Was TiVo invented by aliens?

We've always suspected that TiVo was a little ahead of its time (ever try explaining its purpose to people immediately after it came out?), but none of us could have imagined that the original DVR technology was actually discovered among the ruins of an alien spacecraft that crash landed in the southern Nevada desert on March 31, 1973. Well, at least that's the premise of a new viral video making the rounds on the old internets, presented as a "top secret" training film for the "Bluemoon" project and designed as a primer for those with the proper security clearances to help Uncle Sam make the most of this wild new tech. Although the "leaked" vid doesn't reveal any clues about upcoming TiVo products or services, it is rather amusing to watch a fictional retelling of the device's origins, complete with 70's-style fonts and "dramatic recreations" of how its amazing functionality was first uncovered by stereotypically nerdy scientists. Best line of the movie? Project director A. Watterman claiming that "There are some who believe the potential uses for the box lie primarily in the consumer and household entertainment realm; others believe that the box will help us create an army of advanced super robots!" Cut to scene of a giant Robosapien attacking Leave it to Beaver-type family, and roll credits -- another Emmy-worthy presentation from the good folks at TiVo.

[aws910 @ Sep 5th 2006 4:00PM]

I saw a show on something similar - a guy claiming that the pieces of the "roswell spaceship" were sent to top companies in their respective fields. He said that from the wreck, we got fiber optics, kevlar-type fibers, laser cutting tools, the microprocessor, and a buncha other stuff.

What a load of bs. Imagine if you invented something, only to have someone say "Aliens actually invented it".

[Paul @ Sep 5th 2006 4:07PM]

i saw that same thing, and the guys reasoning was just superb-

1) I believe a space ship crashed
2) most people do not therefore they are stupid
3) because they are stupid they could not have invented these things
4) Because they didnt invent these things they came from aliens.

Have another Bud Light stupid crazy conspirator guy, you've earned it.

[Andy Briggs @ Sep 5th 2006 4:10PM]

Has anyone else noticed that on the stroke of 3:58 a subliminal message flashes up. I couldn't pause the video on it, but I believe it says www.tivo.com/bluemoon
This is curious as it says that an MP4 file was added in 1997. For some reason it wouldn't fully download, and I can't look into it firther right now. Can someone else check this, please?

[Stewart Foss @ Sep 5th 2006 4:12PM]

Anyone else notice the url hidden on one frame of the movie http://www.tivo.com/bluemoon/

It loads a page with a link to an mp4 file. It is probably just this movie again, but I don't know for sure as my download always stops 1/3 of the way through.

[Michael Fisher @ Sep 5th 2006 4:14PM]

If you freeze-frame at 3:58 (hard to do in YouTube, I downloaded it and converted it to Quicktime) you see a web address: www.tivo.com/bluemoon All it shows it a basic file hierarchy, but it contains the post date of the movie, March 1997. I guess this was either a very early commercial, maybe for investors, or an employee only orientation. Either way, kinda cool.

[Sim @ Sep 5th 2006 4:16PM]

Funny, I remember bring home the first sa Tivo and trying to explain what it does to my wife and friend. They complained it caused a delay for a year. ( They would try and use the sat remote and the tivo remote making the channel changes and sat menus delay depending on the prevous pause.

[Mad River @ Sep 5th 2006 4:21PM]

I was able to download the entire movie, and it is just the same as on YouTube.

[BDC @ Sep 5th 2006 4:30PM]

If Tivo spent less time with this BS and more time on Tivo-To-Go for Mac, a happy camper I would be.

[mike p @ Sep 5th 2006 4:38PM]

how bout a full function dtv tivo

[Andy Briggs @ Sep 5th 2006 4:42PM]

Okay, thanks for confirming I'm not mad guys (can't believe I was the first one to post this)! But why on Earth would it say it was posted in 1997? This surely couldn't have been made then - could it?

[narco @ Sep 5th 2006 5:01PM]

The beer/beer/cola/beer thing was the funniest part. I don't think it's totally impossible that it was made in 1997, but it probably wasn't since there is no real reason why they waited close to 10 years to release it. Probably adds to the whole "mystery" behind it or something.

Fishes,
narco.

[Ken Keiter @ Sep 5th 2006 5:05PM]

Actually, ladies and gents, that weird little TV-looking thing is infact a StrangeBerry! StrangeBerry was a company that TiVo aquired a LONG time ago. They had TV time-shifting technology that TiVo needed to hit the big time.

Here's an article from Slashdot called "TiVo Buys Super-Secret StrangeBerry" (http://slashdot.org/articles/04/01/26/1128246.shtml)

Also, StrangeBerry's logo looks alarmingly similar to the cute little thing in the commercial: (http://mf.typepad.com/on_the_road/strangeberry.jpg)

How fun!

[slyecho @ Sep 5th 2006 5:27PM]

BOO! They didn't deinterlace the video!

[Quist @ Sep 5th 2006 5:47PM]

Um, it's not a real directory listing. The date stamp is a graphic. Now I want to see Part 2. :)

[Evan K @ Sep 5th 2006 6:53PM]

I knew TiVo was too good to be true...

[AJ @ Sep 5th 2006 7:15PM]

Well, as funny as the video is, it certainly wasn't posted in '97.

The video/music features didn't appear until well into the Series 2 evolution of the product (although they could have been in the strategic planning, but I doubt it in the really early years of the company). And obviously, RoboSapien only showed-up a few years ago.

Maybe I'm just stating the obvious.

[Earl @ Sep 5th 2006 8:37PM]

Hmm, I come here to inform others of my great discovery, of the "subliminal" message in 3:58, only to discover that others already have it covered. Thanks guys.

[Deal @ Sep 5th 2006 8:53PM]

OK so am I the only one who wants that font on their tivo?

[cvandrew @ Sep 5th 2006 9:00PM]

it also flashes "i love tivo" in a single frame right before the text "the box" comes up

then in the "home movie" in french it says "the life is painful" and "this sandwich is good"...lol

[William C Bonner @ Sep 5th 2006 9:06PM]

The tivo interface that gets shown is more advanced than the tivo interface I have on my TiVo. I've still got the Sony branded TiVo that I bought in 2001.

[Rick @ Sep 5th 2006 10:05PM]

Before TiVo/ReplayTV there was this cool little program guide that controlled your VCR like a TiVo, getting its program guide info via the pager network. I can't remember the name, I had it for two years, no monthly fee, until TV Guide bought it out and they sent me 100% refund of the purchase price since they were shutting it down. What was the name of that device? Its interface was so wicked smooth, quality that compares to top DVRs today.

[Chris @ Sep 5th 2006 11:21PM]

It is definitely old. Didn't you notice how outdated the interface was? It had old options and menus. This was probably created toward the beginning of Tivo as a true orientation video for noobs.

[Dan @ Sep 6th 2006 11:34AM]

Rick,
It was called StarSight and it was great. I had a VCR with it built in. When I got my TiVo, it was retired, then they canceled the service.

It also didn't get the guide data from the pager network, it was in the vertical blanking on your local PBS station. Heck, it even kept correct time!