The Challenges of A DVR Service

ChelleChelle writes "'The two burdens that are probably most annoying to the user are a complex and difficult control interface and lack of reliability.' So says TiVo cofounder Jim Burton as he describes the challenges of designing and delivering an easy-to-use yet highly effective and reliable DVR service. The article is quite broad in focus, providing information on the design aspects of TiVo (hardware, security, source code, etc) yet also taking into consideration the human element, with a large section devoted to service design principles. Overall, a good read for anyone interested in purpose-built systems." Update: 04/21 18:54 GMT by Z : Tim Burton no longer cofounding Tivo.

Comments

Re:Love PVR's Dont like Tivo

[Overzeetop]

Can you set up a MythTV box, give it to your mother in law (who has troubles turning on a VCR), and with 30 minutes of setup have her doing her own thing, and not get a single call in over a year? That is the beauty of TiVo. I hate to sing from the Apple fanboi hymnal, but damnit, it just works.

I'll admit I've never tried to set up a myth box (and I get HD over DTV, so there's no sense in fighting that battle), so it may be as easy and trouble free as TiVo. But I have my doubts.