Reply With QuoteA bit pricey at $700 but whats the bet the price drops when Hardly Normal lose their monopoly after 3 months. JB HiFi are known for good prices so I will wait till then.
Tivo in Oz.....look out Foxtel IQ
Seven to launch TiVo next month
From
Tivo: the high-end series 3 model coming to Australia this year.
Seven's long-awaited TiVo digital television recorder will go on sale in Australia next month, priced at $700.
Harvey Norman will sell the device exclusively for three months, after which it will be sold via all major electronics chains including JB Hi-Fi and Dick Smith, The Australian Financial Review reported.
Seven refused to provide an official comment, but smh.com.au was able to confirm the details with a source at the broadcaster. It is understood Seven will hold a media launch for TiVo on July 1 and aims to have the product in stores by the end of that month.
TiVo, one of the strongest brands in the US, will allow viewers to record all free-to-air television channels using a built-in electronic program guide and access about 100 free internet video channels. At some point it will also link up to movie and music download stores.
It will compete head-to-head with Foxtel's iQ2 box, which provides similar recording functions and more channels. However, iQ2 does not offer all of TiVo's extra features, such as music and movie download stores, internet video channels or the ability to recommend and automatically record other shows.
At $700, TiVo will also be cheaper than Foxtel iQ2, which costs $10 to $15 a month on top of a regular Foxtel package, which ranges from $37.95 for the minimum package to $105.95 for the Platinum package.
It is understood that talks between Seven and the US-based TiVo company broke down this year after TiVo requested the device be sold as part of a monthly subscription package, just like Foxtel.
Seven rejected this, the Seven source said, saying the fewer than 20 channels (including HD versions) offered by free-to-air TV wouldn't be able to compete with Foxtel's 100+ pay TV channels. A compromise was reached and Seven will pay TiVo a royalty for each TiVo box sold.
The Seven source said Seven was not trying to compete with Foxtel.
"It really is complementary because there are 70 per cent of households in Australia that don't have Foxtel - so why can't they have all the things that Foxtel [iQ] offers but in a non-subscription, buy-over-the-counter box?" the source said.
Personal video recorders (PVR) allowing people to record and pause live TV have been on the market for years but none have been mainstream hits due to a mixture of low consumer awareness and the technical learning curve involved.
TiVo's direct connection to the internet and ability to use past viewing to automatically download similar shows a user might be interested in make it far more advanced than a traditional PVR, but Seven isn't taking any chances.
The source said the broadcaster was helping to train retail staff in most stores on how to use TiVo's wealth of features. This could then be communicated to potential buyers via live demos inside the store.
TiVo's other key features include the ability to search for shows by title, people or tags, and then, with one button, program the device so it automatically records the show each time it airs. This is called a "season pass" and means users will not miss a show, even if its timeslot changes, or episodes run overtime.
Another is the ability to create personal TV channels to broadcast content such as home movies to other TiVo owners. All the viewer has to do is enter the channel number and the content is streamed via the internet.
"You're not buying a box which can be outdated," the Seven source said.
"The great thing about TiVo is you can have firmware upgrades along the line because it's connected to the internet. So it means that in six months time your box isn't outdated - it can be updated constantly."
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A bit pricey at $700 but whats the bet the price drops when Hardly Normal lose their monopoly after 3 months. JB HiFi are known for good prices so I will wait till then.
Obviously one will need both a good terrestrial signal and real high speed broadband, that leaves me out on both cases being in the bush and on sat internet because telstra refuse to upgrade the rim and there is no wireless here, thanks to Mr Rudd killing Opal just when they were about to install wireless here.
For those who can get it:
What sort of internet speed will it need to be viable?
Who provides the connection, is it part of the package or do you have to source ultra high speed and terrabytes of downloads yourself?
What sort of video quality can you expect from the internet downloads TIVO are talking about?
totally useless in oz with download limits ! .. stream some tv for 5 hrs there all ya download limit gone ... won't work in oz .. be BIG flop !
Trust thyself only, and another shall not betray thee.
http://s18.postimage.org/h9xu3rrhx/fb_sevapers.jpg
High speed broadband?Originally Posted by Jason_dinAlt
We don't have that in Australia...................
What happens if I press alt + F4?
I've been doing this for a few years now using a htpc but I can see a market for the tivo, as long as the price comes down.
couldt agree more!!!
been using EPG and toppy for 3 years ....love it...i know its not mainstream so be good for general public
TiVo HD: We give Seven's latest toy a play... and a stop, rewind, record and fast forward.
First look at TiVo HD
Campbell Simpson (Good Gear Guide) 01/07/2008 17:20:00
The Australian TiVo HD unit was unveiled today at the Seven Media Group's headquarters. It's a product that promises a lot — and it intends to deliver.
Sporting a 160GB hard drive, the TiVo unit can handle 60 hours of standard definition (SD) or around 20 hours of high definition (HD) content. This may seem a little small for some, but the unit has an eSATA connection for additional storage space if required. TiVo has announced plans to release an external hard drive accessory next year; it is not yet known if users will be able to use third-party hard drives. The unit's rear features component and HDMI connections for SD and HD television sets respectively. An Ethernet connection is also included, and is used for connecting the TiVo to a broadband internet connection. Wireless connectivity is also offered, although the wireless adapter will be sold separately.
The product itself, at its core, is a personal video recorder. There are a few things that set it apart from regular PVRs and place it directly in competition with Foxtel's own iQ2 service.
The electronic program guide for the service will be delivered via broadband internet — which the end user must purchase themselves, quashing rumours that wireless broadband access from Unwired would be included. This guide will have a full seven days worth of data for all channels, provided by HWW. It will be updated daily so that the latest programming info is included, accommodating any last-minute scheduling changes (which are usually implemented in the morning of each day).
A novel feature of the TiVo's EPG is its integration with the rest of the TiVo service. From the main TiVo Control menu, users can select a Find Programs option which allows users to search for actors, directors, show titles, keywords, as well as genre-specific options like sport or comedy. Once you've found the show you're looking for, you can set it to record as either a single file or a 'Season Pass' where all episodes of that show are saved for later viewing.
The TiVo unit also has a recommendation system built in — and you don't even need to record shows to take advantage of it. While you're watching any show, you can use two buttons on the remote — labelled with a 'thumbs up' or a 'thumbs down' — to rate the show you're watching. If you really like CSI, expect the TiVo box to recommend you get NCIS or Law and Order — and it can automatically record them for you as well, without your input.
These features will all be included with the box at launch, but some additional built-in features will be disabled in the initial units. Home networking — the ability to transfer photos, videos and music between a PC and the TiVo — will be turned off, as well as other features like Internet video streaming and an online movie download service.
The box is set to be released on July 29 and will retail for $699 with no additional subscription fees. It will only be available in Harvey Norman and Domayne, thanks to an exclusive deal between Seven and the Harvey Norman Group.
Whether it meets expectations is yet to be seen, but initial hands-on experiences seem to show that the little black box has the potential to seriously shake the Australian television scene
Tivo Foxtel
hi
I currently have Foxtel IQ, just wonderring about this Tivo thingy as i find Foxtel to pricey and many repeats of programs as i signed up with Galaxy many moons ago. I have seen many programs when i had Galaxy and in between there was someone else then Foxtel took over the same programs were repeated on and on it went. So will Tivo have the pay channels as well as the HD and free to air channels? are we kidding ourselves so why Tivo any answers please.
David
TiVo is a recording set top box for ordinary free to air receive-it-with-a-TV-antenna (freeview, or whatever they're calling it today) TV. Unlike the US version, it has no pay-tv capabilities.
The major limitation I see with TiVo is that they've deliberately removed the ability to watch the shows that are recorded on it from a PC elsewhere in the house - which I can do with a $100 USB digital TV tuner. ugh!
First I hope the EPG is better than the current non existant one on DFTA no good using teletext as it doesnt list other than 7's programs and I cannot see 9 or 10 putting in that system that sends the signal to stop recording during commercials.
As for Paytv, why record when it will be on again later, again and again.
Basically I see the Tivo being intended for cabled or ADSL+2 areas which are basically the close metro areas, certainly not where the street lights end.
I cant say I have seen much worth recording on Digital anyway to be worth paying $700 for.
I record my wifes soapy from the digital stb to a $100 Omni DVD/VHS combo and it looks ok to me.
Couldnt you just get one cheap from the USA, I can't see any reason why they wouldn't be compatable?
Has anyone actually looked into this?
Yes, in theory, but you'd have to change the tuner. Neither our analogue or digital TV systems are the same.
Why bother
I honestly cannot see why, all the hyp over tivo.
Its the same free to air channels and unless we get fast internet at fair prices its never going to be viable.
I have had a Toppy 4000 for years, both terrestrial and satellite, awesome boxes and they do nearly the same as a Tivo.
As for the variable recording times I just add an extra half hour to all recordings and never miss a show.
So really I cannot see a valid reason to pay $700 for a box that does nearly exactly the same as mine, which costed 250 bucks on ebay.
SmeLSTRA give us decent broadband plans, at a normal prices, like the rest of the world
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