Recently published patent documents outline PVR functionality for Apple TV. TiVo still has some unique features (e.g. TiVo Suggestions), but a PVR-enabled Apple TV might seriously give TiVo a run for their money.
Not that Apple cares too much about the Canadian market1, but if they ever did make this device, and it did high definition, and it worked in Canada… I’d be first in line.
1 Where’s my iPhone already? And some TV shows on iTunes I’ve actually heard of? And movies?
My favourite dashboard widget, Wimic, broke when I upgraded to Leopard recently. This isn’t so bad at home, because I already have it configured and can still sort of read my comics. As I discovered with my new iMac at work though, it’s a little challenging setting it up for the first time.
Luckily, widgets are just HTML pages under the hood, and a little CSS diddling fixed the problem. So here it is: Wimic updated for Leopard.
The long-awaited Comcast TiVo service is finally available, and Steve Garfield is the lucky first customer. He has a Flickr set with pictures of the unit and interface.
I hope Rogers is paying attention.
As an aside to all this TiVo in Canada talk, this past Saturday (November 24th) marked the break-even point of my TiVo Lifetime Service plan.
I paid $299 up front, which works out to 23 months of $12.95 payments — the going monthly rate for the TiVo service at the time1. Every month from this point forward is gravy.
1 There were no deals for 1-, 2- or 3-year prepaid plans. Factoring them in since they became available would actually push the break-even date out somewhat.
Back in January, I posted an article in response to Comcast’s announcement of a TiVo-enabled set top box.
At the time, I said:
“Someone from TiVo needs to talk to someone at Rogers to put a deal like this together.”
Imagine my surprise when in response to yesterday’s announcement of TiVo coming to Canadian retailers, Rogers offered this:
“We’ve always admired the personalization and recommendation aspects of TiVo,” said David Purdy, vice-president of Rogers Cable. “We’ve had discussions with TiVo in the past and my understanding is that they are keen to work with cable companies and integrate [their device] into the set-top box.”
Sure, it’s still rumour and speculation, but the fact that Rogers is acknowledging the possibility is a good sign.
While the TiVo service has been available to Canadians for at least the last couple of years, it was never officially marketed, and buying one meant searching eBay or finding an online store that shipped to Canada. Over the last year a few Canadian retailers even started selling TiVo units, but you had to know where to look.
That all changes today. TiVo has officially announced that TiVo is available in Canada at major retailers such as Best Buy, Future Shop and The Brick.
This is great news for people who have heard about the greatness of TiVo1 but couldn’t be bothered to jump through hoops to get it. Unfortunately, because Canadian cable providers don’t support CableCARD technology, the High Definition TiVos still won’t work in Canada. So if you’re lucky enough to have an HDTV, you’ll still be stuck with your provider’s PVR. Which is unlucky for you.
1 From people like me, who just won’t shut up about it.
From property virgins, to house hunters, to getting on the property ladder. It’s time to ask This Old House and hopefully become a handyman superstar, not Canada’s worst handyman.
