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Tivo Testing Internet Download Service

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the let-me-download-the-job-please dept.

knarfling writes "Yahoo News writes that customers will soon be able to download TV shows to their set-top boxes via the Internet. There is even speculation about being able to download an entire season at a time. Right now there are only three shows from the Independent Film Channel available on Aug 19, but it is a start. Will other companies follow this lead, or will this die down after the hype is over?"

7 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. This is the next logic step by GreatBunzinni · · Score: 3, Insightful

    iTunes for television shows? This is the next logic step. And, because of this, the viewer isn't forced-fed the shows the networks choose. Maybe this means that excellent shows like futurama will not get canceled just because the network doesn't want to pay for them.

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    1. Re:This is the next logic step by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes, it is the next logical step, but not because it's iTunes-ish. It's the next logical step because I've been able to do this for about two years now with BitTorrent.

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  2. If it's easy, I'm probably buying by 1155 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    bt takes searching for a bit for a tracker with a quality rip, and means you have to deal with resource hogging apps.

    Mythtv means I have to build my own, which is fine, but also has a bit of a complicated setup, along with maintenance.

    Tivo on the other hand looks low maintenance. Being able to add drives and transfer to my linux/mac/windows boxes and burn to dvd is my biggest concern with Tivo currently. If they give me shows before they air, then I'd be thrilled and more than willing to purchase a boxtop from the company. Being able to watch stargate before the air date (friday is night out night) and house on some other night would be great.

  3. I've got 20 bucks... by SoulMaster · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ... that says this never happens, or, at least not from Tivo.

    I love Tivo, and have two of them myself, but I really think they need to release some of ther other "this is being tested" stuff first. Case in point, HDTivo(promised 2002 or 2003, I can't even remember.) Networking on the DirecTivo, promised for years...

    Tivo still makes the best DVR, but they never release anything new, fully featured. They even caved on the home media vision, buckling to the MPAA. This may eventually be released, but it wont be from Tivo and it won't be as good as it could be.

      Tivo rules, i just wish they really would for a change.

  4. I would rather do this than wait for my show by varmittang · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I would rather pay for a service, to get a TV show when I want it, rather than waiting for a certain time for my TIVO to record it so I can watch it later. Let the downloading begin.

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  5. Because you can share it... by KingSkippus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because if they let you keep it on your computer, you can share it from your computer. You can also edit out commercials and otherwise modify it.

    The production studios don't want that. They want to have complete control over when, where, and how you watch everything. They don't believe in "fair use;" they want every penny they can scrape away from you for even thinking about their show. That's why technologies such as filesharing are so scary--it takes the control away from the studios and gives it to the consumers (albeit mostly illegally, thanks to big-time corporate avarice leading to the systematic undermining of consumers' legal rights).

    I wish that someone would come up with the idea of "open source television," where programming is produced for free consumption and distribution, and financed by donations or additional fee-based services. You know, art for art's sake and all? Universities should do something like that.

    1. Re:Because you can share it... by jfengel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Strictly speaking, it's not so much that they don't believe in fair use as that they're concerned about things that aren't fair use, e.g. sharing it with your friends. They're not so crazy about many of your fair use rights, either, like time shifting, but they don't have nearly as much a leg to stand on there; Betamax is pretty clear on that.

      Come up with a technology that allows your fair use rights but forbids (or at least heavily discourages) non-fair use, and you'll have an easier time forcing the networks to accept it. (That's what Apple has done with iTunes).

      Meantime, since file downloaders seem willing to use every means at their disposal to view the content, legal and illegal, you're going to have to expect them to push as much into the "illegal" category as possible, to have a hope of retaining their rights.

      (Just for reference, the traditional response to this line of reasoning is "I don't give a damn about their rights," and they feel the same way, so there we are, right where we are.)