Comments on: My Thoughts on the TiVo Conference Call Today http://thomashawk.com/2004/11/my-thoughts-on-tivo-conference-call.html Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:10:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: raianoat http://thomashawk.com/2004/11/my-thoughts-on-tivo-conference-call.html/comment-page-1#comment-21091 raianoat Tue, 23 Nov 2004 05:24:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/thomashawk/?p=4595#comment-21091 I really think that TiVoToGo is going to be a big hit for TiVo. I know that I can't wait for it and many of the people that visit my site are in the same boat. TiVoToGo seems like a really attractive feature for anybody on the go. Now you'll be able to watch your favorite shows while in the airport or on a plane :).<br /><br />Alex<br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/r?http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tivoblog.com">http://www.tivoblog.com</a> I really think that TiVoToGo is going to be a big hit for TiVo. I know that I can’t wait for it and many of the people that visit my site are in the same boat. TiVoToGo seems like a really attractive feature for anybody on the go. Now you’ll be able to watch your favorite shows while in the airport or on a plane :) .

Alex
http://www.tivoblog.com

]]> By: Anonymous http://thomashawk.com/2004/11/my-thoughts-on-tivo-conference-call.html/comment-page-1#comment-21092 Anonymous Mon, 22 Nov 2004 23:21:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/thomashawk/?p=4595#comment-21092 Actually, DVD Recorders are one of the hottest segments of the consumer electronics market and all forecasts are for dramatic increases over the next several years. VCR sales are *dead* - did you see the announcement today that Dixons, one of the largest electronics retailers in the UK, is pulling VCRs off their shelves for good? In the US Wal-Mart has dropped VCR stock to a couple of units, moving to ditch them. DVD player sales are actually on the decline now, having peaked over a year back. What are people buying? DVD Recorders. The pricing has come down far enough that people are replacing their VCRs. You can't think like a geek and presume everyone will be buring DVDs on a PC - the bulk of the population wants something as simple a a VCR. <br /><br />Right now DVR/DVD Recorder combos are *hot*, and the market is growing like crazy. That's why TiVo is excited about it. If they can keep pushing the retail price of the units down they should be able to ride that wave to a good share of the market.<br /><br />While CableCARD is nice, and I've love it, right now the market is nascent. It is too small to measure, and there are still kinks being worked out. It is unlikely that the CableCARD market will be substantial until well into 2005, so TiVo should be in a good position if they bring something to market next year.<br /><br />Not that the drive used in the newer DVD-RW TiVos is a Pioneer DVD-108, which supports dual layer DVD+R writing, for 8.5GB. Pioneer also says it will be flashable for dual layer DVD-R writing, when that is finalized. Now, the TiVo software doesn't support dual layer at this time - or the 16x speeds the drive can support - but it leaves the door open to software upgrades. The drives *can* be flashed by a software upgrade too. So if dual layer burning gets popular, and blanks become affordable, the window is there to be opened.<br /><br />-MZ Actually, DVD Recorders are one of the hottest segments of the consumer electronics market and all forecasts are for dramatic increases over the next several years. VCR sales are *dead* – did you see the announcement today that Dixons, one of the largest electronics retailers in the UK, is pulling VCRs off their shelves for good? In the US Wal-Mart has dropped VCR stock to a couple of units, moving to ditch them. DVD player sales are actually on the decline now, having peaked over a year back. What are people buying? DVD Recorders. The pricing has come down far enough that people are replacing their VCRs. You can’t think like a geek and presume everyone will be buring DVDs on a PC – the bulk of the population wants something as simple a a VCR.

Right now DVR/DVD Recorder combos are *hot*, and the market is growing like crazy. That’s why TiVo is excited about it. If they can keep pushing the retail price of the units down they should be able to ride that wave to a good share of the market.

While CableCARD is nice, and I’ve love it, right now the market is nascent. It is too small to measure, and there are still kinks being worked out. It is unlikely that the CableCARD market will be substantial until well into 2005, so TiVo should be in a good position if they bring something to market next year.

Not that the drive used in the newer DVD-RW TiVos is a Pioneer DVD-108, which supports dual layer DVD+R writing, for 8.5GB. Pioneer also says it will be flashable for dual layer DVD-R writing, when that is finalized. Now, the TiVo software doesn’t support dual layer at this time – or the 16x speeds the drive can support – but it leaves the door open to software upgrades. The drives *can* be flashed by a software upgrade too. So if dual layer burning gets popular, and blanks become affordable, the window is there to be opened.

-MZ

]]> By: Anonymous http://thomashawk.com/2004/11/my-thoughts-on-tivo-conference-call.html/comment-page-1#comment-21093 Anonymous Mon, 22 Nov 2004 23:01:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/thomashawk/?p=4595#comment-21093 TiVo is betting on the wrong horse. DVD recorder combos have nowhere near the real-world appeal of, say a cable card stand-alone (how many cable subscribers in the US right now compared to satellite, like 10 to one??) or a HD stand-alone.<br /><br />They are simply hyping what they already have to market rather than looking to where the demand is actually going to be. TiVo is betting on the wrong horse. DVD recorder combos have nowhere near the real-world appeal of, say a cable card stand-alone (how many cable subscribers in the US right now compared to satellite, like 10 to one??) or a HD stand-alone.

They are simply hyping what they already have to market rather than looking to where the demand is actually going to be.

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