Cox Communications mulling partnership with TiVo?

It's been over a year since we launched the TiVo Deathwatch, and not only is the company still alive and kicking, a new survey being conducted by Cox Communications may indicate that TiVo is about to enter into a partnership with the nation's third largest cable company. Thomas Hawk reports that users on on the TiVo Community Forum are buzzing about a questionnaire that was sent to Cox Enterprises customers who currently subscribe to one or more of the company's other services, but get their TV via satellite. Among a slew of questions about DVRs in general and TiVo specifically, is one which reads in part, "If Cox were to offer digital cable service with a TiVo branded DVR for about the same price as you are currently paying for satellite service each month, how likely would you be to switch from satellite TV to Cox cable that featured this TiVo branded DVR service?" Take this for what you will, but these questions would seem to indicate that the two companies are, at the very least, involved in backroom talks of some sort, and possibly even in the planning stages of building co-branded equipment. Combined with TiVo's recent courtroom victory over EchoStar, their current partnership with Comcast, and a surprising renewal of their service contract with DirecTV, a deal with Cox may be just the ammo we need to put the Deathwatch down for good.

[Neo @ May 5th 2006 3:16PM]

Word

[The Captain @ May 5th 2006 3:21PM]

Good thing you didnt reverse the order of that picture...

Tivo (hearts) cox.

*giggle*

[Alex @ May 5th 2006 3:23PM]

Still waiting for series 3 to be announced...

[Cox Employee @ May 5th 2006 3:25PM]

There hasn't been any buzz here around the office of such talks, but I am sure this is being done at corperate level anyway. If I hear anything official I shall post here.

[David @ May 5th 2006 3:33PM]

I hope that they don't take away my box that can record 2 channels (SD and/or HD) at the same time.

And what is "about"? They just raised prices in my area. Are they going to do it again again? (yeah, that's two agains).

Don't get me wrong, the HD8300's software is primative compared to TiVo's, but the dual HD recorders and being able to watch another HD recorded show while they're recording kick my butt.

[Davis Freeberg @ May 5th 2006 3:38PM]

From the way that the survey reads, it sounds like that this would be a download directly to the motorola boxes like the Comcast deal. This means that TiVo could piggyback off of your existing dual tuner box instead of making you buy a new one. I'd love to see TiVo offer a no risk free month when they do launch the new service, but I'm not sure how difficult it will be to change the operating systems back and forth on the Motorola boxes.

[Thomas @ May 5th 2006 5:55PM]

This is understandable..

Ive been urgin my HigherUps at the Cable Co I work for to do this after I seen that TiVo had a CableCard slot on that new HDbox of theirs..

[Jon @ May 5th 2006 6:11PM]

This would be great for people like me, since Cox is usually pretty good about only offering services superior to their previous offerings when they make expansions like this. It seems unlikely to me that they'd launch a software-only TiVo deal since in many areas Cox uses Scientific Atlanta boxes, and while it would be relatively easy to develop TiVoness for a Motorola box, a similar development for a SciAtl box doesn't seem likely based on what I understand of the workings of the box and the systems' backend in SciAtl box areas. What they need to do is make new SciAtl boxes with with TiVo built-in and have major Cisco involvement and come out with a box that has major internet/network integration and also be able to function well in all Cox service areas... Not that anyone here cares, but Cox doesn't want unsolicited advice either, so guess who gets it-- That's right, people who could not possibly care any less about what I have to say on the issue, such as the oh-so-smart Engadget readers.

[roberto @ May 5th 2006 6:22PM]

man, im still waiting for tivo to come to comcast. these motorola boxes are too buggy. it's supposed to be in the works but i haven't heard anything about it recently. any of you?

[slow news day @ May 5th 2006 10:23PM]

Tivo needs these kinds of partnerships. They're not releasing new improved hardware fast enough, which they're really not a hardware company, but that have the best DVR software hands down. I have three DVRs, a Tivo, and cable-branded model, and my media center PC. Tivo has the best functionality.

If Tivo ever releases their series 3 HD DVR, I'll kiss my cable branded HD DVR goodbye.

PS... Hope Tivo makes a deal with Wave Broadband (Astound)

[TY @ May 5th 2006 11:29PM]

Be very interesting to find out how many cable company generic hd dvrs are returned when series 3 is out, that should be big message to cable companies and whats with this geographic cable monopoly? could someone explain to me why each area has only one cable company. thanks

[masterwerk @ May 6th 2006 1:04AM]

i'm a field service tech for cox and this would make sense considering there are rumblings that cox may split with motterolla due to the many problems with their current dvrs.

i for one would love to see this happen, being a former tivo user, myself.

[Pfft @ May 6th 2006 5:20PM]

So TiVO loves the Cox, eh?

[Topmounter @ May 7th 2006 9:22AM]

This Moto HD DVR sucks.

I use my Series2 for all SD content, but still need the Moto box for HD.

I can't wait for the Series3 so I can get rid of this godawful Moto box.

[Caleb Pratt @ May 7th 2006 10:27PM]

They said: "a TiVo branded DVR" but nowhere did they say they'd use TiVo's platform to drive it. hehe Call me nit picky if you will, but what's to stop them from slapping a TiVo label on their current box? Cable companies HAVE been known to be sneaky in the past. ;-)