TiVo switches off UK sales

SmackCrackAndPot writes "On the TiVo Community forum, there is an announcement that TiVo will be switching off UK sales. This was previously reported in November at BizTech Library. It's probably not too surprising, after the BBC spammed TiVo owners with a new comedy show."

Comments

They did NOT spam

[sakusha]

What a bunch of crap. TiVo units have a certain amount of memory set aside for "enhanced content" (that means infomercials). If you don't look in the menus, you'd never know it was there, unless you happened to be watching at 4AM when it was captured. In NO way can TiVo be said to be spamming. Someone bought a paid placement. Hey, I hated it when TiVo recorded a bunch of crappy Eminem interviews, but I just didn't watch it, and I certainly didn't whine about it.

Remember TiVo makes ZERO dollars from hardware sales, they are solely supported by subscription revenues, ad placements, and selling marketing data.

Re:They did NOT spam

[nrc]

Whether people want to consider what TiVo did SPAM or not doesn't make much difference. It had absolutely nothing to do with TiVo's decision. Suggesting that it did makes the original poster, and slashdot look like idiots to any informed observer - which is to say, pretty much "status quo."

TiVo simply hasn't found a manufacturer who wants to build and sell TiVo equipment for the U.K. without a subsidy. Given TiVo's need to pare expenses to reach break even before they run out of cash, there really is no other option than to pull the plug.

As for the "SPAM" issue. I enjoy about 75% of the promotional content that TiVo records automatically. Some folks complain about the extra menu item that becomes available when you've got SPAM, but it doesn't bother me in the least. I can just ignore it. It doesn't use my space and it will go away on it's own after a while.

Yes, you are welcome to consider it SPAM and decline to buy a TiVo because of it.

YHBT

[Anonymous Coward]

Read the reply comments on that forum. Now read the same hoax going back over the last few months.

Now HAND.

The Other Tivo

[frankthechicken]

In the UK, there is a huge push from sky to sell its Sky + service, which is the main competetion for Tivo here. Haven't actually tried the Tivo, but Sky + is an extremely competent package.

Tivo not necessarily pulling out of UK

[Edball]

According to this article:

http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID= 13703

Thompson, Tivo's manufacturer is the one that pulled out - Tivo is still looking for new manufacturers.

Re:Scheduling Question

[Fishstick]

Yes, it will always record your "to do" list first. I often set to record things overnight and I've never had something drop because it conflicted with a "showcase" (that's where these sit when they're not on the main menu with a little star).

In fact, it won't even change the channel on you if you happen to be watching something.

I was up the other night sleepless, flipping channels when TiVo asked if it could change the channel. I was suprised because I didn't remember setting anything up for 3:30 am on the Discovery Channel, but I let it go because I thought maybe my wife had set to record something.

So, it changed the channel (with my permission) and proceeded to start recording some previews for "Daredevil". I decided I'd rather go back to some documentary about Rhinos humping or something I was previously watching, so it let me change the channel without complaining that I was interrupting a scheduled recording or anything.

It went back and picked up the movie previews the next night, I guess because they showed up in a couple days.

I guess I was a little wary that TiVo was recording what amounts to ads at first. But I really don't mind that much now. Some of the stuff like best buy kind of turns me off, a few things like the daredevil previews I liked, and the rest I really don't even care about.

Besides, isn't there a backdoor code or something to keep TiVo from recording these?

The Wider View

[Inflatable Hippo]

The withdrawl of tivo from the UK is in part related to the wider mess that is UK terrestrial broadcasting, and there's a bunch of stuff going on that anyone outside the UK wouldn't be expected to know, leave now if you don't care.

There are theoretically 5 analogue terrestrial channels in the UK, and in many places only 4.

There is also no single widely available cable network either and if you do have access, it's typically a local monopoly and it's pretty expensive - typically £20-30/month for a descent package.

The Sky (satellite) service is polular but also expensive.

Several years ago a digital terrestrial service was launched and failed miserably and with much fanfare. This has recently been re-launched as entirely an entirely free-to-view service and looks set to succeed.

Now as you can see, we have a real mess of technologies here and if a company such as Tivo wants to sell a premium recorder product they've got a problem. Their marked is spread across satellite, and a multiplicity of analogue/digital terrestrial and cable formats.

What decoders do they build into their device?

1. Sky which re-transmits all of the (good) free-to-view channels have their own HD based recorder.

2. People with only terrestrial analogue are happy with VCRs

3. The cable market is fragmented technologically.

4. Digital terrestrial is a new but very small market.

So they gave up, and I don't blame them - it's a mess.

B.T.W. Pace have a digital terrestrial HD recorder which might be interesting but it was due before Christmas and there's still no sign.

Wow I'm boring.

Re:Sky+ = TiVo-UK *WRONG*

[Contact]

Sorry, you're totally, utterly, staggeringly wrong. TiVo is an entirely different system to Sky+ (the latter doesn't offer suggestions or wishlists, for example). Different hardware (Sky+ made by Pace, actually) and home grown software, which is nowhere near as mature as TiVo.

Maybe you're confused because TiVo was marketed in the UK by Sky, and TiVo used to have a "supported by Sky" flash on the main menu?