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Apple to Buy TiVo?

Posted by samzenpus on from the rumor-mill dept.

vallette writes "Reuters is reporting that Apple may be interested in buying TiVo. Seems like a good fit to me. Both companies stock price is up on the rumor."

21 of 491 comments (clear)

  1. Go for it! by BWJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How can this not be a good idea? A decent PVR setup (with hardware acceleration) has been missing for the MacOS platform. Even though there are software options, they require heavy duty hardware and because there is no hardware acceleration, even a G5 takes a bit of crunching to perform compressions and such. Also, given Apple's video compression technologies such as Pixlet would make ideal means for encoding video for later replay, say on the plane or some such downtime.

    Of course the business analysis will make the ultimate determination of whether or not Apple is willing to make the move, (and Tivo has been losing money), but if any company can make it work, while showing the MPAA and equivalent TV organization a past history of success in media with iTunes, Apple is it. Come on, how would you like to in addition to the traditional PVR duties, be able to pull up TV episodes of old series that are not being shown, even in syndication? Or have a truly "on demand" movie library of all sorts, not just the popular canned options that cable companies think will be most profitable?

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    1. Re:Go for it! by useosx · · Score: 5, Funny

      So if Apple buys TiVo are they then dying twice as fast or twice as slow?

      Or are their deaths still interdependent?

    2. Re:Go for it! by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 5, Funny

      So if Apple buys TiVo are they then dying twice as fast or twice as slow?

      It'll seem faster because you can skip the commercials.

      --
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    3. Re:Go for it! by tgibbs · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think that it is likely that Apple will get into the PVR business, probably once the CableCard 2.0 standard is finalized and it becomes possible for 3rd party devices to replicate and extend the function of cable boxes.

      As a TiVo owner, I'd like to see Apple buy TiVo.

      But as an Apple stockholder, I don't see what Apple gets out of the deal.

      DVR technology? It's no great secret. There are open-source DVRs. If they want to buy the technology, Elgato is probably cheaper, and their stuff already runs on OS X.

      The TiVo brandname? Apple is probably one of the few companies with little to gain from the Tivo name. Apple already has more brand recognition than TiVo, and they'd to better to merchandise a hypothetical Apple DVR as "the company that brought you the iPod" than on the basis of the less well known TiVo name.

      The TiVo interface? It's impressive for a consumer electronics product, but nothing special by Apple standards. Presumably, Apple would want to roll their own, as they did for iPod.

      Tivo's current customers? If they aren't making a profit for TiVo, why would they make one for Apple? Besides, Apple presumably will want to introduce something like the iTunes Music Store for HD video. This will require H.264 for efficient content delivery. Current TiVo hardware can't handle this. Presumably, current TiVo owners will be looking to upgrade in the next few years to a DVR with HD capability. Why shouldn't it be an Apple instead of a TiVo?

      TiVo's patents? This is the only thing I can think of that Apple might want. But I'm not sure how crucial they are. They certainly haven't stopped cable companies from handing out competing DVRs, or Elgato from implementing one on the Mac. Still, I suppose that it is possible that TiVo has some patent that would be crucial to the kind of user experience that Apple hopes to create.

      Eliminating a potential competitor for the DVR market? Again, perhaps, but at the moment TiVo isn't seeming like that big a threat.

    4. Re:Go for it! by prichardson · · Score: 5, Informative

      Misconception Alert!

      Don't worry, it's a minor one.

      Pixlet is designed for video editing. It compresses each frame individually. This is good for doing certain effects, since any frame can be pulled out of context.

      MPEG-4 compression uses previous frames to make a frame. This allows the file to be smaller, but doesn't allow frames to pulled out of context for effects to be added.

      Hope that clears things up! Otherwise, great post.

      --
      Help I'm a rock.
    5. Re:Go for it! by ciroknight · · Score: 5, Insightful

      actually, you know what? I was going to moderate you +1, but I figured it's better just to post this: Why aren't there more people like you on slashdot? instead of the ordinary "slash and bash", you added the little "otherwise, great post" to the end.. and i thought that was awesome; a slashdot reader who DOESN'T have the soul purpose of bashing other people..

      --
      "Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is." G.W.Bush
    6. Re:Go for it! by Hellasboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      An Apple product in every home.

      Think of possible upgrades. "Buy a computer AND a DVR" at a switch of a button you can browse the 'net on your hdtv, click a button and you're back to watching the shows you missed while browsing on the 'net. Hell, it wouldn't be so out of the ordinary that the DVR and OS can mingle together in some capacity (but not too much as they would want to keep the setup as simple as possible).

      When people buy a second home computer, they're going to buy the type of computer that's already found controlling their TV.

      Microsoft gained dominance by attacking the business market back in the 80s. Gaining dominance now means that a company needs to attack the home entertainment market.

      And someone will bring up how the game systems are trying to do DVR work. They won't succeed nearly as well because their is no line of succession past those systems. An Apple branded Tivo could lead to an Apple/Tivo hybrid (separate hardware in the same enclosure, don't make the mistake of windows mce) that leads to people using an Apple as their primary computer. Apple can do this because they do a great job of homogenizing their brand. An XBox has no consumer friendly interoperatiblity (sp?) with a Windows box.

      --

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    7. Re:Go for it! by desmodromic · · Score: 5, Funny


      it's "sole purpose", dumb-ass.

      otherwise, great post.

  2. Right... by atezun · · Score: 5, Funny

    And mysteriously my TiVo no longer skips those retina burning iPod commercials

  3. Figures by Walker2323 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If anyone can figure this one out it's Apple. Tivo is an amazing product, it just needs to be managed properly. Apple seems to be pretty good at that these days.

  4. the little "i" thing by TWX · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, at least the TiVo service already somewhat goes with the current Apple naming scheme...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  5. Mac Tivo? by CTO1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great. Now my Tivo will play even fewer games.

    1. Re:Mac Tivo? by daeley · · Score: 5, Funny

      Great. Now my Tivo will play even fewer games.

      Wait till you see the one-button remote control. ;)

      (I kid because I love.)

      --
      I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  6. Apple Product Cycle by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Saw funny run-down of the Apple product cycle in someone's sig today. This cracked me up.

  7. Alternatively... by Chordonblue · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Or how would you like to ride in an aircar to your destination, or 'micro-wave' all of your food?

    As usual, good ideas never live up to the reality and the problem here isn't so cut and dried. CONTENT is the issue. All I see Apple gaining is the TiVO name (which in and of itself isn't a bad thing). Content suppliers are the ones who will have to meet consumers halfway and if what's been going on with the DMCA, Broadcast Flag, and other nonsense, I don't see this changing.

    Now... If Apple decides to take chances and 'loophole' solutions to let their consumers do what they want with the content - THAT would be interesting. So far, it appears the consumer electronics industry as a whole is rolling over when challenged by the likes of the RIAA and MPAA.

    --
    "...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
    1. Re:Alternatively... by tgibbs · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Content suppliers are the ones who will have to meet consumers halfway and if what's been going on with the DMCA, Broadcast Flag, and other nonsense, I don't see this changing.

      Actually, Steve Jobs might be the one guy who can do this. Remember, he's not just a potential DVR manufacturer, he is also, through Pixar, a content producer himself. So as he did with iTunes, he may well be able to work out a DRM scheme that is acceptable to the industry, yet not unacceptable to the average consumer.

    2. Re:Alternatively... by schtum · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm sure the TiVo apologists will emerge soon to defend their baby to the death.

      Okay, I'll bite. TiVo collects anonymous statistics. The annual "most-replayed Super Bowl moment" press release is a marketing gimmick. It makes the handful of people who still don't know what TiVo is sit up and say "wow, I wish I could do that."

      Sure, there's the potential for them to connect those statistics to customer names and sell it to advertisers, but TiVo has built a solid reputation for being a company, like Google, that "gets it". They earned our trust years ago when they turned a blind eye to hacking, and they've done an admirable job of walking the line between customer satisfaction and entertainment industry lawsuits.

      Let's put this in context. Google issues a press release every year about their Zeitgeist site. Are you upset that they keep statistics on top queries? Does it worry you that every search you do can be traced back to your IP address? Are you outraged that this info may be used to build databases for Google Suggest?

      If so, then put your tinfoil hat back on and let's agree to disagree.

  8. Re:Snide Remark by Moofie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Call me crazy, but based on the last few financial quarters, I'm guessing that Steve jobs has a better handle on his business than you do. If he does this deal, it's going to be because he thinks he can make it work.

    WTF is up with the blue plastic crack? How many current Apple products come in blue plastic?

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  9. Mac mini is the next TiVo unit? by Linuxathome · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A cursory glance certainly highlights pros of an Apple/TiVo merger:

    1. Mac mini can be a TiVo unit (just use the S-Video out adapter for your TV set). Although it'll need a TV card (wish they'd come out with something like the Hauppauge Nexus-S satellite TV card).
    2. Next generation iPod Photo will probably be iPod Video with content that can be transferred from your TiVo unit (the Mac mini) to your iPod Video portable unit.
    3. Apple is probably not happy with just distributing music media (via its iTunes store) but is looking to the future to also provide downloadable video content via an "iVideo" store--what better way to do that than to buy the TiVo customer base and offer them this content.
    4. Apple can ensure that the saved video content has the right digital stamps (a la .AAC but for video) to restrict transfer of video to approved "devices" such as other TiVo units or portable accessories.

    The one downside I see in this merger is that Apple will probably concentrate less and less on the service of "timeshifting" (i.e. drop it entirely), unless they can ensure that users have a right to that material. READ: unless the bigwigs of TV land is happy about how Apple handles digital rights management of timeshifted/saved content. Although timeshifting and saving media for later viewing is currently acceptable, the logical path that this technology leads to, is the ability to share that content or make it portable--something that is not yet acceptable among Hollywood and the TV networks.

    --
    Linux at home
  10. Re:Maybe it's going here by bsharitt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why would they make a Tivo out of a cardboard box?

  11. anatomy of a rumor by aka-ed · · Score: 5, Informative
    At 12:21 pm someone calling himself "philipswann" posted the following on the Yahoo board:

    TiVo Sale Rumors -- link
    by: phillipswann 02/23/05 12:21 pm
    Msg: 239226 of 239994

    http://www.swannisez.com/tivorumor022305.html

    (If you look at that link now, it's a rehash of Reuters news concerning the rumor, with no hint that Swann -- who has probably scared himself half to death by singlehandedly moving the market -- started this rumor himself)

    At 3:11 pm, Marketwatch issued a sloppy story that credited an entity called "Inside Digital Media" for cracking the apple buyout story. However, if you visit the site, you will find a blog entry that presents a well-reasoned rationale as to why Apple should buy Tivo, but no hard news at all.

    Subsequently, analyst Steven Kroll, Jr. (whose dad is a senior partner at the same firm) provided the "what we hear on the street" quote that Reuters served up.

    No one seems to have bothered at all to trace this garbage to its specious sources.

    I own some Tivo, and was watching all of this today because I was considering cutting my losses (this dog had lost one-third of its value in a month). Instead, I'm holding on and hoping for a short squeeze, or even the possibility that the rumors will alert video-on-demand competitors to what a bargain TIVO's 3 million subscribers would be for anyone seeking a toehold on the living room.

    So, while it looks to me that the rumor is only that, I wouldn't be too surprised if it became reality.

    --
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