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Meet the Aussie TiVo box

Australians who take up TiVo will only be able to free-to-air television channels but could have access to a movie download store and about 100 free internet video channels.

Joshua Danovitz, TiVo’s international general manager, told the Sydney Morning Herald the Aussie TiVo box (pictured) will allow users to record two shows at once while at the same time watching a previously recorded show stored on the built-in hard disk.

But there is no clear indication regarding the skipping of ads nor an exact price and launch date. Seven is said to be offering a form of ‘fast-forwarding’ only, and TiVo could have unskippable ads placed throughout the menu interface or during shows.

Other key features will include the ability to search 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 won’t miss a show even if its time slot changes or episodes run overtime.

TiVo recordings could be transferred to a PC using the TiVo to Go feature and “once you’ve got it on your PC you can transcode it to a mobile device”, Danovitz said.

TiVo is considered a direct competitor to Foxtel’s iQ service which has an iQHD in development.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

17 Responses

  1. angst, i signed up as well, i answered truthfully, and i would have thought i would be a prime candidate for it, but i haven’t heard from them in weeks and trials were meant to start feb 1.

    Marketing tool or not, if its close enough to the American TiVo then im sold.

  2. I recently registered for an opportunity to beta test TiVo in Australia. I started receiving frequent emails which inevitably pointed me to a short web-based survey. I completed the first two but each one became more personal asking such things as Age, number of adults in house, income levels etc. In their last survey I was asked if I would complete all my ‘assignments’ yes, no, unsure. I selected unsure and told them I would be happy to help test the technology and functionality of the device but if their intention was to use TiVo as a marketing tool they could shove it, I would stick to internet enabled PVR’s or HTPC’s (I have a Toppy SDPVR and a Teac HDPVR). I have not heard anything since. Surprise surprise.

    Ah well, call me cynical but I think its clear that Using a Commercial TV network to bring this technology to Australia was a huge mistake. They are Market driven not technology driven and so we’ll get a product that will be hobbled and used as a marketing tool rather than something that does time-shifting and recording in the best possible way.

  3. tivo rocks
    wait til you use it
    the UI is so sweet…
    i used one in the usa a few years back for a few months…came back to aust and had severe withdrawls…
    my american friends couldnt beleive we didnt have it… they were seriously like “i couldnt imagine life without it”
    if you like home entertainment it will literally change the way you use the tv permantently

    and no i dont work for tivo, i just loved it

  4. Gee, First they stop you fast forwarding ads, then they charge a subscription fee (on top of buying it outright), and now they make it look like Ugly Betty. I’ll take the new super sexy Foxtel IQHD anyday

  5. I thought TiVo was along the lines of extra channels other than free-to-air channels? (like foxtel)

    Saw all about it on Oprah and thought it was good, but have to try it first.
    Love to see the competition now!!!

  6. I currently have a Toppy. I buffer my shows heavily (Don’t really have much choice). Depending on its price and DRM and ad skipping restrictions I may look at one. But the Toppy is fantastic. It really does every single thing I could need a machine to do.

  7. I am looking forward to this, i applied to be a beta tester, ive been a long time user of TiVo when im in the US and have wanted it here for just over 8 years.

    I just hope the monthly subscription is no more than $10 a month, that would give it 5 years until the cost matches that of lesser machines (like Topfield and Beyondwiz), which are great but pale in comparison to the all round quality of the TiVo, yet are more expensive.

  8. Three points:

    1. Could they have made the box and remote any uglier? The remote looks like a Fisher Price toy or one of those chapie STB remotes, and the Tivo itself is just plain FUGLY!

    2. “TiVo recordings could be transferred to a PC using the TiVo to Go feature…” Yes, indeed, complete with DRM. Meanwhile, currently available PVRs like the Neyonwiz can do this completely unrestricted.

    3. The Season Pass feature sounds great, until you read between the lines of “users won’t miss a show even if its time slot changes or episodes run overtime.” This as good as guarantees that Seven will deliberately make last minute changes and deliberate over-runs even more than they do now. Pissed off? Well, guess you wouldn’t have missed it if you’d got a Tivo, would you? The fact that Tivo can keep up with the over-runs, by the way, proves conclusively what we always knew – they are deliberately and precisely scheduled, NOT accidental. Though Ten gives that fact away in their late news promos almost every night…

  9. As TiVo success relies heavily on programs running to the times in the Stations programming schedule it will be interesting to see if channel 7 ( major backer of TiVo in Australia ) managers to run their programs to the schedules they release.

  10. Why would anyone want this format of Tivo. If we could have had the original Tivo when it was released that would have been great. Since then many other manufacturers such as Topfield and Beyonwiz have come to the party with twin tuner PVRS that can import full program guides and skip whole blocks of adds with a matter of a button press or two. I think think this Tivo release has had a couple of “sleepovers” with the Australian television networks.

  11. I don’t understand the reason for Tvo. isn’t the trusty video recorder chearper and easier. Plus you can tape any channel you want and fast forward the adds.

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