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Sony Investing in TiVo
ZDNet reports that Sony will be investing in TiVo, who makes what is becoming commonly referred to as a digital VCR. What makes this doubly cool and exciting is the fact that the TiVo runs Linux (embedded PPC chip). Maybe this is the mutation of the "convergence" devices we were supposed to all be using by now, especially if the TiVo becomes extended in to something capable of surfing the web (it has a modem in it...)
I agree to a point. However, I think that you're confusing the roles of the technologies being discussed.
Let's take the idea of a "digital VCR" being able to web browse. This doesn't mean I would want to use it to hit slashdot. It may, however, mean I can use it to hit a TV programming guide. With a few clicks, I'm set to record my favorite shows. Its a matter of what one is expected to DO with the technology, not the technology itself.
Once again, I'd argue that you're taking an "all in one" view when its not needed. DVD provides excellent quality for pre-recorded media. This is not TiVo's niche. The "digital VCR" provides a temporary method to record a show and manipulate that data. Perhapse a TiVo device with a recordable DVD would the the best future solution? Watch a DVD movie, record TV shows, and save TV Shows to DVD if they're good.
This Tivo looks *really* cool, to start off with. But doesn't it look a whole lot like webtv? Does anyone else think it strange that Sony and Phillips teamed up orignally to produce WebTV ( old news) and then sold off the product to Microsoft when it was failing? Now Sony has partnered with Tivo to produce a Television application that actually seems pretty useful, and that will maybe compete with WebTV in the future? Did anyone notice that Phillips is again involved in this venture (Phillips personal Receiver).
My guess is that Sony (in selling webtv to Microsoft) has a deal with Microsoft that disallows them from manufacturing tv-web appliances for X number of years or altogether. Maybe Sony has a few tricks up it's sleeves.
Joseph Elwell.
It runs Linux and you can purchase a CD image of the modified GPL'd source from TiVo for $24.95.
Price seem high?
It isn't really; TiVo is NOT in the business of selling CDs full o' software and, as such, it does take a non-zero amount of effort and resources to burn an image.
Question is: Has someone ordered the source disc and made it available somewhere? If I decide to pick up a TiVo, I will likely do so...
I feel that the idea of convergence is a good one. Convert everything to data and make that data available to everything else.
That doesn't mean opening spreadsheets and cruising the web on my refrigerator. But it might mean downloading an inventory from my fridge to my desktop, making a shoping list, then taking that shoping list to the store on my PDA (or sending it to an online grocer if you so desire).
I might be wondering what's on TV and can connect to my TV device to see what's on. Maybe there's a show I want to catch (seeing a link on a web site or having a friend send me it via IRC, email, or an instant messanger); I can program my VCR to record it... remotely, with little effort.
I'm sitting down relaxing in front of the TV. A chime rings that I've got email. I log into my desktop from my thinclient message pad. A friend has sent me email with a link to a show I would be interested in. Tapping on the link sends it to my TV device which tunes in. I like the show. I log into the TV device and tell it to save the data instead of dumping it at the end of the show. I'll send the show to my desktop and burn it to DVD after its is done.
The possiblities are endless. But the implementation relys on specialized devices networked via standardized protocols. Those protocols could be ones we already have used in creative ways, or new protocols developed to handle specialized tasks. I would favor creative use of existing protocols.
Like SUN likes to say, "The computer is the network". The architecture to make this all possible is already showing up. The marketplace is beginning to see the advantage to a home network as more workers are exposed to the technology at work. This used to mean stringing CAT5 cable through the house. Now, it means technologies such as Apple's AirPort.
The pieces are coming togeather. Now all we need are the smart VCRs instead of the WebTVs.
Macrovision works by periodically flipping the signal in the vertical blanking region from black to white. It flips it every few seconds (somewhere in the range of 5-30 seconds, it seems) and does it randomly. The reason this works is that almost all VCRs manufactured after 1986 or so do some manner of auto-gain-control, by assuming that the blanking region is the reference black level. So when it goes white, the intensity of the recorded picture goes all wonky.
Most televisions don't do this gain-control trick, which is why this works: it will mess up VCRs but not CRTs. Of course, it also messes up any TV that behaves more like a VCR than a CRT, such as LCD projectors.
You can get a device that defeats Macrovision for about $40 from the back of any video magazine. The way they work is by taking the input video signal and painting a black stripe over the blanking interval. As far as I've seen, this causes no loss of picture quality.
There is a Macrovision FAQ, including schematics on how to build your own filter.
I've never understood why someone would watch a DVD on their computer.. or try to surf the web on a tv set.
The whole "set-top box" idea always seemed a little silly to me, until I saw the Tivo. What exactly is the purpose of a low-power computer? The hype is that they'll be easier to use, but I don't see that as a real incentive. As we can see from WebTV, it is hard to keep these boxes up to date, lacking Java and all the latest gadgets and plugins. Underpowered eventually means under-useful.
But, the Tivo adds something useful. It's not an underpowered computer. It's a really nice VCR with a few computer-like capabilities (web browsing, for instance). The fact that it may not have all the neato-gadgets doesn't hurt it because it's not a computer.
Now, I'm not a fan of television, so I won't buy something to make watching TV better. But, every TV viewer I know drools over the Tivo. If they add email and web browsing, all the better, but it's not necessary.
Sony got a good product. Tivo had a great idea. Hopefully, they'll contribute the new hard drive drivers back to the community.
Citizens Against Plate Tectonics
1) Picture quality
2) The ability to go to the bathroom without waiting for a commercial
3) Large amounts of temporary storage makes it easy to tape something for only 1 viewing without eaither wasting tape or wearing out a tape from overcopying.
4) It's really not that much more expensive than a VCR
Citizens Against Plate Tectonics
Here's their statement on privacy:
:)
http://www.tivo.com/care/privacy.html
As I understand the pitch, TiVo is entirely client-side unless you "give your consent". (Troubling question: how is this determined? Opt-out? Fine print bundled with some 'incentive'?) But assuming they keep that part above board, they really appear to understand the privacy concerns of savvy consumers. The best way to reassure me that my private habits won't be monitored is to store that information in my home where it is inaccessible to corporate tentacles.
I am concerned, though, that they'll seduce you into giving consent unwittingly one way or another. Lots of online companies already do this. With all the people who have access to your profile these days, it's tough to finger any one corporate entity as the one that's reneging on privacy aggreements. Something to be wary of while you're using your cool new TiVo
They ought to do well if they maintain this sort of respect for the citizen. I can just imagine how this could turn TV on its head. The networks and even cable have based their entire model on the premise that they can sell advertising all day long. But with the introduction of this sort of device, a consumer can watch TV at any time of the day and still only watch the handful of shows that really are worth watching. Result: advertising can really only be sold for quality shows, since nobody will be watching the crap that's on at 2:30am or 1 in the afternoon any longer.
-konstant
-konstant
Yes! We are all individuals! I'm not!
It isn't that simple.
(1) The software is relatively complex and offers a bunch of features-- including databases full of schedules and all sorts of cool fuzzy searching features.
(2) Hardware to do MPEG II encoding at the rates and quality that either TiVo or ReplayTV do is neither cheap nor readily available in a form that could be easily integrated with the random bits of custom software you would need to write.
(3) Putting together a bunch of off the shelf components that achieve the same level of quality (the LOWEST quality record/playback is about the same as normal video tape) would cost WAY more. Factoring in software engineering time adds a very large amount of cost on top of that (though it would be fun).
Not to say it won't happen, it will.... but it will take a while before anyone comes up with a homebrew system that can compare in features and price.
Forgive me if I'm wrong (the TiVo webiste sorta sucks) but isn't this one of those devices that records/caches tv shows onto a large harddisk?
Where does that come off being a digital Video Cassette Recorder? I believe that there is such a thing as a Digital VCR, they are used by video proffesionals and use small digital cassettes.
It doesn't really matter if that is what people are calling it, that doesn't meen we should...
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Tivo runs Linux! But you don't have to be a TiVo customer to get the source code. If you want the TiVo modifications to the GNU code, send a check for $24.95 to: TiVo Attn: Richard Bullwinkle 894 Ross Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Regards, Richard Bullwinkle TiVo Webmaster
TiVo has completely changed the way we watch TV. If I had to, I'd give up my DVD player & VCR to own one of these things. Think about it: whenever you turn on the tube, there is always something you want to watch. And you can skip the commercials.
By the way, I'm told that TiVo will hit Best Buy shelves this week, and Circuit City and independent retailers will get them in a few more weeks.
And it runs Linux!
I've heard mention of the fact that these guys use linux, but when looking at the box, there is no way of knowing what version of linux (if any) they are using. So I have two question: 1) Can anyone describe exactly what portion of Linux these guys are using? 2) How can we tell if these guys are adhering to the GPL which they are bound to if they are using Linux. Does the GPL apply to embeded devices? If so, how?
OK, let's draw the important distinction here about what's digital and what's not:
Everyone is running around calling these things "digital" [VCRs|video recorders|somesuch], but although they *do* store digitally, their inputs and outputs are analog only. They still cannot take a direct digital MPEG stream (from your digital settop, digital satellite dish reciever, or anything else) and store that. What they do is take an *analog* signal (which may have been digital only inches ago), and run it through the MPEG veg-o-matic again to stuff that on a hard disk.
The reason they aren't truly digital is simple: The studios/networks will try very hard to never let this happen. This is the same reason that although IEEE 1394 should by all logic be the connection for video streams between tuners/settops and displays or storage devices such as these, it never will be, and may die on the vine as a result. They're not going to let *anyone* grab an unencrypted MPEG stream. Ever.
Even in the analog realm, the studio types are already worried: Boxes like this are currently under fire because they do not regenerate the Macrovision sync-hosing pulses when playing back content that was originally Macrovision encoded, meaning it's too easy to record the analog output of a Tivo on a regular VCR. (If you're looking for a good way to completely remove Macrovision pulses, this is it, for the time being...)
If Sony's involved here, it's more likely to be to protect its content "rights" than to promote the technology.
On the other hand, this idea makes too much sense to die - even if the studios succeed in killing off these devices (likely, I'd say), there isn't much short of legislation outlawing high-quality MPEG encoders and/or PC frame grabbers (and this *is* a possibility, given their clout) to stop people from rolling their own. (What we really need is a good PCI "digital settop card", but the FCC won't get off the dime and standardize on subscriber authentication, so dream on. Even so, it wouldn't be able to deal with encrypted streams, which will be just about everything very soon.)
I predict 1TB disks will be common in the next couple of years to give people someplace to put all their multimedia content. (How many of us already have big drives stuffed with MP3s? You'll have your camcorder content and video library on there next. And don't ask me how you recover from a hard disk crash of that magnitude! RAID/SAN solutions may be the cheapest backups in the long run.)
And if you thought the RIAA was fighting MP3, you ain't seen nothing yet!
"The future's good and the present is nothing to sneeze at." - Roblimo's last