PVRBlog.com has decided to add a new section to their site where HME users can interact with each other. According to PVRBlog, the new section will:
have a categorical list of applications, a way to rate those apps, the ability to add screenshots, and a forum area to discuss each app and topics in general.
This is a great idea! I only wish that I came up with it first :).
Let me just start of by saying WOW! TiVo’s latest initiative known as Tahiti (HME) is awesome! In case you didn’t know already, TiVo has released an open-source SDK (software developers kit) that allows software developers to create applications that interact with your TiVo and provide new functionality.
From what I’ve seen, the SDK looks very impressive. The kit appears to provide a whole bunch of capabilities that would have been difficult to implement under the old TiVoBeacon SDK. I predict that in a short period of time, software developers will start developing some really amazing applications. Even the sample apps that are distributed with the kit look impressive. I haven’t tried any of the samples yet however; I plan to do it in the near future. If only I had some more free time on my hands, I would probably start coding some of my own applications.
As a side note, did anybody else notice that the name “Arthur Van Hoff” appears a lot in the source code? Wasn’t he the guy from Strangeberry that was suppose to bring TiVo “back to life”? Apparently, he has taken a major role in the release of HME. I guess TiVo’s investment in Strangeberry really has paid off. Another interesting thing that I noticed had to do with the fact that one of the sample app’s screenshots had to do with JavaHMO! I haven’t had a chance to contact Leon (the creator of JavaHMO) however; I wonder if he is already working on a new version that will use HME. Just think, a lot of the ideas that he has for JavaHMO could be implemented a lot easier with this SDK.
As I said earlier, I think that Tahiti is some great news for TiVo. I’m sure that you’ll see the open source community embrace this platform and create some amazing apps.
As a final note, I also noticed that TiVo has put together a developer challenge. Details of the challenge can be found here. This is yet another great move by TiVo! Stay tuned for more HME news and information!
According to this article on CNet, TiVo plans to announce the release of Tahiti today! For those of you who don’t know, Tahiti is a software development kit that will allow third-party developers to add features to the TiVo service.
Being a software developer myself, I’m really excited about this release. On a number of occasions, I’ve stated that TiVo needed to embrace the open source community in order to encourage innovation. In my opinion, this is a wonderful attempt by TiVo. The kit will allow developers to add features to the service that were at one point not possible unless you hacked your TiVo box. TiVo is smart to encourage developers to create applications that augment their current capabilities. I mean, why not take advantage of “free” developers that will create new applications for you?
It will be interesting to see how quick the open source community embraces this new set of features. I wonder how long it will take before somebody releases new functionality for your TiVo box.
Stay tuned! I’m sure there will be a lot of news as the result of this release.
Leon and his crew have just released another version of JavaHMO 2.3. This version fixes the following issues:
1. Fixed ToGo selected downloads listing bug
2. Fixed ToGo list update status bug
3. Fix weather radar maps
4. Fix weather data icon mapping
Note: Users who only want the Weather bug fixes, you can download the Weather plugin separately.
Head on over to JavaHMO’s site to get your copy.
If you’re thinking about getting a TiVo, now might be a good time to do it. CompUSA is offering a great deal whereby you essentially get a free TiVo if you purchase a computer or TV for at least $499. If you’re going to do it then you better act fast. The offer runs until the 29th.
Isn’t it amazing how cheap TiVo’s hardware has become. I remember how I purchased my first TiVo for $200. At the time, I thought it was a steal. Now you can get a TiVo for free!
According to this survey, 44% of the respondents say they’ll get a DVR from a store instead of their local cable provider. Some people may think that 44% sounds like a good number however; when you compare it to last year’s numbers, it doesn’t sound that good. Last year’s survey had 68% of the respondents getting their DVR from a store!
TiVo Inc. (TIVO) might want to take note of the firm’s other finding. Of those interested in getting a DVR, the majority said they are opting for models offered by their cable or satellite provider. According to the survey, 44% of prospective customers say they will probably buy their DVR from a store, down from 68% a year ago.
On top of this news, the survey also mentions the fact that 70% of the respondents know what a DVR is while only 8% of them believe they will get a DVR in the near future!
I don’t know how scientific this study is (only 1,000 respondents) however; it sure doesn’t sound like good news for TiVo. I guess we’ll have to see how this plays out.
Leon and his crew has just released another version of JavaHMO 2.3. This version supports Mac and Linux! Check it out if you are interested.
I have just released JavaHMO 2.3 beta 2 (this release supports Windows, Mac
OS X and Linux):
JavaHMO now supports the ToGo functionality similar to that of the TiVo
Desktop 2.0. In addition, JavaHMO adds a feature to automatically download
recordings from your TiVo based on a list of configurable criteria.
This release contains the following:
1. Removed gallery plugin
2. Fixed server starting from ToGo GUI
3. Fixed modal dialog bug in GUI
4. Fixed default recordings path
5. Added ToGo data progress indicator
6. Fixed help spelling mistakes
7. Fixed ToGo recorded checkbox selection states
8. Improved performance of downloading recording data
9. Added logic to not overload TiVo with data requests
This release is labeled a beta since it contains new functionality which
hasn’t been tested enough for a public release.
The main objective of this release is to find bugs and fix them for the
final 2.3 release.
This release is NOT recommended for the casual user and should only be used
by people with some technical background who are willing to provide feedback
on any bugs they might find.
If you are using the TiVo Beacon then currently JavaHMO is not able to
automatically determine the TiVo’s on you network; you have to manually
configure JavaHMO with those details. If you do not use the TiVo Beacon
service then JavaHMO should automatically locate your TiVo’s.
Before you can use the ToGo functionality, you have to configure the
download path and media access key using the JavaHMO configuration GUI
File/Properties menu.
Your TiVo needs to run the 7.1 version software for the ToGo functionality
to work.
This release has been developed for JRE 1.4.2_06.
The Windows installation wizard, Mac OS X disk image, Linux RPM and complete
source code is currently available from the project web site on Sourceforge:
http://javahmo.sourceforge.net
I received TiVoToGo a couple of days ago however; I haven’t had that much time to play with it. I plan on doing a review of it over the weekend. Stay tuned for updates..
JavaHMO has just released a new version that directly supports TiVoToGo! According to an email that I received from Leon, this version has the ability to automatically download a show based on a set of criteria. This sounds like an interesting feature especially since the download time is somewhat slow. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, I am going to post what Leon sent me.
JavaHMO now supports the ToGo functionality similar to that of the TiVo
Desktop. In addition, JavaHMO adds a feature to automatically download
recordings from your TiVo based on a list of configurable criteria.
This release contains the following:
1. ToGo
2. ToGo auto rules
3. Fixed iTunes OS X default playlist path
4. Added iTunes playlist library file chooser
5. Fixed iTunes playlist file parser
This release is labeled a beta since it contains new functionality which
hasn’t been tested enough for a public release.
The main objective of this release is to find bugs and fix them for the
final 2.3 release.
This release is NOT recommended for the casual user and should only be used
by people with some technical background who are willing to provide feedback
on any bugs they might find.
If you are using the TiVo Beacon then currently JavaHMO is not able to
automatically determine the TiVo’s on you network; you have to manually
configure JavaHMO with those details. If you do not use the TiVo Beacon
service then JavaHMO should automatically locate your TiVo’s.
Before you can use the ToGo functionality, you have to configure the
download path and media access key using the JavaHMO configuration GUI
File/Properties menu.
Your TiVo needs to run the 7.1 version software for the ToGo functionality
to work.
This release has been developed for JRE 1.4.2_06.
The Windows installation wizard, Mac OS X disk image and complete source
code is currently available from the project web site on Sourceforge:
http://javahmo.sourceforge.net
The Linux distribution will be made available at a later stage.
I know that I’ve been a little slow to react to this news however; I have a couple of reasons.
That being the case, I am going to put my 2 cents into this discussion. Many sites (TVHarmony, PVRBlog) are talking about the death of TiVo. There sure has been a lot of negative TiVo news as of late. The news about DirectTV seemed to overshadow the release of TiVoToGo. Along with the DirectTV news there has also been the criticism that the rollout procedure for TiVoToGo wasn’t acceptable and that the lack of a Mac version was disappointing. As if that wasn’t enough negative news, we recently found out that TiVo declined a deal with Comcast because they weren’t given enough money per user.
Ok, enough about the bad stuff, lets get on with the point of this post. People have been writing about the death of TiVo since the company was born. On almost a daily basis, I read an article that talks about the death of TiVo and why the company will go under next month. Isn’t this the same thing that people have been doing with Apple for years? You may be surprised to know that I don’t think all of this recent news is all that negative. Yes, it’s true that losing DirecTV customers isn’t a positive thing however; lets not forget the fact that recently TiVo acknowledge the fact that they were trying to break free of their dependence on the cable company. Hence the up coming release of the cable card… What I’m trying to say is that maybe saying no to Comcast fits into TiVo’s strategic plan. After all, why should they accept an offer that isn’t satisfactory to them. Would that be a good business decision?
In order to prevent myself from sounding hypocritical, I’d like to point out one thing. If you’ve followed this blog for some time now, you’ll know that I’ve said on a number of occasions that TiVo needs to establish a partnership with a cable company. My opinion on this has recently changed. I think TiVo is smart to try and establish a company that is not dependant on the cable industry. The only major problem I see is that TiVo needs to act quickly. If TiVo doesn’t act quickly then more then likely the competition will get to large and they will be unable to overcome it.
To sum it up, I’d like everybody to step back and stop talking about the death of TiVo. Maybe I’m in denial however; I’m pretty confident that the company has a plan for success. Besides, the news about a new CEO is a good thing. Fresh minds bring fresh ideas. Let’s wait and see what the new CEO (whomever it might be) has to offer.
