Seven offers Free YouTube!
July 31, 2008
It’s a dream come true! The Seven Network’s TiVo digital recorder is all set to offer users the opportunity to download free internet video clips from YouTube to the box free as soon as the next year begins. This comes straight from the man appointed to sell the product outside the US.
Some time ago it had been thought that Seven would charge subscribers for the additional features available on the TiVo. But in a surprising move, Joshua Danovitz, TiVo’s GM, said that from early next year, YouTube shall be made available to users, free of cost. Read more
Amazon.com+TiVo= Shop while you Watch!
July 24, 2008
This age might very well be the golden age of television. What with technologies bursting in on the scene by the second, the Television experience is all set to evolve. In a latest development, TiVo has teamed up with Amazon.com to make it possible for users to shop for products they see on their television, while they watch the programs.
This new feature has been launched by TiVo in conjunction with four TV shows, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Burn Notice and The Colbert Report. The option for purchasing a product can be used while watching any cable network or broadcast program. TiVo came up with this idea in response to viewer complaints about how they had to go back to their PCs in order to shop for products that they saw on TV. Impulsive shopping while TV viewing is what TiVo hopes to cash in on in this feature. This option could prove helpful to advertisers whose products are being praised on the shows. Read more
TiVo aping Apple?
July 17, 2008
Some one has rightly said, ‘All publicity is good publicity’. TiVo is again in the news these days for allegedly having copied Apple’s ad for iPod. Surrounded by this latest controversy, Seven vehemently refused that the TiVo ad was taken from the earlier released iPod ad and said that “there’s no copyright in an idea”.
The TiVo digital TV recorder goes on sale in Australia on the 29th of July for $699. Internet and television ads released to publicize this have been found to bear an uncanny resemblance to an ad for Apple’s iPod that was released some time back. The Apple ad depicted the formation of a sea of buildings made using album cover art that goes on to expand till ultimately the whole thing is sucked into an iPod. TiVo’s ad if not copied, definitely seems inspired from this ad. In it, there is similar animation but in place of album art the city is created from hundreds of TV show scenes which again end up being sucked into the TiVo. Read more
TiVo HD DVR: Back off Apple TV!
July 10, 2008
The new TiVo HD DVR is giving Apple TV a run for its money. With the TiVo HD DVR you can now watch all your favorite TV shows from the cable service or antenna at any time you want. You can even buy or rent movies, share videos and photos and download and stream music videos using the TiVo HD DVR. If HD TV content is what appeals to you, then the TiVo HD DVR is what you need if not the Apple TV.
The TiVo HD DVR has been designed as a cable box that works with any cable provider. It can record two HD shows at one time while allowing you to watch a third show that has been pre-recorded. You can even connect it to the internet and watch music videos, photos, and movies on your TV via your home network. The HD DVR can store up to 180 hours of SD or 20 hours of HD programming at a time. This is possible due to its 180GB memory as opposed to Apple TV’s 160 GB.
TiVo: Ads that are watched
July 4, 2008
While you may think that with an option to fast-forward through those irritating commercials would make people not pay a second glance to any ad, results from TiVo’s Stop||Watch rating service suggests otherwise. Wondering which are those commercials that make DVR owners press the ‘play’ button voluntarily? Read on.
Apart from regular on-coming movie commercials that make one pause, certain everyday household products also have people reaching out for the ‘play’ button. The survey which was conducted this May revealed some interesting insights into the mind of the DVR owner. Only two of the top ten least fast-forwarded commercials were movie commercials. These were- “Sex in the City” and “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan”. The appearance of even these two in the top ten list might be attributed to May being an important period for film marketers with the coming summer releases.
