TiVo Series3 Stand Alone HD cable and OTA Box

[allchemie]

I just read that Tivo has released an MPEG-4 HD recorder for MSRP $799. Sadly, it is only compatible with cable and off the air broadcasts. Having DirecTV and a standard TIVO that works with satellite, I guess they lost a customer. I guess I am waiting for DirecTV HD DVR, even though I am dubious about the ease in useability and interface of a DirecTV DVR as opposed to Tivo.
I would imagine that the greed of DirecTV in marketting their own DVR's overcame their willingness to cooperate with TIVO and give their customers real choices. This in addition to their severe compression on a number of HD broadcast isn't making for good customer relations.

DirecTV is likely to lose a long time customer of around 8 years. They should realize they are far from the only game in town. In addition to digital cable there is likely to be increasing tv program offerings from the najor phone companies with their fibre optic networks. And they have the clout to bundle phone, tv, internet, and maybe even home security systems in one cheaper bundle. And certainly the digital cable companies are offering Vonage type phone systems, interent, and TV already at bundles prices.

It could be in the not too distant future that the satellite companies will relegate themselves to the hinterlands, where it is doesn't pay for cable and fibre optics to be networked.

Both satellite companies should merge and then they'd likely have the satellite bandwidth to offer high quality HD along with most of the local markets. But I doubt their internet offerings will ever be remotely competitive with the fibre optic phone companies and cable. And competitve quality universal satellite phone is way off. To carve a long term successful niche they should be the creme de la creme of standard and HD offerings, both in quantity and quality.

Of well, enough rant---Greg

[Tombanjo]

http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/t ... 0709990007

$799, seems to be cable only and does not nention any connections other the USB and Earthnet.