Rumors… TiVo to be bought by Apple computer?

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 08:54 PM

In the short time I've had a Tivo it has completely changed the way and what on the little TV that I do watch. I really like my Tivo a lot. I've been reading a lot that the company Tivo isn't doing too good. Without Tivo a DVR isn't much more then a VCR but Tivo the company isn't turning a profit.

DirecTV has been talking about dropping Tivo and replacing it with their own but I can't imagine it would be as good as Tivo.

Now rumors of Apple buying them.

http://reuters.com/financeQuoteCompa...3627852_newsml

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 09:20 PM

one day, when I get some free time, I'm going to build either

http://www.mythtv.org/

or

http://www.freevo.org/

A while back, Apple's stock price was worth less than the amount of cash they had in the bank -- I figured it was a safe bet at the time. I have been pleased, yet, I still don't use Apple, but, they sure did things right.

I don't think they should buy Tivo, but, it would be a good inroads into the home entertainment segment.

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 09:27 PM

I've also been thinking about something like that but using a Mac mini and EyeTV

But without Tivo it seems like it wouldn't be as good.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 09:32 PM

I thought Tivo was just pause/replay & DVR -- are there added features?

MythTV allows that if you have a fast enough CPU, and you can install gmane (the game emulator) and play old arcade games, old atari games, etc. Scummvm also runs so you can play the activision games.

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 09:51 PM

Tivo is the most wonderful interface that I have used.

Without having to learn anything, think about what you are doing, or anything other then watching TV and hitting record it offers to record what you are watching or what is on the TV guild that you are looking at. It also let you hit options at this time where it will find all the showings of whatever it is that you asked it to record and doesn't record repeats unless you ask it to. It then finds your shows even if the show changes times or channels. You don't have to tell Tivo when or what channel or what show.

Also while you are flipping channels you can rate stuff with the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons. Tivo then goes out and find things to your tastes based on past recording habits and the ratings that you give stuff and then serves up suggestions.

Basically I would be more then happy to pay for Tivo's service with eyeTV or MythTV or whatever.

The DirecTV's DVR has two tuners and is always recording whatever channel you are watching while at the same time being able to record something else. Nothing to do with Tivo but it is a nice DVR.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 10:01 PM

MythTV will run on the Mac Mini

The ratings thing is cool, but, I watch so little TV. There are only 3-4 programs a week that I watch -- and the rest is filler between those shows because I'm too lazy to get up out of the sofa.

ecchi · 2005-02-23, 10:08 PM

RE "you can install gmane (the game emulator) and play old arcade games, old atari games, etc. Scummvm also runs so you can play the activision games." This is, of course, illegal. But I won't tell on you if you don't tell them about my "M.A.M.E." downloads.

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 10:11 PM

Yes MythTV will but you still need a way to get the video in and EyeTV is a hardware software solution.

Tivo is just such a nice service. I didn't get what Tivo really was until I got it with the DVR that I got from DirecTV. I don't think most people get it and this is why Tivo seems to be going broke. My neighbor has these really expensive DVRs that don't have Tivo and they end up going unused because it is a pain to set them to record something.

I also watch very little TV but it is nice to be able to actually have something that I do like when I do want to sit down and watch something.

I could see turning Tivo into a content delivery system. I'm already using it to catch PPV movies instead of going out and renting a DVD. I could see Apple doing for movies what they did for music.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 10:28 PM

some of us still have a 2600 console (and a colecovision and an original pong) Not that I have had the time to play them in 15+ years

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 10:41 PM

I owned the very first Pong, first on our block to get it, I was only about 13 or 14 I think.

My younger brother had one of those computers that you loaded stuff from a cassette and I had absolutely no interest in computers. I didn't really like computers until they had icons to click on. MacPaint was the first app that did something that I wanted to use a computer for since I was a photographer at the time. I instantly got hooked on Photoshop when it came out.

I like Tivo for the same reason that I like using a Mac. It just does what you ask it to do without the hardware or software getting in your way.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 10:43 PM

the Apple Mini supports PCI (I think)

Therefore, you should have no problem putting in almost any mpeg decoder card. The Hauppage PVR-350 is the one that I was looking at. I don't have an HDTV set, but, there is a new HDTV card that is supposedly supported with the DVB protocol.

I've not worked much with it, but, from what I was just reading, that seems to be about what they are expecting. The Tivoesque features of course are not in freevo or mythtv

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 10:44 PM

Did you have the pong that required you to put that static plastic 'tennis' court on the TV screen?

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cd34

Did you have the pong that required you to put that static plastic 'tennis' court on the TV screen?

Yes I did.

I think I played with it for about two days and then forgot about it.

That was about the last video game that I ever really played. LOL

Useless · 2005-02-23, 10:57 PM

I just reinstalled DirecTV two days ago because cable was charging twice as much for the same channels. Not even digital. I desperately wanted to get DirecTV's DVR, but it only works with a Tivo subscription and my wife has a serious dislike for Tivo- the company, not the service. She used to work for Tribune Media/TV Data and handled Tivo's listings account. Now I'm going to have to go and buy a stand alone DVR which won't give me half the features, but at least I won't have to mess with that antique VCR.

Cleo · 2005-02-23, 10:48 PM

No PCI buss on the Mac mini.

One RAM slot, one special slot for the Apple Airport/Bluetooth card, nothing else.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/specs.html
It does have SVideo out with the Apple DIV to SVideo adapter.

EyeTV uses FireWire to get the info in.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 10:54 PM

I guess it was another Mac that had PCI. Even still, if they do buy Tivo, I would bet it will become quite easy to get those features on a Mac very quickly.

cd34 · 2005-02-23, 11:04 PM

build the mythtv box

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15728
Hauppage PVR-350 (comes with a remote)
Whatever hard drive you want

the PVR-350 doesn't require much CPU on the main machine, so, you should be good to go.

And you get the thrill of putting it together yourself.

My nephew will be building mine this summer if I can separate him from his XBox

ecchi · 2005-02-23, 11:13 PM

RE - "My nephew will be building mine this summer" - Then you will not "get the thrill of putting it together yourself" !

Greenguy · 2005-02-24, 08:19 AM

I love TiVo - we have 4 of them in the house - but how can they be loosing money? You buy the unit & then pay a monthly or lifetime fee for programming info so TiVo know what's on & what time & etc.

You'd think the fees would cover the cost of the box calling them & downloading the channel lineup, which seems to be the only expense TiVo has once you bought the machine.

Greenguy · 2005-02-24, 08:20 AM

Oh yeah - I'd like them a lot more if they came out with a HD DVR

Fonz · 2005-02-24, 08:28 AM

I didn't understand a word of what you guys just said.. guess we're a little behind on TV technology out here

Cleo · 2005-02-24, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fonz

I didn't understand a word of what you guys just said.. guess we're a little behind on TV technology out here

Here you go.
http://www.tivo.com/1.0.asp
The season pass function is my favorite feature.

Cleo · 2005-02-24, 08:31 AM

Coming to Tivo, your remote now has one button and has been renamed to iVo.

Tivo is going broke because someone goes to Best Buy and sees a VCR for $39.95 with no monthly fees or a Tivo for $300 with $12 per month fee.

Greenguy · 2005-02-24, 08:38 AM

Another problem is cable companies & people like Jim using their DVR's - which suck ass compared to TiVo. The only benefit is the HD recording (which TiVo is working on) and the ability to record 2 programs at once from the cable box. If they could find a way to do those 2 things, I'd be buying 4 new ones

...and I'm doing my part - aside from the 4 we have, I bought my dad one, my mom one & Yell's family got one a while back as well

Once they figure out how to record 2 programs

Jim · 2005-02-24, 08:42 AM

Our DVR does everything a tivo does and more. You mentioned the things that the DVR does and tivo doesn't but...what does tivo do that a DVR won't? I keep seeing hot swappable drives on commercials but we don't have them yet.

2005-02-23, 08:54 PM	#1
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	Rumors… TiVo to be bought by Apple computer? In the short time I've had a Tivo it has completely changed the way and what on the little TV that I do watch. I really like my Tivo a lot. I've been reading a lot that the company Tivo isn't doing too good. Without Tivo a DVR isn't much more then a VCR but Tivo the company isn't turning a profit. DirecTV has been talking about dropping Tivo and replacing it with their own but I can't imagine it would be as good as Tivo. Now rumors of Apple buying them. http://reuters.com/financeQuoteCompa...3627852_newsml __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 09:20 PM	#2
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	one day, when I get some free time, I'm going to build either http://www.mythtv.org/ or http://www.freevo.org/ A while back, Apple's stock price was worth less than the amount of cash they had in the bank -- I figured it was a safe bet at the time. I have been pleased, yet, I still don't use Apple, but, they sure did things right. I don't think they should buy Tivo, but, it would be a good inroads into the home entertainment segment. __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 09:27 PM	#3
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	I've also been thinking about something like that but using a Mac mini and EyeTV But without Tivo it seems like it wouldn't be as good. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 09:32 PM	#4
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	I thought Tivo was just pause/replay & DVR -- are there added features? MythTV allows that if you have a fast enough CPU, and you can install gmane (the game emulator) and play old arcade games, old atari games, etc. Scummvm also runs so you can play the activision games. __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 09:51 PM	#5
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	Tivo is the most wonderful interface that I have used. Without having to learn anything, think about what you are doing, or anything other then watching TV and hitting record it offers to record what you are watching or what is on the TV guild that you are looking at. It also let you hit options at this time where it will find all the showings of whatever it is that you asked it to record and doesn't record repeats unless you ask it to. It then finds your shows even if the show changes times or channels. You don't have to tell Tivo when or what channel or what show. Also while you are flipping channels you can rate stuff with the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons. Tivo then goes out and find things to your tastes based on past recording habits and the ratings that you give stuff and then serves up suggestions. Basically I would be more then happy to pay for Tivo's service with eyeTV or MythTV or whatever. The DirecTV's DVR has two tuners and is always recording whatever channel you are watching while at the same time being able to record something else. Nothing to do with Tivo but it is a nice DVR. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 10:01 PM	#6
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	MythTV will run on the Mac Mini The ratings thing is cool, but, I watch so little TV. There are only 3-4 programs a week that I watch -- and the rest is filler between those shows because I'm too lazy to get up out of the sofa. __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 10:08 PM	#7
ecchi Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: About to be evicted!!!! Posts: 4,082	RE "you can install gmane (the game emulator) and play old arcade games, old atari games, etc. Scummvm also runs so you can play the activision games." This is, of course, illegal. But I won't tell on you if you don't tell them about my "M.A.M.E." downloads.

2005-02-23, 10:11 PM	#8
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	Yes MythTV will but you still need a way to get the video in and EyeTV is a hardware software solution. Tivo is just such a nice service. I didn't get what Tivo really was until I got it with the DVR that I got from DirecTV. I don't think most people get it and this is why Tivo seems to be going broke. My neighbor has these really expensive DVRs that don't have Tivo and they end up going unused because it is a pain to set them to record something. I also watch very little TV but it is nice to be able to actually have something that I do like when I do want to sit down and watch something. I could see turning Tivo into a content delivery system. I'm already using it to catch PPV movies instead of going out and renting a DVD. I could see Apple doing for movies what they did for music. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 10:28 PM	#9
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	some of us still have a 2600 console (and a colecovision and an original pong) Not that I have had the time to play them in 15+ years __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 10:41 PM	#10
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	I owned the very first Pong, first on our block to get it, I was only about 13 or 14 I think. My younger brother had one of those computers that you loaded stuff from a cassette and I had absolutely no interest in computers. I didn't really like computers until they had icons to click on. MacPaint was the first app that did something that I wanted to use a computer for since I was a photographer at the time. I instantly got hooked on Photoshop when it came out. I like Tivo for the same reason that I like using a Mac. It just does what you ask it to do without the hardware or software getting in your way. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 10:43 PM	#11
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	the Apple Mini supports PCI (I think) Therefore, you should have no problem putting in almost any mpeg decoder card. The Hauppage PVR-350 is the one that I was looking at. I don't have an HDTV set, but, there is a new HDTV card that is supposedly supported with the DVB protocol. I've not worked much with it, but, from what I was just reading, that seems to be about what they are expecting. The Tivoesque features of course are not in freevo or mythtv __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 10:44 PM	#12
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	Did you have the pong that required you to put that static plastic 'tennis' court on the TV screen? __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 10:57 PM	#14
Useless Certified Nice Person Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dirty Undies, NY Posts: 11,268	I just reinstalled DirecTV two days ago because cable was charging twice as much for the same channels. Not even digital. I desperately wanted to get DirecTV's DVR, but it only works with a Tivo subscription and my wife has a serious dislike for Tivo- the company, not the service. She used to work for Tribune Media/TV Data and handled Tivo's listings account. Now I'm going to have to go and buy a stand alone DVR which won't give me half the features, but at least I won't have to mess with that antique VCR. __________________ Click here to purchase a bridge I'm selling.

2005-02-23, 10:48 PM	#15
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	No PCI buss on the Mac mini. One RAM slot, one special slot for the Apple Airport/Bluetooth card, nothing else. http://www.apple.com/macmini/specs.html It does have SVideo out with the Apple DIV to SVideo adapter. EyeTV uses FireWire to get the info in. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-23, 10:54 PM	#16
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	I guess it was another Mac that had PCI. Even still, if they do buy Tivo, I would bet it will become quite easy to get those features on a Mac very quickly. __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 11:04 PM	#17
cd34 a.k.a. Sparky Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA Posts: 2,396	build the mythtv box http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15728 Hauppage PVR-350 (comes with a remote) Whatever hard drive you want the PVR-350 doesn't require much CPU on the main machine, so, you should be good to go. And you get the thrill of putting it together yourself. My nephew will be building mine this summer if I can separate him from his XBox __________________ SnapReplay.com a different way to share photos - iPhone & Android

2005-02-23, 11:13 PM	#18
ecchi Banned Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: About to be evicted!!!! Posts: 4,082	RE - "My nephew will be building mine this summer" - Then you will not "get the thrill of putting it together yourself" !

2005-02-24, 08:19 AM	#19
Greenguy The Original Greenguy (Est'd 1996) & AVN HOF Member - I Crop Pics For Thumbs In My Sleep Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Blasdell, NY (shithole suburb south of Buffalo) Posts: 41,929	I love TiVo - we have 4 of them in the house - but how can they be loosing money? You buy the unit & then pay a monthly or lifetime fee for programming info so TiVo know what's on & what time & etc. You'd think the fees would cover the cost of the box calling them & downloading the channel lineup, which seems to be the only expense TiVo has once you bought the machine. __________________ Promote POV Porn Cash By Building & Submitting Galleries to the Porn Luv Network

2005-02-24, 08:20 AM	#20
Greenguy The Original Greenguy (Est'd 1996) & AVN HOF Member - I Crop Pics For Thumbs In My Sleep Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Blasdell, NY (shithole suburb south of Buffalo) Posts: 41,929	Oh yeah - I'd like them a lot more if they came out with a HD DVR __________________ Promote POV Porn Cash By Building & Submitting Galleries to the Porn Luv Network

2005-02-24, 08:28 AM	#21
Fonz Former pr0n slinger. Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 7,932	I didn't understand a word of what you guys just said.. guess we're a little behind on TV technology out here __________________ See how I abuse little trees on my Shumi no Bonsai Blog

2005-02-24, 08:31 AM	#23
Cleo Subversive filth of the hedonistic decadent West Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Southeast Florida Posts: 27,936	Coming to Tivo, your remote now has one button and has been renamed to iVo. Tivo is going broke because someone goes to Best Buy and sees a VCR for $39.95 with no monthly fees or a Tivo for $300 with $12 per month fee. __________________ Free Rides on Uber and Lyft Uber Car: uberTzTerri Lyft Car: TZ896289

2005-02-24, 08:38 AM	#24
Greenguy The Original Greenguy (Est'd 1996) & AVN HOF Member - I Crop Pics For Thumbs In My Sleep Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Blasdell, NY (shithole suburb south of Buffalo) Posts: 41,929	Another problem is cable companies & people like Jim using their DVR's - which suck ass compared to TiVo. The only benefit is the HD recording (which TiVo is working on) and the ability to record 2 programs at once from the cable box. If they could find a way to do those 2 things, I'd be buying 4 new ones ...and I'm doing my part - aside from the 4 we have, I bought my dad one, my mom one & Yell's family got one a while back as well Once they figure out how to record 2 programs __________________ Promote POV Porn Cash By Building & Submitting Galleries to the Porn Luv Network

2005-02-24, 08:42 AM	#25
Jim Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Mohawk, New York Posts: 19,477	Our DVR does everything a tivo does and more. You mentioned the things that the DVR does and tivo doesn't but...what does tivo do that a DVR won't? I keep seeing hot swappable drives on commercials but we don't have them yet.