TiVo.com | What is TiVo




Is this the future of television?

Whether the TiVo service survives, the competitive consumer electronic market is anybody’s guess at this point. They clearly have a strong market presence and the predominant lead in the industry. However, that is no sure indication of ultimate success. TiVo is merely a service designed to power TiVo branded Digital Video Recorders (DVR), the much-heralded replacement to the VCR. No more tapes. DVR's use hard drives digitally to store 40-120 hours of television and in doing so allow for a host of other features such as pausing live television and commercial skipping. (As a DVR user, I can say it changed the way my family watches television.)

TiVo has its work cut out for it as a company. They have led the industry in educating the public about DVR technology and in fact have become synonymous with digital recording. Owners of Dish network DVR's only have to say TiVo for the uninitiated to understand what they mean when they talk about Digital Video Recorders or Personal Video Recorders (PVR). Same thing just another name for it. The company has softened up the ground with advertising since the company's inception in 1997. The company has released information stating they now have over 1.3 million subscribers, which accounts for a majority of the company's profit. With the word out on DVR technology, other companies are quickly jumping on board with their own services. The question remains whether it will be TiVo or other rivals who come out ahead. Clearly, it's a brave new world for home entertainment.
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