Comments on: TiVo seeks new ideas from developers

Software from digital-video recorder company lets people add new features to its service.

[ordaj]

Especially since the cable companies...

...offering will be closed. Open it up as a platform and they will come.

And the cable companies solution bites

Just got a Cable HD PVR added to my system to handle my HD content. Using Tivo for regular content. I have used the cable PVR for about 2 weeks now... and let me tell you... it sucks. Words cannot describe how bad it's software & remote is. I don't think the people that wrote that software have watched TV in their life (done offshore maybe?). Good grief what a pile it is. It really makes me appreciate my Tivo.

Opening up the tivo is a great step forward. Now if they would just hurry up and make a new box with HD and cablecard support so I can dump this lame cable thing. Argh. If they don't release that box until next year, I fear they may not survive.

[Earl Benser]

A few ideas...

1. Provide local control without always requiring the TiVo
service.
2. Provide MPEG-4/H264 recording formats for efficient file
compression.
3. Provide compatibility with AVI/DIVX/MOV file playback.
4. Provide USB2/Firewire connectivity for PC's and Mac's. and the
associated software (If the TiVO doesn't just show up as another
hard drive).
5. Provide user options to add hard drives for greater storage
capacity (if Idea #4 won't work in both directions).
6. Provide HDTV compatibility (720p and 1080i)
7. Provide component video outputs, and maybe DVI as well.
8. Provide both front panet and remote control options.

With these ideas implemented quickly enough, I just might buy a
TiVo, Otherwise, one of my Mac's pr PC's will take over the role.