If your VCR mocks you by eternally blinking "12:00," and if you can never catch that episode of Blossom to complete your collection, a smart digital recorder might be just what you need.
New personal TV services promise to simplify finding and recording programs and will tailor content to individual tastes. Best of all, they let viewers pause, rewind, or fast-forward any program on the dial.
This week, Tivo Inc., of Sunnyvale, California, will begin shipping digital recording devices that can store up to 30 hours of programming based on user preferences.
Users can select movie genres, actors' names, sports, or specific sitcoms for recording, and the Tivo personal television service will constantly refresh itself with the newest content. Shows can also be permanently archived instead of automatically replaced.
Alternatively, users can provide interactive feedback about the shows they are watching to educate recorders about their viewing preferences. Once the preferences are established, Tivo searches available broadcast content and finds programs suitable for recording.
Tivo has teamed up with HBO, Showtime, The Weather Channel, ZDTV, The Movie Channel, and E Entertainment to create customized showcases of their programs, including previews of upcoming shows and series.
Tivo will begin taking orders for its US$499 14-hour digital recorder or its $999 30-hour model from its Web site beginning 31 March. The recorders will be rolled out to retailers in the second quarter.
Users pay an additional $9.95 per month for subscriptions, which upload user preferences nightly over a telephone line. The service also features an onscreen program grid, which displays future programs.
The digital recorder uses real-time compression and conversion of whatever is displayed onscreen, storing the images in MPEG-2 format in a rotating 30-minute buffer. Viewers control playback from the saved copy.
Customers will pay handsomely for a service that primarily leverages existing content, but Tivo vice president of marketing and development Ed MacBeth said the convenience justifies the cost.
"People told us they want control -- they want to be able to watch their favorite shows and be able to pause, rewind, and fast-forward on demand." MacBeth said sports fans will be drawn to the service's replay capabilities.
Tivo plans to add targeted advertising to the service in the future -- it has already announced a deal with General Motors.
The practice of recording user profiles has prompted warnings from privacy groups, but Tivo officials said the profiles remain stored locally on its receiver.
Replay Networks, another maker of personal TV devices, on Monday announced that Showtime Networks will create custom programming for Replay using its Showtime, Sundance, and Movie Channel content.
Replay Networks also announced Monday additional investments in the company totaling US$8 million from Vulcan Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and the Tribune Company.
The ReplayTV recorder will be available in April for $699 and includes a subscription to the service.
