According to this CBS marketwatch article, the potential Netflix - TiVo partnership is irrelevant.

The author states that more then likely the number of videos that will be available for download will be limited. Also, the author mentions the fact that Netflix has stated that the TiVo partnership is “not on any rollout timetable”.

At first I was very excited about this partnership however; after reading several articles and taking part in TiVoCommunity discussions, I’m a little uncertain as to whether or not this service will be worth while. Several questions need to be answered.

• How many vids will you be allowed to download?
• How much will it cost?
• How much space will be required and how long will it take?
• When will this partnership take place? Will it really take a year to implement?
• What will be the quality of the videos?

These and many more questions need to be answered by TiVo and Netflix….

Forrester Research has performed an interesting survey which looks into how TiVo and DVRs in general has impacted advertising. According to the article, TiVo users spend 60 percent of their time watching recorded or delayed programs, in which they skip 92 percent of ads! Another interesting point is the fact that only 2 percent of people who owned DVRs have stopped using them.

Forrester’s survey respondents report watching only 8 percent of commercials in recorded programming. Three out of 10 viewers say they watch no commercials at all.

What does all this mean for the advertising industry? TiVo gives you the ability to control your TV watching experience. What is the advertising industry going to do to ensure that their ads are seen? Stay tuned to this topic, I’m sure you will see more news shortly….

Can you believe it! Netflix and TiVo are about to unveil a new partnership whereby subscribers to both services will be able to download a DVD to their TiVo instead of having to wait for the DVD in the mail.

I’ve often considered purchasing the Netflix service. One of the reasons why I didn’t do it was because I didn’t like the idea of having to wait for my next set of DVDs to come in the mail. Now with this feature you won’t have to wait!

This is a great partnership for both companies. I know that over the past year or so, Netflix has been experiencing increasing competition from powerhouses such as Wal-Mart and Blockbuster. This partnership may increase their membership. For TiVo, this partnership may bring new subscribers that want to be able to d-load their DVDs. Smart move for both companies!

Will this new partnership get you to purchase the Netflix or TiVo service?

Updated: more information on this partnership can be found here.

PVRBlog has posted a link to this project which allows you to view your TiVo programming from anywhere in the world.

While I find this project to be very interesting, I think I will wait for TiVoToGo before I try this out. Check it out, it’s amazing how the project is able to send commands to the TiVo from any location.

Starting this year, the Big Ten will use a TiVo for instant replay!

A technical adviser in the press box will watch the game with a TiVo-brand digital video recorder.

When he sees a call he thinks should be overturned, the adviser will press a button to signal officials to stop the game.

In less than a minute, he will use the televised game feed to determine if the call should be overturned. The adviser’s standard of proof is indisputable visual evidence.

My question is, are they really going to use TiVo or is this another case of the term TiVo being used to describe any product that allows you to replay TV?

One of my most favorite features of TiVo is the ability to replay live TV. I use this feature all the time whenever I watch sports! It’s great to be able to look at a play and determine if there was actually a penalty before the official is able to decide. Got love TiVo!

This article over at Engadget got me thinking about something. Why is it that over the past couple of months, I’ve use heard a number of people use the word “TiVo” to describe any device that has similar functionality?

On a number of occasions, both on the web and in discussion with others, I’ve noticed TiVo being used as a generic term. For example, the other day I called up a Dish Network rep and asked him about their service. The service that I was interested in offered four receivers one of which was a DVR. I wasn’t interested in the DVR however; I wanted to know how easy it would be to hook up my TiVo to one of the four receivers. When I asked the guy that question he said “The TiVo that we offer hooks right into the system. There is nothing extra you need to do. In fact, the person that installs the system will be happy to setup your TiVo.” Little did he know that he was talking with one of the biggest TiVo geeks in the world :). To be honest, I didn’t even correct him. On another occasion, I had a co-worker of mine mention that his kids got a TiVo only to find out that the TiVo he was talking about was really a Time Warner DVR!

This is truly a big problem for TiVo. TiVo does not want to end up being another Xerox or Kleenex. One of the worst things a company can have happen to them is for their product to be used in a generic sense to describe all similar products.

How can TiVo prevent this from happening? Maybe they should put together a marketing campaign that highlights the differences between TiVo and all other DVRs?

As a TiVo advocate, I should have corrected the Dish network rep. From now on, whenever I hear somebody improperly use the word “TiVo” I promise that I will correct them. This is my promise to all you TiVo geeks out there :).