TiVoToGo goes legit

TiVo dodged a bullet yesterday, when despite the best efforts of the both the MPAA and the National Football League, the FCC granted them approval to add TiVoToGo, a new feature that would let users copy shows stored on their digital video recorder to other future TiVo boxes or a PC, or share them with some friends. The ruling actually only specifically relates to TiVos capable of recording digital television broadcasts, but why they needed the FCC's approval at all is a little complicated. The short story is that to appease the networks (who are worried that the transition from analog to digital broadcasting will make it too easy for people to copy pristine digital copies of TV shows and share them online) the FCC decided to require a little something called the Broadcast Flag, which would require any digital TV tuner connected to a digital video recorder to prevent shows from being recorded in such a way that they could be copied and shared. The Broadcast Flag is supposed to prevent people from sharing shows or transferring them from their DVR to their PC, which is why TiVo needed a waiver of sorts to add TiVoToGo. Still with us?

Anyway, as we've whined before, what's messed up is that TiVo (and others) have to get FCC approval to add new innovations to their products in the first place.

[Thanks, Jeffrey]

[Scott Johnson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

This whole broadcast flag nonsense makes is simply that. From the American citizen's viewpoint, it is quite the opposite of enabling. It restricts freedom. Our laws are not supposed to do this. This type of legislation needs to be reversed.

[Scott Johnson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

I supposed that first sentence up there didn't really make sense. It should have read, "This whole broadcast flag nonsense is simply that." That's what I get for trying to think and type at the same time. :p

[Elchin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

I think they'd be better just letting tivo do what they want, at least that way they have a controlled medium passing around stored videos versus people just turning to illegal means of obtaining what they wanna see.

[Justin Ashworth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

I can copy shows from my ReplayTV to my computer and between other ReplayTV units and have been able to for several years. Chalk one up for TiVo's marketing for slaughtering a competitor which is better-equipped. TiVo's success is also due in part to their idiot-proof user interface, whereas the ReplayTV interface is less intuitive to a new user.

[Alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

This is a BIG win for TiVo! One of the most requested features that I hear most people talk about is the ability to copy their recorded shows to another device. TiVoToGo will give them that feature. I�m really looking forward to TiVoToGo!

Alex

[MaxSMoke @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

The Home Recording Act of 1994 says we can make copies of whatever we like. The Betamax decision says we can make copies of whatever we want. Heck, even the American people ALL agree you should be able to make copies of whatever you want, for your own use and not for resale. That's it, next chance I get, I'm sending $20 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
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