Rumors… TiVo to be bought by Apple computer?

[Cleo]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Cleo]

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.

[Cleo]

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

[cd34]

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.

[Useless]

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.

[cd34]

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]

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

[Greenguy]

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]

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

[Fonz]

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

[Cleo]

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]

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]

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.

[Cleo]

Until you use a DVR with the TiVo service you will not get what is so special about TiVo, kind of like those who have not spent some time using a Mac.

I have the two tuner DVR with TiVo from DirecTV and it is so great that I'll probably get another one for my bedroom. The only problem with the ones from DirecTV is they have the USB ports disabled for some odd reason.