Here’s a summary of TiVo’s latest financial numbers. More detailed information can be found here (TiVo press release).

Technology Update

• During the quarter ending July 31st, TiVo released the TiVo HD.
• Comcast services is progressing. Comcast has agreed to fund development work to bring TiVo to additional set top boxes including Scientific Atlantic boxes.
• Comcast has said that they, “we will commence the TiVo rollout process shortly, which will continue rolling out throughout the fall in Comcast’s New England Division including metro Boston, Southeast Massachusetts and New Hampshire”.
• During the quarter DIRECTV announced a deal with TiVo to develop a software upgrade to enhance the user experience for DIRECTV customers who have DIRECTV DVRs with TiVo service.

Financial Numbers

• Second quarter net loss of $17.7 million, which included a combined inventory write-down and inventory purchase commitment charge of $11.2 million, as compared to TiVo’s net loss guidance of $5 to $8 million that didn’t contemplate the inventory related write-down.
• Net loss per share was $0.18.
• Service and technology revenues increased 7% to $56.5 million ($52.8 million for the same period last year).
• Service revenues were $53.4 million (compared to the year ago quarter when service revenues were $49.4 million).
• Technology revenues were $3.1 million, which was lower than expected due to timing of development work related primarily to DIRECTV and international opportunities

Subscriptions

• TiVo-Owned subscription gross additions for the second quarter were 41,000, compared to 74,000 gross additions for the year-ago period
• Overall, TiVo-Owned subscriptions totaled 1.71 million, up 136,000 on an annual basis compared to the year ago-period
• Net decline in DIRECTV TiVo subscriptions during the period as DIRECTV is no longer deploying new TiVo boxes
• Cumulative total subscriptions as of July 31, 2007 were 4.2 million
• Monthly churn rate was 1.2% compared to 1.1% in the prior quarter

Obviously the financial numbers aren’t that positive. That being said, I still think TiVo’s future is looking bright. The Comcast and Cox partnerships should produce a lot of new TiVo subscribers. Once this occurs, TiVo will be able to straighten out its financial situation.

Don’t forget that tomorrow TiVo is going to release financial results for the second quarter ended July 31, 2007. I’m plan on listing to the conference call so stay tuned for an update on.

Hopefully we’ll hear more about the Comcast & Cox partnerships. I know there are a lot of people out there who are anxious to get TiVo on their cable company DVR.

Last Thursday I blogged about my phone conversation with Time Warner Cable and how I setup an appointment to get two CableCARDs installed in my Series 3 TiVo. Well, my appointment was yesterday and after two hours of dealing with Time Warner’s incompetence, I am happy to say that I now have two CableCARDs installed and working in my Series 3 TiVo. Before I get into any more detail about the installation, I’d like to make it clear that the issues I encountered, had nothing to do with my S3 TiVo. All of the problems I had, stemmed from the fact that the Time Warner Cable (TWC) reps that I worked with had no clue about CableCARDs and how to install them. If the TWC reps were more capable, it would have only taken a couple of minutes to get both cards installed. I’m not trying make a blanket statement that all TWC employees are bad. Instead, all I’m trying to say is that the individuals that I had to work with didn’t know how to install a CableCARD and get it working properly.

My appointment was scheduled for 12-5PM however, around 11:15AM my wife called me at work to let me know that the TWC installer was at our house (45 minutes early). Since I expected there to be a problem, I left work to go home. While on the way home, my wife called me and told me that the rep asked if the TV could be removed from its wall mount so that he could install the cards. I told my wife that it wasn’t necessary and that I would be home shortly. Along with this comment, the rep also mentioned to my wife that he “hates this kind of job”. I’m not sure what that means. Maybe it is because he didn’t know what he was doing and TWC should get him some training?

When I arrived home, I was surprised to see that the console table that holds my electronic devices had been moved. There really wasn’t a need for the rep to move it but I didn’t say anything because I could tell that the rep was confused. Right from the get go, the rep was puzzled as to why I needed two CableCARDs, I explained it to him why I need two cards and he went ahead and got another card out of his truck. I gave the rep the instructions (PDF) that are included with all Series 3 TiVos and the rep proceeded to install each of the cards.

I can’t even tell you how many times the rep popped each of the cards in and out of my TiVo. Each time he did, he seemed to be hoping that something would magically start to work. In the end, the problem had to do with the fact that the agent that he spoke with, didn’t actually “activate” the second CableCARD. Until they activated the second card, I wasn’t able to get any high definition content on the second CableCARD. The entire time the rep was pretty much helpless. He wasn’t able to understand any of the diagnostic screens and I even had to help him troubleshoot the problem. On a number of occasions, I mentioned to the rep that he probably had to activate or pair the cards with my DVR. Maybe I should get a job with TWC. What do you think?

The entire experience really was a pain. Like I said before, the Series 3 worked just fine, all the problems that I encountered were the result of TWC not knowing how to install and configure their CableCARDs properly. Maybe the latest FCC mandate will force TWC to become smarter.

For whatever reason, my S3 TiVo doesn’t get all the channels that a standard TWC DVR receives. For example, I no longer am able to get A&E HD as well as ESPN2HD. I’m not sure if that is because the channels are switched digital or if it because of some other reason. Maybe somebody could shed some light on this? Along with A&E and ESPN2, I’m also not able to get any of the video on demand (VOD) content which I knew I wouldn’t get with a S3 due to the fact that the CableCARD 1.0 standard only supports one way communication.

Honestly, I really don’t care that I can’t get the content mentioned above. The S3 is so much better then a TWC DVR that I’m willing to give up VOD and some other channels for the sake of having the TiVo experience. If you’ve ever used a cable company DVR then you know what I am talking about. In actuality, I’m really not giving up a lot of content since my S3 allows me to record HD over the air using my antenna. Prior to the S3, I use to watch OTA content live.

I hope that this post doesn’t detract you from buying a Series 3 TiVo. In my opinion, the S3 is the best DVR on the market. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you awhile to get CableCARDs installed in your S3. It really is well worth it….

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As a side note, I would like to thank Jeff for putting me down as his TiVo rewards referrer. If you’d like to put me down as your referrer, all you need to do is enter my email address (raianoat AT gmail DOT com) when you activate your TiVo. Thanks Jeff!

Here’s some good news for anybody who owns or is thinking about getting a Series 3 TiVo. Starting July 1, the FCC will require that all cable companies provide boxes that utilize the CableCARD technology.

How does this help Series 3 owners you ask? Well, if the cable companies are required to use CableCARDs, they will have a vested interest in making sure that the technology works and that any glitches get ironed out. The way it works now, the cable company could careless about CableCARDs.

The second phase begins July 1, when cable providers are banned from providing new boxes that integrate both the security and navigation functions. Existing subscribers can continue to rent their current boxes.

The new boxes will have to use the same cable card technology as the competition. The FCC is hoping that forcing cable companies to do that will motivate them to make sure the cards work like they’re supposed to. The agency hopes it will eliminate some of the problems that have faced customers like Ken Hornstein, a 36-year-old computer programmer from Vienna, Va.

………..

Once cable companies have to use the same security technology as their competitors, the hope is that they’ll suffer fewer problems because it will be in the cable companies’ interest to keep them free of glitches.

TiVo.com is running a great special on the Series 3 TiVo. For $499.99 you can get the Series 3 TiVo plus a wireless TiVo adapter (no rebates required & free shipping)! The offer expires on April 30th so you better act fast.

If you do decide to take advantage of this offer, I’d appreciate it if you put me down as your referrer (raianoat AT gmail DOT com)

This is the lowest I’ve ever seen the Series 3. It looks like Gizmodo may have been correct when they said we would see the Series 3 price drop.

Details on the offer:

* Early termination fee and other restrictions apply. See offer for full details. Offer available for a limited time while supplies last.

† Instant Savings:

1. You save $180 instantly on the 80-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT (MSRP $249.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $239.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.
2. You save $230 instantly on the 180-hr TiVo® Series2™ DT (MSRP $349.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $289.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.
3. You save $300.00 instantly on the 300-hr TiVo® Series3 HD DMR (MSRP $799.99) plus $59.99 on the TiVo Wireless G USB Network Adapter for a total savings of $359.99, with a qualifying TiVo® service plan.

$500 is still a lot of money but it has me thinking that I should get a Series 3. I’m currently using a Time Warner DVR for my HD content however, I’m extremely unhappy with the DVR. The only thing that is nice about my SA 8300 is that I didn’t have to pay anything up front and if it breaks all I have to do is go down to my cable company’s local office and pick up another one.

Are you going to get a Series 3 TiVo now that you can get it for $500?

Spotted On Gizmodo

Will the Series 3 TiVo see a significant price drop by the end of the Q1? The folks over at Gizmodo seem to think so. Gizmodo has posted a tip that they received from one of their readers. The tipster stated that they spoke with a TiVo service rep and that the rep said that the Series 3’s price would drop significantly before the end of this quarter.

I’m going to chalk this one up as yet another rumor however, if it is in fact true, you know I’ll be one of the first individuals to buy one. Although the Series 3 has been available for as little as $588, it’s still too expensive for me. I’d really like to see it for ~$500. Having to watch HDTV live really sucks and because of my situation, I can’t go with a my cable company’s DVR.

Earlier today I was browsing through my TiVo RSS feeds when I stumbled upon this post. In the post, the author talks about an experience he had with a DirecTV customer service rep. Essentially the rep told him that he was going to be shipped a new TiVo however, when the “TiVo” arrived it was actually a DirecTV DVR. According to another customer service reps, DirecTV actually uses the term “TiVo” as a generic term for a DVR.

After twenty or thirty minutes I had successfully ordered the unit and waited patiently for the unit to arrive. I talked to the installer and asked how long it would take to install the TIVO and he said it would only take ten minutes or so. This evening I arrived at home to check out the new install only to learn it was a DirectTV branded DVR.

Has TiVo lost their brand name? In fact, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard somebody use TiVo as a generic term for a DVR. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest issues facing TiVo today. Without a brand name, you’re just another box of Kleenex. Back in 2004, TiVo had tried to defend their trademark however, I’m not sure how successful the campaign really was. After all, how do you prevent somebody from using your company name in a generic way?

In no way am I trying to say that other DVRs are equivalent to TiVo. Without a doubt, I think TiVo is the best DVR on the market. In fact, I always correct somebody when they use the term TiVo incorrectly. All I’m trying to say is that TiVo needs to be aware of the risk they face and how this could ultimately hurt the companies’ image.

CNET has posted a wonderful video on their website where they give a rather complete demo of the upcoming Comcast/TiVo DVR. I’m really impressed with how this DVR appears to work. I especially like how you can tell if a show is broadcast in HD directly from the “Find Program” menu.

If you’re a Comcast customer, are you planing on upgrading to the TiVo DVR option once it is available in your area?

Spotted on Gizmodo.