NCTA & TiVo Announce SDV Dongle For 2008
Earlier today, TiVo and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) announced that a USB hardware dongle is in development that will allow both the TiVo HD and Series 3 to receive Switched Digital Video (SDV) content.
ALVISO, CALIFORNIA and WASHINGTON, D.C. — The cable industry and TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today announced that cable operators will next year introduce a new external adapter that will enable TiVo® digital video recorders that use CableCARDs™ to access switched digital cable channels without a set top box, according to National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) President & CEO Kyle McSlarrow and TiVo President & CEO Tom Rogers.
…………….The new external adapter will attach to TiVo Series 3 HD DVRs and TiVo HD DVRs to ensure the DVRs can directly access all digital channels including switched digital cable channels. The adapter will work on any Unidirectional Digital Cable Ready Product (UDCP) that has a USB connector and necessary firmware. The cable industry is working with TiVo to ensure that installation of CableCARDs and the adapter will be easy and seamless for the consumer.
………………Cable operators will make the new adapters available for TiVo customers in the second quarter of 2008. Cable operators and TiVo will work cooperatively to alert TiVo customers about availability of the new adapter.
This press release is like music to my ears. The SDV issue has had me concerned for some time now. Maybe the most recent lifetime subscription offer isn’t such a bad deal after all :).
Thanks to everybody who sent this news tip in!
November 27th, 2007 at 11:08 am |
Does this mean I am going to have to add a 2 way splitter back behind my TiVo or will it be an “in-line” device?. I was so happy to get rid of the splitter when we got the series 3 with cablecards. If I go back to the splitter I loose 3.5dB of my already crappy cable signal.
Will we need two of these to record 2 cable programs at the same time? There is only 1 spare USB if we are using the wireless receiver.
Since my local Charter Cable Co. are so slow at adding HD channels, I’m hoping I won’t need this any time soon.
November 27th, 2007 at 6:47 pm |
I for one am ecstatic about this news. I live in a Time-Warner’s test market for SDV, so I’ve been living with the TW HD-DVR for HD content, and using my Series 2 for everything else. It’s a nightmare setup, but I refuse to use the POS TW box full-time.
SDV was the one thing that was preventing me from upgrading my TiVo to HD. Now I won’t have to worry about that. Well, in six months I won’t.
November 27th, 2007 at 8:22 pm |
Jeff, How do you know whether you are in a “Time Warner SDV test market”? I have Series2 with digital cable box, but would like to move to TiVo HD soon. I am in San Diego. How do I know whether I will suffer from SDV if I make the switch to TiVo HD with CableCARD?
November 28th, 2007 at 1:10 am |
I live in SD and have a series 3 and Time warner is using SDV in San Diego. the new CWHD station is on SDV, and a few others that I don’t care about. But I get all the locals and hbo etc, just no CWHD with smallville.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:26 am |
@Andy
You might want to try and call twc. In my area there are two channels that are using ADC.
November 28th, 2007 at 8:42 pm |
[...] 31st. The results contains a lot of news that we already knew about (Comcast TiVo, TiVo Canada, SDV dongle, NBC advertising deal & Nero partnership…) as well as one piece of news which Is [...]
December 21st, 2007 at 4:33 pm |
Andy,
I got the news from Time Warner when I called and asked what their position on SDV was. At the time (June maybe?) Austin, Charlotte, and one other place were being tested, according to the person I spoke with. I can’t remember the third city, but it wasn’t SD. However, my understanding is that many more cities are using it now, and that number will be growing rapidly. (Sorry about the late response).