizations such as Common Sense Media are easily and safely applied to deliver the best children’s television programming.”

    “A number of parents of children under 18 say they are nervous about what their kids are watching, but 81 per cent in the survey say they do not utilize any blocking technology that prevents programming with a certain rating from coming into their homes. It is clear that parents need an easy to use service like TiVo KidZone to ensure that quality TV is always on at their house,” addsTiVo VP, sales & affiliate marketing, Joe Miller.

    Parental concerns are highlighted in the release today of a new survey of 1,000 Americans, sponsored by TiVo and conducted with leading international research firm, Ipsos Research. The survey showed that 64 percent of parents of children under age 18 are concerned that their children will see television programming that does not reflect their family’s values, especially as many of the country’s children are beginning their summer vacation from school, adds the release.

  • TiVo and DirecTV extend relationship for three years

    TiVo and DirecTV extend relationship for three years

    MUMBAI: The creator and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR) TiVo Inc., and digital television service provider DirecTV, Inc. announced a three-year extension to the TiVo-DirecTV commercial agreement.

    Existing DirecTV TiVo subscribers will be able to continue to receive the TiVo service, with TiVo providing ongoing maintenance and support. In addition, TiVo and DirecTV agreed not to assert patent rights against the other. The agreement also extends the advertising relationship between the two companies. DirecTV will continue to service existing DirecTV receivers with TiVo service. While specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the recurring monthly economics of the agreement are similar to the economics for DirecTV receivers with TiVo service activated since 2003.

    “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with DirecTV that will allow us to continue to provide our service to the more than 2 million DirecTV TiVo households. As the pioneer in the DVR market, we have created a service that is highly valued by consumers because of our technology, the wide range of our unique features and the unparalleled ease of our user experience. This agreement reflects TiVo’s popularity among DirecTV subscribers and importantly respects the value of our intellectual property as well,” said TiVo CEO Tom Rogers.

    “By extending our agreement with TiVo, we are ensuring quality support for DirecTV customers who already own a DirecTV TiVo unit. We are pleased to cooperate with TiVo in a way that will best serve DirecTV and our DirecTV TiVo customers,” said DirecTV chief technology officer Romulo Pontual.

  • Tivo reports a 45 per cent growth in subscriptions

    Tivo reports a 45 per cent growth in subscriptions

    MUMBAI: American firm Tivo which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), has reported financial results for the fourth quarter and the year ended 31 January, 2006.

    Total subscriptions were approximately 4.4 million, which represents a 45 per cent growth in the subscription base during the past year. Service and technology revenues for the year increased 48 per cent to $170.9 million, compared to $115.5 million last year. Service and technology revenues for the quarter increased 37 per cent to $47 million, compared to $34.2 million for the same period last year.

    TiVo achieved its first positive cash flow from operations. For the year, Tivo lessened its net loss to $34.4 million and net loss per share of ($0.41). This was a 57 per cent and 59 per cent improvement respectively, compared to a net loss of ($79.8) million, or ($0.99) per share for the previous year.

    For the fourth quarter, Tivo reported a net loss of ($19.5) million and net loss per share of ($0.23), a 42 per cent and 45 per cent improvement respectively, compared to a net loss of ($33.7) million, or ($0.42) per share, for the fourth quarter of last year.

    Tivo-owned subscription gross additions were 221,000 for the quarter, compared to 276,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. This fiscal fourth quarter was the second best quarter in Tivo’s history in terms of Tivo-owned subscription net additions. Tivo-owned subscription net additions were 183,000 compared to 251,000 in the fourth quarter of last year. These numbers represent a decline compared to last year, reflective of the more challenging competitive environment. However, the fourth quarter results also suggest an improvement in year-over-year trends.

    In terms of sequential quarter-over-quarter percentage growth, this year represented a significant improvement over last year, showing early traction from the company’s new marketing programmes. Separately, as expected, TiVo added 173,000 DirecTV subscriptions in the quarter, compared to 379,000 in the third quarter of the year.

    Tivo CEO Tom Rogers said “This was a steady quarter for Tivo as our subscription base continued to grow, even in this more competitive environment. During the last six months, we have implemented a number of marketing programs designed to support our long-term goal of driving increased scale in our
    subscription base.

    “We are starting to see the results of these programmes as the fourth quarter was our best on-line quarter ever through TiVo.com. In addition, virtually all new subscriptions during the quarter signed on for a minimum one-year period, helping to further reduce our already comparatively low churn rate.

    “One of the key ways to drive our subscription base is to continue to differentiate TiVo’s service features from those of generic DVRs, which is an important driving force for us in 2006. Along those lines, we have just introduced a groundbreaking way for parents to supervise television in the home with all the simplicity that the Tivo service has come to be known for. TiVo has stepped in to solve an age old problem in the children’s television arena with the support of the largest children’s television groups in the country,
    Common Sense Media and The Parents Television Council.

    “As the pioneer in the DVR market, we continue to blaze the trail by providing our subscribers with unique content and programming features like TiVo KidZone, TiVoToGo, Advertising Search and the Yahoo! partnerships for TV scheduling, traffic, and photo distribution, which will continue to separate the TiVo service as a best of breed product.

    “In addition, as demonstrated by the Verizon Wireless announcement earlier this week, and a number of device integration initiatives made in the fourth quarter including the updated capability in our TivoToGo feature to transfer TV shows to portable devices including the Sony PSP and our work with Intel to seamlessly integrate content from TiVo units with Intel’s Viiv platform. Tivo is demonstrating that it is a central point of integration in the home with other digital devices and services,” adds Rogers.

    Tivo has also announced new, simplified pricing structures that make it easier for consumers to add Tivo to their home entertainment options. TiVo developed the new pricing structure after completing several months of market research among new and existing Tivo subscriptions and extensively testing the pricing options in the marketplace.