TiVo VP Jim Denney talks Desktop 2.3
By Dave Zatz 
posted June 22nd 2006 7:55PM
posted June 22nd 2006 7:55PM
Engadget columnist and correspondent Dave Zatz caught up with TiVo's VP of Product Marketing, Jim Denney, to ask him few questions about TiVo's new lawsuit bait, their Desktop 2.3 software announced yesterday. Check it out!As we reported yesterday, TiVo Desktop 2.3 has been released for Windows with a few new tricks up it's sleeve. Enhancements include scheduled series downloads and MPEG-4 to MPEG-2 video transcoding for a variety of portable devices. While we've been using unsupported methods for massaging video onto the iPod and PSP, official support is now provided at a cost of $24.95. TiVo's going with the soft sell and won't be issuing a press release, so we hit up Vice President of Product Marketing Jim Denney for the details.
Pricing
We'd prefer TiVo didn't charge for the new conversion features, but recognize MPEG codecs don't come cheap. For example even Apple will sell you (partially-working) MPEG-2 playback in QuickTime for $19.99 and Microsoft offers zippy MPEG-2 decoding, free or otherwise. When asked about TiVo Desktop's $24.95 price point, Mr. Denney responded that they have attempted to find a sweet spot -- balancing TiVo's "real costs" including software development, "royalties for technology," and support with providing "value to the end user."
Piracy
Mr. Denney clued us in to the "proactive steps" TiVo has taken to prevent piracy. In addition to the already existing (and easily bypassed) PC .tivo file encryption, Denney confirmed the unencrypted converted video includes a watermark "embedded in the file" (you can't see it) that references a subscriber's account. Additionally, TiVo feels by limiting transcoded files to a low resolution of 320 x 240, they further protect the rights of content owners while providing appropriately sized video for portable devices.
Content
While TiVo did have some interaction with select manufacturers of hardware they're now supporting, they didn't communicate with studios or other content owners. So we presented a scenario to Mr. Denney for comment: If we were to configure TiVo Desktop to automatically download every episode of the Daily Show and then covert each show for iPod playback, how might Comedy Central and Apple iTunes respond seeing as how they charge $1.99/show for similar functionality? Mr. Denney said TiVo was cognizant of this while developing TTG and feels they've balanced both the rights of the content owners and of their subscribers in the new software. TiVoToGo shows are "content you've paid for in a legitimate way" (via cable/satellite subscription), saved for later "personal use" with "commercials still embedded." We'll see if these fair use arguments fly with the likes of NBC, who's already suggested this will be the source of "legal conflict."
Future Development
Asked about future enhancements we might expect in TiVoToGo, Mr. Denney said new features would be feedback driven (they monitor forums and blogs) in the same manner they decided upon the current enhancements. TiVo hasn't announced any plans, though Denney left us with an enticing question... Once subscribers have these licensed codecs on their PC, how else might TiVo leverage this functionality to improve the customer experience? Our obvious answer would be to transcode personal content into compliant MPEG-2 files for TiVoBack the way Videora does.
Now for the bad (non)news... We felt compelled to ask what sort of TiVoToGo features are coming to Mac OS X and the upcoming TiVo Series3. While they are currently working on these technologies, Mr. Denney wasn't prepared to comment on functionality or time-frames other than to indicate they'll have more to say "closer to launch."
We'd like to thank TiVo and Jim Denney for taking the time to chat with us after-hours.
I wish you could have asked him why .tivo files insist on crashing my computer, and by only removing the DRM using DirectShow dump can I play them. Why bother wasting time with your faulty DRM when it takes about a google search and 30 seconds to remove?
Thanks, Dave, for taking the time to researchm, understand and report on TiVo happenings! You do the community an awesome service.
The comments about taking personal content to the TiVo, using the new codecs, are quite interesting. I'd love a built-in podcast/video podcast client!!!
How about pestering them [TiVo] to bring back the Lifetime Service option? I WILL NOT buy a Series3 unless the lifetime service option is brought back. The Comcast Motorola set-top box with the TiVo software upgrade will be more than suitable.
I really wish Apple would just buy up TiVo. The economies-of-scale that Apple would bring would negate the area that keeps TiVo from being profitable...hardware costs. A Mac Mini [Intel based!] with 2 CableCard slots and the TiVo software would rock.
Andy Dick works for TiVo?
It's not Andy Dick, it's Garth from Wayne's World!
Where is the "auto-transfer to portable device support" in Tivo Desktop 2.3? I see auto tranfers from the Tivo box to the PC and auto transcoding to portable format, but no auto tranfer to docked portable devices. What gives? Why take it to the one yard line and kneel down?
Umm... Series 3 information? Who gives a rip about Desktop 2.3?
Garth from Wayne's World ?
I think we've finally found Gordon Freeman.
While I've been using previous versions of Tivo To Go for a couple of years and am excited to see the new version, I'm not sure I'm going to switch. I'll gladly pay the $25 and will try it out for the auto features, but at this point I have no iPod with video, and would just be transcoding for my PSP. I don't watch video on it enough to justify any automatic download and conversion.
As it is, my workhorse PC spends about 90% of the transcoding I do is to a full resolution divx files, or occasionally something 320x200 for my phone
Surprisingly, I've enjoyed putting video ONTO tivo more than taking video off. There's something that's just plain convenient about having pron on demand in your Now Playing list.
I loaded the 2.3 free upgrade the other night and computer has crashed about 25 times in the middle of a transfer. The previous version did not crash at all. But that's probably a sign that my computer is in need of some upgrading more than a sign that the software is bad. As for the transfer to device - I have been using Direct Show dump for about a year with no problems so I don't see a need. I'd love to be able to plug my Verizon XV-6700 into the usb slot on the Tivo and tell it to record to device. Now that's a feature I'd pay for.
I have been using a cobled together set of programs (DVRMSToolbox, ShowAnalyzer, FFMPEG, MP4Box) to transcode MS-DVRMS files in batch from MCE2005 to ipod/PSP for some time, anticipating that this would be easier whenever this thing comes out and I could let the TiVo handle all the recording duties. Now I am thinking that my automated solution offers one thing that TiVo doesnt... Commercial Skiping. TVHarmony did this OK at first, but the speed of the orginal TiVo Series 2 boxes made me switch to MCE. Now with no more lifetime subscriptions available on new boxes, I will probably not switch back.
Perhaps NBC and others could exploit TiVo to charge for commercial free shows to be downloaded direct to your TiVo. I bet they would be surprised at how many more viewers they get this way vs the number of viewers of downloaded video they loose by trying legal action against a technology that is proving very useful to TiVo owners.
and adding in a tool to take video and turn it into TiVo compliant format ALONG WITH METADATA so the TiVo can folder it and so forth would be my feedback on the next step to take
Why don't they just go ahead and admit that their attitude toward mac users is less about producing a product and more about trying to get mac users to hang around long enough to forget that Tivo told them to piss off.
Tivo Desktop has been around for years, yet Tivo can't code for mac? please.
Coding for mac isn't as hard as they make it seem.