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Engadget Interviews TiVo CEO
r-blo writes "We've got an interview of Mike Ramsay, CEO of TiVo, by Engadget correspondent J.D. Lasica. He's rather candid in his thoughts on Hollywood, Netflix, the FCC, the INDUCE act, their competition, and their latest technology, TiVo ToGo, which lets you take your TiVo-recorded shows with you on your laptop (or PC, as it were)."
My favourite part -
;)
We developed a security mechanism around that, submitted it to the FCC under the broadcast flag initiative, and the Motion Picture Association and the NFL went ballistic and lobbied incredibly hard. But guess what? It got approved. The FCC supported our technology.
Should the FCC be in the business of regulating new technologies like this one?
Definitely not. It's scary when you feel that you have to go to the FCC for permission to do something. So we're not very comfortable with that. I think the broadcast flag stuff is less onerous than some other things, like the INDUCE Act. That we're much more concerned with because that could lead to prosecution of individuals who induce copyright infringement. That just opens up a whole can of worms. If you upset consumers enough, they'll become pirates, and that law has the potential to do that.
You'll notice that everything on the table in Washington being pushed by the media companies doesn't target regular television. It's targeted at things like ripping DVDs, how long you can keep movies pay-per-view movies, and so on.
Yay! I'm glad that atleast there are _some_ companies out there who feel this way.
Yes, if you upset the consumers enough, we'll all become pirates -- and what do you do when every one out there is a pirate by the **AA's definition?
It's about bloody time that the rest of the media companies out there realize this -- what're they going to do, arrest everyone? Stupidity.
I'm surprised at the resistance that the corporate world is showing in this regard -- they seem to be simply unwilling to adapt to new technologies and new media, and those that do (such as TiVo) actually do well.
I've always liked TiVo, but after the way TiVo handled the recent DRM troubles, I've really begun to respect them a real lot.
Way to go, guys. Goodluck, and may you continue kicking ass
The story summary didn't have any editorial comments... I need Slashdot to help me decide if TiVo (or Mr. Ramsay) is an evil company (tm) or a good company.
Seriously, though - I'm not a TiVo customer, I don't know anyone with a TiVo, and all I know about them is from the media (mostly Slashdot). I've thought about getting this kind of product/service - but with free software alternatives that I can put on my own hardware, here are my questions:
Is TiVo a company that I should support with my dollars? When I decide to plunk down some coin for a PVR, should I pay for it? If I should pay for it, is TiVo the best choice?
Well, today one of the exciting things is the marriage of DVD recorders and TiVo.
Without asking about copyright, digital rights, copy protection, etc. It's a very big and contentious issue. It would have been great to hear his answer.
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From the interview...
How are you negotiating your relationship with Hollywood after they essentially put your main competitor out of business?
Our role is to create a great experience for people who want to watch television. ReplayTV crossed a line, and they kind of asked for it, and they were put out of business.
The Hollywood industry never really liked the Betamax VCR, so they certainly must be scared of DVRs. The features that got ReplayTV into trouble was "Show sharing" accross the Internet, and a semi-automatic skipping of commercials it could detect.
TiVo of course has never offered such features, and TiVo-to-Go will be based on a USB dongle to tie recordings to the user who recorded them and try to stand in the way of user-to-user sharing.
It's a strange world they live in... loved by consumers, but being careful to keep the Hollywood megacorps from crushing them.
- Judging Amy
- Gillmore Girls
- Everybody Loves Raymond
With this new gadget, I could consign her to watching these terrible shows on her Mac, preferably with headphones on and a small tent around her desk.Damn, who am I kidding? I'll be the one in the tent watching 12 hours of LoTR
std::disclaimer<std::legalese> sig=new std::disclaimer; sig->dump(); delete sig;
Replay got beaten into submission by lawsuits over their ability to share shows over the Internet and their automatic commercial skipping. They eventually removed both features from their products, even the ones already sold, via a software update. Both of those features are things TiVo never had.
As a result, they're now a total also-ran being dwarfed by TiVo's market share. They still exists... but you might as well be compatible with the rest of the world and get a TiVo. ReplayTV just lacks any features that makes them stand out since they got thrown off the anti-Hollywood wagon.
I wish there was something in there about plans/dates for release of a NON DirecTV HD Tivo. I just got HD service from my cable company and would like to get a Tivo that can record HD braodcasts...afaik -- there's no such animal from Tivo.
r-blo (ryan block) is the editor of Engadget and also the submitter of this story. I would prefer he disclose this when submitting stories to slashdot in order to hype his own site. Which, by the way, are the only story submissions he makes to Slashdot and he never discloses his connection to Engadget when submitting them..
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Where to start. How 'bout the box. I OWN my box. I can upgrade it if I want. Second is the UI. The TiVo UI is beautiful. Easily the best I've ever used on a consumer electronics device. Second is the fee. $13 a month? I pay $5 for my DirecTiVo. And I can record two shows at once, digital quality, Dolby Digital tracks and all. I can't program mine over the internet either, but there are other features.
How do you schedule recordings? Do you tell it to record every Saturday at 6 for an hour? Or do you tell it to record CSI (just an example)? I can tell it to do EITHER. I can also tell it to record any programs with the world "Moose" in the title, or anything with Andy Dick or any other actor. Can you have yours record only new episodes? I can. I can set mine to record any special one time event that comes on TV (and I can combine that with other thigns like the actor, series, or title filters). I can tell my TiVo to record Law and Order, new episodes, on ANY channel. So if I can't get it off NBC (due to scheduling conflicts, rare thanks to two tuners), it will pick it up off USA.
How 'bout suggestions? Mine lears what I like to watch and suggests things. It's not always perfect, but it works. It's found specials on things that I didn't know were comming on that I liked. It has introduced me to some series. Does it keep the drive full of programs? My TiVo tries to keep the drive full with programs that I like or that it thinks I liked (based on thumb ratings). Lots of great stuff on my TiVo. And the new ones hold 37 hours of programming. And because I own the box I can expand that... a TON (up to 240 hours). How many hours does yours hold?
And in the future, they are working on TiVo2Go so you can watch your programs that have been recorded on your PC or your PDA. They are partnered with Netflix so you will be able to have the movies you want to see downloaded to your TiVo for you, no need to wait for the mail. Cool stuff.
Are there ads on your box? When I got digital cable from my cable co (which I cancled because the boxes were terrible, not that their service was ever any better) were filled with little ads. Yet I still got to pay them for the privilage of using the box. No ads all over my TiVo, just one off a link on the "home" screen that you never have to visit (and they are cool ads too, video and you can push a button to have literature deleiverd straight to your house if you want).
Last of all, cost? You complain about cost? Ignoring how much cable costs and how they like to raise their rates, a DirecTiVo is superior to a generic cable company PVR and is cheaper. If you are a new customer, you can get a three room system including one TiVo for FREE. Box cost, $0. The DVR Charge on the bill is $7, no matter how many TiVos you have. Not $7 per box, $7 total. Don't want a DirecTiVo? You can get a TiVo for $50, not the $250 you say (that would be a top of the line box with hundreds of hours of space). Let's review.
DirecTiVo (possibly best of all SD TiVos):
box = $0 (plus 2 free DirecTV recievers, worth about $100 total)
service = $7/mo
Cable Co
box = $0
service = $10
$3 cheaper per month (and I'm guess you pay $10 PER BOX, so if you got more than one it's even better). The box costs the same. You OWN the box. The UI rules. Record TWO SHOWS AT ONCE.
It's not greed. If you had used a TiVo for a month (free trial dude, give it a try) you would be more than willing to pay them that fee. They are not being greedy. I bet most people with TiVos would gladly pay more (I know I'd pay over $20).
Your right. My TiVo is cheaper, I OWN it, almost certanly better UI, I can record two things at once, and more. Why the hell would anyone want a TiVo when your cable company gives you a worse deal?
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Yay! I'm glad that atleast there are _some_ companies out there who feel this way.
Yes, if you upset the consumers enough, we'll all become pirates -- and what do you do when every one out there is a pirate by the **AA's definition?
That hits the nail on the head, but why isn't it obvious to everybody? We live in a _democracy_, and can make any rules we want. That is the theory of how the system is meant to work...
Thus, if the majority of people feel a certain way, about any issue, then the rules should reflect that.
The real question is _why_ most people break the law. If, in the long run, their breaking of the that law isn't harmful to society, then the law is broken. If you determine that that law is required for the long-term sustainability of something valuable, then the legal framework and technologies should be designed so that the average person isn't in the dysfunctional position of supporting a law that makes them a criminal. Anything else indicates a break in the system.
Are rich people gaming the system for their own benefit... and forming a legal framework to support their interests, or do people feel that copyright laws and systems are fair and that they are compulsive infringers.
When you put it that way, it seems that the former is happening and the (democratic) system is broken, and some people are more equal than others. I don't think anybody disputes that (in general), but I'd like to see someone acknowledge that fact, and _then_ frame laws to protect IP content producers. That would give the system credability.
I feel that we can continue to expect the IP cartels to extend their assets and rights - they have the only incentive they need: money.
I welcome our new IP overlords. Please give me a job, I am also chasing money, it's very instinctive.
Like all pain, suffering is a signal that something isn't right