TiVo Gets Networked

LAS VEGAS--Owners of TiVo's Series 2 Digital Video Recorders will soon be able to add their unit to a home network, so they can share content among PCs, Macs, and other networked TiVo units in the home.

The company will launch its Home Media Option this spring, and will offer existing TiVo customers the upgrade for $99. TiVo executives demonstrated the technology, and showed off new TiVo-based hardware, at the Consumer Electronics Show here.

Network TV

TiVo designed its Series 2 products--which first appeared in retail stores last April--with an eye toward future networking, says Mike Ramsay, chairman and chief executive officer. The company plans to deliver it with the same easy-to-use interface that TiVo fans have grown to appreciate.

Subscribers will order the Home Media Option online, and TiVo will download the necessary software to the unit, Ramsay says. You download more software to a PC or Mac, plug any USB-based wired or wireless (802.11b) network adapter into the TiVo unit, and then you're ready to go.

"It's super easy, and it doesn't take up any space on your [TiVo] hard drive," he says.

TiVo subscribers with more than one DVR can download the software to add a second unit to the network for another $49, he says.

Sharing Video

The Home Media Option lets users access MP3s and photos stored on their PC or Mac through a new directory in the TiVo interface, Ramsay says. Both the music and images are streamed to the unit, where a digital music player runs the audio and a digital photo viewer displays the photos. Neither requires additional space on the TiVo's hard drive.

A two-TiVo home can share a program recorded on one TiVo by streaming it to the other unit, he says. That means when you record a show in the living room, you can still watch it on your TiVo in the bedroom. You cannot, however, stream programming over the Internet to another TiVo user, he notes.

"We're not doing what Replay is doing because it doesn't make sense," Ramsay says. SonicBlue's ReplayTV 4000 offers Internet-borne file sharing, and the company has come under fire from copyright-holders. TiVo supports both copyright protection and fair use, Ramsay says. Its stance is that it's fine to share copyrighted material within the home, but not outside of it, he says.

TiVo will enforce copyright laws via new security technology called TiVoGuard, Ramsay says. The technology uses public and private keys, digital certificates, and encryption to ensure content remains secure within the home.

Other New Services

The Home Media Option also offers the capability to contact a TiVo unit remotely, through any Internet-enabled PC. That means you can change programming options or record additional shows from anywhere, Ramsay says.

Additional new functions include access to broadband content from Universal Music Group and the Corbis Collection. Through Universal, TiVo subscribers can play selected music and videos; Corbis will let them access and display art, photography, and illustrations.

Ready for HDTV

TiVo has also announced two new hardware products from its partners: an HDTV unit for DirectTV subscribers and a combo unit from Toshiba.

"High Definition has arrived, and it was important for us to be on that leading edge," Ramsay says. Plus, TiVo's devoted fan base has been asking for an HDTV-ready unit for some time.

"It was only a matter of time. This should get those HDTV fanatics off our backs," he jokes.

TiVo is working with hardware partners and DirecTV to release an HDTV-ready TiVo by the end of 2003. Besides all standard TiVo features, the package will support all of the HDTV standards (480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i). Prices were not announced.

Finally, TiVo announced a new partnership with Toshiba, which will deliver the first-ever combination DVD/DVR product. Due by the second half of 2003, the new unit has not yet been named and its pricing is not yet available.