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Sony Investing in TiVo

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the convergence? dept.

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...)

1 of 84 comments (clear)

  1. Distributed Convergence by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 4
    The "convergence" comment has kicked up quite a bit of dust. Detractors have called forth examples of WebTV, web browsing appliances, and running Gimp on your VCR - sheer sillyness. And I agree. The "all-in-one" ideas pushed out into consumer space the last few years seem to miss the point. But I would suggest that this is not a problem with the idea of convergence, but the implementation. Convergence shouldn't be the device; it should be a sum of devices - a network.

    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.