Posted by
Hemos
on from the upgrade-upgrade-jiggity-jig dept.
ethaz writes "Tivo has announced dual tuner support in version 2.5 of it's software for DirecTV-capable Tivos (DTivos). So much for Ultimate TV's advantage." Too bad it's only DIRECTV TiVos - with the larger hard drive, better output, my TiVo pales in comparasion.
On August 28, TiVo closed a $51.75 million private placement with financial and strategic investors.
The private placement was done using what is commonly referred to as "death spiral notes," aka "toxic notes." These are convertible notes (bonds), but unlike typical converts, their conversion rate is based on a fixed dollar amount, not a fixed share rate. The lower the stock price goes, the more shares the bonds can be converted for, which equals more dillution for current shareholders, which equals a lower stock price. Rinse, repeat.
Excite@home issued these notes just weeks prior to its demise. These notes encourage the holder to dump the stock price of the company (via shorting the stock.) The lower the stock price goes, the more shares the toxic note holder gets. Unlike @home, TiVo has a "floor" (maximum conversion rate), but these are not standard convertible bonds by any stretch.
I wish TiVo the best of luck (I own one), but the future isn't so bright they have to wear shades...
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010827/en/tele vi sion-replay_1.html
"ReplayTV is planning a post-Labor Day introduction of a souped-up DVR that could store as much as 320 hours of TV programming and send programs by email to other DVRs. It may also allow users to copy photo files from a PC to the DVR."
"Survey describes in detail the new product and asks respondents how much they would be willing to pay for it. Pricing proposals in the survey range from a model with 40 hours of storage capacity that could retail for $699 to a 320-hour model that might sell for $1,999."
"According to the email survey, the product could work with a standard dial-up phone modem for a monthly fee of $4.95 or a broadband Internet connection using an Ethernet home network at no monthly charge. The broadband connection is required for sending TV programs by email."
I love my ReplayTV 3030. I might have to get a second one...assuming my job stays there when these have been out a while.
I'll admit, as a TiVo owner, the thought of having a dual tuner would be really nice. A few times it is a problem, but I haven't ran into anything so serious that I would record on TiVo while watching another program on another channel on another TV. Of course, this isn't the same for all people.
For those of you who MUST have this functionality, you've got to decide if you're going to swap for a DirecTivo/UltimateTV (where possible --- major markets), or buy another standalone TiVo aka a "conflict TiVo" with limited storage.
Conflict TiVos are somewhat popular, and you only need a 15gb drive to handle the cases (typically prime time) where it happens. And TiVos are running REALLY CHEAP right now!
Nice to hear about TiVo's cash burn rate. As a *subscriber*, that is good news. If it didn't have a service element to it, and I wasn't dependent upon TiVo, personally, I'd go for a company that has a very high cash burn rate and get all the goodies I can below cost.
My current favorite is "1-800-555-TELL" (YES, an ACTUAL REAL telephone number... try it, especially the "phone booth" option). I'm calling an 800 number for free to get news/weather/games and to make a free 1 minute telephone call. I'm attracted to companies that have a high burn rate. Except, of course, ones that I am dependent upon.
Re:LOL, I've been pirating DirecTV for about 6 mon
by
RedX
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Sure, go ahead and pop your hacked HU card in a DirecTiVo. There are no technical problems that would prevent it from working. Keep in mind that DirecTV and TiVo are sharing all data collected from DirecTiVo boxes (unlike the SA Tivo's), so don't think you'll have your setup active for too long.
What I want to see...
by
cr0sh
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I want everything the Tivo offers, plus:
1. The ability to add drive storage as I see fit. 2. The ability to record and play back MP3s from any source (TV, radio, CD, etc), as well as load MP3s from a network or CD-ROM. 3. The ability to record into the system from any video medium (tape, DVD, VCD, mpegs off the net, etc). 4. Other file storage for regular data files, etc. 5. Network support using standard protocols. 6. Open spec system, to allow OS choice!
In other words, a very damn nice file server, with special hardware for sound and video recording, ala Tivo. I want this to act as a central home server (there could be other possibilities as well - x-10 control, video security, web admin, etc), that was nice and expandable, easily - like a PC.
It damn near can be done today with commodity hardware, but the video record/simultaneous playback/channel guide stuff isn't there yet - we need a fast filesystem for that stuff (the simultaneuous record/playback so you can "pause" TV). Does anyone know of such a filesystem being worked on?
I am planning on building a largish networked fileserver, but it won't be anything like I described - at best it would be able to play back MP3, maybe record to it, but it wouldn't be an all-in-one solution. Is there anything like this at all - even ultra-expensive solutions used by TV studios for quick DVR editing?
I doubt we'll ever see such a thing (short of a major hacking effort - though I bet the antcomputing guys could pull it off) - it would allow the user too much control...
-- Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Re:no new hard drive
by
iceT
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Are you sure? I was under the impression that it had a 60GB hard drive in it...(I actually haven't cracked open my DirecTivo due to the warranty)
Also, I've never seen an MPEG2 data stream that took 1/2 the space of an MPEG1 data stream of the same quality.....
30GB Tivo = 9 hours of HQ recording time 30 Hours at a quality slightly better than a slide-show...
DirectTivo = 35 hours of HQ recording time (no choice as to recording time)
It HAS to have a larger HD in it... MPEG2 CAN'T be 4x more efficient than MPEG1.
-- -- You can't idiot-proof anything, because they're always coming out with better idiots.
Slashdot Mirror
The private placement was done using what is commonly referred to as "death spiral notes," aka "toxic notes." These are convertible notes (bonds), but unlike typical converts, their conversion rate is based on a fixed dollar amount, not a fixed share rate. The lower the stock price goes, the more shares the bonds can be converted for, which equals more dillution for current shareholders, which equals a lower stock price. Rinse, repeat.
Excite@home issued these notes just weeks prior to its demise. These notes encourage the holder to dump the stock price of the company (via shorting the stock.) The lower the stock price goes, the more shares the toxic note holder gets. Unlike @home, TiVo has a "floor" (maximum conversion rate), but these are not standard convertible bonds by any stretch.
I wish TiVo the best of luck (I own one), but the future isn't so bright they have to wear shades...
Replay today announced somethings too.
e vi sion-replay_1.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010827/en/tel
"ReplayTV is planning a post-Labor Day introduction of a souped-up DVR that could store as much as 320 hours of TV programming and send programs by email to other DVRs. It may also allow users to copy photo files from a PC to the DVR."
"Survey describes in detail the new product and asks respondents how much they would be willing to pay for it. Pricing proposals in the survey range from a model with 40 hours of storage capacity that could retail for $699 to a 320-hour model that might sell for $1,999."
"According to the email survey, the product could work with a standard dial-up phone modem for a monthly fee of $4.95 or a broadband Internet connection using an Ethernet home network at no monthly charge. The broadband connection is required for sending TV programs by email."
I love my ReplayTV 3030. I might have to get a second one...assuming my job stays there when these have been out a while.
I'll admit, as a TiVo owner, the thought of having a dual tuner would be really nice. A few times it is a problem, but I haven't ran into anything so serious that I would record on TiVo while watching another program on another channel on another TV. Of course, this isn't the same for all people.
For those of you who MUST have this functionality, you've got to decide if you're going to swap for a DirecTivo/UltimateTV (where possible --- major markets), or buy another standalone TiVo aka a "conflict TiVo" with limited storage.
Conflict TiVos are somewhat popular, and you only need a 15gb drive to handle the cases (typically prime time) where it happens. And TiVos are running REALLY CHEAP right now!
Nice to hear about TiVo's cash burn rate. As a *subscriber*, that is good news. If it didn't have a service element to it, and I wasn't dependent upon TiVo, personally, I'd go for a company that has a very high cash burn rate and get all the goodies I can below cost.
My current favorite is "1-800-555-TELL" (YES, an ACTUAL REAL telephone number... try it, especially the "phone booth" option). I'm calling an 800 number for free to get news/weather/games and to make a free 1 minute telephone call. I'm attracted to companies that have a high burn rate. Except, of course, ones that I am dependent upon.
Sure, go ahead and pop your hacked HU card in a DirecTiVo. There are no technical problems that would prevent it from working. Keep in mind that DirecTV and TiVo are sharing all data collected from DirecTiVo boxes (unlike the SA Tivo's), so don't think you'll have your setup active for too long.
I want everything the Tivo offers, plus:
1. The ability to add drive storage as I see fit.
2. The ability to record and play back MP3s from any source (TV, radio, CD, etc), as well as load MP3s from a network or CD-ROM.
3. The ability to record into the system from any video medium (tape, DVD, VCD, mpegs off the net, etc).
4. Other file storage for regular data files, etc.
5. Network support using standard protocols.
6. Open spec system, to allow OS choice!
In other words, a very damn nice file server, with special hardware for sound and video recording, ala Tivo. I want this to act as a central home server (there could be other possibilities as well - x-10 control, video security, web admin, etc), that was nice and expandable, easily - like a PC.
It damn near can be done today with commodity hardware, but the video record/simultaneous playback/channel guide stuff isn't there yet - we need a fast filesystem for that stuff (the simultaneuous record/playback so you can "pause" TV). Does anyone know of such a filesystem being worked on?
I am planning on building a largish networked fileserver, but it won't be anything like I described - at best it would be able to play back MP3, maybe record to it, but it wouldn't be an all-in-one solution. Is there anything like this at all - even ultra-expensive solutions used by TV studios for quick DVR editing?
I doubt we'll ever see such a thing (short of a major hacking effort - though I bet the antcomputing guys could pull it off) - it would allow the user too much control...
Reason is the Path to God - Anon
Are you sure? I was under the impression that it had a 60GB hard drive in it...(I actually haven't cracked open my DirecTivo due to the warranty)
Also, I've never seen an MPEG2 data stream that took 1/2 the space of an MPEG1 data stream of the same quality.....
30GB Tivo = 9 hours of HQ recording time 30 Hours at a quality slightly better than a slide-show...
DirectTivo = 35 hours of HQ recording time (no choice as to recording time)
It HAS to have a larger HD in it... MPEG2 CAN'T be 4x more efficient than MPEG1.
-- You can't idiot-proof anything, because they're always coming out with better idiots.