Tuesday, January 09, 2007
TiVo Puts Music in the Box
Like an unfulfilled playboy, TiVo is hoping to find happiness by hooking up with many partners. One of the founders of the digital video recorder (DVR) technology, TiVo has added music videos and music streams to its repertoire and has finally seen its long-anticipated deal with Comcast bear fruit.TiVo has signed up with RealNetworks to give access to the Rhapsody music listening service thorough their DVR boxes. TiVo and RealNetworks subscribers can add songs being streamed to their playlists so that they can be played on demand. Playlists are also synched with RealNetworks' Internet-based service, making it a convenient way to find new music and access it from anywhere.
So forget Apple buying TiVo -- the Real deal means that ain't gonna happen.
TiVo also has a deal with Music Choice so that music videos can be recorder and watched on demand. Many cable providers already include Music Choice, but I guess the on-demand feature adds convenience. I guess music videos are still a big deal for some folks, but I'm showing my age.
Last but not least, the long-awaited Comcast cable box with TiVo is being featured at CES this week. Comcast has offered its own DVRs for sometime, so the TiVo software is a premium feature that will probably cost a few extra bucks per month. I haven't seen any other DVR software that comes close to TiVo, so if you are a Comcast customer, treat yourself.
No announcements about advertising on TiVo this time around. Subscribers will only tolerate a minimum of advertising (it works for HBO), so TiVo has to be very careful. Google is looking less likely as a suitor for TiVo too, so perhaps they will stay independent after all.
Posted By John Gartner at 12:24 PM
Permanent Link: TiVo Puts Music in the Box
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